COWBOYS & ALIENS

TOR

Novelization by Joan D. Vinge

Based on the Screenplay by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby

Screen Story by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Steve Oedekerk

Based on Platinum Studios' Cowboys & Aliens by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg

Copyright © 2011 Universal and Dreamworks II Dist. Cowboys & Aliens TM & © Universal Studios and Dreamworks II Dist. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC.



In Cowboys & Aliens, novelization by Joan D. Vinge, is a novelization of the movie Cowboys & Aliens. A stranger wakes up alone in the middle of a desert in the Old West with no memory of who he is. This lone cowboy also has an alien device strapped to his wrist.

Based on the graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the stranger is a cowboy who is a wanted man. After getting involved in the small town of Absolution, New Mexico's politics between the sheriff and the son of the local rich cattle rancher - the town gets invaded by alien ships. After the invasion, the stranger, sheriff, the rancher and a small posse goes after the aliens who kidnapped the townspeople - including the rancher's son.

I liked the fact that all the characters eventually had to work together to battle the aliens in order to bring their people home. The mystery of why the stranger has the alien device is still a little confusing to me, even after reading the book and watching the movie. Although I did like the fact that the stranger wound up with the device, I was hoping it would be for a different reason. This is a wonderful blend of the Old West and aliens from outer space which does not skimp on either genre.

Click here to read the movie review of Cowboys & Aliens.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

IRON MAN 2

GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING

A Novel by Alexander Irvine

Based on the Screenplay by Justin Theroux

Copyright 2010 Marvel Entertainment, Inc., and its subsidiaries. Iron Man2, the Movie copyright 2010 MVL Film Finance LLC. Marvel, Iron Man, all character names and their distinctive likeness: TM & copyright 2010 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

All rights reserved.

Book design by Giorgetta Bell McRee







In Iron Man 2, written by Alexander Irvine, is a novelization of the movie Iron Man 2. Now that Tony Stark has revealed his identity as Iron Man, the U.S. government and military wants control of Stark's weapons system - the Iron Man suit. Meanwhile, Stark is hunted by a Russian criminal  getting revenge for his father against Tony Stark's father because of the technology powering the Iron Man suit.

With Stark's best friend Rhodey being in the military, Rhodey's loyalties are painfully divided between the military and Stark. With Stark going into a drunken depression from all of the fame and pressure of the government, and of Stark's impending death from his fatal wound during the war, Rhodey's decision is forced upon him - although Rhodey is unaware of Stark's medical condition. Rhodey soon falls in bed with Stark's weapons system influential rival Justin Hammer. With the military's help, Hammer soon reverse engineer's the Iron Man suit and creates Rhodey's powerful new War Machine suit design.

I liked Ivan Vanko's determined motivation on getting his revenge against Stark, with having Vanko's father dying as a poor man - while Stark's father gets all of the fame for their technology after Vanko's father and Stark's father worked together to invent the arc technology. With Vanko being a Russian prisoner, Vanko had more characterization to me than of a typical Russian character. Of course, there is more focus on internal characterization in a novel than there is in a movie - so Vanko was more relatable to me in the book than he was in the movie, and Vanko was relatable to me in the movie with Mickey Rourke's acting as the evil villain character Whiplash.

It was great to see Pepper Potts being made into the CEO of Stark Enterprises, of which Pepper is quite capable of handling - especially as Stark becomes more and more drunk. As a replacement for Pepper, Stark gets a new beautiful assistant Natalie Rushman - who has a mysterious agenda.

Nick Fury and SHIELD make an appearance in this story, along with SHIELD's new agent - the Black Widow. SHIELD further links the Marvel comic books and movies into one shared universe.

Click here for the review of the movie Iron Man 2.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

THE Prisoner - A NOVEL

PENGUIN BOOKS

Written by Thomas M. Disch

Copyright Carlton International Media Limited, 1967, 2001 All rights reserved

Thomas M. Disch's The Prisoner is a novelization of the TV series The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan. The book and TV series also inspired the TV update, The Prisoner, starring Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel. The novelization is about a former retired British secret agent who is gassed and kidnapped from a train - and then brought to and detained in a place called The Village. The powers that be use psychological methods on the secret agent in order to convince him to reveal his secrets.

As much as I liked the original TV series, Disch's novelization is much more European in feeling compared to what I remember of the TV series as far as the narrative and characterization is concerned. While the lack of names in the TV series was acceptable, while reading the novelization, the lack of names was more of an irritating nuisance to me as you never really connect with anybody - especially with the main character in the beginning. You really want to know the real name of Number 6, so you can relate to him. The characters in The Village are more relatable as people in doing their professions, instead of as real characters. Granted you get to know the characters by their Numbers, but the characters happy acceptance of being numbers instead of as people with their own names is a little irritating. The ordered society of The Village is a little too Orwellian, especially when they reveal the films of Number 6's previous interrogations, which Number 6 is naturally upset about when he sees them. Number 6's liaisons with his girlfriend is interesting because you are never really sure if she really was his girlfriend - or was she a plant to gain his secrets. It would be too bad if she was a plant, as I fell in love with her.

Since the main character is known as Number 6, it was quite a nod to the reader that the character received his designation number 6 in Chapter 6 of the novelization.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN

POCKET STAR BOOKS

Novelization by
K. J. Anderson

Based on the Screenplay by
James Dale Robinson

Based on the Comic Books by
Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill

Copyright 2003 by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
All rights reserved.

Cover art Trademarked and Copyright 2003 by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
All rights reserved.



In a novelization of the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, novelization by K. J. Anderson, the novelization of the movie has famous Victorian Era literature characters being brought together to form a League to fight the leader of an evil organization that is bent on starting a World War at the end of the 19th Century.

Based on the comic books by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill,  this has the British Empire bringing together various characters - like explorer and adventurer Allan Quatermain; technological genius Captain Nemo of the submersible Nautilus; Dr. Henry Jekyll and his bestial alter ego Mr. Hyde who was terrorizing Paris; an Invisible Man Rodney Skinner, who makes his living as a thief; the ageless Dorian Gray, subject of the enchanted portrait; chemist Mina Harker, the surviving victim of Count Dracula, who received some of Dracula's abilities; and American Secret Service Agent Tom Sawyer to stop the criminal mastermind "The Fantom." As the League races across the globe determined to hunt down The Fantom = they must also deal with a traitor in The League.


While writer Kevin Anderson can write some interesting stories, this feels like a homogeneous version of the graphic novels and does not seem to have the bite that it should have. My god-niece tells me to ignore this book and read the original books by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. While I have not read the graphic novels, or have seen the movie, the novelization is not that dark or appear to be as literate as it should be although I know Anderson added as much characterization as he could. It is a shame that Anderson basically has to stick to the script exactly because the book is a novelization.

I will say that, since this is a steam punk story, it was rather fun to see the submersible boat Nautilus as well as the technology surrounding the Nautilus that Captain Nemo uses, including a car, as well as the technology that The Fantom uses for his nefarious schemes. It is interesting that Tom Sawyer and Mina Harker develop a relationship, especially after Harker's former relationship with Dorian Grey. I would have liked to have enjoyed seeing more of that relationship if they ever did a sequel.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

FANTASTIC 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER

POCKET STAR BOOKS

A Novelization by Daniel Josephs * Based on the Motion Picture

Screenplay by Don Payne * Story by Mark Frost

Copyright 2007 by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Dune Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved.

MARVEL, Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and all related character names and likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved.

Motion Picture Artwork and Photography: Copyright 2007 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Dune Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved.

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the novelization of the movie Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, has Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four about to marry Sue Storm - when the Silver Surfer arrives on Earth causing havoc and destruction.

While the fun part of the book is the continually dashed wedding plans of Sue and Reed at their home, and Johnny's continual marketing efforts to brand the Fantastic Four's name - Gah Lak Tus, the force from space that the Silver Surfer is the herald for so that Gah Lak Tus can consume planets for sustenance, does not seem as menacing as he should be despite the fact that the fate of the world is at stake. It is a galactic cloud and does not seem to have any intelligence behind it. It is good that there are actual events around the world to give the story a sense of actual peril. Victor Von Doom seems more menacing than Gah Lak Tus as the Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd from the planet Zenn-La, causes destruction around the world. The fact that Von Doom actually acquires the power of the Silver Surfer's surfboard makes the unsavory Von Doom goes on a rampage of his own to facilitate the destruction of Earth. It is sad that the military general does not respect Reed Richards enough to truly accept him and his theories on their quest to stop the Silver Surfer.

It is sad when you finally learn the reason the Silver Surfer does what he does, but it still puts the planet Earth in jeopardy.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

DOCTOR WHO - VENGEANCE ON VAROS

A Target Book

Written by Philip Martin

Novelization copyright Philip Martin 1988
Original script copyright Philip Martin 1985
'Doctor Who' series copyright British Broadcasting Corporation 1985,1988

The role of the Doctor was played by Colin Baker

In Vengeance on Varos, when the TARDIS engine gets stalled in time and space, the Doctor and Peri land on the planet Varos which is the only source for the ore he needs to fix the TARDIS.

