Authors: George A Romero & Susanna Sparrow
Release date: 1978
Contains spoilers
The Blurb: Martin was young and good-looking, a shy boy, perhaps even a little backward. But Martin had a secret, one he couldn’t share.
His uncle knew the family had brought the poison with them from the Old Country. He was waiting for the day he could destroy Martin and Martin’s evil.
Others knew – a woman Martin had met on a train, a woman he’d followed from a supermarket. But they were dead…
A chilling story of an ancient evil unleashed on a modern city.
The review: The film Martin is rightly viewed as a classic. It was first screened in 1976, in festivals, but this novelisation came out in 1978 just before the film's general release. The book only carries Romero’s name on the cover but Susanna Sparrow is recognised as the co-author.
This really is one for those who love the film. There are some differences – for instance Martin throws the train victim out of the moving train rather than setting an elaborate suicide tableau. The almost shy intimation of Martin raping his victims is drawn brutally, almost changing the character’s perceived persona by forcing the reader to face his depravity head-on, and the consensual sex later in the story is also more graphically drawn. As well as Martin’s communication with the talk radio we get an inner monologue, building the character that little bit more (though John Amplas’ magnificent performance really communicated by look and body language all we needed to know in the film).
We also get some moments of believed lore that are not explored in the film such as, beyond not casting a reflection, the mirror was supposed to sap the vampire’s strength and the use of painted eggs, the rotten insides sucked out and spat at the vampire as an apotropaic.
The health warning is the slim volume is hard to find and, unless lucky, comes with a hefty price tag - you can, however, digitally loan it from The Archive. For fans of the film 8 out of 10.
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
His uncle knew the family had brought the poison with them from the Old Country. He was waiting for the day he could destroy Martin and Martin’s evil.
Others knew – a woman Martin had met on a train, a woman he’d followed from a supermarket. But they were dead…
A chilling story of an ancient evil unleashed on a modern city.
The review: The film Martin is rightly viewed as a classic. It was first screened in 1976, in festivals, but this novelisation came out in 1978 just before the film's general release. The book only carries Romero’s name on the cover but Susanna Sparrow is recognised as the co-author.
This really is one for those who love the film. There are some differences – for instance Martin throws the train victim out of the moving train rather than setting an elaborate suicide tableau. The almost shy intimation of Martin raping his victims is drawn brutally, almost changing the character’s perceived persona by forcing the reader to face his depravity head-on, and the consensual sex later in the story is also more graphically drawn. As well as Martin’s communication with the talk radio we get an inner monologue, building the character that little bit more (though John Amplas’ magnificent performance really communicated by look and body language all we needed to know in the film).
We also get some moments of believed lore that are not explored in the film such as, beyond not casting a reflection, the mirror was supposed to sap the vampire’s strength and the use of painted eggs, the rotten insides sucked out and spat at the vampire as an apotropaic.
The health warning is the slim volume is hard to find and, unless lucky, comes with a hefty price tag - you can, however, digitally loan it from The Archive. For fans of the film 8 out of 10.
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
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