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Star Wars Novelizations #5
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Although they had won a significant battle, the war between the Rebels and the Empire had really just begun. Soon, Luke, Han, the princess and their faithful companions were forced to flee, scattering in all directions—the Dark Lord's minions in fevered pursuit....
214 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1980
167 people are currently reading
6226 people want to read
About the author
Donald F. Glut
236 books49 followersDONALD F. GLUT has been professionally active in both the entertainment and publishing industries since 1966.
Born in Pecos, Texas, Don grew up in Chicago, IL. At age nine, already bitten by the film-making “bug,” he made Diplodocus at Large, the first of 41 amateur movies featuring dinosaurs, human monsters (Frankenstein’s Monster, Teenage Werewolf, etc.) and superheroes (Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, etc.) Some of these films made during the late 1960s (e.g., Spy Smasher vs. the Purple Monster) were eventually shown in theatres and on TV.
Moving to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, Don professionally entered show business as an “extra” (a POW) in the movie Von Ryan’s Express (1965), the first of several such “roles.” He began his professional writing career in 1966, writing articles for and finally editing the magazine Modern Monsters. In 1967, after graduating from the University of Southern California with a BA degree (for Cinema) in Letters, Arts and Sciences, Don worked as a musician, singer and songwriter in The Penny Arkade, a rock band produced by “Monkee” Michael Nesmith. Shortly after that he briefly furthered his acting career, having a speaking role in a national television commercial starring Dick Clark.
However, most of Don’s professional life has been as a freelance writer. To date he has authored numerous motion picture and television scripts (Shazam!, Land of the Lost, and animation, e.g., Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends, Transformers, G.I.Joe, Duck Tales, Jonny Quest, X-Men, others), comic-book scripts (Captain America, Tarzan, etc., including creating for Gold Key Dagar the Invincible, The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor and Tragg and the Sky Gods), more than 35 novels and nonfiction books, also numerous short stories, articles, songs, album-liner notes, etc. The Dinosaur Dictionary (1972) and Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia (1997), two of Don’s many non-fiction books about dinosaurs, both were listed by the American Library Association among the best reference books of their years of publication. With The Dinosaur Dictionary Don created the much-imitated book format based upon an alphabetical listing of dinosaur names. Perhaps Don is best known for his novelization of the movie The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the nation’s No. 1 bestseller for almost two months, which to date (still in print) has sold over 3.5 million copies. In 1982 he created characters and back story for Mattel’s “Masters of the Universe” toy line. Among his more recent books is Chomper, an entry in the popular “Dinotopia” series.
Don produced, wrote and directed various videos (including the documentaries Dinosaur Movies and Hollywood Goes Ape! and the music-video compilation Dinosaur Tracks®), theatre and movie projects. He has worked as a consultant on numerous other video, film and TV projects, and was “Dinosaur Consultant” on Roger Corman’s movie Carnosaur (1993).
In 1990, Don and Pete Von Sholly founded Fossil Records, which has already produced a half dozen albums. These include Dinosaur Tracks®, More Dinosaur Tracks® and Dinosaur Tracks® Again, featuring paleontology-related rock music written mostly by Don (Dinodon Music/BMI), performed by Don and Pete (as the Iridium Band).
More recently, Don became president of Frontline Entertainment (www.frontlinefilms.com), for which he wrote, directed and co-produced the comedy/fantasy motion picture Dinosaur Valley Girls™, which has already achieved “cult movie” status, and Before La Brea, a documentary commissioned by the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in Los Angeles. In 2000, he was commissioned by Irena Belle Productions to direct the movie The Vampire Hunters Club, featuring an all-star genre cast.
Born in Pecos, Texas, Don grew up in Chicago, IL. At age nine, already bitten by the film-making “bug,” he made Diplodocus at Large, the first of 41 amateur movies featuring dinosaurs, human monsters (Frankenstein’s Monster, Teenage Werewolf, etc.) and superheroes (Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, etc.) Some of these films made during the late 1960s (e.g., Spy Smasher vs. the Purple Monster) were eventually shown in theatres and on TV.
Moving to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, Don professionally entered show business as an “extra” (a POW) in the movie Von Ryan’s Express (1965), the first of several such “roles.” He began his professional writing career in 1966, writing articles for and finally editing the magazine Modern Monsters. In 1967, after graduating from the University of Southern California with a BA degree (for Cinema) in Letters, Arts and Sciences, Don worked as a musician, singer and songwriter in The Penny Arkade, a rock band produced by “Monkee” Michael Nesmith. Shortly after that he briefly furthered his acting career, having a speaking role in a national television commercial starring Dick Clark.
However, most of Don’s professional life has been as a freelance writer. To date he has authored numerous motion picture and television scripts (Shazam!, Land of the Lost, and animation, e.g., Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends, Transformers, G.I.Joe, Duck Tales, Jonny Quest, X-Men, others), comic-book scripts (Captain America, Tarzan, etc., including creating for Gold Key Dagar the Invincible, The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor and Tragg and the Sky Gods), more than 35 novels and nonfiction books, also numerous short stories, articles, songs, album-liner notes, etc. The Dinosaur Dictionary (1972) and Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia (1997), two of Don’s many non-fiction books about dinosaurs, both were listed by the American Library Association among the best reference books of their years of publication. With The Dinosaur Dictionary Don created the much-imitated book format based upon an alphabetical listing of dinosaur names. Perhaps Don is best known for his novelization of the movie The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the nation’s No. 1 bestseller for almost two months, which to date (still in print) has sold over 3.5 million copies. In 1982 he created characters and back story for Mattel’s “Masters of the Universe” toy line. Among his more recent books is Chomper, an entry in the popular “Dinotopia” series.
Don produced, wrote and directed various videos (including the documentaries Dinosaur Movies and Hollywood Goes Ape! and the music-video compilation Dinosaur Tracks®), theatre and movie projects. He has worked as a consultant on numerous other video, film and TV projects, and was “Dinosaur Consultant” on Roger Corman’s movie Carnosaur (1993).
In 1990, Don and Pete Von Sholly founded Fossil Records, which has already produced a half dozen albums. These include Dinosaur Tracks®, More Dinosaur Tracks® and Dinosaur Tracks® Again, featuring paleontology-related rock music written mostly by Don (Dinodon Music/BMI), performed by Don and Pete (as the Iridium Band).
More recently, Don became president of Frontline Entertainment (www.frontlinefilms.com), for which he wrote, directed and co-produced the comedy/fantasy motion picture Dinosaur Valley Girls™, which has already achieved “cult movie” status, and Before La Brea, a documentary commissioned by the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in Los Angeles. In 2000, he was commissioned by Irena Belle Productions to direct the movie The Vampire Hunters Club, featuring an all-star genre cast.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 448 reviews
May 1, 2018
Star Wars at its best!!!
I have bought the Omnibus edition with the three original “Star Wars” movie novelizations but I’ve chosen this edition to make a better focused review of each single book.
ONCE PERFECT, THERE IS LITTLE TO ADD
It wasn’t a surprise that there are few relevant additions to this novelization, since you have to admit that Empire Strikes Back is Star Wars at its best and even good ol’ Georgie couldn’t add much to the Special Edition of the film, just a couple of CGI brief scenes, to justify the existence of a special edition of that superb film.
However, certainly there are some changes here and there in the novelization, since it’s normal that during actually making the film, there are last minute modifications or special effects troubles and the assigned writer isn’t informed on time to make the adjustment on the prose novelization as well.
Sooo…
…once again, if you passed the last 40 years or so, frozen in carbonite, and you hadn’t watched the film, please be warned that you may find some spoilers ahead…
…the novelization started already on Hoth with Luke and Han, instead on space with the Imperial Starfleet. And there are A LOT of more wampas in the novelization than the just one in the film, actually Echo Base is attacked by wampas!
