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    The Force Awakens (Star Wars)
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    The Force Awakens (Star Wars)
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    The Force Awakens (Star Wars)
    Ebook409 pages5 hours

    The Force Awakens (Star Wars)

    By Alan Dean Foster

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The official novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the blockbuster film directed by J. J. Abrams • Includes two tie-in short stories: “The Perfect Weapon” by Delilah S. Dawson and “Bait” by Alan Dean Foster
     
    More than thirty years ago, Star Wars burst onto the big screen and became a cultural phenomenon. Now the next adventures in this blockbuster saga are poised to captivate old and new fans alike—beginning with the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And alongside the cinematic debut comes the thrilling novel adaptation by New York Times bestselling science fiction master Alan Dean Foster.
     
    Set years after Return of the Jedi, this stunning new action-packed adventure rockets us back into the world of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker, while introducing a host of exciting new characters. Darth Vader may have been redeemed and the Emperor vanquished, but peace can be fleeting, and evil does not easily relent. Yet the simple belief in good can still empower ordinary individuals to rise and meet the greatest challenges.
     
    So return to that galaxy far, far away, and prepare yourself for what happens when the Force awakens. . . .

    Praise for Star Wars: The Force Awakens
     
    “Like all the best novelizations, Alan Dean Foster’s adaptation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens enriches the movie experience. The novel goes beyond simply giving us insight into the characters’ thoughts, with plenty of additional scenes painting a broader picture of the galaxy.”—New York Daily News
     
    “Fast-moving, atmospheric and raises goose-bumps at just the right moments. [Foster] not only evokes entire onscreen worlds . . . he also gives us glimpses of an even more vast, unseen universe.”—The Washington Post
     
    “Was my experience of the film enriched by the book? Yes. No question. Is the novelization worth reading? Yes. . . . Foster has written a book that captures the spirit of the film, while presenting additional information that helps answer some of the questions that linger.”—Coffee with Kenobi
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateDec 18, 2015
    ISBN9781101965504
    Unavailable
    The Force Awakens (Star Wars)
    Author

    Alan Dean Foster

    Alan Dean Foster’s work to date includes excursions into hard science fiction, fantasy, horror, detective, western, historical, and contemporary fiction. He has also written numerous nonfiction articles on film, science, and scuba diving and produced the novel versions of many films, including such well-known productions as Star Wars, the first three Alien films, Alien Nation, and The Chronicles of Riddick. Other works include scripts for talking records, radio, computer games, and the story for the first Star Trek movie. His novel Shadowkeep was the first ever book adaptation of an original computer game. In addition to publication in English his work has been translated into more than fifty languages and has won awards in Spain and Russia. His novel Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990, the first work of science fiction ever to do so.

    Read more from Alan Dean Foster

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    Reviews for The Force Awakens (Star Wars)

    3.5/5

    248 ratings21 reviews

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    • 3/5
      From one of the best SW novels I have read (Rogue One) to one of the worst (this one). I noticed two major flaws with this book: Foster basically wrote the book almost verbatim from the screenplay and he also wrote it as a dumbed down young adult novel. The former is the reason I typically don't read books adapted from screenplays (SW movies being the exception, a tradition of mine). The latter caught me by surprise....I expected a more intelligent, mature approach to this book than something written by past authors in the SW Young Adult series. If you've seen the movie, you have experienced enough with Episode VII...don't bother with this book. It will take your enjoyment of this installment of the saga back a notch. Also as a sidenote, this novel apparently wasn't proofread very well.....a bevy of grammatical and spelling errors awaits the reader. Annoying as hell.....
    • 2/5
      Fair enough adaptation but not enough added depth beyond the screenplay as I like.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable, but not any more enlightening than the movie. I was hoping for a little more, but since it was written as a result of the movie, instead of before, that was probably a little much to hope for. At any rate, it was fun to listen to, and the reader does an excellent job, especially on Han's voice, and of course there is music, sound effects, blasters, ship white noise, droid beeps, and lightsaber hums.

