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Tron
Computer programmer Kevin Flynn is transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer, where he interacts with various programs in his attempt to get back out. During his adventure he meets Tron, a rebel program fighting the tyrannical Master Control Program.
A novel based on a screenplay by Steven Lisberger
Story by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird
A novel based on a screenplay by Steven Lisberger
Story by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird
182 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Brian Daley
48 books101 followersBrian was born in Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey on Dec. 22, 1947. A blizzard kept him and his mother at the hospital over Christmas, and the nurses sang "Away in a Manger" to them.
His middle name is Charles. He grew up in Rockleigh, NJ. His mother's name was Myra and his father's name was Charles. He has an older brother, David, and a younger sister, also named Myra. He had no children of his own, but he was always great with his two nieces and four nephews.
He went to Nathan Hale Elementary School in Norwood, NJ, and a consolidated High School - Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, NJ.
Brian loved to read, drive his '74 Corvette Stingray, spend summers with me on Martha's Vineyard, and travel to wild and exotic places like the jungles of Guatemala and Mexico, and the mountains of Nepal.
He said he wanted to write from an early age, about third grade. He also read a LOT of science fiction as a kid, and that inspired him.
After he graduated from high school in 1965 he joined the army and went to Vietnam for a year's tour of duty. Then he went to Berlin, Germany.
After the army he went to Jersey City State College, majoring in media. While attending college and working as a waiter at a local steak house, he also wrote his first novel, Doomfarers of Coromande. Del Rey Books accepted it and started him on his writing career. The editor picked Brian's manuscript out of the "slush" pile (unsolicited manuscripts) because it was the most neatly typed, but it wasn't accepted right away. The editor made Brian do a lot of re-writing.
When the first STAR WARS movie came out Brian saw it, and he was elated. He said he came out of the theater fundamentally changed. His editor asked which character he would like to write about for a movie-related novel. Brian said he picked Han Solo because Han was the only one who made a moral decision... he started out on the wrong side of the law, but joined with the good guys. And to tell you the truth, Brian was a whole lot like Han, a maverick.
He died of pancreatic cancer in February of 1996. He had just turned 49. He wrote the adaptation for National Public Radio drama THE RETURN OF THE JEDI while he was undergoing chemotherapy. He died at his house in Maryland the night the Jedi radio cast was toasting him at their wrap party, having finished the taping of the shows that day.
When they posted the notice of his death, messages began coming in from all over the world. The gist of them was that his passing created a "disturbance in the Force."
Brian Daley's first novel, The Doomfarers of Coramonde, was published on the first Del Rey list in 1977. It was an immediate success, and Brian went on to write its sequel, The Starfollowers of Coramonde, and many other successful novels: A Tapestry of Magics, three volumes of The Adventures of Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh, and, under the shared pseudonym 'Jack McKinney', ten and one half of the twenty-one Robotech novels. He first conceived of the complex GammaL.A.W. saga in Nepal, in 1984, and worked on its four volumes for the next twelve years, finishing it shortly before his death in 1996.
His middle name is Charles. He grew up in Rockleigh, NJ. His mother's name was Myra and his father's name was Charles. He has an older brother, David, and a younger sister, also named Myra. He had no children of his own, but he was always great with his two nieces and four nephews.
He went to Nathan Hale Elementary School in Norwood, NJ, and a consolidated High School - Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, NJ.
Brian loved to read, drive his '74 Corvette Stingray, spend summers with me on Martha's Vineyard, and travel to wild and exotic places like the jungles of Guatemala and Mexico, and the mountains of Nepal.
He said he wanted to write from an early age, about third grade. He also read a LOT of science fiction as a kid, and that inspired him.
After he graduated from high school in 1965 he joined the army and went to Vietnam for a year's tour of duty. Then he went to Berlin, Germany.
After the army he went to Jersey City State College, majoring in media. While attending college and working as a waiter at a local steak house, he also wrote his first novel, Doomfarers of Coromande. Del Rey Books accepted it and started him on his writing career. The editor picked Brian's manuscript out of the "slush" pile (unsolicited manuscripts) because it was the most neatly typed, but it wasn't accepted right away. The editor made Brian do a lot of re-writing.
