The Adventures of Indiana Jones (trilogy novelizations)

[Arab Swordsman]

I was at Barnes and Noble over lunch and picked up the Adventures of Indiana Jones. This is the reprinting of the novels from the three movies in one volume.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21SAl1r%2BuKL._AA180_.jpg

[Little Indy]

Yeeeehhhaaaa on my way over there right now. . . . . well maybe after a snack first.

[Perhilion]

Are they "Adult" Novels or "Junior" Novels?

[Moedred]

It's one book containing the three "adult" novelizations released in the 1980's.
http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Indiana-Jones-Campbell-Black/dp/0345501276/

[Wu_Han]

I'll wait and pick it up on Amazon. Good chance for me too get caught up.

[metalinvader]

I already own all three books but I think I will pick this up.It would be nice to have all three together in one collection.

[Perhilion]

It's one book containing the three "adult" novelizations released in the 1980's.
http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Indiana-Jones-Campbell-Black/dp/0345501276/
ah,good.:up:

[JimmyPSHayes]

I just got this is at my comic shop.
:up:

[Jeremiah Jones]

I've never read them, are they any good?

[Perhilion]

I got it yesterday. Love it.

[IndySeven]

All right! They're finally out! How much is the book anyway?

[Arab Swordsman]

All right! They're finally out! How much is the book anyway?

18.00 US American dollars (had to type more than 18.00!)

[xVendetta17x]

Does it include the deleted scenes like the comic book adaptations?

[Maybe.Not Today]

Went to Barnes and Nobel a couple days ago to pick up my copy. They didn't have any on the shelves but I asked an employee about it and she was nice enough to investigate and find that they had them in the back but just hadn't put them out yet.

[FETT1]

..up here in WESTERN CANADA...cheap @ 11.49...
NOT BUYIN'...
bring on the toys !

[Violet]

Still waiting.... oh, come on, HURRY UP! :dead:

[OhioJones]

I didn't realize this book existed until tonight! What a pleasant surprise for me, especially because I usually know these things.

I was just looking at the new releases at Borders while at the mall with my girlfriend and then I saw him. Indiana Jones sitting on the top shelf. I got so excited.

Of course, I bought it instantly.

[Stoo]

Does it include the deleted scenes like the comic book adaptations?Many extra scenes (and additional information and insight into existing ones)!
Buy it. Read it. You'll like it.

[metalinvader]

Many extra scenes (and additional information and insight into existing ones)!
Buy it. Read it. You'll like it.

The TOD novel does a GREAT job of giving insight into Willie and Short round's characters.The author does a real great job on Short Round,IMO.

[Perhilion]

That was my favorite one out of all of them. Raiders doesn't really feel like Raiders, but LC is ok.

[metalinvader]

That was my favorite one out of all of them. Raiders doesn't really feel like Raiders, but LC is ok.


I didn't care to much for the Raiders adaption either.I didn't like Black's take on Indy at all.Plus,Black seems like a total grump..http://www.theraider.net/features/interviews/campbell_black.php

[ReggieSnake]

I have the ToD adaption and I've read most of LC. I don't know if I'll buy it just for the Raiders adaption...our library will probably get a copy anyway.

I agree, the characterization in ToD is good.

[Violet]

Still waiting.... Apparently avaliable sometime in April here. If they even put it on the shelves. Is the publishing company printing this a big one? Coz if it isn't, chances are I'll have to order it.

[mfisher]

I didn't care to much for the Raiders adaption either.I didn't like Black's take on Indy at all.Plus,Black seems like a total grump.

After reading that article you can't blame the guy... can you imagine what that must be like to have written such a popular adaptation and not get ONE royalty check... DANG !

[NamedAfterDaDog]

I checked out the Last Crusade novelization from my school library today, are these the same as the three in this book, or did I get the "junior" version?
So, I'm asking: is there "adult" versions and "junior" versions, and if so, which one did I get and which ones are in this book?

[G-Man]

I have the ToD adaption and I've read most of LC. I don't know if I'll buy it just for the Raiders adaption...our library will probably get a copy anyway.

I agree, the characterization in ToD is good.
They are available individually too. Just ordered them from Play in UK as they have the movie posters for covers which I prefer to the one for the single volume.

[mfisher]

There are junior and adult versions... this book has the adult versions.. Borders books has an exclusive printing of all three junior versions plus photo spreads right now..

[IndySeven]

Does it include the deleted scenes like the comic book adaptations?


Yep! I have the original TOD adaptation, and its quite scary. There are a lot of deleted scenes in there, some very freaky and creepy. Flying human skins, skeletons, and Indy handling a snake just to name a few!:)

[G-Man]

They are available individually too. Just ordered them from Play in UK as they have the movie posters for covers which I prefer to the one for the single volume.
Turns out these are the junior editions, but they are pretty cool books anyhoo.

