April 29, 2017sarahylockwood

The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

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Rate: 3/5

Medium: Audiobook

Overview (No Spoilers): Upon finishing my last audiobook I didn’t have any books waiting for me in my queue, which is a highly unusual phenomenon. Of course this event happens just as I was wanting to go on a four mile run, leading to me impatiently go searching through the available audiobooks at my local library, waiting to be inspired by one among the stacks. After a rather embarrassing amount of time, and frustration with my lack of being able to make a decision, I settled on The Force Awakens, a book adaption of the Star Wars movie that was released back in December 2015. While I found myself thoroughly enjoying the story, the novel did not provide any additional details  or depth left out by the movie. Additionally, if I had not already seen the movie ahead of time, I sure I would have found the world building severely lacking and character development rather shallow, however having already viewed the movie my mind automatically added in details and images of exact scenes. What eventually drew me into the story was the inner dialogue of the characters, including the droids like C-3PO and BB-8. Sure, the movie was able to convey what characters where thinking through expressions or utilizing body language, however it was entertaining from a literary standpoint to know for certain exactly what they were thinking in certain scenes. Also, the audiobook format was interesting because it was truly a production with the reader mimicking the voices of key characters, e.g., Harrison Ford, as well as including familiar beeps of our favorite droids and including background sounds based on the situation such as in battle or a crowd. Overall, the Force Awakens is a fun read for any Star Wars junkie biding their time till the next movie debuts.

Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

  • What makes Finn different from other Stormtroopers? He mentions that they took him from his parents as a baby. Will we find out who is parents are?
  • Speaking of parentage, who are Rey’s parents and why did they abandon her on Jakku? Personally, I’m rooting for Obi Wan Kenobi.
  • This is diverting away from the book but did anyone else find Adam Driver rather dreamy as Kylo Ren? I’d never thought of him as good looking before this role.
  • Will there eventually be a love triangle between Poe Dameron, Finn, and Rey?
  • Will Solo’s sacrifice end up saving Kylo Ren?

 

18 comments

  1. I gotta throw in my 2 cents here, noting I’ve only seen the movie. 1) Luke is Rey’s father (gotta be). 2) Kylo Ren is in deep cover as an agent of the resistance, sent in by Leia, who’s actually cold enough to send her own son to the enemy’s camp as a spy. When he kills Han, it’s either a ruse (Han isn’t really dead) or he does so as a desperate act to maintain his cover, which would be really interesting from a character development standpoint. My belief that Ren is a secret agent is based on how he says, “I’m going to finish what you started,” to Vader’s helmet. Anakkin was supposed to unite the Jedi and the Sith, but he failed. I think this is what Ren is trying to do. Also, Leia has always been really badass and totally committed to the resistance, so she’d never shrink from taking any advantage in the war against the empire. Having a son who could convincingly present himself as a defector whom the enemy would REALLY want on their side would be a pretty awesome advantage.

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    • Here’s my rebuttal 🙂
      1. As much as I think it would be great that Rey’s dad is Luke, I feel like it is too clean. Also J.J. Abrams said that her parents were not in The Force Awakens. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/J-J-Abrams-Just-Revealed-Detail-About-Rey-Parents-125147.html
      2. Its interesting to think about Ren being a double agent, however in his inner dialogue (I know you didn’t read the book 🙂 ) he talked about his struggle rejecting the light. This would definitely be an interesting twist!

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      • Hmm, but her dad can’t be Obi Wan, because Vader killed him before Luke even became a Jedi, and Ren is older than Rey. It seems unlikely that Rey’s parents are random people, but maybe they’re part of the Clone Wars or Rebels cast of characters. Does Luke’s cameo appearance count as being “in” Force Awakens?

        Rejecting the light could still be part of Ren’s cover–of course I advocate for this scenario because it’s how *I* would write it. 🙂

        PS, I also thought Driver was pretty dreamy with the messy curly hair, and I agree I’ve never thought of him as attractive before. On the other hand, his Mediterranean features don’t match up with Ford and Fisher’s very Anglo ones, so I had trouble accepting him as their kid. #castingissues

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  4. Nice review Sarah (as always). Like you, I enjoyed the insights into the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters. I thought that the book was very good in this respect, and helped to understand the characters’ motivations and feelings.

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  5. Rey’s parentage is a very hot topic in the fandom. There are pages of discussion discussing the varying options of her heritage. For example, see here: https://goo.gl/7bHNT1. Personally, I am hoping that she isn’t a Skywalker. The Star Wars Universe started on the premises that it be about the Skywalker family. However, forty years later, the universe has developed and expanded considerably. It would be unusual to see the Skywalker family still be the most central family among this humongous universe, and be more representative if Rey wasn’t a Skywalker.

    Heh, Finn was the first point, and I’m talking about him second. The trilogy arc has been set up so that a lot of loose ends from Force Awakens will be answered in the subsequent films. Finn’s ancestry will likely be learned in The Last Jedi or Episode IX. Something I thought Force Awakens succeeded at was prompting questions that weren’t answered by end the end of the film.

    Adam Driver had a dashing look, I guess (I’m a hetero dude, I can’t say much here). I had a crush on Daisy Ridley, though. That has since moved onto Pom Klementieff of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 fame.

    I’m not sure if Kylo Ren will have a redemptive arc or not. I’m not sure whether I want to see one or not. I am more interested in seeing an expansion of the nature of the force. In the films before, we have seen a focus on the “light” and “dark” sides of it, but there is a gray area in between…there are “grey” jedi. It seems that The Last Jedi will focus on that more.

    Will there be a love triangle between Finn, Poe, and Rey? Well, fans are speculating that if there is a romance between any of those three characters, it would actually involve Finn and Poe. Poe Dameron was not originally supposed to survive the events of Episode VII, but Oscar Isaac was able to convince J.J. to keep him alive (Which I support, because Oscar Isaac is a damn good actor, and can make the character work). So, a romance with Poe and anyone likely wasn’t thought of at any point. Since Force Awakens came out, fans have noted the chemistry between Poe and Finn, believing them as a couple would be more believable. John Boyega, Finn’s actor, has stated that romance in Episode VIII will happen in an “interesting” manner, that “It’s not going to go the way you think it’s going to go.” (https://goo.gl/kqEeoH/).

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    • So much detail! 🙂 I’m excited to see where they take the storyline. From the books I got a brother vibe between Poe and Finn, whereas there seemed to be an attraction between Finn and Rey that even Ren was jealous of when looking through her mind. I’m sure the side movies will hold many key clues. 🙂

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  8. I agree Rey has GOT to be a Kenobi, otherwise I’m Team ReyRando. Also Poe and Finn SO MUCH YESSSS. Adam Driver is definitely attractive but Kylo is so off-puttingly file that my main reaction to him is “ew” 😛 Also, if Finn doesn’t become a Jedi too I’m going to be hopping mad!

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