Inside the Worlds of Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace: The Complete Guide to the Incredible Locations Review

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(More customer reviews)Have the ultimate experience of The Phantom Menace by extending your understanding with this book.
This book is an excellent expansion of the basic story line of Episode I. Based on reading it, you will have much more appreciation for that movie and the later ones in the series.
The book contains star charts to show you where key planets are located (like Naboo, Tatooine, Coruscant, Alderaan, Corellia), which makes many of the plots much easier to understand.
Beyond that benefit, you get detailed maps of each of the planets where action occurs in Episode I. This allows you to see how the various story lines relate to each other spatially. For example, you can see how the Gungan capital of Otoh Gunda relates to the Naboo capital of Theed. In the case of Naboo, this is supplemented with a geological cutaway of the planet to show you how the two capitals are connected by the ocean.
Next, each city is also mapped. So you see the details of Otoh Gunda, Theed, Mos Espa on Tatooine, and the central area of Coruscant. Then specific buildings and space ships are also shown in cutaways. These include the Droid control ship, Watto's junkshop, Anakin's hovel, the Jedi Temple, the Imperial Senate, and the arena for pod races on Tatooine.
Action sequences are then detailed so that you can see where and when each step takes place. This is done for the duel with Darth Maul and Jedi Qui-Gon Jiun and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Theed palace generator. You also get the battle between the droids and the Gungans. But the best is the full map of the pod race course, with annotations for where each major part of the race's events occurred.
All of these maps are enlivened by detailed notes on the geology, technology, and history of the places displayed. There are many references to Senator Palpatine and the sources of power on Naboo that will be of interest. I thought the expanded information about the Gungan city was especially well done.
The illustrations are new in many cases, which also adds to the reader's pleasure.
My only complaint is that there are several pages with no new information and no interesting detail. An editor should have taken this out or substituted better content. The only argument in their favor is that they help remind you of the story's continuity.
This must have been a lot of fun to create. My suggestion is that you take another story you like and make a similar series of maps and notes. If you have children or grandchildren, this could be a fun project to do together. You might consider Alice in Wonderland as a first subject. Or if you have a friend who loves Star Wars, you could expand on Episode I or any of the other stories in the same way.
May the Force be with you . . . always!

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Droid to the Rescue: Star Wars Junior Review

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(More customer reviews)In "Droid to the Rescue," R2-D2 is the protagonist. Essentially the book follows "The Phantom Menace" from the astromech droid's perspective. Thus the story begins when R2-D2 repairs the shields on Queen Amidala's starship and ends with the destruction of the droid control ship. Jesus Redondo's illustrations are adequate and Gail Herman's third grade text is choppy and mechanical. While some Episode I picture books came with bonus stickers, this one features interactive stickers. Throughout the book, there are activity bubbles that direct the reader to attach the accompanying stickers and complete the story. With the stickers, "Droid to the Rescue" promises to be an exciting and interactive read.
"Droid to the Rescue" is in the "Star Wars Junior" series also subtitled as "My First Star Wars Adventures." These books are very rare and most likely were only available through Scholastic book fairs or classroom orders. Finding this book is one thing, but finding one with accompanying yet unattached stickers may be difficult at best. Without any stickers, certain pages will have annoying white ovals. To add to the rarity, the reader is directed to actually draw on a page. It's easy to see how a copy without stickers or with markings would be less valuable. Currently, none of Amazon's marketplace sellers indicate the sticker or drawing status status, so buyers beware.


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Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Junior Novelization) Review