[Violet]

Got my copy today. I've already started reading Raiders. :up:

[Hawaii_Jones]

I'm not sure if anyone else saw this, but at the Borders I went to, they had two compilations of the film novelisations: one paperback and one hardcover. I didn't read through all of both of them, but there are some noticeable differences between the two. The hardcover one has a prologue to TOD that says the diamond Lao Che has is the Peacock's Eye of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, while the paperback version doesn't have this prologue. I didn't get a chance to see what other differences there were, but that one caught my eye.

[UltimateManGod]

I'm not sure if anyone else saw this, but at the Borders I went to, they had two compilations of the film novelisations: one paperback and one hardcover. I didn't read through all of both of them, but there are some noticeable differences between the two. The hardcover one has a prologue to TOD that says the diamond Lao Che has is the Peacock's Eye of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, while the paperback version doesn't have this prologue. I didn't get a chance to see what other differences there were, but that one caught my eye.

I believe the hardcover is a collection of the Junior novelizations. It was exclusive to Borders, if my memory serves me correctly. I still need to pick up the Adventures collection to read before the film. But right now, I have thenovel series to keep me company. The Peacock's Eye thing is a ret-con. I know that for sure, and I find it rather interesting. It means Indy has pursued more than one aftifact from his youth, making him quite a dedicated person. He likes to see things through until the end.

[Hawaii_Jones]

I believe the hardcover is a collection of the Junior novelizations. It was exclusive to Borders, if my memory serves me correctly. I still need to pick up the Adventures collection to read before the film. But right now, I have thenovel series to keep me company. The Peacock's Eye thing is a ret-con. I know that for sure, and I find it rather interesting. It means Indy has pursued more than one aftifact from his youth, making him quite a dedicated person. He likes to see things through until the end.

Ohh, okay. If I remember correctly, the hardcover also makes some other references to YIJC, but I don't know what off the top of my head. Will check tomorrow to see what they were.

[Michael24]

I'll have to get to town sometime this week and try to find this. I once saw a three-pack of the adaptations available in Star Wars Insider, but I never got around to ordering them, and then they disappeared. I have the LC novelization, and I once stumbled across TOD in my high school library in 1995, and it was a good read. Would like to have all three, though, but I don't really like these multiple-books-in-one-volume editions, so hopefully I can find them separate.

[|ZiR|]

Ordered it on Amazon. Should arrive on the 5th.

This'll be my first time reading any official Indy lit. I really hope it doesn't suck. Though I'm pretty easy to please, and I'm not expecting too much.

[TennesseeKorben]

I finally finished reading Raiders. It took a while because I got side tracked reading Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men. While the Raiders novel was different, I still really enjoyed it. Now I'm reading Temple while reading the Handbook too. Then I have the Borders Exclusive Junior Novelization Collection to read.

[Michael24]

Well, my mom came home from work today and surprised me with the three-and-one The Adventures of Indiana Jones. I'm glad she got that one and not the hardcover edition, since that's apparently the junior novelizations?

She also got me The Secret of the Sphinx by Matt McCoy and The White Witch by Martin Caidin. She thought these were brand new books. :)

[Dr Jones]

I've had my copy for a while now here in UK, but it's still on the Indy-shelf waiting for me. I've just started 'Secret Of The Sphinx', as I've been plowing through the Indy novels to read as much back-pages of Indy adventure before KotCS.

The book looks great though, all three movie adaptations in there, I look forward to delving deeper into the adventure!

(Boy, I soun like a commercial!)

;)

[Ska]

Just picked up my copy of "Adventures" at our local Borders bookstore.

Can't wait to read the trilogy!

[|ZiR|]

Mine just arrived!

The shape of the book is surprising. I was expecting your average, chubby lil' paperback. This is like 10x6 inches. There was a moment there when I was worried I'd ordered the wrong book. I thought maybe I'd ordered the jone with the junior novelizations instead. Whew.

Now the hard part is making sure I don't read it all in one night. I want to savor this.

[Michael24]

I finally got around to finishing the Raiders novelization last night, and I found it rather interesting.

I really like the first half of the book. But once it gets to Egypt and Indy begins his own dig for the Ark, it seems like from that point on the book becomes basically a Cliff's Notes version of the film. The Map Room scene seems to lack any kind of suspense or awe-inspiring moment, and the discovery of the Ark has virtually no build-up or payoff. Indy and Sallah might as well be opening a laundry basket to empty the dirty clothes or something. There's no drinking contest between Marion and Belloq, though there's an interesting angle in which Belloq is trying to seduce Marion into revealing what she knows and Marion finding herself somewhat entranced by him. And when confronting the Nazis with the bazooka, Indy is simply tackled from behind instead of giving up on his own. Dietrich also seems to completely disappear once they reach the island, and Belloq seems to be the only person whose demise is depicted once the Ark is opened.

