Kong Skull Island Novelization Review

Kong: Skull Island

A Novelization Review

Kong Skull Island, a novelization review! The novelization was written by Tim Lebbon, the film was directed by Jordan Roberts.

SUMMARY: Bill Randel, an agent with Monarch, has reason to believe that an uncharted island in the Pacific is the key to proving his hollow earth theory. He also believes this Island is a hot-spot for incredible lifeforms to exist. Randel manages to persuade his military contact to gather a team of soldiers who just finished their fight in Vietnam, to assist in his exploration of Skull Island. A few other select individuals are brought on the team such as an British special forces guy and a photographer.

Once the team reaches the island, plans and lives quickly fall apart. Kong, a giant gorilla, tramples the uninvited guests in his territory. We follow the team, now on the run for their lives, desperately trying to reach the extraction zone.

CHARACTERS: I’d like to mention two characters. We do see them in the film quite a bit. However, we don’t actually get to know them due to the films poor character development. That’s where this book shines, the development of characters.

Bill Randel: In his youth, he was bullied and ridiculed for his wild and crazy theories. Even as an adult he’s looked at as a weirdo: the earth, hollow… it does sound crazy. Randel gets the opportunity to prove his theory as fact as he’s approved to go on the mission of a lifetime. Though he is thrilled in the results of his finds, he’s heart broken by all the lives lost on his mission.

James Conrad: Conrad was sought out for his impressive tracking/survivalist skills. He’s a former English special forces soldier who remains haunted by a failed mission from his past.. He likes to make a solid plan, not act on assumptions or make rash decisions. Conrad is definitely someone you’d want on your team.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed reading this novelization. It dove deep into characters and told a great story. In the film there’s a lot missing. The book fills in a lot of gaps and explores much more.

This book is better than the film. The only thing you can’t get in the book is the awesome visual effects. It’s too bad really, that the film didn’t go as deep into everything like the novelization.

I’ve heard that a film may be on the horizon, staring Kong and Godzilla! I haven’t read the novelization of Godzilla yet, but I’d like too. Most importantly, I hope the Kong/Godzilla story is as rich as this novelization.

Do I recommend you read Kong: Skull Island? Yes! Read this book before watching or rewatching the film.

RATING: I give this book a 3.5 of 5

Thanks for checking out the Kong Skull Island Novelization Review!

Warcraft Novelization Review

by Matthew Wilson

Warcraft

The Novelization

SPOILER FREE

Warcraft Novelization was written by New York Times Best Selling Author Christie Golden

While the novel was written by Christie Golden, the story was created by Chris Metzen, the film was directed by Duncan Jones.

Summary: The Warcraft novelization is the book format of the film Warcraft. Warcraft, is a film based on the popular game from Blizzard Entertainment, a film many fans of the game have been waiting for.

Draenor, the world of the Orcs is dying! Gul’Dan, a mysterious Orc, uses dark magic to raise up a portal that his horde will use to enter Azeroth, another world. His dark magic is called Fell, it’s very dangerous, it’s fueled by absorbing life.

The humans must defend their world, with or without the help of elves and dwarves. The Guardian is summoned, he is the defender of the Azeroth. With his magic the world could be safe from the massive orcs.

Characters: I’m going to mention two of my favorite characters from the book and film.

Durotan: He’s an orc and chieftain of the Frostwolf clan. He and his people have endured much suffering. They would have shared the fate of their dying world had Durotan not come to the complicated decision to join the horde of Gul’Dan and venture to the world of Azeroth. Durotan is a warrior, a husband, and great leader. He is strong, yet he remains humbled.

Lothar: He’s a human from Stormwind, brother of the King’s wife. He’s a soldier, the right hand man of the King. He’s protective of his grown son and haunted by the death of his wife. His concern and love for Azeroth is great. He fears nothing and will do whatever possible to defend his people.

Overall Thoughts: The book didn’t stray to far from the film, which was a bit disappointing. I was hoping for more details, maybe have some of the deleted scenes included into the story. There were some very minor differences, but nothing to worth mentioning. I also thought that this would tie in to the prequel novel, Durotan… but it didn’t. Surprised at the amount of typos in this book. Was there not an editor? No proof reader? I enjoyed the film, it had awesome visuals and great music. The story was great too, I just wanted this book to elaborate further on the story. I’ll have to say I don’t recommend this novelization, just watch the film.

Rating: I give this book a 1.5 out of 5

Star Wars: Rogue One Novelization Review

by Matthew Wilson

SPOILER FREE

Rogue One the novelization, it was written by New York Times Best Selling Author, Alexander Freed. This is his second novel in canon, his first book was Battlefront Twilight Company.

Alexander Freed… can do no wrong!

Summary: The Empire successfully constructs the ultimate battle station! The oppression and tyranny of the Empire expands as an underground alliance is built on hope. It’s purpose, to strip power from Emperor Palpatine and reinstate the Republic. As intelligence unveils a secret planet killer, it’s realized that a peaceful transfer of power is unlikely. The transition may very well have to be executed through rebellious force!

Intelligence reports that an imperial pilot has defected! He contains highly classified imperial information regarding the Empire’s new battle station. Jyn Erso, a rebellious young lady, is intercepted by the rebel alliance. She may be the key to extracting more information on the dreaded space station. It is known that her father has played a role in its construction.

We go on a wild chase to put an end to the planet killer, meeting a few new characters and landing on new unfamiliar planets! This tale leads right up to the moments just before A New Hope.

Characters: There are several characters that I could talk about from this book, but Im only choosing two.

Jyn Erso, the daughter of Galen Erso, the man responsible for constructing the Death Star’s powerful weapon by order of the Empire. Jyn is strong willed, she’s held onto hatred for those who have abandoned her over the course of her life… even though her father was taken against his will. Saw Garrera, a rebel who is known as an extremist amongst the alliance and the Empire, also left her behind. As she is forced into an explosive force of events, she must either free herself of the mental and emotional prison she is trapped in… or close herself off to reality and remain behind her personal prison.

The other character to mention is Bodhi Rook. He was the imperial shuttle pilot who defected from the Empire. It took a lot of courage to pull off what he had to do. In the book we find out a more about his past. He’s pretty rattled by his actions… from imperial pilot to full blown rebel. The man was tortured during his transition but overcame the pain. He’s got a conscience, he’s honorable, a true hero of the rebel alliance.

Overall Review: This novelization… is phenomenal! So I saw the film a few times in theater. This book doesn’t take away anything, it actually adds a few things that are completely necessary. As expected there was added dialogue that wasn’t in the film. It’s not distracting at all but adds to the story. Between some chapters are “Supplemental Data” logs. Documents of various sorts such as messages between imperials or journal entries of the rebel alliance.Alexander Freed perfected the dialogue and development of each character. We get into their minds and discover who they are psychologically and emotionally. He paints amazing visuals with his words.

I loved this book so much! If this wasn’t a novelization but just a standalone novel, I’d probably have to put this as number one on my list. It’s debatable, but as of now, I will not rank the novelizations along with the other novels.

Rating: I give this book a 5 out of 5