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Predator is a 1987 novelization of the film of the same name, written by Paul Monette and published by Jove Books.

Publisher's Summary[]

Seven men. War was their profession, death an occupational hazard. But this time, they weren't fighting a war. They were fighting something far more deadly...

One by one, it stalked them. And one by one, they died, each death more horrifying than the last.

Only one man is left. Major Alan Schaefer. Now, in the heart of the jungle, he must face the most terrifying creature ever to land on Earth. One on one...

Differences from the Film[]

Notable differences between the novel and the film include:

  • The novel includes a brief prologue in which the Predator scans Earth from aboard its ship in orbit, surveying all of the species inhabiting the planet, finally studying an anatomical image of man.[1]
  • The novel reveals that Dutch's briefing takes place in the fictional country of Conta Mana, while the remainder of the story occurs in Guatemala.[2] The film never clarifies precisely where events take place, although Predators later revealed that Dutch's mission took place in Guatemala.
  • There are several differences with the characters in the book. Aside from the fact that Dutch's team is generally more bloodthirsty and savage than their movie counterparts, Mac is white, Dutch's team all openly make racist remarks to eachother, including some directed at Dillon.[3][4] Blain also sports extensive tattoos on his arms.[5] Billy, meanwhile, is said to possess genuine psychic powers, and is able to access the memories of his Sioux ancestors and telepathically connect with the Predator itself, although he does not realise these abilities until after the assault on the guerrilla camp.[6] While he certainly has something of a sixth sense in the film, it is never suggested that it is overtly supernatural.
  • Perhaps the most notable difference from the film is in the titular Predator itself. In the book, the Predator is a shapeshifter, capable of mimicking any creature it chooses after sampling it with just the slightest physical contact; at one point, it takes the form of a jackal after finding a tuft of the creature's hair wedged between some rocks.[7] The Predator is even capable of dissipating entirely, vanishing and becoming part of the blowing breeze.[8] In its basic form, it is a tall, humanoid creature with blue or crimson, scaly skin and three-fingered hands.[9] Its only weapons are a telescoping spear that it throws (incidentally similar to the Combistick from Predator 2) and a static, spider web-like trap capable of contracting and shredding anything caught in it (similar to the net fired by the Netgun, again introduced in Predator 2). Instead of a Cloak, the creature uses its shapeshifting ability and chameleon-like skin to hide.[10] The Predator is also able to possess any animal it chooses, using them to scout its surroundings or draw them in so that it can assume their form (although it cannot control humans, one of the reasons it is so interested in them).[11] Its blood is translucent and amber in color instead of green, although it still glows at night.[12] The Predator does not kill men for sport, but rather out of scientific curiosity; the way it horrifically mutilates its prey is an attempt to study and better understand human beings.[13] It does, however, keep trophies taken from those it kills on board its ship.[14]
  • In the novel, the Predator first starts following the team after they discover the downed helicopter.[15] In the film, the Predator doesn't pick up their trail until after they discover the skinned American men.
  • Jim Hopper's name is said to be J. S. Davis.[16] In the film he is the leader of a Special Forces unit sent to extract the captured CIA agents, but in the novel he is said to be the pilot of the helicopter that was shot down.[17]
  • The guerrilla camp is more substantial than in the film, defended by anti-aircraft weapons and emplaced guns.[18] It also sits atop an extensive underground bunker network, which is where all the weapons stockpiled for the invasion (briefly mentioned in the film) are stored.[19]
  • Following Hawkins' death, the team finds the Predator's footprints. Unlike in the film, Dutch, Blain and Billy are immediately convinced they are being hunted by an alien creature.[20] In the film, only Billy suspects they are being hunted by something that isn't human, and no one else is sure until much later.
  • Dutch and the team finds Hawkins' body hanging in the trees.[21] In the movie, nobody notices it. Later, the Predator returns to its ship with Hawkins' body and tears out his spine and skull.[14] In the film, it does this to Billy's corpse much later.
  • After killing Blain, the Predator removes all of his internal organs and carries them away when it flees the scene.[22]
  • When Mac is firing into the trees, he does not wound the Predator. Instead, the Predator is hit by shrapnel from Poncho's grenade launcher.[23]
  • The morning after the Predator reclaims Blain's body, Anna lets a chameleon crawl onto her arm and watches as it changes color.[24] This scene was shot for the movie but not used.
  • Before making his final stand, Billy applies American Indian-style warpaint to his face.[25] In the film, his camo paint is inspired by Indian warpaint from the start. We find out how he dies, with the Predator slicing him open vertically from his neck to his stomach before tearing out his internal organs, presumably for study.[26]
  • After going over the waterfalls, Dutch loses his clothes as well as his equipment, and consequently spends the entire final act of the story naked.[27]
  • After Dutch discovers wet mud renders him invisible to the Predator, he actually watches the extraction helicopter fly overhead, but he is too weak to signal it. He subsequently passes out and has a vivid nightmare about being mutilated by the Predator.[28]
  • While preparing his back-to-basics equipment, Dutch additionally dips his arrows in cyanide he gets from suicide pills he is carrying.[29]
  • During the final showdown, the Predator mimics Anna's voice to try and lure Dutch into a trap, almost succeeding before it gives itself away by also mimicking Mac, who has been dead for some time.[30] A similar sequence was planned for the movie but not used.
  • The final battle between Dutch and the Predator leads them into a cavern behind a waterfall, where the two engage in hand-to-hand combat.[31]
  • The Predator actually flees when Dutch begins to gain the upper hand during their confrontation, running back to its ship with Dutch in pursuit.[32] At the ship, Dutch finds over thirty mutilated bodies and several flayed skins hanging from the surrounding trees, before finally killing the hunter with its own spear as it tries to board its ship, hurling the weapon straight through the Predator's head.[33] The spear also damages something vital within the vessel, and it is the ship itself that then explodes, as the Predator does not have a Self-Destruct Device in the book.[34] This version of the creature's demise features in early drafts of the film's script.
  • When the chopper returns to find Dutch, the soldiers on board almost shoot him as they do not recognize him, but Anna stops them.[35] The book notably ends with Dutch and Anna entering a relationship, something that is never suggested in the movie.

Trivia[]

  • At one point, the book describes Dutch as being "Olympian in size",[27] likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won the Mr. Olympia competition seven times before becoming an actor.
  • In the novelization, Dillon, referring to repelling from a helicopter, said "You don't know how much I missed this, Pal. Once you get it in your blood, you're hooked." to which Dutch replied "Man, you've been reading too many Marvel comics." Though, in the film, Dutch responded by saying "You never were that smart." While Dark Horse Comics didn't launch its Predator comics line until 1989, Predator comics would eventually go on to be published by Marvel thirty-three years later.

Goofs[]

See: Predator goofs#Novelization

Editions[]

See Also[]

References[]

  1. Paul Monette. Predator: Prologue (1987), Jove Books.
  2. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 6 (1987), Jove Books.
  3. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 45 (1987), Jove Books.
  4. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 135 (1987), Jove Books.
  5. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 14 (1987), Jove Books.
  6. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 94 (1987), Jove Books.
  7. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 57 (1987), Jove Books.
  8. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 140 (1987), Jove Books.
  9. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 156 (1987), Jove Books.
  10. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 85 (1987), Jove Books.
  11. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 103 (1987), Jove Books.
  12. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 127 (1987), Jove Books.
  13. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 43 (1987), Jove Books.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Paul Monette. Predator, p. 133 (1987), Jove Books.
  15. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 31 (1987), Jove Books.
  16. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 37 (1987), Jove Books.
  17. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 72 (1987), Jove Books.
  18. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 46 (1987), Jove Books.
  19. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 59 (1987), Jove Books.
  20. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 114 (1987), Jove Books.
  21. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 117 (1987), Jove Books.
  22. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 121 (1987), Jove Books.
  23. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 123 (1987), Jove Books.
  24. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 146 (1987), Jove Books.
  25. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 167 (1987), Jove Books.
  26. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 170 (1987), Jove Books.
  27. 27.0 27.1 Paul Monette. Predator, p. 177 (1987), Jove Books.
  28. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 175 (1987), Jove Books.
  29. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 179 (1987), Jove Books.
  30. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 187 (1987), Jove Books.
  31. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 189 (1987), Jove Books.
  32. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 191 (1987), Jove Books.
  33. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 194 (1987), Jove Books.
  34. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 195 (1987), Jove Books.
  35. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 199 (1987), Jove Books.

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