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Independence Day #2
Independence Day
The earth faces attacks from a giant alien spaceship, one quarter the size of the moon, that destroys the world's cities one by one
215 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
April 4, 2019
Novelizations have a bad reputation, only partially deserved. At the best, they can recontextualize a familiar work, adding additional material or character motivation lacking in the parent film.
Independence Day does none of these things. Far from adding enjoyment, it actually made me like the movie less, if anything.
The listed authors are the screenwriters, and they even followed Writers Guild convention by listing the team who wrote together, Devlin and Emmerich, with an ampersand, while Stephen Molstad, who actually put pen to paper to make it into a novel, is tacked onto the end with an “and”. (He also did a number of other ID4 themed novels, and novelizations for Godzilla and The Patriot.)
Every tired movie trope is on display, stripped clean of the spectacle and joy of the film, and rendered in bare and lifeless prose. Will Smith’s character is described as a “ladies man”. His girlfriend has “mocha-colored skin”. Jeff Goldblum’s character, flying in space for the first time, nearly “woof[s] his cookies.” These and countless other examples take already-unbelievable material and expose it as laughable.
I gave the book two stars because, I became convinced, Molstad did the best he could with the leeway he was allowed. Sure, it’s basically the movie script with a bit of internal monologue thrown in. I’m guessing he would have loved to add more, and in fact you can kind of see a few places where his imagination strains at the constraints. Possibly the other tie-in fiction gives him freer reign, but I’m unlikely to find out any time soon.
I began this book hoping for a quick trip into nostalgia, the summer blockbuster of my youth and a personal favorite. What I found is the realization that I’ve moved on, but this story is fixed firmly in the past.
Independence Day does none of these things. Far from adding enjoyment, it actually made me like the movie less, if anything.
The listed authors are the screenwriters, and they even followed Writers Guild convention by listing the team who wrote together, Devlin and Emmerich, with an ampersand, while Stephen Molstad, who actually put pen to paper to make it into a novel, is tacked onto the end with an “and”. (He also did a number of other ID4 themed novels, and novelizations for Godzilla and The Patriot.)
Every tired movie trope is on display, stripped clean of the spectacle and joy of the film, and rendered in bare and lifeless prose. Will Smith’s character is described as a “ladies man”. His girlfriend has “mocha-colored skin”. Jeff Goldblum’s character, flying in space for the first time, nearly “woof[s] his cookies.” These and countless other examples take already-unbelievable material and expose it as laughable.
I gave the book two stars because, I became convinced, Molstad did the best he could with the leeway he was allowed. Sure, it’s basically the movie script with a bit of internal monologue thrown in. I’m guessing he would have loved to add more, and in fact you can kind of see a few places where his imagination strains at the constraints. Possibly the other tie-in fiction gives him freer reign, but I’m unlikely to find out any time soon.
I began this book hoping for a quick trip into nostalgia, the summer blockbuster of my youth and a personal favorite. What I found is the realization that I’ve moved on, but this story is fixed firmly in the past.
January 23, 2015
Rating: 3.5
Review to come.
I really want to watch the movie now.
Review to come.
I really want to watch the movie now.
August 23, 2020
I’ve seen the movie Independence Day multiple times, so I thought why not check out the novelization. I’m not big into novelizations, but I thought I’d try and give this one a shot. It was fun and I actually didn’t hate it, although the dialogue wasn’t great. I’ve honestly read worse books. I gave it two stars because I’d rather just watch the movie.
March 12, 2017
If you saw the movie, the book does not add very much. It's not a bad book at all, just very drawn out at times and if I had not seen the movie a million times I may have enjoyed this book a lot more. The little details that it did add that were not mentioned in the movie was appreciated however. 2.5/5
March 28, 2013
The movie was fun , the book is great. the book is the novelisation of the movie but goes deeper into the story lines and takes more time on the characters and the feelings they have.
if you love the movie the boiok would be a great addition to your collection.
if you love the movie the boiok would be a great addition to your collection.
December 14, 2010
I read it one afternoon when I was in high-school.
