Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Price: $19.95
Creator: Tim Leong
Format: 176 pgs., Full-Color, 7-1/4" x 9-1/4", Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4521-6120-4
Age Rating: All Ages
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
Tim Leong’s first book of this type was based on comic books, a startling and award-winning piece of graphic art. Leong is the Creative Director for Entertainment Weekly, so he knows a lot about visually striking designs.
In this case, what he has done is create an array of graphs, charts and visualizations of various mathematical and analytical data presentations, and tie them to concepts within the Star Wars stories. Yes, that’s a little weird, but each page is visually striking. Some of the pages are legitimate comparisons of plot points, gadgets, proportions and numbers within the stories, others look like they’re just made up as sight gags. The overall impact, though, is solid. The only weakness is that the visual gags, in particular, may not hold up well over time. And if the reader could be sure which pieces of information were real and which ones were sight gags, the book would be stronger. For instance, is the reader supposed to know that Leong counted precisely who destroyed each droid in the Clone Wars? I’m OK with the facts or visual gags, but not knowing which was which is frustrating.
Still, things like the chart of the color and image palettes used for the costumes of good guys vs. bad guys, or a chart of the relative sizes of the Death Star and the Starkiller Base, are fun either way.
Also, putting the concept of data visualization into this kind of context might actually cause some fans to get a better handle on the ideas involved. Star Wars as a math and statistics teaching aid…
This is the kind of book that every geek who is also a Star Wars fan will probably receive as a gift, but it won’t be for everyone. People who are not big on imagery or data analysis won’t find it as appealing. Tell them to just look at the pretty images, and they might buy it anyway.
{This review edited based on additional info provided by the publisher, July 16, 2017, ed.]
--Nick Smith: Library Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.