When the first STAR WARS movie came out Brian saw it, and he was elated. He said he came out of the theater fundamentally changed. His editor asked which character he would like to write about for a movie-related novel. Brian said he picked Han Solo because Han was the only one who made a moral decision... he started out on the wrong side of the law, but joined with the good guys. And to tell you the truth, Brian was a whole lot like Han, a maverick.
He died of pancreatic cancer in February of 1996. He had just turned 49. He wrote the adaptation for National Public Radio drama THE RETURN OF THE JEDI while he was undergoing chemotherapy. He died at his house in Maryland the night the Jedi radio cast was toasting him at their wrap party, having finished the taping of the shows that day.
When they posted the notice of his death, messages began coming in from all over the world. The gist of them was that his passing created a "disturbance in the Force."
Brian Daley's first novel, The Doomfarers of Coramonde, was published on the first Del Rey list in 1977. It was an immediate success, and Brian went on to write its sequel, The Starfollowers of Coramonde, and many other successful novels: A Tapestry of Magics, three volumes of The Adventures of Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh, and, under the shared pseudonym 'Jack McKinney', ten and one half of the twenty-one Robotech novels. He first conceived of the complex GammaL.A.W. saga in Nepal, in 1984, and worked on its four volumes for the next twelve years, finishing it shortly before his death in 1996.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
May 3, 2010
No, this isn't really a 4 star book, but I love it like one. It, the game & the movie fired my imagination well before we had the Internet. It's been my gauge of virtual reality for years. It's probably kind of lame now, but it deserves extra consideration as one of the pioneers.
February 12, 2011
I gave this top marks because I have such a soft spot for 80s' mystification of computers and mild technophobia mixed with nervous optimism, and this film/book captures it perfectly.
March 8, 2010
I remember reading this book before watching the movie "Tron." That was before I was old enough to get driver's license. I was a still a young boy back then. My dad took me to watch "Tron" at the theater. Nice memories.
December 19, 2022
When computer programmer Kevin Flynn is betrayed and transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer, he interacts with various programs in his attempt to get back out. While in the digital world he meets Tron, a rebel program created by his friend Alan Bradley, fighting the tyrannical Master Control Program and Flynn joins in.
The novelisation of the 1982 Disney film, Daley makes a good job of the basic premise of the story and completely sells the idea of being inside a computer. Characterisation is brisk as is the pace, while Daley’s sure handling of the plot and dialogue stop things being swamped with babble-speak. It’s been a long time since I saw the film - this is apparently based on the shooting script and includes scenes not in the movie - but reading this has made me want to watch it. Well worth a read, I very much enjoyed it.
The novelisation of the 1982 Disney film, Daley makes a good job of the basic premise of the story and completely sells the idea of being inside a computer. Characterisation is brisk as is the pace, while Daley’s sure handling of the plot and dialogue stop things being swamped with babble-speak. It’s been a long time since I saw the film - this is apparently based on the shooting script and includes scenes not in the movie - but reading this has made me want to watch it. Well worth a read, I very much enjoyed it.
December 30, 2025
Although I wouldn’t recommend this if you haven’t seen the film, if you’re a big Tron fan I’d recommend finding a copy. Luckily my dad bought this after watching and not understanding the movie in 1982 and gave it to me a few years ago.
The writing style is the main issue; overly descriptive and detailed in parts, rapidly shifting POVs in others. Although the latter was fine for me.
This includes the missing scenes from the film, most available on the newer releases of the movie, and a more detailed epilogue than the movie too.
I now know that the Bit that came to Flynn was Clu’s, what happened when Flynn jumped in the beam… and apparently Flynn has a middle name starting with O???
Very glad I read it and happy to have it in my Tron collection.
End of Line.
The writing style is the main issue; overly descriptive and detailed in parts, rapidly shifting POVs in others. Although the latter was fine for me.
This includes the missing scenes from the film, most available on the newer releases of the movie, and a more detailed epilogue than the movie too.
I now know that the Bit that came to Flynn was Clu’s, what happened when Flynn jumped in the beam… and apparently Flynn has a middle name starting with O???
Very glad I read it and happy to have it in my Tron collection.
