I used to love Star Wars more than anything. It was the end-all, be-all of sci-fi. Then I started to read sci-fi books and watch anime. My opinion of Star Wars went down considerably. And over the years I saw the movies so many times I thought I would never want to see them again. Well, I am once again VERY excited about Star Wars...

What do I love about this Manga? Where do I start? First, this Manga is pretty much word-for-word exactly the same as the movie. Secondly, the art style is more than good. It's incredible. I never thought I could get into a comic book without color, but man this one changed my mind. Then there is the character designs.

Some people might not like their favorite Star Wars characters remade into anime-style characters with big eyes, but personally I REALLY dig it. I never really liked Princess Leia in
A New Hope, but man, get a load of what she looks like now! She just went from a character I didn't like to a fantasticly beautiful and deeply soulful character (well, that how I feel about it anyway).

Lastly, I will say that the action in this Manga series is truly amazing. From the first time a light saber lights up you will be amazed. If you love Star Wars you need this Manga. If you used to like Star Wars and now like comic books, check it out anyway.

Well at least this is a more complete version of the film than the American one, I'm a great lover of anime and manga, and you can be sure that I loved reading Star Wars in this highly expressive style, This volume features many scenes scripted that never made even to the Special Edition.

Certainly artist Hisao Tamaki took some liberties like changing a little bit of Princess Leia's look, but I can asure you that it looks great and true to the original style... hey! by the way if George Lucas got inspired to create Star Wars by watching Akira Kurosawa's films then you can be sure this is a wonderful adaptation!

This is a truly wonderful adaption. I love the style, and the whole thing is just so good you won't care that you've already seen the movie. It's like, you can really look over the good parts, taking in every detail. Thank God they kept it in black and white! The artist does an incredible job with shading and character likeness, and you can almost hear Mark Hamill's voice... This manga also includes a flash back and a cool pic of the sandtroopers on dewbacks. I'd recommend this for Star Wars fans in general, Japanese or American.

Like many Star Wars geek boys out there, I was skeptical about the radio dramatizations of 'Star Wars' and 'The Empire Strikes Back'. Could they possibly come even remotely close to capturing the magic of the films without the visual element? To my pleasant surprise, it could, and did, with flying colors. Not only do the audio presentations re-tell the stories of the movies in vivid detail, they also add a few side moments that weren't present in the visual presentations, fleshing out and adding depth to the timeless tales. To borrow Paul Harvey's catchphrase, now you know the rest of the story.

Out of the three audio presentations produced, I find 'Empire' to come in a close second to the original 'Star Wars' radio show in terms of quality and drama. It's also of lesser duration, running a mere ten half-hour episodes to 'Wars' thirteen. But even though 'Empire' comes up somewhat short when compared to its predecessor, it's still an engrossing and enjoyable waste of five hours.

'Late

Following the success of the original Star Wars radio dramatization of A New Hope on NPR, the cast and production team came together again to adapt The Empire Strikes Back. Using the original musical score and sound effects from the film, the team has proved once more that a very visual film can translate to the radio format, if done right.

The cast is once again led by film trilogy stars Mark Hamill, as Luke Skywalker, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, and SW radio drama regulars, Ann Sachs as Leia, Perry King as Han Solo, Brock Peters as Darth Vader and Bernard Beherns as Obi Wan Kenobi. New to the radio cast is Billy Dee Williams, repising his role from the original film, and John Lithgow as Jedi Master Yoda. Lithgow does an excellent job with his vocal portrayal of Yoda. It's more than just another person imitating Frank Oz from the film. He really delivers, in much the same way that Brock Peters does, in making Vader his own. Following James Earl Jones's footsteps is daunting but Peters rises to the task. Having 3 principals reprise their film roles from Empire is also a plus and makes this production all the better

Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare In Love), and with post production by Tom Voegeli, both of whom worked on all 3 radio adaptations of the series, also helps give Empire a sense of true sense of continuty. Radioplay author Brian Daley returned as well. Athough his adapted script for Empire is shorter by 3 episodes over A New Hope's adaptation, there's still time for a number of additional scenes, not in the film version. The added material stays true to the story and characters Daley was particularly good at having the charaters "describe" the visual action in such a way, as not to slow down the telling of the story.

The CD edition has 10 episodes that are spread over 5 discs The production has an approximate running time of 5 hours. The Empire radio drama is highy recommended and is as good an adaptation as the one created for A New Hope

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama

Following the success of NPR's 13-part radio adaptation of Star Wars, writer Brian Daley reunited with director John Madden and post-production wizard Tom Voegeli to bring The Empire Strikes Back to the airwaves. Having attracted large audiences (for public radio) with the Star Wars Radio Drama, NPR and everyone involved in the ambitious project were anxious to prove that lightning could, indeed, strike twice.

After all, Star Wars films are best known for their visual effects, so many people, including fans, were surprised that Star Wars worked well as a radio serial. But visuals are only part of the movie-going experience, after all. Where would any movie be without characters? Or sound? Or music? Or, for that matter, a coherent narrative thread? (And before someone points out that movies were silent once, I will remind readers that yes, they were silent, but they had musical accompaniment.) Furthermore, expanding the two-hour-plus film into 10 episodes gave familiar characters both depth and color.

The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama opens with action when a Rebel convoy bound for Hoth is ambushed by waves of Imperial TIE fighters and annihilated near Derra IV. We then cut directly to the opening of the movie, when an Imperial Star Destroyer launches a batch of probe droids programmed to seek out the Rebels' new hidden base. Then we are reunited with our favorite heroes on the icy planet Hoth....and, well, if you have seen the classic trilogy, you know the Empire will definitely strike back.

In addition to the original cast from the Star Wars Radio Drama (which included Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels - both reprising their film roles of Luke Skywalker and C-3PO - Perry King, Ann Sachs, Bernard Behrens, and Brock Peters), Madden was able to enlist Billy Dee Williams to be the voice of Lando Calrissian, the charming but duplicitous Baron Administrator of Cloud City. To round out the major characters from Empire, John Lithgow was cast as Yoda. (He doesn't sound much like Frank Oz, but after a while one gets used to this and gets swept away in the story.)

Although this Radio Drama also expands the story somewhat (it has 10 episodes and runs for roughly five hours), it sticks to its source material and leaves the cliffhanger ending intact. Most of the new material covers the prelude to the battle of Hoth (we get to hear Han and Luke trying to survive that horrible night in an emergency shelter on the ice plains near Echo Base, for instance), and of course Daley and Madden often have to resort to the old radio conventions of characters having to say what they see or are doing.

There were, of course, plans to make a radio adaptation of Return of the Jedi, but it got, as Han Solo says in that film to Jabba, "a little sidetracked" by budget woes at NPR. It did get made at last, but that story will have to wait a bit....

Based on a newspaper review, I read this book out of curosity. The book records Mr. Ammons' recollections of his life, his family and his business dealings. The book is not a literary work of art. It does reflect Mr. Ammons' unique opinions, which are consistently blunt, direct, no non-sense and to-be-point. His IRS ordeal was a chilling reminder that government works in strange and amazing ways. The book is entertaining summer reading.

What a wonderful and refreshing "picture" of someone who has become very successful without compromising family or values. The author's "comfortable" style of writing made me feel as though Mr. Ammons was sitting next to me, sharing his life and philosophies in warm conversation. Excellent book!

This is a wonderful book that reminds me of sitting down and listening to my own grandfather tell me stories of his life and growing up on a farm.

We all love parts of Star Wars, but why settle? For example, he could take a novel like Defenders of the Holy Grail and make it as magical as Lord of the Rings. His fantasies miss connections with the modern world His studio could be making real statements about the human condition instead of lightweight _______.

Wonderful book about the great filmaker who gave us such masterpieces as THX 1138,Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars. . . .very rich and well done with beatiful colored pages, and comments from other filmaker on the movies of George Lucas. . . . a wonderful edition that would look great on anyone cofee table,so go out and buy it today.

This book gives you a sequence of events in Lucas' creative empire. It also contains interesting quotes from the man himself as well as other significant contributors to his work. It may come as a surprise to some of us that Lucas' goals are quite similar to our own; the only difference is that he has a very strong will to make it all come true.

Contained in this book are his projects that touched many who will never imagine the same way again.

The only reason I gave this book two stars is because it's really meant for kids younger than myself, so I probably can't rate it accurately. For one thing, it's way to short! I can literaly read it in fifteen minutes, and all the best parts of the movie are left out. The writing is also undiscriptive, boring, and it doesn't show the character developement that was in the movie. Even when I first read this book at ten years old I thought it wasn't that good, but now truthfully the only interesting part is the pictures from the movie stuck in the middle. Younger kids eleven and under, for whom this book is intended for, might not mind this, and it is a good start for young readers who want to get into reading Star Wars, but older fans probably won't like it.

