The Iron Giant
Ted Hughes
Knopf
Fiction, CH Sci-Fi
Themes: Dragons, Fables, Robots
**
Description
A metal-eating giant robot appears in a small farming town. Initially feared, he eventually is called upon to save the world from a great threat.
This story, originally published in 1968, formed the basis of the 1999 Warner Bros. animated movie of the same name.
Review
If I had read this before seeing the movie, I wouldn't have gone. I would've missed a very good movie, too. I really liked the film, but the only resemblance
I see between the book and the movie is the robot and the boy named Hogarth. This story is very basic and superficial, with a wandering plot and no characterization
whatsoever - unlike the film. The parable aspects are very obvious, the iron giant representing dangerous new technologies and war machines, which humans distrust
upon their arrival but ultimately appreciate when they're needed. I also found the ending to be hokey, even for a book aimed at young children. Maybe I'm being unfair
comparing it to a modern movie, or maybe I'm too old to appreciate it for what it is. Then again, maybe it was intended for a more innocent era, and it just doesn't
have the same impact today as it did back then.
Once again, if you ever get the chance to see the film - especially if you have an appreciation for older sci-fi - do so. If, on the other hand, you find a copy of t
his book, I wouldn't bother picking it up if I were you.