Flash Gordon

by Arthur Byron Cover

MING THE MERCILESS!

He rules the planet Mongo with cold terror--and if he has his Imperial way, will conquer the entire universe! But first the King of Mongo must destroy Flash Gordon, the fair-haired earthling and Superbowl Star, destined to challenge his sinister mental forces...Together with Doctor Zarkov and the beautiful Dale Arden, Flash is sent hurtling through interstellar space to the Towers of Mingo City, the heartless armies of the all-seeing secret police, and the deadly creatures and half-human beings lurking in Ming's domains.

There, the space hero has a triple task: survive Ming's onslaught, free his own friends, and save--billions of light-years away--the planet Earth!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Pulp, Speculative Fiction, Media Tie In

188 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

The movie visually suggests the old-timey movie serials, with tubular spaceships with tailfins and pew-pew lasers, and improbably glittery costumes of questionable fashion sense, and a set design of primary-color brightness. The novelization goes another direction and draws from pulps: the deviant villains of spicy horror stories and the weird technology and disregard for physics of science fiction. Cover overplays his hand in this regard by repeated offhand comments from the characters comparing events or whatnot to the old sci-fi stories.

There are some extensions from the movie itself: glimpses into the brutally Darwinian caste society of Mongo and of the strange physical anomaly that explains this wierd world. The space trip there is filled with Lovecraftian imagery of a vast, uncaring universe filled with beings many times greater than mankind. We find out what "bore worms" are, and the nature of the mysterious Klytus.

Unfortunately, some of these extensions don't ring true. The author spends the most time in the minds of the least interesting characters (the Earthlings), and as a result, we don't get to Mongo until about page 68, which was a shameful waste. It seemed that each of the characters (barring Flash himself) had some kind of sexual kink, from Dale Arden's swinging club past to the strong intimations of sadomasochistic incest between Ming the Merciless and his daughter Aura. While this certainly fills the bill for the "spicy horror pulp" genre, the amount of it was distracting and off-putting for a novelization of a PG movie.

[Duffy Laudick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised with this novelization. Most movie-tie ins follow along with the movie, as this did, but it had details that were not see on the screen. There is back stories for Flash and Hanz Zarkoff. Unfortunately, Dale didn't have much other than 2 couple of paragraphs. There were scenes in the book that would have been cool to see in the movie, but at times are risque, such as a possible incestual relationship between Ming and Aura.

I've been a fan of the movie and soundtrack since I first saw Flash Gordon in the theater and now I am glad to have read the novelization. A worth while read.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a confession to make. I am one of the apparently six or seven people on the planet who really liked the Flash Gordon movie when it came out in 1980. I was a young teenager at the time and I and my friends loved every minute of the admittedly campy film. (My friends apparently made up the other five or six people who liked the movie.) I bought the novel and read it quickly after seeing the movie and forty-three years later (wow, that’s a big number) I just reread it and enjoyed it a second time.

The novelization is not perfect. It sets a tone that is a little too serious for what was such a lighthearted film. But what Cover does really well is build some backstory to Flash that I simply don’t remember being in the movie. We learn about his childhood and his growing love of football and of the big Super Bowl win that makes Flash a household name in the United States. And then he gets pulled into the thick of the movie plot trying to save the world.

Cover’s Flash Gordon has a bit of zen to him and a healthy dose of old-fashioned patriotism. He believes in human rights (and alien rights for the people of Mongo). And he really hates totalitarian amoral bad guys. Add in a fun supporting cast (Dale Arden, Vultan, Zarkov and Barin) and you have the makings of a good story. Yes, it’s cheesy but it’s a purposefully humorous take on the early sf film genre whose special effects make it very hard for modern audiences to take seriously. I’d love to see someone serious play with this franchise again whether on television or in books.