If there was any book in the world i would read Star Wars A New Hope. It was one of the best books I've ever read. There are reasons I like this book one of them is imaginative, and full of excitment.

This book is great! It brings the movies stunning images into your mind and also gives those images more depth than any movie could give. Luke Skywalker is a young Farm-Boy how dreams of joining the acadamy. Then he meets the droid-dou of C-3PO and R2-D2, after that his life will never be the same. I loved this book! It is a must have!

As a fan of "Willow" I both enjoyed and hated reading Shadow Moon. But I was so intrigued by Claremont's reversal of chararcters and events that I had to read Shadow Dawn. Again he surprised me with new reversals in character and a fast tempo from the beginning of the book. He also treats readers to new revelations about Elora Danan's role in the binding of the Twelve Realms, Ryn's true identity and relationship to Anakerie, Thorn's feelings for Anakerie, and the identity of the Deceiver in the final chapter. Talk about a cliff hanger! There is no way I am going to miss reading the third book!

In Shadow Moon, we are brought to Thorn years after the movie "Willow" took place and at first was a little slow, but once you're brought up to date, it flows along easily. With Shadow Dawn, it's three years later and you can see Elora has grown and continues to grow throughout the book. She learns the things she should of been taught all along. It's fast paced non stop all the way. I couldn't put it down. And when I did, it was reluctantly. I'm going to have a hard time waiting for the next book, wanting to learn how the deceiver came to be, which was very surprising who it is. I really enjoyed this book and highly recomend it.

Ok, first off, both books have lived up to the byline on the top of each.."from 2 of the most celebrated imaginations of our time..."

I found it nice to see they concentrated on Elora... For if she were to fufill her role as Sacred Princess, they really deeded to develop the character quite a bit more. as you read each of the main dream sequences Elora had with Kieron ( the first one a lot more than the rest ) you get this urge to go back to the front to look at the illustration of the Great Realms and how Elora is connected to each of the circles..

Suffice to say..I eagerly await Shadow Star, and the eventual movies..(you dont think Mr. Lucas took the time to develop the story and put his name on it if he didnt plan to make them into movies eventually, did you??)

I really give this book 3 and a half stars only for the artwork.

Primarily, this book is rather disappointing. The pictures, and artwork are great, and I must say it is quite amazing to see the matte paintings that were used in the film. The book contains numerous paintings, sketches, and pictures, but they are very poorly organized. I often found that if I saw a picture I liked and wanted to look at it again, I would have to literally flip through almost every page to find it again. The pictures aren't organized into "sections" as were the ones in THE ART OF THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. But that is because the script for the movie is included in this book.

The script takes up a lot of space, but is often spaced apart by maybe 2-3 pages of artwork. So for example, once you're done reading the portion of script on page 9, you'd have to skip up to page 12 to continue reading it. It ruins the continuity of the script, but that is not that much of a deal. The script is nice to have, but then again, why would you really want the script? And besides that, why would you find a script in an art book to begin with?

Returning to the pictures, the main disappointment is the lack of descriptions for the artwork. They have little sentences like: ABOVE RIGHT, painting done by Ralph McQuarrie, and so on, but I had expected more descriptions, and rightfully so because this is an art book...isn't it?

If you are interested in the art AND the script, then you should get it. But keep in mind that there aren't many descriptions for the pictures. In my opinion, this book is a clash of script and fabulous art, and the script doesn't allow for the splendour of the artwork to come out in its full "capacity". But I don't regret getting this book simply because of the artwork, and really, this is the only book out there that has THE ART OF RETURN OF THE JEDI.

This is a great book, but it doesn't have the descriptions for the artwork that the Episode 1 edition had. Putting the script in no doubt took up the space required to have the descriptions in. Still, the art is amazing and I am overwhelmed every time I look at one of these books. If you are a die-hard Star Wars fan, or are even curious about these movies, the "Art of.." series is great and a must-have.

This was an awesome book if you have any arguments shove it up your @$

I am a Star Wars fanatic and picked up this book without a second thought. Let's just say I was lucky to have seen the movie (which was awesome) before I sat down and read the book.

The book is aimed at 10 year olds, I think. The dialogue is taken RIGHT from the movie, and the descriptions are so BASIC. I actually feel less intelligent after reading this book. How much effort does it take to directly copy the movie? SW, ESB, and ROTJ all had very good novels, and went into more detail about certain scenes (ie. Luke's training on Dagobah, the history of the Republic). However, in TPM, the "background" is so obscure and generalized you'd be better off not knowing it (case in point: the history of the sith). The pod race was so BORING I couldn't believe it! It is understandable that visuals are needed, but come on, at least TRY and put detail and expression into your writing!

