Star Wars: Lost Stars

After being very disappointed with the choppy mess that was Chuck Wendig's "Aftermath", I decided to give "Lost Stars" a read in hopes of filling the void left by the death of the old Expanded Universe. As many other reviews on Amazon will tell you, don't let the "young adult" category turn you away. While the novel contains many young adult themes (college, romance, etc.), it wasn't overpowering to the degree that you felt like you were no longer in the Star Wars universe. On the contrary, the book is written well enough that the story is far greater than the sum of its parts. What results is a character-driven storyline carefully woven into the backdrop of Episodes IV, V, and VI that actually has a natural-flowing progression. The primary draw to this novel is that it humanizes and portrays the primary Imperial characters as generally good people, not the bumbling idiots and evil caricatures as they are typically depicted in the films and pop culture. This is the story of how ordinary people signed up with the Empire's military in its early pre-Alderaan days and how things eventually fell apart. The novel does a wonderful job of portraying a variety of reactions by our Imperial characters to their increasingly oppressive leadership. Some are repulsed and some make excuses. All of the different reactions help develop the characters into people the audience can honestly identify with and care about. After all, in a galaxy as large as Star Wars, it makes logical sense to say that there were plenty of good, honest people in the Empire at its inception and to hear those stories told is very refreshing. Although some of the older Expanded Universe novels also humanized Imperial forces, this book was a more direct take on that topic and it really worked. For example, at early points in the novel, one finds themselves really hating the Rebel Alliance and believing the Death Star was the only key to galactic peace. Throughout the book, which spans the original trilogy, there are clever nods to memorable movie moments but none are forced. Some authors have a tendency to want to needlessly name-drop movie references and beat a dead horse with movie tie-ins, but Claudia Gray really doesn't do that in this book. I noticed there were several movie moments in which the main characters could have appeared "in the background", but the author wisely chose not to extend her characters' interactions that far. The end result is a really interesting new perspective on the same classic Star Wars plots we've all grown to know and love. My only complaint would be the last part of the book, whose plot points felt sort of rushed. Without revealing too much plot, the audience catches a small glimpse of the Battle of Jakku, which takes place a little over a year after the end of Return of the Jedi. Due to ultra-secrecy pressed by Disney relating to the forthcoming films (which prominently feature the remnants of the battle), I got the impression the author was probably given limited clearance on how to describe the Battle of Jakku and its buildup/fallout and just did the best she could. Of course, there is a good shot it will all be detailed in another future novel, anyway. Notwithstanding the somewhat-rushed feeling of the later stages of the plot, I would give "Lost Stars" a very high rating. It was a refreshing, different look at the same universe we've grown to know and as an old school fan of the Expanded Universe, I truly appreciated it. Give it a read!

Very enjoyable. Of the 3 New Canon books I've read (the other 2 being Aftermath and Lords of the Sith, the second of which I haven't finished), this is easily the best. Being a young adult novel, it does have a fair share of "forbidden romance" flair, but 90% of the time it does so with mature delicacy. Both leads have strong personalities, fleshed out backstories, inner turmoil, evolution of character, etc., with the point being they aren't cutouts or mere stand ins. You will actually care about the characters and the situations they are in. The only real complaint I have about the book is it falls too much into the realm of convenient coincidences, especially near the end. A few of them are, admittedly, justified. But after awhile it feels formulaic. The rest of the good: 1) A clear, concise story that is both more intimate than Aftermath and greater in scope (which is impressive). I'm one of the apparently few that generally liked Aftermath (~3/5) but was definitely disappointed by its lack of overall contribution its main story had. Lost Stars doesn't set up The Force Awakens, but it certainly tells a better and more interesting story of the post-ROTJ Empire, brief as it may be. (Hint, Jakku is the planet on the cover) 2) A real, "gritty" take on the Galactic Civil War. Unlike the movies, this book full on dives in the gray area that is the Rebels vs. the Empire. The rebels are often perceived as terrorists, and justifiably so. Some characters perceive them as the lesser of two evils. The Empire is often seen as the glue holding the universe together, also valid. The destruction of both Death Stars (but especially the first) acknowledges the fact there were plenty of good, "not evil" Imperial soldiers on board that were killed in their destructions. There's also the conflict between loyalty to one's commitment (i.e. duty as an Imperial officer) and loyalty to one's own morals (very much like Metal Gear Solid 3's "loyalty to country or loyalty to self" speech). There's of course plenty more to like fleshed out in the other reviews, but these are my favorite aspects of the novel. TLDR: The Force is strong with this one.

