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A review by sparky_young_upstart
William Shakespeare's The Force Doth Awaken by Ian Doescher
5.0
The first play of the sequel trilogies is just as strong as Doescher's previous works, and shows that even he is able to improve on what I thought was a pretty good series already. Before the good, though, I do want to point out that the BB-8 dialogue is going to trip some people up. I learned to appreciate it by the end, but I like puzzles and that sort of thing. The code for his language was hard to figure out (to the point that I had to look for the answer elsewhere - read every eighth letter!) but by the end I'd mastered it. It's not necessary to translate him for the sake of the play, but it was nice knowing what he said.
Now, on to the book's biggest strengths. I find that this play captured the voices of all the characters best, even those that Doescher had written before. For example, Han Solo was certainly not poorly written in the previous plays, but his lines here are even truer to the character - to the point that I could picture Harrison saying them aloud as I read. It helps to preserve all the tones present in the film, even if the language is different. I admit I felt the same heart-swelling when Leia and Han resumed their rhyming quatrains that I did when I saw them reunited on the screen. The other standout is Finn, who's bumbling during his more awkward moments is perfectly translated into the pentameter, and the repetitive nature of many of his lines is enhanced with the style shift.
Chewbacca is another big draw, as we are now privy to translations of his growls and roars. This is a change that does add a lot to the character, since I admit to simply passing over his lines. Seeing what he's actually saying does add the the play and help me like this iteration of him more, especially come the dramatic moment he gets in the final act.
Anyone who liked Doescher's previous plays will love this series, and it's also a great way to introduce someone to the plays - especially if they've only just gotten into Star Wars as well.
Now, on to the book's biggest strengths. I find that this play captured the voices of all the characters best, even those that Doescher had written before. For example, Han Solo was certainly not poorly written in the previous plays, but his lines here are even truer to the character - to the point that I could picture Harrison saying them aloud as I read. It helps to preserve all the tones present in the film, even if the language is different. I admit I felt the same heart-swelling when Leia and Han resumed their rhyming quatrains that I did when I saw them reunited on the screen. The other standout is Finn, who's bumbling during his more awkward moments is perfectly translated into the pentameter, and the repetitive nature of many of his lines is enhanced with the style shift.
Chewbacca is another big draw, as we are now privy to translations of his growls and roars. This is a change that does add a lot to the character, since I admit to simply passing over his lines. Seeing what he's actually saying does add the the play and help me like this iteration of him more, especially come the dramatic moment he gets in the final act.
Anyone who liked Doescher's previous plays will love this series, and it's also a great way to introduce someone to the plays - especially if they've only just gotten into Star Wars as well.