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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Very thorough depiction of Star Wars from film to cultural phenomenon. Not much on making of gossip which I enjoy immensely, the prequels are glossed over compared to the OT, but fandom and Uncle George are here in spades. Sad to hear that the Holiday Special is no longer canon. I was so looking forward to a grown up Lumpy in a future film. It will interesting to get fan perspective once we get a couple more films from the house of Mouse.
The introduction of a stupid non-fiction book about stupid Star Wars made me cry! I'm sinking to new levels of tragic, aren't I? Taylor's intro is a really effective illustration of how universally recognisable Star Wars has become, as even an elderly Navajo man who has spent most of his life avoiding TV remembered seeing an X-Wing. This is also where I first heard about the Navajo Code Talkers - bilingual Navajo recruits in WW2 who created a code based on the little known, unwritten Navajo language. I'd love to read more about them soon.
Back to a galaxy far, far away, to say this book is comprehensive is a serious understatement. It takes on elements of a biography of George Lucas, a deep dive into fan culture past and present and also examines Lucas' business decisions right from the beginning up to LucasFilm being taken over by Disney. The book leaves off just as Episode 7 was announced and I really enjoyed it!
Back to a galaxy far, far away, to say this book is comprehensive is a serious understatement. It takes on elements of a biography of George Lucas, a deep dive into fan culture past and present and also examines Lucas' business decisions right from the beginning up to LucasFilm being taken over by Disney. The book leaves off just as Episode 7 was announced and I really enjoyed it!
As a lifelong star wars fan, this was a really fun book to read. It has tons and tons of trivia and answers to questions I'd wondered. It certainly is not a biography of George Lucas but it does highlight some of his important life moments. Overall, it gets into the weeds a little much for a casual fan like myself, but is still a thoroughly enjoyable read.
A lot of interesting information (I especially enjoyed all the stuff about Flash Gordon and other serials), but ultimately undone by a slavish, fanboy devotion to George Lucas. Whatever George says is absolute truth. So if George says that Star Wars was more influence by the Golden Bough than The Hidden Fortress, then that's the way it is. Even though the author acknowledges the roles of other Lucasfilm people and Star Wars fanatics (the Son and the Holy Ghost to Lucas' the Father), ultimately the book is a loving tribute to Saint George and his brilliance in all things Star Wars and otherwise.
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
A lot of good information mixed in with some information that I didn't care so much about.
Really 3.5.
Listen, this is a very good book. It just wasn’t the droid I was looking for. Well, more accurately it was the droid I was looking for, but he brought along his annoying protocol droid buddy who bothered me with information about himself (wow, I think I just made a reference that equates a book about George Lucas to C-3PO… I am such a nerd).
But I am only rating this book three stars, compared to higher ratings you’ll see nearly everywhere else. Why? Because while Taylor obviously spent a great deal of time crafting *the* work on the subject, it was just too dense for me and moved too slowly (I probably would have been served waiting to listen to this on audio instead of lunging into it in hardback). You will most likely enjoy this book much more than me, but I suggest thinking through the following criteria: 1. Do you LOVE Star Wars? 2. How much George Lucas is too much George Lucas? And finally, 3. How in the mood are you for a very detailed 400-page book of non-fiction? If you answer those three questions with: 1. SO MUCH, 2. I can stand a lot of Mr. Lucas, and 3. That sounds like the best thing ever, you’ll enjoy this book. I suggest reading it soon, as the secretive nature of the lead up to Episode VII led to a lot of forecasting and “who knows?” from Taylor, and now we do know – so his book is going to start to become dated as the Anthology movies start rolling out this winter.
https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/how-star-wars-conquered-the-universe-cbr8-29/
Listen, this is a very good book. It just wasn’t the droid I was looking for. Well, more accurately it was the droid I was looking for, but he brought along his annoying protocol droid buddy who bothered me with information about himself (wow, I think I just made a reference that equates a book about George Lucas to C-3PO… I am such a nerd).
But I am only rating this book three stars, compared to higher ratings you’ll see nearly everywhere else. Why? Because while Taylor obviously spent a great deal of time crafting *the* work on the subject, it was just too dense for me and moved too slowly (I probably would have been served waiting to listen to this on audio instead of lunging into it in hardback). You will most likely enjoy this book much more than me, but I suggest thinking through the following criteria: 1. Do you LOVE Star Wars? 2. How much George Lucas is too much George Lucas? And finally, 3. How in the mood are you for a very detailed 400-page book of non-fiction? If you answer those three questions with: 1. SO MUCH, 2. I can stand a lot of Mr. Lucas, and 3. That sounds like the best thing ever, you’ll enjoy this book. I suggest reading it soon, as the secretive nature of the lead up to Episode VII led to a lot of forecasting and “who knows?” from Taylor, and now we do know – so his book is going to start to become dated as the Anthology movies start rolling out this winter.
https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/how-star-wars-conquered-the-universe-cbr8-29/
A biography of the series / franchise / legend, as well as the creator, George Lucas - this books was a lot of fun for any Star Wars fan. Lots of behind-the-scenes stories, early concepts and drafts of the screenplays, and the "expanded" universe that pushes past the original trilogy and prequels into all of the 'space betweens': comics, novels, animated series, cosplay, etc.
A large amount of time and ink was spent on Episode 4 concepts, and the process that Lucas took in the mid-1970s, while the Empire Strikes Back and the Return of the Jedi were pretty quickly glossed over through the text. I would have liked more details about these latter films because honestly, those are the best of the series!
We re-watched the original trilogy, and after listening to some of the pro/con cases for the prequels, I have to say that I may want to watch those again too. Maybe muted when Jar Jar comes on screen :/
Can't wait for Episode 7 in December...
{Edited to add 12/22/2015}
I would love to see an addendum and additional details about the making of the new trilogy and the 'Star Wars stories' standalones like Rogue One and the planned Han Solo pic.
A large amount of time and ink was spent on Episode 4 concepts, and the process that Lucas took in the mid-1970s, while the Empire Strikes Back and the Return of the Jedi were pretty quickly glossed over through the text. I would have liked more details about these latter films because honestly, those are the best of the series!
We re-watched the original trilogy, and after listening to some of the pro/con cases for the prequels, I have to say that I may want to watch those again too. Maybe muted when Jar Jar comes on screen :/
Can't wait for Episode 7 in December...
{Edited to add 12/22/2015}
I would love to see an addendum and additional details about the making of the new trilogy and the 'Star Wars stories' standalones like Rogue One and the planned Han Solo pic.
informative
slow-paced
Had it as an audiobook. So it went by faster. Good book. Really informative about Lucas and the development of starwars. It was a little redundant.