Book Review: Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection

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Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection

Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection is a comprehensive visual guide exploring the iconic and legendary lightsabers found within the Star Wars galaxy, featuring fan-favorite hilts from the Skywalker saga, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, comics, novels, and video games.

• Own the definitive lightsaber guide. This book features the hilts of characters such as Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Kylo Ren, Rey, Ahsoka Tano, and more. Learn about the creation and history of lightsabers from all of Star Wars, including Darth Maul’s double-bladed saber and the Darksaber.

• Discover never before seen art and illustrations. Featuring photo-realistic renders of lightsabers from Star Wars animation and comics, including Ezra Bridger’s blaster-saber hybrid, the Grand Inquisitor’s spinning blades, and a new lightsaber from The High Republic, this book is a must-have for Star Wars fans.

Author: Daniel Wallace
Artists: Lukasz Liszko, Ryan Valle
Release Date: October 20, 2020
Length: 156 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683839781
ISBN-10: 1683839781

Forty years into our tour of the galaxy far, far away we’ve never had a guidebook to the most elegant of weapons that allow us such insight into their creation and application more attractively laid out than this, Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection. Giving us a look into their real-world origins, from sketches to rummaging around shops in the West End of London married to the iconic sound design work of Ben Burtt we not only work our way through this handbook of hilts but also learn why they are so unique to the Jedi and Sith that uses them. Their ultimate purpose may be the same across the board but as we learn, a lightsaber is as unique as a fingerprint.

The book is broken down into logical parts before we dive into the handbook section of the release. We look at the creation of the lightsaber, as Roger Christian famously found that Graflex handle from a 1940’s press camera, adding greeblies to not only create that iconic weapon but also put a smile on George Lucas’ face, contemplate the Jedi tradition, the wide variety of designs from the earliest rough-and-ready versions to the skillfully crafted, each an expression of its maker. We touch on the training required to properly wield one – noting how George Lucas said they must be worked as if they were heavy, the energy within them giving it some heft, more a broadsword than a foil – and lightsaber combat, as Nick Gillard took moves like a magpie from a variety of sources – tennis, woodcutting to name just two – and created a ‘game of chess played at a thousand miles an hour, and every single move is check’.

Moving into the book proper we start off with a look at the weapons of the ‘Jedi of the Galactic Republic’ alphabetically running through such familiar heroes as Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker, Sifo-Dyas who was recently featured in Dooku: Jedi Lost, Lord Corvax from Fallen Order and Stellan Gios from 2021’s The High Republic. Each entry gives not only info in-universe but also from the real world. For Corvas we look at how a 3D physical saber was crafted from the game, while it’s explained how Luke’s Return of the Jedi saber was shown being created in a cut scene from the film. Mixing the real world and the fictional works well, especially married to such lavish artwork and book design.

Stepping across to the dark side and ‘Acolytes of the Dark Side’ we’re not only introduced to a slew of Darths – Maul, Vader, Atrius from the Marvel Star Wars run – but also a variety of Inquisitors and their unique weapons, as well as the Darksaber which is on a journey of ownership that is clearly yet to end, as shown in the final scenes of The Mandalorian season one.

The sections end with ‘A New Jedi tradition’ which looks at Ben Solo, Cal Kestis from Fallen Order, Kanan Jarrus (the page of which was exclusively revealed here on Fantha Tracks), Ezra, Leia and Rey with her yellow bladed saber. It’s an evocative peek into the next era of the galaxy, one we will hopefully be embarking upon sometime in the not-to-distant future.

The artwork by Lukasz Liszko and Ryan Valle is exquisite, the real-style renditions of lightsabers previously only seen in comics, games and animation first-class while Dan Wallace is our guide through an area of the Star Wars galaxy, laying out the various elements and making what could have been a dry look the lightsaber a fascinating read.

The book ends with an index of the lightsabers stood next to each other, blades out which only highlights the individuality of these weapons and the history and lore behind their crafting. If Insight Editions are keen to follow up a book like this with ones focusing on blasters, starships and the like, then they could have found another winning formula.

Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection: Lightsabers from the Skywalker Saga, The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels and more (Star Wars gift, Lightsaber book)
  • Hardcover Book
  • Wallace, Daniel (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 156 Pages - 10/20/2020 (Publication Date) - Insight Editions (Publisher)
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
A fan of the saga since 1978, Mark began in fan fiction in 1982 and since then has written for Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine, StarTrek.com and Starburst as well as being a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host. He is the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection

Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection is a comprehensive visual guide exploring the iconic and legendary lightsabers found within the Star Wars galaxy, featuring fan-favorite hilts from the Skywalker saga, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, comics, novels, and video games.

• Own the definitive lightsaber guide. This book features the hilts of characters such as Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Kylo Ren, Rey, Ahsoka Tano, and more. Learn about the creation and history of lightsabers from all of Star Wars, including Darth Maul’s double-bladed saber and the Darksaber.

• Discover never before seen art and illustrations. Featuring photo-realistic renders of lightsabers from Star Wars animation and comics, including Ezra Bridger’s blaster-saber hybrid, the Grand Inquisitor’s spinning blades, and a new lightsaber from The High Republic, this book is a must-have for Star Wars fans.

Author: Daniel Wallace
Artists: Lukasz Liszko, Ryan Valle
Release Date: October 20, 2020
Length: 156 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683839781
ISBN-10: 1683839781

Forty years into our tour of the galaxy far, far away we’ve never had a guidebook to the most elegant of weapons that allow us such insight into their creation and application more attractively laid out than this, Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection. Giving us a look into their real-world origins, from sketches to rummaging around shops in the West End of London married to the iconic sound design work of Ben Burtt we not only work our way through this handbook of hilts but also learn why they are so unique to the Jedi and Sith that uses them. Their ultimate purpose may be the same across the board but as we learn, a lightsaber is as unique as a fingerprint.

The book is broken down into logical parts before we dive into the handbook section of the release. We look at the creation of the lightsaber, as Roger Christian famously found that Graflex handle from a 1940’s press camera, adding greeblies to not only create that iconic weapon but also put a smile on George Lucas’ face, contemplate the Jedi tradition, the wide variety of designs from the earliest rough-and-ready versions to the skillfully crafted, each an expression of its maker. We touch on the training required to properly wield one – noting how George Lucas said they must be worked as if they were heavy, the energy within them giving it some heft, more a broadsword than a foil – and lightsaber combat, as Nick Gillard took moves like a magpie from a variety of sources – tennis, woodcutting to name just two – and created a ‘game of chess played at a thousand miles an hour, and every single move is check’.

Moving into the book proper we start off with a look at the weapons of the ‘Jedi of the Galactic Republic’ alphabetically running through such familiar heroes as Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker, Sifo-Dyas who was recently featured in Dooku: Jedi Lost, Lord Corvax from Fallen Order and Stellan Gios from 2021’s The High Republic. Each entry gives not only info in-universe but also from the real world. For Corvas we look at how a 3D physical saber was crafted from the game, while it’s explained how Luke’s Return of the Jedi saber was shown being created in a cut scene from the film. Mixing the real world and the fictional works well, especially married to such lavish artwork and book design.

Stepping across to the dark side and ‘Acolytes of the Dark Side’ we’re not only introduced to a slew of Darths – Maul, Vader, Atrius from the Marvel Star Wars run – but also a variety of Inquisitors and their unique weapons, as well as the Darksaber which is on a journey of ownership that is clearly yet to end, as shown in the final scenes of The Mandalorian season one.

The sections end with ‘A New Jedi tradition’ which looks at Ben Solo, Cal Kestis from Fallen Order, Kanan Jarrus (the page of which was exclusively revealed here on Fantha Tracks), Ezra, Leia and Rey with her yellow bladed saber. It’s an evocative peek into the next era of the galaxy, one we will hopefully be embarking upon sometime in the not-to-distant future.

The artwork by Lukasz Liszko and Ryan Valle is exquisite, the real-style renditions of lightsabers previously only seen in comics, games and animation first-class while Dan Wallace is our guide through an area of the Star Wars galaxy, laying out the various elements and making what could have been a dry look the lightsaber a fascinating read.

The book ends with an index of the lightsabers stood next to each other, blades out which only highlights the individuality of these weapons and the history and lore behind their crafting. If Insight Editions are keen to follow up a book like this with ones focusing on blasters, starships and the like, then they could have found another winning formula.

Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection: Lightsabers from the Skywalker Saga, The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels and more (Star Wars gift, Lightsaber book)
  • Hardcover Book
  • Wallace, Daniel (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 156 Pages - 10/20/2020 (Publication Date) - Insight Editions (Publisher)
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
A fan of the saga since 1978, Mark began in fan fiction in 1982 and since then has written for Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine, StarTrek.com and Starburst as well as being a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host. He is the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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