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Mad Max #1
Mad Max
Paperback
First published March 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 21, 2019
‘If I stay out there on the road much longer I’m going to become one of them. Just a terminal crazy with a bronze shield to say I’m one of the good guys. And I’ll die like one of them.’
This novelisation was surprisingly well written in parts and adds a lot of context to the first, legendary Mad Max movie which was produced on a shoestring budget and featured a bunch of young Aussie upstarts that included Mel Gibson. Although it barely hints at the increasingly dystopic setting, it does give a lot more context to the movie, in the way it describes the increase in crime on the super highways and why the Main Force Patrol (MFP) was formed. It was interesting to learn the hoops that MFP recruits like Max, Goose, Charlie and Roop had to jump through to join the MFP: besides intense driving & pursuit training, they also received commando and weapons training before being accepted into the MFP, which would explain Max’s range of driving, martial and scouting skills in movies like The Road Warrior and Fury Road. The book also reveals that Max is in fact the eldest of the lot: a cop who thinks he’s too old for the road who is planning on winding down, although his life is about to take a turn which will guarantee him a future which is anything but calm and peaceful. His worst fear, that he will end up becoming as bad as the violent and lawless hoons that he’s out to police, will also inevitably come true once the misdeeds of the Toecutter’s gang fling his mind over the edge. The book also explains why the Nightrider is blazing along the super highway in the first place, and why the MFP go to such lengths to try and ‘waste’ (kill) him and his teenage girlfriend. There was also a lot more context provided as to why Max is gifted the interceptor / pursuit special by the MFP and why ‘The Acolytes’ bikie gang led by the Toecutter are out to get Max.
Another touching scene which was missing from the movie was the soliloquy delivered by the Goose on his birthday in Max’s house, when he talks about taking the speed of his motorbike ‘over the edge’. Two interesting characters who were completely absent from the movie are also introduced in this novel: Goose’s girlfriend who has to endure his philandering ways and the mysterious cop named ‘The Dark One’ (who has long been a mystery to Mad Max tragics since his name is scrawled on one of the doors of Max’s police car in the movie, so that fans have long assumed that he was the cop that partnered Max and who must have been killed by the gangs).
People who were intrigued by The Acolytes bikie gang in the movie will learn a lot more about the less prominent bikies in this book, with Mudguts, Cundalini and Diabando fleshed out a lot more. This is also true of prominent bikies like the Toecutter himself, who I actually found to be a lot creepier in this novelisation than he was in the movie (which is not a criticism by the way, because he was brilliantly realised in the film).
One of my personal favourites: Max’s boss the chief of police Fifi Macaffee is also a lot more fleshed out. One scene which I expected to feature in this novel but which was absent was the scene when Max returns to Police HQs after he loses Jess and Sprog to find his fellow cops all slaughtered by Toecutter’s gang. Movie director and Max creator George Miller did not film this scene since he was so low on budget at the time but I was surprised to find that it was also omitted from the novel.
Overall I found the writing surprisingly good, particularly when it describes vehicles and car / bike chases. The story doesn’t really feel dated either, except for the whinging of Goose’s girlfriend about the sexist content of magazines, which was probably relevant at the time but is a theme that’s long been done to death since. Another amusing part of this futuristic, dystopic story was when Max’s missus Jess regrets the fact that she has to shop for groceries in large impersonal supermarkets instead of the smaller stores where she once did her shopping.
That said I do have one gripe which prevents this novel from being a 5 / 5. The novel does not explore Max’s reaction to the terrible loss that finally tips him over the edge. Following the tragic loss of his family I appreciate that he becomes desensitised and purely running on cold logic to the point that his brain is operating like a computer, but I expected the novel to delve into how he handled his loss a little bit more.
As a side note: the more time goes by the more the character of Max resonates with me. To my mind he is someone who always tries to do the right thing but somehow always finds himself increasingly alienated in a society that’s suddenly changed for the worse, due to events beyond his control. After many years I am still taken by Max’s rugged, solitary, anti-hero status, a vagabond who just wants to be left alone but who inevitably always finds himself having to reluctantly fill the role of champion of the oppressed and take on stupid odds.
