| Title | : | From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (From a Certain Point of View, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0593157745 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780593157749 |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 561 |
| Publication | : | First published November 10, 2020 |
On May 21, 1980, Star Wars became a true saga with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. In honor of the fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers recreate an iconic scene from The Empire Strikes Back, through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists.
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (From a Certain Point of View, #2) Reviews
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To think I almost missed this book, I kept seeing a Certain Point of View and thinking it was the Star Wars (The New Hope) version, days before it came out I realised I realised it was the Empire Strikes Back reciving the FACPOF treatment.
Like the first book it is difficult to give an overall rating as there are some stories I enjoyed more then others. I found I really like probobly 35 out of 40 stories so 5 stars it is. Unlike the first book, the stories are not in completely sequential. Some do overlap so it give a different person's story or perspective on the same event. I must say prefer this to the first book, and I did like in the first few stories a couple of crossover characters.
The book will does follow the format of the group of stories based on the battle of Host will be together. Then the search in the asteroid field and so on. I like that they hive both Rebel and Imperial perspective stories. Also fills in the blanks of what the rest of the Rebels were doing while Luke was Jedi Training giving a major side character a well deserved life. Potentially leading into one of the upcoming Star Wars spinoffs series to be released. Though Disney has let me down with bridging book to TV in the past. Though I still have hope.
A very enjoyable book and great stories. The book is 549, 561 if you include the acknowledgments pages. 9once again adds depth and great character to build on in the future I hope. Now I am already looking forward to Return of the Jedi FACPOV. -
Spent waaaaaaaay too long on Hoth. May do a full review later.
[3.5 stars] -
Yasss!!! *claps energetically*
Disturbance by Mike Chen is my absolute fave!!!
I just adored the Whills Strike Back!!! They are so cute and their witty banter is everything!!!
I CAN'T WAIT FOR 40 YEARS OF RETURN OF THE JEDI!!! -
I'll hide my thoughts on specifics stories under a spoiler tag, in general terms I don't think I enjoyed this anthology quite as a much as the first one, it felt like there was a higher proportion of mediocre stories although, as before, there were a few truly excellent standouts.
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This is a collection of forty short stories to celebrate that Empire Strikes Back is forty years old. Each story takes place during the time frame of that movie and incorporates a scene from that movie. Also, each story tells the perspective of a character who is not widely known and might not be a part of the greater scheme.
Disney did the same thing for the forty anniversary of A New Hope and I wasn't a big fan of that collection. Unfortunately, I had the same result from this collection. I like the concept of the book but it just doesn't land with me. I believe it is the short story format and I just don't connect with the characters. Not enough time spent with the characters. I also believe that some of the stories just isn't me. I can honestly say that not once in my life time did I wonder what Darth Vader eats. That is one story in this book and a good example of why I am not the biggest fan of these concept books. That being said there are a couple of stories that I really enjoyed especially the one with Wedge. I think that is why most readers do enjoy these books. With such a great number of stories readers are likely to find some stories that they really like. I just wish that I enjoyed a greater number of the stories. Instead, I find most of the stories lackluster.
As you can tell these are not my favorite Star Wars novels. That will not stop me from reading them if they continue these concept books. All the authors have agreed to give their earnings to the First Book charity and a bunch of books are being donated to that charity. For that reason I do appreciate this book and I applaud everyone behind it. -
Excellent, a perfect follow up to the previous book.
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3.5 ⭐Rounded up.
While I did enjoy the first book more, that in no way means this was disappointing.
My favourite stories were:
A Good Kiss by: C.B. Lee
The Truest Duty by: Christine Golden
Wait For It by: Zoraida Córdova
Standard Imperial Procedure by: Sarwat Chadda
Faith In An Old Friend by: Brittany N. Williams
The Witness by: Adam Christopher
The Whills Strike Back by: Tom Angleberger -
This is a mostly chronological collection of short stories shedding a new light on Empire from a variety of characters whose travels bisect a piece of the story: the Millenium Falcon's computer, Boba Fett, a wampa, an admiral on the bridge of a doomed star destroyer, and many more. I love how the books and the TV shows fill in the richness of this universe and this collection does a great job of that.
Be prepared to humbly visit
Wookieepedia young Padawans, as some of the character's names may not ring a bell (and some weren't even in the movie.) No stories are from the perspective of Luke, Han, Leia, or Chewie (although they appear in the narratives of others frequently) but a few other big names share their POV.
Some stories are better than others, some have too fleeting a connection to the source material or were too uneven, but there are no stories I outright disliked. This is 550 pages without a real goose egg in the bunch.
