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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
A fun little read. I loved Finn’s story and showed how much talent he had, Poe’s story was very good in the run up to events prior to the film. Reys story was a little non descriptive and forgettable but either way I liked this book.
This was super enjoyable. I liked Finn's story, and Rey's made me sad for her (but I loved seeing her tinkering, too). Poe's story I just outright loved. I loved seeing bits of the Republic and the Resistance, I loved Poe's love of flight and his *goodness* (my god that boy is so ridiculously GOOD and bright and I love him so much for it) and I really loved seeing little bits of Leia, too.
If you loved The Force Awakens - particularly Poe, Finn, and Rey - and you want some backstory, this is a fun, quick read. Honestly, after Finn and Rey's sections I just wanted to shout WILL SOMEONE PLEASE HUG THEM OH MY GOD. And Poe is just awesome through and through, y'all. I need to go watch TFA again.
I had to pick up this book, because Greg Rucka and I was utterly charmed by The Force Awakens, and I was not disappointed. The three stories are split between Finn, Rey, and Poe, and gives us a nice glimmer into each of their lives.
Finn's was especially heartbreaking and interesting, because it gives us the first glimpse of the new type of Storm Trooper (which had a lot of layover from some of the Clone Troopers), but also Finn himself. Finn's gives us another light into how much this brave young man gave up in his journey in the film and really gets the core of his motivations (which is that he cares too much).
Rey's was fantastic too, there's not a lot you can do with her backstory without revealing things they obviously aren't ready to reveal, but it was a nice slice of life into Jakku that showed the different inner-workings and how Rey herself gets along alone.
Poe, of course, felt like a giant apology to baby Mia for not having lady pilots in the original trilogy (or the prequels, grumble grumble) and also a WONDERFUL introduction to a character I was totally charmed by in the film (and remained charmed by). It also sets up a really good backstory for how the New Republic/First Order/Resistance works, which was one of the things I wish I had been in the film a little more clearly.
The writing is great and interspersed with some beautiful illustrations by Phil Noto. I was really impressed by it, even if I had to take each mini story a day at a time, because Finn and Rey's left me a teary mess afterwards.
Finn's was especially heartbreaking and interesting, because it gives us the first glimpse of the new type of Storm Trooper (which had a lot of layover from some of the Clone Troopers), but also Finn himself. Finn's gives us another light into how much this brave young man gave up in his journey in the film and really gets the core of his motivations (which is that he cares too much).
Rey's was fantastic too, there's not a lot you can do with her backstory without revealing things they obviously aren't ready to reveal, but it was a nice slice of life into Jakku that showed the different inner-workings and how Rey herself gets along alone.
Poe, of course, felt like a giant apology to baby Mia for not having lady pilots in the original trilogy (or the prequels, grumble grumble) and also a WONDERFUL introduction to a character I was totally charmed by in the film (and remained charmed by). It also sets up a really good backstory for how the New Republic/First Order/Resistance works, which was one of the things I wish I had been in the film a little more clearly.
The writing is great and interspersed with some beautiful illustrations by Phil Noto. I was really impressed by it, even if I had to take each mini story a day at a time, because Finn and Rey's left me a teary mess afterwards.
Good background on characters introduced in episode 7. Wish there was more
This is actually three stories in one, some of which are better than others. I understand the point of this book is to show where the characters were at in the time leading up to the Force Awakens, but some of it could really be left alone because we infer a lot of that same concept from the characters in the movie without a 80 page story that drones on and on.
Finn's Story: 3.5/5 stars
This one at least feels like it gives some more depth to Finn's character and why he felt out of place within the Empire. It wasn't just that they were bad guys doing bad things. He never felt at home there, was always the outsider, was part of a culture that rewarded sacrificing people for Imperial glory and rewarded being ruthless. It showed he struggles with accepting criticism from Imperial officers, such as Phasma, for trying to help other stormtroopers. This shows the seeds of doubt and mistrust being planted, that were then blossoming by the time we get to episode 7.
