Mortal Kombat

by Jeff Rovin and Jeff Rovin

Mortal Kombat has become one of the most successful home video games ever created. Now the bestselling author of GameMaster's Complete Video Game Guide has written an enthralling novel, based on this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1572970596
• ISBN13: 9781572970595
• Release Date: June 1995
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 293 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Fighting Between The Covers

I just read an entertaining book called MORTAL KOMBAT by Jeff Rovin. I was very pleased with Rovin's treatment of Lovecraft's Re-Animator, so I gave this on a try.This is not a novelization of the movie, but the story before the game. This novel introduces all of the characters who star in the game. Their histories. The origin of and special powers they may possess. Other than having to work in the horrible title of Mortal Kombat (misspellings included) I found it to be a well-worked and plotted story.Deeply rooted in Chinese legend and mythology, this is a story of gods and their mortal servants and supporters. Added to this culturally rich setting is just a tasteful pinch of insider humor from many sources. For example, one of the heroes hails from a small town called Jackiechan. While this reference is rather blatant, the others are more subtle and blend into the story better. There is little actual fighting in this story. Apparently Rovin felt there was enough in the game. The one thing that really separates it from the game is that the good guys go out of their way not to kill. If they did kill they would be no better than the bad guys (who are plotting and other dimensional invasion).Like I said, this book is fun, fast-paced, entertaining and well written. It is definitely worth a look-see.

Great book, but not much like the game

I thought this was a great book, but be warned, it's not like the game at all. There's not a lot of fighting, the characters are slightly changed and a few characters don't make an appearance. Aside from that the book is very good. I think Jeff Rovin did a great job. The storyline is great and the characters are very well written. Don't buy this book if Johnny Cage is your favorite character because you will be disappointed. Rayden, Kung Lao, Shang Tsung and Goro are the main characters in the story. Liu Kang, Sonya, Kano, Shao Khan, Scorpion, Sub Zero and Reptile are also in it, but their roles aren't the same as the typical Mortal Kombat fan might think.If you're looking for a good read and don't care if it variates from the game I recommend this book. If you're looking for something that will mirror the game, don't bother.

At least I remember it was cool...

I bought this book a few years back, back when I was really into Mortal Kombat. The first movie had just been released, as well as the cartoon, and Mortal Kombat 3. I was excited when I saw this book, so I bought it. To be honest, I thought it was pretty cool, although I was confused by the various contradictions represented here. Scorpion, I thought, was a bad guy, only interested in revenge and not in stopping evil in general. I also thought Shang Tsung was a demon, not a human turned evil, but I could be wrong about that. Lastly, I thought Liu Kang was a Shaolin warrior and not a member of the White Lotus Society (? Sorry if I got it wrong!). Anyways, the story was pretty exciting, though it strayed too far from the previously established MK facts. Actually, I'm sorry I gave the book away.

Excellent, A real-life version of the popular game.

This book was very good. I loved the plot and how the characters tie in with the whole saga. Characters that are unneccesary (like Johnny Cage) have no significance in the book. In the game Johnny Cage had no real significance, and in the book he does not. Jeff Rovin did an incredible job with description and detail. Rayden was not portrayed as weak like he was in the movies. In the book he stands a head shorter than Goro (who is 8 ft. tall) and Rayden is 7 ft. In the movies he is belittled. I read it 3 times it was so engrossing. It doesn't follow the exact plotline of the game because it was not meant for a sequel like the video game is. It is a novelization of the popular game and it goes in depth into the history of Mortal Kombat. A must for any fan.

This is an excellent alternative to the video game story

I and most everyone i know was verry dissapointed about the movie. This book is about the tournament but is not just fighting it has very well described charachters and I think the characters are more how they should be in real life.