The stories:
* "Eyes of the Empire" by Kiersten White: An Imperial tech who is tasked with monitoring probe droid footage is forced to re-evaluate when she sees the fruits of her labor. 4 stars
*"Hunger" by Mark Oshiro: One of many stories that deals with the war's ecological effects, this melancholy tale is narrated by a famous wampa. Actually, the only famous wampa. 4 stars
*"Ion Control" by Emily Skrutskie: The Battle of Hoth told from the perspective of Toryn Farr, the young woman who operates the ion cannon. 4 stars
*"A Good Kiss" by C. B. Lee: This one is narrated by one of the nameless rebels who dart by Han and Leia while they are arguing about him leaving Hoth. Interesting premise, but too romancey for me (also "You cold, Yavin baby?" is a creepy pickup line in any universe.) 2 stars
*"She Will Keep Them Warm" by Delilah S. Dawson, who is a goddess: The tale of one pivotal tauntaun's life on Hoth just wrecked me. 5 stars
*"Heroes of the Rebellion" by Amy Ratcliffe: Corwi, a PR agent for the Rebellion, attempts to make the most of the Hoth evacuation. 4 stars
*"Rogue Two" by Gary Whitta: Zev Senesca will die in the Battle of Hoth but we won't talk about that. Instead, here is the story of a rescue mission and life in Rogue Squadron. 5 stars
*"Kendal" by Charles Yu: This unique take is entirely from the perspective of Admiral Ozzel, who dropped out of light speed too soon on the way to Hoth, as he's being force choked by Vader. 4 stars
*"Against All Odds" by R.F. Kuang: The story of the life and last few minutes of Dak Ralter, Luke's pilot in the Battle of Hoth. This one also hit me in the feels, but it's also sweet and hopeful. 5 stars
*"Beyond Hope" by Michael Moreci: The Battle of Hoth as seen from the Rebel trenches. 3 stars
*"The Truest Duty" by Christie Golden: And here's an AT-AT's view of the Battle of Hoth, courtesy of the ill-fated General Veers. 4 stars
*"A Naturalist on Hoth" by Hank Green: I loved this unique take on some non-military members of the Rebellion and their contributions, chiefly a young naturalist who advance scouts Hoth. 5 stars
*"The Dragonsnake Saves R2" by Katie Cook: This goofy one page comic is adorable 4 stars
*"For the Last Time" by Beth Revis: Newly promoted Imperial Admiral Piett comes to have a different, unwanted perspective on Vader. Don't worry, Admiral. Not a lot of tenure in a job like yours. 3 stars
*"Rendezvous Point" by Jason Fry: Lots of interesting detail about flying an X-wing and life as a fighter pilot, courtesy of a post-Hoth Wedge Antilles. 5 stars
*"The Final Order" by Seth Dickinson: Captain Canonhaus ponders life in Imperial service on the soon to be doomed bridge of his star destroyer. 4 stars
*"Amara Kel's Rules for Tie Fighter Pilot Survival (Probably)" by Django Wexler: Mixed feelings about this one. I loved the details about flying a TIE Fighter and how they mostly suck compared to an X-Wing, save in a few crucial details. Could have done without the shower grab ass between the two female pilots--they're TIE pilots who take joy in shooting the heads off of astromechs, I'm not shipping these two! 3 stars, with 5 for the TIE stuff, 1 star for the grab ass.
*"The First Lesson" by Jim Zub: Yoda awaits a visitor on Dagobah.3 stars
*"Disturbance" by Mike Chen: Palpatine meditates and finds new ways to ruin Vader's life 4 stars
*"This is no Cave" by Catherynne M. Valente: Leave it to Valente to tell a weird but lovely tale from the perspective of an Exogorth who is definitely not a cave. 5 stars
*"Lord Vader Will See You Now" by John Jackson Miller: Miller wrote one of my favorite Star Wars novels,
A New Dawn. Rae Sloane, an ambitious officer in the Imperial fleet, accidentally makes an important discovery in the Hoth asteroid field. 3 stars
*"Vergence" by Tracy Deonn: The dark presence on Dagobah tells a story about its shifting relationship with the Jedi. 4 stars
*"Tooth and Claw" by Michael Kogge: Bossk (the reptilian--ok, Tradoshan technically--bounty hunter in the group Vader summons to find the Falcon) encounters a surprise while looking for a wookie pirate. This was a decent concept but the character decisions don't make any sense and ultimately has no consequences for Bossk or anyone else down the line. 2 stars
*"STET!" by Daniel Jose Older: Another tale about bounty hunters that doesn't really pan out, despite the cute premise. 2 stars
*"Wait for It" by Zoraida Cordova: Ok, here's a bounty hunter tale that works and no surprise, it's about Boba Fett's trip to the star destroyer. 4 stars
*"Standard Imperial Procedure" by Sarwat Chadda: Life is not great for Ashon, an Imperial engineer who has been demoted to garbage duty. But there's something afoot on his star destroyer involving these bounty hunters and maybe his luck is about to change. 5 stars
*"There is Always Another" by Mackenzi Lee: I really don't know how to rate this one. This tale told by Obi-Wan's force ghost sounds like him in one paragraph, and then sounds nothing like him in the next. (Would Obi-Wan say that Yoda made "a meal of his martyrdom"?) 2 stars
*"Fake It Till You Make It" by Cavan Scott: I had never heard of Lando's ex-smuggling acquaintance, Jaxxon Tumperakki, but I loved this fun, goofy redemption tale of his role in the evacuation of Cloud City 5 stars
*"But What Does He Eat?" by S. A. Chakraborty: Another tale seldom told about how the Empire makes life miserable for the average working person, in this a star chef in Cloud City who doesn't want to cater a dinner for Vader 4 stars