November 10, 2021
MAREA LINIŞTII era un ţinut de o neclintire stranie, un mormânt tăcut, în aer liber, făcut din cenuşă şi pietre. Două şiruri de urme de paşi se desenau pe solul prăfos şi cenuşiu din jurul terenului de aterizare, fiecare la fel de clară ca în ziua în care fusese lăsată. La orizont, o felie curbă a Pământului strălucitor se înălţa spre cer, albastrul viu al oceanelor contrastând puternic cu valea lipsită de culoare. În solul lunar stăteau înfipte tijele cu senzori ale unui seismograf, o cutie pătrată capabilă să detecteze prăbuşirea unui meteorit de dimensiunile unui măr la o distanţă de optzeci de kilometri, iar în capătul cel mai îndepărtat al taberei, un drapel american flutura mândru în briza inexistentă. Întreaga aşezare era plină de rămăşiţe: aparatură ştiinţifică şi cutiile de carton în care fusese adusă, pungi de plastic neutilizate, dintre cele în care se iau probe de sol, şi vreo câteva mici obiecte comemorative. Acest echipament, răspândit neglijent pe toată suprafaţa de dimensiunile unui teren de base-ball, fusese adus de astronauţii de pe Apollo 11, primii doi oameni care puseseră piciorul pe Lună. La plecare, cei doi abandonaseră tot ce considerau neesenţial pentru călătoria înapoi spre casă. Armstrong şi Aldrin făcuseră un uriaş pas înainte în folosul omenirii, lăsând la plecarea de pe Lună o tonă de gunoi.
Urmele de paşi vechi de decenii înaintau cale de cincisprezece paşi spre linia orizontului, răspândindu-se în toate direcţiile şi revenind apoi în centrul taberei. Văzute de sus, desenau pe nisip conturul unei margarete gigantice şi monstruoase. În inima acestei flori se găsea sclipitoarea Platformă de Aselenizare, o construcţie din ţevi şi folie de aur înaltă de vreun metru douăzeci, aducând cu o spirală din cele pe care se caţără copiii, amplasată într-o tabără abandonată la repezeală. Părăsit în inima unei mări de tăcere, locul avea aspectul sinistru al unui picnic terminat de multă vreme într-un mod cumplit şi neaşteptat, ca şi cum participanţii n-ar mai fi avut răgazul să-şi adune lucrurile, ci numai timpul de-a fugi în căutarea unui adăpost. Nimic, nici măcar un singur grăunte de nisip nu se clintise din loc în toţi aceşti ani trecuţi de la plecarea pământenilor.
Dar ceva începea să se schimbe. Treptat, un vârtej abia simţit porni să înghită rămăşiţele taberei. Timp de mai multe ore cu nimic mai perceptibil decât zbaterea aripilor unei molii la o depărtare de o mie de paşi, tremurul crescu continuu şi inexorabil, devenind o vibraţie. Acele electrice ale seismografului se treziră la viaţă. Senzorii aparatului zvâcniră din loc, începând să lanseze strigăte de alarmă către oamenii de ştiinţă de pe Pământ. Diferenţele mari de temperatură de pe Lună scoseseră din funcţiune emiţătorul radio încă din primele zile după instalarea sa. Ca un paznic de noapte cu limba retezată, micul dispozitiv luptă ceasuri în şir să dea alarma, pe măsură ce vuietul se intensifică. Un singur grăunte de nisip se rostogoli de pe muchia uneia dintre urmele de paşi, apoi încă unul şi încă unul. Vibraţia se preschimbă într-un huruit venit din adâncuri, iar sârma rezistentă, cusută în tivul de jos al drapelului american, prinse să se mişte înainte şi înapoi. Urmele de paşi începură să se dezintegreze, devenind una cu nisipul tremurător din jur.
Apoi o umbră uriaşă se deplasă pe cer. Trecu exact pe deasupra, acoperind soarele şi cufundând întregul crater într-un întuneric nefiresc. Cutremurul de pe Lună deveni tot mai puternic, pe măsură ce obiectul se apropia. Orice ar fi fost, era mult prea mare ca să fi fost trimis de pe Pământ.
