What do you think?
Rate this book
RoboCop
Murphy was a good cop. He had the toughest beat in the toughest precinct in a tough city. He had a fine family, good friends, and a new partner. Then a bunch of lowlifes blew him away.
Only Murphy didn't completely die. He came back in a body of steel-big, invincible, and deadly... back to the streets where the bad guys ruled.
But no more. Behind the badge is a cop that can't be killed. A super cop out to find the punks who shot him.
And stop crime.
Dead.
Only Murphy didn't completely die. He came back in a body of steel-big, invincible, and deadly... back to the streets where the bad guys ruled.
But no more. Behind the badge is a cop that can't be killed. A super cop out to find the punks who shot him.
And stop crime.
Dead.
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
7 people are currently reading
317 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 15, 2021
Can you believe this book quotes Confucius, Henry David Thoreau, and Plato?! That's pretty deep for a book about a cyborg police officer who shoots up criminals in the future dystopian city of Detroit.
...And so, the greatness begins!
The novelization of RoboCop offers more than just a scene-for-scene retelling of the '80s cult classic. For instance, this book goes into more detail about Alex J. Murphy's last day as a non-robotic officer of the law, giving us some time with his wife and son. Neither of his family members featured very prominently in the movie, so it was uniquely humanizing to read officer Murphy's final interactions with them in this novelization. Also, the book does pretty well at helping the reader understand RoboCop's thought process throughout his ordeal. The movie was obviously more action-oriented and focused less on character development, so we were not treated to much of the inner workings of our protagonist's mind. Thankfully the book steps up in that department and depicts a much more sympathetic and relatable picture of RoboCop by letting us in on his deepest thoughts and emotions.
One of the highlights of this novelization was how RoboCop gradually processed information in a more human manner as the story progressed and less so like a robot, which perfectly encapsulates the essence of RoboCop's character arc and ultimately made him more dynamic than one would expect of an '80s action icon. His journey from man, to machine, then back to man was very well done. The key element of the book that makes it worth reading is how much more character-centric it is compared to the movie which was more about visual spectacle than masterful characterization.
I love the original RoboCop movie, so reading the novelization was an absolute joy for me in that it filled in some glaring holes that the movie wasn't capable of filling. If you were not a fan of the movie, you may actually find something in this novelization that will help you enjoy RoboCop a bit since much of it was different and new enough to be distinguished from the film. More than anything, if you love the classic action movie as much as I do, this novelization will be right up your alley, guaranteeing a unique experience that perfectly supplements a great movie. And no matter your preference for RoboCop, you will find that Ed Naha did a superb job at translating the film script into this novelization, proving that books based on movies can work just as well as any other piece of literature.
...And so, the greatness begins!
The novelization of RoboCop offers more than just a scene-for-scene retelling of the '80s cult classic. For instance, this book goes into more detail about Alex J. Murphy's last day as a non-robotic officer of the law, giving us some time with his wife and son. Neither of his family members featured very prominently in the movie, so it was uniquely humanizing to read officer Murphy's final interactions with them in this novelization. Also, the book does pretty well at helping the reader understand RoboCop's thought process throughout his ordeal. The movie was obviously more action-oriented and focused less on character development, so we were not treated to much of the inner workings of our protagonist's mind. Thankfully the book steps up in that department and depicts a much more sympathetic and relatable picture of RoboCop by letting us in on his deepest thoughts and emotions.
One of the highlights of this novelization was how RoboCop gradually processed information in a more human manner as the story progressed and less so like a robot, which perfectly encapsulates the essence of RoboCop's character arc and ultimately made him more dynamic than one would expect of an '80s action icon. His journey from man, to machine, then back to man was very well done. The key element of the book that makes it worth reading is how much more character-centric it is compared to the movie which was more about visual spectacle than masterful characterization.
I love the original RoboCop movie, so reading the novelization was an absolute joy for me in that it filled in some glaring holes that the movie wasn't capable of filling. If you were not a fan of the movie, you may actually find something in this novelization that will help you enjoy RoboCop a bit since much of it was different and new enough to be distinguished from the film. More than anything, if you love the classic action movie as much as I do, this novelization will be right up your alley, guaranteeing a unique experience that perfectly supplements a great movie. And no matter your preference for RoboCop, you will find that Ed Naha did a superb job at translating the film script into this novelization, proving that books based on movies can work just as well as any other piece of literature.
