by Edward Falco. (Find the Book)Opinion remains divided on Mario Puzo's The Godfather (1969). Was it a pulp masterpiece or did it merely benefit from the glow cast by Francis Coppola's films? Falco's prequel provides ample opportunity for reevaluation. Based on an unproduced screenplay by Puzo, it channels the original so well that readers will be vividly reminded of Puzo's strengths (family politics, abrupt violence) and weaknesses (important characters who never evolve beyond plot pawns). Set in 1933, the story finds all of the New York families, including the relatively humble Corleones, bracing for the end of Prohibition. That means power shifts and that means blood. Falco's populous, chatty, gory novel focuses on two characters, Don Corleone's hotheaded 17-year-old son, Sonny, who longs to break into his father's business, and Luca Brasi, a loose-cannon psychopath who throws the entire crime world into chaos. For better or worse, Falco follows every esoteric character with the same steadicam curiosity. His moments of blam-blam-blam, though, are ace. Best of all, he supplies a grand set-piece finale a parade that will have readers dreaming of just one more movie. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Over 21 million copies of Puzo's original are in print, and legions of Puzo and Coppola fans are still out there, making this an offer they can't refuse. --Booklist