Lost Stars has the had unfortunate luck in being published on the same day as Aftermath. As such, very little attention has been given to this book. To begin this review, it's necessary to clear up some basic points. First, this novel is labeled as young adult. Don't let that dissuade you from reading the novel, at some points it feels like a young adult novel (in the first few chapters), but as the story progresses it stops feeling like a young adult novel. Second, this novel spans about 16 years, so this review might contain "spoilers", but rest assured that they won't be important things, rather minor, insignificant points to illustrate the strong and weak points of the novel. Events from the Star Wars movies will be mentioned and are some of those 'spoilers'. This novel is fun. It follows Thane and Ciena, children from the Outer Rim who dream of joining the Imperial Academy when they're 8 (8 years after Revenge of the Sith) and continues until the Battle of Jakku (several months after Endor). From the back cover you'll know that one joins the Rebellion and the other stays in the Empire, something which you can basically figure out within the first few chapters. That is one of the novel's strongest and weakest points in my opinion. The plot is predictable at times, by the time they finished the Imperial Academy I already figured out how the novel was going to end (which turned out to be correct), but on the flip side the author is talented enough to take the plot and characters to their necessary points in a fashion that it doesn't feel forced. The character's decisions were made, not because the plot demanded it, but because that's what they would have done. Admittedly, these chapters were a bit boring for me but they did present the second strong point for the novel: you see and understand why people join the Empire. You get an understanding of how the Empire was presented, what it stood for, what people believed and how they justified their views. To my knowledge, no other Star Wars novel does this (I can be mistaken). As we all know, the Empire is evil and our characters see and live this. The characters are placed in the events of the Trilogy, from the Death Star to Hoth to Endor. The way the author does this is very good and doesn't feel forced. You can easily believe that they were in those battles, and the author knows how to build the tension in these moments. They both witness the greatness and horrors of the Empire and react, not how the plot needs them, but how they as characters have been presented and developed. The author quite cleverly took 'minor' points from the movies and placed the characters there in a way that doesn't affect the established cannon nor feel forced. To give an example of this: in A New Hope two imperial extras comment how an escape pod was launched but was empty. One of the characters in the novel is in that room and overhears this. Perhaps the best part of it all is how the characters (main and minor) justify their actions. They go from blind idealism, to rationalizing the events before their eyes. Some are disgusted with the Death Star, while others defend it. Slowly, through the years, they are forced to compromise their basic values because the Empire demands it. You see the slow process of how they fall out of love with the Empire, that moment when you realize that all that you have believed in and followed is evil and you are disgusted with yourself because of how blind you were. Others see the horrors of the Empire and rationalize it until the end, taking pride in what the Empire does no matter what. While others are so disgusted they just leave as soon as possible. This examination, which happens to several characters, is the biggest highlight of the novel and takes up a good portion of it as character development for them. The novel does have only three bad things to it. One of them contains a significant spoiler, so I won't include it in the review. Suffice it to say, that at the end, one of the character's beliefs/ thoughts about their future doesn't make sense with what was presented. You''ll have to read it to understand what I'm going on about, but it is possible that I missed something. The second thing is the predictability of the plot. With all seriousness, you can deduce the ending by reading the first chapters. It's spelled out before you in clear words. The third and final downside is that the last fifth of the novel ups the tempo and it seems as though the author was rushed. To put this into perspective: the Battle of Endor starts. Same page the '"it's a trap!" line. Two pages later the Death Star fires and they move to attack the Star Destroyers. Within five pages the Executor and Death Star are gone. The Battle of Endor comes down to basically one chapter, no more than twenty pages. After that there's a small time jump, but the final act of the novel feels a bit disjointed because of this. However, these three criticisms are minor. They didn't ruin the novel or make it bad. At the end of the novel you'll want to know more and want Caludia Gray to write a follow up or see how (if) these characters make it into the movies, even the minor ones. This novel should have been the flagship novel for the Journey to Episode VII, not Aftermath. TL;DR: this book is well written, fun, and worth your time and money. If nothing else, read the fourth paragraph in my review to see why the novel is great.

I rather enjoyed this novel. I grew up reading the expanded universe and I must say that I haven't enjoyed a Star Wars novel this much since Stackpole's X-Wing saga. While this certainly is "young adult" in some very typical ways, it doesn't weigh on the story. Let it be what it's trying to be and you'll enjoy it. Now that that's out of the way....I have to say that I was fascinated by the core unifying theme of 'Lost Stars' and I would describe that theme as pointed and entirely unique to Star Wars. The book is consumed with its examination of the socio-political relationships between the Empire and its subjects...i.e...why people choose to serve the Empire or join the Rebellion for that matter, how the Empire manipulates, propagandizes and fanaticizes people from its official and ruling classes right down to the highest and lowest classes of the farthest flung backwater worlds in the outer rim. Our two protagonists are one another of two different classes on one of these worlds, Jelucan, and the story follows them from early in their childhoods, a chance meeting with Grand Moff Tarkin that leaves an indelible mark on both children, pushing a driving ambition in the both of them to reach the imperial academy and ultimately, service in the Imperial Fleet. We follow Ciena and Thane through the major conflicts of the Galactic Civil War of the classic trilogy and even beyond. They become the fiercest friends and, without ruining anything, you become fascinated with the dynamics of that relationship. Moving along... While placing these characters in the midst of so many major events in the classic trilogy is, to an extent, a bit heavy handed, it is excusable in that the author offers plausibility to the why and how, allowing for an indulgent suspension of disbelief. Gray's ability to write people and their apparent motivations is what carries this novel and the themes I discussed earlier. Her narrative style relies heavily on the use of internal monologue and she achieves distinct personality so convincingly as to draw the reader to these people in a manner that begs motivational questions of the universe at large in a way that is new to Star Wars. In watching either trilogy, particularly the classic films of IV, V and VI, the audience is privy to the briefest glimpses of everyday life. Much of what there is to see centers on events of the utmost importance on a Galactic scale. Gray's approach is to focus on day to day life as far and as long as the events relevantly allow to frame the world of imperial life, from the mundane and thoroughly detailed cultural ascpects of life on Jelucan through to the day to day demands of training in an imperial academy and ultimately service in the fleet. Stormtroopers, TIE pilots and officers become people rather than walking talking action figures. When Luke's proton torpedoes enter the exhaust port at the far end of the Death Star trench, it elicits jubilation in us because we are witnesses to the atrocity that befell the billions living on Alderaan. The Death Star had to go. There's no reasonable argument suggesting otherwise. But how many died on the Death Star? How many died not knowing of the evil they truly served? How many were decent people, proud to serve in military service to their government, while they themselves had been manipulated and deceived? The Empire is evil. Is every single soul in its service evil and how does one view those people, those that continue to serve and those that rebel, their reasoning? These are sobering notions at the heart of 'Lost Souls' that hold the narrative together and cement it as an essential source for understanding the larger socio- political implications of the Galactic Civil War and the people living day to day lives on both sides of the conflict. Before this novel, I had never considered innocence among the imperials. They were the evil ones and I rejoiced at their downfall in all its spectacle. But as with any conflict, we must remember the people of both sides. Gray reminds us of this and does so wonderfully. Evil must be confronted, as the rebels so bravely illustrate, but not all of those in its service are aware of that evil or necessarily that evil themselves.

"Two households, both alike in dignity," Star Wars: Lost Stars is pretty much Romeo and Juliet in space...and that is a verygood thing. Our dashing hero and heroine, Ciena and Thane (really, though? Thane? ...sounds like he just stepped outta Twilight with that name...) hail from similar households on the same planet, and they both have similar dreams and skills, and the setup is cute - not the kinda cute that it makes it stupid, but the kinda cute that makes the readers invested in the two main characters, their growth, and most importantly their friendship. "In fair Verona, where we lay our scene," Actually, it’s on Jelucan, a typical Star Wars planet with some peace-loving traditional folk, and some more modernized slightly snobby folk. But it’s set up well, and the changes that take place to the planet itself are just as tragic and heartbreaking as what happens to Ciena and Thane (Thane...perhaps he just stepped out of someone’s D&D session...?). Oh, should I tag this with a spoiler alert? ...it is Romeo and Juliet (in space), after all... "From ancient grudge break to new mutiny," Actually, the grudge isn’t that ancient because at the beginning of the book the Empire is just starting out. I really appreciated how Gray shows the Empire trying to be good, and running its propaganda so that, in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, some galactic citizens were genuinely happy to be ruled by the Empire (until, inevitable, they were’t). It was a very refreshing perspective. "Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean." Brother fighting brother! Lover fighting lover! Oh, the humanity!! "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes" Actually, unlike Romeo and Juliet, after the “households” are established, they only show up again to move the plot along - but when they do show up to move the plot along, the readers are emotionally invested and so their few scenes work remarkably well. "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;" Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?) "Whose misadventured piteous overthrows" Star Wars: Lost Stars does a marvelous job of using the events of the original trilogy to anchor the plot, but it never becomes a gimmick or a crutch. There are more than enough scenes and locations that don’t appear in the original trilogy so you never feel like Gray couldn’t come up with her own ideas (that is certainly not the case in this book). "Do with their death bury their parents' strife." Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?) "The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love," At the beginning of the novel I was afraid that the relationship would be a typical YA romance (read: shallow). It was not. Do understand, that this is still Star Wars, and it is still YA, but the struggles, joys, fears, and devastations of Ciena and Thane (...didn't Batman fight a Thane once or twice...? Oh, no that was Bane...) are very real. "And the continuance of their parents' rage," Well, more like the continual rage of Empire and Rebellion... "Which, but their children's end, nought could remove," Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?) (How many times can I use this cop-out...?) "Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;" The plot of the book moves very quickly, and often months pass between chapters. As a result the relationship between Ciena and Thane (sigh) get time to grow naturally. It’s not, unlike the actual Romeo and Juliet, a relationship that is a thirty-six hour fling. In fact, the romance of Lost Stars is much more believable because it endures time, real growth, hardship, and the joys that follow. "The which if you with patient ears attend," Some might find the book a bit rushed, especially if you’re looking for super insights into what’s been going on in the Star Wars Universe since the destruction of the second Death Star. But you gotta understand, Star Wars: Lost Stars is a character study, a look at a wonderful relationship between two characters as they grow from kids to adults, a look at why some people found the Empire to be the savior of the galaxy, a look at why some people found the Rebellion to be misguided, and a look at how a Star Wars novel can work wonders when it’s focused on the normal people rather than always being focused on the lightsabers or X-Wings. Also, great ending. FYI. "What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend." Star Wars: Lost Stars easily romances itself right to the top of the Best Star Wars Novels of All Time list. Go read it, and give Claudia Gray your money so that Disney gets the hint and commissions more Star Wars novels like this one. Claudia Gray, this is wonderfully written, and beautiful book. Fantastic job.