Rey's Story: 3/5 stars
This one felt hopeless and predictable and added nothing to Rey's character or story. Basically a storm happens and she uncovers a wrecked ship that she sets out to restore. The whole time she has intentions of selling the ship to Unkar for rations, showing her intention to remain on the planet of Jakku. Two other scavengers find her and convince her to let them help, knowing all the while that they had every intention of scamming her. They end up taking the ship and getting off planet. All this to show what we already know from the FA, that Rey will not leave Jakku because she waits for her parent's returned. This just felt like a wasted opportunity.
Poe's Story: 5/5 Stars
TRULY LOVED THIS!!! Wow I love Poe Dameron with all my heart. This story shows how Poe went from a pilot leading a squadron in the New Republic, to a pilot for the Resistance. Him and his squadron keep defying orders from higher ups and get themselves in trouble. Poe will not back down from the growing threat of the First Order and tries to warn his superiors, who respond with a cease and desist. Poe, of course, doesn't listen and goes out on a mission on his own with the backing of his squadron. They end up getting pulled in by General Leia and asked to join the Resistance. This story explains how the First Order came to power in subtle and overt ways, such as the New Republic ignoring the growing threat and embedding First Order officers in the senate. Poe growing exasperation with his superiors and remembering his father's words that their fight against the Empire on Endor may have all been for nothing. This was such a wonderful exploration of Poe's character and his squadron's loyalty and how they came to fight for the Resistance.
Finn's Story: 3.5/5 stars
This one at least feels like it gives some more depth to Finn's character and why he felt out of place within the Empire. It wasn't just that they were bad guys doing bad things. He never felt at home there, was always the outsider, was part of a culture that rewarded sacrificing people for Imperial glory and rewarded being ruthless. It showed he struggles with accepting criticism from Imperial officers, such as Phasma, for trying to help other stormtroopers. This shows the seeds of doubt and mistrust being planted, that were then blossoming by the time we get to episode 7.
Rey's Story: 3/5 stars
This one felt hopeless and predictable and added nothing to Rey's character or story. Basically a storm happens and she uncovers a wrecked ship that she sets out to restore. The whole time she has intentions of selling the ship to Unkar for rations, showing her intention to remain on the planet of Jakku. Two other scavengers find her and convince her to let them help, knowing all the while that they had every intention of scamming her. They end up taking the ship and getting off planet. All this to show what we already know from the FA, that Rey will not leave Jakku because she waits for her parent's returned. This just felt like a wasted opportunity.
Poe's Story: 5/5 Stars
TRULY LOVED THIS!!! Wow I love Poe Dameron with all my heart. This story shows how Poe went from a pilot leading a squadron in the New Republic, to a pilot for the Resistance. Him and his squadron keep defying orders from higher ups and get themselves in trouble. Poe will not back down from the growing threat of the First Order and tries to warn his superiors, who respond with a cease and desist. Poe, of course, doesn't listen and goes out on a mission on his own with the backing of his squadron. They end up getting pulled in by General Leia and asked to join the Resistance. This story explains how the First Order came to power in subtle and overt ways, such as the New Republic ignoring the growing threat and embedding First Order officers in the senate. Poe growing exasperation with his superiors and remembering his father's words that their fight against the Empire on Endor may have all been for nothing. This was such a wonderful exploration of Poe's character and his squadron's loyalty and how they came to fight for the Resistance.
How fun to get immersed in the Star Wars universe in print again. :) Been awhile! Like 30 years awhile. I enjoyed the little vignettes about these three characters. I think the Rey story was my favorite.
This book is a great companion for The Force Awakens. Poe's story in particular helps you understand the balance of power in the galaxy which the movie glosses over. Finn's story is a great insight into the life of a Stormtrooper cadet for the First Order. Rey's story gives very little away about her background but does remind us how hard life on Jakku is and where she learned a few of her skills.
