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Alita: Battle Angel- The Official Movie Novelization
Please Read Notes: Brand New, International Softcover Edition, Printed in black and white pages, minor self wear on the cover or pages, Sale restriction may be printed on the book, but Book name, contents, and author are exactly same as Hardcover Edition. Fast delivery through DHL/FedEx express.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2018
105 people are currently reading
673 people want to read
About the author
Pat Cadigan
263 books437 followersPat Cadigan is an American-born science fiction author, who broke through as a major writer as part of the cyberpunk movement. Her early novels and stories all shared a common theme, exploring the relationship between the human mind and technology.
Her first novel, Mindplayers, introduced what became a common theme to all her works. Her stories blurred the line between reality and perception by making the human mind a real and explorable place. Her second novel, Synners, expanded upon the same theme, and featured a future where direct access to the mind via technology was in fact possible.
She has won a number of awards, including the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award twice,in 1992, and 1995 for her novels Synners and Fools.
She currently lives in London, England with her family.
Her first novel, Mindplayers, introduced what became a common theme to all her works. Her stories blurred the line between reality and perception by making the human mind a real and explorable place. Her second novel, Synners, expanded upon the same theme, and featured a future where direct access to the mind via technology was in fact possible.
She has won a number of awards, including the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award twice,in 1992, and 1995 for her novels Synners and Fools.
She currently lives in London, England with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
February 13, 2019
I am so impressed with the recent movie of this, I mean really impressed.
It’s the best SFF film I’ve seen at the cinema since 2009, when Avatar was released. It’s not as ground-breaking as Avatar, and it’s not quite as political, but it questions the nature of humanity: it considers what truly makes us human and sentient and good. It’s such a clever film, and its protagonist was so real for me. I think it might have been the giant eyes.
Bladerunner 2049 addressed similar issues, though despite it’s amazing soundtrack and star cast, the characters lacked a certain depth. They felt cold. This film transcends it in almost every way. But what of the novelisation? Well, like all novelisations of films, it doesn’t add any depth to the story. It just repeats it on the page. Pat Cadigan writes well enough, but there’s nothing new here. So I only recommend it to those that loved the film.
I really need to get my hands on the comic, but it seems to be sold out a lot online!
FBR | Twitter | Facebook | Insta | Academia
It’s the best SFF film I’ve seen at the cinema since 2009, when Avatar was released. It’s not as ground-breaking as Avatar, and it’s not quite as political, but it questions the nature of humanity: it considers what truly makes us human and sentient and good. It’s such a clever film, and its protagonist was so real for me. I think it might have been the giant eyes.
Bladerunner 2049 addressed similar issues, though despite it’s amazing soundtrack and star cast, the characters lacked a certain depth. They felt cold. This film transcends it in almost every way. But what of the novelisation? Well, like all novelisations of films, it doesn’t add any depth to the story. It just repeats it on the page. Pat Cadigan writes well enough, but there’s nothing new here. So I only recommend it to those that loved the film.
I really need to get my hands on the comic, but it seems to be sold out a lot online!
FBR | Twitter | Facebook | Insta | Academia
September 6, 2019
I watched Alita on a long plane ride this summer and decided to pick up the book after returning. I enjoyed the movie. The book followed the film version quite closely at about the same pace. This was all fine and good. I liked the book, but it didn't add much to the world-building that made the movie interesting to me. So I guess might recommend this to people who hadn't seen the movie or really really loved the movie.
March 27, 2021
Alita: Battle Angel: The Official Movie Novelization
by Pat Cadigan
Based from the movie of the same name by filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City).
This book is such a heartfelt story about a cyborg, friendship, trust, what is a family, belonging, and duty.
This is in the year 2600+ and it's been 300 years since the war with the Martians.
A cyborg surgeon, Ido, fixes up people in Iron Town. A dirty place full of crime and corruption. There is one last Sky city and that is only for the rich and flawless. Ido finds a partial body that has a head and working heart. He fixes her up and names her Alita. He knows she is special. She can't remember a thing.
From here develops an amazing journey into a strange world, new wonders, and nightmares. She gets glimpses of her past. She moves and fights like no one has seen before. Her friend encourages her to try the Roller Ball. A vicious sport but only the champions of the game are allowed in the Sky city.
There are so many twists and turns in here! Wow! It's non-stop action and suspense! I was so impressed with this book I had to find the movie. Amazon had it to buy at a reasonable price. It was awesome!
You can also get the Audible version free if you have a membership. It's in the Plus category. Well worth it!
This is originally from an anime comic series. Some of this stays true. I must say, I am not a re-reader but I do on occasions when I really like a book. This one I will have to listen to! Maybe watch again too!
by Pat Cadigan
Based from the movie of the same name by filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City).
