Now this is a gem, it really is.
Remember the second Jaws movie? The first shark is long dead and a new one has arrived at amity island, and once again the town refuses to accept a shark until the deaths start stacking up.
Well, this is the novelization of the screen play that is a sequel to a movie based on another book... and if that doesn't sound confused enough, this book references the first novel written by Peter Benchley. And yet, not only does this book not suck, it actually works on the same level or even a higher one than the sequel film.
In my opinion Jaws 2 is a long-forgotten gem of cinema and when I saw this book on a forgotten, dusty back shelf in a nearby used book store, I was excited to enjoy a direct novelization... and on that score I was disappointed, and I'm very happy about it. The story only vaguely resembles the movie as it appeared on film, covering other details like a children/teen ragatta, a bit of military research and corruption, the mafia and a casino being made in a last-ditch effort to regain the popularity the town had before the first shark's rampage.
I won't ruin the plot of this book, in the event you can come accross it at some point, but I'll suffice by saying that the story might cover some similar scenes, but the differences between the book and the movie it claims to be based on are so great that it might as well be the written form of a fifth movie (ignoring the italian rip-off movie called jaws five in my mental list of films).
Definitely pick it up, and keep a look out for any of the author's other works. I asked some people knowledgeable about authors around that time, and they tell me he was pretty popular for these novelizations, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to find other gems like this out there at your own used book stores.
Showing posts with label monster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monster. Show all posts
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Saturday, November 14, 2009
FG: Extinct by Charles Wilson
Extinct, once bound for a miniseries on NBC, was dropped due to its price in effects. As a result, this rare book in a very small market (Megaladon Thrillers) got lost in the shuffle of time and publishing.
I didn't have to look hard to learn about this book, but getting my hands on it was a pain. I would up finding a copy on a small-time used book seller's website and having it shipped to my apartment. I wondered as I opened the packaging if this would be any good.
I no longer worry that I wasted the money I had spent on it. Extinct fills a void I've had in my monster story bookcase (not kidding, I really have one case just for them. I have a $#!T-ton of books!) where the best go. And I'm saying that without even finishing it!
There are flaws, of course, and you could easily call this a B-movie if it were on film instead of paper, but I love my books with a little cheese in them from time to time, and this on feels good. It's actually a lot like Jurassic Park or Meg in its pacing and creative story telling with regards to the monster.
You get some hints very early (the cover) that a megaladon or great white is featured, and the story really does play with your head, too. The people in the book learn after the reader what is happening, and at first throw around all kinds of theories to explain the mounting body count. The book has a bit of good suspense with a bunch of boys fishing near the middle of the story, and the reader keeps getting lead on until the moment arrives, but otherwise the suspense is light and airy, like a good beach read might be.
Actually, here is where the book shines: Clues constantly disagree and the people take all sorts of avenues to the right conclusion in the end. Some people go monster crazy right off, while others are unwilling till the end to accept the truth of what is happening. but everyone in the story is haunted with a growing fear of what they can't see just below the surface. It's an interesting feeling, being pulled into the story, and yet not feel the tension that everyone else does (all though you will sometimes). I wouldn't, before reading this book, think that was a good way to write, under any circumstances. Since reading Extinct, though, I've come to see that in the hands of a skilled writer, you can get that odd sensation and the book can be better for it. If I had to summarize how that feels, I'd say it feels like you're watching a movie inside your mind. Its odd, but not problamatic in the hands of a good author.
If you're a hard-core science type, you'll feel a little peeved with this book, which is pretty dated in terms of 2000's science, but isn't all that bad, really, when you put yourself in the mindset of the day. I'm totally fine with old science, as a Jules Verne fan, so I was able to ignore the tiny foibles and follow the story. If you can too, that take this as a hardy encouragement to seek out this book for yourself and enjoy a good summer read.
I didn't have to look hard to learn about this book, but getting my hands on it was a pain. I would up finding a copy on a small-time used book seller's website and having it shipped to my apartment. I wondered as I opened the packaging if this would be any good.
I no longer worry that I wasted the money I had spent on it. Extinct fills a void I've had in my monster story bookcase (not kidding, I really have one case just for them. I have a $#!T-ton of books!) where the best go. And I'm saying that without even finishing it!
There are flaws, of course, and you could easily call this a B-movie if it were on film instead of paper, but I love my books with a little cheese in them from time to time, and this on feels good. It's actually a lot like Jurassic Park or Meg in its pacing and creative story telling with regards to the monster.
You get some hints very early (the cover) that a megaladon or great white is featured, and the story really does play with your head, too. The people in the book learn after the reader what is happening, and at first throw around all kinds of theories to explain the mounting body count. The book has a bit of good suspense with a bunch of boys fishing near the middle of the story, and the reader keeps getting lead on until the moment arrives, but otherwise the suspense is light and airy, like a good beach read might be.
Actually, here is where the book shines: Clues constantly disagree and the people take all sorts of avenues to the right conclusion in the end. Some people go monster crazy right off, while others are unwilling till the end to accept the truth of what is happening. but everyone in the story is haunted with a growing fear of what they can't see just below the surface. It's an interesting feeling, being pulled into the story, and yet not feel the tension that everyone else does (all though you will sometimes). I wouldn't, before reading this book, think that was a good way to write, under any circumstances. Since reading Extinct, though, I've come to see that in the hands of a skilled writer, you can get that odd sensation and the book can be better for it. If I had to summarize how that feels, I'd say it feels like you're watching a movie inside your mind. Its odd, but not problamatic in the hands of a good author.
If you're a hard-core science type, you'll feel a little peeved with this book, which is pretty dated in terms of 2000's science, but isn't all that bad, really, when you put yourself in the mindset of the day. I'm totally fine with old science, as a Jules Verne fan, so I was able to ignore the tiny foibles and follow the story. If you can too, that take this as a hardy encouragement to seek out this book for yourself and enjoy a good summer read.
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