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Wonder Woman: The Official Movie Novelization
The official novelization of the eagerly anticipated movie, Wonder Woman.
Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers...and her true destiny.
WONDER WOMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s17)
Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers...and her true destiny.
WONDER WOMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s17)
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2017
152 people are currently reading
729 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Holder
352 books2,408 followersNancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling author of the WICKED Series, has just published CRUSADE - the first book in a new vampire series cowritten with Debbie Viguie. The last book her her Possession series is set to release in March 2011.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
August 30, 2017
sigh !!.
September 21, 2017
This review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
Chances are you've heard of Wonder Woman. The new movie, starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine and directed by Patty Jenkins, is everywhere you turn your head. It's received countless positive reviews and glowing praises. And rightfully so—I loved it!
Wonder Woman by Nancy Holder is not a new story featuring Diana, it's a straight up novelization of the movie. I found novelizations can be hit or miss for me; some are written too simply and abruptly for my tastes, but this one was a fantastic addition to the Wonder Woman franchise! It fleshed out the scenes in the movie that went by just a bit too fast, and beefed up Diana's character with inner monologue.
The famous "No Man's Land" scene was especially exciting to experience in a different medium. It made it that much more powerful!
The book follows the movie scene for scene, with a lot of the dialogue word for word from the script, so it'a a perfect companion piece to the film. Nancy captured Diana's inner voice well letting us in Diana's head to see what she was thinking during those key film moments.
I'm excited to rewatch the movie after having read this!
Wonder Woman is perfect for fans of the movie who want a little bit more.
Thanks Titan Books for a copy to review!
Book Links: Book Depository | Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
Chances are you've heard of Wonder Woman. The new movie, starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine and directed by Patty Jenkins, is everywhere you turn your head. It's received countless positive reviews and glowing praises. And rightfully so—I loved it!
Wonder Woman by Nancy Holder is not a new story featuring Diana, it's a straight up novelization of the movie. I found novelizations can be hit or miss for me; some are written too simply and abruptly for my tastes, but this one was a fantastic addition to the Wonder Woman franchise! It fleshed out the scenes in the movie that went by just a bit too fast, and beefed up Diana's character with inner monologue.
The famous "No Man's Land" scene was especially exciting to experience in a different medium. It made it that much more powerful!
The book follows the movie scene for scene, with a lot of the dialogue word for word from the script, so it'a a perfect companion piece to the film. Nancy captured Diana's inner voice well letting us in Diana's head to see what she was thinking during those key film moments.
I'm excited to rewatch the movie after having read this!
Wonder Woman is perfect for fans of the movie who want a little bit more.
Thanks Titan Books for a copy to review!
Book Links: Book Depository | Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
March 13, 2024
Not Exactly the Movie
This was a bit of a disappointment as far as novelization of a movie goes. Usually you think it’s always going to be the book that gives you a little more, but I felt cheated.
One of the things I most enjoyed about the Wonder Woman movie was the direction and screen play writer’s attention to detail, and I feel like Nancy Holder glossed over a lot in order to get to market. Of course, I’m sure there’s an element of not wanting to assume the characters motivations when you didn’t write the screen play, but I always thought Diana and Steve were both honest and straightforward people in the movie.
I remember details from the movie like when she first tasted ice cream, it was so wondrous that she told the vendor, “You should be proud.” I suppose I remember that because sometimes I still feel that way about good ice cream.
Nancy Holder did catch some of Diana’s heartbroken love for humanity when she found people suffering. I was hoping for more of her personality, but you couldn’t really get that as it was always the Amazon Princess’s point of view. There was very little from the others seeing Diana, but as much as her Amazonian warrior power and skill, I loved how she was portrayed with such a beautiful heart. I thought for certain the book would have done more with it. Solid 3.5 stars for sticking to most of the movie. No additions and some missing to me, but I thought the movie was very well done, so I’m biased.
This was a bit of a disappointment as far as novelization of a movie goes. Usually you think it’s always going to be the book that gives you a little more, but I felt cheated.
One of the things I most enjoyed about the Wonder Woman movie was the direction and screen play writer’s attention to detail, and I feel like Nancy Holder glossed over a lot in order to get to market. Of course, I’m sure there’s an element of not wanting to assume the characters motivations when you didn’t write the screen play, but I always thought Diana and Steve were both honest and straightforward people in the movie.
I remember details from the movie like when she first tasted ice cream, it was so wondrous that she told the vendor, “You should be proud.” I suppose I remember that because sometimes I still feel that way about good ice cream.
Nancy Holder did catch some of Diana’s heartbroken love for humanity when she found people suffering. I was hoping for more of her personality, but you couldn’t really get that as it was always the Amazon Princess’s point of view. There was very little from the others seeing Diana, but as much as her Amazonian warrior power and skill, I loved how she was portrayed with such a beautiful heart. I thought for certain the book would have done more with it. Solid 3.5 stars for sticking to most of the movie. No additions and some missing to me, but I thought the movie was very well done, so I’m biased.
August 4, 2017
I used to want to save the world. This beautiful place. But I knew so little then. It is a land of beauty and wonder, worth cherishing in every way. But the closer you get, the more you see the great darkness simmering within. And mankind?
Making is another story altogether.
What one does when faced with the truth is more difficult than you think.
I learned this the hard way a long, long time ago. And now, I will never be the same.
I’m this person who saw the movie twice, and of course had to buy the novelization. I’d say one thing before really beginning my review : the book isn’t as good as the movie. The author cut some things, and sometimes it felt like the words used to describe a scene were too simple. But that being said, the story was still spectacular.
