A review by fandom4ever
Arrival by Michael Teitelbaum
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Man I haven’t read either Smallville book series in many years. In all honesty, I was a bit worried to go back, to possibly find out that they weren’t the same, that they were written for a younger audience that was no longer me. But I needn’t have worried!
Smallville: Arrival is a re-telling of the pilot episode in book form. You won’t really get anything new from this book except a bit more of inside the characters’ heads, particularly Clark as he realizes he’s more than just some ‘weird kid with powers’. This also must be a slightly earlier script than what was created on screen because there are a few moments near the end that were actually put into the next episode, which leads into the fact that technically Smallville’s first and second episodes are one long episode. Also, apparently at one point Whitney was going to have the last name of ‘Ellsworth’ rather than ‘Fordman’. Not sure why they changed it but interesting nonetheless.
It was great to read this book again and watch the whole episode play out in my head as though I was actually watching the episode. If you’re a fan of Smallville, this is worth picking up.
Smallville: Arrival is a re-telling of the pilot episode in book form. You won’t really get anything new from this book except a bit more of inside the characters’ heads, particularly Clark as he realizes he’s more than just some ‘weird kid with powers’. This also must be a slightly earlier script than what was created on screen because there are a few moments near the end that were actually put into the next episode, which leads into the fact that technically Smallville’s first and second episodes are one long episode. Also, apparently at one point Whitney was going to have the last name of ‘Ellsworth’ rather than ‘Fordman’. Not sure why they changed it but interesting nonetheless.
It was great to read this book again and watch the whole episode play out in my head as though I was actually watching the episode. If you’re a fan of Smallville, this is worth picking up.