I thought the second half was much weaker than the first half. Anybody else get the same impression? Though I did like some of the added touches, like Indy visiting Marion in the night at Sallah's house. I also found it interesting that the novelization actually has Toth riding in the jeep that gets sent over the cliff edge.

[fommes]

I've bought this as well, as I didn't own these in English yet. I finished Raiders as well recently - I had never read that one - but I must say it was quite underwhelming. There's some interesting (but never captivating or refreshing or challenging) padding here and there in the beginning, but as you say, the second part is really just transcription.

[|ZiR|]

Yeah, Raiders isn't that great. Temple of Doom is much better, imo. There's a lot about Short Round and Willie, and a bunch of references to Chinese mythology. I really liked it. Khan is simply a better writer than Black.

Still haven't gotten around to reading Last Crusade, though. I'll probably start that today. :I

[Michael24]

Yeah, it almost felt like halfway through Raiders Black thought "Wait a minute, why am I taking this so seriously? It's just a novelization of a six-year-old movie?" and simply cranked out the rest of it as quickly as he could while recalling the film from memory. The first half I did like, though, and felt like it could have worked even if it wasn't a novelization. And I found it funny that Black even touched on Indy noting he'd lost both his hat and whip while traveling on the sub to the island, and even says "I lost my favorite hat for starters" to Musgrove at the end. Haha!!

I haven't read Temple of Doom since I found it in my high school library in 1995, but I remember it being pretty good. I'll probably start it sometime this week.

Last Crusade I actually bought in 1989, but never got around to reading it, so I'm looking forward to that as well. Though I still have my original copy, in a brown paper bag bookcover I made to try and make it look like the Grail Diary. :)

[fommes]

I'm quite new to this forum so first of all, bono estente everybody.

I've got a huge nostalgic bond to Spielberg's Indiana Jones (as well as 'critical' admiration for its cinematic qualities) and to the original Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Plus I'm actually doing research on novelizations, so I thought I'd start off this topic. I've read the novelisations to the films, to the series, and a bunch of continuation novelisations back when I was young and naïve.

I seem to remember that Kahn's novel of Temple of Doom was quite well done, but I should first reread it. I don't remember much anymore of the other novels I've read. The original novels I've got are the translations of Hohlbein's and MacGregor's. I always thought that the former had quite interesting subject matter, but for younger readers the latter was far more accessible (so my judgment is, eh, clouded.) I'm not familiar with the McCoy books.

One thing that always struck me as 'odd' in Indiana Jones novelisations, from a reader's perspective, is the fact that the character is often called 'Indy' by the narrator. (Black touches that issue slightly in the interview I've read on this site). I've always felt that 'Indy' is the name friends give to the character in the story (in the films), and as a result, I've found that there's some kind of discomforting gap between the narrator's third-person perspective and the use of that name - not only because it implies that the (usually covert?) narrator has the privilege to use it, but also because the use of it kind of forces a personal bond with the character onto the reader. Personally, though, I find the character much more interesting when he is named 'Jones' for instance. Anyway.

What are your thoughts on what the best Indiana Jones novelisations are (including the Young Indiana Jones, and the continuation novels)? Do any of them have any more 'literary' aspirations you think?

Cheers!

[Crack that whip]

It's hard to say, but I do want to note that for whatever reason, I enjoyed Rob MacGregor's original novels a lot more than his novelization of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. For me, it seemed something about crafting his own Indy tales rather than adapting one from a script brought out some additional quality in his writing.

It's actually been years since I read them, though, but as it happens I was planning on revisiting them soon. On a recent visit to my parents' house I dug my old Indy novels out of storage in what used to be my bedroom and brought them back home with me, so I can refresh my memories of Indy's previous adventures while awaiting May 22 (I'm also going over the filmed Indy material, currently going through The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, and intend to follow them with the movies).

[IndySeven]

Got the junior novelization of Raiders yesterday! I've already started reading it!:up:

[|ZiR|]

Cool. How different is it from the adult novelization? Simpler writing, less pages, etc.

[IndySeven]

Cool. How different is it from the adult novelization? Simpler writing, less pages, etc.

Not really. The huge difference is that it has pictures in it. They also use smaller words and "kidspeak", so that its easy for kids and young adults to read.:)

[Moedred]

This was interesting... while perusing the book (http://books.google.com/books?id=C8hqIUVGgzwC&pg) on google, nearly every page and section was available. But suddenly it was shortened to a mere preview with most pages missing.
Did I click too much, or did someone withdraw many pages right before my eyes yesterday?