…a big difference is that Hobbie (one Rogue Squadron fighter pilot) crashes his snowspeeder against General Veers’ AT-AT, killing all there.
…believe it or not, Yoda is blue!!! I guess that if X-Wings’ blue stripes on A New Hope couldn’t work with the blue screens, the same colorful trouble risen again with the muppet of the old Jedi Master, so at the film they had to changed it to green. And by the way, on Dagobah, it’s mentioned that Vader’s lightsaber is blue, instead of iconic red! I guess that blue is favorite color of George Lucas and it must be a bummer (for him) having to change the blue stuff in his films due fx limitations of the time.
…Han and Leia could kiss alright at the Millenium Falcon! Oh, yeah! BUT there isn’t “I know” at Cloud City, aaaaah bummer (but I knew that it wouldn’t be since that iconic quote was Harrison Ford’s brilliant improvisation while filming the scene).
…The Ugnaughts are wiser in the novelization and they didn’t argue with Chewie. I always wondered if those ugly dwarfish aliens had some kind of deathwish, looking for a fight with a wookie!
…Luke’s rescue by the Millenium Falcon is a lot more daring and risky!
Plus, some other minor stuff, here and there, pretty much this is it, and as you can see, there were like changes due fx troubles or scenes ended cut at the editing room, than actually any real valuable addition to the prose novelization.
Still, if you are reading the Star Wars novelizations, certainly you can’t miss this one, once you’re on that!
I have bought the Omnibus edition with the three original “Star Wars” movie novelizations but I’ve chosen this edition to make a better focused review of each single book.
ONCE PERFECT, THERE IS LITTLE TO ADD
It wasn’t a surprise that there are few relevant additions to this novelization, since you have to admit that Empire Strikes Back is Star Wars at its best and even good ol’ Georgie couldn’t add much to the Special Edition of the film, just a couple of CGI brief scenes, to justify the existence of a special edition of that superb film.
However, certainly there are some changes here and there in the novelization, since it’s normal that during actually making the film, there are last minute modifications or special effects troubles and the assigned writer isn’t informed on time to make the adjustment on the prose novelization as well.
Sooo…
…once again, if you passed the last 40 years or so, frozen in carbonite, and you hadn’t watched the film, please be warned that you may find some spoilers ahead…
…the novelization started already on Hoth with Luke and Han, instead on space with the Imperial Starfleet. And there are A LOT of more wampas in the novelization than the just one in the film, actually Echo Base is attacked by wampas!
…a big difference is that Hobbie (one Rogue Squadron fighter pilot) crashes his snowspeeder against General Veers’ AT-AT, killing all there.
…believe it or not, Yoda is blue!!! I guess that if X-Wings’ blue stripes on A New Hope couldn’t work with the blue screens, the same colorful trouble risen again with the muppet of the old Jedi Master, so at the film they had to changed it to green. And by the way, on Dagobah, it’s mentioned that Vader’s lightsaber is blue, instead of iconic red! I guess that blue is favorite color of George Lucas and it must be a bummer (for him) having to change the blue stuff in his films due fx limitations of the time.
…Han and Leia could kiss alright at the Millenium Falcon! Oh, yeah! BUT there isn’t “I know” at Cloud City, aaaaah bummer (but I knew that it wouldn’t be since that iconic quote was Harrison Ford’s brilliant improvisation while filming the scene).
…The Ugnaughts are wiser in the novelization and they didn’t argue with Chewie. I always wondered if those ugly dwarfish aliens had some kind of deathwish, looking for a fight with a wookie!
…Luke’s rescue by the Millenium Falcon is a lot more daring and risky!
Plus, some other minor stuff, here and there, pretty much this is it, and as you can see, there were like changes due fx troubles or scenes ended cut at the editing room, than actually any real valuable addition to the prose novelization.
Still, if you are reading the Star Wars novelizations, certainly you can’t miss this one, once you’re on that!
May 21, 2025
Pretty much a straight novelization of the movie, only a few slight changes. Yoda is blue?!? What?
August 25, 2024
4.5 stars
September 16, 2018
True to the film.
After there triumphant battle with the empire, the rebels have established an outpost on the freezing planet of Hoth. But of course they cannot escape Lord Vader for long. When he finds the base he pursues with full force and the rebels are forced to flee to the four corners of the galaxy. The epic pursuit leads Han and Leia to the planet of Coruscant where they team up with an old friend of Han's named Lando Calrissian. Good and bad happen in this epic tale. But I'm sure you already knew that 😉
Another great book. Written almost in the form of a screenplay this book is true to the film in nearly every aspect. Even the lines that they say are spot-on. I do believe however that the book came first. With that in mind I would be comparing the movie to the book instead of the book to the movie however it is difficult for me to do so with a movie that I know by heart and have grown up with since I was a child.
This book was very well written very easy to follow and sums up the film very nicely with just enough detail that you can still see the scenes that George Lucas has painted for us.
As the second installment of the Holy Trilogy this is definitely an omnist for Star Wars fans.
After there triumphant battle with the empire, the rebels have established an outpost on the freezing planet of Hoth. But of course they cannot escape Lord Vader for long. When he finds the base he pursues with full force and the rebels are forced to flee to the four corners of the galaxy. The epic pursuit leads Han and Leia to the planet of Coruscant where they team up with an old friend of Han's named Lando Calrissian. Good and bad happen in this epic tale. But I'm sure you already knew that 😉
Another great book. Written almost in the form of a screenplay this book is true to the film in nearly every aspect. Even the lines that they say are spot-on. I do believe however that the book came first. With that in mind I would be comparing the movie to the book instead of the book to the movie however it is difficult for me to do so with a movie that I know by heart and have grown up with since I was a child.
This book was very well written very easy to follow and sums up the film very nicely with just enough detail that you can still see the scenes that George Lucas has painted for us.
As the second installment of the Holy Trilogy this is definitely an omnist for Star Wars fans.
January 8, 2017
Description: Luke, Han, and Princess Leia's story didn't end with the destruction of the Death Star—it continues in The Empire Strikes Back. Though they had won a significant battle, the war between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire had really just begun.
Now, several months later, the Rebels had established an outpost on the frozen wasteland of Hoth. But even on that icy, backwater planet, they could not escape the evil Darth Vader's notice for long.
Soon, Luke, Han, Princess Leia, and their faithful companions were forced to flee, scattering in all directions—the Dark Lord's minions in fevered pursuit!
Mark Hamill’s tribute to Carrie Fisher: She ‘shattered’ the mold
January 28, 2018
Pretty good for what it was, though I still think modern-day sci-fi writers should write new novelizations of the original trilogy, considering how much more we know about the Star Wars universe since books like these were published.
April 28, 2023
This was definitely better then the first one. Still very similar to the first one in how close it is to the film.
They're quick reads, so I don't mind. But man, I really hope one day we get a properly updated Original Trilogy book series. These ones really show their age. I know there's already a newer version for kids that I read last year. I just feel like it's missed potential. Rewrite them and add on a hundred pages or so with extra scenes and internal thoughts.
They're quick reads, so I don't mind. But man, I really hope one day we get a properly updated Original Trilogy book series. These ones really show their age. I know there's already a newer version for kids that I read last year. I just feel like it's missed potential. Rewrite them and add on a hundred pages or so with extra scenes and internal thoughts.
October 12, 2021
4.0 Stars
This was a solid novelization. It didn't add a lot of new details to the story, but I still enjoyed the read.
This was a solid novelization. It didn't add a lot of new details to the story, but I still enjoyed the read.
Read
January 16, 2022Classic<3
July 31, 2025
The nostalgia!!!
Need to rewatch the movie IMMEDIATELY
Need to rewatch the movie IMMEDIATELY
August 26, 2024
HD Film Tributes music video: The Imperial March by John Williams, one of the most recognizable and felicitous themes ever written for cinema.
Update, 6/1/23
This bit is about one scene in the movie, but this has been festering for years, and I must vent my spleen on the matter before it utterly consumes me and turns me to the dark side. Most of the special edition changes annoy me, but this one outshines them all and pushes me to sheer madness. Yes, even more than the Han Solo/Greedo thing in the first movie.
The scene: Darth is rappin' with Papa Palps holo-time style when P tells DV the kid who blew up the Death Star is the son of Anakin Skywalker. Vader's response to this bit of intel? "How is that possible?"
How is that possible? How is that possible???!!! With these four little words, George Lucas takes Darth Vader from the most badass villain of all time to the biggest dunderhead of all time. Why, why, why, why, WHY?! Let's look at some facts that Vader has before him. He knows that his wife was super preggers and ready to pop the last time he saw her. He knows that Obi-Wan was in the same place with her when Anakin got carved up. He knows this Death-Star-blowing-up kid is about the same age his own kid would've been. The kid shares a surname with Vader's previous self, and Skywalker doesn't seem to be a common surname in that galaxy far, far away. He came from Tatooine, the same planet from which Vader originally hails and where Vader had some step-relatives. He came to the Death Star with Obi-Wan who also came from Tatooine. He knows the force is strong in the boy just like it is in him. It even says in the opening crawl to the movie, which flies right over one of his Star Destroyers, that he is "obsessed with finding young Skywalker," and I'm sure one of his underlings could've clued him in to the fact if he had forgotten...
Just whom does Vader think he has been chasing for the past three years?! I mean, we don't need Sherlock Holmes to figure this out. Inspector Clouseau could handle it. Hell, Frank Drebin or Harry Crumb could put this together!
God dammit, George. Here's hoping Disney takes that line out in a subsequent release. (Or better yet, just gives us the unmolested originals again with a bit of cleanup.)
Original review, 3/25/22:
Another fun coincidence: I finished the last 10 pages of this tonight (and it's tax season, so getting 10 pages done in one sitting without fading out is above and beyond expectations). When I finished, I turned on the TV, and lo and behold, The Empire Strikes Back is on. Not only that, it was at the exact part where I started reading which was Luke getting sucked into that shaft in Cloud City. I mean, it wasn't off by a second. What does this have to do with anything? Nothing. I just felt like sharing it. I reckon the force is with me right now.
2.5 stars rounded up to three. The Empire Strikes Back is easily my favorite of all the Star Wars movies. None of the others even come close, though Rogue One is firmly in second place. The story itself is great, and has a nice twist at the end which everybody and their mother knows about by now, but I think a lot of my love for the movie is due to the production, the actors, the special effects, the directing, etc., and that's to say nothing of John Williams' kickass score. It was easier to see those reasons after reading the book and noticing the shortcomings in the story. The movie makes dramatic improvements with the subtlest changes. Most noticeable is the character of Han Solo. Harrison Ford gives him a dimension that's missing in the book. This actually occurs for almost all of the main cast. That doesn't mean the book characters were bad; just a bit different. In short, this book reads like a rough draft, and the movie is a much more polished version of the tale. Every single change was an improvement. Luke is less wimpy and whiny (and let's be real here; he's bad enough in the movies as it is), Vader is more menacing because he's more detached and doesn't feel the need to explain himself, Leia is more sure of herself and not at all like a milksop, and Han is more of a cockwagon, but one you want to root for regardless. Also, the love scenes in the movie come out sincere while in the book it's like they were directed by, well, George Lucas. (The best move Lucas ever made was letting somebody else direct this and Return of the Jedi, and we all say thankya.) And why the hell was Yoda blue? He's green, dammit!
As for the writing... Well, frankly, it's not that good. It's not clunky in the same way as the first book, but still kind of rough. My biggest beef was that Mr. Glut often used synonyms where they weren't warranted and neglected to use them when they were. I found out later that he was primarily a screenwriter, and that he and George Lucas were classmates in college. Suddenly a lot of things started making sense. Star Wars was a surprise big deal after the first movie, but in 1980 it still wasn't the juggernaut it eventually became, and most people didn't give a rip about novelizations back then, so I can see why Lucas went with a novice for this book. Glut isn't terrible, but his inexperience shows here. If I recall from reading these 25 or so years ago, The Return of the Jedi was the best written of the original trilogy, though it also had the most changes. I reckon I'll find out later this year.
And that's all I got. I should've been in bed at least a half hour ago. I was tired when I started this, but now I'm about to czonk out, and I think reading 10 pages and posting a review at all in the same night at this time of year after working 19 9-12 hour days straight and looking at another 20 some more is above and beyond the call of duty. Does anybody really know what day it is? Does anybody really care? I didn't think so. I probably should've saved this for later, but what choice did I have? I ain't gonna remember reading this, or even what my name is, four weeks from now. (Next day update: It looks like Luke Skywalker isn't the only whiny, little bitch in this review. Sheesh! Cut me some onions; I feel like crying.)
One final thought. I reiterate what I said in my Star Wars review. This is a good read for academic, comparison reasons, but just watch the movie instead if you want the story. Only novelization nuts need apply here.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Update, 6/1/23
This bit is about one scene in the movie, but this has been festering for years, and I must vent my spleen on the matter before it utterly consumes me and turns me to the dark side. Most of the special edition changes annoy me, but this one outshines them all and pushes me to sheer madness. Yes, even more than the Han Solo/Greedo thing in the first movie.
The scene: Darth is rappin' with Papa Palps holo-time style when P tells DV the kid who blew up the Death Star is the son of Anakin Skywalker. Vader's response to this bit of intel? "How is that possible?"
How is that possible? How is that possible???!!! With these four little words, George Lucas takes Darth Vader from the most badass villain of all time to the biggest dunderhead of all time. Why, why, why, why, WHY?! Let's look at some facts that Vader has before him. He knows that his wife was super preggers and ready to pop the last time he saw her. He knows that Obi-Wan was in the same place with her when Anakin got carved up. He knows this Death-Star-blowing-up kid is about the same age his own kid would've been. The kid shares a surname with Vader's previous self, and Skywalker doesn't seem to be a common surname in that galaxy far, far away. He came from Tatooine, the same planet from which Vader originally hails and where Vader had some step-relatives. He came to the Death Star with Obi-Wan who also came from Tatooine. He knows the force is strong in the boy just like it is in him. It even says in the opening crawl to the movie, which flies right over one of his Star Destroyers, that he is "obsessed with finding young Skywalker," and I'm sure one of his underlings could've clued him in to the fact if he had forgotten...
Just whom does Vader think he has been chasing for the past three years?! I mean, we don't need Sherlock Holmes to figure this out. Inspector Clouseau could handle it. Hell, Frank Drebin or Harry Crumb could put this together!
God dammit, George. Here's hoping Disney takes that line out in a subsequent release. (Or better yet, just gives us the unmolested originals again with a bit of cleanup.)
Original review, 3/25/22:
Another fun coincidence: I finished the last 10 pages of this tonight (and it's tax season, so getting 10 pages done in one sitting without fading out is above and beyond expectations). When I finished, I turned on the TV, and lo and behold, The Empire Strikes Back is on. Not only that, it was at the exact part where I started reading which was Luke getting sucked into that shaft in Cloud City. I mean, it wasn't off by a second. What does this have to do with anything? Nothing. I just felt like sharing it. I reckon the force is with me right now.
