Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Race for Akator is a book for younger readers written by Benjamin Harper and published in September 2008 by Scholastic Inc. A partial adaptation of the fourth theatrical Indiana Jones motion picture and illustrated with stills from the production, Race for Akator was distributed exclusively through the school market.
Publisher's summary
Indiana Jones is on the run... Again!
It's a fast-paced chase to see who can make it to the legendary city of gold–get ready for a race to Akator!
Plot summary
A partial adaptation of the film, the story broadly covers events beginning around Indiana Jones and Mutt Williams' recovery of the Crystal Skull of Akator from Chauchilla Cemetery up to the arrival at the entrance to the city of gold itself (although the photographs depict the interior of the temple with the door to the treasure chamber). Much of the action is centered around the Jungle Chase.
Differences from the film
- Indiana Jones and Mutt Williams' battle with the Cemetery Warriors is absent.
- Williams' impromptu escape from Soviet jungle camp and the dry sandpit sequence are omitted, including Marion Ravenwood's revelation to Jones that Mutt is his son.
- Antonin Dovchenko and George McHale are pictured but are unnamed. While Dovchenko's fight with Indiana Jones is referenced, Mac's role isn't mentioned in the narrative at all and his face obscured in the images.