Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: February 24, 2016
Price: $19.99
Editor: Jonathan Wilkins
Format: 176 pgs., Full-Color, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-7858-5116-2
Age Rating: N/A
ICv2 Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5
This is a remarkable collection of interviews, several of which were from rare or unusual sources. These include interviews with Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher that were recorded just before the first Star Wars film was released, and then not published in their entirety. They obviously saved some things for a planned second volume, but the material included ranges from the main actors to a variety of production people. The inclusion of pieces like the transcription of a conversation between George Lucas and Alan Dean Foster gives fans an inside look at what was really going on creatively with the early novels. A later conversation between several of the Star Wars novelists is also intriguing. Visual artists, voice actors and others are included in the interviews, so that fans get an overview of experiences and opinions.
Short text passages by editor Jonathan Wilkins helps to put the interviews into context, especially the older pieces.
The only weakness the book has is one of the page layouts being too busy at times. The original magazine layouts don't always work as well in a book, and sometimes the reader can get distracted from the flow of the article by oddly-placed caption text.
This book will be a must-have for avid Star Wars fans, and should also end up in most libraries. It is aimed at teens and adults, but older children who like the Star Wars movies will find it both readable and enjoyable.
--Nick Smith: Library Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.