When the Doctor saves a rebel leader,the Doctor earns the wrath of the representative of the Galatron Mining Corporation. Concerned that his Corporation's business operations will be compromised - Sil, the representative, orders the Doctor's death. Soon, the breaking news of the Doctor and Peri's escape attempts are broadcast across the planet as the guards search for them as part of the population's entertainment. As a by-product of the broadcasts - the life of the leader of Varos depends on the popularity of his decisions, with the population voting like or dislike from the comfort of their own homes. This was demonstrated by an old married couple constantly bickering to each other about the consequences of each decision. So you wonder in which direction the leadcr of Varos will decide the Doctor's fate - despite the pressure of Sil's threats of withdrawing his Corporation's operations from the planet, thus threatening the planet's economy.

Media popularity has been a major factor in modern-day politics. You wonder how our President would fair under similar media popularity polls the Varos leader underwent.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STARGATE UNIVERSE - AIR

An original publication of Fandemonium Ltd, produced under license from MGM Consumer Products.

Written by James Swallow

Copyright 2009 by MGM Global Holdings Inc. STARGATE UNIVERSE is a trademark of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Photography and cover art: Copyright 2009 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In Air, a novelization of the TV show Stargate Universe, a group of scientists and soldiers accidentally travel through a Stargate onto an Ancient starship in deep space with no way home.

A spin off of the TV shows Stargate-SG1 and Stargate: Atlantis, this novelization is based on the 3-part pilot episodes for the show Stargate Universe. When they discover the secret to the ninth chevron on the Stargate created by the Ancients, the planet the scientists and soldiers are on get attacked and they are forced to evacuate through the Stargate without knowing where they are going. The Ancient starship they wind up on has limited resources and they desperately search for a planet to replenish themselves before they all die.

The driven scientist Rush has his own determined agenda of discovering everything about the starship of the Ancients - the people who built the Stargates - with no regard to the wishes of everyone else of trying to get back home to Earth. He even tries to take command of the entire mission despite the fact that he has no authority to do so. Dr. Rush's arrogance is very unlikeable and makes you want to have the soldiers frag him so they can all go home.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Del Rey Mass Market Edition

Written by James Rollins

Copyright 2008 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Rollins is a novelization of the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Archaeologist Indiana Jones is on the trail of a crystal skull, along with a young man and his mother, and is also chased by Soviet agents who are also after the skull - including a determined iron maiden of an agent in charge of the Soviets.

It is great to see Indiana again. Set during the 50's, the book also deals with the mature Indy's aging, but Indiana still is pretty much an action figure. It is nice to compare him to the young Mutt, who has a natural talent as an action figure, as they go through their adventures to find Mutt's academic mentor as well as to return the crystal skull home. It surprises me that the Soviets are interested in the mystical properties of the crystal skull, but it is in keeping with the spirit of the Indiana Jones series.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

TERMINATOR SALVATION

TITAN BOOKS

Written by Alan Dean Foster

Based on the motion picture written by
John Brancato & Michael  Ferris

Copyright 2009 by T Asset Acquisition Company, LLC.

The novelization of the movie Terminator Salvation tells the story of human resistance leader John Connor and Kyle Reese both in there own ways fighting the Terminators.

With the novelization, I better understand the characters than what I learned from the movie as there is more characterization with the characters than what can be depicted in a movie. Even the new Terminators I can better understand as they are described in the novelization. You can see the development of Kyle Reese as a resistance fighter as he survives in the city ruins of Los Angeles. With Marcus Wright searching for his engineered experimented origins and for his new acquaintance Kyle, who was taken by the Terminators, the novelization is more about Wright than about John Connor. Connor's conflicts with his own chain of command is rather frustrating and you almost cheer for Connor as he defies command and becomes the leader he is supposed to be.

See movie review:

Terminator Salvation


Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek

Pocket Books

A novel by
Alan Dean Foster

Written by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Based upon "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry

Copyright 2009 by Paramount Pictures Corporation. Copyright 2009 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.



The novelization to the movie Star Trek is about the launching of the new crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise in an alternate universe from the original TV series Star Trek. After a bitter Romulan miner from an alternate universe destroys the planet Vulcan with Red Matter - in revenge for the destruction of his own home world of Romulus, the Enterprise is the sole surviving starship to stop him as he targets Earth.

