Reviews

From a Certain Point of View by Elizabeth Schaefer

jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition

3.0

There are some excellent stories and some pointless stories, some that have no meaning or impact. For me, there were too many cantina stories. They were more observations about what was happening around them than actual character moments. So when we finally got off Tatooine, I was relieved. Its too saturated.

Some stories do a great job with the anticipation of what's to come. In "Raymus," the Tantive IV is jumping to hyperspace and trying to make it to Tatooine on its last legs. You felt the sacrifices the characters were resolving themselves to.

There are very heartfelt stories like "Eclipse" where we get a glimpse of Alderaan and Bail and Breha Organa's final moments or "Time of Death" which reveals Obi-Wan's last moments while he reflects upon moments watching Luke grow up on Tatooine.

There are some cool side stories like "Trigger" with Dr. Aphra or the Emperor's rhyming iambic pentameter "Palpatine."

Some stories have a great sense of humor like "Born in the Storm" with the sarcastic stormtrooper who can't wait to ride a dewback and "Whills," which is a great closer story and reminds us all not to take things so seriously.

My favorites would definitely be "There is Another" and "Master and Apprentice."

The Audible version is quite enjoyable. It includes Star Wars sound effects and music, so I really enjoyed the narration plus its movie-like background sounds. I'd recommend it in this version, especially for the poignant stories involving Obi-Wan and Yoda. However, there's lots of nonsense stories that might make you give up before getting to the really good stuff. The real gems took me to places hovering around the known but also exploring the unknown.

lexilou07's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

itsalljustsemantics's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

beckyjmcc's review against another edition

5.0

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE L O V E

This was so brilliant, it had me laughing, it even made me cry a few times. I can't wait to read The Empire Strikes Back!

emma_reading_love's review

All the stories were about episode 1, which isn’t my favorite. I loved Claudia Gray’s story, though.

tiedyedude's review against another edition

5.0

This was such a fun collection of short stories. A great concept well executed. There was quite a lot of focus on patrons of the cantina (that section dragged a little, not because the stories weren't good, but I just wanted to move on). I don't think there was a bad story in the book. Expectations are raised for the next two.

bioniclib's review against another edition

5.0

This is a great book for a big Star Wars fan like me. It, in short, is a series of short stories. Those stories are scenes from the first movie (Episode 4) from the point of view of a background character. It's great fun.

I like the story of the creature in the Trash Compactor, from the creature's point of view.

Spoiler

She's Force sensitive.

I also like the Ian Doescher's Shakespearean scene; a Palpatine soliloquy upon hearing that Vader killed Obi-wan.

Another good one was Gary D. Schmidt's Yoda story. You're right, Yoda wasn't in that episode, but this one has him wanting to train Skywalker.

Spoiler

Leia not Luke

There's a bunch of really good ones and even the uneven ones are fun if you're a big fan.

So, have I made it clear that this volume is for big Star Wars fans only? Cause if you're only, a-hem, lukewarm on Star Wars, it'll seem like a frivolous collection.

jphansen's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

thegingiraffe's review against another edition

As big of a Star Wars fan as I am, I simply could not finish this collection. They're interesting looks into the universe I guess, but they really add very little (naturally, since they're shoved into an already-existing story). There are like 4 stories about the cantina, and they all contradict each other, which makes this feel more like a Fan Fiction than anything else.
Also they chalk the whole "don't fire on that empty pod" up to paperwork, which ig is canon now

domireads2023's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25