      Check it out if you're a Star Wars fan, you'll enjoy it, and maybe find it a bit goofy, but still fun!
    • 4/5
      I was inspired to read this novelisation, having just watched Rogue One at my local cinema, coincidentally on the day of the sad death of Carrie Fisher. It's a decent novelisation, following the course of the film, while adding depth to some of the characters' motivation. On the downside, reading descriptions of space battles is less exciting than watching them replete with special effects on film.
    • 4/5
      Like many fans, I cannot wait for the next movie to come out. Star Wars: The Force Awakens left me with so many nagging unanswered questions. The husband, family, and I have literally spent weeks theorizing what will happen next. It's like a spectator sport for us. We'll probably take bets on: Who's Rey's family?, Why has Luke been missing?, and, Can Kylo Ren be redeemed?

      That said, I had to read this novelization to try and gain some clarity. I gained a little, but not much. The book doesn't answer any of the nagging questions. But if you're trying to gain evidence for a certain theory, it'll help, slightly. Reading the novelization allows for descriptions of some of the characters thoughts during key moments, such as Rey vs. Ren, Ren vs. Han.

      A lot of the scenes are extending with extra dialogue. Leia and Po have scenes that were cut altogether. Some of the characters have slightly different personalities than portrayed on screen. For example, Rey seems very sweet and virtuous on film. However in the novelization, her character has a layer of self-centered driven survival, which I could buy being tempted by the dark side in the future. Is it a hint? Well, I'll still have to wait to find out.

