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bahamutz's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I probably would rate this higher if it was an original novel and not adapted from the pilot. As it’s a 10/10 pilot tv episode. Gough and Millar wrote a fantastic adaptation. Still interesting to read a bit more into the pilot through this book though.
fandom4ever's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Man I haven’t read either Smallville book series in many years. In all honesty, I was a bit worried to go back, to possibly find out that they weren’t the same, that they were written for a younger audience that was no longer me. But I needn’t have worried!
Smallville: Arrival is a re-telling of the pilot episode in book form. You won’t really get anything new from this book except a bit more of inside the characters’ heads, particularly Clark as he realizes he’s more than just some ‘weird kid with powers’. This also must be a slightly earlier script than what was created on screen because there are a few moments near the end that were actually put into the next episode, which leads into the fact that technically Smallville’s first and second episodes are one long episode. Also, apparently at one point Whitney was going to have the last name of ‘Ellsworth’ rather than ‘Fordman’. Not sure why they changed it but interesting nonetheless.
It was great to read this book again and watch the whole episode play out in my head as though I was actually watching the episode. If you’re a fan of Smallville, this is worth picking up.
Smallville: Arrival is a re-telling of the pilot episode in book form. You won’t really get anything new from this book except a bit more of inside the characters’ heads, particularly Clark as he realizes he’s more than just some ‘weird kid with powers’. This also must be a slightly earlier script than what was created on screen because there are a few moments near the end that were actually put into the next episode, which leads into the fact that technically Smallville’s first and second episodes are one long episode. Also, apparently at one point Whitney was going to have the last name of ‘Ellsworth’ rather than ‘Fordman’. Not sure why they changed it but interesting nonetheless.
It was great to read this book again and watch the whole episode play out in my head as though I was actually watching the episode. If you’re a fan of Smallville, this is worth picking up.
paperbackstash's review
3.0
There are two smallville-related series that made it to Book form. One was young adult, around a Junior High school age group; the other was also young adult, but for an older teen audience. This is the first book in the earlier YA series, which dished out ten books total.
I'm a major Superman geek and was a Smallville fan - got my dad into the show when it was on it's fourth season run in TV, and ever since then it was also one of his favorite shows. He has the habit of watching the same re-reruns of a show to a ridiculous degree. Since we owned the DVDs, once he'd watch the seasons we owned, he'd turn around and repeat the process all over again. Agh, something I can't do, but let's just say I got to know the show - especially it's superior earlier seasons - pretty well.
Anyway, in reading this book I see it's just a recap of the first episode. I immediately recognize differences, alterations, and additions. There is one questionable thing I'm not sure on, about the necklace on the last page, but I'd have to double check.
Enjoyment wise, it's just okay. Clearly I already know this story, and it was told straight forward and simple. You can write for the young with a talented hand, but it was a bare bones effort in this case. Shame, that, for more could have been done, but I guess it served it's basic purpose here.
While not greatly written, I enjoyed it since I'm a Smallville geek. I read a book, City, in the older series, which I think I'll enjoy more overall - but want to read both series for completion's (dork) sake.
Weird things I noticed:
I know you can be 14 or 15 as a freshman, but I thought the show started with him at 14. The book says 15.
In the cemetary, when Lana goes to talk to her dead parents, and does a fake conversation with Clark (weird sounding, I know), in the TV show she tells him, "Mom wants to know if you're upset about a girl?" When he says no, she then says, "Dad wants to know if it's about a guy." Yes, hardy-har. In the book, however, they omitted the guy part and say instead, "Dad wants to know if it's about school." So, hm. Changed to avoid gay humor? I really don't know, doesn't make sense or seem offensive to leave it in there, but I guess they over-sanitized.
They shortened the scene with Lex at the mansion, but that was probably for length purposes and no hidden meaning, although who knows.
Overall 3 stars - only for fans of the show who want to continue to 'fan out.'
birdmanseven's review
3.0
This was a pretty faithful retelling of the pilot, but I much prefer the original stories in this series.
I had a chance to interview Smallville author Jeff Gottesfeld for the All the Books Show. Find it here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/off-the-books-author-interview-with-jeff-gottesfeld
I had a chance to interview Smallville author Jeff Gottesfeld for the All the Books Show. Find it here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/off-the-books-author-interview-with-jeff-gottesfeld
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