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kenthekenku's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I was not expecting the Star Wars Ratatouille AU but I’m not mad about it.
Some light fluffy fan service. This is basically just an excuse to collect as many original trilogy references as possible, but still fun easy read.
Some light fluffy fan service. This is basically just an excuse to collect as many original trilogy references as possible, but still fun easy read.
psyco12_2000's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chrstn's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
neilrcoulter's review against another edition
4.0
This is a surprisingly fun read. Most Star Wars "literature" is awful-to-mediocre, but this collection of short stories, all by Ken Liu, rises above the typical. The book comprises six unrelated stories about Luke Skywalker, each connected by a short interlude about the people on the ship who are telling the stories.
Some moments in this book even seem to anticipate that people were going to have mixed feelings about The Last Jedi. "Hearing stories you don't like can be a good thing. It reminds you that not everyone thinks alike" (60); or, "Legends about our heroes don't matter as much as what we choose to make of our own lives when the legends move us" (123). (For the record, I felt that The Last Jedi brought up some very interesting ideas, and then didn't do anything worthwhile with them, which was disappointing.) Did Lucasfilm realize that it would be wise to hedge their bets with this film?
Whatever the case, the centerpiece of this set of stories is "Fishing in the Deluge," a story of Luke visiting a water planet whose inhabitants are intimately connected to what they call "the Tide," and what Luke knows as the Force. Luke accepts a quest/challenge so that they will teach him, and along the way, he learns a lot about the proper use of power and the place of all individuals in the galaxy. All of this sets up Luke's character at the beginning of The Last Jedi in a much more direct way than the "Journey to..." books usually have (remember how much Phasma helped you appreciate The Last Jedi?).
The other interesting story is "The Starship Graveyard," which may or may not show Luke Skywalker traveling across Jakku just after the final battle of the Empire. He ends up at one of the mysterious Imperial silos that should have been a more interesting part of Chuck Wendig's dreadful Aftermath series.
The opening story, "The Myth Buster," is pure silliness, and it's a shame that it's the first story, because it sets up the book in an unhelpful way. It is quite clever and amusing, though. It's a story told by someone who believes the entire "official" story of the Rebellion is propaganda; this story explains what really happened.
Though "I, Droid" is not a great story, I liked its homage to Prince Mon Julpa from the old Droids cartoon. I love it when weird details from the old canon find their way into the new. Eventually, everything from Droids and the Holiday Special will be re-purposed and integrated into the new canon.
"The Tale of Lugubrious Mote" is a writing prompt that should have been ignored, and "Big Inside" ends the book on a somewhat dull note. But overall, this is a strong collection of stories. After enjoying this one and a lot of From a Certain Point of View, I wonder if Star Wars on the page ought to be short-story form more often. Short stories have worked much more often than full novels have.
("I have a bad feeling about this" alert: p. 366)
Some moments in this book even seem to anticipate that people were going to have mixed feelings about The Last Jedi. "Hearing stories you don't like can be a good thing. It reminds you that not everyone thinks alike" (60); or, "Legends about our heroes don't matter as much as what we choose to make of our own lives when the legends move us" (123). (For the record, I felt that The Last Jedi brought up some very interesting ideas, and then didn't do anything worthwhile with them, which was disappointing.) Did Lucasfilm realize that it would be wise to hedge their bets with this film?
Whatever the case, the centerpiece of this set of stories is "Fishing in the Deluge," a story of Luke visiting a water planet whose inhabitants are intimately connected to what they call "the Tide," and what Luke knows as the Force. Luke accepts a quest/challenge so that they will teach him, and along the way, he learns a lot about the proper use of power and the place of all individuals in the galaxy. All of this sets up Luke's character at the beginning of The Last Jedi in a much more direct way than the "Journey to..." books usually have (remember how much Phasma helped you appreciate The Last Jedi?).
The other interesting story is "The Starship Graveyard," which may or may not show Luke Skywalker traveling across Jakku just after the final battle of the Empire. He ends up at one of the mysterious Imperial silos that should have been a more interesting part of Chuck Wendig's dreadful Aftermath series.
The opening story, "The Myth Buster," is pure silliness, and it's a shame that it's the first story, because it sets up the book in an unhelpful way. It is quite clever and amusing, though. It's a story told by someone who believes the entire "official" story of the Rebellion is propaganda; this story explains what really happened.
Though "I, Droid" is not a great story, I liked its homage to Prince Mon Julpa from the old Droids cartoon. I love it when weird details from the old canon find their way into the new. Eventually, everything from Droids and the Holiday Special will be re-purposed and integrated into the new canon.
"The Tale of Lugubrious Mote" is a writing prompt that should have been ignored, and "Big Inside" ends the book on a somewhat dull note. But overall, this is a strong collection of stories. After enjoying this one and a lot of From a Certain Point of View, I wonder if Star Wars on the page ought to be short-story form more often. Short stories have worked much more often than full novels have.
("I have a bad feeling about this" alert: p. 366)
hopecandie's review against another edition
4.0
"legends about our heroes don’t matter as much as what we choose to make of our own lives when the legends move us."
i loved the idea behind the book, each character/alien/droid recalling a story or legend about Luke, and bringing them hope. even though the writing was a bit simple and cliché for such a good author, it was very entertaining and wholesome. i love Luke Skywalker so so much and he isn’t my favorite sw character for nothing!
i loved the idea behind the book, each character/alien/droid recalling a story or legend about Luke, and bringing them hope. even though the writing was a bit simple and cliché for such a good author, it was very entertaining and wholesome. i love Luke Skywalker so so much and he isn’t my favorite sw character for nothing!
sabregirl's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book, it gave some more in depth look into what Luke was doing during/after the war. But it's hard to tell how exaggerated it was. Wondering if any of these will actually be of use in The Last Jedi. I was hoping though for more OLDER Luke. This seems like a lot of the stories (besides the ones that are just a retelling of movies) are right after Return of the Jedi.
ktonalderaan's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a fun, little read. It was lighthearted and silly; not to be taken to seriously. I enjoyed some of the stories, and others were a bit odd. Overall, it was a quick and fun read.
rayrayduncan's review against another edition
3.0
the first one is def one of my favorites cause of how funny it is
cptrexct's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
apireading's review against another edition
3.0
Très peu d’enjeux, ni vraiment de secrets dévoilés dans ce recueil d’anecdotes et histoires à propos de Luke Skywalker. C’est tout de même assez fun et divertissant, rythmé par les changements de narration et la diversité parfois comique des narrateurs. C’est court, et ça se lit vraiment tout seul, je recommande si vous êtes particulièrement attachés au meilleur Maître Jedi de la saga (oui c’est une hot take que j’assume).