Original film novelizations

indyfan85

New member
Hey guys, I know theres a couple threads in regards to this but I am just wondering are the red, green and blue editions of the books just re-issues? I just ordered the Temple of Doom novelization and I got the book but instead of the green cover it's got the beautiful artwork from the poster as the cover, some picture inserts and looks to be an original edition.

It's not mint condition but I'm hoping to collect all of the originals.
 

DocWhiskey

Well-known member
My Raiders has a blue background and it says it's in it's eleventh printed: May 1984.

My ToD is just the poster and says it's a first edition.
 

indyfan85

New member
Interesting, I guess I was thrown off by the cover art on the site being different. The book is also pretty slim but I remember the movie being pretty short as well, just read through a bit and already am very pleased with some of the minor details that are expanded on from the movie.
 

indyfan85

New member
Well hearing about short rounds thievery, how he got the car and how Indy was teaching him were ones that come to mind. Minor tweaks in how I see the scenes when I read the book also make it interesting. I'm not too far along with the book but it's been a good read so far.
 

michael

Well-known member
indyfan85 said:
Well hearing about short rounds thievery, how he got the car and how Indy was teaching him were ones that come to mind. Minor tweaks in how I see the scenes when I read the book also make it interesting. I'm not too far along with the book but it's been a good read so far.
Yeah, I think the Short Round background is well worth the read!
 

Montana Smith

Active member
All the film novelizations that I've read (Black, Kahn, MacGregor, Rollins) add so much more to the visual experience of the movies themselves.

There's a lot of back story that fills in the cinematic gaps, and you get an impression what characters are thinking and feeling that you don't always find on screen (as with Indy's experience of being possessed in TOD).

I would recommend to anyone who loves the movies to read the novelizations as well.
 
Raiders and Temple were my favorite novelizations.

I really enjoyed Temple's character development, especially for Shorty.

Raiders novelization is the perfect companion to the movie. It was a little more adult in language and violence, which I enjoyed. Also, his writing style perfectly captured the pace of the movie. I have yet to read a novel that captures the cliffhanger experience like that.

Also really enjoyed the action in Nepal. Much more fleshed out than simple the bar burning in the movie. Black really knew how to write Indy. I believe he is still writing. Maybe LF should hire him for an original novel.

I found Macgregor's Crusade to be a by the numbers novelization, so I wasn't too impressed with that novelization.

Rollins Crystal Skull was very good. I really wish the movie had kept all of the beginning from the novel (or did Rollins make this up himself?) It really fleshed out Mac's character, so his betrayal in the warehouse was a little more emotional.

My two cents...
 

lairdo

Member
I too like the KOTCS novel. I both listened to the audiobook and read the novel. (I tend to do this on things like this or Harry Potter. I find the experiences different and I catch more this way.) Anyway, while I have no inside knowledge of this, I suspect the opening is entirely made up by Rollins. It just ties so loosely to the rest of the story (other than giving us backstory which is good) that I can't see that it was intended for the film. Could be wrong for sure, but that's my suspicion.

Laird
 
There are storyboards which show Orellana's Cradle crumbling and Mutt hanging by (Orellana's?) armour, which I believe is in the book as well...
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Rocket Surgeon said:
There are storyboards which show Orellana's Cradle crumbling and Mutt hanging by (Orellana's?) armour, which I believe is in the book as well...

The cemetery is on an overhanging clifftop, and Mutt falls through.

(The book is actually bloodier and more violent than the movie, Rocket!)
 

Exulted Unicron

New member
The storyboard for that is in the Complete Making of book. Which has some fascinating material in it. But i also noticed, something similar happens in the comic book adaptation. Indy knocks the cemetary warriors off a cliff with his whip

I just checked my novels. My omnibus edition is 2nd printing, as is my KOTCS novel. But i do believe my childrens Temple of Doom is 1st run
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Exulted Unicron said:
The storyboard for that is in the Complete Making of book. Which has some fascinating material in it.

Not arf! I absolutely love that 'Complete Making of...' book.

Exulted Unicron said:
I just checked my novels. My omnibus edition is 2nd printing, as is my KOTCS novel. But i do believe my childrens Temple of Doom is 1st run

I've never read any of the junior versions - it was new to me that they actually used different authors, unlike the original Star Wars novels that had a junior and adult version, by the same authors, but with some editing. I remember comparing my adult copy of 'Splinter of a Mind's Eye' with a friend's junior version, and the words 'Leia's breast' had miracualously become 'Leia's mid-section' - it seems so tame now!
 

Exulted Unicron

New member
my childrens Temple of Doom was published in the UK by Armada in 1984. The cover has Indy chained to the statue. The title is:

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom A Tale of High Adventure

it claims its got 60 photographs based on the movie starring Harrison Ford.

The book was written by Les Martin. I picked it up in a charity shop for 10p
 

Kooshmeister

New member
punisher5150 said:
I found Macgregor's Crusade to be a by the numbers novelization, so I wasn't too impressed with that novelization.

I agree with this. The constantly switching viewpoints are a nuisance, especially in the middle of action scenes.
 
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