This book is such a heartfelt story about a cyborg, friendship, trust, what is a family, belonging, and duty.
This is in the year 2600+ and it's been 300 years since the war with the Martians.
A cyborg surgeon, Ido, fixes up people in Iron Town. A dirty place full of crime and corruption. There is one last Sky city and that is only for the rich and flawless. Ido finds a partial body that has a head and working heart. He fixes her up and names her Alita. He knows she is special. She can't remember a thing.
From here develops an amazing journey into a strange world, new wonders, and nightmares. She gets glimpses of her past. She moves and fights like no one has seen before. Her friend encourages her to try the Roller Ball. A vicious sport but only the champions of the game are allowed in the Sky city.
There are so many twists and turns in here! Wow! It's non-stop action and suspense! I was so impressed with this book I had to find the movie. Amazon had it to buy at a reasonable price. It was awesome!
You can also get the Audible version free if you have a membership. It's in the Plus category. Well worth it!
This is originally from an anime comic series. Some of this stays true. I must say, I am not a re-reader but I do on occasions when I really like a book. This one I will have to listen to! Maybe watch again too!
May 10, 2019
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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not much of a Sci-Fi reader, but when I found a copy of this book, I just couldn't resist myself. I won't say that the cover of the book didn't have a role to play in this, because oh, it totally did. I found the cover to be really pretty and so, it seemed a promising book even before I had read the blurb. Of course, though, after I read the blurb, I just couldn't stop myself.
Like I said, I don't read much sci-fi but this book was great. It started off when Doctor Ido found a young girl in the trash. Somehow, she had been thrown from the floating city of Zalem and ended up in their trash - the trash that the people of Iron City usually went through to find something - anything - that would help them in their livelihood. So when Doctor Ido saw her lying there, and when he noticed that her core was intact, he couldn't help but bring her to his home, give her the beautiful body that he had planned to give his now dead daughter, Alita. Yes, Alita was the name of his daughter, the girl who had been killed in a (brutal) accident involving drugs.
When Alita wakes up, she doesn't remember anything. Slowly, however, things begin to come back in focus. Alita has a past - just not one that she can remember. And someone has tried really hard to make her forget it. However, that is the thing. Alita wants to remember so she will do everything in her power to remember it.
When I started reading this book, my first reaction was that it is a little boring. Alita is just like any teenage girl. She has a lot of drama, she wants to do things her father doesn't approve of, and she has this incessant need to "prove" herself. And so, what does she do but throw a tantrum, get herself in a huge amount of trouble and be at the receiving end of the anger of one of the worst people she could ever have met. Ah well, but that's life, isn't it?
What I loved most about this book was Cadigan's writing style. It was simply beautiful. There is just no other word to describe it. It is oh-so-damn beautiful and I just couldn't believe it that I read this beautiful thing. The narration was pretty great too and each of the characters seemed pretty reasonable. (Alita didn't, for some time, but hey! She is just a girl, isn't she? Or wait, is she, though?)
The plot was also good. It was a little predictable, but then, that is something that almost every superhero book goes through, isn't it? And yet, there were things about this that really took me by surprise. For example, that first fight that she had? Amazing. And then, when she gets her new body? Whoa! And that fight in the new body? Wow!
It was a great novel, overall. Except that it bored me a little in the beginning. Oh, and there was this other thing that I so didn't get. But it is a spoiler, so beware!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not much of a Sci-Fi reader, but when I found a copy of this book, I just couldn't resist myself. I won't say that the cover of the book didn't have a role to play in this, because oh, it totally did. I found the cover to be really pretty and so, it seemed a promising book even before I had read the blurb. Of course, though, after I read the blurb, I just couldn't stop myself.
Like I said, I don't read much sci-fi but this book was great. It started off when Doctor Ido found a young girl in the trash. Somehow, she had been thrown from the floating city of Zalem and ended up in their trash - the trash that the people of Iron City usually went through to find something - anything - that would help them in their livelihood. So when Doctor Ido saw her lying there, and when he noticed that her core was intact, he couldn't help but bring her to his home, give her the beautiful body that he had planned to give his now dead daughter, Alita. Yes, Alita was the name of his daughter, the girl who had been killed in a (brutal) accident involving drugs.
When Alita wakes up, she doesn't remember anything. Slowly, however, things begin to come back in focus. Alita has a past - just not one that she can remember. And someone has tried really hard to make her forget it. However, that is the thing. Alita wants to remember so she will do everything in her power to remember it.
When I started reading this book, my first reaction was that it is a little boring. Alita is just like any teenage girl. She has a lot of drama, she wants to do things her father doesn't approve of, and she has this incessant need to "prove" herself. And so, what does she do but throw a tantrum, get herself in a huge amount of trouble and be at the receiving end of the anger of one of the worst people she could ever have met. Ah well, but that's life, isn't it?
