JUdge Dredd VS Death Book Review
I have been a long term fan of the Judge Dredd franchise. From flicking through old 2000ad annuals from the 80s during my childhood to browsing the character’s latest adventures in the local comic book store, the no bullshit hallmark personality of the futuristic lawman always owned a certain appeal – particularly due to the gritty, comically juxtaposed world he judges. That being said, I felt this novelisation of the hit 2000s game was a bit lack-luster.
It left me wanting more, but not in a good way.
What Judge Dredd VS Death Does well
Before I take the book to the iso-cubes, I want to give it a chance for parole.
The book does a fantastic job of setting an atmosphere and digging deep into what Mega City One feels like. The descriptions of the places felt accurate to what I used to read from the comic strips but added more detail into the overall feeling of what it may be like to live in Mega City One. The comics do a great job of showing what it looks like, but not so much what it feels like.
The technology descriptions and canon references to fans of Dredd were all there, and accurate as far as I can tell. No doubt these particular aspects were proofed meticulously for this very reason. In any sci fi book, be it an established franchise or not, how the tech is described is always important. What I liked about this book was that it only went into detail about technology when it was relevant for the plot and narrative – not just for the sake of it (a pet peeve of mine I have with a lot of sci fi works).
The narrative was engaging but – more importantly – it expanded upon the game narrative which was the basis for the book in a meaningful way. For instance, various characters that were important in the game got their time and were developed very well in the book. It didn’t contradict the games (like some game novelisations tend to do), but told the story with accuracy. It kept an edge for additional details that kept it intriguing. I find this especially important for those who have played the game but not read the book.
Lastly, Dredd’s no bullshit attitude read well in the book – even if the dialogue was a bit clunky at times (more on that below). Dredd is a man of few words but that doesn’t mean he is expressionless. This was portrayed well in the book. The action scenes felt very Dredd-like, and fans of Dredd will know exactly what I mean! If you’re not yet a fan of Dredd, you will be. He is badass but he isn’t invincible and this bleeds through into the narrative (literally and figuratively) in a believable way for someone of Dredd’s status and fame. It levels the playing field against Dredd and stacks the odds in a way that his vulnerabilities are a threat but not an insurmountable challenge. Too often writers can fall into the trap of having a character being too good at what they do, only to realise there’s now very little genuine threat to their character. Accomplishing high-stakes with such an established character like Dredd – and have them be believable – is an accomplishment in and of itself.
Where the book Let Me Down
If this book was a lawgiver, and I was a perp, I wouldn’t even want the ID to match.
The writing style was, put simply, plain and uninspired. It is written well from a technical stand-point as it flows but it also reads like a young adult novel. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is if you aren’t a YA fan or weren’t expecting that kind of reading level.
The dialogue was a bit clunky and felt almost forced at points. What I mean by that is that it felt as if Gordon Rennie was adding dialogue to gloss over descriptive prose where, in my opinion, the descriptive prose would have told a much more vivid and engaging story. The dialogue also falls victim to ‘stating the obvious’ in that it re-hashes established plot points we’ve already covered. In essence, dialogue is wasted on various plot points on the assumption the reader is inattentive. That being said, Dredd has his classic one-liners which made me smile, but other than that the dialogue didn’t hold me at all.
My last gripe with the novel is that certain sections felt rushed. This wasn’t really that pronounced until the ending (which I won’t spoil). A few more pages or maybe even an extra chapter for the ending would have fleshed out the story a bit more and matched the pacing that was set at the start of the book.
The Sentence, life or death?
Overall, if I were to give this book a rating out of 10, I’d likely go for the 5-6 region. Noted, that is with my bias for the franchise. It is a decent read and certainly worth picking up if you are a Judge Dredd fan. Not everyone has the time or the platform to play the original game. If you want a solid Dredd narrative and can look past the writing style – go and grab a copy!