Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
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.
"Before the Awakening" is a baffling read that makes you wonder whether Greg Rucka only read the script for The Force Awakens or watched an early version of the movie when he wrote the novel.
Many things don't match the information we were given in the movie. Finn's character, in particular, is a bit of a paradox. In the movie he used to work in sanitation and while clearly capable and full of qualities, it's hard to match the image of the men who bantered, shouted and ran when saving the universe to the colder, more professional and extremely skilled version of him in the novel. Rey's story doesn't offer much information about her or her past that we hadn't already gathered from the movie. Although both of their stories are a fun read overall, neither will blow you away.
It's Poe's story that makes the book worth reading in my opinion. The longest of the three, it fleshes out Poe's character, gives you information into his family and his past in the Republic, as well as share a lot of information on the Republic, the Resistance and the First Order that the movie didn't provide.
In my opinion, if nothing else, the book is worth reading for Poe's story alone.
Many things don't match the information we were given in the movie. Finn's character, in particular, is a bit of a paradox. In the movie he used to work in sanitation and while clearly capable and full of qualities, it's hard to match the image of the men who bantered, shouted and ran when saving the universe to the colder, more professional and extremely skilled version of him in the novel. Rey's story doesn't offer much information about her or her past that we hadn't already gathered from the movie. Although both of their stories are a fun read overall, neither will blow you away.
It's Poe's story that makes the book worth reading in my opinion. The longest of the three, it fleshes out Poe's character, gives you information into his family and his past in the Republic, as well as share a lot of information on the Republic, the Resistance and the First Order that the movie didn't provide.
In my opinion, if nothing else, the book is worth reading for Poe's story alone.
I loved this so much and Finn's part was for sure the most fascinating
Another great all-ages Star Wars book from Greg Rucka. Three short stories following each of the main characters from Episode VII. I'd say the Poe story was the best, followed by Rey and Finn. It had a depth and pace the others lacked. The Finn and Rey stories were more character studies than plot-driven narratives. If you have children that are solid readers, I wouldn't hesitate to pass this onto them.
A light read that sheds light into the behaviours and minds of the three main characters of Star Wars VII without spoiling anything (sorry everyone looking for Snoke or Rey's identities). It is an amazing companion to the movie.
Many years ago when Star Wars: The Force Awakens released in theaters, I wasn't that big of a Star Wars fan. I never watched the films, I never read any of the Expanded Universe novels, and I certainly didn't care to know about the characters beyond what most people knew by cultural osmosis.
Then I marathoned the films the same day TFA released, then watched TFA, and promptly nose-dived into the chaos that was the Star Wars franchise. I decided to pick this book up to get a better idea of the characters I had quickly fallen in love with, made it about half-way through Finn's story, and then got distracted by my schoolwork and part-time job.
The book remained on my bookshelf for years like many others, and I forgot I had ever bought it.
Then COVID-19 happened, and I decided I needed to stress clean my bookshelf and purge any books I didn't want anymore. I happened to find this one, and since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was still fresh on my mind since it was one of the last films I got to see in theaters, I knew this book needed to go immediately.
Of course, I cleaned but had nowhere to take the books to, so I figured I might as well read them. I picked this one back up and made my way through Finn's story again. It disappointed me because none of what was shown about Finn in the book was never once shown or hinted at in the films. Then I read Rey's story and got bored of the whole thing. I stopped reading the book for months after that before picking it back up in 2021 and made it about 70% through Poe's story. His was the worst only because the films and animated shows and newer novels/comics had rendered his storyline in this novel to not be canon. (In fact, I still don't know what is canon for Poe. None of this story really ever comes together in any clear way. At this point, I'd rather let Oscar Issac tell me what Poe's canon is to him and just accept that than attempt to make any sense of his story from any of the tie-in media).
I stopped reading the book again and didn't bother to finish it until the end of 2021 because I felt like an idiot reading a book to the end but leaving 30 pages unread due to my issues with what came after this novel. None of this was Greg Rucka's fault. He's an excellent writer. He has a clear passion for the technical aspects of Star Wars, so his technobabble is believable and engaging. I could easily picture the space battles, the interiors of the ships being piloted or the ship Rey was repairing. His writing was direct and vivid.
That said, reading those last 30 pages was torture. I felt like throwing up. I'm genuinely not exaggerating. I had easily finished a 300+ page book prior to moving on to this book and read another 100 pages of another book after finishing this one, and I felt absolutely fine.
I think the combination of knowing what the state of the Sequel Trilogy was plus knowing that none of the characters in Poe's story hold no relevance to the film counterpart just completely disengaged me from the book.
But I finished it now. It's gone. I'm free.
Star Wars fans, don't read this book if you hate the Sequel Trilogy now. You will be left in a state of utter disappointment because Rucka had some great ideas and none of it ever amounts to anything.
It also makes me grateful I never picked up anymore of the "Before the Awakening" books that had released around the same time. I had every intention to prior to TROS. Oh well.
Then I marathoned the films the same day TFA released, then watched TFA, and promptly nose-dived into the chaos that was the Star Wars franchise. I decided to pick this book up to get a better idea of the characters I had quickly fallen in love with, made it about half-way through Finn's story, and then got distracted by my schoolwork and part-time job.
The book remained on my bookshelf for years like many others, and I forgot I had ever bought it.
Then COVID-19 happened, and I decided I needed to stress clean my bookshelf and purge any books I didn't want anymore. I happened to find this one, and since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was still fresh on my mind since it was one of the last films I got to see in theaters, I knew this book needed to go immediately.
Of course, I cleaned but had nowhere to take the books to, so I figured I might as well read them. I picked this one back up and made my way through Finn's story again. It disappointed me because none of what was shown about Finn in the book was never once shown or hinted at in the films. Then I read Rey's story and got bored of the whole thing. I stopped reading the book for months after that before picking it back up in 2021 and made it about 70% through Poe's story. His was the worst only because the films and animated shows and newer novels/comics had rendered his storyline in this novel to not be canon. (In fact, I still don't know what is canon for Poe. None of this story really ever comes together in any clear way. At this point, I'd rather let Oscar Issac tell me what Poe's canon is to him and just accept that than attempt to make any sense of his story from any of the tie-in media).
I stopped reading the book again and didn't bother to finish it until the end of 2021 because I felt like an idiot reading a book to the end but leaving 30 pages unread due to my issues with what came after this novel. None of this was Greg Rucka's fault. He's an excellent writer. He has a clear passion for the technical aspects of Star Wars, so his technobabble is believable and engaging. I could easily picture the space battles, the interiors of the ships being piloted or the ship Rey was repairing. His writing was direct and vivid.
That said, reading those last 30 pages was torture. I felt like throwing up. I'm genuinely not exaggerating. I had easily finished a 300+ page book prior to moving on to this book and read another 100 pages of another book after finishing this one, and I felt absolutely fine.
I think the combination of knowing what the state of the Sequel Trilogy was plus knowing that none of the characters in Poe's story hold no relevance to the film counterpart just completely disengaged me from the book.
But I finished it now. It's gone. I'm free.
Star Wars fans, don't read this book if you hate the Sequel Trilogy now. You will be left in a state of utter disappointment because Rucka had some great ideas and none of it ever amounts to anything.
It also makes me grateful I never picked up anymore of the "Before the Awakening" books that had released around the same time. I had every intention to prior to TROS. Oh well.
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Poe is probably the most developed character out of the three and the most handsome 🫶🏾
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated