# Great novelisations of movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284 "2012-09-20T16:47:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/41 "2012-09-23T11:27:15Z")
> [@Mavic\_Chen](#): > > As a kid I read William Kotzwinkle’s ET the Extra-Terrestrial many times, enjoyed it more than the film, really filled in a lot of gaps. I came in to mention this. I read it as a kid, and thought it brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/42 "2012-09-23T11:42:00Z")
When I was about 13 years old, I really enjoyed the novelizations of _The Omen_ and its two sequels. I have still never seen any of the films! Like I say, I was 13, so I can’t say for sure how “good” the novelizations really were. But certainly not bad. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/43 "2012-09-23T13:23:02Z")
In my early teens, I enjoyed the novelization of _Labyrinth_ by A C H Smith. It contained scenes and background information that weren’t in the film – for example, it explained what happened to Sarah’s mother, and it showed what was behind the deaf door-knocker. Probably not great literature, given that it’s been out of print for 20 years, but a fun read nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/44 "2012-09-23T15:23:46Z")
Sage Rat writes: \> The recent movie, while fun, dropped all of the mystery and ambiguity that was \> in the original story. What are you calling the original story? The first movie was an adaptation of the short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. The book by Piers Anthony was a novelization of the first movie. The second movie was a greatly changed version of the first movie. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/45 "2012-09-23T20:03:24Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > What are you calling the original story? The first movie was an adaptation of the short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. The book by Piers Anthony was a novelization of the first movie. The second movie was a greatly changed version of the first movie. I was referring to the Arnie movie. And according to the thread on the new movie, the Philip K Dick story only served as the basis for the first 20 minutes of the original movie, anyways. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/46 "2012-09-24T00:08:13Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I was referring to the Arnie movie. > > And according to the thread on the new movie, the Philip K Dick story only served as the basis for the first 20 minutes of the original movie, anyways. Yup – im think you’re quoting me. As I’ve said many times here, I really think they ripped off the bulk of the original movie from Robert Sheckley’s dark comic novel _the Status Civilization_. Give that book a shot and see for yourself. It’s one of the first SF novels that I read. being young, I didn’t realize how mch of a trope-referential work it was. But it worls as straight adventure, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/47 "2012-09-24T01:48:36Z")
It’s still a little odd to call the first movie “the original story.” The original story was either the Philip K. Dick short story, if you believe the credits, or that plus the Robert Sheckley short story, if you accept CalMeacham’s theory about it. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/48 "2012-09-24T03:01:09Z")
A TV series pilot novelization of _Beauty and the Beast_ - the long running series from the late 80’s/early 90’s. It was written by one of my favorite authors, Barbara Hambly, and she did an excellent job of filling in backstory, providing consistent and realistic interpretations of why characters did what they did. But my absolutely favorite part was an in-joke about a third of the way in, when Katherine has gone looking for a martial artist to teach her self-defense. She passes a renovated firehouse with an old ambulance parked in front, two guys in khaki jumpsuits working on it, and thinks to herself that this neighborhood was like a demilitarized zone. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/49 "2012-09-24T05:26:32Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > None of what happened in the film is possible. > > (It was a really short book.) Asimov “explained” that all the mass of the shrunken people and sub were shuffled off into hyperspace. And I didn’t think the book was that great. The goodness of FV was based on the visuals (and I don’t mean just Raquel Welch.) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/50 "2012-09-24T05:28:28Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > _Summer of '42_, _Love Story_, and _2001_ are all dubiously novelizations. In each case, the screenwriter wrote and published the novel before the movie came out, although probably the screenplay was finished first. The screenwriter may or may not have thought of the novel as being just an afterthought. I would only call it a novelization if the novel is written by someone unconnected to the screenplay or if it was written by the screenwriter after the movie came out. Love Story was a massive bestseller before the movie came out. As mentioned, 2001 was written in parallel, and it definitely came out right after the movie - I bought it the first day it was out. It was ready long before - Clarke was quite frustrated at having to wait, since he needed the money. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/51 "2012-09-24T05:31:14Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I believe they were both finishing REH stories before the movie. Long before. The first Lancer book of stories they finished or modified I have is from 1967, and I’m not sure they weren’t doing things for Amra before that. Not having read the book, I am stunned that the moviemakers were smart enough to get them to write the novelization. A surprising intelligent choice. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/52 "2012-09-24T05:49:58Z")
