The Rise of Skywalker (Expanded Edition) Book Review

By: Christian Corah

Descriptives

Page count: Kindle, 288

Author: Rae Carson

Intended audience: Young adult

Timeline: Follows The Last Jedi

Main characters: Rey, Kylo Ren, Leia, Poe Dameron, Finn, and others.

Brief synopsis: The Resistance has been reborn, but a new enemy awakens that threatens to combine forces with the treacherous First Order.

Gut Feeling

I, like many Star Wars fans, had a desire to read the novelization of The Rise of Skywalker due to the nature of the movie. There seemed to be so much going on in the story. Scenes weren’t given chances to breathe and there seemed to be many, many questions regarding the plot. This caused The Rise of Skywalker to be the first novelization that I have read so far (and it certainly wasn’t my last, as I’ve also read the Prequel novels since). Rae Carson was the author of one of my favorite Star Wars books (Most Wanted), so I was looking forward to her adaptation. My gut reaction is that I really enjoyed the story in novel form, perhaps even more than the movie. Carson did a great job of telling the stories of the scenes from the movies. While the extra scenes that she did add were good, I think there could have been many more added scenes. Overall, the book seemed rather short at only 247 pages (it was hardcover and the pages were large, but it still felt short). The Prequel novels were all much longer, more detailed, and added more to the story than this one did. So there were pros and cons to the book, but I certainly enjoyed the read as a whole.

Characters (8/10 pts)

One of the major things that I look for in a novelization is extra character development, especially through the thoughts of the characters. Carson did a good job of adding more depth and meaning to characters and their moments of development throughout the story. However, like a lot of cases within this book, I think the thoughts of the characters could have been more detailed. In my opinion, the characters that received the most work were Rey, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, Leia, and Poe. No single character really stood out the most. What Carson wrote for these characters was good, I just wanted more of it. However, her work still added to the relatability and depth to the characters so I am giving a good score of 8 points, but there was room for some improvement. 

Writing Style (7.5/10 pts)

I say it every time but it is worth repeating, no Star Wars book that I have come across is written poorly. Del Rey has done an excellent job of selecting authors who are both devout Star Wars fans and strong writers. Carson is certainly no exception. Her writing style I’ve noticed, from this reading and that of Most Wanted, is slightly less detailed, but it is easy to read. It felt effortless to go from line to line and page to page. That is the strength of Carson’s writing and I felt it was on full display here. But, as mentioned in other cases, I think that a more detailed writing style would have been welcomed, especially for this novelization. All of the Prequel novels were rather detailed in the writing style and this fit what the book was trying to accomplish better. So Carson’s style for a regular novel would score a little higher, but because the book is a novelization of a movie, I am only giving 7.5 points.

Plot (6.75/10 pts)

The plot is what I was most disappointed in. Obviously, I have to take a slightly different approach here than with my other book reviews because the story is already written, so Carson did not have much leeway considering where she took the story. But what I really wanted was for her to fill in the spaces between major scenes, allow them to breathe, supply extra scenes that supplement the overall story, and fill in some plot holes (and there certainly were plot holes in the movie). What Carson did best was adding transitions between scenes. This allowed the overall plot to move a bit easier. 

She also answered some of the major questions about the movie, like how Palpatine survived, why he wanted Rey to kill him, and provided more information about her parents. These major questions were answered, but I think she could have answered even more questions (like how Rey discovered Force healing). These other questions could have been answered in completely new scenes. This was what was lacking the most in this novel. There were small sections of new scenes, but I wanted whole chapters of new content. In the Prequel novels, there were entire chapters that all included just new scenes. These made up a considerable portion of the entire book. The lack of new content is the weakest part of the book (however, the parts she did add were excellent, including some really cool stuff regarding Kylo searching for the Wayfinder) and the reason why I am only giving 6.75 points for the plot.

