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The Island of the Skull (King Kong) by Matthew Costello
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The Island of the Skull (King Kong) by Matthew Costello
Synopsis: The official prequel novel to the Universal Pictures movie event!KING KONGEntrepreneur and filmmaker Carl Denham struggles to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry -- but all of his charisma and showmanship may have to take a back seat to the greatest adventure yet to come...Vaudeville regular and struggling actress Ann Darrow leaves the lights of Broadway behind for the sand and shores of Atlantic City -- and makes a very personal connection that will have ramifications on a life-altering experience yet to come...Former Navy diver Sam Kelly, down on his luck in a Depression-ravaged San Francisco, throws caution to the wind and takes a shaky job on an even shakier pearl-diving ship, destined for one of the most extraordinary -- and dangerous -- locales on the face of the earth...Three individuals leading separate lives -- all inextricably bound by the hands of fate, each drawing inexorably closer to a place that will test the very limits of their humanity¿and change the world forever....
Review: The synopsis reads like the set-up to the Peter Jackson film and that's all the book is. To be honest who cares what Carl Denham and Ann Darrow were doing BEFORE they set sail for Skull Island and their fateful meeting with Kong? A flimsy cash-in on a great film - buyer beware!
Review: Have you seen King Kong at the cinemas or on DVD and wanted certain questions answered; Primarily how Carl Denham obtained the map that showed skull island and about the man that grabbed the map. Well if you want answers to these questions then this is the book for you.
It gives living accounts of characters that appear in the movie of where they were before they all met. Even Kong makes a special appearance; however he is not the main focus of the story.
This is not a story that revolves around Kong. This is most probably the reason why many people would stop reading; however many might want answers to the questions that I did and not be able to put it down.
Review: I found this book to be a very entertaining read! Most movie tie-in books are lame in my opinion. This book has all of the familiar characters from the movie and describes their actions leading up to where the movie begins. A good plot, plenty of action, a visit to Skull Island, and just a hint of Kong himself make this an enjoyable prequel to the movie! Kong Lives!
Review: For a Kong Kong fan, this book, a fast-paced story, is filled with surprises but also deals with a lot of what you'd want to know. What did Ann Darrow do before she joining Denham's expedition? Or what was Carl Denham doing in the Arctic before he began his search for Skull Island? Or how did Jack Driscoll's literary life in the Manhattan of the 30s hook him up with Denham? And the whole thing is so amazingly atmospheric, like a lost Kong book from 70 years ago..
But then it addresses the two big questions-where did the map to Skull come from...and, more importantly, what is happening on Skull Island to begin with? I doubt the film will touch on either of those two cool mysteries. But Costelo's book does and so well as we join a deep diving ship on a journey to a Skull Island that I bet Merriam C. Cooper never dreamed of. Highly recommended and bound to be devoured in one day.
Review: Did not know what to expect from this novel, a prequel. But it turned out to be a totally compelling curtain raiser for what I think will be PJ's new masterpiece. Filled with secrets and stunning scenes, the book moved like a bullet. Now for the film itself!
Review: having heard of a prequel for jackson's film(a different interpretation from merrian cooper's version) i was convinced that the author would have ample opportunity to write a new adventure story with familiar concepts, possibly rich enough in detail and excitement to stand on it's own. seeing the great respect jackson's team had for the original, my expectations seemed logical at the time.
what i found was pointless elaborations about life in 1932 new york, stretched for more than a third of the book, the tribulations of carl denham and jack driscoll equally stretched and the action and history of skull island reduced to an afterthought. i was disappointed with kong not making an apperance(we all know who he is, so if, as a previous reviewr has mentioned, the author was restricted in scope by the studios, such a decision is evidently a negative factor) as well as not developing the potential of the paleontologist that discovered skull island but was supressed by the authorities, and so on.
for a truely wonderful prequel read kong: king of skull island by joe devito and brad strickland.
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