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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
sequel trio my beloveds 🫶
It's been a very slow start to the new Star Wars canon. The first line of books were terrible: Aftermath being the worst offender, Lost Stars a close second, but everything (other than a couple of bright spots like Tarkin and Lords of the Sith) was awful. I assumed that this was the way the series was going to go, and it was disappointing. But recently I've enjoyed a few books. The graphic novels Darth Vader and Kanan: The Last Padawan were quite enjoyable, and now I've just finished Before the Awakening, and I was surprised how much I liked it. Before the Awakening is in three parts, each one focusing on one of the main protagonists of The Force Awakens, just before the beginning of the film. It's a good concept for a book, and author Greg Rucka pulls it off nicely. In fact, I'd say that this book was better in many ways than the movie, because these stories are freer to go in their own directions, rather than being tied to fan expectations and marketing research. The Force Awakens suffers badly from the extent to which it copies earlier Star Wars films; Before the Awakening finds its own pace, and because of that it delivers stories that feel fresher and more like Star Wars.
Of the three stories (Finn, Rey, Poe), the weakest is Rey's. There's little more to learn about her day-to-day existence than what's shown in the film. In short: she had a monotonous, hopeless life. The story develops her character by attempting to explain why she's so good at everything she's required to do in The Force Awakens. The explanation is okay; it doesn't feel too forced or artificial, but it's just not very interesting.
Finn's story is great in how it fills in gaps about what life is like under the First Order. However, many of the details of this backstory seem to contradict what's shown in The Force Awakens. Finn is not simply a sanitation engineer; rather, he is on his way to becoming the (of course) greatest stormtrooper ever. And there is no way that Captain Phasma wouldn't know who Finn was, which seems to be the case in the film. Like other books in the Star Wars canon, this story humanizes the grunts in the First Order, which I was surprised didn't seem to be a priority in The Force Awakens. Perhaps the rest of the trilogy will add more to the ordinary people serving the First Order.
The final story, about Poe Dameron, is classic Star Wars. It fills in the most gaps left by the film as it explains in the most concrete detail yet what the First Order and the Resistance really are. Stories like this would have been so much more interesting than the tired attack on Starkiller Base. What might have been . . .
If someone were looking for a recommendation of just one Star Wars book to read, I'd suggest Before the Awakening. Not only is it three good stories that all feel very Star Wars, but it's one of the first new Star Wars books that I could wholeheartedly recommend to primary school/middle school readers. There's nothing here that a parent need worry about, but neither is it a watered-down, "kiddie" version of Star Wars. Rucka's graphic novel Shattered Empire was a big disappointment, but he redeems himself with Before the Awakening, and I hope he'll write more like this.
Of the three stories (Finn, Rey, Poe), the weakest is Rey's. There's little more to learn about her day-to-day existence than what's shown in the film. In short: she had a monotonous, hopeless life. The story develops her character by attempting to explain why she's so good at everything she's required to do in The Force Awakens. The explanation is okay; it doesn't feel too forced or artificial, but it's just not very interesting.
Finn's story is great in how it fills in gaps about what life is like under the First Order. However, many of the details of this backstory seem to contradict what's shown in The Force Awakens. Finn is not simply a sanitation engineer; rather, he is on his way to becoming the (of course) greatest stormtrooper ever. And there is no way that Captain Phasma wouldn't know who Finn was, which seems to be the case in the film. Like other books in the Star Wars canon, this story humanizes the grunts in the First Order, which I was surprised didn't seem to be a priority in The Force Awakens. Perhaps the rest of the trilogy will add more to the ordinary people serving the First Order.
The final story, about Poe Dameron, is classic Star Wars. It fills in the most gaps left by the film as it explains in the most concrete detail yet what the First Order and the Resistance really are. Stories like this would have been so much more interesting than the tired attack on Starkiller Base. What might have been . . .
If someone were looking for a recommendation of just one Star Wars book to read, I'd suggest Before the Awakening. Not only is it three good stories that all feel very Star Wars, but it's one of the first new Star Wars books that I could wholeheartedly recommend to primary school/middle school readers. There's nothing here that a parent need worry about, but neither is it a watered-down, "kiddie" version of Star Wars. Rucka's graphic novel Shattered Empire was a big disappointment, but he redeems himself with Before the Awakening, and I hope he'll write more like this.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A captivating story, I would have liked to see more of Fin’s story and Rey’s could have been compressed a bit, though I appreciated knowing the backstory on her piloting and mechanic skills. Poe’s was a bit heavy on the play-by-play space fights but overall was good, you can really see where he gets his Last Jedi headstrongness from.
