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If you're looking to supplement your Smallville viewing with the various novels that tie-in to the show, Dragon, by Alan Grant, would be a good place to start. It's the second novel in what is presumably a series, but thankfully, while it does briefly summarize Clark's unique introduction to Earth and the role the Kents play in his adoption and upbringing, it is not the point of the story. The books published by Aspect (Warner Books) are not novelizations, but original novels, which may or may not be what you're looking for.

Dragon is fairly formulaic, but its close ties with the show feel nicely familiar. We've got a freak of the week (FOTW) whose supernatural ability is due to the meteor rocks, we have Lex suspicious of Clark but unable to prove anything, and we have Clark and Lana getting to be together through some supernatural means that is eventually taken back at the end. So, very much like a Smallville episode, but strangely enough, even though various elements of the novel reminded me of existing episodes and/or characters (Cassandra, Victoria, Lana's birthday party at the castle), there was enough new and different material that it felt fresh.

When we first meet Ray Dansk, we know immediately that he's going to be the foe Clark has to "defeat" for the right to live peacefully for one more week. It's with some surprise that Dansk turns out to be a fairly decent human being -- as near as one can be after serving out his term for committing murder, that is. We subsequently learn that the murder was committed in passion, if that -- it's more of an accident. Dansk was younger then, and hotheaded, and part of a biker gang called the Smallville Dragons. Now he's older and wants to be on the straight and narrow; the last thing he wants is to go back to prison.

Life's not easy for an ex-convict, and unable to find work, Dansk hides out in a cave that he used to go to when he was younger. Unfortunately for him, water compromised by the meteor rocks permeates the cave, and before long it's affecting the dragon tattoo on his chest and turning him into a real life human-dragon hybrid. Here's where the story gets weak; suddenly, as this stronger, animalistic being, Dansk's apparent bitterness at the people who put him away rises to the surface, and he begins to attack those who were witnesses against him all those years ago -- including Nell Potter. This might have been more believable had such a motivation been introduced from the start, instead of a contrite Dansk who seemingly truly wants to turn over a new leaf.

Since we have been made to sympathize with Dansk's plight, we recognize that his behavior is through no fault of his own, and is due to the influence of the meteor rocks. Thus, when he is suddenly written off once he turns into the human-dragon creature, it is dissatisfying. We want to know: What happens to Dansk? What of the sadness of Dansk's fate, a man who only wanted a fresh start but whose life was manipulated by forces outside of his own? Suddenly dismissing him as a two-dimensional threat, thus avoiding these questions, is taking the easy way out. This would not be an issue if they had not been so ambitious in the first place to give Dansk some depth and humanity. And that I certainly don't take issue with; as one of the writers on The X-Files once said, and I paraphrase, it's not monsters, but humans who behave like monsters, that are truly frightening. So I'm all for exploring the minutiae of human behavior. But if you're going to bring up the question then drop it without resolution, I'd rather not see it introduced at all, and just go for the straight good vs. evil battle.

Meanwhile, Lana and Clark both visit an old lady in town, and afterward, behave quite unlike themselves. Lana drops Whitney like a hot potato in favor of Clark, and suddenly Clark can't remember his background or that he has super powers. What's going on here? I won't spill the beans, because this was probably the most interesting part of the novel.

In any case, despite its weaknesses, Dragon was a pleasant surprise; a good supplement to the weekly episodes. Nice build up of tension, good interaction between the characters, enough of a hint of mystery to keep you intrigued, and impressive in how all the seemingly disparate events tied together. And if that doesn't get you reading, how about the fact that Lex Luthor rolls up his sleeves and helps Martha out in the kitchen?

Timeline: Lex is described as being "at least six years older" than Clark et al, while Whitney is two years older than the gang.