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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780091926670
ISBN number: 009192667X
Label: Ebury Press
Manufacturer: Ebury Press
Page Count: 352
Printing Date: May 22, 2008
Publishing house: Ebury Press
Sale Popularity Level: 296350
Studio: Ebury Press
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Product Description:
“The name is Jones. Indiana Jones.”
He’s back. Everyone’s favorite globe-trotting, tomb-raiding, wisecracking archaeologist is finally at it again–hurtling headfirst into high adventure and relying on his wits, his fists, and his trusty bullwhip to get him out of deep trouble. But the man in the jaunty brown fedora and battered leather jacket is no ordinary digger in the dirt. From the fabled lost Ark of the Covenant to the legendary Holy Grail, he’s salvaged the world’s most amazing artifacts, while beating the baddest villains and defying the most breathtaking odds.
Now it’s 1957, the atomic age is in full swing, and McCarthy-era paranoia has the nation on edge. But for Indiana Jones, the Cold War really heats up when his latest expedition is crashed by a ruthless squad of Russian soldiers. Commanded by a sword-wielding colonel who’s as sinister as she is stunning, the menacing Reds drag an unwilling Indy along as they brazenly invade American soil, massacre U.S. soldiers, and plunder a top-secret government warehouse. Their objective: a relic even more precious–and powerful–than the mythic Ark, capable of unlocking secrets beyond human comprehension.
Fast thinking and some high-speed maneuvers help Jones turn the tables, and a one-in-a-million escape narrowly saves him from certain death. But when he’s tarred as a suspected spy and fired by his university, Indy thinks it may be time to hang up his hat.
Fate, however, has other plans. Suddenly the road to retirement takes a sharp detour when a colleague’s kidnapping leads Jones into the depths of the Amazon jungle on a desperate rescue mission. With a hot-headed teenage biker as his unlikely wing man and his vengeful new Russian nemesis waiting for a rematch, Indy’s back in the game–playing for a prize all the wonders of the world could never rival.
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Rated by buyers 
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It's something of a cliché to say that any novel is better than the movie made from it. However, when you consider that this Audio CD is really a novelization based on the script of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, then how good the movie could've been really jumps out at you.
Living in Southern California, I spend a lot of time sitting on freeways. (Notice I didn't say "driving" on freeways.) To make the time lost in rush hour traffic more palatable, I've got a ton of Audio CD's that save me from boredom or the horrors of talk radio.
One of my latest acquisitions was James Rollins' adaptation of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Read by L.J. Ganser, I almost liked it more than the movie.
As with any book, you get more of the "back story" usually based on the internal monologue of the characters. Here you get a lot more. While the movie starts with the break-in at Area 51, Rollins starts his book by answering the question, "how exactly did Indy end up in that trunk?"
In addition you learn what the relationship between Oxley and Marion is and why it estranged Indy from both of them for years. It makes the story of Mutt's relationship with "Ox" more believable. And it even explains why Oxley would retrieve the skull, go all the way to Akator, then turn right around and put it back where he found it, something that was just a little bit vague to me after only having seen the movie.
There's also a chapter in the book where Irina Spalko performs an autopsy on the Roswell alien stolen from Hanger 51 and she discovers that the alien's have a crystalline skeletal structure. It sounds like it could've been a scene in an early draft of the script and goes a long way in explaining the Soviet Union's interest in the subject.
As for the tale itself, Rollins' takes Spielberg's wild tale and keeps you engrossed enough that you don't have time think to yourself "ya gotta be kidding me." Unfortunately, the same wasn't true of the movie.
Spielberg's on-screen fascination with aliens started with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, followed by the Sci-Fi Channel mini-series Taken and, unfortunately, ended up as the main plot-point in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I don't have a problem with alien movies, per se, but there were so many tortured premises in the movie that I personally felt that it detracted from what could've been a much more successful (certainly more easily understood) tale.
Given Lucas' penchant for making movies in threes, I'd hoped for at least one more Indiana Jones movie. But given the relatively lukewarm response, even from die-hard Indy fans, I'll be surprised if another script is green-lighted (as they say in Variety-speak.) Hopefully, I'm wrong. The movie came in with so much build-up, and so much anticipation, that perhaps nothing could've lived up to the expectations of the fans.
Back to the Audio CD, there was one reference to "retinal scans" that was so out of period that I noticed it. Sure the idea was around in 1935, but the very first actual device wasn't invented until 1975.