Intrigue (8/10 pts)

I must admit that I am a little bit biased regarding the intrigue. I really enjoyed the movie, so it is natural that I would also enjoy reading the book. For others that do not enjoy the movie as much as I did, they will probably not have as much intrigue as I did. But there were still things in the book that objectively added to the intrigue of the novel. A lot happens throughout the story, which makes it a very exciting read. There were peaks and valleys in the plot, but because there were so many peaks, it made me compelled to keep reading. Also, as mentioned regarding the writing style, reading the book felt effortless. Combined together, these two things made me not want to put the book down. But I must acknowledge some of my personal bias, so I am giving a strong score of 8 points, even though I felt that it could have been even higher. 

What does it add? (7.75/10 pts)

For examining what this book adds to Star Wars, I must look at what content the book added independently of the movie. There were not many scenes in the book that were independent from the film, but what Carson did add was significant. Most notably was the content regarding how Palpatine survived his fall in Return of the Jedi. The content was truly larger than itself, answering a question that has been on the minds of Star Wars fans since the Prequels: what the secret of immortality was that Plageius allegedly possessed. This pulls the score up higher than what it could have been. However, this novel should have added more to the universe so it will only get 7.75 points, even though what it added was good. 

Logic (+.25 pts)

While the actual movie may have taken away some logic from the Star Wars universe (like the Force healing, would have been helpful for Qui-Gon), the actual novel did nothing additional to take away from the Star Wars universe. In contrast, it helped explain some of the plot holes found in the movie. I’ll let you read the book to get these details, but I am awarding an extra quarter point for this section.

Final Thoughts

So my final score for the novelization of The Rise of Skywalker is 7.65 points (coincidentally, this is the exact same score I gave Most Wanted, also by Rae Carson), or a C. A lot of people enjoyed reading this book and I was no exception, so don’t think that this slightly lower score means that I didn’t enjoy the read. I just think that there could have been additional content to the book giving it more depth and length. I think this is the entire point of novelizations of movies, giving us extra scenes. If you haven’t read the book and enjoyed the movie, you will certainly enjoy reading the book. But if you didn’t enjoy the movie, I don’t think that reading this book will change your opinion on it. It is mostly the same story told through a different medium.

I hope you enjoyed this book review and if there is a book that you want me to read or review, please let me know at christiancorah@gmail.com. As for now, I will only be doing Canon books (but in the future that might change).

Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising Book Review

By: Christian Corah

Descriptives

Page count: Kindle Edition, 390 pages

Author: Timothy Zahn

Timeline: 18 BBY

Intended Audience: Adult

Main characters: Thrawn, Che’ri, Thalias, Ar’alani, and others

Brief synopsis: With potential dangers rising within the Chaos, Thrawn is determined to sniff out and destroy any threat to the Chiss Ascendancy.

Gut Feeling

Before getting into my review of Thrawn Ascendancy, I want to point out that I have not finished reading Zahn’s newest Canon trilogy yet. I have only read the first book of the series (you can read that review here) and have merely begun the second. Because of that, I have likely missed many Thrawn Easter Eggs scattered throughout this novel.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Thrawn Ascendancy. It contained everything that I enjoyed about Thrawn, but somehow I enjoyed this book even more. While I do enjoy Thrawn in Rebels, he is truly at his best in book form with Zahn in control. Throughout almost the entire read, it inspired critical thinking: teasing me to think one step ahead of Thrawn (I could never do it). Even though it took me about a month to read, I never wanted to stop reading when I got into it. It was consistently good from beginning to end. It is clear that I like this book a lot and that it deserves the praise that is getting, so let's see just how high it will score.

Characters (10/10 pts)

This section is surprisingly one of the strongest, if not the strongest, part of the book. It is not that I expected the characters to be bad, as I gave characters a perfect score in Thrawn, I just didn’t expect them to be this good. Zahn’s strength in characters usually lies in their depth. That is, we usually have a great understanding of what makes each character tick. He really delves into their thoughts and backgrounds to accomplish this. Even though this strength was certainly present in Thrawn Ascendancy, it was also accompanied by a strong emotional connection to certain characters. Specifically, I was attached to 10 year old Che’ri. I felt agony whenever she was in danger and was filled with euphoria whenever she experienced success. While I do care what happens with Thrawn, this emotional connection is not as present. This greatly improves the overall quality of the book, which is already excellent. 

