Book review
Written by James Rollins
Ebury paperback
Release date Out now

Dr Henry Jones Jnr returns in a tale of derring-do set in 1957...

Unlike previous Indiana Jones films, where novelisation and comic strip adaptation have paved the way some days, if not weeks before the release of the movie, no detailed account of the plot of Crystal Skull was available before audiences got a chance to make their own minds up about the new story. So, with a DVD release not that far down the line, is there any reason to read the novel?

Rollins sensibly has been allowed to flesh out the bare bones of the script, using the lead characters’ point of view well in each scene. Like Bond noveliser John Gardner, Rollins sneaks past a couple of criticisms of the script, making characters wonder quite why they’ve said things and, inevitably, a few of the best “on set” lines are lost. We don’t get the muttered “This is intolerable” from Indy after one of Mutt’s plans backfires, mirroring his father’s annoyance in Last Crusade, and Mac doesn’t refer to our hero as “Jonesy”.

Rollins adds two prologues, suitably setting the scene and reinforcing the friendship between Mac and Indy, and there are also a few scenes that might not have made the final cut – Spalko in particular has missed out on a couple of moments that enhance her character.

It’s a suitably fast paced novel, very much in the sparse thriller style of Matthew Reilly or James Patterson, with single sentence paragraphs, and thoughts cutting across actions. Owen Morris

VERDICT: 7/10
A perfectly valid alternative way of reliving the story.

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