In conclusion I should add that this book is sadly out of print but interested readers can listen to it for free through an audio recording generously posted on YouTube by a Yank named Jon Olsen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNfP5...
This novelisation was surprisingly well written in parts and adds a lot of context to the first, legendary Mad Max movie which was produced on a shoestring budget and featured a bunch of young Aussie upstarts that included Mel Gibson. Although it barely hints at the increasingly dystopic setting, it does give a lot more context to the movie, in the way it describes the increase in crime on the super highways and why the Main Force Patrol (MFP) was formed. It was interesting to learn the hoops that MFP recruits like Max, Goose, Charlie and Roop had to jump through to join the MFP: besides intense driving & pursuit training, they also received commando and weapons training before being accepted into the MFP, which would explain Max’s range of driving, martial and scouting skills in movies like The Road Warrior and Fury Road. The book also reveals that Max is in fact the eldest of the lot: a cop who thinks he’s too old for the road who is planning on winding down, although his life is about to take a turn which will guarantee him a future which is anything but calm and peaceful. His worst fear, that he will end up becoming as bad as the violent and lawless hoons that he’s out to police, will also inevitably come true once the misdeeds of the Toecutter’s gang fling his mind over the edge. The book also explains why the Nightrider is blazing along the super highway in the first place, and why the MFP go to such lengths to try and ‘waste’ (kill) him and his teenage girlfriend. There was also a lot more context provided as to why Max is gifted the interceptor / pursuit special by the MFP and why ‘The Acolytes’ bikie gang led by the Toecutter are out to get Max.
Another touching scene which was missing from the movie was the soliloquy delivered by the Goose on his birthday in Max’s house, when he talks about taking the speed of his motorbike ‘over the edge’. Two interesting characters who were completely absent from the movie are also introduced in this novel: Goose’s girlfriend who has to endure his philandering ways and the mysterious cop named ‘The Dark One’ (who has long been a mystery to Mad Max tragics since his name is scrawled on one of the doors of Max’s police car in the movie, so that fans have long assumed that he was the cop that partnered Max and who must have been killed by the gangs).
People who were intrigued by The Acolytes bikie gang in the movie will learn a lot more about the less prominent bikies in this book, with Mudguts, Cundalini and Diabando fleshed out a lot more. This is also true of prominent bikies like the Toecutter himself, who I actually found to be a lot creepier in this novelisation than he was in the movie (which is not a criticism by the way, because he was brilliantly realised in the film).
One of my personal favourites: Max’s boss the chief of police Fifi Macaffee is also a lot more fleshed out. One scene which I expected to feature in this novel but which was absent was the scene when Max returns to Police HQs after he loses Jess and Sprog to find his fellow cops all slaughtered by Toecutter’s gang. Movie director and Max creator George Miller did not film this scene since he was so low on budget at the time but I was surprised to find that it was also omitted from the novel.
Overall I found the writing surprisingly good, particularly when it describes vehicles and car / bike chases. The story doesn’t really feel dated either, except for the whinging of Goose’s girlfriend about the sexist content of magazines, which was probably relevant at the time but is a theme that’s long been done to death since. Another amusing part of this futuristic, dystopic story was when Max’s missus Jess regrets the fact that she has to shop for groceries in large impersonal supermarkets instead of the smaller stores where she once did her shopping.
That said I do have one gripe which prevents this novel from being a 5 / 5. The novel does not explore Max’s reaction to the terrible loss that finally tips him over the edge. Following the tragic loss of his family I appreciate that he becomes desensitised and purely running on cold logic to the point that his brain is operating like a computer, but I expected the novel to delve into how he handled his loss a little bit more.
As a side note: the more time goes by the more the character of Max resonates with me. To my mind he is someone who always tries to do the right thing but somehow always finds himself increasingly alienated in a society that’s suddenly changed for the worse, due to events beyond his control. After many years I am still taken by Max’s rugged, solitary, anti-hero status, a vagabond who just wants to be left alone but who inevitably always finds himself having to reluctantly fill the role of champion of the oppressed and take on stupid odds.