And, of course, Zahn focused a considerable amount of the book on applying character development/background to Thrawn. As Thrawn has traditionally been the villain of the story, he was not in Thrawn Ascendancy. This really gives us a new perspective on this character. We also get to see him interact outside the realms of the Empire within the Chiss Ascendancy. This gives us a more complete understanding of the character and clues us in to how he became the character we are more familiar with in Rebels and Zahn’s previous Canon trilogy. Zahn outdid himself here with the characters and easily earns a full 10 points.

Writing Style (9/10 pts)

It is no surprise that Zahn is one of the more accomplished Star Wars authors. And as this group of authors all produce work of a high quality, this says a lot about the writing ability of Zahn. His writing style is rather dense, with many details included on each page. When this happens, it can take away from the readability of the novel. It is a tradeoff. However, this is not the case with Zahn’s work. The work is still easy to read, and even more so in this book when compared to Thrawn. My only critique of Zahn’s writing style is that the dialogue is a bit awkward at points. I understand that the way Thrawn communicates is unique, but some of the conversations do not sound completely authentic. But this doesn’t hurt the score much, it only keeps it from being perfect. I am giving 9 points.

Plot (8.5/10 pts)

The plot in Thrawn Ascendancy felt rather similar to that of Thrawn: not exactly in its content, but in its flow. The book started out exciting and it had a slow build up to a climactic finish. While there were certain peaks and valleys throughout the book, they served well to move the plot along and I always knew the situation wasn’t revlovled, which only built anticipation for the ending. And the ending was certainly exciting. It wrapped up the story for this book, but still opened the door for an exciting second book, which is what it was supposed to do. It also benefited from numerous “Memories” sections that delved into past moments of Thrawn’s life. This gave not only a better understanding of Thrawn’s character, but also a better understanding of the overall story. This is something that Zahn accomplishes well in most of his novels. My only criticism of the book is that it didn’t quite feel like the first book in a trilogy. Even though it did open the door for the next book, the story of this novel felt too self-contained. However, this is difficult to determine before the next book comes out. So, I will not be taking away significant points for that and am still giving a strong score of 8.5 points.

Intrigue (8/10 pts)

Since this novel is led by characters, it is the development of characters that is largely the source of intrigue throughout the novel. Although there are some exciting space battles and fights with villains, we are more concerned with the development of characters. The climax of the book does peak the intrigue, but it is not the main focus. Throughout most of the book, the motivation to keep reading was because I wanted to learn more about Thrawn, other characters, the Chiss Ascendancy, and the Chaos instead of being on the edge of my seating waiting to see what is going to happen next. This intrigue is good, and I will still give an above average score, but, for books that keep me on the edge of my seat, I will give a higher score. It is nothing against Zahn or the novel, it is just the nature of the story that he is telling. I am giving 8 points for the intrigue. 

What does it add? (10/10 pts)

This section was the biggest surprise for me. Thrawn was a great story, but it didn’t really have any room to add anything to the Star Wars universe. So, I expected mostly the same from Thrawn Ascendancy. Boy, was I wrong. While we have been somewhat familiar with the Chiss and their culture, this book really dove deep into it. We really got a good understanding of one of the more complex and interesting species in the Star Wars universe. Also, the entire region of the Chaos is essentially a new world to Star Wars full of new planets and villains. Even though it is set during the time period of the Clone Wars, and this is evident through certain scenes within the book, it feels like the book is set in a different galaxy. And that is certainly not a negative thing. The appeal of the High Republic content is that it will be new, and that is what we get from Ascendancy. For those of you that want a Star Wars novel separate from the Skywalker Saga, this could be the perfect book for you.

While everything above would have given a great score to the novel, it is not what I’m the most focused on. I really want to avoid spoilers when talking about this subject, so I will tiptoe around it. But there are certain people within the Chiss Ascendancy that appear Force sensitive, but are unlike what are used to with Jedi and Sith. Whenever we get content of Force sensitive beings outside of the norm (like the Force Wielders on Mortis), we end up learning a lot. Both what they do with the powers and how the powers interact with them make it very interesting. It certainly sparked a lot of conversation during the TSO Book Club Podcast. You can check that out here, but be aware that many spoilers will be present.

