Merian C. Cooper's King Kong: A Novel [Paperback]

Joe Devito (Author), Brad Strickland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2005

Since its release in 1933, Merian C. Cooper's film King Kong has shocked and delighted generations of movie fans, setting the standard against which all such movies have been judged ever since. In December, 2005, Peter Jackson - whose films of the Lord of the Rings won critical acclaim and set box office records around the world - will release his version of this classic film, bringing King Kong back to the forefront of the popular imagination.
Fully authorized by the estate of Merian C. Cooper, Joe DeVito and Brad Strickland's novel is a full rewrite of the original 1932 novel, bringing Cooper's original vision of King Kong back to readers and fans alike. Set in the early 1930's, it is a classic story of exploration and adventure, at the center of which is the "eighth wonder of the world" himself - Kong.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

DeVito and Strickland (Kong: King of Skull Island) deliver a fast-paced rewrite of Cooper's landmark 1932 adventure novel. Filmmaker Carl Denham is desperate for a starlet for his new project, but it's hard to locate a dame willing to board a ship bound for a secret destination with a cargo full of gas bombs. But find Ann Darrow he does, and the ship sails for the West Indies. The journey and arrival chapters are pretty boilerplate (Ann and first mate Jack Driscoll start falling for each other; the West Indian natives of Skull Island are stereotypically savage). But DeVito and Strickland do a bang-up job after the natives kidnap Ann from the ship and Denham and Driscoll must enter the island jungle and fight off deadly dinosaurs in search of Kong and the damsel in distress. The familiar scenes after Denham captures Kong and bring him back to Manhattan are thankfully succinct, and overall the authors do a fine job of respecting Cooper's pre-WWII idioms while picking up the pace for a contemporary audience. The result is a book that seems genuine and uncontrived, even as it's timed to coincide with another cinematic remake (Peter Jackson's movie hits theaters in December) of the King Kong story. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up -King Kong (St. Martin's Press, 2005) is a giant gorilla who needs no introduction. Joe DeVito and Brad Strickland have used the 1932 novelization of Merian C. Cooper's classic movie to create an authentic Depression-era story. The adventure begins with filmmaker Carl Denham desperately seeking an actress for his new project. He meets plucky, but broke, Ann Darrow who signs on for a mysterious journey to an uncharted island. Even ship's Captain Englehorn and First Mate Jack Driscoll are in the dark about their final destination when they ship out with a hold full of gas bombs and a huge steel cage. Things heat up when Denham finally steers everyone into the middle of a ceremony where a young woman is about to be sacrificed to an unseen creature behind a high stockade fence. Interrupting the proceedings, the interlopers retreat when the witch doctor spots Ann's blonde hair. That night the natives kidnap Ann, and First Mate Driscoll leads a party to find the woman he's grown to love. The search of the skull-shaped island brings the crew face-to-face with King Kong who now has Ann in his grip. Though the giant beast is willing to fight for his fair-haired prize, he is also gentle with her. Rescuing Ann isn't enough for Denham who brings King Kong back to New York. There the story closes with the gorilla's demise on the Empire State Building. The largely male cast delivers solid performances with narrator and leads all well chosen. Well-placed sound effects add just the right touch. With the 2005 release of the latest King Kong movie, this recording will be a popular addition for school and public library collections.-Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 203 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (September 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312349157
• ISBN-13: 978-0312349158
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,738,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous novelization of the 1933 classic movie, September 28, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Merian C. Cooper's King Kong: A Novel (Paperback)

This is a fabulous novelization of the 1933 classic movie that most people know retells the story Beauty and the Beast except in this case as one of prime characters filmmaker Carl Denhan says at the end "Beauty killed the beast". The exhilarating story line adheres to the plot of the film yet embellishes it with a deeper look at the events that occur in the movie starting with Carl's last second finding of "Beauty" in 1932 Manhattan, the voyage to Skull Island, meeting and capturing Kong, and the climax on the Empire State Building. A short forward on the filmmaker Merrian C. Cooper adds depth to a delightful rendition that fans of the mighty Kong will want to read as this reviewer did with euphoric enjoyment.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KONG RULES!, June 15, 2006

By 

Bennet Pomerantz "Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD" (College Park, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Merian C. Cooper's King Kong (Audio CD)

King Kong (6.75 hrs, six CDs, audio theater, Full Cast Audio) is done in a radio style, multi-cast production. It harkens back to the golden age of radio in its style and scope, which is one of its great points to enjoy this piece.

Director Bruce Coville brings a sorta classic noir of excitement and thrills that you would feel with the original film or an old Lux Radio Theater presenation.

You can feel the heat of the jungle coming through the
microphone. You hear Kong's breath and you buy it all with the
theater of the mind. The unique audio experience gives you more
than a feel for the film than any CGA effects on the movie
screen.

Multi cast audio is a special taste like old radio is, so it may not be suitable for all needs-However IT WORKS FOR ME!


A personal note to full cast audio staff, when are you doing a multi casted version of the horror classics of Shelly's Frankenstein or Stoker's Dracula? . . . If it is as good as Kong,you will have another winner on your hands.

Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't live up to my expectations, September 29, 2006

By 

P. Carrubba - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Merian C. Cooper's King Kong: A Novel (Paperback)

I bought this item "blind," meaning I couldn't inspect it to see if it was what I was expecting.

First, a little background:
DeVito and Strickland put out a large hardcover illustrated book called KONG, KING OF SKULL ISLAND. It was a prequel and sequel to the original KING KONG novel. Naturally, I wanted to have the original novel so the two could be a "set," so my expectations of this book were as follows:

A hardcover book that was the same size as KONG, KING OF SKULL ISLAND, and lushly illustrated with new art by DeVito. I also expected it to have the original 1932 text by Delos W. Lovelace.

Those were my expectations, now here's what it actually is:

The book is only available in paperback and is about 3/4 of the size of KING OF SKULL ISLAND. The illustrations are sparse, most of which are partial-page black and white pencil sketches. That's not the worst part. The illustrations in this book are LEFTOVERS not used in KONG, KING OF SKULL ISLAND. The nicely done cover of Kong on the Empire State Building is not used in the interior at all, and key scenes begging for a picture in an "illustrated edition" don't have one.

Oh, and the original Lovelace text? Not here. Oh, some of it is here, but Strickland had to rewrite the story so this could be a joint follow-up to KKOSI, but it looks and feels like a rush job.

So don't buy this book thinking it is either the original 1932 novelization, or a worthy companion to KONG, KING OF SKULL ISLAND, because it is neither.