tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post114185104990599168..comments2024-03-27T10:27:59.266-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: RETRO TOY FLASHBACK # 33: Movie NovelizationsJohn Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-44381550838769510632007-08-29T14:30:00.000-04:002007-08-29T14:30:00.000-04:00Oh yes indeady-doo. I read tons of movie novelizat...Oh yes indeady-doo. I read tons of movie novelizations back in the 70s and early 80s. I think I read Star Wars about 10 times before the 70s were over. It was the only way to relive some of the magic of the movie. In the days before the VCR and DVDs, this was the only way I had to relive Star Wars. <BR/><BR/>I read all of the Battlestar Galactica novels, the Black Hole novel, Alien, Aliens, etc. You name it. I probably read it. And being the big geek that I am, got picked on because of it. The school bullies destoryed at least 2 copies of Star Wars. After high school I found a mint edition (complete with the pictures inside) at a local used book store. I was overjoyed. <BR/><BR/>Then came the VCR and out went the novelizations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1142883304667606282006-03-20T14:35:00.000-05:002006-03-20T14:35:00.000-05:00John, I agree with you and Phil that Vonda McIntyr...John, I agree with you and Phil that Vonda McIntyre's novelizations of Star Treks II and III were outstanding (especially III, which had 3 chapters of original material bridging the gap between the two movies). Phil is also right about the novelization of the Battlestar Galactica episode "Lost Planet of the Gods" called "The Tombs of Kobol." In fact, I recommended that book to Richard Hatch because of the emotional scenes of Apollo reacting to Serina's death. He was actually surprised to hear those scenes were in there, because he said he would have loved to have played something like that on screen.<BR/>But, some of my favorite novelizations were actually of spectacularly bad movies. Peter David turned the otherwise-embarrassing "The Return of Swamp Thing" into a tremendously entertaining book by adding characters and situations that would be familiar to comics fans.<BR/> Also, Keith DeCandido's take on the first "Resident Evil" movie added backstory and characterization to a script that sadly lacked both, at least as realized on screen. This was an unusual book as well, since it wasn't released until almost 2 years after the film, tying in more with the release of the sequel movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1142297600979982172006-03-13T19:53:00.000-05:002006-03-13T19:53:00.000-05:00Hi John!The heyday of my enjoying novelizations wa...Hi John!<BR/><BR/>The heyday of my enjoying novelizations was right before Star Wars came out and pretty much through the end of my college years. I loved the Vonda McIntyre Star Trek books, especially her take of ST2 TWOK and ST3 TSFS. I also enjoyed the Entropy Effect in which Captain Sulu is in the Magellan (I hope I'm not misremembering this) Also of note are the Alan Dean Foster Star Trek Log series which certainly elevated that whole....enterprise. <BR/><BR/>The least satisfying are those novelizations in which the author has to pound something out quickly so it's on the shelf when the movie is out. They do it because it's a paycheck but the reading experiance usually leaves me flat.<BR/><BR/>Which is why I never cared for the Blish Star Trek books that much or even the 1999 novelizations that I tried to read. On the other hand they are a great collectable if you think of them as trading cards or some other non-literary item! ; - )<BR/><BR/>I had great fun and satisfaction as a collector getting the 1999 novelizations from the UK, Italy and Germany (Including the US versions) High points were getting the elusive Earthfall in it's first printing. Low points were reading Earthfall! I even psyched myself up by trying to read Tubbs Dumerest series thinking I had to like his regular SF. Nope, I just don't like Tubb.<BR/><BR/>My friend Howard Margolin and I agree the original Battlestar Galactica novel, The Lords of Kobol was one of the best of all novelizations because of Apollos personal log on the death of Serena. It really took an ordinary book and made it something special, better than they did in the actual episode. Walt Simonson brought the old BSG comics up a bit after the show was cancelled and he could do what he wanted with the comic book. I think the novelization writer when he has the time and freedom can really do something special with the material.