Jim Henson's Labyrinth: The Novelization

So happy with my purchase so happy with the price!

I LOVE Labyrinth. Like.... I would marry it if I could. This has been my favorite movie since I was 7. I own many copies of it on DVD & VHS, as well as a poster, a movie book, a vintage pin, countless cross-stitch patterns, stickers, & shirts. I got the original book from a local library & asked if I could buy it from them since no one checks it out, but they wanted $200 for it. I found some international copies for cheap online but they weren't that exciting, although they did have some photos in them. I just wanted a piece of memorabilia that I could display proudly.When I found this book online for pre-order, I was SO excited. I waited till it came out & ordered it, but Amazon was constantly out of stock so I just ordered using the "ship when it's available" thing. I had to wait a couple weeks but I was so happy when I received it. It's a BEAUTIFUL book, inside and out. It feels like a heavy, expensive book, but it was cheap! I never buy real books, so this was exciting for me. The cover is gorgeous. The inside has production notes & photos from Jim himself. If you are a cult fan, you will LOVE this. I've owned many different versions of the film on DVD that came with bonus content, so I thought I'd seen it all. But this book is different. It is something you will treasure forever. This book is worth 3-4 times it's price. I will keep this forever. I haven't even read it yet because I just love looking at it on my bookcase. If you're like me and you think you've seen everything, just buy this. You WILL be surprised.Labyrinth is an old cult film. When I ask people if they've seen it, the response is *ALWAYS* "Oh, yeah I love Pan's Labyrinth." No, this isn't a disgusting violent creepy movie. It's a beautiful adventure movie about a girl who grows up by having her world turned upside down, and then learns to love what she has by facing her fears to get her life back. I have seen Labyrinth at LEAST a few hundred times, and I will continue loving it until the day I die, even if no one else knows what the heck I'm talking about. That being said, since it's such a cult film, it's nearly impossible to come across memorabilia, whether it's vintage or new. The vintage stuff is always super expensive since it's so rare, and the new stuff is always cheap-looking Hot Topic mall-rat crap that only a teenager would buy. There are a few items that come up here on Amazon, as well as eBay and Etsy, but none of it is that unique or special. It's hard to impress me when it comes to buying stuff related to pop-culture themes that I like, so I was beyond excited when this came out. When I got it in the mail, I ripped open the package on my porch and immediately started to admire the look & feel of it. I carefully looked through the pages and knew this wasn't a waste of money.Whether you are a kid who just discovered the movie in your dad's old VHS collection, an 80s baby who saw it in theaters, or a 90s kid who grew to love it after watching it with your older cousin, you will LOVE this book. Even if you have already read the postcard-sized novel & seen all the special content on your DVD copy. Buy. It. Now. For yourself, a friend, or a family member. Whoever owns it will be proud & will hand it down to their kids.

Plot:I have loved the movie Labyrinth since I was a child. I've watched it so many times that I know the plot and most of the script by heart. So when I saw the novelization, I knew I had to have it one day. Overall the plot is basically the same as the movie, though there are some slight changes. I feel like the movie was better but it was still fun seeing it in written format, along with extra info and backstory.Setting:The labyrinth and the Goblin City, especially the Escher-inspired staircases have always been a huge selling point for me. It's so unlike anything I've seen, sort of like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, but unique on it's own.Characters:The characters are just as good as in the movie, and some have a little more backstory that makes them even more fleshed out. And of course I imagined the characters as they are pictured in the movie.I have always admired Sarah. She's impulsive but also passionate, brave, and never hesitates to complain. I like how she tries to puzzle things out when she finds herself at a barrier as well.It would have been awesome to see more of Jareth's back story but I still enjoyed his character.Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus are just as lovable, as is the worm. Ambrosius didn't come off as strongly as he does in the books.The other characters that we see briefly, like the junk lady, the knockers, etc are all pretty true to character as well. Didn't care much for the Firey creatures in written format, though.Relationships:I adore Sarah's friendships with Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus. It felt like there was definitely more of a romantic angle in the movie between Sarah and Jareth though I could feel Jareth's curiosity toward her in the book.Writing/VoiceWhile I feel the story wasn't as strong as it is in the movie, I'm not sure if I'm biased or not because I've loved it for so long. Still, the writing wasn't bad but there were times were I felt it was a little too technical for a fantasy story. The characters definitely felt like the ones I know and love, though.Ending:The ending was much different and more somber than in the movie, which I didn't like as much.Overall, I really like the novelization and the extra stuff in the back (illustrations of goblins and creatures as well as Henson's early notes for the movie) were neat to see. This isn't probably something I would re-read any time soon but great for reference and as a lover of all things Labyrinth! Highly recommend for fans of the movie or Jim Henson fans in general. 4.5 stars.

I have been wanting this book ever since ... probably 1986 except it didn't exist in this form. Anyway, now I finally got it. Worth the wait! This book has all kinds of notes and drawings that add some lost details to the story. At some point I would like to get the hardcover (a little out of my price range right now) and I love that there was no scrimping on the softcover. I will read this over and over.

“Labyrinth - The Novelization” è la trasposizione in romanzo della storia fantasy narrata nel celebre film “Labyrinth” di Jim Henson, divenuto, a oltre 30 anni dalla sua uscita, una pellicola di culto.Il libro, scritto con uno stile chiaro e con dovizia di particolari, è una fedele versione romanzata del film.I vari personaggi, i loro sentimenti, le creature fantastiche e i rapporti che li legano sono tratteggiati abilmente soprattutto per quanto i due character principali, Jareth e Sarah. Con altrettanta maestria sono tratteggiati i vari luoghi del Labirinto e i suoi ingegnosi trabocchetti. Anche se la storia è nota, il libro è avvincente e si legge con piacere.Questa edizione, inoltre, è stata realizzata per il trentennale del film e presenta, dopo il testo, la riproduzione degli appunti di Jim Henson che danno un’idea del processo creativo alla base della pellicola.Un vero e proprio pezzo da collezione per ogni Labyrinth fan!

Consiglio

I absolutely love the movie and when I found out there was a book version, I knew I had to get it.Upon receiving the book I was so excited but found that the book had sustained some damage to the cover, like a couple scuffs. This was a bit disappointing but I put it down to the books handling while in shipping. Overall I am pleased with the purchase and glad to add it to my collection.

I love the film, and this novelisation is amazing - I didn't realise that it existed, and was so pleased to stumble across it online. I bought one copy for me and one for a friend for Christmas - he loved it. And when it arrived at work, and I unwrapped the package, my colleagues were also suitably impressed with it, so much so that they went off and ordered a copy for themselves too. A great book, and has some lovely little illustrations too.

This book is a great to read and lots of beautiful pictures of the characters at the end of the book my daughter's gonna love this book and as it's a birthday coming up on the 7th of next month I can't wait to see your face when she open this