Phase One: Thor

by Alexander C. Irvine

Once just a powerful and arrogant royal from another realm, Thor became one of Earth's finest defenders.

Join the action as this Super Hero battles for mankind in this complete origin story as told in Thor . Re-live all of The Avengers' individual stories before they reassemble in Marvel's Age of Ultron .

Genres: Fantasy, Marvel, Middle Grade, Comics, Science Fiction, Mythology, Action

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 6, 2015

About the author

Alexander C. Irvine is an American fantasist and science fiction writer. He also writes under the pseudonym Alex Irvine. He first gained attention with his novel A Scattering of Jades and the stories that would form the collection Unintended Consequences. He has also published the Grail quest novel One King, One Soldier, and the World War II-era historical fantasy The Narrows.

In addition to his original works, Irvine has published Have Robot, Will Travel, a novel set in Isaac Asimov's positronic robot milieu; and Batman: Inferno, about the DC Comics superhero.

His academic background includes an M.A. in English from the University of Maine and a PhD from the University of Denver. He is an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine. He also worked for a time as a reporter at the Portland Phoenix.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nice novelization of the first Thor movie. Really concentrated on Loki and his motivation. Ray Chase does a great reading; each character is given a unique voice that really helps you visualize the story. Would like to see more original stories like this in the future - a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the Marvel Press books based on the books but that’s bias speaking since Marvel movie wise the Thor movies are my favorite. These are short reads but a fun way to relive the movies before watching them again...and again.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite book in the series so far. Not just because I like the actor who plays Thor (if that were the reason, it would get negative points because I don't like the actress playing Jane! although she's fine here), but how the story is told through multiple points of view, even some flashbacks. For example, you see a battle through Thor's pov, then after it's done, Loki is reflecting about it and you get some flashbacks of the battle, this time from his pov, and you learn new information. For me, this seemed most "book-like" in terms of story telling, and less like a movie script with descriptions.

Like the previous books, it glosses over the romance. Jane seems like a googly eyed school girl, and that was about it. This made the ending suffer because it's hard to see why Thor changed and grew as a person. I suppose the intended audience doesn't care as much, but I missed seeing that character growth. Oh well, still the best one so far. Also, loved how Loki was depicted and made me empathize with him. It sets up his character well for the future movies/books.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

*sigh* This could have been good...if not for Alex Irvine's choice to retell the same scene through multiple view points. Thor is one of my favorite entries in the MCU and I was interested to see Irvine's take on the tale. However, his story jumped around through Thor, Loki, Odin, and even Volstagg's points of view with no real explanation making the narrative awkward. After ending a chapter, the next one would be the exact same scene, this time told from another character's viewpoint. I didn't understand why the exposition couldn't have been told more linear, with the viewpoints changing during the same scene instead of backtracking.
Other than the flipping perspectives it was a well-done novel with keeping the light-heartedness of the story and the depth of the characters. I also appreciated the inclusion of the deleted scenes into the larger story.

[flomer · Rating 3 out of 5]

thor and loki >>>>

[Frannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like it missed some key details and just some scenes that set the mood

[Thomas Myers · Rating 2 out of 5]

An annoying adaptation. I don't recall the film switching POV that much.

[Emily Lissek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very well written..

[Santosh Thapa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bhadra 13, 2077, Saturday

Phase One: Thor - Alexander C. Irvine (2015)

Genre: Fiction/ Science Fiction/ Fantasy/ Superhero
Pages: 224
Rating: 7/10

Theme: Morality and Ethics/ Exile/ Sacrifice/ Humility/ Jealousy/ Power

Opener:
“The All-Father did not act without thought. Now, as the sun shone over Asgard and the buildings were illuminated by its rays, gleaming like gold, he thought long and hard. At the realm’s edge, the darkness of the cosmos spread out like a calm sea. Asgard was at peace, and all was ready for the momentous events to come.”

Summary:
As the son of Odin, king of the Norse gods, Thor will soon inherit the throne of Asgard from his aging father. However, on the day that he is to be crowned, Thor reacts with brutality when the gods' enemies, the Frost Giants, enter the palace in violation of their treaty. As punishment, Odin banishes Thor to Earth. While Loki, Thor's brother, plots mischief in Asgard, Thor, now stripped of his powers, faces his greatest threat.

Final Review:
Movie-wise, I have always had a fascination with Star Wars-y space operas. So it is no surprise that my favorite movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are the Thor movies and Guardians of the Galaxy movies. This book, a novelization of the first Thor movie of 2011, is competent. It leaves out some slivers of the movie (like the dropping of the Hawkeye scene in the crater) but pads more than a few other scenes with plausible details. And even though it irked me that the author chose to redundantly retell some of the scenes from different perspectives, thereby creating minor hiccups in the flow of reading, I still gleaned more enjoyment out of this book than I had expected. That’s a win.