2.5 stars rounded up to three. The Empire Strikes Back is easily my favorite of all the Star Wars movies. None of the others even come close, though Rogue One is firmly in second place. The story itself is great, and has a nice twist at the end which everybody and their mother knows about by now, but I think a lot of my love for the movie is due to the production, the actors, the special effects, the directing, etc., and that's to say nothing of John Williams' kickass score. It was easier to see those reasons after reading the book and noticing the shortcomings in the story. The movie makes dramatic improvements with the subtlest changes. Most noticeable is the character of Han Solo. Harrison Ford gives him a dimension that's missing in the book. This actually occurs for almost all of the main cast. That doesn't mean the book characters were bad; just a bit different. In short, this book reads like a rough draft, and the movie is a much more polished version of the tale. Every single change was an improvement. Luke is less wimpy and whiny (and let's be real here; he's bad enough in the movies as it is), Vader is more menacing because he's more detached and doesn't feel the need to explain himself, Leia is more sure of herself and not at all like a milksop, and Han is more of a cockwagon, but one you want to root for regardless. Also, the love scenes in the movie come out sincere while in the book it's like they were directed by, well, George Lucas. (The best move Lucas ever made was letting somebody else direct this and Return of the Jedi, and we all say thankya.) And why the hell was Yoda blue? He's green, dammit!
As for the writing... Well, frankly, it's not that good. It's not clunky in the same way as the first book, but still kind of rough. My biggest beef was that Mr. Glut often used synonyms where they weren't warranted and neglected to use them when they were. I found out later that he was primarily a screenwriter, and that he and George Lucas were classmates in college. Suddenly a lot of things started making sense. Star Wars was a surprise big deal after the first movie, but in 1980 it still wasn't the juggernaut it eventually became, and most people didn't give a rip about novelizations back then, so I can see why Lucas went with a novice for this book. Glut isn't terrible, but his inexperience shows here. If I recall from reading these 25 or so years ago, The Return of the Jedi was the best written of the original trilogy, though it also had the most changes. I reckon I'll find out later this year.
And that's all I got. I should've been in bed at least a half hour ago. I was tired when I started this, but now I'm about to czonk out, and I think reading 10 pages and posting a review at all in the same night at this time of year after working 19 9-12 hour days straight and looking at another 20 some more is above and beyond the call of duty. Does anybody really know what day it is? Does anybody really care? I didn't think so. I probably should've saved this for later, but what choice did I have? I ain't gonna remember reading this, or even what my name is, four weeks from now. (Next day update: It looks like Luke Skywalker isn't the only whiny, little bitch in this review. Sheesh! Cut me some onions; I feel like crying.)
One final thought. I reiterate what I said in my Star Wars review. This is a good read for academic, comparison reasons, but just watch the movie instead if you want the story. Only novelization nuts need apply here.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
March 29, 2024
"Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter"
March 30, 2023
I’ll start of with the positives. For one I did enjoy the book, as I love the film seeing the characters and events from a slightly different perspective was nice to revisit. However, the writing was lacklustre to be honest. Each chapter unlike A New Hope’s more linear story, was very stop-start which threw me off the story a few times. Inconsistencies such as Yoda being blue, Vader’s saber being blue were a surprise. Annoyingly, multiple attempts of rewording iconic quotes such as “I love you - Leia, I know - Han’ and Vader not saying “Son” in response to Luke calling out to Vader through the force, took out some of the emotional and important aspects of the significant connecting story that fleshes out the trilogy of films.
Overall, 3.5/5 if I could give half stars. Apparently Return of the Jedi is wrote the best so i’m looking forward to reading that!
Overall, 3.5/5 if I could give half stars. Apparently Return of the Jedi is wrote the best so i’m looking forward to reading that!
January 17, 2024
"No," Vader replied calmly. "I am your father."
My fingers paged quickly through this one. It was engaging from the beginning with small additions that weren't in the movie. The pacing wasn't too much scene by scene.
The characters were fleshed out better with initial thoughts and emotions. They weren't two-dimensional as in Episode 4: A New Hope.
Han and Lelia were so cute with their bantering, and I missed the iconic line of 'I know.'
The moment I felt strongly was the battle between Darth Vader and Luke. Such emotions are on display with the realisation of the bond they share.
One of Obi-wan's statements I do not agree on, but that is a matter of perspective. Who says that darkside is a shortcut or an easy path?
All in all, I enjoyed this movie novelization of the classic Star Wars movies. May the force be with you.
My fingers paged quickly through this one. It was engaging from the beginning with small additions that weren't in the movie. The pacing wasn't too much scene by scene.
The characters were fleshed out better with initial thoughts and emotions. They weren't two-dimensional as in Episode 4: A New Hope.
Han and Lelia were so cute with their bantering, and I missed the iconic line of 'I know.'
The moment I felt strongly was the battle between Darth Vader and Luke. Such emotions are on display with the realisation of the bond they share.
One of Obi-wan's statements I do not agree on, but that is a matter of perspective. Who says that darkside is a shortcut or an easy path?
All in all, I enjoyed this movie novelization of the classic Star Wars movies. May the force be with you.
December 21, 2024
Romanian review: ,,Imperiul Contraatacă" nu este degeaba considerat cel mai bun film Star Wars. Chiar și sub formă de carte, fără efectele care au revoluționat lumea cinematografică, povestea este incredibilă.
De altfel, povestea această este atât de emblematică, încât pot să menționez orice eveniment din carte fără să mai fie considerat spoiler. Este cartea/filmul în care se dezvăluie că Luke este fiul lui Darth Vader, în care se desfășoară celebra bătălie de pe Hoth şi duelul dintre Vader şi Luke, în care Yoda este introdus pentru prima dată, iar Han Solo este capturat de către Boba Fett. Dacă s-ar face un top 10 momente din filmele Star Wars, poate că jumătate dintre ele ar fi din acest film.
Mi-ar plăcea să pot cumva să șterg din mintea mea tot ce are legătură cu Star Wars și să mă uit din nou la filme— să fiu șocat de scena în care Darth Vader îi spune lui Luke că este tatăl lui.
Într-adevăr, povestea funcționează mai bine ca film, asta probabil pentru că descrierile autorului sunt oarecum vagi, iar narațiunea scurtă. Dacă cartea ar fi spus povestea pentru prima dată— și nu s-ar fi bazat pe faptul că în mintea cititorilor vor apărea fețele actorilor și imaginile din film— cu siguranță narațiunea și descrierile ar fi fost mai complexe. Prin urmare, volumul ar fi fost oricum extraordinar.
Pe scurt, nu pot să nu-i dau cărții măcar patru stele. Chiar dacă din punct de vedere literar nu este la fel de reușită ca filmul din punct de vedere cinematografic, este, pur și simplu, Star Wars la superlativ— Star Wars la apogeu.
English review: "The Empire Strikes Back" is widely regarded as the best Star Wars film, and for good reason. Even in book form, without the groundbreaking cinematic effects, the story remains incredible.
In fact, this story is so iconic that I could mention any event from the book, and it wouldn’t even be considered a spoiler anymore. This is the book/film where it’s revealed that Luke is Darth Vader’s son, where the famous Battle of Hoth and the duel between Vader and Luke take place, where Yoda is introduced for the first time, and Han Solo is captured by Boba Fett. If there were a top 10 list of moments from Star Wars movies, half of them could easily come from this film.
I wish I could somehow erase everything I know about Star Wars from my memory and experience the films again for the first time—to feel that shock when Darth Vader tells Luke he’s his father.
