Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (TM)

I was unbelievably excited when I heard that the 4th Indy movie was going to happen--this time for sure...but like many, I was a bit worried due to what the Star Wars prequels turned out to be like, that somehow, someway George Lucas would manage to screw this one up, too. I am happy to say that Crystal Skull is in every way a fantastic yarn every bit in the vein of the original trilogy. I was equally excited when I found out (from James Rollins himself) that he had been tapped to novelize the screenplay. James is if nothing else an accomplished author who you can tell simply LOVES adventure tales and Indiana Jones in particular--reading any number of his books will tell you that. He even has a VERY Indiana Jones-like character in 'Sandstorm' named Omaha Dunn, which sounds a bit like Indy, don't ya think? Call it James' way of a tribute to one of the big screen's greatest action heroes. I seriously doubt when James wrote 'Sandstorm' that this opportunity to write an Indiana Jones novel would EVER come to pass, and yet it did and we are all fortunate as a result. There are roughly 4-5 additional scenes in the novel that were not in the movie, and a couple major scenes are in the opening chapters of the book. James gives us the background for HOW Indy and his partner end up in the hands of Soviet agents at Area 51. I like the entire tie-in with Area 51 to be honest...it seems to fit in perfectly with the whole Indiana Jones history quite well, and of course Rollin's rides this wave as far as it'll take him and us, and lucky for us we go FAR. While I missed Henry Jones Senior, Marcus Brody and of course his intrepid sidekick from Raiders and Crusade, Sallah played by John Rhys-Davies, I DID like the addition of Mutt, the character played by Shia LeBeouf, and I won't spoil anything by telling you who he is--read or see the movie to find out for yourself. The action, whether it be outlandish or believable, in the hands of Rollins' capable hands, always played out a little easier to swallow than on the big screen, and I don't know exactly why...but it WORKED. With that said, I MUST admit that while 98% of the book and movie were absolutely WONDERFUL, the last part--and for those who have read the book and seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about--well it was a bit OUT there, even for me...and to give you an idea, I am quite a sci-fi fan. I felt that ultimately the whole idea of aliens would have been better served if the story had seen less of that rather than more. Keep the mystery going--but I certainly don't fault James Rollins for how Lucas wrote the story and how he HAD to write the novel in concert with the movie. On the contrary, I feel that given what he had to work with, I really enjoyed how it was written. In a nutshell the best word to describe how I felt about reading this book and seeing the movie was this: FUN. And isn't that all we really want out of an action/adventure tale in the first place? Kudo's to James fo

James Rollins has done it again, this book is better than the movie. From the first page you cant put it down, then you are sorry when it is finished. Characters are well developed and you feel as if you are along side Indiana Jones all the way. Great surprises all through the book.

Indiana Jones has become a larger than life hero in terms of American films. He's been missed for a long time. I know they were waiting for just the right version of the script, and then when announcements were made about the film, most of us couldn't wait - When I saw that the novelization of the movie was being co-launched at the time of movie opening, I did a WOW - when I saw it was James Rollins, I knew it was going to be great, and in my opinion, this book delivers everything an Indy fan could ask for. I am going to see the movie tomorrow, but the book was written in such detail it was like a movie in your mind. James Rollins, whose Sigma Force is a wonderful book series, knows how to make magic and adventure. George Lucas selected well by Rollins. The reunion between Indiana and Marian from the 1st and the best of the series was great and believeably handled...as far as a situation dealing with Indiana Jones is concerned. Mutt, a young man, Marian's son, soon proves himself to be quite the adventurer. They deal with Communists who are trying to control ancient crystal skulls, and the plot deals with the conflict and mistrust of persons in the 1950's where Communists were being looked for all over - even in the entertainment industry, and all walks of life. I found this novelization to be a wonderful addition to the Indiana Jones legend. I look forward to the next Sigma Force book, as one of my favorite character's life is up in the air - There are some folks who are not into Indiana Jones, and don't like that he has aged - but the fact that a lot of us care for the character and will have a lot of fun with this installment. Well written and I put the cart before the horse and read the book before seeing the movie, but feel it will be a great accompanyment to the experience. James Rollins did a great job. Think you will enjoy the book too.

I am an Indiana Jones fan who will be quick to tell you that Raiders and Last Crusade are the best entries in the filmes trilogy. Having said that, I was not going to instantly rule out the idea that a 4th Jones film would not be just as good. My only problem was linked to the latest Star Wars trilogy. We wait so long (20 years in this case) for the new movie to come out, and it feels rushed and almost hollow, like the writer (lucas, or who ever you want to blame) did it real quick to shut the rabid fanbase up so he could get a moments peace without people asking him when the next one was going to come out. Star wars (one of the best movies ever) suffered from this curse, why wouldn't the same happen to Indiana Jones, given the fact that there is really nothing known about this movie at all except it involves a crystal skull. That makes me worry, when the fans can't figure the plot out, and when the studios rely on hype for the movie to sell it instead of giving us some meat to chew on till it comes out. I run across the last copy of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at a Books-a-Million in my home town and I HAD to get it. Finally the chance to either confirm or deny my fears was well worth the $13. I walked into the book expecting to feel as betrayed as I was with Revenge of the sith, but I will honestly say I WAS SO WRONG. This book has all the makings of an Indy film, and even as you read the words you see the images in your head and it even plays out like a Indy film in your minds eye. The action starts right out, and you are thrown into the story with the first page which does nto stop. Each page seems to get him and his friends into deeper trouble. The over all plot was very interesting, an ailen/supernatural twist involving area 51 and the roswell crash-something everyone seems to have a slight interest in. The book explains the loss of Marcus Brody and Henry Jones Sr well, and there are things from past adventures thrown into the mix just for fun which was good to see. At least it didn't try to act like the other movies never happened. His sidekick Mac got on my nerves after a while with his back and forth-flip flopping of identities. Mutt as a sidekick was kind of strange (But I see the Indy seeing a bit of himself in the kid angle, but it seems to have been done before) (he seemed like an older, greaser version of Short Round) and the addition of Marion was great. Also, it was great to see Indy FINALLY get the girl, (hes not James Bond for crying out loud, let him have a happy ending) There are the usual plot twist/revelations some may shock, other may not. Plus the ending did everything but scream sequel (please oh please) But all in all I could not put this book down, It was done and read in 3 hours tops. If you are a fan of indy, and worried of the status of our beloved franchise, check out the book and put your feast aside. The man with the hat is back, and its about time.