In conclusion I should add that this book is sadly out of print but interested readers can listen to it for free through an audio recording generously posted on YouTube by a Yank named Jon Olsen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNfP5...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2014
A novelization of the movie. I have seen the movie a 100 times so it was hard to get too excited about this book. I bought it mostly for the beautiful cover.
July 28, 2018
Am soooo lucky to own the original paperback! They're rare as hen's teeth. It's a quick read which does a very good job of capturing the iconic movie on paper ... obviously, the movie is better (which came first, the chicken or the egg? Bit of a "duh" there). The book itself is a piece of history! Read this for the first time in something like 1980. And yes, I do like the original movie best of all the Max movies. For me, it's the "true" one ... call me weird, if you must, nudge, wink.
May 7, 2018
Movies adapted from books tend to take away more than they add. It's insulting to sit through dialogue aimed at seventh grade dullards, even when the movies are rated R. The exceptions are so few, they hardly bare mentioning. Thus, I gave up on modern cinema entirely. In your face, Netflix!
Now consider this reverse adaptation, film into book. You get more of everything: entertainment per dollar, emotion, character, etc. Particularly in the relationship between Goose and Johnny the Boy.
I felt this movie lacked continuity, until this book filled in basic details. This demonstrates how movies are defined more by what they can't show, than what they can.
Thanks to Audiobooks for the Damned. Remember the Toecutter when you look up at the night sky.
Now consider this reverse adaptation, film into book. You get more of everything: entertainment per dollar, emotion, character, etc. Particularly in the relationship between Goose and Johnny the Boy.
I felt this movie lacked continuity, until this book filled in basic details. This demonstrates how movies are defined more by what they can't show, than what they can.
Thanks to Audiobooks for the Damned. Remember the Toecutter when you look up at the night sky.
Read
April 18, 2010This is about The Book of Eli, curiously, a book which does not exist. Upon reflection, if you do see the movie, this will not surprise you. I strongly advise if a book does come out, not to read it.
Things I want to ask:
What the fuck happened to Gary Oldman? Honestly. How could a guy who played the roles he did in Sid and Nancy, Prick Up Your Ears, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead go to the US and play such crap over and over again?
Things I wish to observe:
I would have thought if you go to Gold Class and spend $74 on two tickets, they should make it easier than usual for you to have sex. Instead, the opposite is so. You get given these chairs that are so enormous, that even though you sit next to your companion, you might just as well be in the next cinema. My advice: if you are planning sex during a movie, go for the cheapest seats. By the way. I'm not necessarily saying I wanted to have sex. Or do I mean I'm not saying I necessarily wanted to have sex. I'm more just saying if I had wanted to...
The thing that kills me about US post-apocalyptic movies is that they take themselves so seriously. Jeez. Mad Max was made on a weekend on a budget of $50. The people making it had fun. The audience has fun. It spawned a whole industy of American big budget movies that are no fun.
Things you will want to know before you go to this movie:
Don't go if you don't like the bible. It wins. You'll be slightly less happy than a Swedophile watching somebody making Swedes look silly.
I'm not saying don't go to the movie. I'm just saying, but....
Things I want to ask:
What the fuck happened to Gary Oldman? Honestly. How could a guy who played the roles he did in Sid and Nancy, Prick Up Your Ears, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead go to the US and play such crap over and over again?
Things I wish to observe:
I would have thought if you go to Gold Class and spend $74 on two tickets, they should make it easier than usual for you to have sex. Instead, the opposite is so. You get given these chairs that are so enormous, that even though you sit next to your companion, you might just as well be in the next cinema. My advice: if you are planning sex during a movie, go for the cheapest seats. By the way. I'm not necessarily saying I wanted to have sex. Or do I mean I'm not saying I necessarily wanted to have sex. I'm more just saying if I had wanted to...
