The Original Trilogy Stories
The Original Trilogy Stories, illustrated by Brian Rood, each story has a different author although several stories are written by the same authors
What a fantastic trip down memory lane! This was a well-written book that didn't pull any punches when it came to explosions and hands getting cut off. It didn't picture any explosions except those of TIE fighters so it was a little biased in that regard, but in the story itself we read about more than one person dying on the side of the Rebellion. I commend this book for telling the real story and not making it cushy and comfortable for the younger reader. With that said, this was definitely written as a bedtime story book so if you're worried about reading graphic material to your little one, I would skip over the stories where people die in the movies because they also die in this book.
The formatting was wonderful. We get eighteen stories retelling the Original Trilogy and each is written as a standalone, so you can skip around and read whatever story you please and still understand what is going on...even if you hadn't seen the movies before. So it's a great entry point for little ones who may have not experienced the joys of Star Wars films yet. Some of the stories even go back and retell events in a longer form that were told briefly in the preceding story. So no events are lost on us in their totality. This book also does a pretty good job of presenting the big reveals, giving us just a little extra to prolong the moment.
And the realistic illustrations were top notch. They put us right in the scenes, living them in full-color. No cutesifying or cartooning..it was like I was actually watching the movies.
I never realized this before, but when Obi-Wan is first telling Luke about his father, he says, "A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil"--this makes it sound like Luke has no idea who Darth Vader is. But then on the Death Star when they spot Darth Vader and Obi-Wan fighting, Luke seems to know who the man in the black suit is. Now I'm curious to rewatch and see if I've gotten my wires crossed.
This book also does a great job of expanding on people's actions and words with little tidbits of feeling/information. For example, on the Death Star in the prison block: "Han decided to solve this problem the same way he solved most problems: he fired his blaster at the intercom." haha!
When Luke calls to 3PO and R2 on a comlink in the trash compactor, it is the comlink that came with the stormtrooper suit he stole. I guess it was connected directly to the room where 3PO and R2 are hiding because otherwise wouldn't the rest of the space station hear him? Hmmm...
As Obi-Wan and Vader duel, the narrative says, "As Vader attacked, Obi-Wan matched the Sith Lord's lightsaber thrusts, moving with the ease and speed of a Jedi Knight." Not sure I would describe either of their fighting styles during that duel as embodying ease or speed...of course, it was the late 70's and special effects could only do so much...
There's also a heavy focus throughout the stories on the Force, Luke's lightsaber, and the power of a Jedi being their reason for succeeding so many times. I found this to be a little much since Luke is so new in learning his powers and it was the determination of the Rebel Alliance that kept everybody together and fighting even when things looked dire.
I love getting to relive the scene where Luke first meets Yoda, especially having read "There is Another" in From A Certain Point of View!! Man, poor Yoda really doesn't want to teach the impetuous Luke...poor guy.
We finally get a good explanation for the events taking place in the dark side cave on Dagobah!! "The duel was a test from Yoda. And he hadn't passed. He had attacked Vader with fear and anger rather than trusting the Force. Instead of destroying Vader, he had only destroyed himself." That makes perfect sense in context with him seeing his own face in Vader's mask!
There are additionally some great little moral lessons throughout the book, perfect for a young Jedi to learn right from wrong:
After escaping the Death Star: "Luke looked back at his friends. They had faced death more than once that day. Yet whenever things had looked darkest, one of them had been able to come up with a plan. Being a hero was not like Luke had thought it would be. With great friends at his side, it was even better."
After Luke cuts off Vader's hand: "Luke stopped and looked at what he had done. By giving in to his hate, he had destroyed the person he had been trying to save. This wasn't the way of the Jedi Knight. This wasn't who he was."
