Journey into Darkness: An Unauthorized History of Kane

Journey into Darkness (ISBN 1-4165-0747-7) is a 2005 novel written by Michael Chiappetta and David Stern and published by Pocket Books for World Wrestling Entertainment. The book is a fictionalized history of the professional wrestling character Kane, portrayed by Glenn Jacobs. The story ties together pieces of the real life Glenn Jacobs with Kane, such as giving the character the name Glen Jacob Callaway, and the idea that he took the name 'Kane' from his mother's maiden name, as she was referred to several times as 'Suzanna Kane'. The story also deals very sparingly with the character of The Undertaker, Kane's storyline brother. This was the first WWE fiction novel, the second being Big Apple Take Down.
==Continuity==
The Callaway name is spelled with two L's in the book, which runs contrary to the spelling of Mark Calaway (the wrestler who portrays The Undertaker), as established by the caption to a high school yearbook photograph and his father's obituary. This may have been done for the purposes of kayfabe, as Jacobs, who portrays Kane, is not legitimately related to Mark Calaway, and both the Undertaker and Kane themselves are fictional characters. The alteration of the Undertaker's real life last name in the book is therefore understandable as a mixture of real life and the fictional history which involves both Kane and The Undertaker, as well as Paul Bearer. In addition, Glenn is spelled with only one "n" in the book. Many sites incorrectly spell Glenn Jacobs as Glen Jacobs, possibly because of this.
Kane spent time over in Spain learning his craft. Jacobs was born in Madrid, Spain, perhaps explaining why this place was chosen. It also goes on to state that Kane is the victim of a rare disorder called "Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy". This meant that Kane was incapable of feeling anything, but could still feel other sensations through touch. It also attempts to explain how Katie Vick came into contact with Kane — a massive continuity gaffe at the time the storyline was introduced. The book also interweaves Gene Snitsky, with whom Kane had been feuding in late 2004 and early 2005, into Kane's past.
===Loose ends===
The story deals very little with some of the much larger components of the Kane character, such as how and when he gained powers similar to The Undertaker's powers. It also does not explain where The Undertaker gained his powers either.
This in itself is a continuity gaffe because the Undertaker character has been supposedly capable of mystical feats, which Kane was supposedly capable of matching. The two characters are supposedly able to teleport and had various other powers, which included shooting fireballs and summoning bolts of lightning. It also does not explain why Kane seemed to suddenly lose his inability to feel pain and then partially regain it. Also, it mentions that the fire happened on November 7, but on an episode of RAW, the official date was May 19. As May 19 was the release date of the film See No Evil, this changing of the date of the fire is probably a retcon, as the date also became part of an aborted storyline in which Kane battled someone supposedly from Kane's past who had begun impersonating him. It is also the date his parents died.
It also does not explain why the parents of the Undertaker (his mother being Kane's blood relative) were buried on Long Island, New York, rather than in Texas where the two characters were supposedly born and for the most part, grew up (Mark Calaway is a Texas native in real life). However the book does detail the backstory of Kane with a partial filling of some, though not nearly all, of the larger plotholes behind the character introduced after the events of the Katie Vick angle, and the subsequent unmasking of Kane.
The one thing it does explain is the exact reason why the Callaways died in the fire which supposedly scarred Kane. This does more or less confirm comments and assertions by the Undertaker that he had set the fire, but his reasons for doing it were entirely skewed, apparently for the purpose of causing emotional harm to Kane himself later on in WWE storylines, but this little tidbit does dispel some theories that Paul Bearer had somehow brainwashed The Undertaker into saying that he had set the fire. (Though the book makes vague allusions to the idea that Paul Bearer MAY have in fact somehow brainwashed the Undertaker prior to the events of WWE's Judgment Day even in October 1998, in which the Ministry of Darkness storyline began, explaining his sudden heel turn.) It does however, completely invalidate the earlier story The Undertaker had told about the events of the fire. So the book at the same time upholds and yet debunks certain parts of existing WWE canon. Specifically, the changes made to the canon state that what happened was a complete accident, and that Undertaker had fled the house in fear. In previous WWE canon established from the days of the Ministry of Darkness storyline, Undertaker still asserts to having set the fire, but claimed originally to have done it because Kane was 'Weak as a child just like [Kane] was weak now'. Despite this Kane and the Undertaker later joined forces two years later, during which Undertaker still boasted about setting the fire, but also claimed a protectiveness of his family. The Undertaker & Kane were also friends back in High School.
==References==
Category:Professional wrestling books
Category:Books
Category:2005 books