This novelization by Alan Dean Foster is a good companion to the movie, whose prose adds more depth to the movie and the gathering of the crew of the Enterprise - including Doctor McCoy, asian helmsman Sulu, and Communications officer Uhura. You see a rebellious young James T. Kirk trying to live up to his late father's name, who once commanded a starship for 12 minutes before the ship was destroyed by the Romulan miner Nero in deep space of twenty years before. Starfleet cadet Kirk in turn becomes the captain of the Enterprise when captain Pike becomes a prisoner of Nero. An alternate universe explains outcomes that are different than what we have known before. With the original Spock as a link between the original universe and the new alternate universe, the concept seems more acceptable than having a totally re imagining of Star Trek. You look forward to a face-to-face meeting with both the mature and young Spock.

See the movie review of Star Trek.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - ERRAND OF FURY - SACRIFICES OF WAR

POCKET BOOKS
A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc

Written by Kevin Ryan
Based on the Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy"
Written by Gene L. Coon

Copyright 2009 by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.



In Sacrifices of War, the U.S.S. Enterprise is sent on a mission to a planet near Klingon space that has been enslaved by the Klingons in order for the native inhabitants to produce weapons for them. Later, Kirk and Spock get stranded on the planet Organia - when the Klingons arrive to enslave Kirk and Spock as well.

In this novelisation of the TV episode "Errand of Mercy" there are two stories in the book which are basically the same in tone for the book in that the crew of the Enterprise comes in support of occupied Klingon planets as the Enterprise encourage the local population with different results. This book is a more in depth novelisation than the James Blish adaptation from The Star Trek Reader I . There is also  more political involvement in Sacrifices of War with the President of the Federation and his staff as they prepare for war in this part of the galaxy between the Klingons and Earth.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

INDIANA JONES and the LAST CRUSADE

Scholastic Inc.

Written by Ryder Windham
Based on the story by
George Lucas and Menno Meyjes
and the screenplay by Jeffrey Boam

Copyright © 2008 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.


Search Amazon.com for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The Scholastic novelization to the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has Indiana searching for the legendary Holy Grail in order for him to find his missing academic professor father. Along the way Indiana encounters Nazis who are also looking for the sacred Holy Grail.

As this is a Scholastic book, the adaptation of this book is geared for kids. The adaptation is a straight-forward novelization of the movie and not a religious book, even if there are religious elements in the book. There are pictures of the movie compiled in the middle of the book with 1940's thrill captions for the pictures to get the feeling of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Because I had seen the movie, it was nice to picture the movie in my head as I was reading the book.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language


Search Amazon.com for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Star Trek - Nemesis

POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Novelization by J. M. Dillard

Story by John Logan & Rick Berman & Brent Spiner

Screenplay by John Logan

Star Trek Created by Gene Roddenberry

Copyright 2002 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.


DVD
Novelization


Search Amazon.com for Star Trek Nemesis

In Nemesis, written by J.M. Dillard, Will Riker and Deanna Troi finally get married. After the wedding, Captain Picard and the Enterprise are sent on a diplomatic mission to Romulus. Captain Picard gets a shock when he meets the aggressive new Praetor - who had just murdered the entire Romulan Senate with a horrible new weapon.

I was much more interested in the story after reading the novelization of Star Trek - Nemesis, than I was when I was watching the movie Nemesis. This is probably because I understood the story so much more this time as I was reading the novelization. Initially, while watching the movie, I wanted to see Picard deal with real Romulans and Romulan intrigue and aggressiveness rather than me watching Picard deal with his own clone or with the Remans. The dichotomy between the two Picard's ethics and leadership styles was much more interesting to read about to me, than for me watching it onscreen.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language. 
DVD
Novelization


Search Amazon.com for Star Trek Nemesis

The Incredible Hulk

Ballantine Books/Del Rey/
Presidio Press/One World

Written by Peter David
Based on the screenplay by Edward Norton and Zak Penn
Copyright 2008

This novelization of the movie The Incredible Hulk is a fairly accurate adaptation of the movie. As with novelizations by Peter David, there is more characterization to the characters than was portrayed in the movie - especially with his extensive experience with comics.

While on the run from the military, scientist Bruce Banner tries to find a solution for his condition of becoming the aggressive monster -  the Hulk. One military soldier searching for the Hulk, driven to do anything to stop him, is even willing to undergo the same process to become just like the Hulk in order to stop the Hulk.

While I have not read the comic book in years, the drama in this novelization equals and in some cases surpasses what I remember of the comic book with it's detail-oriented narration.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.