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[]
- Fred Astaire (Mentioned only)
- Big Short Round
- Phillip James Blumburtt
- Buddha (Mentioned only)
- James Cagney (Mentioned only)
- Alphonse Capone (Mentioned only)
- Chao-pao (Mentioned only)
- Nick Charles (Mentioned only)
- Nora Charles (Mentioned only)
- Charlie Chaplin (Mentioned only)
- Lao Che
- Chen
- Chief Guard
- Chieftain
- Chinese Co-Pilot
- Chinese Pilot
- Chu (Mentioned only)
- Ty Cobb (Mentioned only)
- Dizzy Dean (Mentioned only)
- Dracula (Mentioned only)
- Feng-p'o (Mentioned only)
- Jimmy Foxx (Mentioned only)
- Frankenstein (Mentioned only)
- Clark Gable (Mentioned only)
- Lou Gehrig (Mentioned only)
- God of the Door of Ghosts (Mentioned only)
- Wu Han
- Jean Harlow (Mentioned only)
- Dr. Van Helsing (Mentioned only)
- Robin Hood (Mentioned only)
- Hsienpo (Mentioned only)
- Huan-t'ien (Mentioned only)
- Mr. Hyde (Mentioned only)
- Jade Emperor (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones
- Chiang Kai-Shek (Mentioned only)
- Kao Kan
- Krishna (Mentioned only)
- Lei-Kung (Mentioned only)
- Chattar Lal
- Lefty Grove (Mentioned only)
- Little Thunders (Mentioned only)
- Marhan (As "Shaman")
- Marian (Mentioned only)
- Mother of Lightnings (Mentioned only)
- My Lord the Thunder (Mentioned only)
- Naga (Mentioned only)
- Nainsukh
- Frank Nitti (Mentioned only)
- Mola Ram
- Ginger Rogers (Mentioned only)
- Babe Ruth (Mentioned only)
- Sacrifice Victim
- Sajnu
- Willie Scott
- Willie Scott's mother (Mentioned only)
- Shiva (Mentioned only)
- Short Round
- Short Round's grandmother (Mentioned only)
- Emperor Shou-Sin (Mentioned only)
- Premjit Singh (Mentioned only) (As "Shafi Singh")
- Zalim Singh
- William Sleeman (Mentioned only)
- Star of Dignities (Mentioned only)
- Star of Happiness (Mentioned only)
- Star of Longevity (Mentioned only)
- Tien-Mu (Mentioned only)
- Three Star-Gods (Mentioned only)
- Thuggee assassin
- Art Weber
- Mae West (Mentioned only)
- Wo-Mai (Mentioned only)
- Uncle Wong (Mentioned only)
- Yama Kings (Mentioned only)
- Ying-t'ai (Mentioned only)
Artifacts[]
- Sankara Stones
- Peacock's Eye
- Nurhachi's ashes
- Pandora's Box (Mentioned only)
Locations[]
- Earth
- Alsace (Mentioned only)
- China
- Shanghai
- Club Obi Wan
- Gung Ho Bar
- Place of Doves
- Tai-Phung Theater
- Wang Poo
- Shanghai
- Hollywood (Mentioned only)
- India
- Ganges River (Mentioned only)
- Pankot Province
- Siam (Mentioned only)
- United States of America (Mentioned only)
- Chicago (Mentioned only)
- Missouri (Mentioned only)
- New York City (Mentioned only)
- Manhattan (Mentioned only)
- West Africa (Mentioned only)
- Venus (Mentioned only)
Miscellanea[]
- 1934 Duesenberg Auburn convertible
- Ant (As food)
- "Anything Goes"
- Blood of Kali
- Boa constrictor (As food)
- Boar (As food)
- Celestial Ministry of Time (Mentioned only)
- Chicken
- The Circus (Mentioned only)
- Dog (On film)
- Elephant
- Ford Tri-Motor Airplane
- Ghost (Mentioned only)
- The Guardian of Tradition Dinner
- "Home on the Range"
- Hinduism
- I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (Mentioned only)
- Ice Creatures From Venus (Mentioned only)
- The Invisible Man (Mentioned only)
- It Happened One Night (Mentioned only)
- King Kong (Mentioned only)
- Kryta
- Monkey (Mentioned only)
- The Mine Car Chase
- Ministry of Celestial Fire (Mentioned only)
- Ministry of Exorcism (Mentioned only)
- The Mummy (Mentioned only)
- The Public Enemy (Mentioned only)
- The Shadow (Mentioned only)
- Silkworm (Mentioned only)
- Snake
- Tarzan (Mentioned only)
- Thuggee
- Twentieth Century Limited (Mentioned only)
- Voodoo
- Wings (Mentioned only)
Behind the scenes[]
Development[]
After he wrote the novelization of Tobe Hooper's 1982 supernatural horror film Poltergeist, James Kahn was recommended by producer Steven Spielberg to Lucasfilm Ltd. in order to write the novelizations of two then-forthcoming George Lucas productions: Richard Marquand's 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the lastest Star Wars film, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, their newest Indiana Jones film which was released in 1984.[1]
Kahn's novel was distinctive for its narrative shifts in point-of-view between Indiana Jones, Willie Scott and Short Round respectively.[1] The second chapter "A Boy's Life" was an in-joke by Kahn to the working title of Spielberg's 1982 film E.T. the Extraterrestrial.[2] In accordance to the shooting screenplay summary he was given, Kahn wrote Mola Ram's death in a way that implies he may have just been a brainwashed victim of the Thuggee all along, inviting for a "pang of sympathy".[3]
Continuity[]
In page 298, Mola Ram mispells Muslims as "Moslems".
Cover gallery[]
Notes and references[]
Sources[]
Defining Moments: Short Round’s Choice on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)- History in Objects: Celebrating 40 Years of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)