*"Beyond the Clouds" by Lilliam Rivera: This tale of a would-be bounty hunter and a fight for worker's rights in Cloud City never really took off for me 2 stars
*"No Time for Poetry" by Austin Walker: The adventures of two more bounty hunters, Dengar and IG-88, after they leave the star destroyer to find Solo. 3 stars
*"Bespin Escape" by Martha Wells: The evacuation of Cloud City from the perspective of an Ugnaught clan (if you watched The Mandalorian, Kuill was an Ugnaught) 4 stars
*"Faith in an Old Friend" by Brittany N. Williams: The three droid memory cells who make up the Millenium Falcon's computer narrate this funny and sad story of their time on Bespin. Will someone ask Brittany N. Williams to write more, faster? 5 stars
*"Due on Batuu" by Rob Hart: A gloriously goofy fan service tale of Willrow Hood's attempt to become a smuggler in the final days before the Empire's invasion of Cloud City. Willrow, who was originally a nameless extra during the Cloud City evacuation scene, has become a superfan legend over time. 4 stars
*"Into the Clouds" by Karen Strong: This story about an aristocratic resident of Cloud City and the pilot she has a crush on is fine, but I didn't really see the point of it. 2 stars
*"The Witness" by Adam Christopher: This was a nailbiter about a storm trooper who hits Cloud City on Vader's detail and decides she's finally had enough. I found it kind of improbable she was able to witness the pivotal moment she describes and I don't really buy some of the final parts of the story but this was still good. 3 stars
*"The Man Who Built Cloud City" by Alexander Freed: A story that tells another side of Lando Calrissian and the nameless security guards of Cloud City. 3 stars
*"The Backup Backup Plan" by Anne Toole: A plot against the Imperial takeover of Cloud City goes sideways. Or does it? Good story but too thin characters left me not caring that much. 2 stars
*"Right-Hand Man" by Lydia Kang: YA author Kang is a physician in her spare time so she's the perfect choice to tell this tale about the philosophical medical droid who attaches Luke's new hand. 5 stars
*"The Whills Strike Back" by Tom Angleberger: So for those who don't know, the Whills make the force somehow with the Midi-Chlorians. Don't worry about it though. I love the absolute cheek of this fan service closing story, narrated by some bickering Whills. The Life Day reference alone is worth it. 5 stars -
This is the second collection of Star Wars stories that take the reader through a whole movie, start to finish, through the eyes of minor characters. I enjoyed the first one and found it a fun way to relive A New Hope. This volume, however, for The Empire Strikes Back, didn’t work nearly so well. Some reasons? The second film in the trilogy is a more tightly focused narrative, so there’s much less room for interesting (or even amusing) side plots happening just outside the frame. Also, ESB is more serious than ANH, so the flippant tone of some of these stories feels wrong.
The main problem is that the editors are attached to the idea of forty stories, in honor of the film’s fortieth anniversary. What this book shows is that there aren’t forty minor characters in the film who can be given interesting stories. Ten good stories would be a stretch; but forty? As a major character says near the end of the film: “That’s impossible!”
Fifteen of the first stories in the collection are centered on Hoth, and most of them are tedious. Several stories give the histories of various Rebels in the Hoth base, but the stories are entirely interchangeable. The backstory of a Rebel soldier could as easily be switched with one given to a snowspeeder pilot. It just doesn’t matter, and it adds nothing significant to the movie. It feels like authors drew plot outlines from a jar and then picked a character in the background to assign it to.
The book ends with twelve stories about Cloud City, and though they’re not quite so bad as the Hoth section, they’re mostly mediocre. All the usual Star Wars boxes are checked: appearance by an unexpected random character (Jaxxon); stormtrooper developing a conscience and defecting; pondering a humorous detail about Vader (What/How does he eat?); double-crosses and double-double-crosses; observations about Lando’s capes. This highlights the main problem with Star Wars right now: It needs to get away from itself. Stop the endless self-referencing, parodying, using lines from other movies in new stories for comedic effect, using the word “hope,” connections to Skywalkers...just stop. Find some era or corner of the galaxy that hasn’t been thoroughly mined, and create something new that doesn’t depend on fans who have every detail of every movie memorized.
So if you were going to pick up this book and not read all forty stories (547 pages!), which ones are worth trying? Here are a few that I liked, though it’s entirely subjective:“Eyes of the Empire,” by Kiersten White. I liked the opening story, about an Imperial worker who built and controls the probe droids scouring the galaxy for the Rebel base. It’s an interesting idea, that there’s this person watching the data and dreaming of visiting different worlds. Including Dagobah at the end was overreaching, but until that point, it was a decent story. (In general, stories about Imperials have much more potential to be good than stories about Rebels. Good guys are boring.)
Forty stories, and there are four that I remember with any fondness. That’s about par for Star Wars these days.
