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Buckaroo Banzai & the Hong Kong Cavaliers #1
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension
"I speak Spanish to God, French to women, English to men, and Japanese to my horse."—Buckaroo Banzai.
Buckaroo Banzai. A strange, elusive figure, his name whispered in barrooms and boardrooms, his advice sought by pashas and presidents, his exploits recounted in movies, novels, and comic books that seem somehow more real than life itself.
Buckaroo Banzai. First and foremost an extraordinary brain surgeon. In his spare time designer and driver of the electrifying Jet Car, a speed machine faster than sound! Buckaroo Banzai. A happy man whose life has been marked by great tragedy, who speaks a dozen languages and writes songs in all of them. His musical sidekicks the Hong Kong Cavaliers: Rawhide, Reno, the Swede, Perfect Tommy, Flyboy, Big Norse, Pecosóare, one of the toughest, most popular hard-rocking bar bands in east Texas.
Join Team Banzai on their two-fisted, action-packed assault against the evil red Lectroids from Planet 10! Experience the horrors of the Shock Tower and the Pitt deep within the walls of Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems as Buckaroo Banzai fights against impossible odds to rescue Penny Priddy from the clutches of Dr. Emilio Lizardo, the diabolically alien dictator. Pray that Buckaroo will succeed, knowing only too well that if he fails the Earth itself will be blown to dust!
For the first time in nearly twenty years, Pocket Books is proud to present The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. This special edition features a new introduction by the author and a color insert featuring photos and illustration seen here for the very first time!
No matter where you go, there you are.
Buckaroo Banzai. A strange, elusive figure, his name whispered in barrooms and boardrooms, his advice sought by pashas and presidents, his exploits recounted in movies, novels, and comic books that seem somehow more real than life itself.
Buckaroo Banzai. First and foremost an extraordinary brain surgeon. In his spare time designer and driver of the electrifying Jet Car, a speed machine faster than sound! Buckaroo Banzai. A happy man whose life has been marked by great tragedy, who speaks a dozen languages and writes songs in all of them. His musical sidekicks the Hong Kong Cavaliers: Rawhide, Reno, the Swede, Perfect Tommy, Flyboy, Big Norse, Pecosóare, one of the toughest, most popular hard-rocking bar bands in east Texas.
Join Team Banzai on their two-fisted, action-packed assault against the evil red Lectroids from Planet 10! Experience the horrors of the Shock Tower and the Pitt deep within the walls of Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems as Buckaroo Banzai fights against impossible odds to rescue Penny Priddy from the clutches of Dr. Emilio Lizardo, the diabolically alien dictator. Pray that Buckaroo will succeed, knowing only too well that if he fails the Earth itself will be blown to dust!
For the first time in nearly twenty years, Pocket Books is proud to present The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. This special edition features a new introduction by the author and a color insert featuring photos and illustration seen here for the very first time!
No matter where you go, there you are.
255 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1984
10 people are currently reading
416 people want to read
About the author
Earl Mac Rauch
23 books24 followersAn American novelist and screenwriter, best known for writing the screenplays for A Stranger Is Watching, New York, New York and The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
April 26, 2017
This isn't a novelization of the film, but rather a work that stands alone as a tribute to the pulp mythos, an update of the pulp philosophy, or perhaps just a loving homage to all of the Kenneth Robesons. It's not a brilliantly written work of high art and literature, but it's sure a whole lot of fun, with many details and additions that didn't make it to the movie. It's a fun and feel-good book, and if you don't agree with me right there on page 66 it says: "Don't be mean," he said. "The fates are cruel enough. Remember: No matter where you go, there you are."
October 6, 2010
Most of the novelizations I've read aren't awful, really, just horribly uninspired: the author is clearly here to do a job and collect a check, and has no more emotional attachment to the project than a carpenter does when hanging someone's door.
This is different. This is the novel the movie should have been based on. It's too weird to be a novelization. It's told from the perspective of a relatively minor protagonist, Reno Nevada, whose voice is distinctive and unpolished. It's filled with little references to the "other" Buckaroo Banzai stories, and with much backstory as to the history of the Banzai Institute and the people who live and work there, and the looming, lurking threat of Hanoi Xan. It tells the story by narrative, and also by assorted transcripts and other documentation. It hints darkly but indefinitely as to what will come after. For an enthusiast of the movie (yes, that would be me), it's a treasure trove of additional Banzai lore and fills in much of what went unsaid in the movie itself. It is just as quirky as the movie.
