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otherwyrld's review
3.0
I feel that people are often dismissive of authors who write TV novelizations, which would be a mistake as it must be hard work to produce a well-written original story in a universe that you didn't create, where you have to make your characters recognizable to their TV audiences, and have to avoid causing anything that is in conflict with the source material. Very often, this can lead to either safe stories that don't rock the boat but which are just a bit bland or boring, or exciting stories that take the characters on a journey that they couldn't have taken on the screen, but then paints the author into the corner marked "reset button".
The easiest type of such a novel to write is probably one that is set after the conclusion of the screen story, as you have a freer rein to branch out into new material. The downside is that there may be a later demand for sequels on the screen which wipes out everything that has been created on the page by going in a different direction, like in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. These stories still exist but legitimacy has been taken away from them.
More tricky is a story written during the life of the series. These have to read like they might be an untold story which may be impactful to the characters at the time but cannot be allowed to rock the boat as the series is still there on the screen, probably going off in a different direction.
The hardest story to write is the prequel, because it has to stay true to the characters without the scaffolding of the series to support them. This is where this book lies, in a story set immediately before the first episode of Fringe begins.
Peter Bishop is a scammer, always looking for the next big score and always one step away from serious trouble. When he himself is scammed by someone he trusted, he finds himself on the run with a beautiful scientist and a vial of a drug that could cure epilepsy - or become a lethal bioweapon. When terrorists try to use the drug to assassinate a presidential candidate, Peter has to risk everything to stop the weapon being deployed.
This is a well-written exciting story, and Peter comes across very well. The rest of his Fringe companions appear only in flashback (such as his father Walter) or are mentioned only briefly (such as Olivia). His only real time connection in the story is with William Bell, his father's old partner.
One of the things you need to remember is that Peter is not from "our" universe, but from a parallel world and that Walter Bishop stole that Peter to replace his own son from our universe that had recently died. The is a major part of the Fringe storyline, and the repercussions of this act can be seen in this book as there are people who later become an integral part of the story taking an interest in what Peter does.
A healthy person who takes the drug becomes hideously mutated and can slip from one dimension to another thanks to an ingredient in the drug that was made from Peter's own blood. Chasing the terrorists through a luxury New York hotel while presidential candidate Barack Obama is giving a speech gives Peter and his companion glimpses of the other world, one where the hotel in question is derelict and half torn down. This leads to some exciting sequences where Peter and one of the terrorists have fallen into the swimming pool, which keeps switching between dimensions, rapidly losing and then regaining its water. It is wonderfully written, as is a similar sequence where the stairs keep disappearing, but the glimpses that Peter has of this other world (one where the twin towers never fell) leads to a huge problem.
Basically, Peter is not supposed to know about the other world until much later, let alone before the series even starts. As the story heads towards its conclusion, you realise that the reset button has to be hit, and sure enough, Peter. It was inevitable but also a pity because it spoiled what was otherwise a strongly written and engaging story.
The easiest type of such a novel to write is probably one that is set after the conclusion of the screen story, as you have a freer rein to branch out into new material. The downside is that there may be a later demand for sequels on the screen which wipes out everything that has been created on the page by going in a different direction, like in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. These stories still exist but legitimacy has been taken away from them.
More tricky is a story written during the life of the series. These have to read like they might be an untold story which may be impactful to the characters at the time but cannot be allowed to rock the boat as the series is still there on the screen, probably going off in a different direction.
The hardest story to write is the prequel, because it has to stay true to the characters without the scaffolding of the series to support them. This is where this book lies, in a story set immediately before the first episode of Fringe begins.
Peter Bishop is a scammer, always looking for the next big score and always one step away from serious trouble. When he himself is scammed by someone he trusted, he finds himself on the run with a beautiful scientist and a vial of a drug that could cure epilepsy - or become a lethal bioweapon. When terrorists try to use the drug to assassinate a presidential candidate, Peter has to risk everything to stop the weapon being deployed.
This is a well-written exciting story, and Peter comes across very well. The rest of his Fringe companions appear only in flashback (such as his father Walter) or are mentioned only briefly (such as Olivia). His only real time connection in the story is with William Bell, his father's old partner.
One of the things you need to remember is that Peter is not from "our" universe, but from a parallel world and that Walter Bishop stole that Peter to replace his own son from our universe that had recently died. The is a major part of the Fringe storyline, and the repercussions of this act can be seen in this book as there are people who later become an integral part of the story taking an interest in what Peter does.
A healthy person who takes the drug becomes hideously mutated and can slip from one dimension to another thanks to an ingredient in the drug that was made from Peter's own blood. Chasing the terrorists through a luxury New York hotel while presidential candidate Barack Obama is giving a speech gives Peter and his companion glimpses of the other world, one where the hotel in question is derelict and half torn down. This leads to some exciting sequences where Peter and one of the terrorists have fallen into the swimming pool, which keeps switching between dimensions, rapidly losing and then regaining its water. It is wonderfully written, as is a similar sequence where the stairs keep disappearing, but the glimpses that Peter has of this other world (one where the twin towers never fell) leads to a huge problem.
Basically, Peter is not supposed to know about the other world until much later, let alone before the series even starts. As the story heads towards its conclusion, you realise that the reset button has to be hit, and sure enough, Peter
Spoiler
has his memories wiped at the end of the story.aaronlindsey's review
4.0
I love this series! The tv show is great and not to be missed, but reading the stories is much better to me!
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