Diana is such an amazing character! She’s been taught all her life humans are fair and good, strong and passionate . . . let’s just she was quite disappointed when she discovered how they really were. But she believes in what’s good, she believes in piece and kindness, she believes in helping people in need. So when she meets Steve and he tells her about a war that’s going on, she doesn’t think twice and decides to go with him, to help destroy Ares, the God of War she thinks is responsible for this war. She comes from an island entirely made of women, and here she arrives, in the misogynist XXth century, where women don’t even have the right to vote and are supposed to keep their mouth shut. A XXth century where people kill innocent people for power.
Seeing the world though her eyes is something amazing, because where she comes from, misogyny, poverty, discrimination and racism don’t exist. But she finds herself in a world where if your skin colour isn’t the good colour, then you can’t exercise the job of your dreams, were women have to beg for someone to listen to what they have to say, to people asking for money in the streets because they don’t have any . . . basically you see everything that is wrong in this world.
But now I know . . . I’ve touched the darkness that lives in between the light. Seen the worst of this world, and the best. Seen the terrible things men do to each other in the name of hatred . . . and the lengths they’ll go to for love. Now I know. Only love can save the world.
So I stay. I fight and I give for the world I know can be. This my mission forever.
My man Steve is the purest person there is out there in this world. All he wants is to save people. That’s his mission in life. He just can’t stand and watch people get killed when he can fight and do something about this. That’s not who he is. He recognizes it himself : he’s not 100% good. The world and this war changed him, turned him into someone he sometimes doesn’t recognize because he had to learn to make sacrifices. This is probably the hardest thing he learned : let some people die so he can have a chance to save more. It costs him a lot. But there is Diana here to remind him he can try to save everybody and make a difference. He actually sees the good in the world, because I think if he didn’t, then he wouldn’t fight for it so much.
He chuckled to himself. He wasn’t afraid. But he was wistful. He wanted to show Diana the beautiful parts of this world. To share it with her. Newspapers and breakfasts. It was not to be. It was not to be. Still, he couldn’t stop smiling when he thought of her, and of what he was doing, and what this would mean for the world : Peace.
4.5
Making is another story altogether.
What one does when faced with the truth is more difficult than you think.
I learned this the hard way a long, long time ago. And now, I will never be the same.
I’m this person who saw the movie twice, and of course had to buy the novelization. I’d say one thing before really beginning my review : the book isn’t as good as the movie. The author cut some things, and sometimes it felt like the words used to describe a scene were too simple. But that being said, the story was still spectacular.
Diana is such an amazing character! She’s been taught all her life humans are fair and good, strong and passionate . . . let’s just she was quite disappointed when she discovered how they really were. But she believes in what’s good, she believes in piece and kindness, she believes in helping people in need. So when she meets Steve and he tells her about a war that’s going on, she doesn’t think twice and decides to go with him, to help destroy Ares, the God of War she thinks is responsible for this war. She comes from an island entirely made of women, and here she arrives, in the misogynist XXth century, where women don’t even have the right to vote and are supposed to keep their mouth shut. A XXth century where people kill innocent people for power.
Seeing the world though her eyes is something amazing, because where she comes from, misogyny, poverty, discrimination and racism don’t exist. But she finds herself in a world where if your skin colour isn’t the good colour, then you can’t exercise the job of your dreams, were women have to beg for someone to listen to what they have to say, to people asking for money in the streets because they don’t have any . . . basically you see everything that is wrong in this world.
But now I know . . . I’ve touched the darkness that lives in between the light. Seen the worst of this world, and the best. Seen the terrible things men do to each other in the name of hatred . . . and the lengths they’ll go to for love. Now I know. Only love can save the world.
So I stay. I fight and I give for the world I know can be. This my mission forever.
My man Steve is the purest person there is out there in this world. All he wants is to save people. That’s his mission in life. He just can’t stand and watch people get killed when he can fight and do something about this. That’s not who he is. He recognizes it himself : he’s not 100% good. The world and this war changed him, turned him into someone he sometimes doesn’t recognize because he had to learn to make sacrifices. This is probably the hardest thing he learned : let some people die so he can have a chance to save more. It costs him a lot. But there is Diana here to remind him he can try to save everybody and make a difference. He actually sees the good in the world, because I think if he didn’t, then he wouldn’t fight for it so much.
He chuckled to himself. He wasn’t afraid. But he was wistful. He wanted to show Diana the beautiful parts of this world. To share it with her. Newspapers and breakfasts. It was not to be. It was not to be. Still, he couldn’t stop smiling when he thought of her, and of what he was doing, and what this would mean for the world : Peace.
4.5
October 30, 2018
Better than some movie novelizations...
The writing went between awkward and good for during this read. It follows the movie well, and with some insight into everyone's heads you wouldn't get in the film.
The ending for me (with Diana and Ares fighting) still isn't my favorite part. The visual effects were great but felt overlong to me. The case was the same here, except without the visual aids provided by the movie.
All in all, a decent read and I was fun to spend time with the gang again.
The writing went between awkward and good for during this read. It follows the movie well, and with some insight into everyone's heads you wouldn't get in the film.
The ending for me (with Diana and Ares fighting) still isn't my favorite part. The visual effects were great but felt overlong to me. The case was the same here, except without the visual aids provided by the movie.
All in all, a decent read and I was fun to spend time with the gang again.
August 13, 2017
Ok, before I get any static about my low rating, let me be clear: I really enjoyed the movie. I think it's the best DC has done in years, and I'm so glad they finally seem to be getting their act together. So why is the book rated low? Well, this is one of the few times in my life I can recall saying, "The movie was better."