The Third Man by Graham Greene was written as a novella from which a screenplay was created. It was written only for that purpose. It was later published as one of Greene’s “entertainments.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/53 "2012-09-24T11:45:54Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Long before. The first Lancer book of stories they finished or modified I have is from 1967, and I’m not sure they weren’t doing things for Amra before that. > > Not having read the book, I am stunned that the moviemakers were smart enough to get them to write the novelization. A surprising intelligent choice. Even longer before that. L. Sprague de Camp was altering REH’s stories (such as _The Black Stranger_, which he rewrote into _The Treasure of Tranicos_) back in 1953 for the hardcover Conan books published by Gnome (for which deCamp was an editor). The original version of _The Black Stranger_ wasn’t published (without the de Camp changes and additions, which really didn’t help it any) until 1987, and is currently in publication in the three-volume collection of complete Conan stories. de Camp is roundly hated by a big segment of REH fans as the guy who altered the original Conan stories, forbade the reprinting of the originals, and added his own stories that changed his character. I met him once. He’s not the ogre he’s portrayed as, his original works are worth reading, and he did a creditable job in finishing some of Howard’s stuff, such as _Wolves Beyond the Border_. But he did change the Cimmerian’s charactrer somewhat, and it appears that he kept a grip on the rights for his own financial gain. He apparently denigrated the efforts of his collaborator, editor Lin Carter, even while relying on Carter’s plotting for the “new” Conan stories. (Not that Carter is blameless. His alterations to the King Kull stories are really no help to them.) Both men are good writers and editors, and their efforts to resurrect and promote pulp authors were worthwhile, but they went beyond what they should have done. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/54 "2012-09-24T12:11:21Z")
I massively enjoyed AC Crispin’s novelization of **V** when I was a teenager, and to this day have never seen the actual miniseries because i’m convinced it can’t be as good as the book was. Similarly, I never saw the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries **Taken** , but I read the novelization by an author I don’t recall and thought it was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Luk3112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9adbd/32.png) [@Luk3112](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luk3112)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/55 "2012-09-24T12:48:46Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > NM what does NM mean? ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/56 "2012-09-24T13:07:40Z")
I would suppose “never mind”. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/57 "2012-09-24T16:32:48Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > A TV series pilot novelization of _Beauty and the Beast_ - the long running series from the late 80’s/early 90’s. It was written by one of my favorite authors, Barbara Hambly, and she did an excellent job of filling in backstory, providing consistent and realistic interpretations of why characters did what they did. > > But my absolutely favorite part was an in-joke about a third of the way in, when Katherine has gone looking for a martial artist to teach her self-defense. She passes a renovated firehouse with an old ambulance parked in front, two guys in khaki jumpsuits working on it, and thinks to herself that this neighborhood was like a demilitarized zone. She also had cameos by the main characters from Wiseguy and The Equalizer, and a reference to U.N.C.L.E. headquarters. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/58 "2012-09-24T19:05:14Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I massively enjoyed AC Crispin’s novelization of **V** when I was a teenager, and to this day have never seen the actual miniseries because i’m convinced it can’t be as good as the book was. You are correct, sir. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/59 "2012-09-24T20:37:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I massively enjoyed AC Crispin’s novelization of **V** when I was a teenager, and to this day have never seen the actual miniseries because i’m convinced it can’t be as good as the book was. Agreed. Slightly off topic but her (?) followup East Coast Crisis was also better than any of the follow ups that appeared on screen. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284/60 "2012-09-25T01:08:10Z")
Voyager, the screenplay of the movie _Love Story_ was written before the novel: > **[Love Story (1970 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Story_(1970_film))** > > Love Story is a 1970 American romantic drama film written by Erich Segal, who was also the author of the best-selling 1970 novel of the same name. It was produced by Howard G. Minsky and directed by Arthur Hiller and starred Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal, alongside John Marley, Ray Milland, and Tommy Lee Jones in his film debut in a minor role. > The film is considered one of the most romantic by the American Film Institute (No. 9 on the list) and is one of the highest-grossing films of all time a... Segal was already an established screenwriter, since he was one of the writers for the movie _Yellow Submarine_. He sold the screenplay for _Love Story_ to the film studio, who asked him to turn it into a novel. The novel came out well before the film, but the script was written first. This is why I don’t think there is a clearcut line between a novelization and a novel adapted for film. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-novelisations-of-movies/635284.md?page=4)