View source for A Nightmare on Elm Street: Protégé


{{Infobox book
| italic title      = <!--(see above)-->
| name              = A Nightmare on Elm Street: Protégé
| image             = ANoES Protege.jpg
| image_size        = 
| border            = 
| alt               = 
| caption           = 
| author            = [[Tim Waggoner]]
| audio_read_by     = 
| title_orig        = 
| orig_lang_code    = 
| title_working     = 
| translator        = 
| illustrator       = 
| cover_artist      = 
| country           = United Kingdom
| language          = English
| series            = ''A Nightmare on Elm Street''
| release_number    = 3
| subject           = 
| genre             = Horror
| set_in            = 
| publisher         = [[Black Flame (publisher)|Black Flame]] (UK) <br> [[Simon & Schuster]] (US)
| pub_date          = 27 September 2005
| english_pub_date  = 
| published         = 
| media_type        = Print ([[Paperback]])
| pages             = 409
| awards            = 
| isbn              = 9781844162550
| isbn_note         = 
| oclc              = 65201174
| dewey             = 
| congress          = 
| preceded_by       = [[A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dreamspawn]]
| followed_by       = [[A Nightmare on Elm Street: Perchance to Dream]]
| native_wikisource = 
| wikisource        = 
| notes             = 
| exclude_cover     = 
| website           = https://timwaggoner.com/writing/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-3-protege/
}}

'''''A Nightmare on Elm Street: Protégé''''' is a 2005 British horror novel written by [[Tim Waggoner]] and published by [[Black Flame (publisher)|Black Flame]].<ref> {{cite book|editor = [[Stephen Jones (author)|Stephen Jones]]|title = [[The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror|The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 17]]|year = 2006|publisher = [[Constable & Robinson]]|isbn = 9781845293154|at = Introduction: Horror in 2005}} </ref> A tie-in to the ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)|Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' series of American horror films, it is the third in a series of five ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' novels published by Black Flame and revolves around a teenager named Jerome Starkey as he attempts to prevent himself from falling under the thrall of supernatural killer [[Freddy Krueger]].<ref> {{cite book|editor = Marie Toft|title = What Do I Read Next? 2006: A Reader's Guide To Current Genre Fiction, Volume 2|year = 2006|publisher = [[Gale (publisher)|Gale]]|isbn = 9780787690243|page = 238}} </ref>

== Plot ==

Expectant teenage mother Joanna Larkin falls asleep at the wheel and has a nightmare about [[Freddy Krueger]], a serial child killer who, after being burned to death by angry parents, now haunts the dreams of the people of Springwood, Ohio. Freddy injects Joanna's unborn child with his evil essence before causing Joanna to die in a car crash, though Joanna's baby, Jerome, survives and is raised by his father, Don Starkey, and stepmother, Lynn. Growing up, Jerome is shielded from Freddy's influence by a [[dreamcatcher]] gifted to him by Joanna's twin sister, Rebecca, a [[Tarot card reading|tarot card reader]] who received the artifact from a being implied to be an angel during a trip to New Mexico. Jerome has a volatile temper and suffers from violent outbursts, such as crushing his pet gerbil, Kirby, and biting and permanently scarring Lynn and a bully named Patrick Cottril.

One night, Jerome accidentally damages the dreamcatcher and begins having nightmares about Freddy. Freddy's machinations cause Jerome to develop a malevolent alter ego who seizes control of his and Jerome's shared body whenever Jerome falls asleep, gaining power and further autonomy by murdering Cottril and the bully's two cohorts, Eddie Jackson and Brent Haney. Rebecca, after being made aware of Jerome's dilemma, attempts to save her nephew by repairing the dreamcatcher with help from Joanna, whose spirit Rebecca is briefly able to call forth during a visit to the [[Astral plane]]. Jerome's evil half destroys the dreamcatcher and murders Rebecca. Jerome, overcome with despair, attempts suicide by jumping in a river, but when he passes out in the water, his body is possessed by "Dark Jerome." Jerome's doppelganger then goes on a killing spree, butchering three of the staff of Jerome's school, his bosses at a [[video rental shop]], and his best friend, Ellery Belasco, while Jerome's consciousness is trapped in the [[Dream world (plot device)|Dream World]] with Freddy.

Jerome, guided by Rebecca's spirit, escapes Freddy and stops Dark Jerome from killing Lynn and his stepsiblings but is unable to save Don. Dark Jerome takes back control of Jerome's body and kidnaps Jerome's girlfriend, Cheryl Garringer. Dark Jerome brings Cheryl to Freddy's old abandoned house, [[1428 Elm Street]]. The house is where Freddy is at his strongest in the waking world, and, with Dark Jerome acting as a nexus, he is able to physically manifest there, intent on helping his "son" slaughter Cheryl. Jerome reassumes control of his body and attacks Freddy. As Freddy lashes out, Jerome swaps places with Dark Jerome, who is accidentally killed by Freddy. Jerome, now a disembodied spirit, forces Freddy back into the Dream World before saying goodbye to Cheryl. At Jerome's funeral, Cheryl laments that, even though Dark Jerome was destroyed, depriving Freddy of an agent in the mortal plane, it was a [[pyrrhic victory]] since Jerome and eleven others are dead and Jerome was blamed for Dark Jerome's rampage, which has produced a surplus of fear for Freddy to feed on and use to continue terrorizing Springwood.

