Escape from New York by Mike McQuay

 

(pb; 1981: movie tie-in, based on John Carpenter and Nick Castle’s screenplay)

 

From the back cover

“1997. In an America ravaged by war and gutted by riots and social collapse, ‘Snake’ Plissken was the deadliest man alive. Ex-soldier, ex-hero, outlaw. Snake was so slippery no trap could catch him, no jail could hold him. Then he was set up, betrayed, captured. They sent him into the ultimate prison: New York City. A penal colony 12 miles long and two miles wide. An urban jungle where men had become things and only the most brutal survived. But they gave him one shot at freedom. Somewhere in that cesspool of humanity was the President of the United States. Snake had twenty-four hours to find him. The rest was easy. He just had to get out alive.”

 

Review

Above-average movie tie-in novels consistently add different, character-expanding elements to their source-film stories. Mike McQuay’s Escape does this, e.g., showing New York police commissioner Bob Hauk’s rarely displayed sensitive side while revealing why he, a Leningrad war vet like Plissken, took the job. Additionally, McQuay details Plissken’s past and why he is the way he is, making Escape a standout, vividly pulpy read. That McQuay is also an excellent character-centric action writer with an in-joke sense of humor further makes Escape, long out of print, a book worth owning, an adaptation that’s as great as its source script/film.

 

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The source film, starring Kurt Russell as Snake Plisskin and Lee Van Cleef as Bob Hauk, was released stateside on July 10, 1981.

In the Heat of the Summer (aka The Mean Season) by John Katzenbach

 

(pb; 1982)

From the back cover

“In Miami, they call July the ‘mean season.’ This summer, a clever, elusive killer is terrorizing the entire city—and making frequent phone calls to crack newspaper reporter Malcolm Anderson.

“Now Anderson is trapped by the hottest story he’s ever had—trapped between his editors who want him to keep the story alive, by the cops who want him to help catch the killer, by his girlfriend who wants their lives safe again, and by his own fascination with the tortured murderer looking to get even for the sins of Vietnam.

“The story is making Anderson a national celebrity—and could make him the killer’s next victim.”

 

Review

Summer, a good, sometimes hard-to-set-down thriller, begins rough and chatty, but once it gains focus (about a quarter of the way through, about the time the killer contacts reporter Malcolm Anderson) it becomes a solid read, with effective commentary on the media’s role in war and murder as well as a few plot-convenient-dumb-character moments (e.g., Anderson giving away key killer-capture information to the killer). The edge-lined ending leans more toward whimper than bang, but it works for the book, Katzenbach's first. The resulting film—I forget its ending—likely had a different more bang-oriented finish, given Hollywood’s penchant for more crowd-pleasing, easier-to-digest fare.

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The resulting film (and the reason why the book was retitled), The Mean Season, was released stateside on February 15, 1985. Phillip Borsos directed it, from a screenplay by Christopher Crowe (billed as Leon Piedmont).

Kurt Russell played Malcolm Anderson. Mariel Hemingway played Christine Connelly. Richard Jordan played Alan Delour.

Richard Masur played Bill Nolan. Joe Pantoliano played Andy Porter. Andy Garcia played Ray Martinez. William Smith played Albert O’Shaughnessy [cinematic stand-in for Peter O’Shaughnessy].

The Thing by Alan Dean Foster

 

(pb; 1982: movie tie-in novel)

 

From the back cover

“TWELVE MEN

Trapped in the Antarctic.

 

“ELEVEN

Discover the intruder.

 

“TEN

Battle the alien force.

 

“NINE

Agonize for the answer.

 

“EIGHT

Desperate to be spared.

 

“SEVEN

Consumed one by one.

 

“SIX. . . FIVE. . . FOUR. . . THREE. . .

 

“They will all die.

Unless something stops THE THING.”

 

Review

Foster’s movie novelization, based on Bill Lancaster’s original screenplay, like its filmic counterpart, is compelling, paranoid, brutal, horrific, and freezing (in its implications, stakes, and setting). In Foster’s book, though, the characters’ backstories and inclinations are more explicit (e.g., Macready’s acknowledgment of his Vietnam experiences) than the movie. Also, the characters’ relationships are shown more—in the book, Childs and Macready are friends; its theatrical counterpart reveals a terser (prior to their current harrowing circumstances) relationship between them. Not only that, the fates of certain characters (no spoilers) are considerably different than the movie version.

The Thing is one of my favorite remakes (check out the fun, also-great source, 1951’s The Thing from Another World), and Foster’s fast-paced, immediately immersive, and character- and backstory-delving expansion of it makes it one of my all-time favorite flick tie-in novelizations. Out of print, and possibly pricy, it’s worth getting, not only for its relative rarity, but Foster’s consistently worthwhile writing—Foster, for a while, seemed to be one of the busiest book-adaptation authors in the genre, and for good reason.

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The excellent counterpart film was released stateside on June 25, 1982. John Carpenter directed it from a screenplay by Bill Lancaster.

Kurt Russell played Macready. Wilford Brimley, billed as A. Wilford Brimley, played Dr. Blair. Keith David played Childs. Donald Moffat played Garry. Richard Masur played Clark. T.K. Carter played Nauls. David Clennon played Palmer. Richard Dysart played Dr. Copper. Charles Hallahan played Vance Norris. An uncredited Adrienne Barbeau lent her voice to the “Computer”.