End of Line.
February 19, 2025
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
I'm finally going through my tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
I'm finally going through my tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
July 13, 2024
For fans of the movie; it’s a really nice novelisation…with everything present and correct and some nice additions thrown in .
October 18, 2022
Very solid adaptation of the classic cult movie, Tron. Based on the original script, this version digs a bit deeper into the inner lives of all of the main characters, which made for a richer read by this lifelong Tron fan.
May 24, 2015
Ok so I am a massive nerd and I really love reading tie-ins and quite often even enjoy film/TV novelizations too! I honestly can't remember how I got hold of this in EBOOK format, but I have it so I read it.
It made me appreciate the Tron 'world' a bit more..? Amazingly enough. It was quite fun to read and even though it was really similar to the film, there was enough interesting descriptions and the like that made it fun to read on it's own. Not really something for casual Tron fans or people looking to skip the movie lol...
It also made me realise just how 'spiritual' the Tron universe is???? I know that's weird but listen, these programs believes in THE USER like they are these gods but each program has their own personal god, their own user. It's just really fascinating and it's something I never really paid too much attention to.
The reboot/sequel film does make the spiritual thing a bit more obvious but in another slightly more obvious way. While I think the original film is a bit more subtle with it and isn't as PRODIGAL SON/HOLY ONE as the 2010 film.
Like I said, I'm a massive nerd and I really do adore the Tron universe so this was a lot of fun for me to read and it helped that the writing was fun to read too!!
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
It made me appreciate the Tron 'world' a bit more..? Amazingly enough. It was quite fun to read and even though it was really similar to the film, there was enough interesting descriptions and the like that made it fun to read on it's own. Not really something for casual Tron fans or people looking to skip the movie lol...
It also made me realise just how 'spiritual' the Tron universe is???? I know that's weird but listen, these programs believes in THE USER like they are these gods but each program has their own personal god, their own user. It's just really fascinating and it's something I never really paid too much attention to.
The reboot/sequel film does make the spiritual thing a bit more obvious but in another slightly more obvious way. While I think the original film is a bit more subtle with it and isn't as PRODIGAL SON/HOLY ONE as the 2010 film.
Like I said, I'm a massive nerd and I really do adore the Tron universe so this was a lot of fun for me to read and it helped that the writing was fun to read too!!
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
January 31, 2013
Quick paced yet insightful, Daley's novelization of the film is much better than I would have expected. Despite stripping away some of the most noteworthy aspects of the TRON film, namely the groundbreaking special effects (for 1982), the stellar sound effects and sweet synth of Carlos' score, the author handles the basic necessities, while bringing into the book what films rarely can: internal dialogue. The recaps of the action are exciting, the descriptions of the computer world are apt enough and don't slow the story down - you can imagine enough of what's going on without long-winded descriptions. The addition of knowing what the characters are thinking is key and very well done. There's just enough drawn in that explains a look that either Flynn, Sark or Tron might have had on screen, and in many cases this rounds out the characters a bit.
All in all, while you can read this on its own, it's doubly effective if you know the movie, or (re)watch it afterwards. Both are deeper with the other, but if anything, this novel proved to me that the original film wasn't all CGI/sound fluff, there's a fairly solid tale to be told.
All in all, while you can read this on its own, it's doubly effective if you know the movie, or (re)watch it afterwards. Both are deeper with the other, but if anything, this novel proved to me that the original film wasn't all CGI/sound fluff, there's a fairly solid tale to be told.
June 16, 2017
The book was written very simply, and it didn't really add very much to the movie for me, which is what I had hoped for. Aside from that, this novelization of Tron let me slow down the pace of the movie, and it allowed me to think about the symbolic intention of the movie. For that, I was appreciative.
June 21, 2010
I read this a long time ago ... it was okay.
