Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Plot & Excerpts
Although Star Wars (fine, 'A New Hope') is my favourite movie in the series, I understand that The Empire Strikes Back is, critically speaking, the best of the trilogy. So, I was curious to see how it would turn out in print.Donald F. Glut's writing is somewhat less melodramatic than Alan Dean Foster's. It's not perfect, but then again, excessively erudite writing is neither expected nor necessary in a book with lightsabers and a floating city. I heartily disagree, though, with Glut's assertion that Vader quakes in fear of the Emperor. It is unlikely that Darth Vader is "afraid" of anything. The very thought! Plus, the depiction of the Battle of Hoth is dry and stretches on longer than needed. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Glut manages to keep the Luke-Vader duel gripping - "Again Luke attacked. Once again their energy blades clashed. And then they stood, staring at one another for an endless moment through their crossed lightsabers." Say what you will, but those lines captured the drama of the fight for me.It's also a relief to read of the Force, of the Jedi as a spiritual concept again rather than some sort of fungal infection (I'm looking at you, midi-chlorians). "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter." Quotable as ever, Master Yoda. I was hoping the novel would resolve some of the discrepancies in Luke's training (he seems to train for about the same amount of time that Han and company take to be swallowed by a space slug, escape, land in Bespin and get frozen in carbonite which, all said and done, isn't a very long time). It is implied that Luke is longer on Dagobah than apparent but the times still don't add up.Still, his training is an interesting take on the Hero's Journey and reminds me why Luke Skywalker is my favourite character in the series - he grows from a farmboy to a Jedi knight and along the way he feels hopelessness and anger and insecurity and he learns to overcome them. In the first novel, I could perfectly understand Luke's desire to be something more and the insecurity and despair he feels at being unfulfilled. But this is Star Wars, this is a world where "Wormie" can become "Commander Skywalker" - that's what's so great about it (I couldn't help feeling strangely proud every time I read those two words - "Commander Skywalker" - God, I'm such a sap for Luke). In ESB, he moves forward to a more spiritual growth. The boy who once fainted at the sight of a Tusken Raider takes on the most feared man/ mass murdering cyborg in the galaxy and he doesn't do it because it's in his genes or because it has been foretold, he does it because it's the only way to grow.Of course, the best thing about Star Wars is that it has all these spiritual elements, this space opera take on the monomyth but it still doesn't ignore the vicarious thrill of a good adventure. I can over-analyze Luke's Jedi training but I can also appreciate Star Destroyers colliding. And I might be a sap for Luke, but that doesn't mean that Han is anything but one of the most memorable characters ever. Han's awesomeness reaches epic proportions in ESB but you also have Leia and Lando (gotta love the cape!) and Chewie who can rip off droid arms as well as he can reconstruct them. On a side note, I realised that I started reading the first book on the release date of the first movie. See? If that doesn't prove that The Force wants me to read these books, I honestly don't know what does. On to RotJ!
"Adventure, excitement...A Jedi craves not these things"Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia are on Hoth with the main Rebel base. But Vader's singular goal is to find Luke Skywalker. When the Imperials find the Rebel base on Hoth, the Rebels must flee the Empire. But the Falcon is damaged...and Luke has been called to train under the mysterious Jedi Master, Yoda.NOTE: Based on novel and audiobook.I Liked:I really liked Glut's writing style. It's nice and clean, easy on the ears. Also, Glut does a great job describing the scenes we see in the movie and generally translating the movie script into book form. I wasn't confused at what he was talking about (of course, partly that is because I knew the movie...).The characters are nicely done. Luke feels like the young, eager, beginning Jedi; Han is a perfect rogue; Leia is a really strong character (I really appreciate this, as women in science fiction get bad rap for being a sex object and not much else).Glut also gives an idea of how much time transpires in The Empire Strikes Back. Luke's training takes quite some time and endures much more training than is seen in the movie.I Didn't Like:I complained about A New Hope for being a dressed up version of the movie. Well, this novel is even worse. Other than changing Yoda's color from green to blue, having Hobbie crash into General Veers' AT-AT, and giving a more specific timeline for Luke's training and Han and Leia's travails in the Falcon, there is no difference from the movie, no deleted scenes, nothing notable or outstanding. There is little new insight into the characters, little more than you could already glean from watching the movie. This may not seem a bad thing, but most people go into a novelization trying to learn more about the characters and behind the scenes. If the book is basically a written version of the movie, why not just watch the movie? Why not watch Harrison Ford charming Carrie Fisher's Leia, or see the Yoda puppet cackle, or watch Billy Dee Williams as the charismatic gambler/Judas?Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:Han tells another Rebel "I'll see you in h***".Han and Leia exchange an intimate kiss.Darth Vader Force chokes Admiral Ozzel. A Rebel pilot crashes into an AT-AT.Overall:This isn't a bad book, but I have a hard time recommending it. It pretty much is the movie in book form; most people would get more enjoyment from watching the movie than reading about it. I think all Star Wars fans should read once, but other than that, it is skippable.
