Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)At first glance Shimmering Sword may seem like a book that simply analyzes swordplay and its relation to the Star Wars universe. Reading the book reveals so much more. The book teaches the reader a great deal about the history and nature of sword fighting, from its roots in the creation of hunting weapons, to its advancement through the middle ages as the primary weapon of the soldier and finally to its symbolic representation as a symbol still worn by soldiers today.
Shimmering Sword explains a great deal about the nature of the sword and the culture that surrounds it. Jamilla, who has studied fencing and kendo for some twenty years combines this passion and knowledge of swordsmanship with his abilities as a teacher to dive deep into an explanation of how swords have shaped our world and culture as well as that of a galaxy far, far away.
This book does not romanticize the violent history and nature of the sword. Complete in this text are gruesome explanations of why swords developed the way they have and how they are used in battle to maim and kill one's enemies effectively.
This book works excellently on two levels: For someone looking to learn of the history of the sword, it is an excellent starting point and wonderfully informative. For the fan of Star Wars, this book will help the reader to understand the history and nature of the Jedi. How Jamilla accomplishes this explanation of the Jedi is through his historical examples of various orders of knighthood, the samurai and the warrior monks of China and Japan. The Jedi order, as Jamilla shows us, is an intricate blend of these groups or historical warriors and swordsmen.
The book also delves into the Master/Apprentice relationship and development. As a student in Japan, Jamilla has an amazing history as an apprentice in kendo, learning from a master of the art. As a teacher of fencing himself, Jamilla can also lend an interesting perspective on that aspect of the relationship.
In closing, the book takes a critical examination of the lightsaber duels in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and finally The Phantom Menace. This is, perhaps, the most accurate and well thought out observation of the movies' sword battles. Anyone who calls oneself a fan of Star Wars should consider reading this book for this chapter alone.
To anyone who makes a habit of reading critical analysis of the Star Wars films, this is a must read. Often books on this subject tend to build strongly on the opinions and ideas of others. This book takes a truly unique approach to a very specific portion of the films and explores it fully. It is a truly original and thoughtful work, much like the movies that inspired it.
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