The thing that kills me about US post-apocalyptic movies is that they take themselves so seriously. Jeez. Mad Max was made on a weekend on a budget of $50. The people making it had fun. The audience has fun. It spawned a whole industy of American big budget movies that are no fun.
Things you will want to know before you go to this movie:
Don't go if you don't like the bible. It wins. You'll be slightly less happy than a Swedophile watching somebody making Swedes look silly.
I'm not saying don't go to the movie. I'm just saying, but....
October 23, 2023
I finished this novelisation of Mad Max, one of the most iconic Australian movies, and a favourite of mine.
There is a few slight differences, its more about Max than the car, it has the same feel as the movie and I loved it just as much.
It's worth reading if you get the chance, I highly recommended it.
There is a few slight differences, its more about Max than the car, it has the same feel as the movie and I loved it just as much.
It's worth reading if you get the chance, I highly recommended it.
March 16, 2022
Vaya viajecito. Una gran historia, muy bien escrita y geniales personajes. Me encantó
February 22, 2022
The barren landscape with the highway and heinous gangs knocking off transport trucks of their abundant treasures. A special police force was made, the qualifications being a life of fast cars, hard driving, and a disregard for life. These special police eradicated the highways of these dirty cockroaches, one of these police stood above all of these, a hard driving battle hardened freak, his name Max resonated throughout the area. Max with his tinted sunglasses and black driving gloves. Driving down the highway at a hundred plus miles an hour where reaction needs to be done before one realises. Max kills a gang member and a big wig Toecutter puts a hit on Max. With dialogue like "I'll knock your balls into your mouth" this is entertaining. The gang will burn a cop alive, Max's best friend and he will be disillusioned and quit the force. Max's boss tells him he will be back, you're hooked and you know it. Max's wife will spin through the air like a rag doll hit from one of the gang members and his kid both killed. Max is going to fuck people up big time. He will put on his black jodhpurs, knee high boots, black leather jacket, elbow and shoulder pads and seek revenge. He is now ravaging fucking mad. A very rare book. Happy to have in the collection.
August 12, 2021
This is one of the movies/books which warn against the glorification of the creation of vigilantes. People are not at their happiest when they are made warriors with nothing left to lose, they are instead what life has made them, lost souls. This book captures that sentiment and poetry beautifuly and savagely. You both look forward to seeing Max get his revenge, but also mourn the loss of his family even when they are avenged. This is the tragedy of a man who loses his life, and becomes another man entirely, a road warrior: Mad Max.
July 14, 2018
It was eh. I found this on YouTube, read by Audiobooks for the Damned. Thank goodness, because it's impossible to find in print. I don't think it would be worth the price anyway.
September 28, 2024
Ok so this isn’t good but more importantly it is FASCINATING what this changes from the movie. It effectively makes max an entirely different character! Removes everything about him consciously trying to protect himself and the good parts of his life, retroactively makes him act through the duration of the plot in a way he *only earns at the end of the movie*! Even this early on there was this total lack of comprehension about what Max’s actual journey was and where he was coming from in favor of a weird macho flattening. So wacky!!
August 25, 2024
Not very well written, very one dimensional characters but that is to be expected from a book adaptation of an 80s action movie. Would have helped a lot of the Toecutter gang wasn't just evil for evils sake but had some motivation.
Pacing was a bit weird. But it was short and the second half was at least captivating enough to finish.
Pacing was a bit weird. But it was short and the second half was at least captivating enough to finish.
March 27, 2025
"I’m a fuel-injected suicide machine. I’m a rocker. I’m a roller. I’m an outa controller. I ain’t never comin’ back.”
adapted film:
mad max (1979) dir. George Miller.
adapted film:
mad max (1979) dir. George Miller.
April 28, 2025
Slightly more character and scene development than the movie. Not really well written but it is readable. Follows the movie pretty close. Funny 1970’s Australian terms. It kind of lost me when it said the car was turbocharged lol.
May 1, 2023
Great book. However this was a YT audiobook.. The original paperback is out of print. one other thing: the storyline explains some parts the movie skips over.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews