The Force Awakens by Alan Dean FosterWell, this was absolutely delightful. Novelisations aren't exactly recommended reading, but since I'd read that the novel filled in a few gaps, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
I've been 'saving' the book for a while, but gave in to temptation finally. I guess I just miss Star Wars.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was brilliant. I felt he really captured the voices and inflections of Poe, Finn, Hux and Kylo Ren, and even to some extent Han and Maz. He didn't always do right by Rey, and he failed Leia for the most part, but it was excellent work despite that.
The book does bridge many of the gaps from the film, and also answers questions we didn't know we had. It must be a nightmare trying to make the novel a coherent story, what with the film hanging over your head. But Foster's a veteran at this, so it's pretty seamless. It's strange when some dialogue from the film isn't in the book, because you're expecting it, but there's no pay off.
Understanding where Poe disappeared to; how the Resistance knew to find Han et al on Maz's planet, and the machinations of the Resistance and the First Order helped iron out the chinks in the film.
I feel that some of the characters where overly emotional. C3PO is no stranger to paranoia, but he was a bit hysterical in this one. Rey is a little too weepy; she appeared much more put together in the film. The writer captured Han and Leia's relationship superbly, down to their internal monologues and banter. I think adding her breaking down in tears when she feels his death detracts from the powerful stoicism General Leia displays in the film. She's a General, she's not going to break down and cry in the middle of a battle.
What I felt the novel missed was the closeness between Poe and Finn. There's an 'awkward' hug inserted between Poe and Rey in the end, suggesting it is a pre-cursor to something perhaps, but the film made an effort to keep Poe and Rey away from each other, which felt almost natural given their sole connection is Finn, and without him they probably wouldn't need to be in close proximity. By not including Poe's fears for Finn after Finn's duel with Ren (in the film, he immediately runs alongside Finn's med-pod, without acknowledging Rey's presence) and instead shifting the focus to Rey and her (rightful) concerns for her friend, one of the most special moments in the film disappears, and with it a significant portion of Finn and Poe's easy camaraderie.
The book throws in plenty of thrills and excitement, not an easy task since Star Wars battles are visual spectacles that must be witnessed - by minimising the descriptions of the fights and skirmishes, the reader gets an even better idea of what's going on, while also being given the liberty to fill in their own details.
I just loved reading and listening to this book. It's a wonderful step back to Jakku and the Star Wars galaxy. Just what you need to cheer yourself up.
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