In fairness to Nancy Holder, I have no idea what restrictions she might have been under to write this. There are the many complications of not only writing someone else's character, but then retelling a movie that's already been written. Most of the book is a decent retelling of the events of the movie. But it was a few things along the way that really grated on me, throwing me out of the story each time I read them. And, honestly, it comes across as sloppy writing. Either someone overrode her, or she made some mistakes the editors really should have caught.
To get to some specifics, when Diana is a child on Themyscaria, going by the movie chronology, it should be right around the year 1900, give or take. So, her saying both "Busted" and "Boom. Done." is jarring at best. Modern terms do not belong in period pieces. Steve later uses "Busted" as well, so it's a recurring problem that really should have been caught by someone.
Later, after we get to World War I and meet the others, Chief's clothes get described as "Native American." Again, not back then. That's a very modern term. It's anachronistic and just plain wrong for the time.
Diana leaves the big gala after going undercover briefly, and is riding a horse to try and get back to the village that's being gassed. There are several references to her using spurs on the horse. So, either she wore spurs to the party and no one noticed, or, while trying desperately to save lives, she stopped to put on spurs that she got from... somewhere. Never seen Diana depicted as wearing spurs as part of her usual costume.
Back in the modern era, as she looks at the picture Bruce sent her, she reflects on her friends in the image being mortal and dead. Well, not according to most of what I read. Chief is believed to be Napi, a Native American trickster demi-god. Unless they killed him off screen, there's no reason for him to be dead, and he certainly wouldn't be "mortal."
None of these are big things. I get that. But they kept cropping up and they struck enough wrong notes to be distracting. They really needed to get edited out.
I still recommend the movie; it was great. This... wasn't.
In fairness to Nancy Holder, I have no idea what restrictions she might have been under to write this. There are the many complications of not only writing someone else's character, but then retelling a movie that's already been written. Most of the book is a decent retelling of the events of the movie. But it was a few things along the way that really grated on me, throwing me out of the story each time I read them. And, honestly, it comes across as sloppy writing. Either someone overrode her, or she made some mistakes the editors really should have caught.
To get to some specifics, when Diana is a child on Themyscaria, going by the movie chronology, it should be right around the year 1900, give or take. So, her saying both "Busted" and "Boom. Done." is jarring at best. Modern terms do not belong in period pieces. Steve later uses "Busted" as well, so it's a recurring problem that really should have been caught by someone.
Later, after we get to World War I and meet the others, Chief's clothes get described as "Native American." Again, not back then. That's a very modern term. It's anachronistic and just plain wrong for the time.
Diana leaves the big gala after going undercover briefly, and is riding a horse to try and get back to the village that's being gassed. There are several references to her using spurs on the horse. So, either she wore spurs to the party and no one noticed, or, while trying desperately to save lives, she stopped to put on spurs that she got from... somewhere. Never seen Diana depicted as wearing spurs as part of her usual costume.
Back in the modern era, as she looks at the picture Bruce sent her, she reflects on her friends in the image being mortal and dead. Well, not according to most of what I read. Chief is believed to be Napi, a Native American trickster demi-god. Unless they killed him off screen, there's no reason for him to be dead, and he certainly wouldn't be "mortal."
None of these are big things. I get that. But they kept cropping up and they struck enough wrong notes to be distracting. They really needed to get edited out.
I still recommend the movie; it was great. This... wasn't.
April 3, 2018
I think that writing a really good novelization is becoming a lost art. But Nancy Holder knows what she is doing. This is everything a good novelization should be.
The novel, obviously, follows the plot and action of the recent Wonder Women movie. The motivations and thoughts of several characters are fleshed. Importantly, there are three Amazons that Diana particularly admires - her mother, her aunt (aka her other mother), and Artmis (who is the black Amazon that Diana spars with in the movie). This is cool. I also highly enjoyed Diana's thoughts on Etta. There are some really wonderful passages, like young Diana's desire to fight peacocks. One improvement over the movie is the story of the Amazon's birth and the fight with Ares. Holder has both Antiope and HIppoytla tell Diana the story. I like Holder's staging of the story much better.
Incidentally, there was some comment about Diana's interaction when she meets Chief - the use of Blackfoot language is kept without a translation (it's easily enough to find out what is being referred to online). I really loved that touch.
3.5 but rounded up for the Etta Candy and Chief touches.
The novel, obviously, follows the plot and action of the recent Wonder Women movie. The motivations and thoughts of several characters are fleshed. Importantly, there are three Amazons that Diana particularly admires - her mother, her aunt (aka her other mother), and Artmis (who is the black Amazon that Diana spars with in the movie). This is cool. I also highly enjoyed Diana's thoughts on Etta. There are some really wonderful passages, like young Diana's desire to fight peacocks. One improvement over the movie is the story of the Amazon's birth and the fight with Ares. Holder has both Antiope and HIppoytla tell Diana the story. I like Holder's staging of the story much better.
Incidentally, there was some comment about Diana's interaction when she meets Chief - the use of Blackfoot language is kept without a translation (it's easily enough to find out what is being referred to online). I really loved that touch.
3.5 but rounded up for the Etta Candy and Chief touches.
Read
March 18, 2018I remember being in elementary school the first time I read a movie novelization. That particular novel was the go along with Star Wars, and I loved the additional depth it gave to a movie that I already loved.
Picking up this book was in the spirit of that same hope. That I'd see depth to a movie I really enjoyed, but about a third of the way through I'm done. It's a serviceable book and it follows the movie step by step, but without any heart to it. It's like a non-fiction recitation and I'd rather just see the movie again. It may work for others, but just not engaging enough for me.
Picking up this book was in the spirit of that same hope. That I'd see depth to a movie I really enjoyed, but about a third of the way through I'm done. It's a serviceable book and it follows the movie step by step, but without any heart to it. It's like a non-fiction recitation and I'd rather just see the movie again. It may work for others, but just not engaging enough for me.