Admittedly, the story works better as a film, likely because the author’s descriptions are somewhat vague and the narration concise. If the book had been telling the story for the first time—without relying on the fact that readers would picture the actors’ faces and scenes from the movie—its narration and descriptions would undoubtedly have been more complex. Even so, the book would still be extraordinary.
In short, I can’t help but give the book at least four stars. While it might not be as successful literarily as the film is cinematically, it’s simply Star Wars at its finest—Star Wars at its peak.
July 15, 2014
"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.
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.
September 2, 2023
The plot is good- we all know the plot, don’t we- but the writing’s as bland as they come as is sadly the case in most movie adaptation novels.
No big deal if you stick to the movie and never read this book.
No big deal if you stick to the movie and never read this book.
March 11, 2019
3 ⭐️
Once again a novel that does not add much to the movie, although it is slightly better than A New Hope.
After reading the novelization of Episode IV, I did not have much hope for the other two novels in the original trilogy. While this one gave a bit more than the previous novel, it still didn't fill all the blanks. There was still a lot left out in terms of character development and off-screen action.
Let's start with the one thing that angered me the most: Yoda's skin colour. I don't care if this was written from the script or whatever, this is very important. Even people who have never seen the movies know Yoda is green. Hell, he's even on the GODDAMN COVER! Writing him as blue-skinned was the biggest mistake. And his mannerism, while not too far from the movie, made me cringe.
Then you have the zero-chemistry/zero-development romance between Han and Leia. I know this was written by a guy and the on-screen couple isn't great either, but at least Harrison and Carrie had something going on to soften the fact that Han is blatantly sexist at times and Leia doesn't seem remotely attracted to him until they're kissing. I was never a big fan of them together (not to mention the fake love triangle with Luke 🤢) but reading it was especially painful.
Mostly, the book just lacked details and some "meat around the bone". It was so dry at times that even the big reveal at the end wasn't nearly as dramatic as the on-screen version.
One novel to go before I get to episodes VII and VIII, which I am guessing will resemble more the prequel novels. As another reviewer said, I wish they would rewrite these original novels with new details, so as to have real additions to the movies, rather than novel-format scripts.
Once again a novel that does not add much to the movie, although it is slightly better than A New Hope.
After reading the novelization of Episode IV, I did not have much hope for the other two novels in the original trilogy. While this one gave a bit more than the previous novel, it still didn't fill all the blanks. There was still a lot left out in terms of character development and off-screen action.
Let's start with the one thing that angered me the most: Yoda's skin colour. I don't care if this was written from the script or whatever, this is very important. Even people who have never seen the movies know Yoda is green. Hell, he's even on the GODDAMN COVER! Writing him as blue-skinned was the biggest mistake. And his mannerism, while not too far from the movie, made me cringe.
Then you have the zero-chemistry/zero-development romance between Han and Leia. I know this was written by a guy and the on-screen couple isn't great either, but at least Harrison and Carrie had something going on to soften the fact that Han is blatantly sexist at times and Leia doesn't seem remotely attracted to him until they're kissing. I was never a big fan of them together (not to mention the fake love triangle with Luke 🤢) but reading it was especially painful.
Mostly, the book just lacked details and some "meat around the bone". It was so dry at times that even the big reveal at the end wasn't nearly as dramatic as the on-screen version.
One novel to go before I get to episodes VII and VIII, which I am guessing will resemble more the prequel novels. As another reviewer said, I wish they would rewrite these original novels with new details, so as to have real additions to the movies, rather than novel-format scripts.
January 18, 2016
Really good. My latest literary reading project is to read the 'Star Wars' novelizations, and this one is great. Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope by George Lucas and Alan Dean Foster kicked it off, and that book threw in a bit more character analysis and vocabulary description. This one stuck a little more to the on-screen parts of the movie, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just a lot of fun, and Donald Glut has definitely done this series justice.
August 13, 2016
As with the novelization of Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, this story didn't give us any new details that we haven't seen in the movie. What we do get is more detail into Han's mind and a bit more detail into Luke's training with Yoda. The writing was fairly evocative, really got me into the story, and set up some images that I hadn't noticed from watching the movie. It was a quick and enjoyable read, that I wound up sharing with my young Star Wars loving son.
February 28, 2018
Gera knyga, kai paimi ją į rankas ir suvalgai to net nepajausdamas. Nors rašytojas kitas, tačiau malonumas ne ką menkesnis. Visa intriga tik auga. Nauji Luko, Lėjos, Solo bei robotų nuotykiai. Pasipriešinimas nesnaudžia, kaip ir Veideris. Jis suranda jų bazė ir atakuoja. Lukas bei kiti stengiasi laimėti laiko, kol avanportas bus evakuotas. Tuo tarpu Lėja ir Solo kiek aiškinasi savo santykius visos kebegnės epicentre, kaip ir vos veikiančiu "Sakalu" mėgina pasprukti nuo Veiderio. Puslapiuose tiesiog atgija matyti kadrai, atrodo, jog užrašytas žodis papildo filmą ir atvirkščiai. Nepaprastai skanu, jog norisi dar
July 11, 2022
no because this was so beautiful.
The Empire Strikes is my favorite film in the Original Trilogy and it may very well turn out to be my favorite book out of the three. It stayed true to the film while still adding little bits to enrich the story even more. One notable element is how the book further emphasizes on the love that Han and Leia share. Growing up, I never truly understood why people loved the two of them so much, perhaps because I was so caught up in the story of Padme and Anakin, but reading this made me understand so much more and made me see how good they are together (Anidala stays superior but they are very close <3). Also, the duel between Luke and Vader, chills. I love that the great scene in the film was written really well in the book because it is so iconic it would be a shame if it was badly written.
There's so much more things to say about this novelization but I won't go into it too much because this would be too long, but bottom line is, ESB SUPERIOR IN THE OT!!
The Empire Strikes is my favorite film in the Original Trilogy and it may very well turn out to be my favorite book out of the three. It stayed true to the film while still adding little bits to enrich the story even more. One notable element is how the book further emphasizes on the love that Han and Leia share. Growing up, I never truly understood why people loved the two of them so much, perhaps because I was so caught up in the story of Padme and Anakin, but reading this made me understand so much more and made me see how good they are together (Anidala stays superior but they are very close <3). Also, the duel between Luke and Vader, chills. I love that the great scene in the film was written really well in the book because it is so iconic it would be a shame if it was badly written.
There's so much more things to say about this novelization but I won't go into it too much because this would be too long, but bottom line is, ESB SUPERIOR IN THE OT!!
January 28, 2022
Enjoyable but it added nothing. Almost exactly like the movie which is disappointing
December 24, 2018
Wow this didn’t take very long. It was a lot easier to read this one than “a new hope” because this one didn’t feel like a long description of the scenes. I feel like the first one disregarded the characters completely and I didn’t realize it until I finished “ the empire strikes back.” This one was much better!
Also, notable differences between novelization and film: yoda is blue. Han and leia”s “I love you. I know.” scene is different and terrible. Thank goodness for Harrison Ford’s improv of that line.
Still a fantastic movie.
Also, notable differences between novelization and film: yoda is blue. Han and leia”s “I love you. I know.” scene is different and terrible. Thank goodness for Harrison Ford’s improv of that line.
Still a fantastic movie.
July 29, 2016
The second chapter in the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back takes place approximately 3 years after the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance has moved their hidden base to the deserted Ice planet Hoth to evade the evil Empire. Since then the Empire has grown more powerful and stronger, and Darth Vader is obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker, the hero that destroyed the Death Star. Luke receives a message from the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who orders Luke to go to the Dagobah system to find the wise Jedi Master Yoda, who was Obi-Wan's former mentor.
The Empire locates the Rebel's on Hoth and launches a large-scale attack against the base using AT-AT(All Terrain Armored Transport) Walkers, which I thought were the coolest things ever as a child. The Rebels led by Luke piloting the Snowspeeders are able to hold the Empire off long enough for most of the Rebels to escape. Han Solo escapes in the Millennium Falcon along with Princess Leia, (who he's starting to grow closer too) Chewbacca, and C-3PO, while Luke escapes along with R2-D2 in his X-Wing. Han Solo is on his way to pay off gangster Jabba the Hutt his payment while being chased by the Imperial Fleet, but due to some damage to the Falcon's Hyperdrive, they can't go very far, so they have no other choice but to land at the closest system, Bespin, Cloud City, to meet with Han's old friend Lando Calrissian, who previously owned the Falcon, but lost it to Han.
Luke travels to Dagobah which turns out to be a deserted swamp land to meet Yoda. Yoda teaches Luke the ways of the Force. During his training, Luke sees a premonition of Han and Leia in danger, and much to Yoda and Obi-Wan's saying it is Darth Vader's way of getting to Luke, he leaves to help them.
Eventually during their stay in Cloud City, Han and Leia find out that they were lured into a trap by Lando Calrissian, and come face-to-face with Darth Vader, and Boba Fett, the Bounty Hunter that Vader assigned to track down the Falcon and followed it all the way to Bespin, unknown by Han and Leia.
Luke arrives at Bespin and faces Vader in a deadly Lightsaber duel and finds out a terrible truth about the evil sorcerer.
A lot of people considered The Empire Strikes Back the best entry in the Saga, which I agree, other than A New Hope, which started it all. I wish I could have gone back in time to see them on the big screen!
Another fun read based on the movie, and had some good additional scenes which were not included in the movie.
The Empire locates the Rebel's on Hoth and launches a large-scale attack against the base using AT-AT(All Terrain Armored Transport) Walkers, which I thought were the coolest things ever as a child. The Rebels led by Luke piloting the Snowspeeders are able to hold the Empire off long enough for most of the Rebels to escape. Han Solo escapes in the Millennium Falcon along with Princess Leia, (who he's starting to grow closer too) Chewbacca, and C-3PO, while Luke escapes along with R2-D2 in his X-Wing. Han Solo is on his way to pay off gangster Jabba the Hutt his payment while being chased by the Imperial Fleet, but due to some damage to the Falcon's Hyperdrive, they can't go very far, so they have no other choice but to land at the closest system, Bespin, Cloud City, to meet with Han's old friend Lando Calrissian, who previously owned the Falcon, but lost it to Han.
Luke travels to Dagobah which turns out to be a deserted swamp land to meet Yoda. Yoda teaches Luke the ways of the Force. During his training, Luke sees a premonition of Han and Leia in danger, and much to Yoda and Obi-Wan's saying it is Darth Vader's way of getting to Luke, he leaves to help them.
Eventually during their stay in Cloud City, Han and Leia find out that they were lured into a trap by Lando Calrissian, and come face-to-face with Darth Vader, and Boba Fett, the Bounty Hunter that Vader assigned to track down the Falcon and followed it all the way to Bespin, unknown by Han and Leia.
Luke arrives at Bespin and faces Vader in a deadly Lightsaber duel and finds out a terrible truth about the evil sorcerer.
A lot of people considered The Empire Strikes Back the best entry in the Saga, which I agree, other than A New Hope, which started it all. I wish I could have gone back in time to see them on the big screen!
Another fun read based on the movie, and had some good additional scenes which were not included in the movie.
July 5, 2025
The Rebel Alliance, laying low on the ice planet of Hoth, is tracked down by the Empire and attacked. Han & Chewie take Princess Leia and C3PO - after a chase through an asteroid field - to Bespin, where an old friend called Landa Calrissian isn’t perhaps as trustworthy as Han thinks. Luke and R2 head to Dagobah, where they meet Jedi Master Yoda, who instructs ‘young Skywalker’ in the ways of the Force. However, Luke senses something wrong, involving his friends and Darth Vader and the scene is set for a showdown at Bespin.
Original 2011 review - I went back to this novel - which I haven’t read for years (decades, probably) - because they were showing the films on TV and I watched them with Matthew. I have to confess that, despite “Star Wars” being my favourite film of all time, science fiction isn’t a genre I tend to read much as it often leaves me cold - and that’s what happened at the start of this. Aside from some dodgy POV changes, Glut managed to make the Hoth section boring (I’m visual, the beginning of the film is almost all visual, so he was up against the wall but still…) and it was tough going until the Alliance escaped, whereupon the story really picked up pace and rattled through to the end. It was obviously written from a pre-shooting script (Yoda is the wrong colour, some of the dialogue changes, Cloud City as written doesn’t look like the film version and there’s a chase at the end), which was interesting and, overall, it turned out to be a lot of fun. I can’t say this as a sci-fi nut, but it’s well worth a read if you like the films (and can get over the Hoth section).
2020 re-read - I enjoyed it a lot this time around and although I can still see the point, I think I was a little harsh on the Hoth scenes in the 2011 review. Well worth a read.
2025 re-read - agree with the 2020, it’s good fun and the Hoth scenes work.
Original 2011 review - I went back to this novel - which I haven’t read for years (decades, probably) - because they were showing the films on TV and I watched them with Matthew. I have to confess that, despite “Star Wars” being my favourite film of all time, science fiction isn’t a genre I tend to read much as it often leaves me cold - and that’s what happened at the start of this. Aside from some dodgy POV changes, Glut managed to make the Hoth section boring (I’m visual, the beginning of the film is almost all visual, so he was up against the wall but still…) and it was tough going until the Alliance escaped, whereupon the story really picked up pace and rattled through to the end. It was obviously written from a pre-shooting script (Yoda is the wrong colour, some of the dialogue changes, Cloud City as written doesn’t look like the film version and there’s a chase at the end), which was interesting and, overall, it turned out to be a lot of fun. I can’t say this as a sci-fi nut, but it’s well worth a read if you like the films (and can get over the Hoth section).
2020 re-read - I enjoyed it a lot this time around and although I can still see the point, I think I was a little harsh on the Hoth scenes in the 2011 review. Well worth a read.
2025 re-read - agree with the 2020, it’s good fun and the Hoth scenes work.
February 25, 2014
"This one I have watched a long time. All his life has he looked away...to the horizon, to the sky, to the future. Never his mind on where he was, on what he was doing. Adventure, excitement. A Jedi craves not these things!"
"For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it and makes it grow. It's energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter."
So many amazing things happen in this story that we all know and love! Luke meets the mysterious and wise Yoda and begins his Jedi training. Han and Leia realize their feelings for one another. Luke is forced to face the truth about his father...and so on and so forth. This book is a great opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the world of Skywalker and the others and learn even more about the characters and places that mean so much to so many people.
"For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it and makes it grow. It's energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter."
So many amazing things happen in this story that we all know and love! Luke meets the mysterious and wise Yoda and begins his Jedi training. Han and Leia realize their feelings for one another. Luke is forced to face the truth about his father...and so on and so forth. This book is a great opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the world of Skywalker and the others and learn even more about the characters and places that mean so much to so many people.
December 3, 2011
This book added so much to the movie that several scenes were made to be understandable once I read the novelization.
August 8, 2023
Darth Vader really is Luke Skywalker's father in this amazing follow-up to the first (or fourth, depending on what order you're watching them in) movie, with a groundbreaking story that brings about major changes in the Star Wars universe.
The year is 3 ABY (after the Battle of Yavin and the events of Splinter of the Mind's Eye) and Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca are on the run from the Galactic Empire after the Rebel Alliance suffers a crushing defeat on the ice planet Hoth. While Han, Leia and Chewbacca head to the gas giant Bespin in the Millennium Falcon, seeking help from Han's old friend Lando Calrissian, Luke travels to the backwater world of Dagobah in search of the legendary Jedi master Yoda. Only with his help will Luke be able to survive when the dark side of the Force draws him into a fateful duel with Darth Vader, ending with his hand being cut off and Vader revealing to Luke that he is indeed his father, Anakin Skywalker!
This time round, we're introduced to some brand-new characters in the Star Wars universe:
The Wampa is a terrifying monster.
Yoda is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force. He is among the most powerful members of the Jedi Order and a general of clone troopers during the Clone Wars. He also trains all Jedi children before they are assigned a Jedi master.
Lando Calrissian (Baron Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III), one of my favorites, is the Baron Administrator of Cloud City on the gas planet Bespin. Before the events of TESB, Lando made a career as a gambler, con artist, playboy, mining engineer and businessman, and was the original owner of the Millennium Falcon until he lost the ship to Han in a bet.
Emperor Palpatine (AKA Darth Sidious) is the emperor of the Galactic Empire and the master of Darth Vader. He is portrayed as a cunning individual who uses Machiavellian tactics to bring the entire galaxy under his iron rule.
There are still lots of memorable action and thriller scenes, such as the Battle of Hoth with a squadron of Rebel snowspeeders going up against waves of Imperial AT-ATs, the Millennium Falcon getting chased by tons of TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers through an asteroid field, and the climactic lightsaber duel between Luke and Darth Vader. There are also a lot of scenes where Yoda teaches Luke Skywalker how to be stronger in the light side of the force on Dagobah, such as floating stuff around and trying to raise his X-Wing out of the dirty swamp. In addition, there are some scary moments, such as a scene where the group onboard the Millennium Falcon realize that it's not a cave and it's actually the inside of a giant space slug. Interestingly, this is the only Star Wars movie to not feature any desert planets.
In what was a huge shock at the time, this is even the first movie ever made in history when the heroes/protagonists actually lose and the villains/antagonists actually win. Han is frozen in carbonite and captured by the ruthless bounty hunter Boba Fett, while Luke loses a hand and suffers a lot of emotional trauma after finding out that Darth Vader is his father. Don't worry, our heroes eventually achieved their victory in the next movie.
And what more could we possibly want than the iconic dialogue, especially the scene near the end where Darth Vader reveals that he is Luke Skywalker's thought-dead father, Anakin Skywalker? That scene gave us one of the most iconic plot twists in cinema history, and is so iconic that movies and TV shows continue to parody this moment to this day.
Vader: Obi-Wan Kenobi never told you what happened to your father.
Luke : He told me enough. He told me you killed him.
Vader: NO, I AM YOUR FATHER.
Also, this famous scene before Han got carbonated, Princess Leia says to Han:
Leia: "I love you."
Han: "I know."
Now, as for the movie itself...with amazing acting (especially by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Frank Oz), and excellent cinematography by Peter Suschitzky...Even the soundtrack, performed by John Williams, is still amazing and unforgettable to this day, especially with tons of exciting, suspense and scary soundtrack moments throughout the movie like the Soviet-esque Imperial Death March. Unfortunately, the hologram of Palpatine is uncanny to look at and is considered one of the worst effects in the entire movie, but still, most of the special effects in the movie still hold up well to this day.
The first draft was written by screenwriter and prolific science fiction novelist Leigh Brackett, who had previously scripted The Big Sleep and Rio Bravo for Howard Hawks. Brackett died of cancer after completing her initial draft, and Lawrence Kasdan was hired to continue the script's development. To honor Brackett's contributions, both writers received screen credit.
Though he had told George Lucas that he was game to return for the sequel, Alec Guinness developed eye problems and was advised by his doctors to stay out of bright light. Faced with the possibility that the English actor might not be available to reprise his mentor role at all, the character of Yoda - originally called Minch Yoda - was conceived, as Lucas has said, "to replace Obi-Wan Kenobi."
During production, Lucasfilm began keeping track of plot leaks from cast and crew. The actor in Darth Vader's suit, David Prowse was by far the worst offender - and ultimately had to be given script pages different from what was actually intended for the final film. "David talks his head off," said director Irvin Kershner at the time.
Snowy Hoth scenes were shot on location in Finse, Norway, where weather conditions were so harsh that the crew was often unable to venture far beyond their hotel. According to associate producer Jim Bloom, "if the camera would've turned around, you'd have seen a big hotel behind you. But because of the weather it looked like you were out in the middle of nowhere.
Surprisingly, when James Earl Jones (Darth Vader's voice actor) first read the "I am your father" line in the script, he actually thought that Darth Vader was lying to Luke.
In commemoration for its 40th anniversary, the film was given a limited re-released into 411 theaters on July 10, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic closing most theaters worldwide and limiting what films played, Empire grossed $611,000 and topped the box office.
In 1997, George Lucas created the Star Wars "Special Editions", which included unnecessary additions to the original cuts of the movies, most notably an excess amount of CGI and recasting some of the characters. Lucas kept making more changes to them until dumb Disney bought out Lucasfilm in 2012. Since then, they have never officially released the original theatrical cuts of the films on DVD, Blu-Ray or digitally, except for the bonus discs for a 2006 DVD release, which were sourced from the 1993 Laserdisc releases. Also, on the topic of re-releases and remasters, they make it too obvious that Yoda is a puppet and it quickly becomes distracting due to the higher image resolution. And sometimes, these funny moments feel very unnecessary for a Star Wars movie, including but not limited to: the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive acting up, "Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder!", "Who's scruffy-looking?", and "You're lucky you don't taste very good!"
So there you go, and that's my review for The Empire Strikes Back.
The year is 3 ABY (after the Battle of Yavin and the events of Splinter of the Mind's Eye) and Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca are on the run from the Galactic Empire after the Rebel Alliance suffers a crushing defeat on the ice planet Hoth. While Han, Leia and Chewbacca head to the gas giant Bespin in the Millennium Falcon, seeking help from Han's old friend Lando Calrissian, Luke travels to the backwater world of Dagobah in search of the legendary Jedi master Yoda. Only with his help will Luke be able to survive when the dark side of the Force draws him into a fateful duel with Darth Vader, ending with his hand being cut off and Vader revealing to Luke that he is indeed his father, Anakin Skywalker!
This time round, we're introduced to some brand-new characters in the Star Wars universe:
The Wampa is a terrifying monster.
Yoda is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force. He is among the most powerful members of the Jedi Order and a general of clone troopers during the Clone Wars. He also trains all Jedi children before they are assigned a Jedi master.
Lando Calrissian (Baron Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III), one of my favorites, is the Baron Administrator of Cloud City on the gas planet Bespin. Before the events of TESB, Lando made a career as a gambler, con artist, playboy, mining engineer and businessman, and was the original owner of the Millennium Falcon until he lost the ship to Han in a bet.
Emperor Palpatine (AKA Darth Sidious) is the emperor of the Galactic Empire and the master of Darth Vader. He is portrayed as a cunning individual who uses Machiavellian tactics to bring the entire galaxy under his iron rule.
There are still lots of memorable action and thriller scenes, such as the Battle of Hoth with a squadron of Rebel snowspeeders going up against waves of Imperial AT-ATs, the Millennium Falcon getting chased by tons of TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers through an asteroid field, and the climactic lightsaber duel between Luke and Darth Vader. There are also a lot of scenes where Yoda teaches Luke Skywalker how to be stronger in the light side of the force on Dagobah, such as floating stuff around and trying to raise his X-Wing out of the dirty swamp. In addition, there are some scary moments, such as a scene where the group onboard the Millennium Falcon realize that it's not a cave and it's actually the inside of a giant space slug. Interestingly, this is the only Star Wars movie to not feature any desert planets.
