Name: The Force Awakens
Rating: 3.435897435897436 (39 reviews)
ISBN: 9781101966990

Alan Dean Foster

"Screenplay written by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt; based on characters created by George Lucas."

The Force Awakens

Thirty years after defeating the Empire, the Alliance faces a new threat from Kylo Ren and his army of stormtroopers.

The Force Awakens (Star Wars)

Annika Arguemore

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

Thanks to Shadow and Bone fans I decided to start this series after the conundrum of college - yes, I missed out on entertainment news due to my coursework, rare to hear but it happens amongst college students - and invest in this fandom that has spanned many years. I saw this movie two weeks ago and have to say, while it's good, Alan Dean Foster made it even better. He filled in the cinematic plotholes that prevented the live-action from being excellent and included a little more depth to the characters, namely Kylo Ren. I wasn't a fan of Alan downplaying the interrogation scene (come on, Kylo releasing Rey's bonds from the interrogation chair doesn't lessen his abusive actions in that scene) or changing Han Solo's death scene to make it seem like Kylo felt bad at that moment when he clearly wasn't in the film, but other than that I enjoyed this adaption. The writing is excellent, has enough details, and the plot runs smoothly. I look forward to reading The Last Jedi next!

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The official novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the blockbuster film directed by J. J. Abrams • Includes two tie-in short stories: “The Perfect Weapon” by Delilah S. Dawson and “Bait” by Alan Dean Foster More than thirty years ago, Star Wars burst onto the big screen and became a cultural phenomenon. Now the next adventures in this blockbuster saga are poised to captivate old and new fans alike—beginning with the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And alongside the cinematic debut comes the thrilling novel adaptation by New York Times bestselling science fiction master Alan Dean Foster. Set years after Return of the Jedi, this stunning new action-packed adventure rockets us back into the world of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker, while introducing a host of exciting new characters. Darth Vader may have been redeemed and the Emperor vanquished, but peace can be fleeting, and evil does not easily relent. Yet the simple belief in good can still empower ordinary individuals to rise and meet the greatest challenges. So return to that galaxy far, far away, and prepare yourself for what happens when the Force awakens. . . . Praise for Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Like all the best novelizations, Alan Dean Foster’s adaptation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens enriches the movie experience. The novel goes beyond simply giving us insight into the characters’ thoughts, with plenty of additional scenes painting a broader picture of the galaxy.”—New York Daily News “Fast-moving, atmospheric and raises goose-bumps at just the right moments. [Foster] not only evokes entire onscreen worlds . . . he also gives us glimpses of an even more vast, unseen universe.”—The Washington Post “Was my experience of the film enriched by the book? Yes. No question. Is the novelization worth reading? Yes. . . . Foster has written a book that captures the spirit of the film, while presenting additional information that helps answer some of the questions that linger.”—Coffee with Kenobi From the Paperback edition.

It was a hard book to read, partly because I don't like the direction of the story (I read this before seeing the movie) and partly because I had to wade through Foster wanting to tell me things in as many words as possible.

I actually got mad at this book when I found out who Kyle Rens father was, and what a waste of potential that it could have been. The plot isn't Foster's fault, though, so I'm going to try to separate it out and instead focus on the way in which Foster told the story, and why I found it such a long read despite the short length (a mere 250 pages).

Foster, unlike in New Hope, decided to be overly eloquent in how he narrates. Sure, style isn't bad, but why do I need to be told that some creature said something that would be banned on several planets instead of saying the creature cussed at Rey? It makes a mood I suppose, but amounts to adding words to fit a quota. Especially when this is dropped in the last 50 pages and I have to keep rereading to figure out what happened because it becomes too concise to follow.

Without giving spoilers, there is a death. It is not emotionally charged and I felt the writing was clumsy in that I focused more on picturing how the character died than the death itself. Foster could have taken a page from Rowling and made it something a bit more impactful for a book. I also didn't like some scenes when Rey resists a force type of mind probe. It was oddly intense like an intimate scene, which makes me think it needed some more editing to make it flow a little better. Because I doubt they'll make the two characters have a relationship. 

My only other issue was that the Barnes and Noble special edition had pictures. I didn't realize this when I bought it, but the pictures actually spoil the book. You think a character dies but, if you look at the pictures like I did before you read the whole book, it's quickly spoiled.

A little more than disappointing in my eyes, but I have a feeling if I'd watched the movie beforehand my rating would be better.

Kaitlyn Krna

If you know me at all, you will know that I love Star Wars. When I saw that Alan Dean Foster, the author of the original Star Wars novel tie-in, had written the tie in for The Force Awakens, I was excited. It was a quick read, but it was very satisfying. However, I will say that I loved the movie and only liked the book.

I felt that the story was both enjoyable and satisfying, but I don’t know if I would have the same opinion if I hadn’t first seen the movie. That is not to say that the novel is bad, but I wouldn’t recommend it on its own. As a book lover, it’s rare for me to say that, but it’s true.

The novel shows a few scenes that did not appear in the movie, such as (view spoiler)[ Poe Dameron’s escape from Jakku and Kylo Ren stepping onto the Falcon  (hide spoiler)] . I really enjoyed getting to see these scenes and recommend the book for that reason.

Liz Griffin

Reads like the screenplay and a thesaurus got shoved into a blender, puréed, and then printed. Any time a simple word would have made due, a 5-syllable or obscure one was used instead. Also, the narrator volume fluctuated and the sound effects were more distracting than enjoyable. Pretty sure I heard the Star Trek alarm sound at one point. All in all, would not recommend.

The Force Awakens

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