January 2, 2020
I love this book. It's one of a handful that got me into movie novelizations back in high school in the late 80s. I actually read this before seeing the movie because I didn't think the movie was anything I would care about, but a friend encouraged me to borrow his copy of the book and read it, so I gave it a shot. Read the whole thing in less than a day, and loved it! So I then went out and rented the movie, watched it every day for a week, and it's a been a favorite ever since!
April 21, 2014
Have you ever seen a movie that's so bad... it's good? RoboCop is an iconic shitty movie that defined 80s cinema. Apparently, its influence is enough to warrant a remake almost thirty years later.
The movie was awesome because it was crony as hell. A cyberpunk, dystopian, futuristic hardboiled cop drama, with giant robots, and a cyborg lawman--an instant classic!
But what about the book? We all know the movie kicks ass, but what about the goddamn book? IT WAS AWESOME! So much cheese, oh the cheesiness. I'm talking Cheese Whiz shooting out of the page and hitting me in the eye. Somehow, Ed Naha managed to write and capture the bad 80s acting and style in book format. The man is a cultural genius.
An Olympian voice thundered across the alley. "Let the woman go! You're under arrest!" Walking down the alley was the biggest cop the creep had ever seen, and his hands were as big as... his gun. Which was real big.
The hostage screamed as Robo's bullet angled into the back of her assailant's head, neatly blowing out his brains.
(DA NA NA NA NAAA! DA NA NA NA NAAA!)
Yes! You can literally hear the fucking theme song! By the way, I recommend reading this book while listening to the theme song, which can accessed on youtube.com.
The movie was awesome because it was crony as hell. A cyberpunk, dystopian, futuristic hardboiled cop drama, with giant robots, and a cyborg lawman--an instant classic!
But what about the book? We all know the movie kicks ass, but what about the goddamn book? IT WAS AWESOME! So much cheese, oh the cheesiness. I'm talking Cheese Whiz shooting out of the page and hitting me in the eye. Somehow, Ed Naha managed to write and capture the bad 80s acting and style in book format. The man is a cultural genius.
An Olympian voice thundered across the alley. "Let the woman go! You're under arrest!" Walking down the alley was the biggest cop the creep had ever seen, and his hands were as big as... his gun. Which was real big.
The hostage screamed as Robo's bullet angled into the back of her assailant's head, neatly blowing out his brains.
(DA NA NA NA NAAA! DA NA NA NA NAAA!)
Yes! You can literally hear the fucking theme song! By the way, I recommend reading this book while listening to the theme song, which can accessed on youtube.com.
Read
October 4, 2016I'm not sure how prevalent film novelizations are these days , but I was always fascinated by them when growing up in the 80s and 90s because of the differences between them and the films they are meant to describe. These differences are usually due to the fact that the author adapting the film must do so from an early draft of the screenplay, which can become dated when production (and even post-production) decisions alter the shooting script significantly. Because of this, novelizations will often feature additional scenes, more characters, alternate dialogue, and possibly extra back-story, that either didn't get filmed or survive the final cut. The novelization of RoboCop shares these idiosyncrasies to such an extent that it feels like a different film not just in content, but also in scope and tone.
(For a great reference regarding the differences between the RoboCop script itself and the film, check out the wiki page at http://RoboCop.wikia.com/wiki/RoboCop...)
From the start, the first three chapters of the book are new material for the filmgoer, documenting the death of Fredrickson and his fellow cops (referenced by the opening news and locker room scenes in the film) and giving a brief glimpse into Alex Murphy's family life (referenced only through flashbacks in the film). These chapters not only offer some additional back-story, but also hint at or setup some plot threads most likely dropped for pacing and simplicity. Lunar homesteading is introduced early on, so that later after Murphy's death his wife and child don't just leave the family house, they actually vacate the planet, leaving post-rebirth Murphy truly alone. It's also revealed that Clarence Boddicker and his gang are responsible for the death of Fredrickson and the others, and Emil's numbering of the police corpses with spray paint foreshadows the future revelation that Boddicker has been killing cops at the behest of Dick Jones in order to drum up support for his ED 209 project.