Urmele de paşi vechi de decenii înaintau cale de cincisprezece paşi spre linia orizontului, răspândindu-se în toate direcţiile şi revenind apoi în centrul taberei. Văzute de sus, desenau pe nisip conturul unei margarete gigantice şi monstruoase. În inima acestei flori se găsea sclipitoarea Platformă de Aselenizare, o construcţie din ţevi şi folie de aur înaltă de vreun metru douăzeci, aducând cu o spirală din cele pe care se caţără copiii, amplasată într-o tabără abandonată la repezeală. Părăsit în inima unei mări de tăcere, locul avea aspectul sinistru al unui picnic terminat de multă vreme într-un mod cumplit şi neaşteptat, ca şi cum participanţii n-ar mai fi avut răgazul să-şi adune lucrurile, ci numai timpul de-a fugi în căutarea unui adăpost. Nimic, nici măcar un singur grăunte de nisip nu se clintise din loc în toţi aceşti ani trecuţi de la plecarea pământenilor.
Dar ceva începea să se schimbe. Treptat, un vârtej abia simţit porni să înghită rămăşiţele taberei. Timp de mai multe ore cu nimic mai perceptibil decât zbaterea aripilor unei molii la o depărtare de o mie de paşi, tremurul crescu continuu şi inexorabil, devenind o vibraţie. Acele electrice ale seismografului se treziră la viaţă. Senzorii aparatului zvâcniră din loc, începând să lanseze strigăte de alarmă către oamenii de ştiinţă de pe Pământ. Diferenţele mari de temperatură de pe Lună scoseseră din funcţiune emiţătorul radio încă din primele zile după instalarea sa. Ca un paznic de noapte cu limba retezată, micul dispozitiv luptă ceasuri în şir să dea alarma, pe măsură ce vuietul se intensifică. Un singur grăunte de nisip se rostogoli de pe muchia uneia dintre urmele de paşi, apoi încă unul şi încă unul. Vibraţia se preschimbă într-un huruit venit din adâncuri, iar sârma rezistentă, cusută în tivul de jos al drapelului american, prinse să se mişte înainte şi înapoi. Urmele de paşi începură să se dezintegreze, devenind una cu nisipul tremurător din jur.
Apoi o umbră uriaşă se deplasă pe cer. Trecu exact pe deasupra, acoperind soarele şi cufundând întregul crater într-un întuneric nefiresc. Cutremurul de pe Lună deveni tot mai puternic, pe măsură ce obiectul se apropia. Orice ar fi fost, era mult prea mare ca să fi fost trimis de pe Pământ.
February 15, 2021
In der ersten Hälfte sorgt der Autor Stephen Molstad mit wortreichen Umschreibungen und Details zu den Figuren für Lebendigkeit und Atmosphäre, wodurch die Geschichte vielschichtiger wirkt als im Film. Jedoch verarmen diese Vorzüge in der zweiten Romanhälfte; Figuren und Handlung wirken nun eindimensionaler. Der Funke springt nicht mehr so richtig auf den Leser über. Irgendwie gelingt es dem Autor nicht mehr, der all zu simpel gestrickten Filmhandlung noch lesenswerte Facetten hinzuzufügen. Vielleicht ist das auch ein Anzeichen dafür, dass das Buch unter großem Zeitdruck geschrieben wurde. Wie auch immer. Am Ende konnte mich die Romanfassung nicht vollständig überzeugen.
February 13, 2022
I read this book to prepare for the attack on Area 51, and guys, I don’t think it’s worth it. Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum (Or rather, Captain Steve and David) kicked major alien trash defending the world and specifically Area 51 where their families were. The military personnel stationed there were also pretty hardcore, so maybe we should all stay in and read a book that day.
This is one of the few books I’ve read that is pretty spot on with the movie (which I haven’t seen for years, so I could be wrong). Like, I could hear the actors reading this to me.
This is one of the few books I’ve read that is pretty spot on with the movie (which I haven’t seen for years, so I could be wrong). Like, I could hear the actors reading this to me.
July 16, 2021
Loved the book as much as the movie, only a few minor differences as well which was nice to find out. It’s so disappointing to me when I read a book and then the movie is completely different or vice versa. I was so glad to find out this one hasn’t strayed much and still had most of the funny lines from the movie. Perfect read for the holiday!