All in all, a great precursor to the movie, would recommend. Besides, it’s a light and easy read.
I’m off to re-watch the movie now! *salutes in Resistance*
All in all, a great precursor to the movie, would recommend. Besides, it’s a light and easy read.
I’m off to re-watch the movie now! *salutes in Resistance*
I had high hopes for this collection and it didn't disappoint. I picked it up to learn more about the new trio, and once I started reading I got sucked into each of their stories and worlds completely. Rucka is a master storyteller that makes you want to keep reading, & the level of attention to detail he's put into these stories is so so compelling. I'm just going to review each of the stories separately and dump my favorite quotes from each. (SPOILERS AHEAD).
Finn's story was my favorite of the lot. I am First Order trash and it was pure joy getting to see how it's structured and how it operates on a daily basis (ah, the beautiful hierarchies of brainwashing and power-grabbing disguised as a higher calling!). The story is compelling in its own right, and seeing Finn's faith in the First Order fraying further and further thoughout the story was riveting. I squeed when Phasma showed up for the first time. She's this figure of terror for the stormtroopers, and it's done so well that we don't need to be told, because we can almost feel that terror when we see her act through Finn's eyes. General Hux appeared very briefly but I loved that cameo as well. The ending was perfectly done, a wonderful tie-in to Finn's renouncing of the First Order in that first scene of The Force Awakens.
Rey's story was paced like a pendulum, like the theme of the neverending storm, the X'us'R'iia that keeps cycling around to wreak vengeance on the inhabitants of Jakku, were part of the pace of the story as well. The storm just keeps going no matter what, and it seems Rey is the same. In the beginning, we see her just scraping by with her salvage, trying to make it to the next day. When she finds the ship and starts repairing it, it looks (from the story perspective) like this could be her big break, and she could actually leave Jakku. Devi speaks out that assumption by the reader, but no, all Rey wants to do is sell the ship and continue where she is, but living more comfortably. In the end, when Devi and Strunk steal her repaired ship and leave, Rey can't even bring herself to be angry, she accepts it. And just like that, she goes back to her usual hand-to-mouth situation. Like finding the ship and nursing it back to functionality was just an interruption in the storm, and then it starts up again.
Poe's story is an entirely different rhythm - he's the pulp action hero, the daredevil pulling shit that should get him killed but doesn't, with this ideal of justice and camaraderie and vanquishing evil. I enjoyed this one a lot, especially the easy banter between him and the other pilots on his squadron. I also really loved Leia's appearances here, and how she's portrayed as larger than life, this icon of the initial rebellion against the Empire, and her own awareness of that and how she just takes it in stride with a wry smile. This story has the most sense of urgency out of the three, and it ties into the movie perfectly, bringing us to the threshold of that very first scene where Poe gets the map to Luke Skywalker.
All in all, an amazing read! I'll definitely be revisiting these stories, they're all amazingly crafted, as expected of Greg Rucka :)
I had added quotes but then Goodreads crapped out on me so... no quotes, can't be bothered to type them up again. Whatever, my favorite quotes were pretty much "every line ever".
Finn's story was my favorite of the lot. I am First Order trash and it was pure joy getting to see how it's structured and how it operates on a daily basis (ah, the beautiful hierarchies of brainwashing and power-grabbing disguised as a higher calling!). The story is compelling in its own right, and seeing Finn's faith in the First Order fraying further and further thoughout the story was riveting. I squeed when Phasma showed up for the first time. She's this figure of terror for the stormtroopers, and it's done so well that we don't need to be told, because we can almost feel that terror when we see her act through Finn's eyes. General Hux appeared very briefly but I loved that cameo as well. The ending was perfectly done, a wonderful tie-in to Finn's renouncing of the First Order in that first scene of The Force Awakens.
Rey's story was paced like a pendulum, like the theme of the neverending storm, the X'us'R'iia that keeps cycling around to wreak vengeance on the inhabitants of Jakku, were part of the pace of the story as well. The storm just keeps going no matter what, and it seems Rey is the same. In the beginning, we see her just scraping by with her salvage, trying to make it to the next day. When she finds the ship and starts repairing it, it looks (from the story perspective) like this could be her big break, and she could actually leave Jakku. Devi speaks out that assumption by the reader, but no, all Rey wants to do is sell the ship and continue where she is, but living more comfortably. In the end, when Devi and Strunk steal her repaired ship and leave, Rey can't even bring herself to be angry, she accepts it. And just like that, she goes back to her usual hand-to-mouth situation. Like finding the ship and nursing it back to functionality was just an interruption in the storm, and then it starts up again.