The author clearly had an emotional investment here, and it is a shame that the intellectual property hasn't been developed. There must be infinite room for storytelling with this setup, and I was practically drooling during the throwaway references to Hanoi Xan's city of bandits and his chemical zombies. And of course, the death dwarves. What the hell is a death dwarf? I am dying to know.
This is different. This is the novel the movie should have been based on. It's too weird to be a novelization. It's told from the perspective of a relatively minor protagonist, Reno Nevada, whose voice is distinctive and unpolished. It's filled with little references to the "other" Buckaroo Banzai stories, and with much backstory as to the history of the Banzai Institute and the people who live and work there, and the looming, lurking threat of Hanoi Xan. It tells the story by narrative, and also by assorted transcripts and other documentation. It hints darkly but indefinitely as to what will come after. For an enthusiast of the movie (yes, that would be me), it's a treasure trove of additional Banzai lore and fills in much of what went unsaid in the movie itself. It is just as quirky as the movie.
The author clearly had an emotional investment here, and it is a shame that the intellectual property hasn't been developed. There must be infinite room for storytelling with this setup, and I was practically drooling during the throwaway references to Hanoi Xan's city of bandits and his chemical zombies. And of course, the death dwarves. What the hell is a death dwarf? I am dying to know.
July 24, 2016
I *love* the movie, the book, not so much. It varies only slightly from the movie, but the style of writing made it really hard to get through.
September 10, 2020
This cult classic has always been a favorite of mine, so when a GR friend mentioned he'd just read the novelization, I made a note of it.
A month or so ago, I discovered much to my surprise that it was also a favorite of a co-worker. (Most people just look at you blankly when you mention the movie. Enthusiasm? Whoa.) Sometime later I was {reluctantly} placing {yet another} order with Amazon and realized I'd get free shipping if I added something worth five bucks or so. I flipped through my various think-about-buying-this lists, and found this book. Ordered it, read it, and gifted it to the co-worker.
So, my review?
Uneven. It was a lot of fun to revisit the movie from a strange angle. Several strange aspects. First, it was told in the first person by Reno, one of the secondary characters. Second, it adds in a lot of backstory, some of which I liked and some I didn't. But it also alluded to yet more backstory, some of which… well, you get the idea. There was at least one portion, maybe 75–80% through the book, where a digression really dragged, but the rest of the difference was tolerable or better.
For most of you, you probably haven’t watched the movie. Fergawdsakes, do so! To use the perfectly appropriate expression an old friend used to use, “It’s a hoot!”
This review captures the movie best, but frankly if you aren’t going to watch it on my recommendation, then what kind of friend are you?!?
{FWIW, for aficionados, the banzai-institute.com website apparently no longer exists, apparently as of 2016 or so. Luckily it was a early not-very-complicated website, and the wonderful Internet Archive captured it for posterity here (the rather arbitrarily selected 2006 capture point). The final update to their website announced their migration to that ultimate source of evil created by the evil supervillain Zuckerberg! Also, links: that review I mentioned already? There's also a discussion that followed that review, and its comments are a lot of fun, and which contains a link to double review. Here's a partial list of the many ways the movie influenced subsequent movies (and television, especially ST:TNG). The end title credits for the movie, very eighties. Oh, if you need a final reason, there's a highbrow explanation of why it's a foundational text in the history of superhero flicks}
July 1, 2014
Well, this is, by far, the best novelization of a film I have ever read. In the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Dr. Watson, Rauch writes the story from the perspective of Reno, the team chronicler. Using Reno's insights, the world of Buckaroo Banzai is fleshed out in vivid detail as if this is just one of a series of books Reno has released on the adventures of Buckaroo, his Hong Kong Cavaliers, and everyone else at the Banzai Institute.
With elements of classic pulp stories such as Doc Savage and the writing style of the great Victorian-era reportage fiction, the book reads almost more like a companion piece to the film, a direct report of the events compiled by Reno and presented to the public (even going as far as avoiding certain elements because they have "already been given so much attention in the press"), giving the feel that this world is very real and that Buckaroo and his comrades are out there keeping the world safe.