What I loved most about this book was Cadigan's writing style. It was simply beautiful. There is just no other word to describe it. It is oh-so-damn beautiful and I just couldn't believe it that I read this beautiful thing. The narration was pretty great too and each of the characters seemed pretty reasonable. (Alita didn't, for some time, but hey! She is just a girl, isn't she? Or wait, is she, though?)
The plot was also good. It was a little predictable, but then, that is something that almost every superhero book goes through, isn't it? And yet, there were things about this that really took me by surprise. For example, that first fight that she had? Amazing. And then, when she gets her new body? Whoa! And that fight in the new body? Wow!
It was a great novel, overall. Except that it bored me a little in the beginning. Oh, and there was this other thing that I so didn't get. But it is a spoiler, so beware!
April 26, 2019
Sci-Fi is way out of my comfort zone, but when I came across this novelization I decided to give it a go, especially because it sounded like a light and fast-paced sci-fi but boy! I was wrong.
Alita is a real deal. A cyborg who doesn’t remember much about her past life is brought back by a Dr. Ido. But memories are tricky things. As Alitsymbles upon objects from her past, she realizes that her past self was a killer and this is what sows the seed of self-discovery in her heart. But the road to knowledge is dangerous and Alita needs to make so very definitive and risky decisions.
This book has a lot of advanced technology elements and hence, I let the author guide me through the book. The characterizations (if you could call it that) helped me understand the characters and their motives and I was impressed with Alita’s nature. The plot was predictable, as it is with most super-heroish stories. There were subtle illustrations throughout the book which I truly admired.
Overall, this novelization of a female cyborg trying to dig into her past in a post-apocalyptic setup is a fast-paced, entertaining and easy going thriller, that is definitely a one time read.
Alita is a real deal. A cyborg who doesn’t remember much about her past life is brought back by a Dr. Ido. But memories are tricky things. As Alitsymbles upon objects from her past, she realizes that her past self was a killer and this is what sows the seed of self-discovery in her heart. But the road to knowledge is dangerous and Alita needs to make so very definitive and risky decisions.
This book has a lot of advanced technology elements and hence, I let the author guide me through the book. The characterizations (if you could call it that) helped me understand the characters and their motives and I was impressed with Alita’s nature. The plot was predictable, as it is with most super-heroish stories. There were subtle illustrations throughout the book which I truly admired.
Overall, this novelization of a female cyborg trying to dig into her past in a post-apocalyptic setup is a fast-paced, entertaining and easy going thriller, that is definitely a one time read.
May 22, 2019
A very random review-- but this was eh.
I could have done without it. I might also never pick up any movie novelization from now on. :(
I could have done without it. I might also never pick up any movie novelization from now on. :(
March 8, 2019
Buongiorno, lettori!
Poco tempo fa è uscito nelle sale italiane il film “Alita. Angelo della battaglia”, un film d’azione che dal trailer mi ispirava molto. Quando ho scoperto che per la Sperling&Kupfer sarebbe uscito il romanzo tratto dal film l’ho subito richiesto e ringrazio la casa editrice per l’invio della copia cartacea.
Alita è il riadattamento dell’omonimo manga scritto e illustrato da Yukito Kishiro nel 1990, la sua versione in romanzo “Alita. Angelo della battaglia” è di Pat Cadigan.
Siamo nel 26° secolo e ogni cosa che conosciamo è stata distrutta dalla grande guerra di 300 anni prima. La tecnologia è altamente avanzata, anche se molte conoscenze si sono perse durante la guerra. Zalem è l’ultima città sospesa che oscura i cieli della Città di Ferro ed è qui, tra i rifiuti della città principale, che il dottor Ido Dyson trova i resti di una ragazza cyborg e decide di aiutarla dandole un nuovo corpo.
Quando si sveglia, la ragazza cyborg scopre di non avere alcun ricordo della sua vita precedente, neanche il suo nome, e il suo salvatore propone il nome della bambina a cui era inizialmente destinato il bellissimo e curato corpo che ora è suo, Alita, la figlia del dottor Ido morta in circostanze tragiche.
Mentre Alita esplora il mondo intorno a sé, scopre di avere un’innata capacità fisica che non si sa spiegare e che usa senza rendersi conto. Forse lei era molto di più di una normale ragazza cyborg di Zalem, dietro al suo viso delicato e al corpo minuto c’è un animo da guerriera che non ha intenzione di nascondere.
So che tutti vi state facendo la stessa domanda: considerando che questo è un romanzo tratto dal film e non il contrario, vale davvero la pena leggerlo? Io stessa mi sono posta la questione e inizialmente ero titubante nel dare una possibilità a questo libro, ma adesso che ho ultimato la lettura voglio darvi la mia opinione finale.
Subito dopo aver finito il libro ho voluto recuperare anche il film per potervi dare una recensione più completa ed è stato davvero interessante rivedere le scene che avevo immaginato nella mia mente trasposte sul grande schermo. Questa è una storia scritta per la pellicola e si vede, a mio parere le scene di azione sono molto più interessanti da vedere che da leggere, così come ho potuto apprezzare tantissimo gli effetti speciali magnifici che hanno saputo dare la svolta al film. Nel libro le scene d’azione non sono così di effetto, lo stile di scrittura semplice a volte le rende scarne di particolari e non particolarmente facili da immaginare.
Nella prima metà della storia le scene sono pressoché le stesse e i dialoghi identici, ma, dalla seconda metà del libro, troviamo scene inedite e particolari di cui nel film non troviamo traccia. A mio parere la pellicola da un certo momento in poi va troppo veloce e rischiamo di perderci, senza riuscire ad assaporare al massimo la storia. Ma la cosa fondamentale che mi ha fatto apprezzare e preferire il libro è stato il rapporto tra i vari personaggi. Nel film la protagonista indiscussa è Alita e gli altri personaggi le fanno quasi da contorno, invece il libro dà molto più spazio ad ognuno di essi, addirittura a Gelda, l’infermiera aiutante del Dottor Ido si intravede solo in un paio di scene. Nel romanzo vediamo l’affetto che lega il Dottor Ido e la cyborg e come questo loro rapporto si trasforma mano a mano che i due si conoscono veramente. Inizialmente il dottore vede Alita solamente come la figlia che ha perduto, ovvero un oggetto fragile da proteggere, ma ben presto la supporterà nelle sue scelte e nelle sue aspirazioni. Alita è sua figlia, ma non la vede più come prima e la sosterrà per la ragazza forte e coraggiosa che è.
“Alita – quell’Alita – aveva solo due giorni, non quattordici anni. Non era una vera ragazzina, non come lo era stata sua figlia. Sua figlia era indifesa e aveva bisogno di protezione. L’Alita che camminava al suo fianco no.”
Altro personaggio molto interessante è Chiren, l’ex moglie del dottore, che non ha mai superato il trauma della morte della figlia e che crede che ritornare a Zalem sarà la fine dei suoi problemi, come se semplicemente possa riavvolgere il tempo. Nel libro abbiamo alcune parti in cui vediamo il suo punto di vista e sono riuscita a percepire quel dolore mai superato e conoscerla a 360°; non è la cattiva della storia, solo una persona segnata dalla vita.
In conclusione posso dire che il romanzo mi ha piacevolmente sorpreso e che, nonostante i fantastici effetti speciali del film, l’ho preferito alla versione in pellicola perché mi ha saputo trasmettere molto di più dei personaggi che aiutano Alita a diventare la ragazza e la donna determinata che era destinata ad essere. Non posso dare un giudizio in paragone ai fumetti perché non li ho letti, ma posso dire che è stata una bella avventura e non vedo l’ora di sapere come continuerà la storia.
Lo stile di scrittura è semplice e fluido, il metodo di scrittura in terza persona è la giusta scelta per dare spazio a tutti ed è una lettura abbastanza breve che si legge velocemente.
A prestissimo con nuove recensioni!
Poco tempo fa è uscito nelle sale italiane il film “Alita. Angelo della battaglia”, un film d’azione che dal trailer mi ispirava molto. Quando ho scoperto che per la Sperling&Kupfer sarebbe uscito il romanzo tratto dal film l’ho subito richiesto e ringrazio la casa editrice per l’invio della copia cartacea.
Alita è il riadattamento dell’omonimo manga scritto e illustrato da Yukito Kishiro nel 1990, la sua versione in romanzo “Alita. Angelo della battaglia” è di Pat Cadigan.
Siamo nel 26° secolo e ogni cosa che conosciamo è stata distrutta dalla grande guerra di 300 anni prima. La tecnologia è altamente avanzata, anche se molte conoscenze si sono perse durante la guerra. Zalem è l’ultima città sospesa che oscura i cieli della Città di Ferro ed è qui, tra i rifiuti della città principale, che il dottor Ido Dyson trova i resti di una ragazza cyborg e decide di aiutarla dandole un nuovo corpo.
Quando si sveglia, la ragazza cyborg scopre di non avere alcun ricordo della sua vita precedente, neanche il suo nome, e il suo salvatore propone il nome della bambina a cui era inizialmente destinato il bellissimo e curato corpo che ora è suo, Alita, la figlia del dottor Ido morta in circostanze tragiche.
Mentre Alita esplora il mondo intorno a sé, scopre di avere un’innata capacità fisica che non si sa spiegare e che usa senza rendersi conto. Forse lei era molto di più di una normale ragazza cyborg di Zalem, dietro al suo viso delicato e al corpo minuto c’è un animo da guerriera che non ha intenzione di nascondere.
