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brendanlambourne's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome behind the scenes look at the Star Wars universe. Must for any Star Wars fan.
coenobi's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.25
I really enjoyed this book! It's pretty much a biography on George Lucas. Or well, more on Star Wars. But the actual talk about the saga in a galaxy far, far away only starts around 100 pages into the book. Before that you learn more about Lucas, which is very interesting.
This book tells you a lot about how much trouble Lucas and co went through to create the universe we love to lose ourselves into so much and it was a great, quick read. The writer obviously is as passionate about the saga as we are.
The only downside for me is the part about the prequel hate. I try to keep myself from the hateful side of the fandom and stuff about parents keeping their kids from seeing the prequels, getting angry when they are mentioned and yelling that they don't exist irks me. Disliking stuff is totally fine, but I just disagree with stuff like that.
This book tells you a lot about how much trouble Lucas and co went through to create the universe we love to lose ourselves into so much and it was a great, quick read. The writer obviously is as passionate about the saga as we are.
The only downside for me is the part about the prequel hate. I try to keep myself from the hateful side of the fandom and stuff about parents keeping their kids from seeing the prequels, getting angry when they are mentioned and yelling that they don't exist irks me. Disliking stuff is totally fine, but I just disagree with stuff like that.
nerdbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
The book details the trials Lucas and a number of others have gone through for love a universe that is still growing. But if you don’t care about the movies, then why bother? As a study of the evolution of film or tracing a cultural phenomenom, this book does have some value. You likely don’t need to read it cover to cover to enjoy it, though fans will want to. Die-hard fans will likely get to learn something new, even if you think you know every little piece of trivia. And Taylor’s willingness to revere and gently make fun of fans in equal measure widens its appeal. But honestly, many of the chapters and anecdotes are just plain fun to read.
For a full review, visit my blog at http://librarianbeta.wordpress.com/2014/10/25/review-how-star-wars-conquered-the-universe/.
For a full review, visit my blog at http://librarianbeta.wordpress.com/2014/10/25/review-how-star-wars-conquered-the-universe/.
ultimatumman's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic read! The author spent a little too much time talking about why people don't like the prequels compared to the couple of pages of people who liked them (including the author). Star Wars has a fascinating history and its impact on society is extremely far reaching, and this book does a great job of covering pretty much everything. A couple of factual errors(like the budget for American Graffiti), but great, interesting read.
foosreadsandwrites's review against another edition
4.0
Fun!! I've never read a biography of a film franchise before. I wonder how long until a follow-up of the history since the new movies have been released.
bookhoarding's review against another edition
5.0
This is the book you need to read to restore your love of Star Wars after the residual burn of the prequels. Chris Taylor does an excellent, and insanely thorough, job of chronicling the Star Wars phenomena. This book touches on the making of the movies, the history of sci-fi/fantasy film, emergence of fan culture, advances in technology, the Creator and so much more. I appreciated the research and interviews the author had to compile to make this as holistic as it is.
Who should read this: Fans of the Star Wars universe. Whether you refuse to acknowledge the prequels or not, this book is made for you (plus there is a perfect "five stages of Star Wars prequel grief" chapter).
What you should drink with this: Blue milk is for babies. Have some Jawa juice (aka beer).
Who should read this: Fans of the Star Wars universe. Whether you refuse to acknowledge the prequels or not, this book is made for you (plus there is a perfect "five stages of Star Wars prequel grief" chapter).
What you should drink with this: Blue milk is for babies. Have some Jawa juice (aka beer).
tmeysenburg's review against another edition
3.0
I grew up on Star Wars so this was an interesting read. I said multiple times, "that's the last chapter I need to read," and then found myself reading the next chapter. The book took me from cautiously optimistic about the next movie to excited. I look forward to discussing this at Books and Bars.
mrgrinth's review against another edition
5.0
Wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I picked this up as an audio book. I'm rather glad I did though. This is a well balanced, extremely thorough account starting from George Lucas' childhood, going through the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and ending shortly after the beginning of production on THE FORCE AWAKENS. I personally loved the little touches (the time spent with the 501st, the exploration of the heated debate around stormtrooper uniforms, the R2 Builders club etc) that really fleshed out the overall narrative. Perhaps the biggest surprise was how expansive the coverage of science fiction history is in this book. If you love science fiction or are a fan of Star Wars, I'd highly recommend this book.
-addendum: in case it matters I'm nothing close to a die hard fan of Star Wars. I'm a casual fan who loved the original series as a kid, felt like the prequels largely ruined the franchise for me, and am just now coming back to it with cautious optimism for the new film.
-addendum: in case it matters I'm nothing close to a die hard fan of Star Wars. I'm a casual fan who loved the original series as a kid, felt like the prequels largely ruined the franchise for me, and am just now coming back to it with cautious optimism for the new film.
jnamadan's review against another edition
4.0
The 1st part of the book which covered how Star Wars came about and episodes 4-6 was really good. Once it got to episodes 1-3 and beyond it got less interesting (no surprise).