With elements of classic pulp stories such as Doc Savage and the writing style of the great Victorian-era reportage fiction, the book reads almost more like a companion piece to the film, a direct report of the events compiled by Reno and presented to the public (even going as far as avoiding certain elements because they have "already been given so much attention in the press"), giving the feel that this world is very real and that Buckaroo and his comrades are out there keeping the world safe.
June 9, 2008
Far more philosophical than any movie novelization has any right to be, but this is no ordinary movie (or novelization, for that matter.) Renders the world of Buckaroo Banzai in even more startling dimension (there's eight of em, ya know) than the movie. Earl Mac Rauch is a blinding bloody genius. If you're a fan of martial arts, rock and roll, espionage, alien invasions, cowboys, and particle physics, this book's for you.
November 27, 2012
"Buckaroo Banzai" was a light read that entertained at times. The first part of the story is strongest, with a bevy of characters introduced like a series of speed dates, and a dollop of history that adds some mystery to a title character--who is already an enigma. Immediately, I likened Banzai to James Coburn's character Flint: both men are super-intelligent, super-competent, super-charismatic, superheroes of a mortal, if extraordinary, ken.
Sadly, the story that Rauch sets up for Banzai and his motley crew of followers treads at the shallow end of the pulp sci-fi pool. The conflict is outlined early, and the journey to its resolution doesn't hold many surprises. In his prose, Rauch jumps around in time to the point where the story loses much of its momentum; he also bows out of the telling when the action reaches its thickest point, claiming--through his narrator--that the "public already knows" how it all goes down. Queue an indirect promo for the film of the same name, written by Rauch, who then used his screenplay to craft this novel (which, by the way, contains whole sections presented in script form; me-thinks someone copied and pasted).
Probably I will watch the film in the near future; I go for that weird, low-budget stuff. And if Rauch had put the same zany into his story that he infused into Banzai's character and history, I would have gone for this book, too.
Sadly, the story that Rauch sets up for Banzai and his motley crew of followers treads at the shallow end of the pulp sci-fi pool. The conflict is outlined early, and the journey to its resolution doesn't hold many surprises. In his prose, Rauch jumps around in time to the point where the story loses much of its momentum; he also bows out of the telling when the action reaches its thickest point, claiming--through his narrator--that the "public already knows" how it all goes down. Queue an indirect promo for the film of the same name, written by Rauch, who then used his screenplay to craft this novel (which, by the way, contains whole sections presented in script form; me-thinks someone copied and pasted).
Probably I will watch the film in the near future; I go for that weird, low-budget stuff. And if Rauch had put the same zany into his story that he infused into Banzai's character and history, I would have gone for this book, too.
filmed
May 4, 2015For the first time in nearly twenty years, Pocket Books is proud to present The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. This special edition features a new introduction by the author and a color insert featuring photos and illustration seen here for the very first time!
Yes!!
February 29, 2016
This falls under the category of whats wrong with me . 8)
Just had my wife buy this for me for Valentines Day. (She got flowers)
Just had my wife buy this for me for Valentines Day. (She got flowers)
December 11, 2024
Something is lost in over explanation .. the humour is at it's best when it pretends to assume the reader has prior context to this universe. Marks a win for "the movie was better" truthers but still fun. Took me three months to read because i forgot how for a while
June 17, 2021
Having been slightly disappointed with my latest two philosophical reads, and looking for some respite for my overtaxed, end-of-semester brain, I decided to read this short memoir of the eventful days of 1984 that almost led to the annihilation of our planet, as the Nova Police of Alpha Centauri threatened nuclear armageddon to forestall the risk of John Whorfin wreaking vengeance on their planet by using B. Banzai's newly field-tested OSCILLATION OVERTHRUSTER.
Reno, the then saxophone player of the Hong Kong Cavaliers and chronicler of the Banzai Team, just tells it like it was, offering his eyewitness testimony and many personal musings, humanising and personalising what may seem to us, in hindsight, like just a forgotten episode of the Cold War and humanity's fraught dealings with the denizens of Planet 10.
I really enjoyed his thoughtful perspective on the events, and his narrative voice, which sounded very much like that of a XIXth century memorialist. I guess it must have been a reflection of the kind of literature he was reading at the time, for that was not the fashionable way of writing in that decade.
