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eyan_birt's review against another edition
3.0
Collections and anthologies are varied, but a few I particularly enjoyed were: "An Incident Report" by Daniel Laverey; 'Verge of Greatness" by Pablo Hidago; and "Desert Son" by Pierce Brown
lesserjoke's review against another edition
4.0
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the first Star Wars movie, this book presents 40 short stories retelling the events of that film from the perspective of various minor characters -- from Jawas to stormtroopers to the thing in the trash compactor. Some include scenes lifted straight from the movie; others offer plots that have purportedly been playing out in its background this whole time. These vignettes are brief, but the writers are talented, and the project as a whole carries a certain ludicrous joy. (My personal favorite contribution is Mallory Ortberg's "An Incident Report," in which an imperial officer files paperwork regarding the time his coworker Force-choked him during a staff meeting.)
The stories in this collection correlate roughly with the timeline of A New Hope, but they're packed full of clever references to the rest of the Star Wars canon as well. It's a labor of love for fans by fans, and the 40+ authors are all donating their share of the proceeds to the First Book children's literacy nonprofit. Highly recommended for any lover of this franchise.
The stories in this collection correlate roughly with the timeline of A New Hope, but they're packed full of clever references to the rest of the Star Wars canon as well. It's a labor of love for fans by fans, and the 40+ authors are all donating their share of the proceeds to the First Book children's literacy nonprofit. Highly recommended for any lover of this franchise.
ari21's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
itsfunnycauseitstru's review against another edition
3.0
Some were boring but the obi-wan ones almost made me cry x
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.
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
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!
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 against another edition
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.