Review: Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars

Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars by Edward Gross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided with an e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I think "complete" might be the most apt word in that long book title. That's certainly not a bad thing, but it lead to a very long read. The writing was rather dry as well, with the main narrative from the authors being little bridge paragraphs to connect the quotes from directors, authors, actors, writers, critics, and production crews.

That said, there were fascinating bits throughout this book. The insights from Lucas and the primary players (on camera as well as behind the scenes) were invaluable. This is a great tribute to the body of work that is Star Wars, covering the phenomenon from its earliest draft beginnings to the present day Disney Plus productions. No stone was left unturned.

I can just think of two things I would have liked to seen. One, it would have been great to get George Lucas's comments about the sequels, though I suspect that to be something he's quite tight-lipped about. Two, it would have been nice if the authors left their personal political beliefs out of the narrative. It only happened a couple of times, but it was jarring, especially when they contributed such a small amount of personal insight to the book as a whole.

Overall, this was worth the time for a Star Wars buff, though I probably wouldn't recommend it to the casual fan. It was easy to skim over the parts that weren't as interesting and then slow down and soak up the good stuff.

View all my reviews

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Things Get Ugly: The Best Crime Fiction of Joe R. Lansdale

Image
Things Get Ugly: The Best Crime Fiction of Joe R. Lansdale by Joe R. Lansdale My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley... Joe R. Lansdale knows how to craft a story, with an instinctive grasp of character development. His language is such that he connects with readers and makes the task of reading an enjoyable escape. While all of the stories in this book fall into the "crime" category, this is a very loose grouping. There is such a mixed bag of offerings here, from the noir to the really freaking weird. As with most collections, some stories hit with me better than others, but there really aren't any duds here. View all my reviews
Read more

Review: Bookshops & Bonedust

Image
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received an audio ARC and ebook ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. This was an entertaining followup to the breakout novel, Legends & Lattes . While not as solid a story as that told in the first book, this prequel adds quite a bit of backstory to the main character of both novels, Viv. Although as a prequel this novel is set some years before the first published book, I would recommend reading Legends & Lattes first. It serves as a better introduction to the characters and settings. Also, this book has an epilogue that is set after the events of both books. On a final note, Travis Baldree does the audio reading of this book himself, and he is excellent at capturing the characters and keeping the story moving.... View all my reviews
Read more

Review: Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey

Image
Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey by Robert Mack McCormick My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. I didn't know what to expect here, thinking it would be interesting to read a biography of blues legend Robert Johnson. This was more than that, though. Less too, but mostly more... No, this was more of a memoir of the biographer of Robert Johnson, in his quest to track down and speak with people that knew Robert Johnson. Mack McCormick had an interesting journey himself, and it was the mystery of Johnson's barely documented past that made this so intriguing.. Memoir, biography, mystery, and cultural study. All of that and more... View all my reviews
Read more