I didn't find the account of the raid on the Yoyodyne compound the most interesting part, but that may be because we've all heard the story, it's been plagiarised to death by countless Hollywood movies (James Cameron claiming the tunnel skirmishes as the main real-life inspiration for his movie Aliens), and maybe Reno's heart was not entirely in the retelling. In fact, he seemed to be voicing my own feelings at one point: "I have never felt the slightest desire to hear tales of men in battle. It is my conviction that readers who find entertainment in such bloody events deserve to sample the experience firstand; I daresay their taste in literature would change." My own taste was more for the portraits of those brilliant scientists of the Banzai Institute, to whom our world owes so much (down to your own or your husband's gyroscopic razor), and for the empathetic recounting of the personal tragedies that affected them.
The youth of today, to whom the Lectroid threat may seem like a grandfather's stale memory, and who will spurn as hopelessly antiquated any person not sporting the latest smartphone, might be curious to learn that back in the eighties, the whole Banzai team was already equipped with so-called Go-Phones, the description of which (on p112) will look uncannily familiar to them (and I have the 1984 edition of the book, so I can vouch this is not interpolation.)
I am now counting the days to the belated publication of Reno's memoir of the Banzai Institute's much less documented confrontation with Hanoi Xan's World Crime League.
Reno, the then saxophone player of the Hong Kong Cavaliers and chronicler of the Banzai Team, just tells it like it was, offering his eyewitness testimony and many personal musings, humanising and personalising what may seem to us, in hindsight, like just a forgotten episode of the Cold War and humanity's fraught dealings with the denizens of Planet 10.
I really enjoyed his thoughtful perspective on the events, and his narrative voice, which sounded very much like that of a XIXth century memorialist. I guess it must have been a reflection of the kind of literature he was reading at the time, for that was not the fashionable way of writing in that decade.
I didn't find the account of the raid on the Yoyodyne compound the most interesting part, but that may be because we've all heard the story, it's been plagiarised to death by countless Hollywood movies (James Cameron claiming the tunnel skirmishes as the main real-life inspiration for his movie Aliens), and maybe Reno's heart was not entirely in the retelling. In fact, he seemed to be voicing my own feelings at one point: "I have never felt the slightest desire to hear tales of men in battle. It is my conviction that readers who find entertainment in such bloody events deserve to sample the experience firstand; I daresay their taste in literature would change." My own taste was more for the portraits of those brilliant scientists of the Banzai Institute, to whom our world owes so much (down to your own or your husband's gyroscopic razor), and for the empathetic recounting of the personal tragedies that affected them.
The youth of today, to whom the Lectroid threat may seem like a grandfather's stale memory, and who will spurn as hopelessly antiquated any person not sporting the latest smartphone, might be curious to learn that back in the eighties, the whole Banzai team was already equipped with so-called Go-Phones, the description of which (on p112) will look uncannily familiar to them (and I have the 1984 edition of the book, so I can vouch this is not interpolation.)
I am now counting the days to the belated publication of Reno's memoir of the Banzai Institute's much less documented confrontation with Hanoi Xan's World Crime League.
February 10, 2025
I love this film, first watched on VHS rental around 1984 or '85, but it's taken me an age to read the novelisation from the film's screenwriter. That was a mistake.
For all that Buckaroo Banzai is a weird, idiosyncratic film, this book is its equal: written in a weirdly formal, cod-archaic style (if anything, reminding me of Conan Doyle's Holmes stories), with strange syntax and word choices, this is very much its own thing, while still a companion to the movie, and with enough footnotes and aside to make us wish even more we'd had those promised sequels.
For all that Buckaroo Banzai is a weird, idiosyncratic film, this book is its equal: written in a weirdly formal, cod-archaic style (if anything, reminding me of Conan Doyle's Holmes stories), with strange syntax and word choices, this is very much its own thing, while still a companion to the movie, and with enough footnotes and aside to make us wish even more we'd had those promised sequels.
November 27, 2017
One of my all-time favorite books, this story was written from the perspective of Reno, a character who really didn't get that much play in the movie but who in the 'real' universe of Buckaroo Banzai was the chronicler of the group. This is good old-fashioned pulp, full of odd philosophy and daring deeds and adventures that are only hinted at because they're supposedly already in another book. I wish those other books actually existed, I'd happily own the whole collection.