These and other differences between the novel and film aren't trivial, as many of them lend to a deeper understanding of the plot, and also effectively change the overall tone. There are a lot more children in the novel, for example, playing up the idea that this gritty, violent action film is marketing itself towards a younger audience. RoboCop's first act of peacekeeping at the convenience store, for example, includes young Danny, who is taken hostage by the robber, saved by RoboCop, and ends the scene by offering to pay for the candy bar he stole when first introduced. (I also found it interesting that the safe obscured by beer cans in the film is hidden behind a winking 3D portrait of Jesus in the novel, but that's just me.) The RoboCop playground visit seen briefly in the film's news footage gets its own chapter in the novel with addition kiddy interaction, and - my personal favorite - RoboCop's arrival at the police station is initially witnessed by a group of children "hurling cats back and forth." RoboCop is even friendly with young lawbreakers; while searching for Boddicker's crew, he happens upon some teenagers stripping a car, but assures them - after some extremely threatening interrogation - that he isn't interested in arresting them, only in tracking down Boddicker.
Which leads to the fact that RoboCop acts much more human after his self-realization as the slain Alex Murphy. This is partly because author Ed Naha is able to do something that the film can't: get directly into Murphy/RoboCop's head. We're not only privy to Murphy's dying thoughts (which ties into the death of his father, explored briefly in chapter one), but we spend two chapters witnessing Murphy's mental state as he life slowly fades away and his consciousness is transformed into RoboCop. We still follow the structure of the film's creation montage, but it is all from Murphy/RoboCop's point of view, showing us his loss of self and reprogramming. Then, when RoboCop discovers his origins, we are able to witness the slow return of Murphy's personality, including his rediscovery not only of humor, but dark humor, quipping to himself in ways he never does on screen. He becomes so much more human than in the film that by the time he has his final showdown with Boddicker, where in the film he kills Boddicker in self defense, the novel has RoboCop skip a few prime directives by refusing Boddicker's surrender and literally punching his head off instead of arresting him. Oh, and he gets a dog.
A brief note on RoboCop's prime directives: When Morton has RoboCop state his prime directives before his introduction, the film has RoboCop recite the first three, then shows the fourth classified one flash silently on his display. In the novel, however, RoboCop actually recites the fourth one, "Directive four is classified." Whether or not this is intentional, the lack of response from Morton indicates that he is more likely than not aware of the fourth directive, which means it is a corporate safeguard, whereas Dick Jones' reveal of the fourth directive in the film implies that it was placed there by him surreptitiously. Also interesting, there is a moment during RoboCop's installation at the precinct when Morton and Johnson seem to temporarily switch identities - which until that moment are identical to the film - with Morton remarking that the rudimentary paste tastes like baby food, and Johnson cursing out one of the scientists. Dick Jones is also more malevolent in the book; he actually spits in Morton's face during their bathroom confrontation. I think I was as shocked as Morton.
The most unusual thing about the novel is that the tone is almost equally darker and lighter than the film. The violence is much more explicit than the film in many cases (the description of Emil's toxic waste meltdown in the novel makes the film's rendition seem almost comical), to the point where the novel's Detroit seems far scarier than the film's effective dystopian visage. Instead of waiting for Boddicker to find them, RoboCop and Lewis defy the police strike and head into the streets to restore some peace, with a higher body count ensuing when Boddicker's gang attacks them while they are trying to disperse some looters. There's also more cruelty to animals, with the aforementioned cat-tossing, and some dog-hunting by Boddicker's crew. (There's even a pet-shop demolition during the riots in the original screenplay that doesn't even make it into the novel).
But then again, RoboCop befriends the surviving dog, and Boddicker even takes the time to rescue a siamese cat after shooting out Morton's kneecaps and leaving him a live hand grenade. And dark comedic moments in the film, such as the hostage negotiations with the crazed councilman, are extended and more blatantly comical. Even the novel's opening and closing chapters, featuring Murphy and RoboCop both staring off into the night, are more sentimental and hopeful than the film's bleak cityscape opening and jarring finale cut to credits.
