The Supernaturalist

*The Supernaturalist*
Written by:	Eoin Colfer
Central Theme:
Synopsis:	In the future, those with the ability to see invisible creatures band together to exterminate them. The local Megacorp requests their services, but can they be trusted?
First published:	2004
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The Supernaturalist is a 2004 Sci Fi novel by Eoin Colfer. In the future, 14-year-old Cosmo Hill escapes from the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys in an accident that nearly takes his life. He is saved by a group of teenagers calling themselves "The Supernaturalists" because they seek to rid the world of strange, alien-like creatures that they call "Parasites" and believe are sucking the life out of the wounded or dying. However, they soon discover a horrifying secret that turns their world upside down and gets them caught in a web far more complicated than anything they've ever imagined before.

Tropes used in The Supernaturalist include:

Action Girl: Mona Vasquez.
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: "Abracadabra Street was no great challenge for a squadron that had broken into several foreign banks, two crime lords' strongholds, and a private kindergarten."
Badass Longcoat: Stefan.
Band of Brothers
Big Brother Is Employing You: Faustino, who is working for Myishi, manipulates the Supernaturalists into helping her collect parasites.
By the Eyes of the Blind: The Parasites can be seen only by those who have suffered near-death experiences.
Chekhov's Gun: The metal plate in Cosmo's head.

Mona: "When your skin heals up, Ditto says you'll be able to head-butt your way through a brick wall."

Conveniently an Orphan
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Ellen Faustino.
Cyberpunk
Dark Is Not Evil: Those Parasites sure are creepy, aren't they? As our heroes discover, however, they're more benevolent if anything, and it's not life they eat, it's pain. The Parasites exist to eat the pain of the dying so they'll have a more peaceful death.
Deliberately Cute Child: Ditto.
Door Step Baby
Dystopia: According to this book, the future will behold a polluted, enviromentally destroyed planet, where sunsets are purple because of smog and technology is god.
Easter Egg: Does the name Stefan Bashkir tell you something? Do you remember Phonetix?
- And Myishi was the name of a character in The Wish List.
Four Man Band: Stefan is The Hero, Ditto is The Lancer and The Medic, Mona is The Smart Guy, and Cosmo is The Chick.
Ineffectual Loner: Stefan.
It Can Think: As Stefan lays dying, he notes that the Parasites surrounding him look sympathetic, rather than mindless.
La Résistance
Line-of-Sight Name: Cosmo Hill was named for the Cosmonaut Hill, place where he was found.
- Somewhat Lampshaded. "I once knew a man from San Fransico named Holden Gate. Guess where they found him?"
- This is explicitly stated to be the modus opernadi for naming John Does in this society.
Reassigned to Antarctica: Happens literally to Faustino at the end.
Tall, Dark and Handsome: Stefan.
Magical Defibrillator: Stefan restarts Cosmo's heart by shooting him in the chest with a Shocker round "strong enough to fry a rhinoceros" (notable for being much more powerful than the weaker versions used against the Parasites).
- To be fair, though, he had just had thousands of volts go through him and his heart was in fibrillation.
Mega Corp: Satellite City seems to be controlled by Myishi.
Name's the Same: Ditto has no relation to a certain shapeshifting purple blob.
Near-Death Experience: Each of the main cast has had one; it's also the only way to see parasites.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Subverted. Stephen is quite horrified to realize that the shocker weapons he thought were destroying the parasites were actually causing them to multiply, but then it turns out that the parasites are actually quite a benevolent species, so this wasn't as bad as Stephen thought.
Noodle Implements: Cosmo has a nightmare involving Ziplock, two parasites, and a hair dryer.
Not Growing Up Sucks: Ditto, who appears 6 when he is actually 28.
Older Than They Look: Ditto as stated above.
One of the Boys: Mona.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Ditto, real name Lucien Bonn.
Playing with Syringes: The origin of the Bartoli babies, Ditto included.
Privately-Owned Society
Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale: The titular satellite of satellite city is described to in a geosynchronous orbit 50 kilometres above the earth. Little wonder then they are having trouble keeping it up…
- It could be intentional, given the two apparent mistakes (gettable-to with low-orbit spaceplace, and about to fall down) cancelling each other out.
Supporting Protagonist: Cosmo Hill is the protagonist, the story is far more Stefan's story.
Taking You with Me: Attempted by Stefan Bashkir.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: Spoken by Cosmo, lampshaded by Ditto:

*Face Palm* "You had to say it, didn't you? You're jinxed now, for sure!"

Wrench Wench: Mona.