What do You think about Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)?
Very well written novelization. It was a bit over-simplified in some places, but it's good for young readers. The story was incredible. I love how Luke, a young, energetic, ambitious young man is ready to take on the Dark Lord, one of the most powerful Dark Forces alive. He is also full of pride, lacks patience, and is lacking in character. The climax is the confrontation with Vader, and I'm assuming everyone has seen the movie. If you haven't seen it, I'm about to give you a BIG spoiler. When Vader tells Luke he is his father, he is pulling a powerful weapon out of nowhere. Luke gives up. He's unprepared. It's a story of Luke's defeat, and there's nothing that builds character better than defeat and failure. It is a point of growth, and when he barely survives, it puts him in a place to truly prepare. In the next book, he has grown-up. He learned and grew from his failure. He was humbled by it and grew stronger. Great story!
—Brian
It was interesting finally reading this book. It was much closer to the movie than the first novel, so it was difficult to find too many differences. Some stand out, though: Yoda is a swift-moving blue creature in the book, was one notable difference; Leia and Han's farewell was also different - instead of the iconic "I know," we have a different exchange, not nearly as memorable. A few of Lando's lines are different as well, but not too many different scenes exist - on the whole it is, as I said, interesting, but not terribly impressive. I'm not sure why a book was made, beyond the usual pecuniary reasons, I suppose. But still, it is classic Star Wars, at a time when the Expanded Universe could fit on one very small shelf, and thus it is worth reading for that reason. The uncertainty of the characters and their destinies are there, and much more "authentic" than in Splinter of the Mind's Eye . The characterization of Darth Vader is still slightly discrepant, so his comments and motivation for finding Luke are different and intriguing. I still say it would make more sense to say TESB occurs 6 months after ANH, and RotJ takes place 3 years later, unlike what is "officially" recognized. It still doesn't make sense why 1) Han would wait 3 years to settle his debts with Jabba, 2) Ben would wait 3 years to tell Luke to seek out more Jedi training, 3) Darth Vader would take so long to track down Luke, as experienced as he is in the Force, and 4) the Rebels are only just now setting up shop on Hoth (where have they been in the meantime, why did they need to leave?) at the beginning of the book. If it were only 6 months between the destruction of the Death Star and this, all of that would make a bit more sense. And it would be more conceivable how Luke could become so much stronger in the Force in a few years between Empire and Return, how they could start to infiltrate Jabba's palace, and how they could get so far on the Death Star without any mention of it in Empire. But that's just me. It wasn't a great book, but it was nice to go back to that time in the Star Wars Universe. Things were so much simpler then.
—Christopher Rush
More what I had hoped for with the 1st book (a New Hope). Though, I wish they would go back and fix things like Yoda's skin color (not blue, but green) and some of the most famous lines in the movie (especially the "I love you" "I know")Overall, nice to read and help with the movie I know by heart. Puts more time between the scenes, which felt like everything happened in a day or so in the movie. And helps see the progression of the love between Leia & Han, too.Star Wars fan? Worth the read - and it was a pretty fast read.
—Gretchen Fatouros