And finally...this book proclaims that Anakin fulfilled his destiny!!! Making him the Chosen One!!! Ahahaha...I love it!! "Darth Vader looked at the Emperor, a master he had followed for so long. Then he looked at Luke, the son who had tried to save him. He realized that he had been wrong to give up hope. He still had a choice--and he chose Luke. […] Anakin Skywalker had defeated the Emperor. […] As his father died, Luke knew that Anakin had fulfilled his destiny. Luke flew away from the Death Star, realizing that by destroying the Emperor, his father had saved him--and the entire Rebellion." *tear*
Definitely a great source of standalone bed time stories for anyone wanting to get their child into Star Wars! And a great way to quickly relive some of our favorite movies ;-)
The formatting was wonderful. We get eighteen stories retelling the Original Trilogy and each is written as a standalone, so you can skip around and read whatever story you please and still understand what is going on...even if you hadn't seen the movies before. So it's a great entry point for little ones who may have not experienced the joys of Star Wars films yet. Some of the stories even go back and retell events in a longer form that were told briefly in the preceding story. So no events are lost on us in their totality. This book also does a pretty good job of presenting the big reveals, giving us just a little extra to prolong the moment.
And the realistic illustrations were top notch. They put us right in the scenes, living them in full-color. No cutesifying or cartooning..it was like I was actually watching the movies.
I never realized this before, but when Obi-Wan is first telling Luke about his father, he says, "A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil"--this makes it sound like Luke has no idea who Darth Vader is. But then on the Death Star when they spot Darth Vader and Obi-Wan fighting, Luke seems to know who the man in the black suit is. Now I'm curious to rewatch and see if I've gotten my wires crossed.
This book also does a great job of expanding on people's actions and words with little tidbits of feeling/information. For example, on the Death Star in the prison block: "Han decided to solve this problem the same way he solved most problems: he fired his blaster at the intercom." haha!
When Luke calls to 3PO and R2 on a comlink in the trash compactor, it is the comlink that came with the stormtrooper suit he stole. I guess it was connected directly to the room where 3PO and R2 are hiding because otherwise wouldn't the rest of the space station hear him? Hmmm...
As Obi-Wan and Vader duel, the narrative says, "As Vader attacked, Obi-Wan matched the Sith Lord's lightsaber thrusts, moving with the ease and speed of a Jedi Knight." Not sure I would describe either of their fighting styles during that duel as embodying ease or speed...of course, it was the late 70's and special effects could only do so much...
There's also a heavy focus throughout the stories on the Force, Luke's lightsaber, and the power of a Jedi being their reason for succeeding so many times. I found this to be a little much since Luke is so new in learning his powers and it was the determination of the Rebel Alliance that kept everybody together and fighting even when things looked dire.
I love getting to relive the scene where Luke first meets Yoda, especially having read "There is Another" in From A Certain Point of View!! Man, poor Yoda really doesn't want to teach the impetuous Luke...poor guy.
We finally get a good explanation for the events taking place in the dark side cave on Dagobah!! "The duel was a test from Yoda. And he hadn't passed. He had attacked Vader with fear and anger rather than trusting the Force. Instead of destroying Vader, he had only destroyed himself." That makes perfect sense in context with him seeing his own face in Vader's mask!
There are additionally some great little moral lessons throughout the book, perfect for a young Jedi to learn right from wrong:
After escaping the Death Star: "Luke looked back at his friends. They had faced death more than once that day. Yet whenever things had looked darkest, one of them had been able to come up with a plan. Being a hero was not like Luke had thought it would be. With great friends at his side, it was even better."
After Luke cuts off Vader's hand: "Luke stopped and looked at what he had done. By giving in to his hate, he had destroyed the person he had been trying to save. This wasn't the way of the Jedi Knight. This wasn't who he was."
And finally...this book proclaims that Anakin fulfilled his destiny!!! Making him the Chosen One!!! Ahahaha...I love it!! "Darth Vader looked at the Emperor, a master he had followed for so long. Then he looked at Luke, the son who had tried to save him. He realized that he had been wrong to give up hope. He still had a choice--and he chose Luke. […] Anakin Skywalker had defeated the Emperor. […] As his father died, Luke knew that Anakin had fulfilled his destiny. Luke flew away from the Death Star, realizing that by destroying the Emperor, his father had saved him--and the entire Rebellion." *tear*
Definitely a great source of standalone bed time stories for anyone wanting to get their child into Star Wars! And a great way to quickly relive some of our favorite movies ;-)
Comments
Post a Comment