English language
Published Aug. 24, 2016
More than thirty years ago, Star Wars burst onto the big screen and became a cultural phenomenon. Now the next adventures in this blockbuster saga are poised to captivate old and new fans alike—beginning with the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And alongside the cinematic debut comes the thrilling novel adaptation by New York Times bestselling science fiction master Alan Dean Foster.
Set years after Return of the Jedi, this stunning new action-packed adventure rockets us back into the world of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker, while introducing a host of exciting new characters. Darth Vader may have been redeemed and the Emperor vanquished, but peace can be fleeting, and evil does not easily relent. Yet the simple belief in good can still empower ordinary individuals to rise and meet the greatest challenges.
So return to that galaxy far, far away, and prepare …
More than thirty years ago, Star Wars burst onto the big screen and became a cultural phenomenon. Now the next adventures in this blockbuster saga are poised to captivate old and new fans alike—beginning with the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And alongside the cinematic debut comes the thrilling novel adaptation by New York Times bestselling science fiction master Alan Dean Foster.
Set years after Return of the Jedi, this stunning new action-packed adventure rockets us back into the world of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker, while introducing a host of exciting new characters. Darth Vader may have been redeemed and the Emperor vanquished, but peace can be fleeting, and evil does not easily relent. Yet the simple belief in good can still empower ordinary individuals to rise and meet the greatest challenges.
So return to that galaxy far, far away, and prepare yourself for what happens when the Force awakens....
It was OK, but not great. The movie was very tightly paced, sometimes to the detriment of the details, and I was hoping the novelization would fill in more of the gaps than it did.
I have never read a novelization before; if this is a typical example, I don't expect to read any again.
In short, this book reads like a loquacious friend's in-depth recounting of the movie: Some parts are severely devoid of detail and would be inscrutable had I not already seen the movie, while in other places you're like, "Naw, bro, that's not the way it happened." And then there's the stuff that the friend just makes up, like added dialogue or theories about how Starkiller Base might work scientifically....
Also, Alan Dean Foster writes prose like he's procrastinating from doing something else. It's filled with nonsequiturs like, "Despite lack of any training with a lightsaber, Finn was athletic and courageous." Because one can't be athletic and courageous without lightsaber training?
Ultimately, this book lacks from a severe round of editing, both for continuity with the movie (somehow both of these …
I have never read a novelization before; if this is a typical example, I don't expect to read any again.
In short, this book reads like a loquacious friend's in-depth recounting of the movie: Some parts are severely devoid of detail and would be inscrutable had I not already seen the movie, while in other places you're like, "Naw, bro, that's not the way it happened." And then there's the stuff that the friend just makes up, like added dialogue or theories about how Starkiller Base might work scientifically....
Also, Alan Dean Foster writes prose like he's procrastinating from doing something else. It's filled with nonsequiturs like, "Despite lack of any training with a lightsaber, Finn was athletic and courageous." Because one can't be athletic and courageous without lightsaber training?
Ultimately, this book lacks from a severe round of editing, both for continuity with the movie (somehow both of these stories are considered canon, even given the discrepancies) and on a line-editing level.
It deserves 2.5 stars. I gave it 3 because Goodreads doesn't allow half-stars. The generosity notwithstanding, I did like a few of the additional bits, such as Poe's recovery on Jakku and his ability to find a ride. Unkar Plutt's encounter with Chewie was fun, too, if extraneous.
