THE BOOK OF THE BOOKS OF THE FILM…IS BACK!
From Children of the Damned to Liquid Sky: The Novel, LIGHT INTO INK is the first detailed critical survey of the film novelization, or movie tie-in. Taking 50 examples of the form—including titles as diverse as Forbidden Planet, Taxi Driver, Performance and Mad Max—LIGHT INTO INK examines each book in depth, evaluating their success both as cross-media adaptations and as ‘Alternative Histories’: prose reinventions of the film narrative, which reshape their source in sometimes startling new ways.
Fully revised and updated, this new edition includes a wealth of fresh detail: an expanded history of the form, more data on authors and publishers and a comprehensive index. With close analysis of exclusive content, screenplay comparisons and excerpts from the novels themselves—including some translated into English for the very first time—LIGHT INTO INK is lavishly illustrated with jacket art, film posters and more. Exhaustive and informative, LIGHT INTO INK is an indispensable addition to any film-lover’s bookshelf.
LIGHT INTO INK is available in two alternative presentations: a DELUXE EDITION with full-colour interior (white cover, below left; £62.00), and a MIDNIGHT EDITION with monochrome interior (black cover, right; £20.00):
Both can be purchased from Amazon. Simply click the links below:
Buy from Amazon UK: Deluxe Edition | Midnight Edition
Buy from Amazon US: Deluxe Edition | Midnight Edition
Hardcover | 530 pages | 8.25″ x 11″ (20.96 x 27.94 cm)
Sample images of the interior layouts (Deluxe Edition) can be accessed here.
PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION (2019):
“Packed with information and critical insight…Light into Ink will undoubtedly appeal to a wide range of readers. Enjoyable and informative in equal measure, this is a book I can recommend without hesitation.” –Dr. Deborah Allison, SENSES OF CINEMA
“S.M. Guariento has broken ground on a fresh topic and done it justice… Light into Ink qualifies as an art book as well… I know a couple of collectors that would consider this volume something of a Bible on the subject.” –Glenn Erickson, CINE SAVANT
“Excellent… The book’s subtitle ‘50 Film Novelizations’ can perhaps be easily misinterpreted and arguably underrates this book’s mammoth amount of content. […] This book is practically a dream.” –Darren Allison, CINEMA RETRO
“If you’re a movie tie-in aficionado who’s looking for a nostalgia overload, this is it… Light into Ink will answer all your questions and more.” –Ian White, STARBURST
“[T]hose with any interest at all in novelizations will absolutely love it.” –Rick Pruitt, LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS
“[A] volume to treasure.” –Rod Lott, FLICK ATTACK
Titles included in this survey:
1: Of Changelings, Antichrists and Devils (Incarnate) – Children of the Damned by A.V. Sellwood (1964)/Bedazzled by Michael J. Bird (1968)/The Omen by David Seltzer (1976)/Holocaust 2000 by Michael J. Robson (1978).
2: Better Than the Film – Moon Zero Two by John Burke (1969)/The Incredible Melting Man by Phil Smith (1978)/Capricorn One by Bernard L. Ross (1978).
3: This is the End – Part 1: Armageddon GB – The Day the Earth Caught Fire by Barry Wells (1961)/Survivors by Terry Nation (1976). Part 2: Armageddon USA – Conquest of the Planet of the Apes by John Jakes (1974)/Dawn of the Dead by George A. Romero & Susanna Sparrow (1978). Part 3: Armageddon Down Under – The Last Wave by Petru Popescu (1978)/Mad Max by Terry Hayes (1979)/Mad Max 2 by Carl Ruhen (1981)/Mad Max 2 by Philippe Manoeuvre (1983).
4: Scritti Spaghetti: Italian Genre Cinema – Part 1: The Man With No Name – A Fistful of Dollars by Frank Chandler (1972)/For a Few Dollars More by Joe Millard (1967)/The Good, the Bad & the Ugly by Joe Millard (1967). Part 2: Two Films by Elio Petri – The 10th Victim by Robert Sheckley (1965)/A Quiet Place in the Country (1969). Part 3: Thrilling all’italiana – The Laughing Woman by Hadrian Keene (1970)/The Cat O’Nine Tails by Paul J. Gillette (1971)/Il gatto a nove code by Nanni Balestrini (1975)/The Case of the Bloody Iris by Michael Hudson (2015)/Suspiria by Nicola Lombardi (1997).
5: Cult Filmmakers 1 – John Carpenter – Dark Star by Alan Dean Foster (1974)/Eyes of Laura Mars by H.B. Gilmour (1978)/Halloween by Curtis Richards (1979)/Halloween II by Jack Martin (1981)/Halloween III – Season of the Witch by Jack Martin (1982)/The Fog by Dennis Etchison (1980)/Escape from New York by Mike McQuay (1981)/The Thing by Alan Dean Foster (1982).
6: Cult Filmmakers 2 – David Cronenberg – Rabid by Richard Lewis (1977)/The Brood by Richard Starks (1979)/Scanners by Leon Whiteson (1980)/Scanners II – The New Order by Professor Janus Kimball (1991)/Videodrome by Jack Martin (1983)/eXistenZ by John Luther Novak (1999).
7: Dangerous Visions – X by Eunice Sudak (1963)/Performance by William Hughes (1970)/Zardoz by John Boorman & Bill Stair (1974)/Phase IV by Barry N. Malzberg (1973)/Sorcerer by John Minahan (1977)/Harlequin by Keith Hetherington (1980)/Long Weekend by Bret McBean (2023).
8: Ne plus ultra; or, That’s How It’s Done – Forbidden Planet by W.J. Stuart (1956)/Monte Carlo or Bust by E.W. Hildick (1969)/Taxi Driver by Richard Elman (1976)/Quatermass by Nigel Kneale (1979)/Liquid Sky: The Novel by Anne Carlisle (1987).