Overall, when you go into the RoboCop novelization, you aren't just reading the author's take on the screenplay, you are witnessing the movie that might have been, for better or for worse, if film production wasn't such a fluid undertaking.
Other minor differences that either interested or amused me personally:
*Both of the clashes between Boddicker's Gang and Murphy/RoboCop/Lewis take place at night and at different locations, as opposed to the film's repetition of the daytime steel mill location for both sequences.
*T.J. Lazer is referenced numerous times through the novel, while Bixby "I'll buy that for a dollar!" Snyder becomes less of a running gag with only one or two mentions.
*Ed Naha uses the term 'Brobdingnagian' in a RoboCop novelization, widely misinterpreting his target audience.
*The man that robs the convenience store specifically selects an issue of Anal Lesbians in Heat for purchase before demanding the money from the register.
*During the attempted rape sequence, RoboCop saves the female hostage by calculating a ricochet off a nearby wall and shooting the rapist in the back of the head. The film opted for the through-the-dress-crotch-shot instead (which is, ultimately, much more satisfying), but the ricochet takedown comes back in RoboCop 2.
*Futuristic gas-station pump.
*The fist-spike data port that RoboCop eventually stabs Boddicker with seems to have been an afterthought (possibly inspired during development of the suit), as the novel only describes it as a non-menacing thin metallic strip.
*During RoboCop's tour of his abandoned home, the electronic salesman mentions something called Masterbudget Financing. "...your earning power is your equity. We manage your income so that you can manage your life." An interesting glance at another aspect of the corporate takeover of society, with the bank actually taking control (and presumably ownership) of an individual's financial powers in exchange for housing.
*Dialogue differences are sure to occur with rewrites and actor contributions, but Boddicker's "Okay sluts, take a hike" in the novel highlights how perfectly Kurtwood Smith replaces that in the film with "Bitches leave."
*When the police refuse to open fire on RoboCop with the swat unit, peripheral character Starkweather takes the time to mutter "Perch and rotate, slimemold," to the Lieutenant.
*When RoboCop's eye is revealed through his cracked visor during the ED 209 battle, it is implied that the computer displays are actually projected onto the inside of the visor, while the film ends up showing it as an internal display.
*The are several references to RoboCop running in the novel, especially during climactic battle, which points to the author's unawareness of the RoboCop suit's lack of mobility in the finished film.
*News item not in the film: "It was revealed today by doctors at the Texas Clone Institute that Hollywood immortal Sylvester Stallone died yesterday during an unsuccessful brain transplant. A longtime supporter of bio-engineering, Stallone was ninety-seven. His last film, Rambo 38: Old Blood, will be released posthumously next month."
*Did I mention that RoboCop gets a dog?
(For a great reference regarding the differences between the RoboCop script itself and the film, check out the wiki page at http://RoboCop.wikia.com/wiki/RoboCop...)
From the start, the first three chapters of the book are new material for the filmgoer, documenting the death of Fredrickson and his fellow cops (referenced by the opening news and locker room scenes in the film) and giving a brief glimpse into Alex Murphy's family life (referenced only through flashbacks in the film). These chapters not only offer some additional back-story, but also hint at or setup some plot threads most likely dropped for pacing and simplicity. Lunar homesteading is introduced early on, so that later after Murphy's death his wife and child don't just leave the family house, they actually vacate the planet, leaving post-rebirth Murphy truly alone. It's also revealed that Clarence Boddicker and his gang are responsible for the death of Fredrickson and the others, and Emil's numbering of the police corpses with spray paint foreshadows the future revelation that Boddicker has been killing cops at the behest of Dick Jones in order to drum up support for his ED 209 project.
These and other differences between the novel and film aren't trivial, as many of them lend to a deeper understanding of the plot, and also effectively change the overall tone. There are a lot more children in the novel, for example, playing up the idea that this gritty, violent action film is marketing itself towards a younger audience. RoboCop's first act of peacekeeping at the convenience store, for example, includes young Danny, who is taken hostage by the robber, saved by RoboCop, and ends the scene by offering to pay for the candy bar he stole when first introduced. (I also found it interesting that the safe obscured by beer cans in the film is hidden behind a winking 3D portrait of Jesus in the novel, but that's just me.) The RoboCop playground visit seen briefly in the film's news footage gets its own chapter in the novel with addition kiddy interaction, and - my personal favorite - RoboCop's arrival at the police station is initially witnessed by a group of children "hurling cats back and forth." RoboCop is even friendly with young lawbreakers; while searching for Boddicker's crew, he happens upon some teenagers stripping a car, but assures them - after some extremely threatening interrogation - that he isn't interested in arresting them, only in tracking down Boddicker.
