Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed

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Publication date: 2016
Publisher: Del Ray
Pages: 322
My rating: 3.5 stars
Ages: 13+

It's been nearly twenty years since the Empire took power over the universe. The Rebel Alliance has heard rumors of a new powerful weapon the Empire is building, but has been unable to find any proof. Jyn Erso has spent most of her life fighting, with no real loyalty to anyone or any side. Cassian Andor is an intelligence agent working for the Alliance. The two are thrown together on a task to learn more about the Empire's new weapon, putting them, and the Alliance, in danger as they travel across the galaxy, creating a rag tag group who is willing to do anything to hurt the Empire.

After seeing the movie, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I found out by looking things up on the Internet that the novelization included more information on each character and scenes that didn't make it into the movie. I immediately bought the book and anxiously waited for it to arrive.

I don't usually read novelizations, because they are basically everything you see on the screen put into print, which rarely makes a good novel. This was a pretty good novelization. Freed was able to take the story and add things to it that, for the most part, felt true to the characters presented on the screen. It provides context for the characters that we don't see in the film, though I think he did Jyn a bit of a disservice. In the film, she had strong opinions and her own moral code and a natural leader. In the book she seemed unsure, unfit for leadership, and without the nuances had made her such a great character in the film.

Several of the nuances from the film were lost, while others were added. There was also a liberal use of italics throughout the book, which were unnecessary and distracting.

In all, good for Star Wars fans, especially those teens who are reluctant readers.

There is no language or sex.

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