The Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom novel is the 1984 adaptation of the Temple of Doom film, penned by James Kahn and published by Ballantine Books. The book, along with the novelizations of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was republished in 2008 by Del Rey.
Publisher's summary[]
The swashbuckling archaeologist Indiana Jones is back in a dazzling new adventure!
The time is 1935.
Through a series of misadventures in Shanghai—and a narrow escape from death—Indiana Jones finds himself in a remote village in India. A mysterious old shaman tells him his arrival has been foreseen—and that he and his companions are destined to save the villagers.
So begins the most daring—and dangerous—quest of Indiana Jones' career!
Plot summary[]
Differences from the film[]
While the book's story is the same as the film's, the novel was adapted from the screenplay which did not entirely reflect the final product onscreen. Some differences include:
- Willie Scott and Short Round have detailed back-stories.
- The novel describes Indy as having a gray fedora, not a brown one.
- The scene in the novel in which Indy is attacked by the Thuggee assassin, the assassin is described as being large (much like the Chief Guard), when in the film the assassin and Indy both appear to share the same height.
- The scene where Indy tries to shoot the two Thuggees on the mountain is not in the novelization.
- Many graphic scenes that aren't shown in the film, such as Indy and Shorty being covered by flying human skins, are in the book.
- Willie escapes the guards that ambush her and Short Round, and makes it back to her room, where she tells Chattar Lal and Blumburtt about the temple. When Indy — under the sleep of Kali Ma — comes in and tells them that everything is fine, Blumburtt returns to his room, while Lal and Indy capture Willie and take her back to the temple.
- Chattar Lal dies in the book, while he lives in the movie.
- While Short Round is digging, a guard gets burned by lava and is freed from the Black Sleep of the Kali Ma (while also giving Short Round the idea of how to save Indy in the process), but is dragged away to drink the Blood of Kali again.
- The Thuggee Slave Driver's death is different. In the film Indy beats him up until his sash gets caught in the rock crusher, while in the book he tried to grab Indy, only to lose his balance and get his sash caught in the rock crusher.
- Mola Ram has also taken the Blood, and at the end of the book, when Ram burns his hand on the last Sankara Stone, he is freed from the trance and returns to normal; Indy tries to pull him to safety, but Ram falls off the bridge.
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Phillip James Blumburtt
- Lao Che
- Chen
- Chief Guard
- Chieftain
- Wu Han
- Indiana Jones
- Kao Kan
- Chattar Lal
- Marhan (As "Shaman")
- Nainsukh
- Mola Ram
- Sacrifice Victim
- Sajnu
- Willie Scott
- Short Round
- Premjit Singh (Mentioned only) (As "Shafi Singh")
- Zalim Singh
- William Sleeman (Mentioned only)
- Earl Weber
Artifacts[]
Behind the scenes[]
The second chapter "A Boy's Life" was an in-joke by author James Kahn to the working title of Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T. the Extraterrestrial.[1]