“The Final Order,” by Seth Dickinson. This is a story about the Imperial captain commanding a Star Destroyer in the search for the Millennium Falcon in the asteroid belt. Most of the story is inside his thoughts as he extrapolates what the Empire will become if it is victorious. Star Wars authors often do this trope of “What if an Imperial decided the Empire was bad,” but this story gets into the psychology much better than other stories have done. Very clever and thoughtful.
“Tooth and Claw,” by Michael Kogge. Bounty hunter stories have a lot of potential, but this is the only one in this collection that I thought did something worthwhile. The story is about Bossk just as he receives the summons to come to Vader’s ship for a new job. By drawing on existing lore about the enmity between Trandoshans and Wookiees, the story subverts the expectations and becomes about choices characters make, and what it takes to move from hate to compassion. Most stories in this book didn’t surprise me at all, but this one did.
“There Is Always Another,” by Mackenzi Lee. My favorite story in the previous book was the one that focused on Obi-Wan on Tatooine. This book includes a story from the point of view of Obi-Wan’s ghost as he visits Luke and Yoda on Dagobah. Lee’s writing begins with the wrong tone—too forced-comedic. But it grows into an unexpectedly touching meditation by the end, as we listen in on Obi-Wan’s thoughts about Skywalkers, and his own failures, and his need to keep growing and learning even after death. And okay, it is kind of funny to read Obi-Wan thinking, “I don’t know why I am defending Anakin—even in my own head—especially after he killed me. Old habits” (349). -
❐ Overall Rating 3¾| Narration 5
❐ Star Wars
❐ Anthology
❐ Side Stories from a certain point of view
Some were good, a few were really good and some I tuned out completely. I'm glad I rewatched The Empire Strikes Back before starting this...I didn't realize how long it had been since I last watched it. I had forgotten a lot of it.
My favorites were:
Disturbance by Mike Chen, which was superbly narrated by Sam Whitwer. Darth Sidious/The Emporer/Palpatine...he senses a disturbance in the force.
She Will Keep Them Warm by Delilah S, Dawson, and narrated by January LaVoy...from the head of a Tauntaun.
Wait For It by Zoraida Cordova, narrated by John Hamm...Boba Fett!
The First Lesson by Jim Zub narrated by Marc Thompson...Yoda!
But What Does He Eat by S.A. Chakraborty narrated by Soneela Nankani...seriously what or how does Vader eat???
and of course...loved hearing from L3-37 in...
Faith in an Old Friend by Brittany N. Williams, narrated by Soneela Nankani, January LaVoy, and Emily Woo Zeller.
❐ Libby Listen through my Library
❐ Length ➯ 17H 59M -
Wow what a great collection of short stories!! I will have a detialed review of my rating for all 40 stories that are in here so I will come back later in the week and update this reivew. As of now I would give it a 4/5 stars!(:
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Some fantastic stories here but also some pretty average ones. I tell you one thing the Star Wars Universe owes Gary Whitta and his "Rebellions are built on hope" line from Rogue One because every author writing a story about the rebellion uses it. I did enjoy getting to see more behind the scenes stuff in regards to the empire. Vader killing off his Admirals and how it feels to work in that sort of environment, a Tie Fighter pilot who knows she is flying the cheapest product on the market and who ignores her orders to fly straight at the enemy all guns blazing as she knows it will get her killed and the Empire really doesn't give a shit because it has superior numbers. There's a lot to like here especially for fans.
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I heard this has Canon Siri Tachi and ahhhhh I NEED IT!! Jedi Apprentice was my catnip as a kid (might do a full-series reread if I'm extremely bored or something) and she was always a favorite!
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this one was better than the short story collection for "a new hope" (might be biased bc "the empire strikes back" is probably my favourite), but including Hank green and letting Mackenzie Lee write Obi-Wan should count as a hate crime
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Star Wars has been around for a long time - 44 years, to be precise. This anthology was released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars has had its ups (KOTOR, the Timothy Zahn books, Rogue 1) and its downs (The Phantom Menace, the holiday special, George Lucas getting ideas) over the decades. This book was a refreshing dive back into classic Star Wars, and a welcome reminder of why the universe has been so huge for so long.
When I saw the tagline of “40 stories celebrating 40 years,” I expected an anthology in the traditional sense. That isn’t what we have here. This is actually a retelling of The Empire Strikes Back, but from … certain points of view. Han, Luke, and Leia are side characters in this anthology. It’s a big galaxy, after all, and the Rebellion is a lot more than just the three of them. The first story in this book is told from the perspective of the low-level Imperial Navy technician who, when reviewing footage from probe droids, flagged Hoth for her higher-ups as worth a closer look. The last story is told from the perspective of 2-1B, the medical droid who gave Luke his prosthetic hand. In between we get a whole range of perspectives, following along the story of Empire.
Some of the perspectives we get will be familiar to movie-watchers (Wedge, Boba Fett, Admiral Piett). Others might be familiar to fans who have delved into the expanded universe (Bossk, IG-88, Rae Sloane). Some were made out of whole cloth (Lando’s personal chef) or imagined from random extras in the film (the dude who cut between Han and Leia when they were arguing in the corridor of Echo Base). And some were simply startling (I’ll admit I never gave any thought to what the giant space slug’s thoughts on events were).