I am giving this short story collection just Two Stars because the writing quality was quite low. The sheer amount of unnecessary commas was, if I am being honest, and I am, just a little, distracting. REALLY DISTRACTING. I also felt there was a great deal of character depth or introspection missing. While I understand that the book had to be kept vague for purposes of the movie, each story felt concerned itself with what characters were doing but rarely WHY they did them.
I am glad I read this book but am unlikely to pick it up again except to look at the few illustrations within it. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the movie and would like a bit more information before they see it again.
I am giving this short story collection just Two Stars because the writing quality was quite low. The sheer amount of unnecessary commas was, if I am being honest, and I am, just a little, distracting. REALLY DISTRACTING. I also felt there was a great deal of character depth or introspection missing. While I understand that the book had to be kept vague for purposes of the movie, each story felt concerned itself with what characters were doing but rarely WHY they did them.
I am glad I read this book but am unlikely to pick it up again except to look at the few illustrations within it. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the movie and would like a bit more information before they see it again.
STAR WARS!
This is a really quick, fun little book, consisting of three self-contained short stories each following one of the three new leads in the run-up to The Force Awakens...
Finn: Or FN-2187 as he is at the time, this was my least favourite of the three but still pretty interesting, showing him starting to question everything he thought he knew as his stormtrooper training comes to an end. It definitely left me wondering who was behind the helmet of the stormtrooper who left the bloody hand-print on Finn, or the one who called him a traitor.
Rey: I really liked this middle story, Rey struggling through her harsh life on Jakku, scavenging and passing the time with a flight-simulator, until she makes a potentially highly profitable discovery. This one had a great atmosphere to it, you could almost feel the heat and the sand and the grime, and it was nice to see a bit more of Rey being generally awesome and adorable, and though I totally knew how the story was going to end it was still a bit of a gut-punch.
Poe: I liked Poe in the movie but didn't get enough of him to really consider him a favourite or anything so it was especially nice to see a little more of him. This story follows him joining up with the Resistance, and the mission that leads to him being sent to Jakku. And it was great, action-packed and exciting but also intimate and really interesting. We got a nice bit of backstory about Poe's parents, and a little more information on how the dynamic between the Republic, the First Order, and the Resistance works. There were a few nice little tidbits about the greater universe too, I especially liked the notion of the "victory kids", conceived in the days after the Empire fell. And of course we had an appearance from Leia which I am all for, she is as fabulous as ever. This was my favourite part of the book and it's worth reading for this story alone.
This is a really quick, fun little book, consisting of three self-contained short stories each following one of the three new leads in the run-up to The Force Awakens...
Finn: Or FN-2187 as he is at the time, this was my least favourite of the three but still pretty interesting, showing him starting to question everything he thought he knew as his stormtrooper training comes to an end. It definitely left me wondering who was behind the helmet of the stormtrooper who left the bloody hand-print on Finn, or the one who called him a traitor.
Rey: I really liked this middle story, Rey struggling through her harsh life on Jakku, scavenging and passing the time with a flight-simulator, until she makes a potentially highly profitable discovery. This one had a great atmosphere to it, you could almost feel the heat and the sand and the grime, and it was nice to see a bit more of Rey being generally awesome and adorable, and though I totally knew how the story was going to end it was still a bit of a gut-punch.
Poe: I liked Poe in the movie but didn't get enough of him to really consider him a favourite or anything so it was especially nice to see a little more of him. This story follows him joining up with the Resistance, and the mission that leads to him being sent to Jakku. And it was great, action-packed and exciting but also intimate and really interesting. We got a nice bit of backstory about Poe's parents, and a little more information on how the dynamic between the Republic, the First Order, and the Resistance works. There were a few nice little tidbits about the greater universe too, I especially liked the notion of the "victory kids", conceived in the days after the Empire fell. And of course we had an appearance from Leia which I am all for, she is as fabulous as ever. This was my favourite part of the book and it's worth reading for this story alone.