January 2, 2018
"I can save today, you can save the world."
"It's not about what they deserve. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love."
"Now I know, only love can truly save the world."
THIS VIDEO WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME: https://youtu.be/GOv4Xul42y8
"It's not about what they deserve. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love."
"Now I know, only love can truly save the world."
THIS VIDEO WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME: https://youtu.be/GOv4Xul42y8
December 18, 2020
I would give it 2 starts but i didn't finish it, the first half was good, but then it got really slow and i had to stop reading.
July 11, 2017
FANBOY POV:
I wasn't a big fan of Wonder Woman, but after the movie, I fell madly in love with her.
CRITIQUE POV:
This book needs another round of editing.
THE REVIEW
WRITING STYLE:
Easy transitions. That's Miss Holder's strength as a writer. The way that she can grab you from one place to another, one setting to another, and one conflict to another. She can make worlds collide without confusing her readers. Her writing reminds me a little bit of Miss Jennifer Niven. The transitions are not too complicated. It's there to guide the readers. *Applause*
PACE:
I was actually surprised when I grabbed this version of the novelization instead of the Children's edition. Adult novels tend to be on the slow side when it comes to pacing, but this novel reads like a YA novel. After researching, I saw that Miss Holder had written YA novels too.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
I got a lot of information in this book that I did not find in the movie. The way each character connects from each other and how their flaws show are heartwarming. I've had moments where I say aaaaaww... that's why he/she said that. Now I know.
PLOT:
The plot is what makes the Wonder Woman movie strong and compelling. Because this is the novelization, I saw how the movie unfolds from the pages, but what I look at novelizations most of the time is the "insider info." Make readers feel that they are getting more because books are always like that-- they provide more information (more than the internet actually).
MY VERDICT:
Very amazing novelization. If you have no time, like me, to go to the theaters (or just too lazy), this book is the perfect alternative (even better alternative). I want to give this book a 5-star review so bad, but I just can't ignore the parts that need editing.
RATING BREAKDWON
WRITING STYLE: +1 STAR(S)
PACE: +1 STAR(S)
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: +1 STAR(S)
PLOT: +1 STAR(S)
MY VERDICT: NO STAR(S)
I wasn't a big fan of Wonder Woman, but after the movie, I fell madly in love with her.
CRITIQUE POV:
This book needs another round of editing.
THE REVIEW
WRITING STYLE:
Easy transitions. That's Miss Holder's strength as a writer. The way that she can grab you from one place to another, one setting to another, and one conflict to another. She can make worlds collide without confusing her readers. Her writing reminds me a little bit of Miss Jennifer Niven. The transitions are not too complicated. It's there to guide the readers. *Applause*
PACE:
I was actually surprised when I grabbed this version of the novelization instead of the Children's edition. Adult novels tend to be on the slow side when it comes to pacing, but this novel reads like a YA novel. After researching, I saw that Miss Holder had written YA novels too.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
I got a lot of information in this book that I did not find in the movie. The way each character connects from each other and how their flaws show are heartwarming. I've had moments where I say aaaaaww... that's why he/she said that. Now I know.
PLOT:
The plot is what makes the Wonder Woman movie strong and compelling. Because this is the novelization, I saw how the movie unfolds from the pages, but what I look at novelizations most of the time is the "insider info." Make readers feel that they are getting more because books are always like that-- they provide more information (more than the internet actually).
MY VERDICT:
Very amazing novelization. If you have no time, like me, to go to the theaters (or just too lazy), this book is the perfect alternative (even better alternative). I want to give this book a 5-star review so bad, but I just can't ignore the parts that need editing.
RATING BREAKDWON
WRITING STYLE: +1 STAR(S)
PACE: +1 STAR(S)
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: +1 STAR(S)
PLOT: +1 STAR(S)
MY VERDICT: NO STAR(S)
June 19, 2021
Diana, princess of the Amazons, has lived her whole life on the island of Themyscira, the only child in a community of female warriors. She yearns to be just as skilled a fighter as her Aunt Antiope, who secretly helps train her against Queen Hippolyta's wishes. One day, years later, that training becomes vital when a plane crashes near Themyscira and Diana saves its pilot.
The bulk of the story takes place during World War I, and Steve Trevor, the pilot Diana rescues, is an American spy desperately trying to take information back to the British. The Germans have developed a deadly new gas that could wipe out whole cities and towns and that can't be defended against. The more Diana hears about the war, the more convinced she is that the god Ares is behind it all. She decides to leave behind the only life she's ever known in order to join Steve, who she believes can lead her to Ares, and save humanity from the God of War's influence.
The last time I saw this movie was when it came out in theaters. I enjoyed it enough to buy the novelization when I saw it in stores, but I found that I didn't want to read it so soon after seeing the movie. It's now several years later, and my memories of the movie are fuzzy: a good time to finally read this book.
Unfortunately, my time would probably have been better spent rewatching the movie. This novelization offered nothing that wasn't conveyed as well or better in the movie, and it certainly didn't offer anything extra. The action scenes weren't as good, the story was occasionally confusing, and I found myself more likely to notice things that didn't quite make sense or were overly convenient.
I realize that novelizations have lots of constraints, and this was technically okay for what it was. Still, it could have been better. It didn't enhance my appreciation of any of the characters and scenes, I don't think it included any new scenes, and it didn't really work for me as a novel.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
The bulk of the story takes place during World War I, and Steve Trevor, the pilot Diana rescues, is an American spy desperately trying to take information back to the British. The Germans have developed a deadly new gas that could wipe out whole cities and towns and that can't be defended against. The more Diana hears about the war, the more convinced she is that the god Ares is behind it all. She decides to leave behind the only life she's ever known in order to join Steve, who she believes can lead her to Ares, and save humanity from the God of War's influence.
