Review: Underworld (Underworld #1) by Greg Cox

5 stars for Underworld (Underworld book 1) by Greg Cox.

Never once in my life have I ever thought that there will come a day where four yet-to-be-written reviews stare right in my face. Initially it is just one, then it becomes two. And then, it doubles up and becomes four. The more I procrastinate, the higher the number. It just doesn't get better, does it? Somehow, I feel the need to explain what happened, at least for my own sake. So.. well.. drama CLJ happened. For those who know me well, I am never into soap opera or what you call drama chasing. But this time, I have it bad. I am hooked. Suddenly, all my free time seems to disappear into thin air. I have time for nothing else. Though I will say drama chasing is similar to staying up late to read a really good book, it is also in a way different. Drama chasing is more tiring, it zaps not only my time, but my energy as well. The worst is, I am not done swooning over it yet - I am rewatching this drama TV series. Action speaks louder than words. It goes to show how much I adore this particular drama. To add on, I am also spending a tremendous amount of time - hours on end - doing finger exercises on its OST piano collection. I don't know how much more time I will be investing on drama CLJ and/or anything related to it. But I know it is only a matter of time I will get over this drama thing, in fact, any good drama given sufficient time. And when that day comes, I will go back to reading. Always. Without fail. For now, I just want to get the four reviews out of the way, so I can go back to swoon in peace over the characters, the settings, the songs and whatnots in this newfound favourite drama of mine.

Underworld. This is a rare one where I watch the movie first, then read the book.

Having watched the Underworld movie years ago, I feel a surge of excitement as I am about to embark on my journey to relive Underworld - in my mind's eyes this time - all over again, to meet Selene, Michael and all the rest of the wolfish and vampiric characters. In fact, I mentally prepare myself that the book is going to be very different from the movie version as movie script writers are known to dramatize.

To my surprise, the Underworld movie followed closely to the book, right up to the scenes, the settings and even the speeches. It is unexpected. As I read the book, I stop intermittently to rewatch the movie. Suddenly I find myself catching a lot more of the story details than my first viewing of the movie. For example, when I first watched the movie, I am only aware that the characters are fighting and running around in the scenes. With the book reading, I see all the finer details amidst the fighting and so much more. The book is well written and helps bring everything together in vibrant clarity.

Set in the ancient city of Budapest, the Hungarian capital, a human is caught in the middle of a covert war that has been raging for the better part of a thousand years… a blood feud between vampires and lycans. Older, more powerful lycans such as Lucian, the most feared and ruthless leader of the lycan horde, are now able to change form at will, no longer tied to the moon. They are becoming a greater threat to the vampires and the Death Dealers. (Death Dealers are an elite squad of vampire warriors that hunt down the surviving man-beasts and kill them off)

Towards the end of my reading, I find it strange that almost all the conversations in the book echo the words spoken out loud in the movie, so much so that it seems as if it is the book that takes after the movie, not the other way round. Finally, I decide to consult Google and have my suspicions confirmed.

Underworld is a 384-page novelization of the movie of the same name written by Greg Cox and released by Pocket Star on September 1, 2003. The book contains scenes that were changed during filming, or which were never included at all. I also discover that this was actually mentioned on the book cover which I have never bothered to take a good look at.

P/S: Novelizations are, in essence, book-length descriptions of movies, typically written not by the author of the screenplay. They are the complete opposite of the more familiar practice of turning a book into a movie.

For those who have never watched or read the Underworld series, I will recommend reading the book first then the movie. Because no matter how one feels about it, there is this major flaw on watching the movie before reading - the reader's imagination is compromised.


Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication date: 26 Aug 2003

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DEADLY RIVALS FOR CENTURIES, DESTINY WILL BRING THEM TOGETHER.

Vampires and werewolves. Sworn enemies for over nine hundred years, they have fought a secret war in the darkest shadows of the mortal world, pitting undead strength and cunning against feral rage and savagery. Now, in the hip Gothic streets of modern-day Budapest, the ancient conflict takes an unexpected new twist. Selene is a Death Dealer, a vampire warrior dedicated to the destruction of the hated lycans. Michael is a werewolf, an innocent American newly infected with the lupine curse. Against all reason and history, they find themselves drawn together even as the grisly inhuman war rushes toward its nightmarish climax. They have no idea of the power their unlikely union can unleash -- and of the terrifying secrets that will be revealed in the unearthly realm of...

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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