Product Description

A new full legnth novel based on the screenplay for Universal Pictures' blockbuster for May 2004: Van Helsing - the one name they all fear.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #516795 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 261 pages

About the Author
Kevin Ryan is a popular genre author whose previous tie-ins include titles in the Star Trek and Roswell series.

Customer Reviews

disappointment
This novel does do an adequate job of explaining, to a slight extent, the characters thoughts and opinions, and the role they play in the film.

However, I was quite disappointed. The book is not very long, and I felt that most of the time all it was doing was to relay the dialogue to the reader in a rushed fashion. It did not go into the characters' heads and explore their personalities nearly as much as it had the potential to, and at first I thought I was reading the junior novelisation.

The only good thing that it does is to include some of the scenes not in the film, such as Victor Frankenstiens first encounter with Dracula.

But still, I would not recommend you waste your money on this book.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy May 30, 2004
Novelizations of films start with several strikes against them. The first is that they are written from the screenplay, often before the movie is actually filmed. Which occasionally leads to a phenomenon that I call plot jitters, where the script and the writer go one way and the director and the film go another. The other challenge is that most of the readers have already seen the film and look at the book as a piece of memorabilia. Keeping the reader's interest when they already know what is going to happen is a tough assignment. One that depends for the most part on how well the writer does what a 2 hour film cannot - in depth character development.

Occasionally, magic happens, and the book turns out to be an improvement over the film. 'Van Helsing' which is mostly a string of acts of violence or derring do interspersed with just enough dialog to keep the plot moving. Given that Van Helsing himself is much larger than life, and the majority of the remaining cast are creatures like Dracula, Frankenstein, and various werewolves, the film sometimes resembled a grand opera noir rather than a horror film. Kevin Ryan, by filling in the interior space of the characters - human and otherwise - does indeed outdo the film, which I found a bit tedious.

If the book fails to completely capture the atmospherics of the film, it does an excellent job of bringing Van Helsing, Anna, Dr. Frankenstein and several other characters to life. And this makes the story more meaningful than a simple display of acrobatic feats. I would almost suggest that you read the book first and then see the film, since having a clearer understanding of the motivations involved makes some of the dramatic foibles less irritating. Besides, the book is cheaper than a trip to theater and if you don't like the book, you are going to hate the film.

Well worth a read
A book of the film, that is in some respects better than the film. The reason being that it supplies some sorely needed exposition as to why the characters in the film act the way they do. For example it explains why Frankenstein worked for Dracula, It does not answer all the questions which leads me to suppose (hope) that another book may be in the offing. If it appears I would buy it.

The book is well written and draws the reader into a nicely crafted and above all believable world where the unbelievable is the norm.