Phase One: Captain America, The First Avenger

by Alexander C. Irvine

Steve Rogers was a kid with a dream to fight for his country. When he encounters Dr. Abraham Erskine, the scientist recruits him for the Scientific Strategic Reserve, an experimental-serum program that transforms Rogers into a Super-Soldier. Now Rogers throws himself into the battlefields of Europe, where he finds himself on a dangerous mission to stop the Red Skull - and the evil Hydra organisation - from destroying the world! Read the complete adventure that turned Steve Rogers into the hero Captain America.

Genres: Marvel, Superheroes, Middle Grade, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Science Fiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2014

About the author

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

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

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

Reviews

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

This book is based on the beginning of the Captain America story as shown in the movie. I will be honest; I found the first Captain America movie more okay to good but loved Civil War and Winter Solider way more. Not sure how a book review became more a movie review but let’s just roll with it….

[Kimberley doruyter · Rating 5 out of 5]

i just read a movie.
that sounded better in my head;)
sometimes i wish we could give more then 5 stars.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband and I enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's been getting so big I was getting overwhelmed. Having never read any of the comic books, I sometimes forget who various minor characters are, or even major plot points like"why do people care about those glowing cubes again?" So a few months ago I told him I needed to rewatch all the movies, in chronological order of their events, not the order in which they were released. For Christmas, I was surprised to get two box sets of all the MCU movies, in novel form! And they were in chronological order!

So I read this one first, of course. It's the movie in novel form. I don't know the reading level, maybe middle school? I think I can read the book faster than it takes to watch the movie, which is nice. Since I've seen the movie, it's all very familiar and reminds me of everything I need to know. No pictures needed. Can't wait to read them all!

[Long Live Wonderland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm more of an iron man kind of girl, but boy I loved this book, I feel like I read the movie. I only wish they had put the flag pole scene from the movie in the book.

[flomer · Rating 4 out of 5]

i can do this all day

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published in 2015 by Blackstone Audio
Read by Tom Taylorson
Duration: 2 hours, 47 minutes
Unabridged

Marvel Press has released a series of junior novelizations of their Avenger and Avenger-related movies. The term "Phase One" in the title means that this is a pre-Avengers book that serves to introduce an Avenger. The publisher recommends them for ages 8-12 but my wife and I listened along with the kids in the car and we enjoyed it as well.

The book follows the movie very closely, detailing how Steve Rogers tried to join the army multiple times during World War II but was always refused because he was too small and too sickly. Finally, he is noticed by a team of scientists and given the opportunity he has always wanted - he can join the army.

But, there's a catch.

He will have to be part of a group of men who are competing to see who can qualify to be part of an experiment to create a "Super Soldier" based on research already being done by a secret group in Nazi Germany called Hydra...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2015/...

[Landon · Rating 3 out of 5]

this story is about a wimpy man who enters the army with a great heart. He gets chosen to become a superhuman, then he fights the enemy with now very large muscles. I liked how interesting this book's events were and I liked the word choice, however, I did not like how distracted I got when I was reading this book. I would recommend this book to someone who knows the story of Captain America but has not yet read this book.

[Zombieleins-Bücherschmaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die erste Geschichte des Filmes um Cap, man kann fast sagen es ist fast 1:1 zum Film. Ich mag es dennoch wie aus dem Schmächtigen Steve der sagen umwogene Captain America wurde. Das er es nicht so leicht hatte um dort ins Programm zu kommen für den den Supersoldaten.
Für Avengers Fans ein muss

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob loved this book! He really wants to see the movie but knows he has to wait till he is older so this was the next best thing. He said this was the best book he has ever read...krb 7/6/16

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and action packed. It may look like a long book but it goes very fast. It actually went a little to fast. This was a very good book, but I feel like it could be longer.

[Andrew Sammut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant read. It's been quite some time since I last watched the movie, I have however watched it about 3 times. The cinematography is great :) There are many scenes which are missing in this volume however and others which are very poorly written, they don't bring out the action or the thrill as the movie does and I doubt that it's a problem with my imagination.