So che tutti vi state facendo la stessa domanda: considerando che questo è un romanzo tratto dal film e non il contrario, vale davvero la pena leggerlo? Io stessa mi sono posta la questione e inizialmente ero titubante nel dare una possibilità a questo libro, ma adesso che ho ultimato la lettura voglio darvi la mia opinione finale.
Subito dopo aver finito il libro ho voluto recuperare anche il film per potervi dare una recensione più completa ed è stato davvero interessante rivedere le scene che avevo immaginato nella mia mente trasposte sul grande schermo. Questa è una storia scritta per la pellicola e si vede, a mio parere le scene di azione sono molto più interessanti da vedere che da leggere, così come ho potuto apprezzare tantissimo gli effetti speciali magnifici che hanno saputo dare la svolta al film. Nel libro le scene d’azione non sono così di effetto, lo stile di scrittura semplice a volte le rende scarne di particolari e non particolarmente facili da immaginare.
Nella prima metà della storia le scene sono pressoché le stesse e i dialoghi identici, ma, dalla seconda metà del libro, troviamo scene inedite e particolari di cui nel film non troviamo traccia. A mio parere la pellicola da un certo momento in poi va troppo veloce e rischiamo di perderci, senza riuscire ad assaporare al massimo la storia. Ma la cosa fondamentale che mi ha fatto apprezzare e preferire il libro è stato il rapporto tra i vari personaggi. Nel film la protagonista indiscussa è Alita e gli altri personaggi le fanno quasi da contorno, invece il libro dà molto più spazio ad ognuno di essi, addirittura a Gelda, l’infermiera aiutante del Dottor Ido si intravede solo in un paio di scene. Nel romanzo vediamo l’affetto che lega il Dottor Ido e la cyborg e come questo loro rapporto si trasforma mano a mano che i due si conoscono veramente. Inizialmente il dottore vede Alita solamente come la figlia che ha perduto, ovvero un oggetto fragile da proteggere, ma ben presto la supporterà nelle sue scelte e nelle sue aspirazioni. Alita è sua figlia, ma non la vede più come prima e la sosterrà per la ragazza forte e coraggiosa che è.
“Alita – quell’Alita – aveva solo due giorni, non quattordici anni. Non era una vera ragazzina, non come lo era stata sua figlia. Sua figlia era indifesa e aveva bisogno di protezione. L’Alita che camminava al suo fianco no.”
Altro personaggio molto interessante è Chiren, l’ex moglie del dottore, che non ha mai superato il trauma della morte della figlia e che crede che ritornare a Zalem sarà la fine dei suoi problemi, come se semplicemente possa riavvolgere il tempo. Nel libro abbiamo alcune parti in cui vediamo il suo punto di vista e sono riuscita a percepire quel dolore mai superato e conoscerla a 360°; non è la cattiva della storia, solo una persona segnata dalla vita.
In conclusione posso dire che il romanzo mi ha piacevolmente sorpreso e che, nonostante i fantastici effetti speciali del film, l’ho preferito alla versione in pellicola perché mi ha saputo trasmettere molto di più dei personaggi che aiutano Alita a diventare la ragazza e la donna determinata che era destinata ad essere. Non posso dare un giudizio in paragone ai fumetti perché non li ho letti, ma posso dire che è stata una bella avventura e non vedo l’ora di sapere come continuerà la storia.
Lo stile di scrittura è semplice e fluido, il metodo di scrittura in terza persona è la giusta scelta per dare spazio a tutti ed è una lettura abbastanza breve che si legge velocemente.
A prestissimo con nuove recensioni!
April 21, 2019
Alita: Battle Angel is a perfect mix of the action sequences and vivid descriptions of a dystopian setting with a well-executed theme of humanity, and an easy-to-read novelization of the amazing movie.
As someone who enjoys movies just as much as books, if not more, I was instantly interested in reading this written version of the applauded movie. It follows the resurrection of a dead girl by a doctor who equips her with gorgeously synthetic parts. But she is more than just a good looking and scratch-free cyborg. And she soon finds out the truth.
The dystopian world is interesting with the clear division between what lies above the clouds and what lies below. Above is a place that no one from below can ever see or visit. And once someone from above is sent or dropped below, they can never go back. It's a great depiction of subtle oppression and that's a theme I love seeing in dystopian books. The writing is quick enough to keep you by the edge of your seat with all the action but slow enough to make you feel the necessary emotions. It's a fast-paced book and needless I say that's the kind of books I love.
The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of character building. Except for the main protagonist, Alita, none of them really develop through the story and the fact that their point of views are also included makes me wonder why. This makes me care less about them as compared to Alita and that's no fun. But overall, this book is a good read for anyone who loves movies but also wants to get into a reading mood.
