Customer Reviews

The Chronicles of Riddick

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had this book on pre-order and got it as soon as it was available. I saw the movie first and read the book afterwards. The same day I got the book I read the whole thing because I couldn't put it down. Because director David Twohy had to cut out about 50 minutes of the movie this book helped a lot in filling in the blanks. It goes into MUCH greater detail in the characters and the Necromonger religion and basically everything. I'm a nerd so I like to know all of the details and back history of things and if you're a nerd too you'll love this book!

I purchased "The Chronicles of Riddick" novel on Tuesday June 1st, started reading it Wednesday June 2nd, and couldn't put it down until I finished it the following day! This is an extremely engrosing storyline that just grabbed my attention from the first page to the last, and other than a few main characters, including Richard Riddick, has absolutelly nothing to do with the first movie, Pitch Black, other than to use is as mearly a means of introduction to these characters. But don't for one second think that this is a bad thing. It is as if the director looked back at Pitch Black and correctly realized that Riddick as a character had much more development and depth than that sci-fi/horror flick could ever have allowed him to flesh out, especially if they followed the first films formula.

The creativity used to develop this new narrative is like an infusion of Arthur C. Clark, Frank Herbert, and Philip K. Dick, with a little George Lucas mixed in for good measure. Some might take this as a pretentous writer/director's attempt at stealing ideas from science fiction literature and claiming them to be his own, but I believe that David Twohy's imagination has been positively FUELED by these great storytellers to concoct a truely gratifying and entertaining tale full of wonder, danger, and intensity! Not since the original Matrix have I felt this kind of kinetic energy from a story, and I haven't even seen the film yet!!!! I feel that "Riddick" has the potential to be a blockbuster! I only hope that the film does do well so that the film makers are able to continue the "Chronicles"! As far as this book is concerned, I would highly recommend any lover of science fiction novels to pick it up and give it a whirl. It may not be as dense and intricatelly interwoven as some of the classics of this genre, but it still seems to have the ability to command your attention and stimulate your imagination!

Highly Recommended!!

-Jeremy

I read this book because I wanted to know more about what was behind the characters and concepts in the film. What was beneath those awe-inspiring visuals?

In the case of the Necromongers there was a wealth of information provided. Their entire history from the first Lord Marshal was laid bare- how Covu the scientist-philosopher founded the order based on the teaching that there was more than One God. It is told how he was tortured to the point that he could no longer feel pain- so his persecutors turned their attentions on his family... His escape and flight is told- and how at last he came to the Threshold of the glorious place that he called the UnderVerse. Here he found the new, almost magical strength to spread his crusade across the galaxy. The single goal of which was to bestow the blessing of death to all that lived in the universe. When the last living being was harvested then the Necromongers themselves would be promoted from quasi-dead to full dead...

In the case of Riddick, there wasn't a great deal more to learn. This was primarily because Riddick did not know all that much about his own origins- or what manner of being he truly was. It was pointed out that when survival called then his higher philosophical functions shut down in favor of instinct and perfect technical/tactical responses. In this, Riddick was the perfect survivor. His philosophy was that life was a bitch, you looked out for yourself or you didn't, and the galaxy was a cold, cold place. And yet there was something more to the man. You saw this in his standing behind his friends. You saw this when he was faced with certain death and something deep within, that even Riddick was unaware of, lashed out to do the impossible.

I don't think that I am spoiling anything here to say that Riddick becomes king, or Lord Marshal, by his own hand. After this could there be another film? I mean what would be left for him to accomplish? I think the answer lies in his first command- to order the fleet to the Threshold. After all, who is more qualified to storm the Gates of Hell than Riddick?

The soul of Kyra- and all the rest- will be rescued.

Pitch Black is one of my favorite movies, and I've been waiting anxiously for THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK. When I picked up the novelization I didn't plan on reading it until I'd seen the movie. I hate spoilers (and will not add any here)! But I let myself read one page, then another -- and the next thing I knew I'd finished the thing. It didn't read like a typical novelization, but as an intelligent, multi-layered science fiction novel. All right, it lacked character depth, but that's something that really is the perogative of the actors and director of the movie to provide. After all, the book is the fleshing out of a script, and likely an early draft of the script. I highly recommend this book as a book, and not as just another movie-tie in purchase for Riddick fans.

Having seen the movie this book brought the memories to life.
Alan Dean Foster writes his own best selling sci fi space operas,
so David Twohy should be happy with this conversion of his script.
It is nice that they can't get any Riddick II or III out of this,
but there are two pre-Cronicles movies that are pretty good too:
one an animation.
At one point Kyra says: "I hate not being the bad guy."
That sort of sums up Riddick stories:
he hates not being the villain...
they have hunted him his whole life
and he has survived.

I suspect a reader's evaluation of The Chronicles of Riddick, the book, are influenced by one's "Riddick" experiences. Mine are, in chronological order, The Chronicles of Riddick (the movie), Pitch Black (the book), and The Chronicles of Riddick (the book). Next will be Pitch Black (the movie).

The Chronicles of Riddick (the book) answered some of my questions. Who the heck WAS Kyra, anyway. Ahhh... the kid in Pitch Black. What was the relationship between Imam and Riddick? Again, that's in Pitch Black. Why are the mercs all after Riddick? You guessed it... Pitch Black!

The Chronicles of Riddick (the book) was based on the screenplay, and I was anticipating a repeat of the movie, nothing more, yet I was pleased with the additional detail. The book ends wit a "Historians' Note on Pre-Necroism." Perhaps the neo-Riddick reign will be worthy of another book and movie.

I was hoping for some additional information on the species called Elementals. Remember this dialogue?

Dame Vaako: " You don't pray to our God. That is hardly a surprise. You pray to no God, I hear. That is not especially a surprise, either. My curiosity picking at me again, I suppose. What do you do instead? With what do you fill that void in human speculation?'

Aereon: "Elementals -- we calculate."

Dame Vaako: "... It is well-known that Elementals have their own agenda, their own design. Elementals don't believe in God because they hope to BE God" (p. 215-216).

Live long, and calculate!

I love Riddick and this book just takes you even further. It lets you dive a little bit more into the head of our favorite escaped convict! All Riddick fans must read!

Personally, I loved the films, even if the movie adaptation of this book was a little on the, if slightly, cheezy side. It was still a good film for what it was, and the characters are enough to make you want to watch it over and over.
What the book succeeds in however, is being infinately more brutal, more in depth, and more explanative of the characters you come to know. It is graphic in it's explanation, and if you can just picture Vin Diesels voice in your own head while reading, it's like an uncut version of the film. It's very much an enjoyable read, and if you love the universe of Riddick as I do, this is a must have next to the films and games, it will help add in those little pieces that were always missing from this film for you.

This is actually a very well written book. I'm not saying it wins any awards or anything like that.
I might be a little bias cuz I do like the Riddick charcter, though. I was hoping this book might shed more light on the history of Riddick or tell us something new. But, unlike other books, this book is based off the movie. Pretty much the movie written scene for scene into a book. A nice read all the same.

Managed to keep my husband's attention, which means it was pretty good! He said it went into much greater depth than the movie, and was much easier to understand.