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This was a really good summation of the movie, with enough of a look into some of the characters' thoughts to make it enjoyable. Patricia C. Wrede is a great fantasy writer (I adore her novel 'Snow White and Rose Red'), so this doesn't surprise me. She has a great feel for writing beautiful prose that is engaging for children and adults alike.
Obviously Wrede had read, or at least heard about the concept of, the two Jedi Apprentice novels, since she refers to them on pages 4 and 5 of the book. At the beginning Qui-Gon is thinking about Obi-Wan, and how they complement each other, and wondering if that was what Yoda foresaw when he "brought Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan together as Master and Padawan apprentice." (4) We also get this line from Qui-Gon's thoughts: "Obi-Wan Kenobi had great skill, no question of that, but sometimes he was so...intense." (4)
It was the insight into the thoughts of the characters that really sold me on this novel, especially the thoughts of Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Amidala and Anakin. We read of Qui-Gon groaning inwardly at Obi-Wan's "battle humor", and resigning himself to it, remarking that at least Obi-Wan showed evidence of *some* sense of humor, however dark. We discover that Qui-Gon is most disturbed by the power that the handmaiden Padme seems to have over the Queen, and he is rather curt with the individual he views as the "Queen's favorite." We learn of the despair Anakin felt when he realized he has lost everyone who ever meant anything to him.
There's a strange dialog between Padme and Anakin in this book that we don't see in the movie. When he first meets Padme in Watto's junk shop, right after he tells Jar Jar to "Hit the nose!" of the droid, he turns to Padme and calmly states that when he grows up he's going to marry her! Padme is stunned, yet feels a cold chill go through her at the boy's certainty of this.
Shiver!
We learn that after their disagreement over Anakin and the Council upon leaving Corscant, there was a coldness between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on the journey to Naboo. When he walks up to Qui-Gon in the swamps of Naboo to apologize, Obi-Wan is upset that he and Qui-Gon are about to go into battle with a rift between them. He spent most of his time on the journey to Naboo in the cockpit with Ric Olie and Anakin, and recognizes the boy's talents. He's still wary of Anakin, but sees his master's position. Obi-Wan was angry in the Council Chambers when Qui-Gon announced he wanted to take Anakin as his Padawan. He felt like Qui-Gon was chosing Anakin over him - like an only child becoming jealous of a new baby in the house.
Perhaps the most poignant new information from the novel is that when he is standing behind the force field watching Qui-Gon and Darth Maul fight, Obi-Wan is overcome by the sensation that everything is wrong as a cold chill runs through him. He seems to see the black figure wearing a black helmet, and knows that *he* should be the one fighting him, not Qui-Gon. He tries to shake off the feeling as he watches the battle.
All in all, this novel faithfully relayed the story, and made it more accessable to children, certainly. I found some good insights in it as well. I'd recommend this as a quick reference for the movie. It's not as detailed in dialog as the screenplay, but it certainly tells the story faithfully as a coherent whole, which I don't think you get with the screenplay (Or with the Terry Brooks adult novelization, for that matter).


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Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones (Junior Novelization) Review

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(More customer reviews)Patricia Wrede may even have outdone her previous jaunt into the Star Wars universe, the junior novelization for "Phantom Menace." Her novelization for "Attack of the Clones" is exciting, romantic, funny, dramatic, and everything we expect from Star Wars. Doubtlessly the movie will be equally good, if not better.
"Attack" takes place ten years after "Phantom Menace." The cocky little boy Anakin Skywalker is now a young man (still cocky), and apprenticed to Obi-Wan Kenobi. When an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padme Amidala, the Jedi Knights are called in to protect her and find out who was responsible. The knights assigned are Obi-Wan and Anakin, who have not seen Amidala for ten years. Anakin, against his Jedi training, falls in love with the beautiful young woman.
All of this takes place as a group of separatists, led by a former Jedi, are gathering more planets to themselves, and the Republic is threatened by a civil war that even the Jedi can't deal with. As Anakin struggles with grief, love, and personal division, he will take the first steps toward his destiny.
I definitely recommend this novelization over the adult one. Wrede is a better writer, with a spare but evocative style that never gets overcomplicated. Action scenes and emotional scenes are done with equal detail and a manner that never grows confusing. If the climactic battle in the movie is as good as it is in this book, it'll be great.
Wrede outdoes herself with atmosphere: the scenes with Anakin and Amidala fairly crackle with romantic tension, while there is a sad poignancy to many of the scenes with Obi-Wan and Anakin are in. (Perhaps the only letdowns are death scenes, which seem rather rushed) Anakin himself is one of the characters that Wrede writes best; she lets us see a great deal of his emotion, his anger, his pain, his grief, his love, and his desperation not to let down his master while being unable to fully stick to what is necessary in a Jedi. We are also shown Obi-Wan's uncertainty, Yoda's sense of humor, and the consequences when a powerful, rebellious Jedi leaves the order.
There is some excellent writing here from the screenplay, ranging from humor (the scene where Anakin "daredevils" over Coruscant) to poignant (Anakin's avowal that Obi-Wan is like a father to him) to parallels from the second trilogy (the bar fight, and a certain injury sustained near the end). Yes, Jar Jar Binks is here, but not for very long; fans of Boba Fett may also enjoy seeing his background, and the origins of certain stupid white-armored troopers.
The worst part of it is the end, and the knowledge that we'll have to wait a few more years for the next part. Read this book, then go watch the movie. I don't think either will disappoint you.

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Anakin Skywalker is now age eighteen and facing temptations of love, violence, betrayal, honor, and above all, the dark side of the Force.

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