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Post by goathunter on Sept 1, 2023 13:17:07 GMT
I've not read that, but that sounds like a perfect example of how a writer who puts some work into their novelisation can make something that stands out as a book in its own right, rather than just a kind of souvenir of the film or show, which is I guess what tie-ins were supposed to be before VHS, etc. Card expanding the characterisation with some interior monolgue and POV to give them an extra dimension is exactly what a writer should aim, really - it must make the job of novelising more interesting to put that thought into the work. If memory serves, the first three chapters are backstories for the three main characters. You're right, novelizations of films used to be the only way you could experience most films a second (or first) time in the days before HBO, VHS, Laserdiscs, etc. As an avid reader of a number of them, I used to get really annoyed when a novelization did not follow the movie's script precisely. (Hey, I was, what, 10 to 15 when I read most of them). I later gained an appreciation for how they were often based on early script drafts and included things cut from the final films. It was only after I matured and read more that I came to appreciate the novelizations that did more than spit out the screenplay in prose form. It's been a long time since I've read a novelization. I read the Skipp & Spector novelization of Fright Night last year. I think that's the only one I've read since reading The Abyss when it came out in 1989. Because by then, we had VHS and LDs, and novelizations seemed to be kind of pointless. There's no telling what I've missed from novelizations of films I've enjoyed.  |
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Post by pulphack on Sept 1, 2023 15:41:32 GMT
Ha! Yes indeed... I remember reading TV novelisations by John Burke back when I was about 8/10 and being baffled by the way he wove things together and how some of the characters were markedly different from the ones I watched (Parminter, security chief in the Gene Barry series The Adventurer being a case in point - much stuffier, stupid, and also fat and bald in the book, quite unlike Barry Morse on screen!). I preferred the straighter versions I recognised - the reverse being the case now. Like yourself, I wonder if not reading the novelisations of the last two/three decades I might have missed some gems. It's the script draft thing as well - I'm sure I banged on before about the cut scenes from the movie of sit-com Dads Army that Burke included in the novel that were the highlight for the depth they brought. I'm not sure if its buried on here or was on a long-dead website that Johnny Mains had for John Burke, but his elucidation of the working method for novelisations and how he was handed draft scripts so the book could be ready for the films release were fascinating.
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Post by andydecker on Sept 1, 2023 16:17:52 GMT
Ha! Yes indeed... I remember reading TV novelisations by John Burke back when I was about 8/10 and being baffled by the way he wove things together and how some of the characters were markedly different from the ones I watched (Parminter, security chief in the Gene Barry series The Adventurer being a case in point - much stuffier, stupid, and also fat and bald in the book, quite unlike Barry Morse on screen!). I preferred the straighter versions I recognised - the reverse being the case now. Like yourself, I wonder if not reading the novelisations of the last two/three decades I might have missed some gems. It's the script draft thing as well - I'm sure I banged on before about the cut scenes from the movie of sit-com Dads Army that Burke included in the novel that were the highlight for the depth they brought. I'm not sure if its buried on here or was on a long-dead website that Johnny Mains had for John Burke, but his elucidation of the working method for novelisations and how he was handed draft scripts so the book could be ready for the films release were fascinating. They are often really worthwhile. The novelisation from Peter Saxon Corruption which featured the original (and better) ending. The novelisations of comic writer Peter David for Spider-Man 1 and Hulk were rather long compared to those early ones, 300 pages plus.
I recently bought a one after so many years not doing this. Resident Evil - The Final Chapter. I hope it explains all the stuff where the movie is just incoherent.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 3, 2023 9:46:17 GMT
I've not read that, but that sounds like a perfect example of how a writer who puts some work into their novelisation can make something that stands out as a book in its own right, rather than just a kind of souvenir of the film or show, which is I guess what tie-ins were supposed to be before VHS, etc. Card expanding the characterisation with some interior monolgue and POV to give them an extra dimension is exactly what a writer should aim, really - it must make the job of novelising more interesting to put that thought into the work. Steve Guariento has written an outstanding book on the subject of movie novelisations and tie-ins, Light into Ink, including a chapter on those he regards "Better than the Film ", John Burke's Moon Zero Two and Phil Smith's The Incredible Melting Man among them. Mr. Guariento considers E. W. Hildick's Monte Carlo or Bust! "a triumph, a stunning masterpiece in film-to-prose adaptation, and a highly accomplished piece of comic fiction in its own right. There's an avante-garde playfulness to the novel that is quite irresistible." As I remember them, Burke's Dr. Terrors House of Horrors and the shorter items in the Hammer Horror Film Omnibus (X2) are little more than glorified synopses, yet I still greatly enjoyed The Plague of the Zombies, Dracula: Prince of Darkness and The Reptile in particular. In contrast, this quote from a Skeleton Crew interview, suggests Chetwynd-Hayes' adaptation of The Awakening deviates considerably from the film. "It was marvellous. I got £2, 000 for that. I ... saw the film all by myself and thought it was stupid - why didn't they find an original idea? I read the script and pinched a bit from H. Rider Haggard, some from the Arabian Nights, and got a story out of it somehow." The novelisation from Peter Saxon Corruption which featured the original (and better) ending. The novelisations of comic writer Peter David for Spider-Man 1 and Hulk were rather long compared to those early ones, 300 pages plus. I recently bought a one after so many years not doing this. Resident Evil - The Final Chapter. I hope it explains all the stuff where the movie is just incoherent. Very much enjoyed the Saxon Corruption. Others enjoyed would include the multi-authored adaptation of Supernatural, Dean Owen's breast-fixated take on Reptilicus, Brian Clemens' Thriller, Richard Lewis's Rabid, Randall Boyll's The Dark Man (much preferred it to the actual movie), Tim Greaves' lust-crazed approach to 'seventies softcore cult favourite Vampyres, and Michel Parry's Countess Dracula, an exceptional Gothic horror Historical novel in its own right. |
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Post by andydecker on Sept 3, 2023 12:20:02 GMT
Steve Guariento has written an outstanding book on the subject of movie novelisations and tie-ins, Light into Ink, including a chapter on those he regards "Better than the Film ", John Burke's Moon Zero Two and Phil Smith's The Incredible Melting Man among them. Mr. Guariento considers E. W. Hildick's Monte Carlo or Bust! "a triumph, a stunning masterpiece in film-to-prose adaptation, and a highly accomplished piece of comic fiction in its own right. There's an avante-garde playfulness to the novel that is quite irresistible." Steve Guariento's book is so well done, it can only be recommended. |
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Post by dem bones on Sept 3, 2023 12:48:09 GMT
Picked this up for £1 from Maurice Flanagan at the recent pulp fair. As title suggests, it's an attempt at cataloguing all the movie novelizations, fotonovels and spin-offs published in the USA up to 1980 (falls just shy of 3000). Moe Wadle - The Movie Tie-in Book (Nostalgia Books, 1994) Preface
Acknowledgements
Background
What Is Included and What Is Not
Value of Used Paperbacks
Grading Paperbacks
How to Use This Book
Abbreviations and Definitions
MOVIE TIE-INS
Related Reading and Shows
Bibliography Blurb: Which movie editions feature John Wayne or Marilyn Monroe? What movie tie-ins include the Mike Hammer, James Bond, or Dirty Harry characters? What about film editions by such collectible authors as Dean Koontz, Louis L'Amour, and Raymond Chandler? What movie paperbacks are worth $10, $25, or even more? If you have ever wanted a reference that answers these questions, it is in your hands.
Whether you are interested in collecting movie memorabilia or paperback books, this volume is a valuable addition to your library. If you are a dealer in motion-picture- related collectibles or used books, this reference is a must. With over 2800 items and numerous photos, this guide will enhance the knowledge necessary to be a more astute dealer or a better informed collector.
The author, a long-time movie buff and paperback collector, has compiled an informative list of virtually all pre-1981 mass-market paperback movie tie-ins published in the U.S. since 1939. |
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Post by bluetomb on Sept 6, 2023 10:23:59 GMT
Decades since I read any, but having rediscovered Classic Doctor Who in recent years and spent some time on forums the old novelisations seem to be a fascinatingly varied business. Some pretty straight script adaptations, but others expanding on characters, lore and plot points, tightening pacing, improving (so to speak) special effects, creatively playing with perspective (the novelisation of The Myth Makers being entirely from Homer's point of view), and generally getting up to all sorts of shenanigans that have led some to prefer reading some of them to watching them. Then of course a good number are for wholly or at least partly lost stories now only viewable as reconstructions, adding another layer to appreciation. Not sure what I'd think of any of them nowadays but I certainly did enjoy a few, and they seemed to get quite a few kids into reading at large over the years. Have a copy of one of the recent crop, Kerblam, though, so may read to see what it makes of the episode's infamous ending.
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Post by ripper on Sept 6, 2023 11:13:25 GMT
The Exterminator novelisation by Peter McCurtin has some different scenes from the sleazy 1980 vigilante film. The most striking and the one that really surprised me was the infamous meat grinder scene. In the book when Eastland returns to the meat processing plant the mobster strung up over the meat grinder is already dead, victim of a heart attack, whereas in the film version...well, I'm sure you can imagine what happens next.
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Post by andydecker on Sept 6, 2023 14:43:58 GMT
. Have a copy of one of the recent crop, Kerblam, though, so may read to see what it makes of the episode's infamous ending. They still publish those? Wow. I stopped buying Dr. Who books after sampling one or two of the then revamped YA line. Not for me, and I lost touch. Didn't even bought the ones written by SF writers Baxter and Reynolds.
Kerblam I have a hazy recollection of. The one with the SF A*a*n, right? This had an infamous ending? Can't remember it. I think I stopped watching the Chibnall produced series after this one or the next. I don't mind embarassingly un-subtle and dull once in a while, but I couldn't even keep in mind the names of the new companions without checking. So I stopped watching.
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Post by bluetomb on Sept 6, 2023 15:29:10 GMT
. Have a copy of one of the recent crop, Kerblam, though, so may read to see what it makes of the episode's infamous ending. They still publish those? Wow. I stopped buying Dr. Who books after sampling one or two of the then revamped YA line. Not for me, and I lost touch. Didn't even bought the ones written by SF writers Baxter and Reynolds.
Kerblam I have a hazy recollection of. The one with the SF A*a*n, right? This had an infamous ending? Can't remember it. I think I stopped watching the Chibnall produced series after this one or the next. I don't mind embarassingly un-subtle and dull once in a while, but I couldn't even keep in mind the names of the new companions without checking. So I stopped watching.
That's the one. Regardless of politics, pretty badly fudged simply on its own logic. Which one could say for a lot of episodes in the Chibnall era, which often felt surprisingly rough to me at a writing level. As if a lot of unpolished, sometimes not even read over, first drafts were used. I stuck through to the end but pickings were pretty slim. |
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Post by helrunar on Sept 6, 2023 18:44:10 GMT
Thanks for this, bluetomb. I recently saw some stills from Myth Makers and some kind of retrieved or reconstructed film clip of Hector and Achilles fighting--will see if I can find a copy of that Target novelization. I read a few of these Who books donkey's ears ago; they varied from somewhat ploddingly acceptable, to quite engaging.
Hel.
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