I received a physical copy of this via the publisher. Thank you, Pat Cadigan and Titan Books!
March 6, 2019
I don't usually read Science fiction. And I'm pretty sure that Alita is just the second sci-fi book that I actually liked. (First being The Host by Stephanie Meyer)
I've come to realise that I only enjoy sci-fi books when the lead character is a female teenager. Maybe it's because it turns too techy otherwise, I'm not sure.
Anyway, coming back to the book, Alita was awesome! I simply do not have words to describe how good it was.
The characters were so well created, with Alita's childish innocence to Hugo's dream to Ido's over protectiveness; it was so well done.
The storyline was flawless, and I was grateful there wasn't too much tech-language to confuse me.
The ending left me teary and wanting more. I can't wait to read the sequel, to read what will happen next. I so want to watch Alita take her revenge.
I HATE waiting for sequels!
I've come to realise that I only enjoy sci-fi books when the lead character is a female teenager. Maybe it's because it turns too techy otherwise, I'm not sure.
Anyway, coming back to the book, Alita was awesome! I simply do not have words to describe how good it was.
The characters were so well created, with Alita's childish innocence to Hugo's dream to Ido's over protectiveness; it was so well done.
The storyline was flawless, and I was grateful there wasn't too much tech-language to confuse me.
The ending left me teary and wanting more. I can't wait to read the sequel, to read what will happen next. I so want to watch Alita take her revenge.
I HATE waiting for sequels!
July 12, 2021
I listened to the audiobook. This explained a few things I didn't understand in the movie. Also,
August 24, 2019
I almost never read movie novelizations, or any kind of media tie-in fiction. This book is a good reason why, but that's no slight on the author, who did an excellent job of translating the film onto the page. But if you've already seen the movie, then the novel offers nothing new, except a bit more background and some character monologues that couldn't be filmed. It's nice to have the bits of added detail, but the plot is a very straightforward novelization of the film.
If you haven't seen the film, I recommend it. Alita: Battle Angel was meant to be James Cameron's next huge franchise opener, but its disappointing performance at the box office makes the hoped-for sequels unlikely.
This is a shame, as I really enjoyed it. It is not the greatest SF epic ever. It is not deep. It's about an anime cutie going through the paces of learning about her past, getting powered up, establishing relationships with a father figure, a romantic interest, a professional rival, and a bunch of goons, before progressing through various boss battles until the tragic climax.
But it's enjoyable for the simple fare that it is, and Alita has what many modern heroines lack: heart. In Pat Cadigan's novelization, we are treated to Alita's internal monologue in more depth than we got in the movie, and Cadigan does a very good job of portraying Alita as an actual 14-year-old girl, with all the histrionics and drama and over-the-top emotions that entails, and at the same time, a highly trained cyborg warrior who is possibly the deadliest weapon this post-apocalyptic crapsack world has seen in 300 years.
I think the novel is enjoyable and coherent enough to stand alone, but honestly, it's probably not going to really entertain you unless you are already an Alita fan. Cadigan does a good job of translating the CGI-spectacular fights into text, but still, you're missing out on the visuals, although some of them (like Ito's rocket-hammer) actually sound less silly as described on the page than when seen. But you can't really separate this novel from the film it's based on.
If you haven't seen the film, I recommend it. Alita: Battle Angel was meant to be James Cameron's next huge franchise opener, but its disappointing performance at the box office makes the hoped-for sequels unlikely.
This is a shame, as I really enjoyed it. It is not the greatest SF epic ever. It is not deep. It's about an anime cutie going through the paces of learning about her past, getting powered up, establishing relationships with a father figure, a romantic interest, a professional rival, and a bunch of goons, before progressing through various boss battles until the tragic climax.
But it's enjoyable for the simple fare that it is, and Alita has what many modern heroines lack: heart. In Pat Cadigan's novelization, we are treated to Alita's internal monologue in more depth than we got in the movie, and Cadigan does a very good job of portraying Alita as an actual 14-year-old girl, with all the histrionics and drama and over-the-top emotions that entails, and at the same time, a highly trained cyborg warrior who is possibly the deadliest weapon this post-apocalyptic crapsack world has seen in 300 years.
I think the novel is enjoyable and coherent enough to stand alone, but honestly, it's probably not going to really entertain you unless you are already an Alita fan. Cadigan does a good job of translating the CGI-spectacular fights into text, but still, you're missing out on the visuals, although some of them (like Ito's rocket-hammer) actually sound less silly as described on the page than when seen. But you can't really separate this novel from the film it's based on.
