Various Authors
In honor of the fortieth anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, forty storytellers recreate an iconic scene through the eyes of its supporting characters, from heroes and villains to droids and creatures. [This book] features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists: Austin Walker explores the unlikely partnership of bounty hunters Dengar and IG-88 as they pursue Han Solo. Hank Green chronicles the life of a naturalist caring for tauntauns on the frozen world of Hoth. Tracy Deonn delves into the dark heart of the Dagobah cave where Luke confronts a terrifying vision. Martha Wells reveals the world of the Ugnaught clans who dwell in the depths of Cloud City. Mark Oshiro recounts the wampa's tragic tale of loss and survival. Seth Dickinson interrogates the cost of serving a ruthless empire aboard the bridge of a doomed Imperial starship. Plus more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales.
I was hooked from the first story. (The tale of one of the humanoids sifting through the visual data from the thousands of viper droids the Empire sent throughout the galaxy in search of rebels. You know...those floating probe thingies that found Han and Luke on the ice planet Hoth?) Some were better at incorporating dialog and scenes from the film into their own protagonist's POV than others, but each one offered insight into previously unexplored feelings, motivations, and connections. And yes, I have placed the other short story collections based on A New Hope and Return of the Jedi on my "to be read" list! Point of interest: in one of the stories, a bounty hunter identifies Chewbacca as the pilot of the Millenium Falcon and Han Solo as "his smart-mouthed sidekick." Point of frustration: The standard Star Wars practice of spelling names in ways that make it impossible to know how to pronounce them is rampant and earuhteighting (e.g., Seitaron, Tian Karmiya, Kashyyyk, etc.).
First Line: Pick any of the last ten transmissions you've looked at.
Page 56 / Line 5: She's been captured, corralled, tamed.
A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: In any given situation, he knew, there were men who believed they were in charge, and there were men who truly were.
Last Line: The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space....