Some stories were heartbreaking, some were interesting, some were exciting, some were hilarious (I feel like if I had thought about it I would have realized that Echo Base would have been rife with will-they-or-won’t-they gossip about Han and Leia, but the idea of a betting pool? Genius!). None of them disappointed me.
The author list is impressive, and includes a number of /r/Fantasy favorites: Catherynne M. Valente, R.F. Kuang, Seth Dickinson, S.A. Chakraborty, Martha Wells, and Django Wexler, to name just a few. And a good chunk of the proceeds for this book go to charity, which is nice.
In the end, I think, the best praise I can give was that this book reminded me of just why the original trilogy is so awesome. It made me want to track down the similar anthology they released for A New Hope a couple of years ago, and keep my eyes open for the Return of the Jedi version they’ll presumably be releasing in a couple of years. In the meantime, I’ve got to go make popcorn and watch the movies. -
I am convinced that there is untapped potential for provocative and exciting literary experiences within the confines of pop genre material like Star Wars.
This book doesn't help.
A fun concept. Impressive dedication to theme. Not well executed. Two back-to-back stories by Jason Fry and Seth Dickinson stand out as being fun and nicely done. There rest is forgettable.
Some day... -
A sequel to the amazing "From a Certain Point of View: A New Hope", this book is forty short stories celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back. Unfortunately, lightning doesn't quite strike twice here. Whereas the stories in that first volume make the story seem deeper and richer, most of these seemed silly or superfluous.
Eyes of the Empire: Told from the perspective of the operator of the probe droid that found the rebel base on Hoth. I enjoy her arc from Imperial worker who loves her work but doesn't consider the consequences to potential traitor. Good stuff.
Hunger: Told from the perspective of the Wampa who loses an arm to Luke. It is of course a tale of tragedy and family that feels a bit much.
Ion Control: Told from the perspective of Toryn Farr, a rebel officer who is determined to get each and every rebel off of Hoth before the Imperials take the base, no matter the cost. Not bad and a fun bit of Han and Leia action thrown in for good measure.
A Good Kiss: Told from the perspective of a gay rebel cook on Hoth who aspires to more, both professionally and in love. In his own way, he ultimately finds success in both. One of the stronger stories.
She Will Keep Them Warm: Told from the perspective of Han's tauntaun that he rides out to rescue Luke on. We all remember her ultimate fate. I enjoyed the look at the hierarchy of tauntaun life and the surprising behind the scenes drama.
Heroes of the Rebellion: Told from the perspective of Corwi Selgrothe, a rebel propagandist, trying to make an effective recruitment video on Hoth but getting little help from the big wigs. She ultimately gets a little more than she bargained for. Spoiler alert: It has to do with hope.
Rogue Two: Told from the perspective of the pilot who ultimately finds Han and Luke in his speeder. I enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes of that group of pilots and how they worked to keep morale up.
Kendal: Told from the perspective of Ozzel Kendal, an Imperial officer about to get killed by Darth Vader. Most of the story is during the period of time he's being force choked. An interesting "life flash before his eyes" story.
Against All Odds: Told from the perspective of Dak, everyone's favorite doomed rear gunner. Not surprisingly, it's clear Dak idolizes Luke and the ending is particularly sad.
Beyond Hope: Told from the perspective of a couple of rebel grunts trying to stop the AT-AT's on the ground on Hoth. It does a good job of highlighting just what bad idea it was to have any troops on the ground in that situation. Honestly! What did the leaders expect them to be able to accomplish?!
The Truest Duty: Told from the perspective of General Maximilian Veers, the operator of the main AT-AT that is attacking the rebel base on Hoth. I enjoy his views on how to survive and thrive inside the Empire without drawing the ire of the volatile Darth Vader.
A Naturalist on Hoth: An unnecessary story about scientists on Hoth. This one overstayed it's welcome.
The Dragonsnake Saves R2: A short, silly cartoon about (wait for it) the dragonsnake saving R2 on Dagobah. Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like.
For the Last Time: Told from the perspective of Admiral Firmus Piett. He was always one of my favorite background characters in these films. This chapter shows that he was not as unflappable as he may have appeared.
Rendevous Point: Told from the perspective of the how Rogue Squadron tries to buy Han, Luke, Chewbacca, and Leia some time at the rendevous point by going into battle with some space pirates. (You heard right). Some good action and character development in a relatively short period of time.
The Final Order: Told from the perspective of the doomed Captain Canonhaus, who is trying to figure out where his life went wrong and who has it in for him. He guesses right, but also wrong. It'll make sense once you read it. Not bad stuff.
Amara Kel's Rules for Tie Pilot Survival (Probably): The snarkiest of stories, it follows a group of tie fighters looking for our rebel friends in the asteroid field. It has it all: humor, action, and even a little bit of friendship and love. Quite enjoyable.