Which leads to the fact that RoboCop acts much more human after his self-realization as the slain Alex Murphy. This is partly because author Ed Naha is able to do something that the film can't: get directly into Murphy/RoboCop's head. We're not only privy to Murphy's dying thoughts (which ties into the death of his father, explored briefly in chapter one), but we spend two chapters witnessing Murphy's mental state as he life slowly fades away and his consciousness is transformed into RoboCop. We still follow the structure of the film's creation montage, but it is all from Murphy/RoboCop's point of view, showing us his loss of self and reprogramming. Then, when RoboCop discovers his origins, we are able to witness the slow return of Murphy's personality, including his rediscovery not only of humor, but dark humor, quipping to himself in ways he never does on screen. He becomes so much more human than in the film that by the time he has his final showdown with Boddicker, where in the film he kills Boddicker in self defense, the novel has RoboCop skip a few prime directives by refusing Boddicker's surrender and literally punching his head off instead of arresting him. Oh, and he gets a dog.
A brief note on RoboCop's prime directives: When Morton has RoboCop state his prime directives before his introduction, the film has RoboCop recite the first three, then shows the fourth classified one flash silently on his display. In the novel, however, RoboCop actually recites the fourth one, "Directive four is classified." Whether or not this is intentional, the lack of response from Morton indicates that he is more likely than not aware of the fourth directive, which means it is a corporate safeguard, whereas Dick Jones' reveal of the fourth directive in the film implies that it was placed there by him surreptitiously. Also interesting, there is a moment during RoboCop's installation at the precinct when Morton and Johnson seem to temporarily switch identities - which until that moment are identical to the film - with Morton remarking that the rudimentary paste tastes like baby food, and Johnson cursing out one of the scientists. Dick Jones is also more malevolent in the book; he actually spits in Morton's face during their bathroom confrontation. I think I was as shocked as Morton.
The most unusual thing about the novel is that the tone is almost equally darker and lighter than the film. The violence is much more explicit than the film in many cases (the description of Emil's toxic waste meltdown in the novel makes the film's rendition seem almost comical), to the point where the novel's Detroit seems far scarier than the film's effective dystopian visage. Instead of waiting for Boddicker to find them, RoboCop and Lewis defy the police strike and head into the streets to restore some peace, with a higher body count ensuing when Boddicker's gang attacks them while they are trying to disperse some looters. There's also more cruelty to animals, with the aforementioned cat-tossing, and some dog-hunting by Boddicker's crew. (There's even a pet-shop demolition during the riots in the original screenplay that doesn't even make it into the novel).
But then again, RoboCop befriends the surviving dog, and Boddicker even takes the time to rescue a siamese cat after shooting out Morton's kneecaps and leaving him a live hand grenade. And dark comedic moments in the film, such as the hostage negotiations with the crazed councilman, are extended and more blatantly comical. Even the novel's opening and closing chapters, featuring Murphy and RoboCop both staring off into the night, are more sentimental and hopeful than the film's bleak cityscape opening and jarring finale cut to credits.
Overall, when you go into the RoboCop novelization, you aren't just reading the author's take on the screenplay, you are witnessing the movie that might have been, for better or for worse, if film production wasn't such a fluid undertaking.
Other minor differences that either interested or amused me personally:
*Both of the clashes between Boddicker's Gang and Murphy/RoboCop/Lewis take place at night and at different locations, as opposed to the film's repetition of the daytime steel mill location for both sequences.
*T.J. Lazer is referenced numerous times through the novel, while Bixby "I'll buy that for a dollar!" Snyder becomes less of a running gag with only one or two mentions.
*Ed Naha uses the term 'Brobdingnagian' in a RoboCop novelization, widely misinterpreting his target audience.