The last time I saw this movie was when it came out in theaters. I enjoyed it enough to buy the novelization when I saw it in stores, but I found that I didn't want to read it so soon after seeing the movie. It's now several years later, and my memories of the movie are fuzzy: a good time to finally read this book.
Unfortunately, my time would probably have been better spent rewatching the movie. This novelization offered nothing that wasn't conveyed as well or better in the movie, and it certainly didn't offer anything extra. The action scenes weren't as good, the story was occasionally confusing, and I found myself more likely to notice things that didn't quite make sense or were overly convenient.
I realize that novelizations have lots of constraints, and this was technically okay for what it was. Still, it could have been better. It didn't enhance my appreciation of any of the characters and scenes, I don't think it included any new scenes, and it didn't really work for me as a novel.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
August 1, 2017
I have not yet seen the film but the book is solid: well written, well paced, a fun story that hold up on its own. The imagery of film can only make it better. Recommended.
Read
November 2, 2025I hate a book with typos.
August 30, 2023
“‘Be careful in the world of men, Diana. They do not deserve you.’” - Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons
Wonder Woman is my favourite superhero and this movie is one of my favourite movies. I'm so inspired by Diana, especially in this movie. Diana knows the value of life and finds great pleasure in the small things. When she enters the world of men, she is horrified again and again by what she discovers. Steve Trevor is embarrassed to have to show her what the world has become, especially how most women are treated here. She struggles to justify the actions of everyone, even the people trying to do good. She can't understand the unfeelingness of some people. I don't think she ever really does understand but eventually learns to appreciate the beauty that survives despite the darkness. The war and the friends she makes there teach her that.
“You would knowingly sacrifice all those lives, as if they mean less than yours? As if they meant nothing? Where I come from, generals don’t hide in their offices like cowards. They fight alongside their soldiers. They die with them on the battlefield.” - Diana Prince
The writing style wasn't great. Oftentimes I felt that the author was doing more telling than showing, and since this is a movie novelization their really should be more showing, shouldn't there? However, I really did enjoy the insight into the thoughts of Diana, Hippolyta, Steve, his friends, and General Ludendorff and Dr. Maru. I understand the twisted minds of the villians a bit better, especially Dr. Maru. I also really loved the insight into Hippolyta, who struggles with her desire to protect her daughter from her destiny. Like every mother, she cannot keep her child forever. Diana's reason for being cannot be fulfilled on Themyscira. She must venture into a world that really does not deserve her.
“'Can I see [the Godkiller], Mother?'
A strange expression washed over her mother’s face. She studied Diana hard; then her mouth curled downward as if she were sad. Something seemed to go out of her—that she was not so much making a choice as admitting some kind of defeat.”
Wonder Woman is my favourite superhero and this movie is one of my favourite movies. I'm so inspired by Diana, especially in this movie. Diana knows the value of life and finds great pleasure in the small things. When she enters the world of men, she is horrified again and again by what she discovers. Steve Trevor is embarrassed to have to show her what the world has become, especially how most women are treated here. She struggles to justify the actions of everyone, even the people trying to do good. She can't understand the unfeelingness of some people. I don't think she ever really does understand but eventually learns to appreciate the beauty that survives despite the darkness. The war and the friends she makes there teach her that.
“You would knowingly sacrifice all those lives, as if they mean less than yours? As if they meant nothing? Where I come from, generals don’t hide in their offices like cowards. They fight alongside their soldiers. They die with them on the battlefield.” - Diana Prince
The writing style wasn't great. Oftentimes I felt that the author was doing more telling than showing, and since this is a movie novelization their really should be more showing, shouldn't there? However, I really did enjoy the insight into the thoughts of Diana, Hippolyta, Steve, his friends, and General Ludendorff and Dr. Maru. I understand the twisted minds of the villians a bit better, especially Dr. Maru. I also really loved the insight into Hippolyta, who struggles with her desire to protect her daughter from her destiny. Like every mother, she cannot keep her child forever. Diana's reason for being cannot be fulfilled on Themyscira. She must venture into a world that really does not deserve her.
“'Can I see [the Godkiller], Mother?'
A strange expression washed over her mother’s face. She studied Diana hard; then her mouth curled downward as if she were sad. Something seemed to go out of her—that she was not so much making a choice as admitting some kind of defeat.”
March 3, 2018
Not bad for a novelization of a movie! I wound up skimming over most of the retelling of action sequences, but the way that Diana and Steve are written together is nice. Steve's death sequence is particularly touching.
June 15, 2017
Serviceable novelization of a brilliant movie.
February 5, 2018
Reads mostly like the movie with a few minor differences. It didn't seem to have the depth of feeling that the movie did which surprised me. There really isn't much of the internal thoughts that deepened a scene. Movie was fantastic, this less so...which I find rather surprising.
December 31, 2021
I picked this up because Wonder Woman! I love, love the movie and I thought this might add some additional insights. Nope! Don't bother reading this. Watch the movie, it's better.
February 15, 2018
It's no mean feat to write a novelization. Bear in mind that the usual length of a film script is much shorter than a novel; my film script for my vampire crime thriller Chill of the Shadow came to 120 pages, 22,500 words, while the book’s word-count was 80,000. Those additional words provide the reader additional visuals, backstory, and characters’ introspection.
The main problems for the writer of a novelization are that they may be working from an early script and they have a very tight deadline, possibly as little as a week or two. Novelizations are invariably published prior to a film’s release. This can be seen in Dewey Gram’s version of Gladiator, an excellent book: there were scenes in his novelization that did not appear in the theatre release, though ultimately they were reinstated in the Director’s Cut.
Prolific author Nancy Holder has done a sterling job with her Wonder Woman novelization.
The book begins, as does the film, in the present, in Paris, where Diana Prince, the Curator of Antiquities worked in the Louvre Museum. She receives a package from Wayne Industries, a sepia photograph – ‘a moment of triumph frozen in time, shared by the four unsmiling, heavily armed men who bracketed her. Though the monochrome photo couldn’t show it, the eyes of the man standing to her right had been intensely blue, as blue as the sea that surrounded Themyscira, the island of her birth…’ A hundred years ago. When Wonder Woman came into being.
Then we travel to the past, to Themyscira, and the childhood of Princess Diana, a wayward child who is fascinated by the history of the Amazons, the inhabitants of the island, a place where no man lives. Long-lived, they train as warriors in order to combat the last surviving god, Ares. Holder evokes humour and mischief as Diana, the only child on the island, grows into young womanhood.
Scenes shift neatly, until Diana witnesses something other than a bird plummeting from the sky and falling into the sea. She dives to investigate – and rescues the pilot, Steve Trevor, from a sinking airplane. Happily, the Amazons are fluent in many of Earth’s languages. The interchange between the pair is of wonder on both sides, leavened with mystery and amusement.
It transpires that Steve is a spy, fleeing from German General Ludendorff and his warped scientist, Dr Maru. This evil pair has concocted the means to prolong the War to End All Wars at a time when Germany is seeking armistice.
Diana joins forces with Steve to fight this menace.
Skilled actors can convey emotions and to a certain extent their character’s thought processes. And in the movie they do just that. Holder then gives their thoughts and fears life on the page, whether that’s the naivety of Diana or the pure evil of Ludendorff and his acolyte.
If you haven’t seen the film and yet are curious about the character, then this book will offer an intriguing and adventurous tale, well told. If you have seen the film, then this provides further insight for several characters, not only Diana, and as you read you will visualise again many of the scenes.
An exciting story, told with pace, wit and affection.
The main problems for the writer of a novelization are that they may be working from an early script and they have a very tight deadline, possibly as little as a week or two. Novelizations are invariably published prior to a film’s release. This can be seen in Dewey Gram’s version of Gladiator, an excellent book: there were scenes in his novelization that did not appear in the theatre release, though ultimately they were reinstated in the Director’s Cut.
Prolific author Nancy Holder has done a sterling job with her Wonder Woman novelization.
The book begins, as does the film, in the present, in Paris, where Diana Prince, the Curator of Antiquities worked in the Louvre Museum. She receives a package from Wayne Industries, a sepia photograph – ‘a moment of triumph frozen in time, shared by the four unsmiling, heavily armed men who bracketed her. Though the monochrome photo couldn’t show it, the eyes of the man standing to her right had been intensely blue, as blue as the sea that surrounded Themyscira, the island of her birth…’ A hundred years ago. When Wonder Woman came into being.
Then we travel to the past, to Themyscira, and the childhood of Princess Diana, a wayward child who is fascinated by the history of the Amazons, the inhabitants of the island, a place where no man lives. Long-lived, they train as warriors in order to combat the last surviving god, Ares. Holder evokes humour and mischief as Diana, the only child on the island, grows into young womanhood.
Scenes shift neatly, until Diana witnesses something other than a bird plummeting from the sky and falling into the sea. She dives to investigate – and rescues the pilot, Steve Trevor, from a sinking airplane. Happily, the Amazons are fluent in many of Earth’s languages. The interchange between the pair is of wonder on both sides, leavened with mystery and amusement.
It transpires that Steve is a spy, fleeing from German General Ludendorff and his warped scientist, Dr Maru. This evil pair has concocted the means to prolong the War to End All Wars at a time when Germany is seeking armistice.
Diana joins forces with Steve to fight this menace.
Skilled actors can convey emotions and to a certain extent their character’s thought processes. And in the movie they do just that. Holder then gives their thoughts and fears life on the page, whether that’s the naivety of Diana or the pure evil of Ludendorff and his acolyte.
If you haven’t seen the film and yet are curious about the character, then this book will offer an intriguing and adventurous tale, well told. If you have seen the film, then this provides further insight for several characters, not only Diana, and as you read you will visualise again many of the scenes.
An exciting story, told with pace, wit and affection.
August 12, 2017
I'm very generously giving this book a 2 star rating. I have rarely been so happy to finish a book. I'm actually a little disgusted that this is the "Official Movie Novelization" because it was THAT bad. Absolutely no editing, the characters were very flimsy and I just had no desire to get more into the book. I am not denying the fact that the movie was likely excellent, but this book was complete and total garbage.
I don't know who edited this, but they should be out of a job. How difficult is it for a person, author or editor, to get the correct "hangar" when writing a book??? I can't tell you the amount of times that they switched from hanger to hangar throughout this book. It was so irritating.
There were many scenes where action was described halfheartedly and I really didn't have any idea what was going on. Someone would be on the floor and we'd have no idea how they got there?
Many editing mistakes made this book entirely unreadable for me. Things such as:
"Every sense fired as she the truth crashed down on her."
"He turned them back and forth, examining them, and he ran them hand along the magical rope."
"He had no idea if they masks they wore would keep out the gas or they had been designed to protect the rank and file."
"Diana leaped into the air as he unleashed a massive lighting blast..."
I'm just glad it's over. Hopefully my next spontaneous read is not this poorly written.
I don't know who edited this, but they should be out of a job. How difficult is it for a person, author or editor, to get the correct "hangar" when writing a book??? I can't tell you the amount of times that they switched from hanger to hangar throughout this book. It was so irritating.
There were many scenes where action was described halfheartedly and I really didn't have any idea what was going on. Someone would be on the floor and we'd have no idea how they got there?
Many editing mistakes made this book entirely unreadable for me. Things such as:
"Every sense fired as she the truth crashed down on her."
"He turned them back and forth, examining them, and he ran them hand along the magical rope."
"He had no idea if they masks they wore would keep out the gas or they had been designed to protect the rank and file."
"Diana leaped into the air as he unleashed a massive lighting blast..."
I'm just glad it's over. Hopefully my next spontaneous read is not this poorly written.
June 3, 2022
Reviewing movie novelizations is hard, because there are often so many rules and restrictions on what the author can write. I gave this book three stars because it's a great story (and a phenomenal movie), and I thought the author did a decent job with what little she was probably given to work with. However, it almost deserves two stars because of the number of typos. Again, I don't blame the author. However, a company as big as Warner/DC and whatever publisher they used ought to be able to afford a decent line editor. Many typos, misplaced punctuation, etc.
Story-wise it's a decent book. It's basically the film word-for-word. I'd been hoping for more insight into the other characters' heads, or some scenes that were cut from the final film, but this seemed to be based off the final cut of the movie, not an older draft of the script.
Worth reading if you're bored in an airport. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. The movie was much better.
Story-wise it's a decent book. It's basically the film word-for-word. I'd been hoping for more insight into the other characters' heads, or some scenes that were cut from the final film, but this seemed to be based off the final cut of the movie, not an older draft of the script.
Worth reading if you're bored in an airport. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. The movie was much better.
July 3, 2017
I was pretty disappointed in this book. They must have been in a rush to get it onto the shelves because there were quite a few mistakes that should have been easy for an editor to catch. The romance felt strange and forced and was left at this point where even though it was supposed to be important to the story it was kind of ignored most the time. You didn't really get to know any of the supporting characters enough to really like them and obvious connections to their personality, such as Chief's kindness, were needlessly highlighted by the author. I expected a much higher quality book than what I got.
August 24, 2017
Who let this exist? How could anyone take such a well-done movie and create . . . . this. Instead of backstory and elaboration and interior thoughts of the main characters we get three page descriptions of gun history that doesn't matter and that Diana would never have been taught, and detailed fight scenes. Any scene that is plot or character driven is reduced to nothing. There is no romance or passion here at all, unless it is towards the weaponry. I feel like I'd've been better spending my time watching the movie again rather than reading this. Shame, since I was super excited about reading this, too.
June 19, 2017
Book is exactly written as movie, I tought that Leigh Badugo is writing also book about Wonder Woman, I wonder how will it be different.
I don't exactly feel the need for this book as all that is in it is in the movie, and for anything else comic lovers already knows everything about Diana, Wonder Woman.
I don't exactly feel the need for this book as all that is in it is in the movie, and for anything else comic lovers already knows everything about Diana, Wonder Woman.
August 13, 2017
I am extremely disappointed with this novelization. Not only does the author rewrite or skip over some of the best small moments of the film, but she misinterprets almost all of the characters. These are not the women and men that I fell in love with in the theater. This is not the Diana I know and love and look up to.
January 15, 2018
This felt very slapped together and hurried. After seeing Wonder Woman, an excellent film that was full of craft and artistry, reading this book was depressing. It feels very much as though the author simply slapped the script down onto paper and wrote some filler without doing any research.
December 20, 2019
One of those rare occasions when the movie actually is better than the book. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s difficult to top an action packed superhero movie! Wonder Woman: The Official Movie Novelization is a book written about a movie - an uncommon approach.
Wonder Woman begins with Diana as a girl, daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, living on the secret island of Themyscira. As a princess she must be educated and trained. Through her tutoring she learns the history of her people and her gods, through her training she learns to be a skilled warrior. When a foreigner (a downed pilot) falls from the sky she learns of the troubles that the outside world is facing. Believing that the root of the world’s problem is Ares, God of War, she leaves Themyscira to help in the fight. As time goes on Diana’s powers grow ever stronger. The story follows Diana and Steve Trevor as they work to end the war. Diana by trying to find and finish off Ares, Steve by a more conventional way, as a spy, trying to steal secrets from the enemy as they both seek the end the "war to end all wars”. “It’s not about what they deserve. It’s about what you believe. And I believe in love, thought Diana.”
The novelization is easy to follow and allows for information on some of the back characters. It’s a fun read if you have some extra time on your hands. Personally, I’ll stick to the movie version from here on out. Did I mention that I love superheroes? ⭐️⭐️⭐️
For more book reviews follow me on Instagram #emptynestreader and on goodreads
#wonderwoman #theofficialmovienovelization #nancyholder #titanbooks #novel #action #bookstagramalabama #readingmoms #bookstagrammichigan #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #books📚#ebooks #booklove #bookcommunity #kindle #librarybooks #audiobooks #audiblebookclub #booksbooksbooks #readingbringsjoy #bookaddicts #whatimreading #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle
Wonder Woman begins with Diana as a girl, daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, living on the secret island of Themyscira. As a princess she must be educated and trained. Through her tutoring she learns the history of her people and her gods, through her training she learns to be a skilled warrior. When a foreigner (a downed pilot) falls from the sky she learns of the troubles that the outside world is facing. Believing that the root of the world’s problem is Ares, God of War, she leaves Themyscira to help in the fight. As time goes on Diana’s powers grow ever stronger. The story follows Diana and Steve Trevor as they work to end the war. Diana by trying to find and finish off Ares, Steve by a more conventional way, as a spy, trying to steal secrets from the enemy as they both seek the end the "war to end all wars”. “It’s not about what they deserve. It’s about what you believe. And I believe in love, thought Diana.”