June 20, 2024
Honestly this was one of the better movie novelizations I've ever read, though to be fair that's not a subgenre I read often. But the movie itself is so wild and jumpy and confusing (/affectionate), so getting to take some time and allow the characters and plot a little room to breathe and develop was a real pleasure. This really shined a whole new light on these characters' motivations and desires, revealing them to be far more multi-faceted than we see on screen. Ultimately it was a pretty brisk retelling of a wacky '80s disney scifi movie, but then there were these moments of such profound clarity and insight that I kept finding myself setting the book down so I could sit and think and recalibrate my whole understanding of what was going on in this world--and then snatching the book back up so I could gobble up the next few pages. I started the book assuming Brian Daley was just earning his next paycheck, and ended it thinking he was a genius who understood these characters far better than many of the people involved in making the film (and its sequel). Anyway, I cannot possibly imagine recommending this book to anyone who hadn't seen the movie (mostly because I can't convince most of my friends to watch *it* with me, and that's a far shorter time commitment), but I definitely think it's worth reading if you have even a passing interest in this franchise. Here's hoping Ares isn't a complete waste of everyone's time, so we can get a fresh new print run (the copy I managed to get my hands on is an original mmpb, missing a couple of the photo plates, with its 40-year-old binding glue holding on for dear life), and perhaps even an audiobook someday? Though if it were read by anyone but BBox I will cry.
June 26, 2026
A great novelization of the titular film but also a solid sci-fi novel in its own right, one that works as one of the first Cyberpunk books. The characters felt unique and I loved their interactions and dynamics with one another, although I did feel some of them (especially Flynn) where a little shallow. The idea of computer programs worshipping their users, only to find out they are not all-powerful and very similar to them, is fascinating, especially since that discovery implies there may be another higher power above the users. However, I found it frustrating that there was so much time spent building up the real-world and love triangle, only for the falling action and conclusion to be literally only around five pages. The vocabulary was also excellent. Despite some pacing issues and inconsistent character depth, this is a solid novelization and sci-fi novel that I would recommend for any Tron or eighties sci-fi fan.
October 10, 2022
I was 18 in 1982, when this book was published, and it would be five years before I would first own a computer. The university where I was a student had some, of course. Mainframes, in a special building. I would guess that they had less processing power than my phone today. We learnt Basic and Fortran. That is the world in which Tron is set, and it is remarkable that even then people were scared of AI and that computers would take over the world. Brian Daley portrays this as a physical battle inside the computer itself, with remarkable success. The film on which this is based was rubbish (and not just due to the technical limitations of the 80s) but this book did a much better job.
May 26, 2018
TRON was one of my earliest loves, and the book holds up, as long as you accept the fantastical premise (and particulars) and enjoy the ride. For a mass market novelization of a Disney film, the vocabulary well from which the author drew his words was surprisingly deep.
March 4, 2019
Definetely the book and movie that made me remember my childhood.
December 26, 2022
Ok I love this film, and was hoping for a fun adaptation - sadly this is a bit of a let-down - very straight-forward adaption of the film, like a transcription. The only real difference is the addition of a scene cut from the film (which was cool to read).
August 13, 2017
I have had nice memories from the late 80s when I saw the movie and the mid-90s when I first read the book... :)
September 16, 2017
If you saw this movie, forget about it and grab the book which has a more interesting take on the story of getting lost inside the computers that have become so ingrained in our lives.
July 27, 2019
I remember this being a fairly good and faithful adaptation of the movie.
October 3, 2019
Hard to beat the movie but this novelization did an admirable job and is deserving of 5 stars for the effort. It captured the essence of Tron.
April 22, 2020
Reviewed on my blog, Meandering Michelle
April 23, 2020
Giving this one a 5 star simply because I'm a Tron fanatic. Can't you tell from my profile pic? Biased I know, but hey, who doesn't love some nostalgia in their lives from time to time. :)
December 18, 2020
It may not be a masterpiece but it's Tron and it'll always be revered by me.
December 15, 2021
Both the book and the movies are very good, but I lean more towards the book, I recommend it.
January 3, 2023
A good read, especially if you've seen the film and can visualise what some of the scenes look like. Particularly lovely for those with a technical interest :o)
October 12, 2023
As a movie serialisation, it's not bad, but the overall story is very much a movie script writer's idea of the way computers and programmers operate.
This one has gone into the street libary.
This one has gone into the street libary.
October 23, 2024
not as gay as the movie
Read
August 12, 2025Why did I ever start this, I guess it’s because I wanted more Tron, but tron without the visuals is weird
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews