My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Gremlins is a movie that I've seen many times. Of course I have, I'm a kid of the 80s and this movie was HUGE. Like everyone else, I fell in love with Gizmo and have collected Gizmo merch/toys for years.
I might or might not be wearing my Gremlins tee right now. *whistles*
Anyway. Let's get back to this book. A book I had no idea was written. Not until I read an article about it a few months ago, which is kinda strange because when I was a kid, I went out of my way to read movie novelisations. LOL.
Hubby found a copy on ebay for me, and I couldn't wait to get stuck into it as soon as it arrived. You know, for a book published in 1984 it's in pretty good shape. This makes me happy because it's always lovely to see well-loved books.
We know how the story goes...
An adorable Mogwai lives a quiet and content existence in a store in Chinatown, but when the store owner's grandson sneaks the little creature out and sells it to a travelling salesman, the trouble begins.
Rand Peltzer takes Gizmo and gives the Mogwai to his son Billy as a Christmas present. And so we meet the residents of Kingston Falls, where Billy (with the help of young Pete) accidentally breaks all the rules essential to keeping the Mogwai from becoming something truly horrifying...
I had a total blast reading this book! It's pretty much the same as the movie, but with much more detailed insight into the characters because it's told in multiple POVs. It also focuses on the gremlin phenomenon to a much greater degree, which was really cool.
There's a lot to like about this book, but my favourite bits include the casual writing style, how different each POV is, and that both Gizmo and Stripe get a chance to tell their stories. I loved how we found out the origins of the Mogwai, who created them, why they're on Earth, why there are rules, and that whether Mogwai or Gremlin, they're highly intelligent.
I also liked Billy and Kate, and how well they worked together before and after the green terrors start their crusade. Kate was an especially smart, kind, strong and hardworking character, and this book totally conveys that. Billy is a nice shy guy who likes to do the right thing, but gets himself into trouble without intention. Pete's great as the pesky kid who sets the bad stuff rolling and then mysteriously disappears when everything goes to hell.
Yeah, this was a great book. Whether compared to the movie or not, either way the story worked for me. Actually, I think it added a deeper appreciation for the movie because the nitty-gritty details revealed in the narrative add to the experience.
I'm so glad we found a copy, because this is going on my Keeper Shelf.
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