Poe's story is an entirely different rhythm - he's the pulp action hero, the daredevil pulling shit that should get him killed but doesn't, with this ideal of justice and camaraderie and vanquishing evil. I enjoyed this one a lot, especially the easy banter between him and the other pilots on his squadron. I also really loved Leia's appearances here, and how she's portrayed as larger than life, this icon of the initial rebellion against the Empire, and her own awareness of that and how she just takes it in stride with a wry smile. This story has the most sense of urgency out of the three, and it ties into the movie perfectly, bringing us to the threshold of that very first scene where Poe gets the map to Luke Skywalker.
All in all, an amazing read! I'll definitely be revisiting these stories, they're all amazingly crafted, as expected of Greg Rucka :)
I had added quotes but then Goodreads crapped out on me so... no quotes, can't be bothered to type them up again. Whatever, my favorite quotes were pretty much "every line ever".
Tres historias cortas sobre los tres protas de la nueva pelÃcula. Las tres son prescindibles pero ponen en situación y ayudan a comprender algunas cosas, como por ejemplo el enfrentamiento de Finn con otro soldado de asalto en el planeta de Maz Kanata.
What I like about this book was learning the background of the new Star Wars trio (Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron). Rucka does really well at setting the scene and giving us entertaining stories to provide us with some of the background to these characters. The one I was most interested in was Poe Dameron since we really didn't get that much of him in THE FORCE AWAKENS. We learn why and how he joined the rebellion, and some background about his childhood, making him a more flushed out character than he is in the movie. Finn and Rey are basically as they were in the movie, but with this addition to the Star Wars canon, we can understand the battle in the beginning of the movie affect Finn so much, and how Rey knows how to fly and repair ships so well.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Overall, it was really cool to see the characters before TFA! Finn’s story was a bit confusing in terms of not quite fitting how he is in TFA and Rey’s story was a bit slow. Poe’s story, however, was my favorite! I’d have given his a five star review.
This book was really good. It did an excellent job telling you about the lives of Finn, Rey, and Poe in a very short space. It doesn't reveal any hidden secrets but there are plenty of interesting tidbits.
I'm really looking forward to learning more about Devi and Strunk. Give me a Devi and Strunk series, Disney.
This book has something for every Star Wars fan. Even going as far as listing detailed ship specifications.
I'm really looking forward to learning more about Devi and Strunk. Give me a Devi and Strunk series, Disney.
This book has something for every Star Wars fan. Even going as far as listing detailed ship specifications.
This is an enjoyable book that lets fans in on the mindset of the characters and actions of the characters prior to episode VII. The writing is simple and straight forward and the sections aren't too long. This book also brings you insight into the political state of the galaxy and let's you know what you can't know from a movie.
It seems like it must be tough for films like The Force Awakens or even the Marvel or DC movies to give us enough moments with the characters for them to feel like fully realized people that we care about and want to see succeed (or fail, depending on the character) while balancing that along plot and the fact that these are first and foremost action movies. I thought TFA did a really good job with it. the world feels lived-in, the characters have their own distinct motivations and drives. So why is a book like this even necessary?
Well, strictly speaking, it isn't. Most fans of the movie are not going to read this. But those who do will find Before the Awakening to be a quick but very captivating read that gets us in our heroes' psyches more than is possible in a two hour action blockbuster. The three stories here significantly deepen our understanding of Finn, Rey, and Poe: who they are, where they came from, what baggage they're bringing with them as the story proper begins. They also expand the universe (see what I did there) ever so slightly, enough to remind us how rich this world really is, and how many moving, interlocking pieces it really takes to make something like this series works.
I definitely don't think that every fan of the films needs to read every comic, novel, short story etc that comes out, but if this is any indication, they sure will be glad they did if they decide to.
Well, strictly speaking, it isn't. Most fans of the movie are not going to read this. But those who do will find Before the Awakening to be a quick but very captivating read that gets us in our heroes' psyches more than is possible in a two hour action blockbuster. The three stories here significantly deepen our understanding of Finn, Rey, and Poe: who they are, where they came from, what baggage they're bringing with them as the story proper begins. They also expand the universe (see what I did there) ever so slightly, enough to remind us how rich this world really is, and how many moving, interlocking pieces it really takes to make something like this series works.
I definitely don't think that every fan of the films needs to read every comic, novel, short story etc that comes out, but if this is any indication, they sure will be glad they did if they decide to.