Continuing to work our way through the junior novelizations of the Star Wars movies. I will spare you guys the reviews of the other Star Wars themed books we’re reading (there’s Padawan Academy books, some kind of origami something or other, and a whole bunch of others).
Again, there’s no sense in telling the story. If there’s anyone out there who doesn’t know it, feel free to e-mail me, and I’ll tell you the story. But, as I’ve said, the books are based on the scripts, so you get some good subtext and other information that one doesn’t necessarily get from the movies.
In this one, we pick up after Luke has trained on Dagobah with Yoda, gone to rescue his friends in Cloud City, and found out his dad is Darth Vader. Oh, and Leia is his twin sister. Han Solo has been turned into yard art for Jabba the Hutt. The Empire is building a new Death Star, a better, less explodey one. Or so they think. The rebellion is still fighting back, but it’s looking bleak for our heroes.
There are rescues, dog fights, Ewoks, traps, squid people, and all kinds of stuff in this one. The books are actually fun to read with my kid, especially after he’s seen the movies. He loves to talk about why the characters are doing what they do, what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling. It helps that the books based on the original trilogy are more swash-buckle-y than the ones based on the prequels. Much less kissing, lots more fighting. Totally up his alley.
Anyway, if you have young children who like Star Wars, these books are worth it. If you’re a grownup who is looking for Star Wars stuff to read, I’d recommend other stories in the expanded universe.