The First Lesson: An unnecessary nonsense Yoda chapter.
Disturbance: Told from the perspective of the Emperor before he makes his Facetime call to Vader to complain about a "Disturbance" in the Force. I liked the look inside the eternally paranoid head of the Emperor and what this disturbance actually was.
This Is No Cave: Told from the perspective of the space slug that ate the Millenium Falcon. The author did a good job of showing what this creature was, how it ended up there, and the science behind it. Very interesting.
Lord Vader Will See You Now: Told from the perspective of Rae Sloane, an Imperial officer who has popped up in other EU works. She has a close call with the eternally furious Darth Vader here.
Vergence: A ridiculous story told from the perspective of the force cave where Luke fights himself. Yikes, you guys. Yikes.
Tooth and Claw: A Bossk story! He's trying to hunt down a wookie freedom fighter and ends up with a mission that's closer to home than he's comfortable with. Good stuff.
Stet!: A strange and wonderful story told as if it is a draft of a news story, with editors notes an everything. Parazeen is interviewing Zuckuss and 4-LOM, two notorious bounty hunters. Hilarious and entertaining. Great writing too.
Wait For It: A Boba Fett story! It tells the story of how he figured out how to track the Falcon in the garbage heap. Always something I'd wondered about and was glad to see it answered satisfactorily.
Standard Imperial Procedure: Told from the perspective of an Imperial waste disposal worker who is too big for his britches and gets outsmarted by Boba Fett in a tragic way.
There Is Always Another: Told from the perspective of a ghost Obi Wan on Dagobah. He's pretty pissy here and is fed up with looking after these hothead Skywalkers, even in death!
Fake It Till You Make It: This one is a deep cut. Told from the perspective of Jaxxon, a green rabbit sometimes good guy from the 70's and 80's Star Wars comics. It does a good job of highlighting his inherent ridiculousness and gives him a satisfying arc.
But What Does He Eat?: Told from the perspective of a chef on Cloud City, who is weighing the moral implications of whether or not to try and poison the food of Darth Vader. I liked how this one fleshed out the culture on Cloud City.
Beyond The Clouds: The story of a wannabe bounty hunter on Cloud City who has to decide who she REALLY is.
No Time for Poetry: a Dengar/IG-88 team up story! They're trying to hunt down the Falcon...together...and it doesn't go great for them!
Bespin Escape: This explores Ugnaught culture as a clan (they live in clans. now you know.) tries to escape Cloud City before the Imperials take over.
Faith In An Old Friend: Told from the perspective of L3-37, the second best droid in all of Star Wars (the first is K2-SO, come at me bro). As we saw at the end of the film Solo, she became part of the Millenium Falcom computer. This story was great and answered a lot of questions I've had ever since that film. Her love for Lando lives on!
Due on Batuu: Told from the perspective of a guy who was running in the background of a scene on Cloud City, holding a camtono. The very definition of an unnecessary story.
Into the Clouds: Told from the perspective of a local Cloud City woman who wants to be Princess Leia. She even has her own roguish love interest.
The Witness: An Imperial soldier who keeps trying to defect on Cloud City but who keeps running into Darth and Luke fighting. What's a traitor to do?
The Man Who Built Cloud City: The completely unnecessary story of a Cloud City hobo.
The Backup Backup Plan: So bad I couldn't finish it.
Right-Hand Man: Told from the perspective of the medical droid who gives Luke the robo-hand. He's surprisingly deep and helps Luke through an understandably difficult time.
The Whills Strike Back: The most meta of all. This is someone trying to write the opening Empire crawl and getting bombarded by notes from an unseen critic complaining that it doesn't make sense. Funny, short, and great.
So yes, I ultimately enjoyed this but it was a huge step down in quality from the first. I suspect it's because A New Hope had some many weird nooks and crannies to put stories in. Empire really just has Hoth, Dagobah, and Cloud City. Not a lot to flesh out there. I still have high hopes for the Return of the Jedi version. Lots of good story potential there. -
ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
When I read the first anthology, I knew I will be going for the others if I get the chance. I loved the idea of Star Wars seen from the POV of minor, unimportant characters, I especially hoped for more Stormtrooper (or better, imperial guard) POVs.
Unfortunately, even accounting for the fact that whatever anthology you take, not all the stories are going to be good, this one still felt lackluster in comparison.
My favourite stories were:
- A Naturalist on Hoth by Hank Green, which is exactly what the title says it is. I loved his compassion for the non-human species.
- The Final Order by Seth Dickinson: Just really well written.
- Amara Kel's Rules for Tie Pilot's Survival (Probably) by Django Wexler - it's hilarious, it has a good structure, and it's gay. What else could I want???
- There Is No Cave by Catherynne M. Valente, beautifully written (of course, it's Valente) and made me empathise with a space worm. Incredible.
Compared with the previous anthology, where I highlighted 11 stories, this is a lot fewer. Especially considering that I found most of the rest aggressively mediocre and unmemorable. Not all, there were a few 4s and 4.5s, but most. Structurally, the collection doesn't do that good of a job either. Far, far too much time is spent on Hoth and it felt like the story won't move on at all, then later on, it stalled again in Cloud City.