*The man that robs the convenience store specifically selects an issue of Anal Lesbians in Heat for purchase before demanding the money from the register.
*During the attempted rape sequence, RoboCop saves the female hostage by calculating a ricochet off a nearby wall and shooting the rapist in the back of the head. The film opted for the through-the-dress-crotch-shot instead (which is, ultimately, much more satisfying), but the ricochet takedown comes back in RoboCop 2.
*Futuristic gas-station pump.
*The fist-spike data port that RoboCop eventually stabs Boddicker with seems to have been an afterthought (possibly inspired during development of the suit), as the novel only describes it as a non-menacing thin metallic strip.
*During RoboCop's tour of his abandoned home, the electronic salesman mentions something called Masterbudget Financing. "...your earning power is your equity. We manage your income so that you can manage your life." An interesting glance at another aspect of the corporate takeover of society, with the bank actually taking control (and presumably ownership) of an individual's financial powers in exchange for housing.
*Dialogue differences are sure to occur with rewrites and actor contributions, but Boddicker's "Okay sluts, take a hike" in the novel highlights how perfectly Kurtwood Smith replaces that in the film with "Bitches leave."
*When the police refuse to open fire on RoboCop with the swat unit, peripheral character Starkweather takes the time to mutter "Perch and rotate, slimemold," to the Lieutenant.
*When RoboCop's eye is revealed through his cracked visor during the ED 209 battle, it is implied that the computer displays are actually projected onto the inside of the visor, while the film ends up showing it as an internal display.
*The are several references to RoboCop running in the novel, especially during climactic battle, which points to the author's unawareness of the RoboCop suit's lack of mobility in the finished film.
*News item not in the film: "It was revealed today by doctors at the Texas Clone Institute that Hollywood immortal Sylvester Stallone died yesterday during an unsuccessful brain transplant. A longtime supporter of bio-engineering, Stallone was ninety-seven. His last film, Rambo 38: Old Blood, will be released posthumously next month."
*Did I mention that RoboCop gets a dog?
February 16, 2024
I mean.... it's robo cop.
June 29, 2012
Possibly one of the greatest books ever written. Get it read.
February 19, 2025
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
January 6, 2024
przeczytane ale jakim kosztem...
January 6, 2019
as a blind person, I often enjoy film novelisations because they let me picture things better than a movie sometimes. This one... didn't really do that. It didn't really do much of anything. As hard as it is to put feelings into a robot, it wasn't even a decent attempt in this messy, rushed-feeling work.
March 13, 2015
Όπως καταλαβαίνετε, πρόκειται για ένα μυθιστόρημα που βασίζεται στο σενάριο της ομότιτλης ταινίας του 1987. Είτε έχετε δει την ταινία είτε όχι, λίγο έως πολύ κάτι θα έχετε ακούσει για την ιστορία.
Πεδίο δράσης είναι το Ντιτρόιτ των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών κάπου στο κοντινό μέλλον, το οποίο μαστίζεται από σκληρή εγκληματικότητα και με την εταιρεία Όμνικον να λύνει και να δένει στην πόλη, ελέγχοντας τις περισσότερες δημοτικές υπηρεσίες και έχοντας πολλά ιδιαίτερα σχέδια για την πόλη. Ένα απ'αυτά τα σχέδια, είναι η δημιουργία ενός ανθρώπου-ρομπότ που θα βοηθήσει στην πάταξη της εγκληματικότητας. Εθελοντές δύσκολα θα υπάρξουν, οπότε ελπίζουν στον βαρύ τραυματισμό ενός αστυνομικού. Ο νεαρός και οικογενειάρχης αστυνομικός Μάρφυ, θα τραυματιστεί σχεδόν θανάσιμα και θα είναι ο εκλεκτός για την μετατροπή του σε... Ρόμποκοπ. Οι πάσης φύσεως εγκληματίες θα τα βρουν σκούρα απέναντί του... Τι γίνεται όμως με τις σκέψεις και την μνήμη του; Και τι ρόλο βαράνε, πραγματικά, κάποια ανώτερα στελέχη της εταιρείας Όμνικον;
Όπως θα περίμενε κανείς από ένα novelization τέτοιου είδους ταινίας, έχουμε να κάνουμε με μια παλπ περιπέτεια επιστημονικής φαντασίας, με δεκάδες δυνατές σκηνές από την αρχή έως το τέλος, απλή πλοκή δίχως εκπλήξεις και φυσικά μονοδιάστατους χαρακτήρες. Η γραφή δεν είχε κάτι το ιδιαίτερο, αλλά νομίζω έκανε την δουλειά της. Οι φαν της ταινίας αλλά και αντίστοιχων ταινιών των 80's σίγουρα θα περάσουν καλά, διαβάζεται γρήγορα και ευχάριστα, οι υπόλοιποι διαβάστε κάτι άλλο καλύτερα.
Πεδίο δράσης είναι το Ντιτρόιτ των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών κάπου στο κοντινό μέλλον, το οποίο μαστίζεται από σκληρή εγκληματικότητα και με την εταιρεία Όμνικον να λύνει και να δένει στην πόλη, ελέγχοντας τις περισσότερες δημοτικές υπηρεσίες και έχοντας πολλά ιδιαίτερα σχέδια για την πόλη. Ένα απ'αυτά τα σχέδια, είναι η δημιουργία ενός ανθρώπου-ρομπότ που θα βοηθήσει στην πάταξη της εγκληματικότητας. Εθελοντές δύσκολα θα υπάρξουν, οπότε ελπίζουν στον βαρύ τραυματισμό ενός αστυνομικού. Ο νεαρός και οικογενειάρχης αστυνομικός Μάρφυ, θα τραυματιστεί σχεδόν θανάσιμα και θα είναι ο εκλεκτός για την μετατροπή του σε... Ρόμποκοπ. Οι πάσης φύσεως εγκληματίες θα τα βρουν σκούρα απέναντί του... Τι γίνεται όμως με τις σκέψεις και την μνήμη του; Και τι ρόλο βαράνε, πραγματικά, κάποια ανώτερα στελέχη της εταιρείας Όμνικον;
Όπως θα περίμενε κανείς από ένα novelization τέτοιου είδους ταινίας, έχουμε να κάνουμε με μια παλπ περιπέτεια επιστημονικής φαντασίας, με δεκάδες δυνατές σκηνές από την αρχή έως το τέλος, απλή πλοκή δίχως εκπλήξεις και φυσικά μονοδιάστατους χαρακτήρες. Η γραφή δεν είχε κάτι το ιδιαίτερο, αλλά νομίζω έκανε την δουλειά της. Οι φαν της ταινίας αλλά και αντίστοιχων ταινιών των 80's σίγουρα θα περάσουν καλά, διαβάζεται γρήγορα και ευχάριστα, οι υπόλοιποι διαβάστε κάτι άλλο καλύτερα.
February 1, 2014
Paul Vehoeven’s smash-mouth, irreverent science fiction classic is both a bold, rousing, action film, and a brilliant satire. In the post Citizens United world of the Koch brothers and Tea Party controlled government, Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner’s prophetic masterpiece of a screenplay resonates more than ever. Forget about the neutered, CGI dominated remake due out later this year. Instead go watch the director’s cut of this landmark, revolutionary film.
This novelization by Ed Naha does not as add much in the way of interior dialogue and character thoughts as the great novelizations do. There is a bit of that, but I wanted more "novelization" along the lines of Orson Scott Card's brilliant adaption of "The Abyss" or Piers Anthony's "Total Recall". But still, Naha is working from such rich source material he doesn't really have to do much. It is a pleasure just to read a prose version of Edward Numeier and Michael Miner's visionary, dystopian screenplay.
This novelization by Ed Naha does not as add much in the way of interior dialogue and character thoughts as the great novelizations do. There is a bit of that, but I wanted more "novelization" along the lines of Orson Scott Card's brilliant adaption of "The Abyss" or Piers Anthony's "Total Recall". But still, Naha is working from such rich source material he doesn't really have to do much. It is a pleasure just to read a prose version of Edward Numeier and Michael Miner's visionary, dystopian screenplay.
July 22, 2021
You’ve seen the film so you know the story, however this version does differ in several parts from the movie. (Novelisation done using early version of the script usually )As a result, the Robocop character actually reads quite differently from the way we see him in the movie, and there’s a lot more insight into his mind.