      All and all, nothing new. The film is still superior in my mind. Yet, if you can't wait, it's an entertaining distraction to add fuel to your Star-Wars "what-if" fire.
    • 4/5
      Love listening to these Star Wars audio books with the sound effects and music.
    • 4/5
      This is the novelization of Episode VII. As such, I knew pretty much everything that was going to happen. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a few scenes that were not in the film were in the book; we learned what happened to Poe after he crash-landed on Jakku. We got a few scenes with Leia and the Resistance fighters at their base (I'm always here for more sassy C-3PO). And of course, we get internal dialogue from Rey and Finn. I thought this novelization was pretty well-written (as compared to the often cheesy novelizations of the original trilogy, which could be attributed to George Lucas's knack for writing cheesy dialogue, bless his heart). In all, a nice addition to any Star Wars fan's library.
    • 4/5
      The greatest thing this book does is give us a glimpse into the evolution of the script from the time this novel was written to the final release of the film. There are also additional scenes that were cut from the film and new material provided by the author. The novel helps to clarify some items in the film and extends some of the scenes in the film. For the most part though, the way the film was edited and condensed plays out much better. The dialog in the film in a lot more concise and direct. The filmmakers, presumable Abrams and Kasden, must have thoroughly combed through every word of dialog to get it to where it ended up. It's hard not to read the novel and wish the dialog played out exactly as it did in the film. Unfortunately the author doesn't bring a whole lot more to the story the way Salvatore and Stover were able to in their adaptations. Foster does not leave his mark in this novel, and his writing style has not improved since his previous Star Wars work. Glad the author was considered for nostalgic purposes, but give the future adaptations to someone else.
    • 1/5
      Great movie. Terrible novelization. If they'd wanted nostalgia for the Expanded Universe fans, they should've asked Timothy Zahn to write this.
    • 2/5
      Really kind of disappointing! I'm a true nerd and purist...not in canon people! I rank this with Phantom Menace (in canon but still bad).
    • 4/5
      Author Alan Dean Foster has a propensity with words. Yes, I've seen the movie. Yes, I've seen it more than once. Yes, Foster does a good job with the novelization. Since the dialogue is slightly different from the final movie product, I can only assume he was working with a different version of the script. That being said, there are a few additional scenes that were either never filmed or cut from the movie that does help with understanding how certain things unfolded. Good read.
    • 4/5
      Alan Dean Foster's adaptation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens follows the film fairly closely, though with a few added scenes and some different dialogue. He was likely working from an earlier script due to the necessity of getting the book out in a timely fashion. J.J. Abrams probably deleted these scenes from the finished film due to time, but Foster shows how Poe got off Jakku, how Hux and Kylo Ren escaped Starkiller Base, and explains the working of the Starkiller Base weapon. Additionally, he drops more clues as to new main character Rey's parentage. The changes in dialogue are most apparent in Han Solo's lines, though, if Foster was working from an early draft, this may reflect the screenwriters' work to rediscover the voice of Han Solo while seeking to find the voice of older Han.Like the adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope that Foster ghost-wrote for George Lucas, this novel has the feel of an older time, appropriate for the novelization of a film that sought to hearken back to its predecessors. The Barnes & Nobel Special Edition includes two inserts of photographs, the first of which are character photos and the second production photos. This, too, reflects the late-1970s editions of the first Star Wars novel. It could have had more information on character backstories, but Foster was likely not privy to much due to the desire to maintain an air of mystery around some characters.
    • 2/5
      Possible Spoiler Alerts below:I was hoping this would 'flesh' out the movie a bit more, and it didn't. It is basically the movie in book form. And a bit sterile at that. If you've seen the movie, I advise you not to waste your time. And if you've seen the original Star Wars (A New Hope), then you basically know what happens in this plot, as they are extremely similar (desert orphan, cantina scene, a planet Leia loves is blown up, the bad guys can blow up planets, the blow up planets thingy is easy to blow up itself, etc.) May the Force Be With You. Always. And may there never again be a bad guy blow up planets machine thingy!
    • 3/5
      In answer to the eternal question, I don't honestly know whether it's better than the movie. It's definitely more helpful for those of us not steeped in the Star Wars lore, but I cannot deny a lightsaber fight that "lights up the forest like an explosion" works better on the big screen than my Kindle.
      That being said, the novel puts motivations and connections in better order than the movie did (at least on one showing), and the writing quality paints quite the picture. Definitely a worthwhile read for those who are even tangentially interested in the Star Wars mythology.
    • 3/5
      Was nice to get some insight on the inner thoughts of the characters. But if I never see the words "Beebee-Ate" again, it will be too soon.
    • 5/5
      5 Stars, It seems quite relatableTHE FORCE AWAKENS (STAR WARS: NOVELIZATIONS, #7)by Alan Dean FosterFor some reason, these last three Star Wars movies and books appeal to me more than any others in the series. I was delighted to find that this book is almost word for word exactly the same as the movie. They seem quite relatable to me, even though I'm a woman in my 50s.The Force Awakens brings in new players to the Star Wars franchise, Rey, an orphan girl from the planet Jakku; FN-2187 renamed Finn, a former Stormtrooper who has defected; Poe Dameron, the best pilot in the Resistance, and his beloved droid, BB8.We revisit several of our old friends, Han Solo, and Princess Leia Organa, a General in the Resistance; our favorite Wookie, Chewbacca, Chewie as he's known, and the original droids R2D2 and C3PO make an appearance.I like to watch the Star Wars 7, 8, and 9 movies at least once a month. I decided to purchase the book versions, to give my poor husband a break from watching the films all the time. He's said he doesn't mind, but I know he must tire of them.I thought it was hilarious how the names of the droids were sounded out, showing that a computer probably played a part in the writing of the books. Artoo (R2D2), Seethreepio (C3PO), Beebee-eight (BB8).I am happy to have found and that I was able to purchase the Star Wars 7, 8, and 9 books.
