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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Did not like his take on the characters’ emotions and motivations—particularly the female characters’, particularly Jyn’s. However, the very last passage redeemed that slightly, so I am glad I read to the end.
Awesome back story to Star Wars: A New Hope. I did worry that I would struggle with not knowing the characters, as I have not read many of the Star Wars books. That was silly! I quickly found myself wrapped in the plot and thrilled when recognizing familiar characters from Star Wars. Good book! Now I'm looking forward to finally watching the movie.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed is the novelization of the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that came out in December 2016. The novel, as well as the movie, takes place deep in Empire-dominated space where a machine of unimaginable destructive power is nearing completion, and this machine of mass destruction is known as the Death Star. With the Death Star, the Empire will have the power to destroy entire planets and force the galaxy into a lifetime of submission and fear.
The galaxy's best hope lies in a band of unlikely allies: Jyn Erso, a young woman who is seeking vengeance for the pain the Empire has caused her; Cassian Andor, a rebel commander and spy who is faced with an impossible task by his superior officer; Bodhi Rook, an Imperial pilot who defected from the Empire; Chirrut Imwe, a blind man who relies on faith in the Force; Baze Malbus, Chirrut's companion who doesn't believe in the Force and believes in shaping one's own destiny; and K2-SO, a snarky, ex-Imperial droid who is Cassian's sidekick. The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of this band of rebels. They work together to try to turn the tide toward a Rebellion victory in the war, and they will achieve that victory by capturing plans for the Death Star, the Empire's super weapon and new favorite toy.
Being a huge Star Wars franchise fan in general, I, of course, loved Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but I loved and appreciated it for reasons other than it just being a Star Wars movie. Rogue One featured elements that I had never seen in previous Star Wars films, and it revealed the gritty reality of the Rebellion and of the Galactic Civil War between the rebels and the Empire. I adored the characters, especially the side characters like K2-SO and Director Orson Krennic, who was leading the construction of the Death Star.
In addition, I appreciated the overall message, which was hope. One of my favorite lines, both in the novel and in the film, was "Rebellions are built on hope." Hope is sometimes all you have in a situation going in because the situation may be really bleak and uncertain. However, hope is an extremely powerful thing, and you must hold onto it no matter the odds against you.
Therefore, for those reasons, I loved the film, so I was enthusiastic to read the book adaptation. Sometimes I am weary going into a book adaptation like this because I feel like I might compare it too heavily to the film or I might not be able to judge it by its merits alone because it is an adaptation of a movie, but my curiosity overcame my doubts about reading book adaptations, and I decided to read it.
I am so glad that I made that decision because this book was phenomenal. Not only did I enjoy reliving the story of Rogue One, but I really appreciated how this book added new perspectives and other details to add to the experience. For example, there are "supplemental data" sections, which either show private correspondence between characters or backstory on a specific planet or decision that a character made from that character's perspective, almost like the character had written an entry in a diary, and we were reading it in the book. It was fascinating. I really appreciated that because it added some context to the story and to the relationships between the characters, particularly between the characters Grand Moff Tarkin and Director Orson Krennic. Seeing their relationship in the book was even more interesting than in the movie, and I loved them in the movie.
This book also did a fantastic job at fleshing out the characters even more, especially with Jyn Erso's character. The book delves deeper into her background with Saw Guerrera and why she became so hard and closed off from the world. She is a young woman who has seen some serious stuff go down. Because of the Empire, her life has gone through some drastic and terrible turns, and she was forced to adapt to those turns. I feel like she is very similar to Arya Stark from Game of Thrones in that she is constantly stuck in survival mode for much of the book because of the trauma that she has experienced. I won't spoil what that trauma is, but I feel like any normal person would react the same way that Jyn did, and I don't blame her for her feelings toward the situation and toward people who have wronged her.
I was also fascinated by the way the book fleshed out Mon Mothma's character. Mon Mothma is one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance and one of the most-wanted rebel fugitives in the galaxy. She is a soft-spoken diplomat and ex-senator who only had a small amount of screen time in the movie. (That isn't a spoiler. She is in the trailers for the movie if you haven't seen it.) The book delves deeper into her history and why she would want the Rebellion to retrieve these plans and so on. The book delves deeper into her background and with the connection that she has with Jyn Erso, which was really interesting.
All in all, this book definitely exceeded my expectations. It was a beautiful novelization, and I would highly recommend it for Star Wars fans and for science fiction fans in general.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Thanks for reading! :)
-Nicole xoxo
The galaxy's best hope lies in a band of unlikely allies: Jyn Erso, a young woman who is seeking vengeance for the pain the Empire has caused her; Cassian Andor, a rebel commander and spy who is faced with an impossible task by his superior officer; Bodhi Rook, an Imperial pilot who defected from the Empire; Chirrut Imwe, a blind man who relies on faith in the Force; Baze Malbus, Chirrut's companion who doesn't believe in the Force and believes in shaping one's own destiny; and K2-SO, a snarky, ex-Imperial droid who is Cassian's sidekick. The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of this band of rebels. They work together to try to turn the tide toward a Rebellion victory in the war, and they will achieve that victory by capturing plans for the Death Star, the Empire's super weapon and new favorite toy.
Being a huge Star Wars franchise fan in general, I, of course, loved Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but I loved and appreciated it for reasons other than it just being a Star Wars movie. Rogue One featured elements that I had never seen in previous Star Wars films, and it revealed the gritty reality of the Rebellion and of the Galactic Civil War between the rebels and the Empire. I adored the characters, especially the side characters like K2-SO and Director Orson Krennic, who was leading the construction of the Death Star.
In addition, I appreciated the overall message, which was hope. One of my favorite lines, both in the novel and in the film, was "Rebellions are built on hope." Hope is sometimes all you have in a situation going in because the situation may be really bleak and uncertain. However, hope is an extremely powerful thing, and you must hold onto it no matter the odds against you.
Therefore, for those reasons, I loved the film, so I was enthusiastic to read the book adaptation. Sometimes I am weary going into a book adaptation like this because I feel like I might compare it too heavily to the film or I might not be able to judge it by its merits alone because it is an adaptation of a movie, but my curiosity overcame my doubts about reading book adaptations, and I decided to read it.
I am so glad that I made that decision because this book was phenomenal. Not only did I enjoy reliving the story of Rogue One, but I really appreciated how this book added new perspectives and other details to add to the experience. For example, there are "supplemental data" sections, which either show private correspondence between characters or backstory on a specific planet or decision that a character made from that character's perspective, almost like the character had written an entry in a diary, and we were reading it in the book. It was fascinating. I really appreciated that because it added some context to the story and to the relationships between the characters, particularly between the characters Grand Moff Tarkin and Director Orson Krennic. Seeing their relationship in the book was even more interesting than in the movie, and I loved them in the movie.
This book also did a fantastic job at fleshing out the characters even more, especially with Jyn Erso's character. The book delves deeper into her background with Saw Guerrera and why she became so hard and closed off from the world. She is a young woman who has seen some serious stuff go down. Because of the Empire, her life has gone through some drastic and terrible turns, and she was forced to adapt to those turns. I feel like she is very similar to Arya Stark from Game of Thrones in that she is constantly stuck in survival mode for much of the book because of the trauma that she has experienced. I won't spoil what that trauma is, but I feel like any normal person would react the same way that Jyn did, and I don't blame her for her feelings toward the situation and toward people who have wronged her.
I was also fascinated by the way the book fleshed out Mon Mothma's character. Mon Mothma is one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance and one of the most-wanted rebel fugitives in the galaxy. She is a soft-spoken diplomat and ex-senator who only had a small amount of screen time in the movie. (That isn't a spoiler. She is in the trailers for the movie if you haven't seen it.) The book delves deeper into her history and why she would want the Rebellion to retrieve these plans and so on. The book delves deeper into her background and with the connection that she has with Jyn Erso, which was really interesting.
All in all, this book definitely exceeded my expectations. It was a beautiful novelization, and I would highly recommend it for Star Wars fans and for science fiction fans in general.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Thanks for reading! :)
-Nicole xoxo
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, War
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
OK, so it wasn't as great as the movie. (How often do you say that?!) The audio book quality was amazing, though, complete with music and laser gun sound effects!
I think I went in the with the excitement from the movie and was just a little disappointed. I felt like there were parts that was slow-moving for no reason, a thought I didn't have while watching the movie version.
I think I went in the with the excitement from the movie and was just a little disappointed. I felt like there were parts that was slow-moving for no reason, a thought I didn't have while watching the movie version.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
a book has not made me sob like this in a MINUTE. this was written and developed in such a beautifully layered way, which i was not expecting when i picked it up.
i will never be able to watch the movie the same way, this book took me into the trenches with all of the characters and tricked my brain into feeling like i was there too. at some points toward the end i even had heart palpitations and pain in my chest from dread, which is insane.
truly wonderful things come from people who are thoughtful and passionate about the story they're telling and not just seeing it as a quick disney cash grab. thank you alexander freed!
i will never be able to watch the movie the same way, this book took me into the trenches with all of the characters and tricked my brain into feeling like i was there too. at some points toward the end i even had heart palpitations and pain in my chest from dread, which is insane.
truly wonderful things come from people who are thoughtful and passionate about the story they're telling and not just seeing it as a quick disney cash grab. thank you alexander freed!
Wow. Wowwwwwww.
This book is *marvelous.* It is a movie novelization, but it adds so much more to the characters and actually *enhances* the movie. Being able to see inside the characters' heads adds so much more depth. The author had such great insight into their motivations and feelings - Jyn, Bodhi, Chirrut, Baze, Cassian, and even K-2. Parts of this novelization will definitely be going through my head as I watch the movie.
Also, I suspect reading this book would be totally worth it if the ONLY AWESOME THING was Krennic thinking Vader is some kind of lava monster. It's such an entertaining way to show that Krennic isn't as clever or perceptive as he'd like to think - in contrast with Tarkin, who figured out Vader's identity completely on his own.
And.... Mon Mothma! And.... Correspondence showing just how Galen craftily used psychology to put a giant flaw in right under Krennic's nose! And.... stormtrooper vignettes! So, so good.
Alexander Freed, you are my hero.
This book is *marvelous.* It is a movie novelization, but it adds so much more to the characters and actually *enhances* the movie. Being able to see inside the characters' heads adds so much more depth. The author had such great insight into their motivations and feelings - Jyn, Bodhi, Chirrut, Baze, Cassian, and even K-2. Parts of this novelization will definitely be going through my head as I watch the movie.
Also, I suspect reading this book would be totally worth it if the ONLY AWESOME THING was Krennic thinking Vader is some kind of lava monster. It's such an entertaining way to show that Krennic isn't as clever or perceptive as he'd like to think - in contrast with Tarkin, who figured out Vader's identity completely on his own.
And.... Mon Mothma! And.... Correspondence showing just how Galen craftily used psychology to put a giant flaw in right under Krennic's nose! And.... stormtrooper vignettes! So, so good.
Alexander Freed, you are my hero.