Is it because it's been a while since I saw the movie and my memory is hazy? Because I'm not as obsessively into Star Wars as I was then? Maybe. But I do feel like the first anthology had more...charm. In addition to the usual suspects, you had Yawas, you had multiple funny Stormtrooper stories, you had the alien with the long snoot, the cantina band, you had the fucking mouse droid. This is mostly just a lot of minor officers and in comparison it's...boring. I feel like they meld together a lot more.
However, I will probably still read the next one.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Execution: 3/5
Recommended to: hardcore Star Wars fans
Not recommended to: those who don't feel like slogging through a vast amount of meh stories to get to the few good ones
More reviews on my blog,
To Other Worlds. -
I definitely enjoyed this volume more than the New Hope version. I think that may have been that the background characters in Echo Base and Cloud City were more appealing to me. Plus we get multiple Bounty Hunter chapters which was fantastic!
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- I absolutely love how many of these stories focus on Leia’s work, and how helpful she is. She’s a great leader and person, and this book exemplifies that.
- I don’t like how often inappropriate language is used (even ‘ass’ and ‘pissed’--Star Wars should be friendly for all ages).
- I’m tickled, from “Ion Control” on, how the Rebels find entertainment (and betting) in Han’s approaches to Leia. And later, it humors me as well that so many on Cloud City didn’t realize Vader was a real person.
- It bothers me how too many sentients aren’t named by species for maybe the first quarter. So are they all human? Kind of lame.
- I feel like the phrase “rebellions are built on hope” is insanely overused.
All ratings are out of 5 stars -
Star Wars celebrates forty years of The Empire Strikes Back with forty stories that bring to life new points of view during a pivotal moment in galactic history.
READ MY FULL REVIEW AT YOUR MONEY GEEK:
https://yourmoneygeek.com/review-from...
Over the past few years, Star Wars has excelled at ambitious anthologies that bring new tales to the forefront of familiar stories. Greg Rucka tackled the Before Awakening anthology, Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View brought together forty authors to expand on A New Hope, and The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark gave a deeper insight into eleven individually authored Clone Wars stories.
Now, for the fortieth anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back forty talented authors have been assembled to bring to life Rebels, Imperials, and creatures alike in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back.
The anthology is organized chronologically with The Empire Strikes Back, beginning with a cleverly crafted nod to Dagobah, the high stakes at the Echo Base during the Battle of Hoth, the Empire’s victories and follies, and Cloud City. No stone is left unturned when it comes to these stories. If you have ever wanted to know about the inner thoughts of a Wampa, or to ride along with crash-prone TIE pilots, or if you ever wanted to know if the Whills were aware of Starfleet (yes, that Starfleet) then this is the anthology for you.
It is truly difficult to pick just a handful of stories to highlight as the “best” of the anthology, as they are all fantastic glimpses into The Empire Strikes Back. Some feature familiar friends like Wedge Antilles and Jaxxon, while others give life to previously nameless background Rebels, Imperial pilots, and droids. That is where these anthologies are at their strongest. Star Wars fans live for learning the names of new characters and expanding on the already known canon.
Just as your favorite Star Wars movie may not be my favorite Star Wars movie, you are bound to find stories in this anthology that speak to you in ways that my favorites didn’t. Here is a shortlist of the stories that have lingered with me after completion:
Hunger by Mark Oshiro
A Good Kiss by C.B. Lee
Rendezvous Point by Jason Fry
Rogue Two by Gary Whitta
Amara Kel’s Rules for TIE Pilot Survival (Probably) by Django Wexler
Stet! by Daniel José Older
Wait for It by Zoraida Córdova
Like with previous Star Wars anthologies, you are bound to stumble across a story or two that doesn’t match the tone of a Star Wars film, but that is what is so great about anthologies. Where else can you find various forms of storytelling bound into the same volume? You won’t want to miss out on From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back.
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back hits shelves November 10th. -
The author line-up for this book still blows my mind and it’s been SO much fun to see what some of my favorite authors did with these characters. Plus this short story collection really does an awesome job diving into side characters (including some that I would never have guessed would be included!) and really fleshing out this world. Also, the first half of this book got me through election week, which is really a testament to how excellent some of these authors are at writing short stories.
If you’re a Star Wars fan or have a Star Wars fan in your life, I’d definitely recommend this collection!
*Disclaimer: I received an advance digital copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. -
5.5/10 stars
Full review on my blog
here.
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back is a collection of 40 short stories commissioned for the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back's memorable debut long long ago. It’s a second such venture, after a collection of stories centered around New Hope met with fans’ enthusiasm and quite solid approval – and we all know what a rowdy and unruly and spoiled bunch SW fans usually are 😉.
