Novelizations

[fommes 153]

Hi all!

A new topic.

What are your favourite novelisations,

and why?

Which novelisations have you read more than one time?

Do you usually read a novelisation in relation to the film which it is based on, for example to better understand the film, or would you also pick one up to read in its own right?

Cheers!

Lotman

(1000th post)

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The only novelisation I've read is the children's version of Jurassic Park. It sucked balls.

Oh, and the TPM comic, which was okay. Although I saw it in a store before I saw the movie and I flicked through it, stumbling upon Darth Maul's death. So that kinda ruined the final duel for me.

- Marc, who at that time had never ever seen a Star Wars film.

[John McClane 1]

Oh, and the TPM comic, which was okay. Although I saw it in a store before I saw the movie and I flicked through it, stumbling upon Darth Maul's death. So that kinda ruined the final duel for me.

It mustn't be a cool thing...

Mirko - who never read a novelisation of nothing, since probably he can't even read.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

I remember reading the JP novelization too, though I don't remember much about it. I read the real book shortly afterwards, which probably diminished the effect of the novelization. Hmm, I also read the AotC book, which was pretty much at the same level as the movie as far as I can remember.

Ray Barnsbury

[Lurker 5]

Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek - The Motion Picture novelization (a very odd description, now that I think about it) is a good book, as was Vonda N. McIntyre's Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan novelization. Her scene of Khan interrogating the Regula 1 scientists was frightening. I remember flying through Craig Shaw Gardner's Back to the Future II and III novelizations before the films came out. They were a lot of fun.

I've never read this novelization, but what a horrible, misleading title for a book.

Neil

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I remember reading the JP novelization too, though I don't remember much about it.  I read the real book shortly afterwards, which probably diminished the effect of the novelization.  Hmm, I also read the AotC book, which was pretty much at the same level as the movie as far as I can remember.

Ray Barnsbury

Ray, there was no novelization of JP, there was an original novel, Jurassic Park, but no novelization of the film.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Ray, there was no novelization of JP, there was an original novel, Jurassic Park, but no novelization of the film.

I think he meant the kids version.

I've read all the Star Wars novelisations. Terry Brooks' TPM was trashy and self-contradictory. R.A. Salvatore's AOTC was a major improvement, even though the ending seemed a bit rushed. The ones in the Original Trilogy were also pretty good. I've also read Independence Day and Godzilla by Stephen Molstad, the latter being much better than the film.

[John Crichton 4]

The novelizations of the Harry Potter movies are quite good. Oh wait...

Seriously, I've read very few novelizations. I read the ones for both the prequels after I saw the movies and enjoyed them both, but I only read them the one time so my memory's a little hazy. I remember liking how TPM's fleshed out Anakin's character and showed sides of him (how he's really quite a genius in many respects and very advanced for his age) that you don't see on screen due to a certain child actor's performance.

Other than that in my younger days I read Star Wars, Empire, and a few of the Trek film novels. I can't give opinions because I really don't remember them very well.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I've read all the Star Wars novelisations. Terry Brooks' TPM was trashy and self-contradictory. R.A. Salvatore's AOTC was a major improvement, even though the ending seemed a bit rushed.  

see I would go the otherway, I thought Terry Brooks TPM was great, and felt good about the upcoming movie, I also thought that Salvatore's book was as poorly written as it could be, but I still that the basic story was sound and felt good about the upcoming movie. I was slightly disappointed in TPM, and thought AOTC was great the first time. It was like Amish scrapple it tasted great on the first bite, not so good on the 2nd bite, and the third bite I knew how wrong the first and 2nd bites were.

[fommes 153]

Personally, I liked Ben Bova's THX-1138 - it's something different from the film though, I don't think you can compare film and novel.

Also, Christopher Priest's eXistenZ is an entertaining read.

I thought Terry Brooks TPM was great, and felt good about the upcoming movie, I also thought that Salvatore's book was as poorly written as it could be, but I still that the basic story was sound and felt good about the upcoming movie

So, you read the novelizations first, or did I misinterpret your sentence? Do you often do that, reading novelizations before seeing the film?

[Greg1138 3]

I've never read this novelization, but what a horrible, misleading title for a book.    

Neil

Strange one that! A novel of a film of a novel? With a crap title to match? I wonder if the book itself was actually any good......perhaps not.....

Greg - who has not really read any novelisations other than the Star Wars original trilogy an the Alien books by Alan Dean Foster.....

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Personally, I liked Ben Bova's THX-1138 - it's something different from the film though, I don't think you can compare film and novel.

Also, Christopher Priest's eXistenZ is an entertaining read.

I thought Terry Brooks TPM was great, and felt good about the upcoming movie, I also thought that Salvatore's book was as poorly written as it could be, but I still that the basic story was sound and felt good about the upcoming movie

So, you read the novelizations first, or did I misinterpret your sentence? Do you often do that, reading novelizations before seeing the film?

In the case of the Star Wars films I have read the novelization 4 out of the 5 times before seeing the movie. I read alot so I have read alot of movie novelizations through the years or the original novels that inspired a film. I read Jaws and JP before the movies were made, Jaws 2 before it was released, some I read after.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Ray, there was no novelization of JP, there was an original novel, Jurassic Park, but no novelization of the film.

I think he meant the kids version.

Yes, which is what Marc was referring to as well, I believe.

Ray Barnsbury

[robthehand 3]

GoldenEye. It was very good, especially after reading Benson's "Die Another Day", which was one of the worst EVER.