But I'm nit-picking. Science Fiction, whether read, heard on an Audio CD, or seen in a movie requires a suspension of disbelief; at least if you're going to do more than just roll your eyes and groan, "ya gotta be kidding me!"
Rollins tells a good tale and L.J. Ganser does an excellent job performing all of the spoken parts. It's a great way to pass the time stuck in gridlock. Personally, I'd much rather be following Dr. Jones' latest adventure, instead of worrying about getting to that meeting on time.
Rated by buyers -
I'm a big Indiana Jones fan & James Rollins is a first-rate author. Put the two together and you have a winning combination. This is a great adventure story. I had high hopes for it and the book delivered. Its classic Indy fun. Its written with the same feel as the movies have - Rollins nailed it. I thought the movie was great too. Rollins book is a perfect companion to any and all who enjoyed the movie, who are Indy fans, and those who just like plain old-fashioned adventure stories. The book also gives the reader more details about stuff that happens in the movie which I appreciated. Time and money well spent.
Rated by buyers -
I love Indiana Jones and since the movie and the book released together - i decided to read (listen) it...i must say that the i could literally see the characters jump out, the narrative and characterization is just fantastic!
a great thrill ride it was nice to see Indiana and Marian together ... and Mutt ... yep their son ... who is another Indie in the making ... watchout!!
worth read (listen) - BTW the movie is in my blockbuster queue ;-)
Rated by buyers -
After re-reading the very first three Indiana Jones movie adaptions, it came time to go through "The Crystal Skull". I'd seen the film twice, liking it better the second time, so I was hopeful that the novel would be a nice fill-in while we wait for the dvd coming soon.
I'm not really acquainted with the author, James Rollins, and his other work. It appears from the dedications and forward that he really likes the character, so that was good to see. I tend to enjoy a book more when I know it's written by a fan.
However, whereas the Raiders novel was a delight to read, and Temple's adaption seemed kind of ho-hum, this one fell more in line with Rob Macgregor's "Last Crusade" adaption. That being that it didn't stray too far off the beaten path from the screenplay or script that it came from.
Early on I wasn't really impressed with Rollins' writing. He tends to mention the same thought more than once, such as Indy constantly saying or thinking something like "Oh, that can't be good" or "It wasn't going to be good", etc etc. The mention of that line got repetitive. He also has Mutt and Indy's banter back and forth as pretty basic. Mutt constantly refers to Indy as "Old Man" and Indy calls him "kid". Ok, that's established. At least later they actually start to view each other as father and son and both characters start to think deeper about each other than just the fact that they're hanging out having this adventure together. Whereas the Raiders adaption had plenty of extra dialogue from the characters that wasn't in the film, this one is pretty close to being exact word for word as what you see in the movie. Nothing glaring, just nothing special added.
Good things? Yeah, the book has plenty. I really liked how it started out with the Spanish conquistador returning the skull after murdering his men while being driven mad by the skull itself. Spalko is just as devious and straightforward as in the film, and she is fleshed out further with a little bit about her background. We learn that she has done other alien autopsies, and the one she does with the Roswell specimen we get to "see" while she does it with her superiors. We also learn a little about her interest in the paranormal, which goes beyond simply doing a job for Stalin: she was considered a witch growing up in her native land. The Russian soldier Indy fought on the rocket car has a few fleeting scenes. His hatred of Indy goes beyond what was in the film and there are definitely times of tension as he flat out tries to kill Indy despite orders to the contrary.
Sadly, Mutt, Marion, Mac, and Oxley aren't fleshed out at all. We know about as much of them as was mentioned in the film. We never learned how it was that Indy's dad or Marcus Brody died, other than a quick insight in that it was about two years before the time of the movie. (I think the film claims that it was the same year or earlier that same year.)
Basically, this is a book for Indy fans and that's about it. It can stand on it's own as a single read, although it helps if you know some past history, especially between Marion and Indy. Another good thing is that you see these two start to feel for each other again a little more slowly in the book, which is good because it felt awful quick in the film.
If I were you, I'd wait to buy it used. Definitely not worth paying list price for, or even over $10. I still don't think Rollins is all that great a writer, but he did a sufficient job for "The Crystal Skull."
Rated by buyers -
This novelization is about as fun as the movie. There are a few things not in the movie (possibly deleted scenes or the author's own additions) that make this a good, easy read.
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