To review this book I need to analyse it in three parts based on the movie, fairy tale and how it has been written.
- Disclaimer: I saw the movie before reading the book. As any avid reader would know, that is pretty much illegal and does not allow you to give a subjective critique of the book as you will always compare it to the movie, as well as the thrill of what to come has been taken from you. So, all that I can say is that the book has been written from the screen play which would explain why they are very similar. No missing characters or plot holes.
- The fairy tale: I have to say I absolutely loved this adaptation. I like how the characters have been woven in – the dwarves as fighters for example. I thoroughly enjoyed how the characters were portrayed and developed. I feel this adaptation makes the characters much more three dimensional.
- Authorial comments: The text that I read had a rather interesting layout. In sticking with the fairy tale theme, there was a poem as an introduction in old fashioned calligraphy font, as were the different parts of the novel (part 1 and part 2). Chapters were given their own title page with an illustration (looks like a shield in front of detailed wallpaper). A small detail that I thought added to the text and helped to tie it in with its fairy tale roots.
I give this book 3 stars, I’m not sure how I would have rated it if I hadn’t seen the movie first. Enjoyable and worth a read.