[Chris Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this movie on opening weekend and as a teenager, I was blown away. I had the soundtrack album and listened to it constantly. I know I owned and read the book back then but I honestly didn't remember it. Reading it now, I'm surprised at how well written it is. The movie is campy, colorful and awesome but the tone of the book is completely different from the movie. The author of this book played it straight and wrote it as a grand space epic several notches above the movie, in my opinion. I really liked it.

[Andy Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second-hand purchase. A palate=cleanser as I've been reading a lot of non-fiction of late.
Wildly uneven novelisation of the screenplay. Adds some interesting ideas, delivers some moments flatly, but mainly ups the innuendo and sexual implications of the screenplay considerably.

[Terrence Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining book with some colorfully surprising insights into the characters of the movie. It's a good way to flesh out the story, and even help explain a few plot holes you may have picked up watching the movie.

[Collin J Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 for the year, and this one...a doozy. I feel this is what they originally wanted the film to be, but had to tone things WAY DOWN to get it produced...there's some pretty risque stuff in this one. Fun, to be sure, just like the movie. But definitely different, and a bit more naughty.

[Lee Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this at 10 to midnight. Reading goal achieved!

As for the book, I was worried the story might lose some of its excitement without the Queen soundtrack, but the writer put a lot of extra details, motivations and fun into it!

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

646 - 2019

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised by the volume of sexual innuendo.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was much better than I'd thought it would be. I don't remember the movie but I'm sure I must have seen it way back when. It's a great adventure in the heady realms of pulp sci fi, with all the ingredients that you would expect being present, and a few more that you might not. Turns out Dale is a bit of a swinger, or was until she split with her boyfreind because he was taking it a little too seriously, a little further than she was entirely comfortable with. Well, who'd have thought it. Dale, a swinger. Each to their own I suppose. It just came as bit of a surprise when I first read it is all.

So, you all know the story. Flash and Dale are taken at gunpoint to the planet Mongo by Dr Hans Zarkov where an evil dictator and all-round madman called Ming rules with an iron fist. They join forces with the locals and overthrow him. Oh, and Ming's daughter betrays him and helps them too, but I'm not spoiling it for anyone here of course because the story's so well known.

I loved the little extra details that really made this novel that bit more special. The description of Zarkov's rocket ship with it's fancy fins and little flashing bulbs on the control console for example were just a delight.

The moments of sarcasm from Dale, and the hints here and there regarding Ming and his daughter, Aura. These moments really added something special to this novel and make me want to track down the movie now so that I can re-live those moments on screen, although I doubt Dale's more intimate revelations are part of the movie version.

Anyway, a very enjoyable read. Some unexpected moments, and the tongue-in-cheek pulpiness is just priceless. Highly recomended.

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novelization of Flash Gordon is on the whole exactly what you want from a movie tie-in - it gives you the story with a decent amount of description and fills in of some of the blanks regarding character. Indeed we get back story on Flash, Dale, Zarkov, Hawkman mating ritual... but my problem with it is that these don't gel with my perception of the characters from the movie and indeed contradict the basic premises of the characters.

It turns out Dale is a bit of a swinger who has just fled her last boyfriend because she couldn't satisfy his needs indefinitely - which seem to involve strange and wonderful things to perfect strangers in exotic bars.

Flash is the all star American Jock - fine, but he's also apparently super self-educated and has also mastered the art of Zen meditation. Sorry folks I just can't picture Sam Jones quoting Satre - but Flash in the novel does.

The novel also tries to convince us of the goodness at the core of Princess Aura and Ming which contradicts the little snippet we get of the rather disturbing notion that they had a sado-sexual relationship when Aura was younger.

There is also some fleshing out of the rivalry between Kala and Klytus which was rather interesting and I wish had gone into more detail.

I guess this is perfect pulp literature and written somewhat tongue in cheek, but for me the characters didn't quite work. Still its a must have for all Flash Gordon fans with 8 pages of colour movie stills.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 05.27.84

[Beauregard Shagnasty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was written somewhat cheekily. I guess it captures the spirit of the 1980 version of Flash Gordon.