[Jonathan]

THOR Marvel Cinematic Universe is about how Thor is beginning a new chapter in his life. He is about to become king of his home planet Asgard, but his father is worried about him. Thor is hot-headed and has no patience. During his king ceremony, Loki saw the walls starting to freeze over and that meant that the frost giants were approaching. Instead of Thor taking his time and making a plan to defeat the Frost Giants, he went in head first and got everyone in danger. His father wondered if he was ready to lead planet Asgard. So, he sends him to earth without his powers to learn from his mistakes.



I thought that Thor Marvel Cinematic Universe was a really good book. It was so funny to see Thor trying to live among humans. Instead of flying and shooting lightning, he had to walk and drive cars like humans. I like how it showed Loki always switching sides, turning on someone, acting devious or just doing something weird. But at the end of the day, I would give this book a 8 out of 10.

[Andrew Sammut · Rating 3 out of 5]

As mentioned in the updates section, the movie wasn't a favourite and this is a depiction of it. The writing is great and the plotline is there in its entirety. Despite this, Thor is relatively weak when compared to the other superheroes in the marvel cinematic universe and some of these novels considering the fact that he's an immortal being and a god! There were a few typos here and there that ticked me off just slightly however overall I still enjoyed the story and will forever deem that neither of these will be better than either Tony Stark or Iron Man. Jane is also extremely annoying despite her genius and Darcy is rather cute and quirky in her own way. There was also one of those, she released a breath she didn't realise she was holding, too, which made me cringe considering the context...

[Pinkaze · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a simple retelling of the MCU Thor 1 movie.

Even though it's better classified as YA than a full-blown novel, I like how it's written.

It gives different perspectives. For instance, the first chapter gave a better insight into Odin's fear about Thor's readiness to be king. There is a chapter dedicated to the warriors three (Thor's friends). There are also multiple Loki chapters that help us understand his character better. It actually made me more sympathetic to Loki hehe.

But on top of all these bonus perspective, this book remains a very accurate retelling of the movie. I like it as a short companion novel.

[Holli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book twists and turns back on itself so many times, it should have been called "Knot." I got dizzy trying to read it. And the author kept giving Odin two eyes by using the plural. Um, Odin only has one. He sacrificed one and it didn't grow back. And he left out Hawkeye's scene. The less I say about how furious this makes me, the better.

[Gary Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talked about MARVEL'S Thor. The story started off talking about Thor's childhood with his brother Loki. Then Tor becomes king and they get attacked by another realm. Then he and his friends and brother travel to the other realm. But they get beaten very badly. So he went to earth and the met and joined the Avengers.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the extra stuff that wasn't in the movies. I feel like it gave more background and info on the characters. The only thing I didn't like was how in the beginning, there seemed to be two versions of the same scene over and over again. That was a bit annoying. But overall, I enjoyed reading it.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished the audiobook on my way to the gym and such. It was fun of course and the voices the narrator made were funny at times. Jane’s inner thoughts were funny. It was nice getting an insight to Thor’s thoughts when facing the Destroyer.

Good read

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short but sweet re-telling of the Thor movie. May just be me but this seemed even more superficial than the Hulk one.

[Oliver James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to review many of activities of the movie Thor in this book. It is a quick, fun read and worth the short time it takes to experience.

[Emilija · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave Loki context, feelings and separate chapters. He is my favorite, so that was really appreciated.

[Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives some nice inner monologues on Loki's part, fleshing him out a little more from the movies.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

282 - 2019

[Selena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it was entertaining, fun, action-packed, and it even involved a little love between the characters. I would honestly recommend this book to any reader.

[Orion_mp3☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like it could have been so much better than it is, the writing seemed lazy and overly simplified. It honestly wasn't the best movie to book adaptation

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vielen lieben Dank an den cbj-Verlag und das Bloggerportal der Penguin Random House-Gruppe für das Rezensionsexemplar!
Meine Rezension spiegelt selbstverständlich trotzdem meine ehrliche Meinung wider.

Aufmachung:
Das Cover ist sehr schlicht gehalten – man sieht bloß Chris Hemsworth als Thor vor einem schwarzen Hintergrund. Dazu kann ich nicht besonders viel sagen, natürlich passt es gut zum Inhalt! 😉

Meine Meinung:
Ich bin ein riesiger Marvel-Fan und vor allem die Thor-Filme gehören zu meinen Lieblingen. Ich habe mich da natürlich sehr gefreut, dass ich das Buch lesen durfte!
Vorab kann ich aber schon direkt sagen, dass ich das Buch auch nur anderen Marvel-Fans empfehlen würde und nicht solchen, die die Filme vielleicht erst noch sehen und sich mit dem Buch langsam herantasten wollen. Dafür ist „Thor: Das Buch zum Film“ nicht geeignet.

Die Altersempfehlung ab zehn Jahren passt außerdem sehr gut. Die Sprache ist einfach gehalten und man kann das Buch schnell in einer Sitzung durchlesen, gleichzeitig wirkt sie nicht zu kindlich, sodass auch ältere Leser Spaß finden können.