August 5, 2023
Buckaroo Banzai creator Earl Mac Rauch's novelization of the film. The story is told by Reno, a minor character in the film, in a similar way that Watson tells the stories of Sherlock Holmes.
I'm a fan of the film but this book is SO much better than the film! There are a few differences between the film and book and in all cases I prefer the book's version. Since both the film and the book were released at the same time, I imagine that the book was printed before producers "hollywooded" up the film and made Buckaroo Banzai way more messianic than he is in the book.
If you like the film, you'll probably love the book.
I'm a fan of the film but this book is SO much better than the film! There are a few differences between the film and book and in all cases I prefer the book's version. Since both the film and the book were released at the same time, I imagine that the book was printed before producers "hollywooded" up the film and made Buckaroo Banzai way more messianic than he is in the book.
If you like the film, you'll probably love the book.
November 11, 2010
Fans of the movie should read the book, which contains even more detail of Earl Mac Rauch's crazy New-Wave tribute to Doc Savage and the pulps by way of comic books, Fu-Manchu and 50's sci-fi. If I recall correctly, he also explained Ronald Reagan's strategy against Russia as it was happening and predicted the cell phone! Wonderful adventure writing!
February 13, 2009
This book is full of pulpy goodness, making reference to Banzai's many other adventures and in general employing an entirely appropriate over-the-top atmosphere. Definitely recommended if you're a fan of the movie.
August 9, 2015
This is pulp fiction with an 80's flavor, with references not mentioned in the film, including more about his paramilitary boy scouts, the Blue Blaze Irregulars, and what he was doing with that watermelon!
filmed
May 4, 2015I assume this is required viewing for all Pynchonophiles and assorted suchnots? Yoyodyne anyone?
But wait, no Yoyodyne in GR?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086856/?...
But wait, no Yoyodyne in GR?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086856/?...
August 29, 2019
Buckaroo Banzai: still the coolest world savior ever imagined. Does Batman insist everyone in the Justice League play in his band? No. Why does music matter? Because music is transcendent.
I bet Earl orders his sandwich with everything on it. He’s like that uncle who could hold forth on any topic, scientific or philosophical. Watch these two coins and I’ll show you the darkside of the moon.
Buckaroo seems to inhabit a parallel dimension that walks a bit taller and enjoys itself more than ours. Camaraderie is king and respect is a big deal. Characters actions matter and they pursue their missions with conviction.
Why four stars? The novel is an overstuffed couch with more tricks in the cushions than a clown’s pocket. The narrator, Reno Nevada, adds an emotional element, but he lacks the conviction to write the big fight scenes. He insists on telling you only what he knows is true, in a, gosh shucks I couldn’t say fashion, yet the real author still tries to play omniscient by having Reno guess how characters must have felt, like how Penny Priddy felt in her solo scenes. It gave me a strange sensation, like Rauch channeled the book from Planet 10 rather than crafted it.
I read the first eighty percent of this book in a few days, but procrastinated finishing for months. Perhaps I didn’t want the story to end, but it was a grind either way. Reno switches to screen writer style as though the real author ran into a deadline and just adapted the script to the novel.
This book is best understood as an extension of the movie, since you can’t understand the depth of the events and characters unless you have seen it.
This is a review of the 2001 DVD reissue ed., tenth printing. I’d like to recommend it because it is probably larger than the 1984 adaptation, but I can’t, because the plates (or whatever printer thing) wore out, making the pictures and fonts fuzzy.
This review has already brought up more emotions and taken more time than I am comfortable with. I grow less comfortable with the hero archetype as I age. Is it because modern cinema
*END of MESSAGE REDACTED
I bet Earl orders his sandwich with everything on it. He’s like that uncle who could hold forth on any topic, scientific or philosophical. Watch these two coins and I’ll show you the darkside of the moon.
Buckaroo seems to inhabit a parallel dimension that walks a bit taller and enjoys itself more than ours. Camaraderie is king and respect is a big deal. Characters actions matter and they pursue their missions with conviction.
