Where I Thought Indy Got a Bit Boring

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark by Ryder Windham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I meant to buy the regular novelization and accidentally got the junior novelization. That's okay; I have a bookcase full of MG and YA novels and sometimes enjoy them as much as or more than mainstream novels. So I read it, somewhat hopefully, and it was fairly entertaining. But I didn't love it. 3 stars.

Honestly? It was acceptable, and the story is engaging enough that it's still fun, so 3 stars feels fair. (A surprising number of readers gave it 4s and 5s, so listen to whoever you trust.) But IMO, while condensing the action and making it mostly inoffensive for a younger audience (which I acknowledge is a difficult task), this exciting adventure story becomes very... plain. The mood tends toward cozy and playful rather than thrilling or menacing. There are a few scenes that still mostly work, where the tension is maintained, but much of the book is matter-of-fact. Because huge sections of action have to be summarized in narration, the reader is drawn farther and farther from the action until it doesn't feel very real. Much of the danger is erased, the exotic feels everyday, and the plot becomes strangely bland.

In general, I'm in favor of junior novelizations for younger readers and reluctant readers, and this version might work for many of them. But I feel like the changes made for readability unfortunately cut out a lot of the drama and tension.

Still pretty good, IMO. Just not awesome.

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