    • 2/5
      The novelization of the first film of the Disney sequel trilogy The Force Awakens hit the shelves a few weeks after the film’s premiere in theaters to avoid spoilers, written by fantasy-science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster based on the script by J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, and Michael Arndt.Foster followed the film script faithfully, so faithfully that he barely was in any of the characters heads giving them personality or extra scenes to flesh out the story. But even sticking with the script, Foster’s writing was lackluster and his transition from character to character in the same scene was near confusing at times. What makes it worse is that Foster’s short story, “Bait”, had better writing and characters in ten pages than 300 pages of the primary story of the book. Of the few extra scenes or focus on characters, Foster did address how Rey knew the workings of the Millennium Falcon which helped the narrative as did how Poe Dameron survived but Rey’s use of the Force like the film came off lame. The other and lengthier short story, “The Perfect Weapon”, by Delilah S. Dawson is fantastic and the best reason to pick up this book.The Force Awakens is a novelization that exists, honestly the two bonus short stories that take up the last quarter of the 400 pages were better reads and earned the second star of this rating.
    • 3/5
      “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” the fates and destinies of Poe, a brash young pilot carrying a spherical droid named BB8; Rey, a scavenger on the desert planet, Jakku; and a disillusioned Stormtrooper named FN-2187, would cross to create a story of adventure, loyalty, danger and intrigue. The movie would return the iconic space opera franchise to its original core values in storytelling, picking up the story a generation after Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) left off. Alan Dean Foster has written the official novelization of the movie; and given that the audio was a simultaneous release with the film, it stands to reason that he was privy to a working script and/or an advance screening to insure the storylines would match. As such, if you have seen the movie, there are no surprises or Easter eggs here; But if you were unclear as to what happened in the movie at any point (e.g. Did Finn die? Or was he just gravely injured?) the (audio-)book will answer those questions.The audiobook is a hybrid of an audio drama (sound f/x and music) and straight narration (single narrator reading all the text and dialogue.) The sound effects can help with the immersive experience, and also help trigger recall to the movie scenes when the the action lines or settings are not clear in the writing. However, the sound effects can also be distracting to varying degrees from mildly irritating to getting in the way of the story itself.The demands of a Star Wars audiobook narrator are a little different than from an audiobook narrator of a regular novel: The narrator works from a Foley script (but with no actual sound effects being played during the recording); has very little input from Disney/LucasFilm and/or the author in regard to characterizations; and must deliver in a style that can seem over-the-top. As a result, the narrator’s performance is spliced with sound f/x and at times has an odd chopped quality to it; some of the characterizations might seems a bit “off” from what you recall from the movie; and the melodramatic tone, while serving intense scenes, can verge on the comical when more subtlety might have been expected. Nonetheless, it must be noted that Marc Thompson did extremely well in handling the script and the unique demands required of him. His voice characterization for the now-older Han Solo was particularly well-done; though General Leia Organa, not so much.This is a fun, family friendly audiobook that will appeal to listeners who enjoy radio and/or audio dramas, and Star Wars fans.
    • 3/5
      First words:~ She needed him. And he was nowhere to be found ~I went to see the film and my son, having seen the movie and then read the book, thought that the book would help me understand some of the things I was confused / wondering about. Foster wrote the book from the script for the movie and had access to information that was eventually dropped from the film. These details did help me to clarify some questions that I had. I usually prefer books to movies but, in this case, I preferred the film. Alan Dean Foster does write a good book and what was great about this audiobook WAS the narration. Marc Thompson has a great deal of talent and is a wonderful voice actor. He made the characters come alive. Also, this audio book had a lot of other sounds eg. beeps made by R2D2 and BB8, sounds of battle, music. I really found the audio experience to be enriched by all this ‘noise’. 3. 5 stars
    • 3/5
      Some awkward prose, perhaps induced by the need to produce a novel-length story from the screenplay, but definitely readable. Worth a read if you have some time and want a few insights into the main characters of the new canon.
    • 3/5
      I have never read a novelization before; if this is a typical example, I don't expect to read any again.

      In short, this book reads like a loquacious friend's in-depth recounting of the movie: Some parts are severely devoid of detail and would be inscrutable had I not already seen the movie, while in other places you're like, "Naw, bro, that's not the way it happened." And then there's the stuff that the friend just makes up, like added dialogue or theories about how Starkiller Base might work scientifically....

      Also, Alan Dean Foster writes prose like he's procrastinating from doing something else. It's filled with nonsequiturs like, "Despite lack of any training with a lightsaber, Finn was athletic and courageous." Because one can't be athletic and courageous without lightsaber training?

      Ultimately, this book lacks from a severe round of editing, both for continuity with the movie (somehow both of these stories are considered canon, even given the discrepancies) and on a line-editing level.

      It deserves 2.5 stars. I gave it 3 because Goodreads doesn't allow half-stars. The generosity notwithstanding, I did like a few of the additional bits, such as Poe's recovery on Jakku and his ability to find a ride. Unkar Plutt's encounter with Chewie was fun, too, if extraneous.