Why four stars? The novel is an overstuffed couch with more tricks in the cushions than a clown’s pocket. The narrator, Reno Nevada, adds an emotional element, but he lacks the conviction to write the big fight scenes. He insists on telling you only what he knows is true, in a, gosh shucks I couldn’t say fashion, yet the real author still tries to play omniscient by having Reno guess how characters must have felt, like how Penny Priddy felt in her solo scenes. It gave me a strange sensation, like Rauch channeled the book from Planet 10 rather than crafted it.
I read the first eighty percent of this book in a few days, but procrastinated finishing for months. Perhaps I didn’t want the story to end, but it was a grind either way. Reno switches to screen writer style as though the real author ran into a deadline and just adapted the script to the novel.
This book is best understood as an extension of the movie, since you can’t understand the depth of the events and characters unless you have seen it.
This is a review of the 2001 DVD reissue ed., tenth printing. I’d like to recommend it because it is probably larger than the 1984 adaptation, but I can’t, because the plates (or whatever printer thing) wore out, making the pictures and fonts fuzzy.
This review has already brought up more emotions and taken more time than I am comfortable with. I grow less comfortable with the hero archetype as I age. Is it because modern cinema
*END of MESSAGE REDACTED
June 17, 2020
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension is one of my favourite films, and this novel version (I hesitate to call it a novelization) was written by Buckaroo Banzai creator and screenplay author Earl Mac Rauch, so perhaps my expectations were too high, but I found this rather disappointing. Rauch has Reno narrate, giving him a sort of elevated style that seems designed to parody seriousness of tone in a way comparable to how the movie undercuts convention, but it's a spotty technique here. For one thing, the tone sometimes clangs. For another, Rauch has to come up with ways (some more plausible than others) to explain how Reno had access to certain information, so the conceit creaks fairly loudly at some points. Absent the actors, the characters--Lizardo/Whorfin especially--generally lack verve or individuality. Some of my favourite bits ("Laugh while-a you can, monkey-boy!"; the watermelon) are absent, whether because they were happy on-set accidents or developments or because Rauch chose to leave them out not something I know. There are interesting elements, to be sure. For instance, the nature of the Lizardo/Whorfin merging is articulated more clearly (if no more plausibly) here than in the film, and there are several hints that there is something odd/off about Penny Priddy's uncanny resemblance to Peggy, utterly absent from the film, and there is more about Hanoi Xan--it is clear here (as in the movie, for that matter) that Rauch had plans for more material. And a lot of the book still manages to be funny. Nevertheless, it is only a shadow of the film itself, which I have watched several times and will certainly rewatch again. I doubt I will bother to reread this, though.
January 20, 2020
How wonderful it's been to revisit this beloved old tale! I have loved the film since I first saw it back in the mid '80s, and I love this book so very much, too.
When I recently reviewed Dear Evan Hansen, I said it was the best novelisation I'd ever read. Author Val Emmich took a piece of musical theatre, and gracefully built on it, fixing its problems along the way. That opinion still stands because this novel is more than a novelisation; it's a work of art in its own right. The film is absolutely crammed with goodness, and the novel even more so; they stand independently of each other.
The novel is presented as only one volume among a number of chronicles written by Reno Nevada, one of Buckaroo's trusty Hong Kong Cavaliers. Personal reminiscences and references to other adventures add layers upon layers to the current adventure, so that the story is complete in its own right but you also gain tantalising glimpses of other stories. You really do get a feel for this unusual group of people and what their lives are like. Some of the extra nuggets are satisfying in themselves, while others make you pine to hear more.
I wish Earl Mac Rauch had written more volumes, given that we seem doomed to never be blessed with the film sequel or remake or TV series that have been talked about. Whether he does write more or not, though, we have this piece of perfection.
I am so glad to have revisited it. Dr. Banzai, Rawhide and their colleagues have reinvigorated me just when I needed it most.
When I recently reviewed Dear Evan Hansen, I said it was the best novelisation I'd ever read. Author Val Emmich took a piece of musical theatre, and gracefully built on it, fixing its problems along the way. That opinion still stands because this novel is more than a novelisation; it's a work of art in its own right. The film is absolutely crammed with goodness, and the novel even more so; they stand independently of each other.
