Ladyhawke (novel)

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Ladyhawke is a novel by Joan D. Vinge published in 1985.

Contents

Release

Ladyhawke is a novelization of the film Ladyhawke . [1] The novel was published by Signet as a paperback featuring sixteen pages of photos from the film. [2]

Vinge wanted to do the Ladyhawke novelization despite the publisher underbidding on the rights because she had "read the screenplay and it looked like a lot of fun. I told my agent to call around and tell people that I was interested. A different publisher bought it, and their science fiction editor recommended me, so indirectly I got to do it after all. That was one of my favorites; I enjoyed writing that." [3] It took her four to six weeks to write the novelization, and much of the dialog and some of the story was changed from the screenplay into the film. [3]

Plot summary

Ladyhawke is a novel in which the Bishop of Aquila is scorned by Lady Isabeau, who is in love with Etienne Navarre, the captain of the Guard. [2] The Bishop makes places a curse on Isabeau and Etienne in which Isabeau turns into a hawk by day and returns to human form at sunset while, Etienne turns a wolfe at sunset and a man at dawn. [2] The young lovers trust the young thief Phillipe to end the spell. [2] Phillippe gets caught up in the schemes of the Bishop as he tries to help the lovers. [4]

Reception

Stephanie Nettell for The Times Literary Supplement said that "There is an attractive sparkle to Vinge's formula tale, and the fierce action and noble romance between them give an enjoyably high tension to her story of loyalty, courage and magic." [5]

John C. Bunnell for the Statesman Journal said that "Phillipe is a remarkable combination of horror and rogueishness whose constant doubts add life and suspense to the adventure. Those who have already picked up the novelization should now be waiting to see if the film lives up to its promise." [6]

Dave Langford reviewed Ladyhawke for White Dwarf #65, and stated that "Have fun spotting the obligatory film cliches - as when someone's running, hotly pursued, down an empty road; stumbles and falls; finds himself staring at mere inches' range at the boots (here hooves) of a previously unnoticed stranger. . . But Vinge's clear, witty writing makes up for much." [1]

John C. Bunnell reviewed Ladyhawke in Dragon Magazine (September 1985) and said that "Until very recently, novelizations of science-fiction and fantasy films weren't worthy of serious critical attention — largely because the films on which they were based were somewhat thinly conceived. But matters have steadily improved lately, and Joan Vinge's translation of Ladyhawke into book form proves once and for all that the task is worth doing." [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 Langford, Dave (May 1985). "Critical Mass". White Dwarf . No. 65. Games Workshop. p. 10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 de Villier, Gladys L (1985-04-17). "Delacorte menu includes murder, wild weekend diets and a Beatle" (pages 1 and 2). Teche News. Archived from the original (pages 1 and 2) on 2025-01-08. Retrieved 2025-01-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 Larson, Randall D. (1995). Films into Books: An Analytical Bibliography of Film Novelizations, Movie and TV Tie-Ins. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press. p. 222. ISBN   0-8108-2928-2 . Retrieved 2025-01-08– via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Kies, Cosette (1987). Supernatural Fiction for Teens: 500 Good Paperbacks to Read for Wonderment, Fear, and Fun. Littleton, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited. p. 77. ISBN   0-87287-602-0 . Retrieved 2025-01-08– via Internet Archive.
  5. ↑ Nettell, Stephanie (1985-03-29). "Paperbacks in brief". The Times Literary Supplement . p. 354. Retrieved 2025-01-08– via Internet Archive.
  6. ↑ Bunnell, John C. (1985-04-07). "Meticulous fantasy falls short". Statesman Journal . Archived from the original on 2025-01-08. Retrieved 2025-01-08– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Bunnell, John C. (1985-09-26). "The role of books: Fantasy and SF stories for gamers to savor". Dragon . No. 101. p. 26. Retrieved 2025-01-08– via Internet Archive.

Further reading

This entry notes:

(Kies:77; Kliatt 19[Fall 1985]:27; TLS 1985 p. 345; VOYA 8:195)

NAL, 1985, pap., 252 pp., o.p.

This indicates that there were reviews in Kliatt , The Times Literary Supplement , and Voice of Youth Advocates as well as in "Kies, Cosette. Supernatural Fiction for Teens". [1]

  1. ↑ Lynn, Ruth Nadelman (1989). Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliography (3 ed.). New York: R. R. Bowker. p. 365. ISBN   0-8352-2347-7 . Retrieved 2025-01-08– via Internet Archive.
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