The Force Awakens (Star Wars)

[Unfinished]

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!

4.5⭐️

Okay, time to talk about this book. First off, who thought it was a good idea to let the same author who wrote Splinter of the Mind's Eye write this book? For those of you who are unaware, before they declared everything non-canon in the Star Wars EU, that was the only non-cannon book. If tells you anything. This book reads like he copied down all of the dialogue from the movie (which I haven't even seen) and then added a little bit of bland narration between dialogue. There's no emotion. Its just a pitiful book all together. I had high hopes for this book. Normally you can gain insight into the characters through the books because you get into their heads. This didn't tell me anything I didn't already know and I haven't even seen the movie yet, I'm not sure I plan to seek out seeing it anytime soon. All together, just really disappointed with everyone involved in the creation of this book (and the storyline too), there was just a lot lacking. They could have made a movie of literally any other book from the Star Wars EU and it would have been 10x better than this was. The only reason I even gave it one star was because its a Star Wars book and Han Solo is bae (but not TFA Han, just Star Wars EU Han).

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.

4.5? I don't see why most people didn't like it. I think The Force Awakens is the best out of the trilogy and I don't think the telling was that bad. Still royal to the stuff the originals brought us, TFA makes a good job of starting a whole new story. That familiar vibe is mixed with the excitement of a new chapter and it makes you feel like you're discovering a new part of a city you already know. It gives you hope and hypes you up about what's next. I don't want to get detailed but I can't finish the review without talking about my best girl, my hero. Finally having a female lead is small to some but to little girls, to the new generation, it means a lot. However, Rey's more than just a "female lead." She's full of hope, doesn't give up easily, and is ready to fight at any given moment. Surviving in a desert on her own since she was a child, she learned to turn her fears, the things she's gone through into strength and hope. Zero to hero, just like that.

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.

Disclaimer: I adored The Force Awakens, and I saw the move six times before reading this novelization. That said, I applaud Dean Foster's effort. This is a good adaptation, but it can't hold a candle to the actual film. The little "extra" tidbits didn't give any further clarity, and you can tell this was finalized before the film itself came out. Little bits of dialog are just different enough from the film that I couldn't help but be bothered by it. For those who have only seen the film once (what is wrong with you go again) this is a nice book to read. I hope we get to see Chewie rip an arm off of someone (I won't say who) in the extra features on the BluRay. That would be awesome.

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.