The novel is presented as only one volume among a number of chronicles written by Reno Nevada, one of Buckaroo's trusty Hong Kong Cavaliers. Personal reminiscences and references to other adventures add layers upon layers to the current adventure, so that the story is complete in its own right but you also gain tantalising glimpses of other stories. You really do get a feel for this unusual group of people and what their lives are like. Some of the extra nuggets are satisfying in themselves, while others make you pine to hear more.
I wish Earl Mac Rauch had written more volumes, given that we seem doomed to never be blessed with the film sequel or remake or TV series that have been talked about. Whether he does write more or not, though, we have this piece of perfection.
I am so glad to have revisited it. Dr. Banzai, Rawhide and their colleagues have reinvigorated me just when I needed it most.
February 3, 2025
A "novelization" of the movie, though the usual type as the author also wrote the movie screenplay and created the character.
The book follows the same basic plot of the movie. It's been a while since I'd seen the film so I can't recall if this diverges much. Renaissance Man Buckaroo Banzai and his team the Hong Kong Cavaliers must prevent exiled aliens hiding on Earth from stealing the Oscillation Overthruster and escaping back to their home planet before the leaders of that planet blow up the Earth to prevent their escape.
The story is presented as a memoir written by Reno, one of the team members, as if the reader was already familiar with the "historical events" and other reported adventures of Buckaroo.
The story may come across as silly and inane sci-fi but it's important to keep in mind the author is playing with a lot of Golden Age sci-fi tropes.
I found it an an enjoyable read and fun homage to the old scifi shows and serials.
If you liked the movie, give the book a try
The book follows the same basic plot of the movie. It's been a while since I'd seen the film so I can't recall if this diverges much. Renaissance Man Buckaroo Banzai and his team the Hong Kong Cavaliers must prevent exiled aliens hiding on Earth from stealing the Oscillation Overthruster and escaping back to their home planet before the leaders of that planet blow up the Earth to prevent their escape.
The story is presented as a memoir written by Reno, one of the team members, as if the reader was already familiar with the "historical events" and other reported adventures of Buckaroo.
The story may come across as silly and inane sci-fi but it's important to keep in mind the author is playing with a lot of Golden Age sci-fi tropes.
I found it an an enjoyable read and fun homage to the old scifi shows and serials.
If you liked the movie, give the book a try
May 15, 2023
Luckily I wasn't expecting too much from this book as I realized going in that it was probably not a film that would translate well into print. The perfect casting/performances as well as eccentric directing raised this film far above its goofy script. This book lacks all the humor, fun and heart that makes it a great movie. The characters are uninteresting and often not very likeable with Buckaroo himself can be quite the jerk actually. The story is almost non-existent, the actual plot of the film takes a backseat to insane ramblings about pseudo-science/philosophy. The more recent Buckaroo Banzai book (which I have yet to read and might not after this) has gotten extremely bad reviews for this very reason but for some reason this one has a good rating... I imagine just because people are nostalgic about the movie. So am I but this book has very little resemblance to it. Skip it and just watch the movie again, you'll have MUCH more fun than reading this mess of a novelization.
January 26, 2022
"Where are we going?"
"PLANET 10!"
"When?"
"REAL SOON!"
Released in 1984 alongside the film, Buckaroo Banzai is far more than a novelization. Written by Earl Mac Rauch, who wrote the original screenplay, this is a fully fledged novel, which adds a whole raft of material to the story.
Written from the perspective of Reno, who is the chronicler of B. Banzai's many exploits (much like Dr. Watson does for Sherlock), it is an account of the attempt by evil Lectroids from Planet 10 to steal the OSCILLATION OVERTHRUSTER from B. Banzai so they can escape the Earth.
I bought this when it came out, and reread it before beginning the long-awaited sequel, Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League Et Al., and it holds up very well. Rauch is an excellent writer. I'm now looking for the issues I'm missing from the B. Banzai comics, as well as his other books.
"PLANET 10!"
"When?"
"REAL SOON!"
Released in 1984 alongside the film, Buckaroo Banzai is far more than a novelization. Written by Earl Mac Rauch, who wrote the original screenplay, this is a fully fledged novel, which adds a whole raft of material to the story.
