Cliffhanger

by Jeff Rovin

Gabe Walker joins an emergency mountain rescue, only to discover that the stranded hikers are a gang of thieves attempting to recover one hundred million dollars from a crashed Treasury jet

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

213 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

Reviews

[Lee Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The guy wasn’t just amazing, he was Rambo on ice.” This novelization was a ton of fun. Like some other novelizations, it chopped itself into micro chapters (68 chapters for a 213 page book) to mirror all the scenes from the movie. Definite recommend.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent novelization, which I highly recommend reading if you love the film or just novelizations in general.

I have only seen Cliffhanger a couple of times, but apart from a couple of dips in the pacing, I'm always pretty much on the edge of my seat, heart racing. I just wasn't sure how that tension was going to work in a novelization. The author accomplishes this by writing quick, short chapters, which means you can fairly rattle through the book in no time. It's 213 pages, so it's short and snappy, and I don't feel like it suffered from the pacing issues that the film did (particularly in the latter half.)

There are a few minor changes, which you'll only really notice, if the film is still fresh in your mind from the last re-watch. There are a couple of dialogue changes, which clearly were either cut from the final film, or reworked. There is a lot of additional description, without dragging the storytelling down, with some additional chapters - one about how the mountain ranges are formed, which is to the point, and one about the US Mint, which gives you a little bit of background to both. There is also a slightly fun insight into Walter Wright's character, and how he really feels about being up in the helicopter (played by Paul Winfield).

I also love that at one point, Gabe is described as being "Rambo on ice", which is a nice little nod to another one of his films.

Apart from that, the novelization sticks pretty closely to the final film, apart from some little changes, which you will barely notice. This is highly recommended, and you can get it for a reasonable price, so it's not gone out of print, like some novelizations have. Definitely snap this up if you love the film.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabe Walker is the one-time leader of a Rocky Mountain rescue team who quit after an amateur climber slipped from his grasp and plunged to her death. Reluctantly, Gabe is persuaded to join his former partner in an emergency rescue but the stranded hikers are ruthless thieves attempting to recover $100 million from a crashed Treasury jet.
A very direct novelisation of the 1993 Sylvester Stallone film, this works perfectly for that (I’m a fan of the film), though I’m not sure how well it would work if you didn’t have the films visuals in mind. I don’t think any of the characters are described and the Craig Fairbrass character is only revealed to be English late in the book, but the story zips along at a brisk pace and holds the attention consistently. The writing is good, the suspense is well maintained and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Recommended.

[Christopher Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of cliffhanger the movie I was excited to read this book and I was not disappointed at all, it had most of the dialogue and story of what went on in the movie but with more of the thoughts and bits of different dialogue that wasn't but worked and made it even more enjoyable. It also made the tension between Hal and Gabe after what happened to his fiancee at the beginning of both film and the books, but the book goes into his hate for Gabe a bit more and they don't reconcile as quick as they do in the film, the action scenes were well described as were the more quieter moments in the book.

[Fabián Dotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabe Walker, vuelve a las montañas rocosas, luego de un accidente que ocurrió hace ocho meses atrás, donde no pudo salvar a una joven montañista.... ahora a pesar de no estar seguro, vuelve a trepar a las montañas para ayudar a un viejo ex amigo, en el rescate de un grupo de excursionistas... sorpresa para ambos, cuando se dan cuenta que se trata de una banda de ladrones, quienes los toman por rehenes, para que los ayuden a recuperar cien millones de dólares perdidos en las montañas.

Gabe logra escapar de los criminales, y comienza una carrera para poder encontrar el dinero, salvar a su compañero y no morir en el intento.

[Kelvin Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be a lie to say this is a good book, but there's something entertaining about it nonetheless, and at least it's a quick read.

[Wally Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very fast from the beginning to the end with actions in it.

[Antonio · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT ADAPTATION OF THE MOVIE. GREAT ACTION AND ESCAPADES FROM PERILOUS SITUATIONS OF A MAN AGAINST THE ELEMENTS. WHAT IS THIS NOVEL ABOUT? AS MR. QUALEN SAID, "YOU KNOW-SUITS,PANTS,SOCKS,ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS...THE USUAL STUFF.