I haven’t read the first collection, but buoyed by the fond recollections of the Anderson’s anthology Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and seeing as The Empire Strikes Back remains my favorite SW movie of all times (not that it had any real competition recently), I decided to give this one a chance. There is a solid representation from well-known authors, such as Martha Wells and Django Wexler to Seth Dickinson, Catherynne M. Valente and S.A. Chakraborty, as well as a whole slew of authors completely new to me. This collection, apart from the strong nostalgia factor and a big dose of curiosity topped by healthy mistrust of anything SW-Disney 😉, represented a chance for me to check out some new names and their writing chops.
However, as simple listing of the authors and their stories’ titles has taken me nearly 300 words, I decided to review them in a slightly different than usual mode: as with short stories collections, I will give each story a rating – but this time, I will endeavor to describe every story in 5 words or more (well, usually more, as you’ll see).
Kiersten White, Eyes of the Empire 6/10
Eye-opening Moment for an Empire Drudge
Mark Oshiro, Hunger 3/10
Wampa’s Food Has a Saber!
Emily Skrutskie, Ion Control 7/10
All Bets Are Off on Han-Leia Romance
C.B. Lee, A Good Kiss 3/10
Everyone Can Be A Hero, aka Not This Again
[...]
Tom Angleberger, The Whills Strike Back 10/10
Very Short, Very Funny!
A few final thoughts on this collection. First of all, the idea of amassing 40 stories for the 40th anniversary, while theoretically pleasing, in this case clearly backfired; a few really solid, highly entertaining and even thought-provoking entries are simply drowning in the sea of mediocrity. Less is more! And it also pertains to the problems with understanding the concept of a short story as opposed to novella, and in some cases results in serious structural issues: some of these stories practically beg to be more fleshed out as we get only a bare-boned sketch of a novella.
[...]
That said, there are a few very good, well plotted and enjoyable stories, adding to the lore in unexpected, welcome ways. The ultimate stand-outs for me were Dickinson’s The Final Order, a perfectly structured and executed short story packing more suspense into its few pages than the all the rest of the collection, and Angleberger’s The Whills Strike Back, which was sly, self-aware and tongue-in-the-cheek funny. So, as usual with anthologies, From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back is a mixed bag of treats and tricks –the majority of the stories is utterly forgettable, but there are some that will stand the test of time. Pick up the good ones if you can!
I have received a copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks. -
Thanks to Del Rey Books for the free advance copy of this book.
📚 This was so fun to read! Lots of authors I already loved, and I discovered a few new-to-me favorites.
📚 These stories are all so nuanced and thoughtful about what life for peripheral characters in the movie might be like. Some we already know, like Wedge Antilles, and some are completely fabricated, like a scientist studying ice slugs on Hoth.
📚 My favorites were the stories from the points of view of animals - I never expected to feel so much for a tauntaun.
📚 Plus! The wide variety of authors means this collection includes own voices stories for characters of color, women, queer characters, and more.
📚 I do wish some stories had been longer, but this is my perpetual gripe with short story collections. If you're a Star Wars fan, it's worth checking out. Now I need to go rewatch them all! -
I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed with this volume. It starts off in fantastic fashion, with a string of superb Hoth stories, one of which will drive bigots crazy. It end with two wonderful tales -- a poignant story about the med droid that gives Luke his new hand, and a hilarious little ditty about writing the opening crawl of "The Empire Strikes Back". But in between is a collection of Imperials, bounty hunters, Jedi, and residents of Cloud City that form the backdrop to stories that felt bland and unengaging. A few in particular gives characters such as Bobba Fett and Ben Kenobi character voices I didn't recognize. Only the Yoda & Palpatine entries spiced up this flabby middle section. Many gems to be found, but it's a lesser work compared to the previous celebratory volume covering "A New Hope".
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Man, this was disappointing. It honestly made me question my earlier review of the similar A New Hope novel, as I distinctly remember enjoying that a whole lot.
This movie doesn't really lend itself to "40 random short stories from other characters" as well as A New Hope does. It only really goes to Hoth (which I never found the most exciting part) and Cloud City, and neither setting's side characters are really fascinating enough to write about, and the book struggles to make them interesting.
I liked most of the Empire stories here, but all in all there were maybe 7-8 stories out of 40 that were worth it, which isn't much. -
A worthy addition to the from a certain point of view series!! I felt like there was a disproportionate amount of time spent on hoth. And there were quite a few stories I was indifferent to as well as a couple that even took away from the film. But I’ve found that these books are still so valuable for those handful of unforgettable stories that completely enrich the movie. I think Alexander Freed has officially taken over as my favorite Star Wars author with his amazing addition to this collection.
My favorite stories
Rogue two
Vergence
Disturbance
Against all odds
The final order
But what does he eat?
The man who built cloud city -
Really fun book. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I liked the layout. The side stories followed the plot so you knew exactly what scene they were at during the stories. The writers did a great job almost making it flow like one writer by referencing parts of other stories and such.
I will say I liked the first 30 or so better. The last ones were ok, but the first ones were awesome!
I’ll have to get the A New Hope version now! -
Some stories were a bit uninteresting to me and slow to plough through, but most of them turned out extremely, even though sometimes unexpectedly, good and exciting to experience—especially as performed by the audiobook cast! Droid POV can be most entertaining, loved to hear their thoughts here.