Written from the perspective of Reno, who is the chronicler of B. Banzai's many exploits (much like Dr. Watson does for Sherlock), it is an account of the attempt by evil Lectroids from Planet 10 to steal the OSCILLATION OVERTHRUSTER from B. Banzai so they can escape the Earth.
I bought this when it came out, and reread it before beginning the long-awaited sequel, Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League Et Al., and it holds up very well. Rauch is an excellent writer. I'm now looking for the issues I'm missing from the B. Banzai comics, as well as his other books.
March 12, 2021
"The essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration," - Susan Sontag.
The Buckaroo Banzai movie novelization is an elaborate shaggy dog story and the punchline is after reading it you are inspired to try to be a better person.
I heard someone else describe the movie this is based on as a partially successful adaption of its own novelization. I would agree.
Most people, compare it to jumping into an ongoing series without the context of a beginning or an ending. Much like life the loose ends seem to imply that the noise can become a type of music.
I have also heard Buckaroo Banzai as a character described as America's forgotten answer to Dr who and this may be so. But in the spirit of camp when confronting greatness Buckaroo is not a time lord, he is a renaissance man. A measuring stick for the fever dream of what was twentieth-century America and dreams are dangerous things you have to be careful who you give them to.
The Buckaroo Banzai movie novelization is an elaborate shaggy dog story and the punchline is after reading it you are inspired to try to be a better person.
I heard someone else describe the movie this is based on as a partially successful adaption of its own novelization. I would agree.
Most people, compare it to jumping into an ongoing series without the context of a beginning or an ending. Much like life the loose ends seem to imply that the noise can become a type of music.
I have also heard Buckaroo Banzai as a character described as America's forgotten answer to Dr who and this may be so. But in the spirit of camp when confronting greatness Buckaroo is not a time lord, he is a renaissance man. A measuring stick for the fever dream of what was twentieth-century America and dreams are dangerous things you have to be careful who you give them to.
September 12, 2023
In this unassuming pulp science fiction novel, the author has created a hero in Buckaroo Banzai who represents the idealized human. How else can you describe a person who lives life advocating for the Five Stresses, Four Beauties, and Three Loves? Those things that should be stressed are decorum, courtesy, public health, discipline, and morals. The Four Beauties are beauty of the mind, language, behavior, and environment, And the Three Loves are love of others, justice, and freedom. All this and more are wrapped around a bizarre and funny story told in media res with dimensional travel, aliens, and the threat of global nuclear destruction.
July 1, 2018
If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend that you do so before reading this book. The movie gives you a real feel of the story's quirkiness, and is a better illustration of the characters, I think. That said, the book does fill in some details that are not in the movie. There are a few differences between the book and movie, but for the most part, they are the same (after all, the book's author also wrote the movie's screenplay). If you like offbeat science fiction, this is a fun read.
December 11, 2025
Viel mehr als nur „Das Buch zum Film“, sondern eine Romanvorlage, die besonders im Finale wesentlich in der Geschichte abweicht und die wirren Geschehnisse des Films - einer Perle der Achtzigerjahre - durch viele Hintergründe sortiert und anreichert. Stilistisch vor allem deswegen spannend, weil die Perspektive eines Begleiters gewählt wurde, der in John Watson-Manier zeitgleich gewissermaßen nachträglich kommentiert, was geschieht. Eine unerwartete Entdeckung!
January 27, 2021
Several great scenes from this book didn't make it into the final cut of the movie (which is the most underrated movie of all time). The movie is incomparable, and the novel simply adds to that.
Highly recommended. The writing style is a little wonky, but the story manages to shine through.
I have the original version, and just picked up this version, which I can't wait to dive into.
Highly recommended. The writing style is a little wonky, but the story manages to shine through.
I have the original version, and just picked up this version, which I can't wait to dive into.
March 5, 2021
WOW!
We'd discovered & enjoyed the movie decades ago. Reading the book-a birthday gift from my #1 son, thank you Keith, brought back the visuals clearly and added content that helped clarify things. A definite treat and of course now the hunt is on to find the others in the series...subtle hint kidlets ;-)
We'd discovered & enjoyed the movie decades ago. Reading the book-a birthday gift from my #1 son, thank you Keith, brought back the visuals clearly and added content that helped clarify things. A definite treat and of course now the hunt is on to find the others in the series...subtle hint kidlets ;-)
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