And there’s the dog.
And there’s the dog.
September 16, 2021
Прекрасна!
"Може би някой ден машината и човекът в него щяха да се слеят. Може би някой ден щеше да се примири със себе си. Но сега беше объркан. Нямаше дом. На цялата планета нямаше друго същество, с което можеше да сподели чувствата и мислите си. Беше единственият от този вид."
"Може би някой ден машината и човекът в него щяха да се слеят. Може би някой ден щеше да се примири със себе си. Но сега беше объркан. Нямаше дом. На цялата планета нямаше друго същество, с което можеше да сподели чувствата и мислите си. Беше единственият от този вид."
November 19, 2023
"Robocop was a movie of its time, and that time was f***ken awsome" - Decker Shado
Taking its inspiration from countless westerns and everones favourite fascist Judge Dredd the movie is gloriously over the top satire on breakdown in societal morality, corporate corruption & greed and against this backdrop a protagonist who is stripped of his humanity to be ressurected as company product and then on to reclaim his humanity. I thought it would be fun to revisit old detroit and read the novelisation of the screenplay.
Naha does a fantastic job with this novelisation, he gives a bit of depth to the characters and some additional scenes which does do a good job of making the story more rounded plus there is a dog!
Taking its inspiration from countless westerns and everones favourite fascist Judge Dredd the movie is gloriously over the top satire on breakdown in societal morality, corporate corruption & greed and against this backdrop a protagonist who is stripped of his humanity to be ressurected as company product and then on to reclaim his humanity. I thought it would be fun to revisit old detroit and read the novelisation of the screenplay.
Naha does a fantastic job with this novelisation, he gives a bit of depth to the characters and some additional scenes which does do a good job of making the story more rounded plus there is a dog!
May 25, 2020
I loved the movie and I thought the book was wroth reading to get closer to the story. I think at one point I had two copies.
I posted a review at
http://letterstocassiandotherfolks.bl...
I posted a review at
http://letterstocassiandotherfolks.bl...
June 8, 2020
A surprisingly deep-ish retelling of the movie with extra scenes and a good deal of extra character development for Murphy. Good if short read even if you are just a casual fan of the franchise. Also better written than I expected.
Want to read
October 15, 2019Synopsis: Murphy was a good cop with the toughest beat. Then a bunch of lowlifes blew him away. He came back in a body of steel. A movie novel.
October 27, 2022
Same as the movie.
May 21, 2023
Muy entretenido, lleno de muchos detalles interesantes y una novela inigualable.
August 15, 2023
Too gory and definitely TV-MA. This happens, except for the Robo part of the RoboCop story, or at least some version of it does. I am not able to unsee some of the scenes described in the book.
June 29, 2025
Tremendous!
**** 4 Stars.
**** 4 Stars.
May 15, 2021
Really great adaptation of the movie. Had some alternate events. Robocop gets a dog partner at the end. Lots of fun.
December 7, 2022
Reality has caught up with RoboCop. In the world of Elon Musk and Donald Trump, it's twice as funny.
________________________
[And less than a month later...]
It's kind of cool that I had to confirm I wasn't myself a robot in order to post this.
________________________
[And less than a month later...]
It's kind of cool that I had to confirm I wasn't myself a robot in order to post this.
May 3, 2018
Love the book, love the movie!
June 28, 2016
I might not enjoy this book today but 20+ years ago when i read it I remember I read it breathlessly, one of the few if not the only books that i finished in one day. It helped that i had gone to the city with my aunt to the market and was stuck there all day starting 6am, but still found it interesting for those times. I remember little except the main story elements which i may possibly also remember from movies.
December 17, 2020
A blast from the past. Gritty, fast paced action. We are cheering for Murphy right off the bat as he is fighting crime and trying to come to terms with remembering his past. Nothing beats this 80s treasure. Loved this when i saw it on VHS.
February 16, 2013
Není to vrchol umění, ale je to hodně čtivé.
March 2, 2014
Damnn igual como la primer pelicula ROBOCOP en el 1987 como estados unidos trata de ser el mejor super cop mezclando la ciencia mecánica con los humanos damnn loved it!!!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews