Written by Ryder Windham / Based on the Story & Screenplay by George Lucas
SUMMARY:
Published by Scholastic Books in 2004, this 205-page paperback adaptation is a junior film novelization of the 1997 remastered edition of George Lucas’ first Star Wars epic (including Han Solo’s encounter with Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett). Sporting sixteen pages of film stills, author Ryder Windham updates A New Hope’s original novelizationfor a contemporary pre-teen audience. From the faraway desert world of Tatooine, young Luke Skywalker inadvertently becomes involved in a desperate rescue mission to save Princess Leia from captivity aboard the Galactic Empire’s new super-weapon: the Death Star. Along with his new friends Han Solo, Chewbacca, C3PO, R2-D2, and the legendary Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke may be the overmatched Rebel Alliance’s unlikely savior of escaping imminent destruction by Darth Vader’s evil forces.
REVIEW:
Aside from author Ryder Windham’s middling style (i.e. an infrequent use of adverbs that could better describe a character’s manner of speaking), this adaptation still makes a good read. To his credit, Windham’s narrative flows better than the 1977 novelization ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster for George Lucas. Still, it’s a fair guess that Windham wrote his text presuming that readers have already seen the movie multiple times. Hence, his reference to the dubious scent of “fried Rodian” (after Greedo’s cantina shoot-out with Han Solo) as appetizing to some fellow aliens doesn’t seem as out-of-place for this book’s intended kiddie audience.
Windham’s fast-paced effort spells out scenes effectively, though bolstering tidbits of character depth isn’t a priority. As such, his subsequent retreads of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are better reads, in part because their more complex storylines require the primary characters to evolve. Even if Windham doesn’t incorporate much zip describing Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, this undemanding version of Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope should still make a welcome treat for pre-teens.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
With brief one-line descriptions, the sixteen pages of photos are a major plus!
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