May 12, 2024
A quick and easy book to read. Based on the film so it felt quite clunky - those bits you can imagine Will Smith saying/doing really don't translate well into fiction. Some of the action parts were well described but other parts had me rolling my eyes - HARD!
Enjoyed it enough that I'll try the rest of the trilogy as I bought it as a complete set.
Enjoyed it enough that I'll try the rest of the trilogy as I bought it as a complete set.
September 29, 2017
I read this book just for entertainment.. Was actually pretty good.. followed the movie pretty closely.. But were a few surprises and went more into depth on the aliens.. I enjoyed it.. Actually has a little sobering message at the end.. If you like sci fi, it is well worth your time..
February 14, 2022
I really liked this one! I appreciated all the great action and humor from the film, but also the extra character development, alien insight, science, and story details. The book was also nicely written, although the editors could have given it an additional glance.
November 28, 2024
Nunca he visto la película, así que no puedo hacer comparaciones. El libro es bastante malo, pero entretenido. Personajes que hablan exactamente igual (no importa el género ni la edad), excesivamente largo, inconsistente, etc. Buena idea, pero pésima ejecución.
March 28, 2020
A fun and quick read, if you have seen the movie you know what you're in for, if not give it a shot if you like action books.
April 2, 2024
I cannot believe I read that
April 6, 2024
Adds some useful backstory and is a nice reminder of a film I love, but I wouldn’t bother reading it again (or ever if you haven’t).
July 8, 2016
Freedom, how precious that is. As we celebrate July 4th, we ought to also remember the events this week about other countries - about the freedom to live, and how fleeting life is.
July 3rd 2016, Iraqi families breaking fast in the final days of Ramadan as they prepared to usher in Eid. So far, the death toll is 292 (edit, Jul 7) from a suicide truck bombing in the busy shopping district of Baghdad. Many were children. July 4th 2016, three coordinated bombings near a US consulate in Jeddah, a mosque in Qatif and a holy site in Medina, Saudi Arabia killed 4 guards and many, wounded. July 1st 2016, over 20 people dining at a cafe in the diplomatic enclave of Dhaka, Bangladesh were fatally attacked by militants. Many were international visitors - Japanese, Italian, Americans - there at the wrong place, wrong time. July 1st 2016, the British, French and other Commonwealth countries commemorate the 100th year of The Battle of the Somme where hundreds of thousands died. Many were fathers, sons, someone’s family. June 28th 2016, at least 44 Turkish and international travelers dead because of terrorist bombings in Ataturk Airport, Istanbul. Many said final goodbyes that day.
Today, many Americans celebrate their freedom and the nation’s Independence Day with the holiday fanfare of barbecues, parades, fireworks and outdoor entertainment. None of that for me, fortunately, with nothing planned but quiet time. And, eagerly, as I am sometimes wont to do on July 4th weekend, watch the re-run of Independence Day, the 90’s alien-annihilate-earth movie. I love Sci-Fi movies but none has captured my imagination more than this movie, I supposed, partly because of the impressionable age when I first watched it and partly because the “President’s” rousing message of freedom resonated with me.
Still resonates with me, especially in light of aforementioned events.
Excerpt from the script:
PRESIDENT:
Perhaps it's fate that today, July the Fourth,
we will once again fight for our freedom.
Not from tyranny, persecution or oppression.
But from annihilation.
We're fighting for our right to live, to exist.
From this day on, the fourth day of July
will no longer be remembered as an American holiday
but as the day that all of mankind declared
we will not go quietly into the night.
We will not vanish without a fight.
We will live on.
We will survive.
As it turns out, I actually own the book novelization of the movie. On a whim (and why not?), I breezed through the book and thought I’ll throw in a speedy review just to give credit where it’s due. Novel tie-ins with movies are notoriously horrible but this one was surprisingly decent. The book fleshes out the story with more details than the movie particularly around character nuances and scene settings. My recommendation would be TO NOT read the book on a standalone basis and to read it in succession to the movie. Overall verdict of the book? Good triumphs bad.
[Note: Co-writers/co-producers Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich also wrote the novelization for Stargate, a movie (and subsequent TV series) that I loved too.]