I am surprised to be giving this score, but I see no other option: 10 points for what Thrawn Ascendancy adds to Star Wars.

Logic (0 pts)

There is nothing in Thrawn Ascendancy that added to nor took away from the logic within the Star Wars universe. So, I am neither adding nor taking away extra points. 

Final Thoughts

My final score for Thrawn Ascendancy is a 9.1/10, or an A minus. I do not give many books an A, as it will join only four others with a grade this high. I went over the scores multiple times to make sure that it was right and I see no other answer than that it deserves such a high score. There is simply no weakness in the story. This is surprising because it is the first in a series, and usually the books just keep getting better. If that is the case, this trilogy may be one of the best in Star Wars. If you have not read Thrawn Ascendancy yet, I definitely recommend it. There is something within it for every Star Wars and science fiction fan.

I hope you enjoyed this book review and if there is a book that you want me to read or review, please let me know at christiancorah@gmail.com. As for now, I will only be doing Canon books (but in the future that might change).

Resistance Reborn Book Review

By: Christian Corah

Descriptives

Page count: Hardcover, 295

Author: Rebecca Roanhorse

Intended audience: Adult

Timeline: Follows The Last Jedi, precedes The Rise of Skywalker

Main characters: Poe Dameron, Leia Organa, Finn, Rey, Wedge Antilles, Rose Tico, Winshur Bratt, and other Resistance fighters

Brief synopsis: Following the events of The Last Jedi, the Resistance has limited resources and leadership. In order to fight the First Order, they must re-group and re-build.

Gut Feeling

This book definitely did its job in the series of “Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” There is a large gap between Episodes 8 and 9, and Resistance Reborn helps to bridge that gap. It should also make the viewing of Episode 9 more meaningful as there is significant background information that should be applied during the movie. So for this purpose, the book accomplished what it was supposed to. Outside of that, I wish we got more content on characters like Rey and Rose. They are crucial members of the Resistance, but they didn’t get much time in this book. I understand why we didn’t get much of Rey (because she is SUCH a crucial character that is explored largely in TROS), but Rose should have gotten more time. We still don’t know much about her, and this book had potential to be a great learning opportunity (especially since we got almost nothing about her in TROS). This is one of the reasons that made it somewhat disappointing. 

However, the story that followed the Resistance fighters was not the entire focus of the book. A separate story line followed Imperial Winshur Bratt. Going into the book, I wasn’t expecting a story told from an Imperial’s perspective, and if I had known it was coming, I probably wouldn’t have been looking forward to it. However, Winshur’s storyline was my favorite part of the entire book. It ended up being an important part of the entire story, and it was a clever add from Roanhorse. In an overall somewhat average book, Winshur’s story shone bright.

Characters (8.25/10 pts)

Most of this book is going to be fairly hard to rate. This is because the story that followed the Resistance and the one that followed Winshur Bratt differed in quality. I could rate both of them separately and have completely different scores. However, because this book follows main characters in the Star Wars universe, I feel I must give the Resistasnce’s storyline the most consideration in my ratings.

Because many of the characters were already established, I look to what additional information I can learn from them. I want it to be both somewhat surprising, but for it to also make sense inside of the Star Wars universe. While there is some new character development for Leia, Poe, Rey, and Finn, I didn’t like the direction that Resistance Reborn took these characters. It didn’t really make sense. There also wasn’t much character development outside of what I didn’t like or any character defining moments for them. It failed to build upon my existing emotional attachment to these characters. The quality of the main characters in the Resistance was the biggest weakness for the “characters” section.

The redeemable qualities come from the new characters. Others are brought into the Resistance and have significant depth to them. I enjoyed their backgrounds quite a bit. But the real strength did lie with Winshur’s story. His character, accompanied by Yama Dex and Monti Clay, is very strong. Their storylines were pretty complex, especially for a Star Wars story, but it was done excellently. Their arcs were both surprising and made a lot of sense. It was the strongest part of the book and pulls the score from being below average to being slightly above average at 8.25 points. By themselves, Winshur, Yama, and Monti would have received a perfect score.

