Star Wars: Lost Stars Paperback – August 1, 2017

After being very disappointed with the choppy mess that was Chuck Wendig's "Aftermath", I decided to give "Lost Stars" a read in hopes of filling the void left by the death of the old Expanded Universe. As many other reviews on Amazon will tell you, don't let the "young adult" category turn you away. While the novel contains many young adult themes (college, romance, etc.), it wasn't overpowering to the degree that you felt like you were no longer in the Star Wars universe. On the contrary, the book is written well enough that the story is far greater than the sum of its parts. What results is a character-driven storyline carefully woven into the backdrop of Episodes IV, V, and VI that actually has a natural-flowing progression.The primary draw to this novel is that it humanizes and portrays the primary Imperial characters as generally good people, not the bumbling idiots and evil caricatures as they are typically depicted in the films and pop culture. This is the story of how ordinary people signed up with the Empire's military in its early pre-Alderaan days and how things eventually fell apart. The novel does a wonderful job of portraying a variety of reactions by our Imperial characters to their increasingly oppressive leadership. Some are repulsed and some make excuses. All of the different reactions help develop the characters into people the audience can honestly identify with and care about. After all, in a galaxy as large as Star Wars, it makes logical sense to say that there were plenty of good, honest people in the Empire at its inception and to hear those stories told is very refreshing. Although some of the older Expanded Universe novels also humanized Imperial forces, this book was a more direct take on that topic and it really worked. For example, at early points in the novel, one finds themselves really hating the Rebel Alliance and believing the Death Star was the only key to galactic peace.Throughout the book, which spans the original trilogy, there are clever nods to memorable movie moments but none are forced. Some authors have a tendency to want to needlessly name-drop movie references and beat a dead horse with movie tie-ins, but Claudia Gray really doesn't do that in this book. I noticed there were several movie moments in which the main characters could have appeared "in the background", but the author wisely chose not to extend her characters' interactions that far. The end result is a really interesting new perspective on the same classic Star Wars plots we've all grown to know and love.My only complaint would be the last part of the book, whose plot points felt sort of rushed. Without revealing too much plot, the audience catches a small glimpse of the Battle of Jakku, which takes place a little over a year after the end of Return of the Jedi. Due to ultra-secrecy pressed by Disney relating to the forthcoming films (which prominently feature the remnants of the battle), I got the impression the author was probably given limited clearance on how to describe the Battle of Jakku and its buildup/fallout and just did the best she could. Of course, there is a good shot it will all be detailed in another future novel, anyway.Notwithstanding the somewhat-rushed feeling of the later stages of the plot, I would give "Lost Stars" a very high rating. It was a refreshing, different look at the same universe we've grown to know and as an old school fan of the Expanded Universe, I truly appreciated it. Give it a read!

"Two households, both alike in dignity,"Star Wars: Lost Stars is pretty much Romeo and Juliet in space...and that is a verygood thing. Our dashing hero and heroine, Ciena and Thane (really, though? Thane? ...sounds like he just stepped outta Twilight with that name...) hail from similar households on the same planet, and they both have similar dreams and skills, and the setup is cute - not the kinda cute that it makes it stupid, but the kinda cute that makes the readers invested in the two main characters, their growth, and most importantly their friendship."In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,"Actually, it’s on Jelucan, a typical Star Wars planet with some peace-loving traditional folk, and some more modernized slightly snobby folk. But it’s set up well, and the changes that take place to the planet itself are just as tragic and heartbreaking as what happens to Ciena and Thane (Thane...perhaps he just stepped out of someone’s D&D session...?). Oh, should I tag this with a spoiler alert? ...it is Romeo and Juliet (in space), after all..."From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,"Actually, the grudge isn’t that ancient because at the beginning of the book the Empire is just starting out. I really appreciated how Gray shows the Empire trying to be good, and running its propaganda so that, in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, some galactic citizens were genuinely happy to be ruled by the Empire (until, inevitable, they were’t). It was a very refreshing perspective."Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."Brother fighting brother! Lover fighting lover! Oh, the humanity!!"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes"Actually, unlike Romeo and Juliet, after the “households” are established, they only show up again to move the plot along - but when they do show up to move the plot along, the readers are emotionally invested and so their few scenes work remarkably well."A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;"Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?)"Whose misadventured piteous overthrows"Star Wars: Lost Stars does a marvelous job of using the events of the original trilogy to anchor the plot, but it never becomes a gimmick or a crutch. There are more than enough scenes and locations that don’t appear in the original trilogy so you never feel like Gray couldn’t come up with her own ideas (that is certainly not the case in this book)."Do with their death bury their parents' strife."Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?)"The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,"At the beginning of the novel I was afraid that the relationship would be a typical YA romance (read: shallow). It was not. Do understand, that this is still Star Wars, and it is still YA, but the struggles, joys, fears, and devastations of Ciena and Thane (...didn't Batman fight a Thane once or twice...? Oh, no that was Bane...) are very real."And the continuance of their parents' rage,"Well, more like the continual rage of Empire and Rebellion..."Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,"Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?) (How many times can I use this cop-out...?)"Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;"The plot of the book moves very quickly, and often months pass between chapters. As a result the relationship between Ciena and Thane (sigh) get time to grow naturally. It’s not, unlike the actual Romeo and Juliet, a relationship that is a thirty-six hour fling. In fact, the romance of Lost Stars is much more believable because it endures time, real growth, hardship, and the joys that follow."The which if you with patient ears attend,"Some might find the book a bit rushed, especially if you’re looking for super insights into what’s been going on in the Star Wars Universe since the destruction of the second Death Star. But you gotta understand, Star Wars: Lost Stars is a character study, a look at a wonderful relationship between two characters as they grow from kids to adults, a look at why some people found the Empire to be the savior of the galaxy, a look at why some people found the Rebellion to be misguided, and a look at how a Star Wars novel can work wonders when it’s focused on the normal people rather than always being focused on the lightsabers or X-Wings.Also, great ending. FYI."What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."Star Wars: Lost Stars easily romances itself right to the top of the Best Star Wars Novels of All Time list. Go read it, and give Claudia Gray your money so that Disney gets the hint and commissions more Star Wars novels like this one.Claudia Gray, this is wonderfully written, and beautiful book. Fantastic job.