July 3rd 2016, Iraqi families breaking fast in the final days of Ramadan as they prepared to usher in Eid. So far, the death toll is 292 (edit, Jul 7) from a suicide truck bombing in the busy shopping district of Baghdad. Many were children. July 4th 2016, three coordinated bombings near a US consulate in Jeddah, a mosque in Qatif and a holy site in Medina, Saudi Arabia killed 4 guards and many, wounded. July 1st 2016, over 20 people dining at a cafe in the diplomatic enclave of Dhaka, Bangladesh were fatally attacked by militants. Many were international visitors - Japanese, Italian, Americans - there at the wrong place, wrong time. July 1st 2016, the British, French and other Commonwealth countries commemorate the 100th year of The Battle of the Somme where hundreds of thousands died. Many were fathers, sons, someone’s family. June 28th 2016, at least 44 Turkish and international travelers dead because of terrorist bombings in Ataturk Airport, Istanbul. Many said final goodbyes that day.
Today, many Americans celebrate their freedom and the nation’s Independence Day with the holiday fanfare of barbecues, parades, fireworks and outdoor entertainment. None of that for me, fortunately, with nothing planned but quiet time. And, eagerly, as I am sometimes wont to do on July 4th weekend, watch the re-run of Independence Day, the 90’s alien-annihilate-earth movie. I love Sci-Fi movies but none has captured my imagination more than this movie, I supposed, partly because of the impressionable age when I first watched it and partly because the “President’s” rousing message of freedom resonated with me.
Still resonates with me, especially in light of aforementioned events.
Excerpt from the script:
PRESIDENT:
Perhaps it's fate that today, July the Fourth,
we will once again fight for our freedom.
Not from tyranny, persecution or oppression.
But from annihilation.
We're fighting for our right to live, to exist.
From this day on, the fourth day of July
will no longer be remembered as an American holiday
but as the day that all of mankind declared
we will not go quietly into the night.
We will not vanish without a fight.
We will live on.
We will survive.
As it turns out, I actually own the book novelization of the movie. On a whim (and why not?), I breezed through the book and thought I’ll throw in a speedy review just to give credit where it’s due. Novel tie-ins with movies are notoriously horrible but this one was surprisingly decent. The book fleshes out the story with more details than the movie particularly around character nuances and scene settings. My recommendation would be TO NOT read the book on a standalone basis and to read it in succession to the movie. Overall verdict of the book? Good triumphs bad.
[Note: Co-writers/co-producers Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich also wrote the novelization for Stargate, a movie (and subsequent TV series) that I loved too.]
August 27, 2019
Read a Swedish translation. Good action and nice read.
February 16, 2010
This book was about aliens abducting earth. They weren't afraid of anything. They were smart and knew how to destroy the earth good enough, but we figured out their plan.
I can relate to David because we both love chess and can relate things to it. Funny enough, both our parents get mad if we win because they usually lose. We both have an open mind and cant stop thinking on what anybody doesn't know. I think that when i grow up ill be something like him, excluding the aliens abduction.
I gave this book 4 stars because it was a book that you can't put down. I just wish that there was more to it because I could easily predict the ending. I recommend this for anyone who hasn't seen the movie couse then you would just know the whole story.
I can relate to David because we both love chess and can relate things to it. Funny enough, both our parents get mad if we win because they usually lose. We both have an open mind and cant stop thinking on what anybody doesn't know. I think that when i grow up ill be something like him, excluding the aliens abduction.
I gave this book 4 stars because it was a book that you can't put down. I just wish that there was more to it because I could easily predict the ending. I recommend this for anyone who hasn't seen the movie couse then you would just know the whole story.
August 13, 2011
Independence Day is a science fiction story about an alien invasion of the earth happened on July 4, the same date as the Independence Day holiday in the United States. It is also based on the movie of the same title shown in 1996.
I have only watched the movie version when I was younger. But if I had a choice, I'd rather read the book first before watching the movie. The movie was good but the book is not that good. The book contains a lot of long narrations before the actual conversations which made it a little bit boring for me. Nevertheless, I still rated this book three out of five stars because I actually liked the story. It was exciting, slightly funny and it somehow makes you feel proud of your country.