Writing Style (9/10 pts)

This may be the first Star Wars book that I’ve read that did not have New York Times Bestselling Author next to the author’s name (but Resistance Reborn itself became a bestseller). Regardless, this was still a well-written novel. The storyline that followed the Resistance seemed up to par in quality with other Star Wars books. It included much detail that made it a slower read, but the detail was welcoming as it made the story have more depth. Interestingly enough, Roanhorse actually switched her writing style for Winshur’s story. This was a stylistic choice that paid off very well. I don’t say this lightly when I say that this storyline was the best written Star Wars arc that I’ve encountered. They way she developed the characters and told the story was intoxicatingly good. Even though the events of the storyline on the surface weren’t especially exciting, through her masterful writing she made them matter to the reader. It was a pretty sophisticated style and it fit it's plot so very well. Winshur’s story on its own would again receive a perfect score, but overall I am giving a 9/10 for the writing style. 

Plot (8.5/10 pts)

For the plot, I will consider the Resistance and Winshur’s story together. Overall, it was essentially what I would expect from a novel titled Resistance Reborn. It made sense to what should have been happening in this time period. The plot was also well developed as it slowly ramped up to a satisfying and exciting conclusion. Overall, she did a good job with the plot as there weren’t blatant weaknesses to it. What I do point out is that the beginning of the book was somewhat unexciting, but it was made up for with a strong conclusion. Roanhorse did a great job at bringing different storylines together into a climactic finish that reminded me of the style done by Paul Kemp in Lords of the Sith. It worked very well as the ending of the book was the part where I did not want to put it down. Because of the strong ending, I am giving the plot 8.5 points.

Intrigue (7/10 pts)

While the writing style’s density may have been a strength for applying depth to the story, it did take a little away from the intrigue. I didn’t feel that I could read large amounts of the book in one setting without needing a break. This combined with the fact that, outside of the ending, parts of the book were not that exciting. Even though this book was just under 300 pages, it was definitely not a quick read. At the end I was intrigued to finish the book, but it does not take away from my feelings regarding the intrigue for the whole book. This is something I was not expecting since the book is about some of the most favored characters in the sequel trilogy. Because of this, I am giving 7 points for intrigue. 

What does it add? (6/10 pts)

Outside of supplying clues to TROS, I don’t think Resistance Reborn adds much significant content to the Star Wars universe. Because the purpose of the book was to add content to TROS, what it added was completely expected. With that in mind, I then look to see what else the book adds to the entire Star Wars universe. Resistance Reborn, much like books similar to Most Wanted, does not supply any information outside of the book’s intended purpose. It does not become bigger than itself. If Rey was a more central part of the story, this could have been different. This is the biggest weakness of the book. That being said, I am only giving 6 points.

Logic (0 pts)

The only thing that comes to mind for this section is that some of the characters went directions that I didn’t like. It didn’t seem to make sense with what happened to them previously and then what happens in TROS. But I think this is largely open to interpretation so I will not be taking away any points for that reason. It just seems too biased for me to do so. Overall, Resistance Reborn neither adds to or takes away from logic within the Star Wars universe.

Final Thoughts

So my final grade for Resistance Reborn is a 7.75/10, or a C plus. The storyline of Winshur Brett was the highlight of the entire book, even though his story was far from the emphasis of the book. On its own, Winshur’s story would have scored very high. While the storyline of the Resistance was good, it just didn’t have the same high quality. This story felt fairly self-contained among the Star Wars universe, outside of supplying clues for TROS. Independent from TROS, it wasn’t my favorite read. But if you want more information on the movie, I would suggest Resistance Reborn as a must read. 

I hope you enjoyed this book review and if there is a book that you want me to read or review, please let me know at christiancorah@gmail.com. As for now, I will only be doing Canon books (but in the future that might change).