This is Books and Nachos, a podcast for those of us who find excitement in the pages of a good book.

Fiction and nonfiction, graphic novels and more.

We are here to help you find something great to read.

In 1985, Rambo exploded into theaters in Rambo First Blood Part 2.

Despite the first Rambo film, First Blood, being arguably the better film, with Rambo First Blood Part 2, the iconic version of Rambo was born,

bare-chested, red headband, and a giant machine gun in his hands.

I'm Arnie, host of Books and Notches, and you can hear my review of Rambo First Blood

Part 2, The Movie, on Now Playing, our movie review podcast at nowplayingpodcast.com.

But here on Books and Notches today, I'm looking at the novelization

of the movie Rambo First Blood Part 2. Now, please, before you push stop, let me explain why I'm looking

at the novelization of this movie. Because if you're thinking that Books and Notches has lowered

itself looking at a movie novelization and that this novelization

isn't worthy of critical analysis, I completely understand your line of thinking. It stands to

reason that books which are adapted to film are worth reviewing as they start off as literature.

But films adapted to prose are usually nothing more than pulpy, shallow, in a cheap way for a film studio's

merchandising arm to capitalize on movies they expect to hit big. But before you hit stop,

give me a couple minutes to explain why Rambo First Blood Part 2 breaks that mold. I have a lot of

experience reading movie novelizations. When I was growing up, a locally owned bookstore,

Chapter 1

Books, had a selection of its store entirely devoted to film adaptations. They were such big

business in the 80s, and it was that section of the bookstore that I was most drawn to. There,

I picked up novelizations of Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Spice Like Us, Clue, which had multiple endings

...