Earl Mac Rauch

Well, this is, by far, the best novelization of a film I have ever read. In the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Dr. Watson, Rauch writes the story from the perspective of Reno, the team chronicler. Using Reno's insights, the world of Buckaroo Banzai is fleshed out in vivid detail as if this is just one of a series of books Reno has released on the adventures of Buckaroo, his Hong Kong Cavaliers, and everyone else at the Banzai Institute.

With elements of classic pulp stories such as Doc show more Savage and the writing style of the great Victorian-era reportage fiction, the book reads almost more like a companion piece to the film, a direct report of the events compiled by Reno and presented to the public (even going as far as avoiding certain elements because they have "already been given so much attention in the press"), giving the feel that this world is very real and that Buckaroo and his comrades are out there keeping the world safe. show less

You've probably seen the movie. You probably think this is just going to be another ho-hum novelisation, something cheesy and awful and utterly unworth your time.You are WRONG.So very, very wrong.Written in the voice of former think-tank scholar Reno, this is quite possibly one of the freshest sci-fi books I've read in ages. It's a cross between 1930s pulp adventure fiction and Victorian "reportage" fiction - think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle meets Edgar Rice Burroughs. The footnotes alluding to show more other "published adventures" known to the avid reader, along with the transcripts of conversations and missives, add to the pulp feel of the novel, while the language throughout is both engaging and erudite. Believe it or not, kids, the novelisation of a crappy-yet-fun 80s sci-fi extravaganza is actually impeccably well-written and extremely intelligent. Some of the physics and chemistry is actually possible, the thought experiments are valid and challenging, and the language itself is elegant and even a little demanding at times.And yet there's action, intrigue, and fun throughout. You already know the story, but the fleshed-out details present in this book take it to a whole new level. If you have any love in your heart for classic pulp adventures, you owe it to yourself to read this book. show less

This one is kind of a big pill to swallow. If anything, it is a cross between 1950's science fiction and modern Eastern metaphysics. It's not something most kids would get back when it was published and certainly not modern kids. Heck, most adults would probably stumble over some of the concepts. Read "The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics" (also in my Library Thing library), by Dr. Julian Barbour as a prerequisite. This will serve as a wedge to pry your mind open a bit. Most show more people who have heard of Buckaroo Banzai at all are more familiar with the movie than the book. The movie came first and while I have seen it, I prefer the book to the movie. show less

Entertaining enough for what it is, a movie tie in.
At times it gives more background details and others it felt a bit flat but over all, as a fan of the movie and concept, it was well worth getting and reading.
I don't think non-fans or those who haven't seen the movie would enjoy it as much.