Novelizations of movies are always precarious reads, especially in this case where the novel was written after a script that was created from a long lineage of novels. In the case of The Thing we're stuck with a book that is based on the original script for the film, not the shooting script. Fans of the movie might find this both refreshing and annoying.

Briefly: members of a science outpost at the South Pole discover an alien species capable of mimicking any life form it encounters, which it does unannounced and with devastating results. Based on an original short-story by the name Who Goes There? the movie The Thing from 1982 is perhaps the ultimate test and triumph of psychological terror on film. None of which can be found in this novelization by Alan Dean Foster. Chances are this is not the result of Foster's choices but most likely a mandate from the producers. Incidentally most will agree that The Thing was also the pinnacle of what can be done with special makeup effects.

In either case, the novelization is a rather bland version of an otherwise psychologically sound and scary script. Foster does try to add his own perspective and sensibilities to the book and with some success. The dialog is crisp and appropriate, the action and character descriptions feel real and believable. Foster also attempts to explain more of how the creature works on a biological level and also manages to sound quite credible. It is up for debate what the novel would have turned out had Foster been allowed to re-write other portions of the film and my guess would be it might have been an improvement. It is important to note that a novel reads and works very differently than a film script and readers might feel uneasy at times with this novelization since certain sections does read more like a screenplay than a novel. Still this novel is a pleasant and quick read with some nice surprised for those who have only seen the movie. ( )