The novelization is easy to follow and allows for information on some of the back characters. It’s a fun read if you have some extra time on your hands. Personally, I’ll stick to the movie version from here on out. Did I mention that I love superheroes? ⭐️⭐️⭐️
For more book reviews follow me on Instagram #emptynestreader and on goodreads
#wonderwoman #theofficialmovienovelization #nancyholder #titanbooks #novel #action #bookstagramalabama #readingmoms #bookstagrammichigan #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #books📚#ebooks #booklove #bookcommunity #kindle #librarybooks #audiobooks #audiblebookclub #booksbooksbooks #readingbringsjoy #bookaddicts #whatimreading #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle
June 24, 2017
A good novelization of the hit film.
It's a faithful retelling, with minimal fleshing out of scenes or dialogue that you sometimes get in movie novelizations. The director of the film, Patty Jenkins, is quoted as saying that there were no deleted scenes from film, and the fact that there's very little additional material in this novelization does kind of back that up.
The book does add to the film however by expanding on the thoughts of Diana and of Steve Trevor when the POV is focused on them. You really get more of a sense of Diana's straightforwardness, and perhaps naivety, as she leaves her home of Themyscira on a quest that takes her to the world of man during the First World War to defeat Ares the God Of War. We're also able to read the thoughts of Steve Trevor, revealing that he's very much in love with Diana and although he may not believe in the whole Amazons and Gods scenario, he does still trust and believe in Diana completely.
The book is split into three parts - essentially the three acts of the film - Amazon, Warrior and Wonder Woman, and I like the way each part starts with a quote that sums up what you're about to read.
I like reading movie novelizations, whether it's after I've seen the film or if I'm not all that bothered about seeing the film at all, and I enjoyed this one. The only other book I've read previously by Nancy Holder was the novelization for the recent 'Ghostbusters' film, I've not seen the movie but I did enjoy the book. But with this one, I have seen the film and was good to revisit the movie on the written page/kindle.
It's a well written book that doesn't veer too much away from what was up on the screen, so if you're a fan of the film then you'll enjoy reliving it again with this novelization.
It's a faithful retelling, with minimal fleshing out of scenes or dialogue that you sometimes get in movie novelizations. The director of the film, Patty Jenkins, is quoted as saying that there were no deleted scenes from film, and the fact that there's very little additional material in this novelization does kind of back that up.
The book does add to the film however by expanding on the thoughts of Diana and of Steve Trevor when the POV is focused on them. You really get more of a sense of Diana's straightforwardness, and perhaps naivety, as she leaves her home of Themyscira on a quest that takes her to the world of man during the First World War to defeat Ares the God Of War. We're also able to read the thoughts of Steve Trevor, revealing that he's very much in love with Diana and although he may not believe in the whole Amazons and Gods scenario, he does still trust and believe in Diana completely.
The book is split into three parts - essentially the three acts of the film - Amazon, Warrior and Wonder Woman, and I like the way each part starts with a quote that sums up what you're about to read.
I like reading movie novelizations, whether it's after I've seen the film or if I'm not all that bothered about seeing the film at all, and I enjoyed this one. The only other book I've read previously by Nancy Holder was the novelization for the recent 'Ghostbusters' film, I've not seen the movie but I did enjoy the book. But with this one, I have seen the film and was good to revisit the movie on the written page/kindle.
It's a well written book that doesn't veer too much away from what was up on the screen, so if you're a fan of the film then you'll enjoy reliving it again with this novelization.
July 2, 2020
2.5
This was tough to rate. Ultimately, I thought it was very in the middle when it comes to novelizations. However, I did enjoy it and would tentatively recommend it to other novelization fans which is why I rounded up.
The biggest difficulty when reviewing a novelization is what problems were the writer’s fault and what problems were the script’s fault. In this case I think the problems I did have with the movie were amplified here, so I’d say those were script faults and won’t mention them too much.
Overall, I thought Nancy Holder did a good job finding the tone and understanding these characters. The first act was a bit rough, though I understand writing all that exposition and montages can be difficult, but when Diana finally leaves the island Holder has a solid grasp of the story and it flies by.
A few nitpicks I had were some, but not all, comedy scenes didn’t really land in book form. They play better with actors. I really wish an editor went over this another time (or first time) because there were quite a bit of simple mistakes, especially in the third act.
Holder does a good job at bringing Diana’s inner voice to light and fleshing our her naïveté and obsession with Ares compared to the movie. Other than that it’s what you expect out t a novelization.
Kinda wish there was a prequel story, maybe from Hyppolyta’s point of view when she first got Diana.
This was tough to rate. Ultimately, I thought it was very in the middle when it comes to novelizations. However, I did enjoy it and would tentatively recommend it to other novelization fans which is why I rounded up.
The biggest difficulty when reviewing a novelization is what problems were the writer’s fault and what problems were the script’s fault. In this case I think the problems I did have with the movie were amplified here, so I’d say those were script faults and won’t mention them too much.
Overall, I thought Nancy Holder did a good job finding the tone and understanding these characters. The first act was a bit rough, though I understand writing all that exposition and montages can be difficult, but when Diana finally leaves the island Holder has a solid grasp of the story and it flies by.
A few nitpicks I had were some, but not all, comedy scenes didn’t really land in book form. They play better with actors. I really wish an editor went over this another time (or first time) because there were quite a bit of simple mistakes, especially in the third act.
Holder does a good job at bringing Diana’s inner voice to light and fleshing our her naïveté and obsession with Ares compared to the movie. Other than that it’s what you expect out t a novelization.
Kinda wish there was a prequel story, maybe from Hyppolyta’s point of view when she first got Diana.
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