== Publication ==

In his initial pitch to [[Black Flame (publisher)|Black Flame]] for a ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)|Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' tie-in novel, author [[Tim Waggoner]] had [[Freddy Krueger]] become mortal again and attempt to reclaim his position of power in the [[Dream world (plot device)|Dream World]].<ref> {{cite web|url = https://www.actionreloaded.com/interview-author-tim-waggoner-talks-latest-novelization-halloween-kills/|title = *Interview* Author, Tim Waggoner talks latest novelization, ''Halloween Kills''|last = Turner|first = Jeff|date = 25 March 2022|website = actionreloaded.com|publisher = Action Reloaded|access-date = 26 August 2024}} </ref> Waggoner, encouraged by his editor, had already begun writing this story when he was informed by a representative from [[New Line Cinema]], the owners of the ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise, that it had been rejected because the concept of Freddy becoming human again would "raise the specter of Freddie {{Sic}} having been a child molester/murderer when he was alive and they didn’t want to deal with that issue."<ref> {{cite web|url = https://novelpro.weebly.com/latest-news/interview-with-mr-tim-waggoner-author-of-kingsman-the-golden-circle-movie-novelization-and-numerous-novels|title = Interview with Mr. Tim Waggoner, author of ''Kingsman: The Golden Circle'' (movie novelization) and numerous novels|date = 2 June 2022|website = novelpro.weebly.com|publisher = NovelPro Junkie|access-date = 26 August 2024}} </ref> Waggoner then wrote and presented Black Flame with an outline for ''Protégé'', which was approved by New Line Cinema. To promote the book, Waggoner read the first chapter at the [[World Horror Convention]] in New York City in April 2005.<ref> {{cite web|url = https://nightmareonelmstreetfilms.com/site/exclusive-interview-tim-waggoner/|title = Exclusive Interview: Tim Waggoner|date = 1 September 2005|website = nightmareonelmstreetfilms.com|publisher = Nightmare on Elm Street Companion|access-date = 26 August 2024}} </ref>

In 2006, Black Flame reprinted ''Protégé'' as part of ''Ripped From a Dream: A Nightmare on Elm Street Omnibus'', a compilation that included ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street: Suffer the Children|Suffer the Children]]'' and ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dreamspawn|Dreamspawn]]'', the two preceding ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' novels  published by Black Flame.<ref> {{cite web|url = http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/horror/bl-publishing-falls-for-more-warhammer-new-lines/|title = BL Publishing falls for more WARHAMMER, New Lines|last = Lott|first = Rod|date = 17 May 2006|publisher = [[Internet Archive]]|website = bookgasm.com|accessdate = 28 August 2024|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170612055512/http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/horror/bl-publishing-falls-for-more-warhammer-new-lines/|archivedate = 12 June 2017}} </ref>

== Reception ==

[[Don D'Ammassa]] opined that ''Protégé'' was "quite well written" in a dual review of it and ''[[Final Destination: Dead Man's Hand]]'' he wrote for ''[[Science Fiction Chronicle|Chronicle]].''<ref> {{cite magazine|title = Critical Mass by Don D'Ammassa|magazine = [[Science Fiction Chronicle|Chronicle]]|location = United States|publisher = [[Warren Lapine]]|date = February 2006|language = English|volume = 1|issue = 266|page = 30}} </ref> Reece Goodall of ''[[The Boar (newspaper)|The Boar]]'' commended the novel, which he felt had "a really interesting main character and some solid horror" as well as an intriguing premise that set it apart from its two predecessors, ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street: Suffer the Children|Suffer the Children]]'' and ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dreamspawn|Dreamspawn]].''<ref> {{cite web|url = https://theboar.org/2020/11/bizarre-elm-street-spin-off-novels-ripped-from-a-dream/|title = The bizarre Elm Street spin-off novels: ''Ripped from a Dream''|last = Goodall|first = Reece|date = 6 November 2020|website = theboar.org|publisher = [[The Boar (newspaper)|The Boar]]|access-date = 21 August 2024}} </ref>

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://nightmareonelmstreetfilms.com/site/exclusive-interview-tim-waggoner/ Interview] with [[Tim Waggoner]] at ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' Companion
* {{ISFDB title|id = 171731|title = Protégé}}

{{A Nightmare on Elm Street}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightmare on Elm Street: Protégé, A}}

[[Category:2005 British novels]]
[[Category:2000s horror novels]]
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[[Category:Fortune-telling in popular culture]]
[[Category:A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise) novels|Protégé]]
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{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=A Nightmare on Elm Street: Protégé|access_date=2026-02-24}}