Sabledrake Magazine

May, 2002

Cover Page

Feature Articles

     GURPS Raptors

     More Mystic Weapons of Renown

     CTF 2187: Vows & Vengeances

     Soulfriend

     Odd Magics

     SRT-22

     Filks Man Was Not Meant To Know

     Nuyt in the Forest, Part 2

     GURPS Harry Potter, Part 1

Regular Articles

     Reviews

     Fantasy Artwork

     What's Your Fantasy

     Vecna's Eye

     Off the Shelf

     The Play's the Thing

Resources

     Search this site

     Table of Contents

     Submissions Guidelines

     Previous Issues

     Contributors

     Advertising Information

     Discussion Room

     E-mail us

Off the Shelf

Spider-Man

Summer's on the way... and that means not only is the temperature on the rise, but so is the hype surrounding the current batch of movie releases to hit the theaters in the coming months. Of course, this also means that the shelves of the local bookstores will be swimming with adaptations of these movies into novel form. In so doing, considering that like a lot of us I will be seeing some of these films, I've taken the liberty of getting my hands of a few of these novels to see if they live up to the stuff blockbusters are made of.

The first one is the adaptation of the much-anticipated first films of Summer 2002, "Spider Man". Taken from the Marvel Comic's character of the same name, the story is the all-too familiar origin of on of the flagship characters of the Marvel universe. No need to go over any of the specifics, though we all know the basics: boy is orphaned and raised by his aunt and uncle; grows up to be a bit of a nerd. Goes to a science exhibit, is bitten by a radio-active spider... and the rest is history.

The book goes a bit more into the cerebral side of what Peter Parker went through in gaining his spider-abilities. As well, it showcases more of the things that happened to Peter's future girlfriend (and wife) Mary Jane Watson, and the somewhat unsettling things that lead to Norman Osborne becoming the chief nemesis of Spider Man's life: The Green Goblin.

The book does follow the general plotline of Spidey's origin pretty closely (I loved the parts where Peter deals with wrestling "Bonesaw" McGrath - played by real-life wrestler Randy Savage in the movie), and the touching parts with Uncle Ben. One of the few departures from the original story, however, is they made Peter's web shooters more of a natural thing, rather than a product of his already braniac-style genius... but that may just be nitpicking, since I was an original Spider Fan back when I was a kid.

Either way, it's not that bad of a read. The characterizations aren't too unfaithful, and Aunt May - like in the comic - does have some stellar lines. Literary wise, this isn't Shakespeare, but it's a great "popcorn" read if you're looking for a little escape from the everyday.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Probably the second-most anticipated movie this summer, I received the trade hardcover version of the next Star Wars movie novel as a birthday gift. There's been a lot of speculation to what Episode II will bring to Star Wars fans, but one thing is certain, the book like the movie should have some surprises for all of us.

The story continues over from the first "prequel", Episode I; ten years have passed in the Old Republic, and the situation hasn't gotten any better for everyone concerned. Even under Supreme Chancellor Palpetine's leadership, the Senate has broken down into infighting, due to a series of attacks made on many of the core systems. In the middle of this hotbed, someone has been trying to kill Senator Padme Amedalia (she absconded when Palpetine became Supreme Chancellor). Seems she has some pull in the Senate over key matters, and someone wants her dead.

Into this, the Jedi are called to act as Padme's protectors. This reunites the Naboo noble with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker - now ten years older, and both pretty much locked into the roles of all-too new mentor and hot-headed student. A fact which is evident when Anakin draws himself and Kenobi into trying to track down Padme's assassins.

Add to this, Palpetine puts forward a proposal to create an army to protect the interests of the Republic; an army of cloned warriors. This, along with plot twists such as the infamous Mandelorian-clad Fetts (a young Boba and his father Jango), and the return of such Jedi personages as Yoda and Mace Windu, you have the makings of a major epic on hand.

The book has the promise of a major blockbuster; the Star Wars universe, characters from the previous film returning, expanding and growing. If there's one thing that works against it, it's the style of the writer. R.A. Salvatore paints a grimmer, bleaker version of Lucas' worlds. It's bogged down, and in many places seems forced and clipped. Especially the reunion scenes with Anakin and Padme.

In closing, I can see that Salvatore did one thing right: he limited our Jar-Jar exposure to only about four total pages long in words.

It was a nice read, but it failed to really grab and immerse me back into the Star Wars world - unlike Timothy Zahn, or even Terry Brooks (a person that does fantasy way better than sci-fi, but he did a good job with the Episode I book). In truth, I'd only recommend getting this book for the collectable factor. You'd be better off waiting to see the film in the theaters, than to read this next step in the advancement to the Star Wars cycle completion.