Iron man was written way better in my opinion but to be fair, I never appreciated Captain America as much as I do Iron Man. Tony is iconic while Steve is from a different era. The final few pages are what I was truly looking forward to as they are what bind Steve from the past to the future, after he wakes up from the ice. The way this was narrated was dull though fast-paced and compared to it, I'd rate the movie 4 and a half stars.

Having already watched the movie, I think is the main reason as to why this was as enjoyable as I found it to be and having watched Endgame, the Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the rest of the avengers movies put things into perspective as to how this was just one of the many starts to the great cinematic world Marvel would create. I definitely hold the comics at a higher esteem and these books, though not too shabby don't even compare. They're not written for true fans it seems but for the new followers and children :) Red Skull isn't much of a villain and the Vibranium shield is a classic hahaha

Cap's heart is really the highlight of his legacy, how he never gives up and is so determined. I suppose that's what makes him special to me and what I ultimately took from this book. Bucky is great too though his character wasn't developed here at all as opposed to the film where we saw his mannerisms and his surprise at identifying Steve to be so much stronger than him haha

I am hoping for my next read to be Verity by Colleen Hoover. If you're here from insta please drop me a line, if you'd like to follow my insta, the page is called thepoetrycorner2021. Thank you for the support <3

[Nadine Keels · Rating 4 out of 5]

US Army recruiters repeatedly turn Steve Rogers away, deeming him unfit to fight for his country. But when the Strategic Scientific Reserve selects Steve to become a Super-Soldier, he'll be in for a mission of heroic proportions in Captain America: The First Avenger, adapted by Alex Irvine.

Disclosure: I'm watching some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and didn't want to break the flow in my lineup before getting my hands on the first Captain America flick. So I decided to read a book based on the screenplay for now.

It so happens to be a book targeted at kids. Doesn't bother me, since I can do middle grade books now and then.

What did bother me was running into two instances of a little foul language. So what if those words are now allowed on 21st-century network TV? Can't we give youngsters a tad more time to read books that are free of that stuff? Eeesh.

Besides that, though, I got a kick out of this read. A "never give up" type of story with exciting turns and plenty of action. It's a bit choppy and head-hoppy in places but still easy to follow. Given the genre and reading level, I just smiled at some of the corn, and, yes--I certainly did do the sound effects aloud, when they came up. WHACK! WHAM! BLAM! The intriguing ending must be an after-Marvel-movie-credits kind of scene.

Steve's heart, his determination, may be this book's highest recommendation.

[Rangga Sukmawijaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steve Rogers hanyalah seorang pemuda ceking dan penyakitan, meskipun jelas ia punya semangat yang tinggi untuk pergi berperang membela negaranya. Setelah berkali-kali ditolak di beberapa tempat pendaftaran prajurit, akhirnya Steve diperbolehkan untuk masuk ke ketentaraan. Walaupun begitu, jalur yang ia tempuh ternyata sama sekali tidak terduga.

Ia menjadi kelinci percobaan dalam uji coba serum yang bertujuan menghasilkan prajurit super. Percobaan itu berhasil dan Steve Rogers mengalami perubahan fisik dan kekuatan yang membuatnya nyaris seperti manusia super.

Sayangnya, sebelum dirinya, pihak musuh sudah pernah mencobanya. Orang yang menjadi percobaan di pihak musuh, berubah menjadi Red Skull, manusia monster yang jahat dan akan menjadi musuh bebuyutan Kapten Amerika, julukan yang disandang oleh Steve Rogers sekarang. Bisakah Kapten Amerika mengalahkan Red Skull?

Buku ini merupakan novelisasi dari film Captain America: The First Avenger, dan seperti halnya novelisasi, novel ini cenderung kaku dan tidak memiliki kedalaman karakter. Patut disayangkan sebetulnya karena tokoh dalam buku ini adalah salah satu tokoh superhero yang unik, dengan sejarah dan kemampuan yang tidak "ajaib" jika dibandingkan dengan tokoh superhero Marvel lainnya. Tapi mungkin karena novel ini adalah bagian dari Marvel Cinematic Universe, maka ceritanya cenderung kaku karena disesuaikan dengan naskah dalam filmnya. Sayang sekali.

[Santosh Thapa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shrawan 27, 2077, Tuesday

Phase One: Captain America: The First Avenger - Alexander C. Irvine (2014)

Genre: Childrens > Middle Grade/ Superheroes > Marvel/ Science Fiction/ Action/ Fantasy/
Young Adult
Pages: 160
Rating: 6/10

Theme: War/ Will and determination/ Outward appearance/ Heroism/ Self-sacrifice

Opener:
“Steve Rogers stood nervously in line at the recruitment center in Bayonne, New Jersey. Ahead of him, men stepped up one by one. And one by one, they got approved to join the army. Steve sighed and waited for his turn, which seemed as if it would never come. Looking around, he noticed several newspaper headlines about a brutal attack on a small Norwegian town that had left civilians”

Summary:
It is 1941 and the world is in the throes of war. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to do his part and join America's armed forces, but the military rejects him because of his small stature. Finally, Steve gets his chance when he is accepted into an experimental program that turns him into a supersoldier called Captain America. Joining forces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Captain America leads the fight against the Nazi-backed HYDRA organization.

Final review:
It is a great book for young as well as old readers. The book closely follows the movie and is fast-paced.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

All Steve Rogers wants is to fight for the US Army during WWII, preferably in his father's old division. The problem? Steve is super scrawny and has a mile-long list of ailments. What makes things worse is his best friend Bucky has been enlisted and is shipping out soon. Steve sees his opportunity when a secret government testing facility tests him for endurance and most importantly, heart. Steve is chosen for the new super soldier serum. The experiment is a success and suddenly Steve is ripped and chasing down an agent of Hydra who wants the serum for their evil organization. After a tour around the US as Captain America, Steve is sent overseas where soldiers laugh at his goofy costume and theatrics. When Red Skull is revealed to be the evil mastermind behind Hydra's attacks on American bases, Captain America puts his smarts and heart to the test and saves the soldiers and takes down Red Skull...only to some how wake up 70 years in the future.

It was a nice interpretation of the movie, watered down to be easy to read for middle grade readers. I'm still not a fan of Cap, however and this simplified version of his origin didn't change my opinion.

[Justin Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those of you not aware of Cap & who he is.. My question to you is this.. Where have you been?? Captain America aka Steve Rogers is a young man who during World War 1, who wants to fight with the rest of the young male population. The only problem.. he's too scrawny & asthmatic. Rejected several times over, Steve decides to take drastic measures by applying to be part of a new experiment from a German scientist & Howard Stark. Thanks to a "super soldier" serum that was injected into him, Steve Rogers becomes Captain America. At first, he's nothing but a theatre performer who is sent around the globe to entertain the troops of the front lines, along with the obvious young ladies of the theater troop. After a while, Steve becomes tired of being some act, and wants to fight. The higher ups in the military are apprehensive at first, but he's eventually sent over & there he begins his mission to ultimately stop the man who becomes the "Red Skull". Check this book out via Audio format, the narrator isn't bad & the story doesn't feel like it skips anything important.

[M.Pinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a man named Steve Rogers, he wants to join the army, bring an end to World War II and fight for his country, unfortunately he doesn’t meet the requirements to do so. The main characters in this text are Captain America, a super-human, Johann Schmidt, the leader of Hydra and Peggy Carter, a commander of the American Army. Steve Rogers has illegally applied for the Army multiple times, eventually he was caught, but he was given a chance to fight for his country, protect lives and to bring justice. This book is mostly set in America. I would recommend this book for 11 and up because I feel like they would have a deeper understanding of what war was like and how it can affect so many people.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a fan of the MCU, I wa browsing around the Indiana Digital Media website and found that they had a couple of junior novelizations of the film in audiobook format, so I thought I'd give it a try.

It's actually not bad at all - sticks quite close to the film (albeit with a few minor alterations) and contains a good chunk of verbatim dialog (to the best of my recollection).

The narrator, Tom Taylorson does a good job with the material, keeping it engaging without making it sound as if it's being read to children.

Worth finding if you're a fan of "Captain America: The First Avenger" film and/or the character in general.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super simplistic novelization of the movie. I feel like it was written for elementary school-age, but it's told from a grown man's perspective, so that's kind of weird. I have read (many long years ago, sure) film novelizations that were really nicely fleshed out with round characters and maybe some fun extra stuff that didn't happen in the movie. This is not one of those. The only reason I read this is because my kid is a total MCU freak (I mean, I am too), and she spent her money on an expensive box set that included all the Phase One books. Some more effort put into it would've been appreciated.

[Tariq Latif · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 1940’s steve is a scrawny, skinny, sickly, asthmatic kid who wants to be in the army for some reason, finally he gets in. Then the government gives him a shot that makes him Supa powerful. Also he crushes on of the secret agents but then this random lady says, “The women of America owe you a big thanks, Captain Rogers.” Then the random lady kisses him. And then the secret agent he has a crush on walks in and she gets mad and says “you’ll never understand woman Steve” and then he goes on a mission and falls out of a plane lands in Antarctica, freezes to almost death and wakes up in 2012.

[Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is literally just a play-by-play account of the movie. I understand that this is a movie novelization and a kid's book, but still. There is absolutely no depth or insight into the characters. This book added absolutely nothing to the movie. It actually took away from it in terms of making the characters seem one dimensional. I never thought I could be this utterly uninterested in anything Marvel. Also, the excessive use if exclamation points irked me beyond belief.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid adaptation of the screenplay and worded, I feel, just right for the ages it was meant for.
Nothing was over the top and it was a speeded up version of the movie since a lot of details were removed but had I not seen the movie, those omitted details don't hurt the pacing or storyline of this book at all.

I love that, again for the age group, none of the fight scenes went into heavy wording or graphic details which was very well done to convey the moments without that.

[Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the first CA movie is definitely not as gritty and edgy as the later films, this junior novelization still feels a tad too kiddiefied, despite keeping in a number of great scenes and lines from the movie. Still, if for some reason you have a huge, insatiable hankering for Captain America -The First Avenger- but no access to the film, this book version may help tide you over for a while.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty much the story of Captain America exactly from the movie. It does, however, offer a little bit more depth with the main characters, since you can better understand what may be going on in their heads. I enjoyed it. It was a very quick read too. If you liked the movie I think you will like the book too!

[Myk Pilgrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid adaptation of the film, glad I took the time to listen to the audiobook.
It added a few details to Cap's internal workings which was interesting, though any part of the story not in Steve's POV was omitted.
Going to continue with rest of these "phase one" adaptions and see how I get on.

[Kathryn Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked out this as an Audiobook to listen to while on a road trip with nephews. They loved it. And I liked it because it aligned with the movie well. The only part I didn't like was the way they described Peggy Carter when Captain America and her were not getting along, the words were not what I would have used for Peggy Carter.

[aCupcakeBlonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a fun, easy little cleanser to listen to after a few heavy books in a row. I certainly know the story, read the comic saw the all the movies about Captain American, but it was fun to have it told to me. I honestly thought this was one of those graphic audio books so I was a little disappointed that it wasn't, but entertaining all the same.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok little story but again very superficial, I understand these are for younger readers but they could expand a little bit more and still make them relevant. The ending was far too *PING* and all is magically different with no more explanation.

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapter book for elementary readers based on the movie of the same name. Well written, fun and exciting plot exploring the origin story of Captain America. Good challenging read for early chapter book readers.

[Emilija · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a nice book and I would like to read more like this. Very light and easy to read, just right for the busy days. I didn't like few jumps from event to event, but it's understandable.
Maybe I might even be able to hook my little brother up on reading with this book.