"First they tamed the Wild West, now Chon Wang and Roy O'Bannon are saddling up again. This time, they're headed for London, England."The story starts off in the year 1887. In the Forbidden City of China, Chon Wang's father, the Keeper of the Seal, is murdered and the Imperial Seal is stolen. Hearing about this and also that his sister, Lin, had followed the murderer to London, Chon Wang immediately sets out to find his sister. With friend and fellow partner Roy O'Bannon in tow, the two upon setting foot in England discover a dire plot to overthrow the two countries of China and England. Will Chon Wang, Roy, and Lin be able to catch the crooks and save the two countries?
"Shanghai Knights" is actually the prequel to the 2000 movie, "Shanghai Noon". Starring Jackie Chan as the 'fish-out-of-water' Chinese man who came to America and Owen Wilson as Roy O'Bannon the 'not-quite-your-average' outlaw, "Shanghai Noon" has always been one of my favorite movies to watch. And of course when I heard that the sequel "Shanghai Knights" was coming out, I knew I had to see it. But since the movie won't be coming out for a few more weeks (February 7th, 2003), I decided to get the novelization.
As far as the plot goes, I'm very much looking forward to seeing it on the big screen. There's definitely going to be a lot more acion than in the first movie, and plus there's a romance going on (you've probably guessed who falls in love with whom). And you might not believe me but the sequel might actually be a lot more fun than the first one!
As far as this novelization goes, it was an ok book to read but there is a down side to reading this novel. For one thing, the book is aimed more for kids, maybe 10 - 12. I knew from the beginning that since the movie will be rated PG-13, the book will be cutting some scenes and changing the plot a bit. I would have really preferred reading a 'real' novelization of "Shanghai Knights" but this is all there is. Plus the reading level is very easy, I'm sure any teenager or adult will finish this in 1 hour flat.
If you're 13 or so and younger or you're really looking forward to seeing the movie, I can easily recommend this book for you. But if you're really not all that excited about the upcoming movie... just wait for the movie to come out.