March 19, 2022
Ik ben blij dat ik het boek gelezen heb maar ben toch net iets meer fan van de verfilming. Ik kan niet zeggen dat het een slecht boek is maar het is gewoon niet mijn soort boek. De rating is dan ook puur gebaseerd op mijn leeservaring. Ik heb de eerste helft als luisterboek geluisterd en middenin verwisseld naar de paperback omdat ik daar net iets meer mijn aandacht kon bijhouden.
April 21, 2021
Cyberpunk Y.A not really Y.A too much was very much appreciated
May 22, 2019
3-3.5/5
April 23, 2019
Not terrible, but the teen girl behaviour and emotions were a bit too realistic for my taste and I found the main heroine rather unbearable. Not a bad story, but very YA.
August 20, 2019
80% Entertaining/awesome
Alita:Battle Angle, is a killer book. Like, totally. Okay, honestly, I should give all the credit to the movie, since this was a novelization of the movie, so that is why there is so many words from the movie- like exact sentences and the exact same things happen. But, still, Pat did a wonderful job making the movie into a book, which not just everyone can do. You have to put the look into words- the expression on the faces into words... Anyway, what I'm saying is that Alita was beautifully written and an entertaining, easy read.
Alita:Battle Angle, is a killer book. Like, totally. Okay, honestly, I should give all the credit to the movie, since this was a novelization of the movie, so that is why there is so many words from the movie- like exact sentences and the exact same things happen. But, still, Pat did a wonderful job making the movie into a book, which not just everyone can do. You have to put the look into words- the expression on the faces into words... Anyway, what I'm saying is that Alita was beautifully written and an entertaining, easy read.
June 19, 2019
I wish I could give this higher than two stars but I cannot. I struggled to connect to what was going on and the story took a weird turn that made little to no sense to me.
womp womp
womp womp
September 5, 2022
Just like the movie but with a bit more explanation
May 12, 2019
2.5☆
I haven't seen the movie yet, so I thought it'd be interesting to read the film's novelization. I have to say that I'm disappointed. So much so that although I still want to see the movie, I'm not expecting much. Fortunately, the reviews of readers who did see it and say it was better, offers some encouragement.
I found Alita to be insupportable. She was cocky and stubborn and foolish. Her friend/ boyfriend, Hugo wasn't any better. He was a cyborg-stripping jerk. When he died toward the end, I didn't feel very sorry--not for him or Alita. He died being stupid and selfish, only thinking of reaching Zalem; I thought he got what he deserved. As for Alita, she deserved the loss. She walked around thinking she was invincible and getting into scraps, not thinking that with every confrontation, she was putting her friends in danger.
From the get the book felt very YA minus the profanity. It was insta-lovey and juvenile in feel, and one pet peeve was the profanity in the narrative. I hate expletives in third-person omniscient narrative. I find it degrades the writing since it's so unnecessary.
I still want to see the movie because, somehow, I get the feeling that Cadigan's vision of the story isn't exactly what Cameron and Rodriguez had in mind. With this thought, I'm looking forward to the release so I can see what Alita was really meant to be, and not just the second-hand adaptation of the story.
I haven't seen the movie yet, so I thought it'd be interesting to read the film's novelization. I have to say that I'm disappointed. So much so that although I still want to see the movie, I'm not expecting much. Fortunately, the reviews of readers who did see it and say it was better, offers some encouragement.
I found Alita to be insupportable. She was cocky and stubborn and foolish. Her friend/ boyfriend, Hugo wasn't any better. He was a cyborg-stripping jerk. When he died toward the end, I didn't feel very sorry--not for him or Alita. He died being stupid and selfish, only thinking of reaching Zalem; I thought he got what he deserved. As for Alita, she deserved the loss. She walked around thinking she was invincible and getting into scraps, not thinking that with every confrontation, she was putting her friends in danger.
From the get the book felt very YA minus the profanity. It was insta-lovey and juvenile in feel, and one pet peeve was the profanity in the narrative. I hate expletives in third-person omniscient narrative. I find it degrades the writing since it's so unnecessary.
I still want to see the movie because, somehow, I get the feeling that Cadigan's vision of the story isn't exactly what Cameron and Rodriguez had in mind. With this thought, I'm looking forward to the release so I can see what Alita was really meant to be, and not just the second-hand adaptation of the story.
March 27, 2019
Battle Angel is my all-time favorite manga/anime and one of my favorite franchises. I also loved the new film from Jim Cameron and Robert Rodriguez, and thought it was truly a love letter to the original material. 90% of it is the same. So naturally I picked up the novel as well (in audio).
Some movies are made from books. In those cases, the book is almost always better. Other times, a "novelization" of a movie is written, and these can be hit or miss depending on the author and the freedom that author is given. Unfortunately, the tie-in novels have been written by someone I (and probably you) have never heard of, and who appears to be pretty run-of-the-mill in terms of writing ability. Right from the beginning of the book, you can tell that it's not being done in the right voice or the right tone, and it feels like an average media tie-in novel. This is a shame and a travesty to treat such wonderful source material like this. Ultimately, the novel is pretty much a cookie-cutter version of the film's script. There are a few tidbits that aren't in the movie, including a little bit of backstory on the world that was nice to see. However some of these details differ from the manga, so it's hard to know if these are going to be canonical or not.
Ultimately a missed chance, but still something that's worth checking out for fans.
Some movies are made from books. In those cases, the book is almost always better. Other times, a "novelization" of a movie is written, and these can be hit or miss depending on the author and the freedom that author is given. Unfortunately, the tie-in novels have been written by someone I (and probably you) have never heard of, and who appears to be pretty run-of-the-mill in terms of writing ability. Right from the beginning of the book, you can tell that it's not being done in the right voice or the right tone, and it feels like an average media tie-in novel. This is a shame and a travesty to treat such wonderful source material like this. Ultimately, the novel is pretty much a cookie-cutter version of the film's script. There are a few tidbits that aren't in the movie, including a little bit of backstory on the world that was nice to see. However some of these details differ from the manga, so it's hard to know if these are going to be canonical or not.
Ultimately a missed chance, but still something that's worth checking out for fans.
June 3, 2019
Normally I don't enjoy fiction books that much more specifically Sci-Fi. However I found this book to be worth the read. It is imaginative with being too crazy. I enjoyed the Japanese Manga aspects to the book that allowed for an outlook into the different culture. I will admit I struggled with some of the pronunciations but overall the book is worth the read. I eagerly await the opportunity to watch the movie.
October 12, 2020
Purtroppo a volte i salti nel passato non funzionano, specialmente se la storia è un po' condensata. Alcune parti mi hanno ricordato come mai amavo il manga, ma ormai mi rendo conto che appartiene a momenti più ingenui.
60/100
60/100
October 27, 2019
I haven't seen the movie, but I suspect this is a decent adaptation. It suffers from all the problems of moving a script to a book, the two mediums are fairly different. I should get of my butt and track down the original manga.
October 9, 2020
Though I saw the movie first and I knew what was coming I still enjoyed reading the book.
Good action packed read.
Good action packed read.
September 8, 2022
2.5 / 5
J’ai une préférence pour le film mais le livre n’est pas trop mal.
J’ai une préférence pour le film mais le livre n’est pas trop mal.
January 10, 2023
Avevo visto tempo fa il film, e devo dire che sono uguali.
L'ho letto solo per un gdl
L'ho letto solo per un gdl
June 2, 2020
WHAT A GREAT BOOK!
truly amazing,a MUST if you love Alita
I've watched the movie 8 times already and i can't get enough,this books give a lot of little details that aren't show in the movie,and it helps quite a lot as it fills some gaps and gives extra background to most scenes in the movie
absolutely loved it till the very end!
highly recommended for any Alita fans that were left wanting more after watching the movie multiple times
#ALITAARMY
truly amazing,a MUST if you love Alita
I've watched the movie 8 times already and i can't get enough,this books give a lot of little details that aren't show in the movie,and it helps quite a lot as it fills some gaps and gives extra background to most scenes in the movie
absolutely loved it till the very end!
highly recommended for any Alita fans that were left wanting more after watching the movie multiple times
#ALITAARMY
June 10, 2019
Loved the movie, loved the book. <3
There were a few extra details in the book that weren’t in the movie, which were nice to read about and definitely added a bit more insight into the characters and story.
I still enjoyed the movie more just because I felt the action scenes weren’t written as vividly as I’d like. If I hadn’t watched the movie before reading the book, there would’ve be lots of scenes that would’ve been pretty hard to visualize.
Also, if you haven’t watched this movie, please do yourself a favor and watch it!
There were a few extra details in the book that weren’t in the movie, which were nice to read about and definitely added a bit more insight into the characters and story.
I still enjoyed the movie more just because I felt the action scenes weren’t written as vividly as I’d like. If I hadn’t watched the movie before reading the book, there would’ve be lots of scenes that would’ve been pretty hard to visualize.
Also, if you haven’t watched this movie, please do yourself a favor and watch it!
January 8, 2020
Better than the movie. I liked the movie and this was on sale so I picked it up. Normally a movie novelization is a practice is disaster and I normally feel a little bad for the poor author that has to cover all 300 points of dialog and plot that the movie contained even if it did a big disservice to the main screen. I was pleasantly surprised in this one as the writing is very good and improves massively on the original source material. Worth it if you were a fan of the movie or comic books.
August 21, 2023
I am realizing I have almost no memory of the movie. I couldn’t tell you if the book deviated or followed it shot for shot. I had fun with the book though, definitely looking forward to rewatching the film now.
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