Rumor has it that we may be getting the final full trailer for The Force Awakens around the 16th of October. Considering that’s just about 8 weeks to the film’s release, the 16th feels about right. Even if the rumors prove untrue, the trailer will be here shortly and, for that, I couldn’t be more excited. On the other hand, store shelves are still ridiculously barren of Episode VII action figures and, on that front, I’m disappointed. The blame here falls squarely on Hasbro’s shoulders — they seriously dropped the ball. On the other side of the court, do you know who didn’t drop the ball when it comes to the build towards Episode VII? The Disney-Lucasfilm Press. Since the Expanded Universe reboot, Disney has been filling in the gaps book after book. The one thing all of these books had in common however, was that they were all set before the events of Return of the Jedi. A lot of fans found themselves wondering just what happens during those 30 years between Episodes VI and VII.
Fortunately, The Disney-Lucasfilm Press answered with five new books in the “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens” series. While only one of these books truly takes place after Return of the Jedi, the other four contain clues about The Force Awakens.
Let’s jump in with the first in a set of three books aimed at readers 10 to 14: Star Wars – The Weapon of a Jedi – A Luke Skywalker Story, penned by Jason Fry. We join Luke on one of his many adventures between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. On a mission from Mon Mothma, Luke finds himself marooned on a strange planet with C-3PO and R2-D2. I’ve mentioned in previous book reviews that some authors just don’t have a feel for these iconic characters. Their dialogue and actions just seem wrong for the character that’s delivering them. This is certainly not the case here. At no time did I question the authenticity of Luke, 3PO, or R2 — Fry had these guys nailed! The story isn’t groundbreaking by any means, but it’s a fun, quick read that shows the young farm boy from A New Hope exploring and developing his Jedi powers… and, as I mentioned, there’s a little nod to Episode VII.
Next up is Star Wars – Smuggler’s Run – A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure, written by Greg Rucka. Just like Weapon of a Jedi, this story takes place after A New Hope and, just like Jason Fry, Greg Rucka KNOWS these characters. Everything written about these characters is right and the story itself is wonderful. My only complaint is that it’s too short. The story is so compelling, you plow right through it and you’re done. I cracked the book and didn’t put it down until I hit the last page. This is the wisecracking, you-better-believe-he-shot-first Han Solo at his best. There are some great moments in the story where you can see him beginning to turn into the Han we got in Empire and Return. To top it all off, you have the older The Force Awakens Han bookending the story. Overall, it has everything you want in a Han Solo tale: secret mission for the Rebels, bounty hunters, laughs, and action. I absolutely can not recommend this one enough!
The last of the three is Star Wars – Moving Target – A Princess Leia Adventure, written by both Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry. Unlike the Luke and Han stories, this one takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I have to echo my feelings about the first two books as, once again, the two authors of this book know this character well and Leia is portrayed perfectly. The story itself follows Leia, C-3PO, and a group of Rebels on a mission to “keep the Empire busy” while the Rebellion prepares for their attack on the second Death Star. Of the three books, I feel that this one sets the stage for The Force Awakens best. As with the Han Solo story, Episode VII Leia bookends things and, to be honest, really got me (if this is even possible) more excited for The Force Awakens. Leia has always been a favorite character of mine, and this is the first real peek we get at the older war-seasoned General Organa.
In regards to the three stories as a whole, I read them in random order since there was no real indication that they should be read in any particular way. However, having read them, I suggest working your way through them in Luke, Han, and Leia order. This trilogy of stories are all well worth your time and you really should grab all three of them. That said, if you only read one, the Han Solo book is the best story and the Leia book provides the best glimpse into Episode VII. So if you have to choose…choose wisely!
The fourth book is aimed at 12 to 18-year-old readers. Star Wars – Lost Stars written by Claudia Gray. I don’t normally care for Star Wars novels that feature characters not in the films. Heck, I don’t even like stories that follow secondary characters that are in the films. Does anyone really care about the adventures of that funny looking alien that was sitting in the back of Jabba’s Palace enjoying the hypnotic sounds of The Max Rebo Band? To be fair, someone does… but that’s not me. I’m a main cast kind of guy; give me Han, Luke, Leia, or Vader any day. That said, my dear readers, I was a bit horrified when I realized that I was about to dive into a 551-page read featuring characters that I’d never heard of. But, I love you guys and I decided that I’d muscle through it in order to write a review that would hopefully save others from the same fate. Boy was I wrong! This book was REALLY good.
We follow Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell as they grow up surrounded by the events of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. In approaching things this way, the author provides us with a very unique perspective of the events in those three films. In a Romeo and Juliet like twist, once they part ways, one becomes a Rebel Pilot and the other an Imperial Officer. As you would expect, eventually the two have to face each other in an event that FINALLY gets us into the post-Return of the Jedi era. An excellent, excellent read and a book that has changed my mind about reading stories featuring original characters…
…but then I read Star Wars Aftermath by Chuck Wendig. For a moment, I’ll ask you to recall just how much I enjoyed the first four books. I’d like you to understand that the way I felt about this book is exactly the opposite of the others. But, if me fleshing this thing out saves you from buying or reading this book…then I’ll do it. This story takes place after Return of the Jedi — a period that I’ve been very excited to see developed. The author introduces new characters that are trite, predictable, and at no point did I have any interest in them. I was waiting, nay, HOPING that Han Solo would show up and blast every one of them into space dust, but it never happened. Several fairly important characters from the films showed up like Admiral Ackbar and Wedge Antilles, but they felt shoehorned into the story “just because.” The most painful part of the entire book was the odd present tense writing style. I don’t think that I’ve ever encountered a story written quite like this: “Footsteps. Shouts. Coming around the corner, now – not even fifteen meters away. A blaster bolt hisses through the rain, hits the wall.” The whole darn book is written that way. Short sentences (some one word) and don’t get me started on the hyphens… so many hyphens. The story ends in a way that suggests that we may see the further adventures of these characters that I don’t care about. OH THE HUMANITY!!! If you see this book on a shelf, RUN!
The worse part of this entire thing is that Aftermath is the book that they’ve really been pushing when Lost Stars is the one they really should have gotten behind. I guess four out of five ain’t bad, but when the first four are as good as they are, it really highlights just how bad Aftermath is. Stick with the other four and perhaps the Disney-Lucasfilm Press will take the hint and not put out another one like this. Perhaps whomever gave Aftermath the final thumbs up was just having a really off day. But, as I said, you have four REALLY good books to choose from, and I’d recommend picking up all four of them, and only one to avoid like the plague.
Until next time dear readers, may the Force be with you!