My Review of The Force Awakens Novelization by Alan Dean Foster
I went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens a total of three times after it released, and as a long-time Star Wars fan, I have to say it was one of the best movie experiences I’ve had. I don’t read novelizations of movies a lot, but like many fans, I thought The Force Awakens Novelization was worth checking out.
Alan Dean Foster, a veteran science fiction author and the ghostwriter of the novelization of the original Star Wars film (later re-titled A New Hope), penned the novelization of The Force Awakens, and there are several reasons why the novelization is a great book to have on its own.
The novelization is the same story. If you’ve seen the film before reading the book, you’re going to be re-seeing the film in your head as you read. But the novelization gives us the opportunity to dive deeper into some of the characters from the film. Things like what Finn is thinking when he talks to Rey for the first time. Sure, we know what he’s thinking by how he acts in the film and what he says, but the novelization is a fun journey into the inner lives of these characters.
Much of the dialogue is expanded and elaborated upon. At times, this felt a little clunky, but I suspect it’s just because I was hearing how it was said in the movie as I was reading. At other times, the dialogue in the novelization felt like it provided more clarity than in the movie.
There are also some additional scenes that give us some more insight into the story. For example, the novel begins with a contemplation about Leia Organa as she considers why the Resistance won’t send her to find Luke Skywalker.
Overall, The Force Awakens Novelization was a fun journey back through the story that I grew to love more and more each time I saw it in theaters. Alan Dean Foster is clearly a talented science fiction writer who keenly understands the Star Wars story and how to communicate it through narrative. With photos from the film and a hard cover, The Force Awakens Novelization is a great adaptation of the story for any Star Wars fan.
Review copy provided by Del Rey/Lucasfilm Books
Originally published at whisperproject.net on January 22, 2016.
Tom Farr is a writer, teacher, and storyteller who believes in crafting lies to tell the truth. When he’s not enjoying the good life with his beautiful wife Lindsey and their three much-adored children, he’s striving to create stories that thrill and inspire and preparing for the day Disney calls him to write a Star Wars movie. He’s also a contributing editor for Made Up Words. His work has also appeared on Panel & Frame, Wordhaus, Curiosity Never Killed the Writer, and The Unsplash Book. Check out his fiction writing portfolio on Medium and sign up for his author newsletter.
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