Mark asked:
> Kinda speaking of which, are there any worthwhile
novelizations?
>
> Timothy Harris's Heatwave, which was based on a
friend's unproduced
> screenplay, was very good. I keep meaning to read
Alan Sharp's Night
> Moves -- which came first, his screenplay or hs
novel? It started
> as an
> original screenplay, didn't it? The movie tie-in
paperback appears to
> be the first printing of the novel.
Novelizations? While researching a column for MYSTERY SCENE.
I compiled a list of P.I. -related novelizations and other
tie-ins a few months back ( http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/
triv254.html ), and if pressed I'll confess to having read
more than my share of these books. Generally, you're not
missing much.
Some (most?) of them are obviously cranked (or wanked) out
for a quick buck, and it shows, particularly the
novelizations. But the original novels based on the shows
aren't as awful -- in fact, despite Harriet Klausner's claim
that "Nobody writes original novels based on TV shows better
than Lee Goldberg does" I'd stick my neck out and say that
Stuart Kaminsky's two original ROCKFORD FILES novels are
very, very good indeed, adding emotional and psychological
depths to Rockford that simply couldn't be conveyed as well
on television. To me, these two books are the high-water mark
of the TV tie-in, at least as far as private eye stuff goes
(supposedly three or possibly even four of the 1,453,876 STAR
TREK tie-ins aren't too shabby either).
Lee's first MONK book and Lawrence Block's MARKHAM novel, all
originals (not "novelizations") are also well worth checking
out., and Lee gets extra points for having the balls to
narrate his novel
(haven't read the second yet) from Monk's nurse's
point-of-view, thus
(successfully) adding depth to a character who's frequently
so thin she's almost invisible.
Kevin Burton Smith The Thrilling Detective Web Site http://www.thrillingdetective.com
RARA-AVIS home page: http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/
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