In honour of the fortieth anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope, this collection features Star Wars stories by bestselling authors, trendsetting artists and treasured voices from Star Wars literary history. More than forty authors have lent their unique vision to forty “scenes”, each retelling a different moment from the original Star Wars film, but with a twist: Every scene is told from the point of view of a background character. Whether it’s the X-wing pilots who helped Luke destroy the Death Star or the stormtroopers who never quite could find the droids they were looking for, Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View places the classic movie in whole new perspective, and celebrates the influence and legacy of the unparalleled cultural phenomenon, Star Wars.
Writer: Lots!
Cover Artist: Will Staehle
Publisher: Century (UK)
Publication Type: Short stories in an anthology
Page Count: 496
ISBN: 9780345511478
Release Date: October 3rd 2017
As Star Wars fans we are currently finding ourselves in a very rare lull in literature so I found myself going back a year and finally picking up this anthology from just over a year ago. (Time flies)! Like many Star Wars fans, A New Hope was my first film from a Galaxy Far, Far Away, and as you all know, it is rooted in film history and much loved by millions around the world. With this anthology, the story group have enabled us to fall in love with it a little more as we explore those characters we see but don’t yet know…
Now you may ask what the point is, or how much do we really need to know? Valid questions perhaps, but now I know how kind-hearted Wuher, the cantina barman is and I also have a deeper understanding of what is was like for those on the ground at Yavin IV as X-Wings took on the Death Star. We hear them contemplating their death as they metaphorically fly in the hearts and minds of the pilots above.
This, this is why this anthology is so exciting, we gain an emotional depth that the film just can’t give us, (outside of Luke, Han and Leia) we are able to acknowledge and understand the effect of the Empire on those who just cannot fight back. There is a rare power in a book as it gives us so much more on something we already love so much.
I want to pick out three stories in particular that prove the above point, the first being Eclipse by Madeleine Roux.
Eclipse takes place on Alderaan as the Death Star comes in to view on the horizon, we are with Breha and Bail Organa as they are met with their destruction. As you can imagine, this story is heart rendering…but so beautifully written. Roux is able to show us the Organa’s acceptance of their death and their inner belief they have in their daughter. As they look on their stunning planet for the last time you get the sense that they’re without regret and full of hope of a liberated future We have only ever seen the destruction of Alderaan from the Death Star, never through the eyes of her inhabitants. It’s heartbreaking but also incredibly important.
The second story I want to highlight is Time of Death by Cavan Scott. Cavan is not new to Star Wars and has written some fun children books and comics. Here, he has the job to give us Obi-Wan’s thoughts as he meets his former apprentice, Darth Vader. Cavan does an incredible job as through the force we travel back to Obi-Wan’s time on Tatooine, back to the Death Star and even some premonitions towards Luke’s future. Why did I enjoy this one so much? Well I love Obi-Wan but it was also special to read his thoughts towards his former apprentice and again, his hopes towards the future. We all know how that lightsaber fight ends, what we didn’t know is how much hope Obi-Wan left in his heart as his cloak crumbled…
Not all the stories are as serious as the two I’ve already mentioned and that’s why I just have to mention Rae Carson’s The Red One. Did you know that the droid Luke nearly took from the Jawas is actually a hero of The Rebellion? Nope, either did I, but this kind-hearted droid gave up its freedom in order for R2-D2 to carry that all important message from Princess Leia. Rae writes the inner workings of a droid’s computer delightfully and by the end of it you completely understand its desire for the completion of R2’s mission.
These are just three stories, out of forty! This anthology is a joy, yes, there are inevitable stories that are not as good as the others and you could argue too much time is spent with the cantina characters but I don’t want to dissuade you from reading this really fun book. Every time I picked it up I was transported to one of my favourite ever stories and reminded on why Episode IV is called A New Hope.