Light into Ink: A Critical Survey of 50 Film Novelizations: (Revised and Updated) [DeLuxe Edition: Colour Interior] Hardcover – February 17, 2025

THE BOOK OF THE BOOKS OF THE FILM...IS BACK!From Children of the Damned to Liquid Sky: The Novel, LIGHT INTO INK is the first detailed critical survey of the film novelization, or movie tie-in. Taking 50 examples of the form – including titles as diverse as Forbidden Planet, Taxi Driver, Performance and Mad Max – LIGHT INTO INK examines each book in depth, evaluating their success both as cross-media adaptations and as ‘Alternative Histories’: prose reinventions of the film narrative, which reshape their source in sometimes startling new ways.Fully revised and updated, this new edition includes a wealth of fresh detail: an expanded history of the form, more data on authors and publishers and a comprehensive index. With close analysis of exclusive content, screenplay comparisons and excerpts from the novels themselves – including some translated into English for the very first time – LIGHT INTO INK is lavishly illustrated with jacket art, film posters and more. Exhaustive and informative, LIGHT INTO INK is an indispensable addition to any film-lover’s bookshelf.PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION (2019):“Packed with information and critical insight...Light into Ink will undoubtedly appeal to a wide range of readers. Enjoyable and informative in equal measure, this is a book I can recommend without hesitation.”–Dr Deborah Allison, SENSES OF CINEMA“If you’re a movie tie-in aficionado who’s looking for a nostalgia overload, this is it... If you’ve ever been captivated by the movie tie-in format, or if you’ve ever wondered why its appeal continues to be so enduring, Light into Ink will answer all your questions and more.”–Ian White, STARBURST“Excellent… The book’s subtitle ‘50 Film Novelizations’ can perhaps be easily misinterpreted and arguably underrates this book’s mammoth amount of content. In terms of subject genres, Guariento hits the sweet spot every single time. [...] This book is practically a dream.”–Darren Allison, CINEMA RETRO“Author-researcher S.M. Guariento has broken ground on a fresh topic and done it justice… Light into Ink qualifies as an art book as well — it is illustrated with hundreds of colour reproductions of vintage paperback covers, in many cases, multiple covers for popular novelizations. I know a couple of collectors that would consider this volume something of a Bible on the subject.”–Glenn Erickson, CINE SAVANT“I loved the book — and I mean absolutely loved it… Whether his prose is irreverent, sober or somewhere in between, I simply love the way Guariento writes across these winning essays. Coupled with several hundred glorious illustrations of cover art, that makes Light into Ink a volume to treasure.”–Rod Lott, FLICK ATTACK“Initially I found it ironic that this big, beautiful, serious, and (as I was to learn) very smart book would concern itself with these things, which I’ve always viewed as artificial, throwaway pulp products. But the author does a strong, persuasive job of arguing their worth... [T]hose with any interest at all in novelizations will absolutely love it.”–Rick Pruitt, LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS Read more