This story has a wonderful depiction of its protagonists' frightful, tormented friendship and love. Your enjoyment mileage may vary depending on whether you're a fan of simple, everyman characters continually running into famous characters from the films -- I'm not a big fan, and my star rating has vacillated between three and four stars. Ultimately, I dumped it up to four because the cheesy fan service run-ins aren't really just filler between the core character development, and that's where this book excels. The relationship between Thane and Ciena is great. This is a wonderful, affectionate, frustrating friendship and romance that really shines. The novel does a good job bouncing between the two, and there are a few moments where there's a great echo between one section's/protagonist's ending and the other's pick-up from a new point of view. Individually, I also liked these characters. They have totally different reads on their worlds and what it means to do the right thing, and each is entirely sympathetic. Their overlaps on Jelucan in particular are great, wonderful segments. Similarly, there are some neat supporting characters. Thane's academy roommate sticks around until the final pages, and he's the first Alderaanian from Star Wars media I can think of who doubles down on loyalty to the Empire after his home world is destroyed. Ciena's father later in the book is in a pretty painful position, and his take on the family's circumstances is both poignant and a strong reinforcement for how Ciena herself reconciles her service with her skepticism. A few other roommates and squadronmates aren't as robust, but they are nevertheless distinct and offer nice texture. Stepping outside those core characters and their relationship, though, I found the connections to the greater Star Wars universe at times distracting. It was difficult to suspend my disbelief at these characters' various happenstance and coincidental run-ins with Moff Tarkin, Captain Piett, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, General Rieekan, Wedge Antilles, Dak Ralter, General Madine, and Mon Mothma. Similarly, their mutual or individual presence at/over Hoth, Cloud City, an Imperial fleet staging area, and Jakku all stretched credulity. A couple of these lead into realizations about the other e.g. being alive, and that pays off later ... but, the coincidental run-ins with beloved characters from the films coupled with coincidentally being near each other during the war seemed often like attempts at fan service. Unfortunately, that fan service didn't compute with me: the Star Wars universe is vast, and I much prefer a story that advances itself or its characters through something new. Thane's experience on the freighter Moa is a great example, and likewise Ciena's duties after the Battle of Endor. The book occasionally suggests that the pair so often being coincidentally proximate to each other is the will of the Force, but that doesn't explain unnecessary, distracting cameos by the likes of Moff Tarkin and Mon Mothma. And there are a few moments that simply pulled me out of the story because things didn't make sense. A hologram of Moff Tarkin makes a comment over Ciena's shoulder ... was it there a moment before? With whom was Tarkin speaking? The other officer there seems distracted, and not paying attention to the Moff. Or why does Ciena lament not going down to Cloud City in one paragraph, but six paragraphs later complain about being bumped into by an Ugnaught ... on Cloud City? Why would Mon Mothma refer to the pilots in a briefing room as "officers" when one is identified a few pages earlier as a private? (And why is a private flying an X-wing?) Why is it no big deal that Ciena decides she's just going to jump into a TIE fighter when a ship is sent to battlestations -- even if she's not on duty, she's going to have some other role to serve, and wouldn't some TIE fighter without a wingman or even a radio designation be kind of confusing to all the other pilots? And then there are just some oddball things, like Ciena apparently remembering some events in The Empire Strikes Back out of order (thinking Vader knew about the Falcon's flight to Bespin before the asteroid chase), Ciena being concerned about a crew of "hundreds of thousands" on a regular Star Destroyer (more accurately framed as "tens of thousands" by Thane just a couple of pages earlier), or Thane being worried about falling several kilometers in a service shaft on a starship that just isn't that big. I started this review clicking just two stars, and pretty shortly after bumped it up to three. And now I've happily written myself up to four because, despite my own preference for a broader, more nerdily accurate Star Wars world, this is still one of the best character stories I've ever read in Star Wars. The cameos and nitpicky "factual" details distracted me, but still I read through pretty much nonstop across just a couple of days. This is a worthy addition to the new Star Wars empire. I probably wouldn't read it again myself, but I could imagine recommending this to a friend or family member looking for some satisfying standalone Star Wars material.

That's right, I said it. This is the best Star Wars novel since the Thrawn trilogy!! I rarely give 5 stars in reviews, but Lost Stars certainly deserves it. Right from the very first page of this novel, the story sends you off an a journey like an X-wing jumping into hyperspace!! As a result, I had to fight to put the book down. At times I was wishing I didn't have a job or any other responsibilities so I could just read it non-stop, cover to cover. I was immediately intrigue and connected to the two main characters and ready to follow their lives as they wove their way through the galaxy we come to know and love. Every chapter seemed to have a new surprise or connection to relating to the movies or other novels, which only increased my fascination with the Star Wars universe as I mentally clicked various pieces of the Star Wars puzzle together. Not only did Claudia do a great job of including these surprises in fun and exciting ways, but she also wrote about the characters in a way that added more and more of their moralities, beliefs, physical traits, etc. to them through the entirety of the novel, which made it feel like a build your own adventure book. Personally, I like learning about a book's characters in that way. I don't want to know everything about them right at the beginning, I want to learn little tidbits as I read the entire book. I have so much more I want to write about in this review but I enjoyed Lost Stars so much that I don't want to ruin it for anyone else who has yet to read it. But what I will say (or admit to) is that it will pull on your heartstrings. The last book I read that induced as many tears as Lost Stars, was Marley and Me. I found myself weeping heavily on a number of occasions, which is a testament to Claudia's writing ability and how she chose to develop these characters. One last thing I want to speak about before ending this review is the negative rep that young adult novels seem to have. It's ridiculous to think that somehow these young adult books are inferior. Lost Stars is proof that they are not, and in some ways they are superior. The beauty of young adult novels is that it's written like it's spoken language, which in turns makes the characters so much more believable and endearing. The dialogue is natural and fluid which makes a reader feel like they could actually hear conversations like that in their real lives, thus drawing readers deeper into the novel's world/galaxy. As I read this novel, I felt like this galaxy was real and I could hop on a starship at anytime and go there. In addition, another outcome of this writing style is that it makes it very very easy to picture this book as a live-action movie (which would be an AMAZING!!)

Lost Stars is not as talked about as it should be. It is by far my favorite book in the new canon, and may possibly be my favorite Star Wars book of all time, including the old expanded universe books that I was so fond of. It was gripping and enthralling all the way through. The character depth is staggering. You get inside the mind of these characters more than I can recall ever seeing before in another book in this universe. Even when there are decisions made that go against what you may decide if it was you, you always understand why they are being done. There is never any disconnect from the adventure since everything is smooth and belongs exactly in it's place. There are some favorite characters from the original trilogy inside, but none of them feel out of place or thrown in just to get a "wow" from the reader. Everything feels very organic and natural all the way through, and every move they do makes sense and matches up to what we see on screen. As the name of the novel implies, this takes you on a journey to The Force Awakens. I read this after I've seen the movie in theaters and absolutely loved this book, so there's no reason not to read this after the movie. And there are no real spoilers for those who haven't seen it, so no excuse not to read this either way. I've also read that this novel is in the Young Adult category, and while it is a good read for younger readers, it is still a must read for adults. If none of the other new books do it, this novel certainly gives me a feeling of excitement at the new direction and the new life of Star Wars. The book begins at a time prior to A New Hope, and continues on and past the end of Return of the Jedi. It follows two very new and unique characters from a new world with customs we have yet to see in Star wars, through the Imperial academy and beyond. The characters may grow as the story progresses, but they start off as fully developed on the page. I can't remember the last time I've connected so quickly to the people I'm reading about. The pace is perfect and the world building is beautifully done. And as these characters move forward to the Imperial Academy, the detail really draws you in, and gives you an incredible inside look at the Empire and the people that are a part of it. Not everybody is a Darth Vader or Emperor, and it's fun to see why people join and how the world looks in their eyes. The story flows through major events we've seen before, but now with a new perspective. It adds even more meaning to events we've already seen, but it's done very smoothly. (Some prequels for example don't line up with what happens in the original movie, like The Hobbit movies may not line up with LOTR perfectly. Why was this a surprise? Why wasn't this? Etc.) It's like finding a couple missing jigsaw pieces that you didn't realize were missing, but help to complete the picture. There is a bit of a love story in Lost Stars as well. Now, I'm not a reader of romance novels (although my wife will drag me to all the Nicholas Sparks movies), but I can tell you that this relationship is worth the read. This is built entirely with a very real and believable approach. Everything makes sense and this is another example of something that feels very organic as you read it. This may technically be a fantasy novel, but it all feels very tangible and real. I can't say enough good things about this book, and I strongly encourage anyone to purchase this and give this a shot. The stars aren't the only things "lost" in these pages, because as soon as I started it I was lost and caught up in the story too.

this book came from Ubuntu books and it was badly stored, it was dirty all over, including on the pages and the pages were miss cut making the sleeve shorter than the pages

As someone who read a lot of the old canon (now "Legacy") books, this is the first of the new canon that I've read. This is one of the best Star Wars books I've had the pleasure of reading. I couldn't put it down.

Lost Stars should be the YA that people point to when they need to argue that the genre can handle heavy topics well, have engaging characters, and have compelling writing.

This is the best Star Wars stand-alone book I have read. The story grips you from the very beginning and remains with you long after you've finished. I read this book in under 7 hours. Un-putdownable.

ottimo