In what was a huge shock at the time, this is even the first movie ever made in history when the heroes/protagonists actually lose and the villains/antagonists actually win. Han is frozen in carbonite and captured by the ruthless bounty hunter Boba Fett, while Luke loses a hand and suffers a lot of emotional trauma after finding out that Darth Vader is his father. Don't worry, our heroes eventually achieved their victory in the next movie.
And what more could we possibly want than the iconic dialogue, especially the scene near the end where Darth Vader reveals that he is Luke Skywalker's thought-dead father, Anakin Skywalker? That scene gave us one of the most iconic plot twists in cinema history, and is so iconic that movies and TV shows continue to parody this moment to this day.
Vader: Obi-Wan Kenobi never told you what happened to your father.
Luke : He told me enough. He told me you killed him.
Vader: NO, I AM YOUR FATHER.
Also, this famous scene before Han got carbonated, Princess Leia says to Han:
Leia: "I love you."
Han: "I know."
Now, as for the movie itself...with amazing acting (especially by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Frank Oz), and excellent cinematography by Peter Suschitzky...Even the soundtrack, performed by John Williams, is still amazing and unforgettable to this day, especially with tons of exciting, suspense and scary soundtrack moments throughout the movie like the Soviet-esque Imperial Death March. Unfortunately, the hologram of Palpatine is uncanny to look at and is considered one of the worst effects in the entire movie, but still, most of the special effects in the movie still hold up well to this day.
The first draft was written by screenwriter and prolific science fiction novelist Leigh Brackett, who had previously scripted The Big Sleep and Rio Bravo for Howard Hawks. Brackett died of cancer after completing her initial draft, and Lawrence Kasdan was hired to continue the script's development. To honor Brackett's contributions, both writers received screen credit.
Though he had told George Lucas that he was game to return for the sequel, Alec Guinness developed eye problems and was advised by his doctors to stay out of bright light. Faced with the possibility that the English actor might not be available to reprise his mentor role at all, the character of Yoda - originally called Minch Yoda - was conceived, as Lucas has said, "to replace Obi-Wan Kenobi."
During production, Lucasfilm began keeping track of plot leaks from cast and crew. The actor in Darth Vader's suit, David Prowse was by far the worst offender - and ultimately had to be given script pages different from what was actually intended for the final film. "David talks his head off," said director Irvin Kershner at the time.
Snowy Hoth scenes were shot on location in Finse, Norway, where weather conditions were so harsh that the crew was often unable to venture far beyond their hotel. According to associate producer Jim Bloom, "if the camera would've turned around, you'd have seen a big hotel behind you. But because of the weather it looked like you were out in the middle of nowhere.
Surprisingly, when James Earl Jones (Darth Vader's voice actor) first read the "I am your father" line in the script, he actually thought that Darth Vader was lying to Luke.
In commemoration for its 40th anniversary, the film was given a limited re-released into 411 theaters on July 10, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic closing most theaters worldwide and limiting what films played, Empire grossed $611,000 and topped the box office.
In 1997, George Lucas created the Star Wars "Special Editions", which included unnecessary additions to the original cuts of the movies, most notably an excess amount of CGI and recasting some of the characters. Lucas kept making more changes to them until dumb Disney bought out Lucasfilm in 2012. Since then, they have never officially released the original theatrical cuts of the films on DVD, Blu-Ray or digitally, except for the bonus discs for a 2006 DVD release, which were sourced from the 1993 Laserdisc releases. Also, on the topic of re-releases and remasters, they make it too obvious that Yoda is a puppet and it quickly becomes distracting due to the higher image resolution. And sometimes, these funny moments feel very unnecessary for a Star Wars movie, including but not limited to: the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive acting up, "Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder!", "Who's scruffy-looking?", and "You're lucky you don't taste very good!"
So there you go, and that's my review for The Empire Strikes Back.
May 12, 2020
I'm thinking NOTHING will ever live up to my first star wars read, Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith. That shit is crazy and in comparison EVERY Star Wars novel sort of falls flat on its face.
I guess this shouldn't be too much of a surprise because of the following pieces of information: what I am looking for in a novelization (in particular, but also ALL star wars novels) is Darth Vader/Anakin nonsense (re: sadness) or information about the Jedi order. I am the prequels' BITCH, and it's very possible that this novelization, which reads very much like a prose-ified or even in places like a transcript of esb itself, was there to fill the void between seeing and reliving the movie to the best of your ability until a) return of the jedi came out or b) they replayed esb on tv and you were around to catch it. The prose is nothing special and it doesn't add anything to my understanding of the characters. Honestly, because it's been 40 years since this movie came out, and star wars has in a lot of ways grown beyond the original trilogy, I (and also you, and pretty much everyone with more than a passing interesting, and also some people with only a passing interest, in star wars) have a better understanding of the characters than this book has. I'm not giving it two stars for that reason, just...the lackluster prose.
On the other hand! I will say I think modern star wars fans are really missing out on the impish nature of Yoda's original concept which he never really lost, which means I am now walking away from this novel with an increased Love for Yoda. I've been diagnosed with Loving Yoda disease and you all can fight me.
Oh, also, I can't believe how distracted I was by the revelation that tauntauns are giant lizards with hair and blubber. This was so upsetting to me, because it rocked my understanding of life itself. I spent about two hours on Friday googling whether or not reptiles could live in cold climates, thinking that was stupid, stop trying to apply science to star wars, there's nothing to say that reptiles COULDN'T adapt like tauntauns, but then going bACK and being like: why AREN'T THEY MAMMALS? This is such a small thing, not the fault of this book at all (it could have been retconned at any time and hasn't been; they've retconned so much! they will retcon their own retcon! Lucasfilsm, PLEASE), and like, literally just a fact about tauntauns but it is STILL upsetting me.
I guess this shouldn't be too much of a surprise because of the following pieces of information: what I am looking for in a novelization (in particular, but also ALL star wars novels) is Darth Vader/Anakin nonsense (re: sadness) or information about the Jedi order. I am the prequels' BITCH, and it's very possible that this novelization, which reads very much like a prose-ified or even in places like a transcript of esb itself, was there to fill the void between seeing and reliving the movie to the best of your ability until a) return of the jedi came out or b) they replayed esb on tv and you were around to catch it. The prose is nothing special and it doesn't add anything to my understanding of the characters. Honestly, because it's been 40 years since this movie came out, and star wars has in a lot of ways grown beyond the original trilogy, I (and also you, and pretty much everyone with more than a passing interesting, and also some people with only a passing interest, in star wars) have a better understanding of the characters than this book has. I'm not giving it two stars for that reason, just...the lackluster prose.
On the other hand! I will say I think modern star wars fans are really missing out on the impish nature of Yoda's original concept which he never really lost, which means I am now walking away from this novel with an increased Love for Yoda. I've been diagnosed with Loving Yoda disease and you all can fight me.
Oh, also, I can't believe how distracted I was by the revelation that tauntauns are giant lizards with hair and blubber. This was so upsetting to me, because it rocked my understanding of life itself. I spent about two hours on Friday googling whether or not reptiles could live in cold climates, thinking that was stupid, stop trying to apply science to star wars, there's nothing to say that reptiles COULDN'T adapt like tauntauns, but then going bACK and being like: why AREN'T THEY MAMMALS? This is such a small thing, not the fault of this book at all (it could have been retconned at any time and hasn't been; they've retconned so much! they will retcon their own retcon! Lucasfilsm, PLEASE), and like, literally just a fact about tauntauns but it is STILL upsetting me.
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