After watching the The Last Jedi I have fallen into a Star Wars obsession and have begun reading Star Wars books like there's no tomorrow. I recently had the chance to read The Force Awakens' novelisation, and decided to write this casual review. I will be mentioning plenty of differences between the book and the movie.
Living in Japan I decided to purchase the Kindle edition. The quality was great on both my Kobo reader and the android app. If I connected my Kobo to the internet they would also sync, so I could switch between devices and keep reading from where I left off. The Kobo edition also came with an eight chapter preview for another book The perfect weapon.
The writing was also good and easy to understand. I already watched the movie, making scenes easy to visualise, I not sure what it would be like for someone who has never seen the movie. Compared to the move, many of the scenes and dialogue have been extended and it also contains many deleted scenes that were cut from the move, such as Poe's escape from Jakku, Chewie ripping off Putts arm, and Finn and Rey's speeder chase.
Many of the scenes from the movie are not 100% the same in the book, and sometimes have different dialogue. For example Rey readily tries to bargain with Putt for BB8, and succeeds in getting 100 portions before she decides to change her mind. Leia tells Poe to leave Rey and Finn, and Han Solo also has a lot more witty lines, making him seem a lot more lighter and funnier compared to the move.
I also loved this line from Finn about Starkiller base
- "Try living here," Finn told her. "There are only two seasons: winter, and dead of winter!"
Rey and Kylo Ren's scenes and dialogue were also a little different, and the novelization does try to imply that Kylo Ren and Rey do have some sort of connection (like some sort of force connection, or having met before) that didn't show up in the movie. Take for example, this line from Kylo Ren to Rey in the forest.
- "Something." He sounded mystified. "There is something... Who are you?"
It also does talk Rey up a little more as perhaps being someone with importance, which was a big thing for a while. Take for example this scene where she gets Luke's lightsaber.
- Rey appeared equally shocked that her reach for the device had extended his. She looked down at the weapon now resting in her grip.
- “It is you,” Ren murmured.
- His words unsettled her. Not for the first time, he seemed to know more about her than she did about herself.
As for any negative aspects, I would say that the ending seemed a little rushed and lacked details compared to previous scenes. Such as Han Solo's death, and the fight scene in the forest. I loved the lightsaber battle in the movie. It was such an intense scene. But perhaps it was something difficult to pull off in written form. There is also a short scene afterwards about Hux arriving to pick up Kylo Ren. Hux also sees Rey and Finn, but decides to just leave them.
Rey and Poe also introduce each other in the last scene of the book, which now doesn't make much sense considering that they now have an introduction scene at the end of the second movie.
- "Uh, hi," the pilot mumbled. "I'm Poe."
- She nodded slowly, searching his face and finding that she liked it. "I recognize the name. So you're Poe. Poe Dameron, the X-wing pilot. I'm Rey."
- "I know." He smiled back, a little more at ease. "Nice to meet you."
To be honest I think that it would make sense for them to have met at the end of the first movie, since Rey was also at the rebel base before she went off to find Luke Skywalker. Therefore according to the movies she went to the rebel base, looked over Finn for a while, but Poe (his new best friend) never stopped to visit and they never ran into each other.
I seen a lot of theories which try and predict what may happen in future movies by what shows up in this book, but I really feel that the writers and directors are really more likely to stick to the movies than the novelizations, so I think it's best to take such theories with a grain of salt.
As a far of the move, I enjoyed reading this book and it gave me plenty of insight into what the characters were thinking, new scenes, and plenty of witty lines. I would have found it boring if it was a direct translation of the movie, so I liked how it was different. I recommend the book for anyone who is a fan of Star Wars or The Force Awakens movie.
Grab the book here!
Get the DVD! I recommend watching it first before reading the book!
Get the DVD! I recommend watching it first before reading the book!
Other stories M.C.Queen
Memories of a Soul in the Underworld
Story summary: Ethan is a soul in the Underworld with no memory of his life on Earth. He is bought and sold by various masters for centuries. Traveling from large industrial towns to scorching hot deserts. During his journey he picks up the skills, knowledge and magic to escape his enslavement. He runs with the intent of living a free life, but is pursued by agents until he’s cornered on a remote mountain range. With little time left, Ethan begins to recount his life and masters in the hope of leaving a record of his existence. These are his memories.
Posts