I have only watched the movie version when I was younger. But if I had a choice, I'd rather read the book first before watching the movie. The movie was good but the book is not that good. The book contains a lot of long narrations before the actual conversations which made it a little bit boring for me. Nevertheless, I still rated this book three out of five stars because I actually liked the story. It was exciting, slightly funny and it somehow makes you feel proud of your country.
December 8, 2014
Very good. Really enjoyed the thoughts and feelings of many of the characters in the book. Most books based from films are from an initial screenplay. Most of the scenes that didn't appear in the movie I had seen in the Director's Cut and other deleted scenes. I prefer reading the scenes but in the end I prefer the Theatrical Cut. Thank Goodness they didn't include the alternate ending with Russell in the biplane, didn't work as great as him in that F-18. Love some of the hopeful dialogue at the end with the writer hammering how important it was that all the world as well as America was truly united. B.
September 13, 2007
Independence Day is a good read... Great Movie. Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's great plot, plus the outstanding, believable special effects of the film, made the movie an emotional, on the edge of your seat treat. Jeff Goldbloom, Will Smith and other stellar cast members were the hot fudge on top of this cinema sundae making this one of the best science fiction flics ever!
Also read Stephen Molstad's 1996 tie-in novel,
1998 Independence Day: Silent Zone and
1999 Independence Day: War in the Desert
Also read Stephen Molstad's 1996 tie-in novel,
1998 Independence Day: Silent Zone and
1999 Independence Day: War in the Desert
June 3, 2014
Not a bad movie tie-in. Some of the scenes (dialogue especially) were better executed (and more memorable) in the movie. Not surprising, since this is mainly an action movie. I did enjoy getting a bit of a deeper look into the characters. Also, as a Stargate fan I loved the nod to Daniel Jackson. All in all, definitely not the worst movie-tie in I've ever read, but not the best, either. Sort of middle of the road. A must for die-hard fans of the movie, though, I think, if only for curiosity's sake.
August 30, 2016
A fun little read.
The book is quite simplistic in the story and dialogue, and is EXTREMELY American (cockiness and swagger from every character and not just the pilots, the whole Independence Day concept, America being the centre of it all, etc).
But all in all, worth a read. The simplicity makes it an easy read, which in turn made it quite enjoyable.
Didn't blow my mind at any point, but I liked it.
The book is quite simplistic in the story and dialogue, and is EXTREMELY American (cockiness and swagger from every character and not just the pilots, the whole Independence Day concept, America being the centre of it all, etc).
But all in all, worth a read. The simplicity makes it an easy read, which in turn made it quite enjoyable.
Didn't blow my mind at any point, but I liked it.
July 18, 2009
Kubeli sebagai hadiah ulang tahun buatku sendiri. Kalau nggak salah terbitnya nggak lama setelah nonton filmnya, jadi bisa membayangkan tampang pemeran tokoh-tokohnya, kayak Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, dan Bill Pullman. Tentu saja, aku lebih suka nonton filmnya yang sudah rewatch berkali-kali sementara reread novel ini kayaknya malah nggak ingat...
October 28, 2010
Even though this was written after the fact. I found the book to be an enjoyable read and as I usually do, liked the book over the theatrical release. Although I might be a bit biased due to the author being my uncle. He nicely included my brother and I in the book as the doctors who get killed during the alien autopsy.
January 11, 2014
Han llegado los extraterrestres.Mientras algunos en la Tierra los reciben con los brazos abiertos, otros no se fían. Los peores temores se confirman cuando de forma simultánea destruyen las principales ciudades del planeta. Sólo un grupo de pilotos americanos (con el Presidente a la cabeza) luchará.
August 13, 2016
The novelization of the movie Independence Day. It's pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. This was obviously based on an earlier draft of the movie's script because it includes the crop duster version of Russel's suicide run at the end.
It's competently put together and adds more context to a few scenes from the movie, but unless this is your favorite series I'd say skip it.
It's competently put together and adds more context to a few scenes from the movie, but unless this is your favorite series I'd say skip it.
September 23, 2013
The movie word for word but instead of Will punching the alien in the head and saying "Welcome to Earth" he says "Now that's a close encounter" which is terrible.
But because the movie is awesome so is the book.
But because the movie is awesome so is the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews