Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI

Friday the 13th #4

by Simon Hawke

Determined to prove that Jason, a psychopathic killer, is really dead, Tommy Jarvis digs up the grave, but lightning strikes the corpse, bringing it back to life

Genres: Horror, Fiction

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1986

About the author

Also published as J.D. Masters.

He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D. Masters" and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Benji's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Friday the 13th!

This was always my favorite Friday film. It's just a lot of fun and you could tell they had quite a time making it too. That intro lives in my head rent free.

I recently discovered they made a novelization of the film and so I had to check it out.

It follows the film quite closely, but there's a few times where we get to see Jason's POV, his childhood and even a brief glimpse of his mom and dad. In my honest opinion, it does what a novelization should do: expand on the movie a little bit, while still staying true to the spirit of the original film.

It actually works well as a slasher novel. The gruesome kills are easy to picture while reading them, and although that could be because I've seen the film a hundred times, that could also just be the fact that they're written well. I'd rather not have a full page worth of obscure nonsense where I'm not even sure what I just read.

Again, this was a fun book! Recommended for fans of the film or for anyone wanting a bit more Friday in their lives.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea if this book is any good (probably not). I was eleven years old. I was on a plane trip by myself, for the first time. I was reading this, and this guy sitting next to me, looked at me, looked at what I was reading, shook his head, and refused to look at me for the rest of the flight. If that's not worth five stars, I don't know what is.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I owe my opportunity to enjoy this book to The 80s Slasher Librarian on YouTube. Without his efforts to make these novelizations into audiobooks, I wouldn't have been able go through it. Seriously, he deserves all the props for archiving these nearly lost books and making them free and accessible to more and more fans.

I appreciated this adaptation of the movie so much. Simon Hawke deserves more recognition for how well he made these novelizations. He really does wonderfully with fleshing out the stories of the films and making them his own.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading only if you're a rabid Friday the 13th fan or are nostalgic for the mid-'80s. This book does, however, feature two teens raw dogging in an RV while listening to heavy metal, a cute boy who just got out of a mental institution fleeing from the cops in an orange Camaro with the sheriff's hot daughter, a paintball game that ends in tragedy, and grave robbing, so I can't really give it a bad rating.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a good novelization of the movie. Some good interior monologue by Jason. Ends with an appearance by Jason's father.

2020 reread: Still a really good adaptation of the movie. Adds some extra insight into the characters with internal monologues for almost all the main characters. Really enjoyed it.

[Livingdeadpunk · Rating 3 out of 5]

In terms of actual quality, this probably deserves two or even one star, but in terms of enjoyment, especially for people like me that are fans of the movies and have questionable taste, the entertainment factor tacks on a star or two. It was fun.

And I loved the Tales of Schoolboy Jason part.

[KAggie97 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to have Simon Hawke back at the helm. His style and his ability to flesh out action from seemingly mundane moments in the movie is on full display here. The pace is fast, and the tension rarely lets up. Some parts in the movie were left out ("So... What WERE you goung to be when you grew up?"), while some were added (Elias Voorhees popping up at the end.) However, I was not a fan of Jason's interior dialogue (he's a mindless killer, not an introspective misfit), and that he is presented as a normal child until age 12 flies in the face of one of the main aspects the series. All in all, it's faithful to the movie and adds more dark humor to the already tongue-in-cheek script. Very enjoyable read.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strong cover lured me right into the book. Again, there's something in the woods (guess who?). We hear about Camp Blood, the legendary tale what happened and ask the question, is he still out there? Yes, he is. There is no rest for Jason, the notorious slasher with the white hockey mask. Here he starts his killing spree again. Can Sheriff Garris stop him? Many eerie scenes, lots of nasty killing inside. The author definitely understands his business and come up with a good shocker. After the book you definitely want to re-watch the movie again... really recommended.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily the best novelization I've read so far in the Jason ouvre. This was based on the original script so there are a few little differences that make this well worth reading for the Jason fanatic. There are also some little details added like Jason's perspective and Jason's childhood which really make this stand out. Rarely do the novels capture Jason's internal life well and I thought Hawke achieved it brilliantly. It is slightly less comedic than the original film but the two pair together quite well.

[Matt Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book when I bought it brand new from Walter's Pharmacy. I always wished they had kept the original ending from the book in the movie—it was much more interesting. I ended up selling my copy on eBay for over $50 when I moved to LA in 2006. Looking back, that was a mistake. A mint condition copy like mine would probably go for $300 or more today. Definitely one of those books I wish I still had in my collection.

[Scott Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tommy Jarvis, desperate to make sure that Jason is finally dead, gets a friend to help dig him up with the intention of burning the body.

Jason has other ideas and embarks on another rampage with some great kill scenes.

A great novel of the sixth Friday the 13th movie with some great added scenes explaining more about Jason’s history

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Youtube

[Talha Aftab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the orignal jason voorhes more

[Justin Gerber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much different from the McLoughlan script (save less deaths and an alternate ending), but Hawke is really good at this.

[Brett Littman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nails the movie, with the alternate ending that I'd always heard about. Maybe does Garris a little dirty, but the Jason inner thoughts are gold.

[B.J. Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with the opening, the book plays out exactly like the movie with Tommy attempting to get the local authorities to believe Jason is back. The only person who actually believes him is the sheriff's daughter Megan, who helps him escape jail and together, they confront Jason at the Forest Green Lake (Camp Crystal Lake).

The author, Simon Hawke, gives us a glimpse at Jason's childhood. Unlike the films, he's never referred to as being deformed, but instead he was a silent child who was bullied at school and at Camp Crystal Lake.

Sheriff Michael Garris is given a little bit of a backstory, a widowed Vietnam veteran who's doing his best to raise his teenage daughter, Megan. In the film, the character comes off as an idiot but he's better written in the novelization.

The biggest change is the ending, where Jason's mask floats to the top of the lake. Later, Mr. Voorhees is visiting Eternal Rest Cemetery, only to learn his son has risen from the grave. Jason's father has never appeared on-screen. The ending with Jason's mask was filmed but wasn't used in the movie. Mr. Voorhees's ending was planned but never filmed, which is sad, as I would've liked to have seen it.

Overall, Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI is a must-read for any Friday the 13th fan - if you can get your hands on a copy.

[Jason Vedder]

I read this in a study hall one day after borrowing it from a friend who was reading all the Hawke novelizations. As Jason Lives was the best of the bunch. I gave it a go. Probably started at the beginning of study hall and completed as study hall was over