Den Film habe ich bereits mehrfach gesehen und natürlich kenne ich die Handlung dann mittlerweile in- und auswendig. In der Hinsicht habe ich von dem Buch also selbstverständlich nichts Neues erwartet – immerhin ist es ein „Buch zum Film“; dass es da also keine Überraschungen liefert, ist offensichtlich.
Allerdings hatte ich mir von diesem Buch erhofft, dass es vielleicht einen anderen Blickwinkel auf manche Figuren gestattet, die im Film vielleicht nicht ganz so deutlich werden, zum Beispiel, indem sich der Autor die Freiheit nimmt, den einen oder anderen inneren Monolog oder die Gefühlslage der Figuren zu beschreiben.

Das fehlt dem Buch jedoch gänzlich. Man bleibt die ganze Handlung über stark auf Distanz zu den Figuren, ich würde sogar sagen, noch stärker als im Film. Dort hat man als Erzähler logischerweise nicht die gleiche Möglichkeit, die Gedanken und Gefühle der Figuren zu transportieren, wie es einem/ einer Buchautor*in möglich ist, aber trotzdem bekommt man ja ein bisschen etwas davon mit.
„Thor: Das Buch zum Film“ transportiert dagegen gar keine Emotionen. Beim Lesen hat man viel eher das Gefühl, als würde man ein trockenes Transkript des Films durchgehen. Der Autor geht von Punkt A zu Punkt B zu C, und arbeitet so die gesamte Handlung des Films ab wie eine To Do-Liste, wodurch man keinen besonderen Mehrwert aus dem Buch ziehen kann. Den Film kennt man ja bereits, dazu braucht man das Buch eigentlich nicht lesen. Die 176 Seiten reichen da dann völlig als Erfahrung aus, länger hätte das Buch nicht sein dürfen, sonst wäre es womöglich zu langatmig und anstrengend geworden.

Nichtsdestotrotz würde ich nicht sagen, dass das Buch schlecht war oder mir gar nicht gefallen hat. Ich war bloß etwas enttäuscht davon, dass „Thor: Das Buch zum Film“ so emotionslos gestaltet ist und man nicht mehr über die Gedanken der Figuren erfahren hat. Abgesehen davon hält das Buch das, was es verspricht: man erhält den Film „Thor“ hier in Buchform.
Als Fan freue ich mich darüber, das Buch meiner Marvel-Sammlung hinzufügen zu können, aber noch einmal lesen werde ich es wohl nicht.

Fazit:
„Thor: Das Buch zum Film“ ist ein nettes Geschenk für einen Marvel-Fan, insbesondere wenn dieser etwas jünger ist. Insgesamt erhält man hiermit aber nichts Besonderes. Es ist ein „Buch zum Film“, das 1:1 die gleiche Handlung hat wie der Film – damit hält es das, was es verspricht!
Was dagegen etwas enttäuscht, ist, dass es darüber hinaus nichts zu bieten hat. Man hätte hier gut noch einen Einblick in die Gedanken- und Gefühlswelt der Figuren bieten können, zumal das in einem Buch in der Regel leichter ist als in einem Film. Stattdessen wurde sich darauf beschränkt, den Filmplot wie in einem Transskript niederzuschreiben, und dem Buch fehlt es an jeglicher Emotionalität.
Das Buch bietet also keine Überraschungen, ist aber trotzdem nicht schlecht. Marvel-Fans haben daran bestimmt ihre Freude, vor allem, wenn sie mit dem Buch ein weiteres Stück ihrer Sammlung hinzufügen können, allen anderen würde ich es aber nicht empfehlen.
3/5 Lesehasen.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid retelling of the story, but Thor more than the others is such a visual movie that this didn't work as well. Still a good, quick read.

We discussed this series with the author over on Previously on X-Men: https://previously-on-x-men.libsyn.co...

[Lady Inkheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

A short and entertaining read.

If you watched the movie, of course you recognize a lot of the dialogue and the plot is pretty much the same.
Still they added some tiny parts, which I can't recall that they were in the movie (like the deleted scene between Loki and Thor before he was supposed to take the throne). Also there were some tiny bits and sections, telling about what some of the other characters were thinking, which was nice to read about.

I know that this is actually a childrens book but I am such a fan of the MCU I just had to get this book, when I saw it in the store.

[Doreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

i didn't know that this series are actual adaptation from the screenplays. the adaptation is adequately written. it is short and concise. there is no further insights as to what the characters were thinking, as in what one normally expects from an adaptation. (i meant the bubble dialogue that shows the thoughts of the characters as how a comic strip will describe)
though it leaves one to wonder, why read this book when one can watch the movie?

[Tj Bayles]

What I got out of this book so far is Thor's father Odin is going to die soon. He chooses Thor to be the new king of the kingdom but, his brother Loki is mad about not getting chose to be king so he plans an attack on Thor.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know this was a retelling of the movie. I also didn't know I could read it faster than I could watch the movie.