<BR/><BR/>Today I don't too many novelizations, I either read media tie in originals or just plan old SF. Although there is a set of novelizations that's coming soon that I plan on reading as soon as it arrives! : - )<BR/><BR/>Thanks for linking my site John! Your the best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1142134210126287212006-03-11T22:30:00.000-05:002006-03-11T22:30:00.000-05:00I know I've got the Star Wars novelisation around ...I know I've got the Star Wars novelisation around here someplace, but the ones I have a fondness for are the Space: 1999 first season ones, as they were the only contact I had with the series for a long time after CBC in Canada finally stopped airing reruns sometime in the late '80s. They were sufficiently popular that the authors who wrote most of them, John Rankine and EC Tubb, were commissioned to write novels with original stories. Tubb wrote the original stories Rogue Planet, Alien Seed, and Earthfall, while Rankine wrote Android Planet and Phoenix of Megaron. Interestingly Earthfall, a "reimagining"/retelling by Tubb of the series premiere "Breakaway" and susequent events, was never published in North America, while Phoenix of Megaron was never published in the UK.tim gueguenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15254365031507896541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1142075861118889972006-03-11T06:17:00.000-05:002006-03-11T06:17:00.000-05:00I haven't read the Jason Lives novelization (I did...I haven't read the Jason Lives novelization (I didn't know there was one!), Lee, but I'm fascinated that one scene included Jason's father. Recently, I interviewed the director of the film, Tom McLoughlin (who also directed the great Meg Tilly flick from 1983, One Dark Night), but I didn't know to ask him about that. Darn it!<BR/><BR/>I also have the Halloween II novelization. I wonder, was Halloween III: Season of the Witch ever novelized?John Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1142064091387356712006-03-11T03:01:00.000-05:002006-03-11T03:01:00.000-05:00I have the novelizations two of the Friday the 13t...I have the novelizations two of the Friday the 13th movies and Halloween 2 as well as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI is interesting as zombie Jason does in fact get his head shredded by the outboard motor blades. We then are introduced to Martin Voorhees, Jason's father who visits his son's grave and senses he is not in there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1141940935291583072006-03-09T16:48:00.000-05:002006-03-09T16:48:00.000-05:00Some good memories from novelizations there. I no...Some good memories from novelizations there. I notice that - much like mine (save for Phantom Menace) - a lot of our memories come from the older ones.<BR/><BR/>Anyone reading new novelizations?John Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1141926218418918182006-03-09T12:43:00.000-05:002006-03-09T12:43:00.000-05:00I used to have the novelizations of SPACE:1999 (bo...I used to have the novelizations of SPACE:1999 (both seasons) - since I was in an area that didn't broadcast the shows, it was the next best thing.<BR/><BR/>The Blish adaptations of STAR TREK.<BR/><BR/>Earl MacRauch's BUCKAROO BANZAI<BR/><BR/>"Jack Martin" (Dennis Etchison) adaptations of VIDEODROME (which helped to clarify things not in the final cut).<BR/><BR/>Richard Woodley was an author who practiacally made a living doing movie novelizations. He did a lot of them, but I remember his novelizations of Larry Cohen's GOD TOLD ME TO and IT'S ALIVE.<BR/><BR/>Robert H.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1141922722893480922006-03-09T11:45:00.000-05:002006-03-09T11:45:00.000-05:00BACK TO THE FUTURE (1st film) is an incredible nov...BACK TO THE FUTURE (1st film) is an incredible novel!!<BR/>FREDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1141914740406053062006-03-09T09:32:00.000-05:002006-03-09T09:32:00.000-05:00I used to always read movie novelizations when I w...I used to always read movie novelizations when I was younger. I remember back in 1989, I read all of the novelizations before I saw the movies. I remember reading the Warlock novelization like a year before the movie ever came out! I met Nicholas Grabowsky a couple of years ago and he said he was working on a new novelization of Halloween 5 that would have Rachel be the main girl throughout the story. I don't know whatever became of that. Maybe he couldn't get the license.<BR/><BR/>I don't read novelizations so much anymore for a weird reason. As I have gotten older I find reading fiction to be like pulling teeth. I can tear through a non-fiction book like a biography, a history, or a John Kenneth Muir book. I guess to me books are more for learning and movies and TV are for stories. Reading takes a lot of time and if I am going to devote all that time to something, I want to learn something. I know, just another example of how odd I am. Hahahaha<BR/><BR/>-ChrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com