RAIDERS OF LOST ARK [Mass Market Paperback]

Campbell Black (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 1981

Indiana Jones, archeology professor and swashbuckling adventurer, has unearthed many an ancient treasure. But now the very future of the world depends on his finding one special relic.

With a bullwhip in his hand and a beautiful lady at his side, Jones journeys from Nepal and Cairo to the Mediterranean, dodging poisons, traps and snakes, battling rivals old and new, all in pursuit of an ancient artifact said to give invincible power to its possessor.

It's a battle to a startling finish, a finish dictated by the magic, the light -- and the power -- of the Lost Ark.

--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Indiana Jones, archeology professor and swashbuckling adventurer, has unearthed many an ancient treasure. But now the very future of the world depends on his finding one special relic.

With a bullwhip in his hand and a beautiful lady at his side, Jones journeys from Nepal and Cairo to the Mediterranean, dodging poisons, traps and snakes, battling rivals old and new, all in pursuit of an ancient artifact said to give invincible power to its possessor.

It's a battle to a startling finish, a finish dictated by the magic, the light -- and the power -- of the Lost Ark. --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (June 12, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034529548X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345295484
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,326,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Far better than it has to be, February 22, 2004

By 

"torifan2004" (new Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Mass Market Paperback)

I expect film novelizations to be dull and badly written, following the movie line for line and not adding anything new. The novelization for "Raiders of the Lost Ark" by Campbell Black is interesting and memorable. He adds a lot that is not in the movie, and it gives all the characters, especially Marion Ravenwood and Deitrich, a lot more depth. Campbell Black is an amazingly talented and restrained writer. His style is almost Hemingway-esque. Most impressive. It's definetly a worthy read if you're fan of the movie.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I was brought up on the movie...., June 3, 2003

By 

teddymills "teddymills" (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raiders of Lost Ark (Mass Market Paperback)

To me Indiana Jones is Harrison Ford, brown leather, and fedora.
When reading the book, i kept replaying the movie in my head of that scene.

Nevertheless, reading this book, I do recommend. It'll fill in gaps that the movie missed, and like all books will paint a much bigger picture that does a movie.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dusty relic, February 18, 2003

By 

Jon Hancock (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RAIDERS OF LOST ARK (Mass Market Paperback)

I can accept a film novelisation which differs, sometimes radically, from the motion picture, but the adaptation of "Raiders" changes one rather important element: excitement. The first Indiana Jones film is a roaring B-movie, packed with adventure and thrills, albeit at the expense of any real depth (which is unsurprising when you consider the source material). This book is a shallow plodder, crippled by the author's remarkable inability to describe an action scene. Considering that there is little else in the plot that's a major handicap. Descriptions are confusing, unimaginative and fleetingly terse, while the attempts to flesh out motivations and characters are sporadic and seem incomplete. Several of the best moments in the film are missing here, which may disappoint fans, but to my mind the fault with this book is not that it fails to either represent or add to the movie, but that it's a scrappy bit of hack work in its own right. Not the best of the three movie novelisations, by a long chalk.