Before I get too angry about this I'd better stop. I should also explain my rating. I would have given the book 1 star, but the extra star is for the nifty Darth Maul cover.

Let the man work!! I can't believe how many Star Wars fans were dissapointed because Ep1 didn't turn out the way THEY envisioned it!! Star Wars is George Lucas' baby, who are we to tell him what comes next or who dies and who lives!?! As for Terry Brooks, I think he did an excellent job doing the adaption, especially if you have read the adaptions for the 2nd trilogy (Ep4-6). You might as well have bought the screenplay for those novels. Sure there are a few things different, like editing out the character's names next to their lines and Threepio smiling a lot(if you don't know what I mean, read Ep4 by GL), but overall, the books are just scripts. Phantom Menace devles into the plot a lot better and gives us background detail which better illuminates statements made by the characters (Like, 'Always two there is: a master and an apprentice'). The pod race scene, which is highlighted in both the book and the film IS central to the story and needed the attention tht it got. It shows Anakin's unusual power in the Force. Its one thing to hear that he is stronger than Yoda (who is how strong?????) Its yet another to see that strength in action. The book shows this a little bit better than the film since we cn see the effort involved...Anakin makes it look easy, we don't get to see the Force at work since its invisible. So, to ANY and ALL people who think they were let down by the movie, the soundtrack or the book, I quote William Shatner, 'Get a Life'!!!!!!!

I loved this book. Personally, I've seen the movie 3 times already (due to change to higher number soon). The 2nd time I saw the movie, I went and brought the book. It was worth every cent. Now, I was introduced to Star Wars when I was four. My grandmother had it at her house and I thought it was scary as anything. My brother got it for his 7th birthday (when I was nine) and we watched all of them straight through and I finally understood the plot. Then I was hooked. My dad started to let me read the Star Wars books. I enjoyed most of them (save some Kevin J. Anderson books). Until this day, my favorite SW book is "Jedi Under Seige", surprisingly by Kevin J. Anderson/Rebecca Moesta. When the new movie came out, my friend and I skipped school to see it. For those of you who haven't seen it, get off the internet, get your shoes on, and haul your butt to the nearest threater showing Episode One. The book, in my opinion is just as good as the movie, which was killer. Terry Brooks is a talented writer (unlike some. I'm not mentioning any names, Ms. J. V. Jones. And Mr. Kevin J. Anderson (Adult Star Wars)) and keeps strictly to a plot line. He doesn't give away any secrets about the movie until they're supposed to be given (Sound familiar, Ms. P. C. Wrede?).The one problem I had was that the battles could have been more descriptive. As an unpublished novelist, I'll say firsthand that battles ARE hard to do, but when you're doing Star Wars, blood and gore, and lightsabers, and ships, and big explosions work. Thank you and have a nice day.

Shadow Star could have been a very good book. Unfortunately, it fails to live up to this promise.

Happily, it is not the story or pacing that is the problem. A reader can look forward to an unpredictable and interesting story that moves at a good speed.

Unfortunately, there are two flaws. The first is that occasionally the writing is unclear, leaving one wondering what has just happened in a scene. The second is far more serious.

The final chapter of the book ends on a lovely poetic note, where sacrifices have been made, but in the end it was all worth it. It is a poignant, moving conclusion. Had the novel ended there, it would have rated much higher.

But then comes the Epilogue/Coda.

Not only are at least three characters restored to life without any explanation offered whatsoever, but the Coda ends on a trite note of "Life is going to go on, and it will be filled with adventures and be all right," lacking any insight or emotion. It is enough to make one put down the book in disgust, scratching one's head and wondering how the epilogue managed to get past any competant editor.

Truly unbelievable. The book could have been worlds improved if it had been ten pages shorter...

Actually this is a review of the comlpete shadow war trilogy. When I bought the first book of this series, I was caught completely off guard, since I never would have expected such a colorful and enthralling continuation of the seemingly well-rounded up story of Willow.

The chronicle starts quite simply in the first book, but just gets more and more developped thruout the series, with new twists and discoveries coming up at every corner. That makes this series so interesting and drives it on for a long time.

Yet the most compelling aspect is the detailed and lively description and application of any kind of sorcery and magecraft. The moments when Thorn Drumheller or Elora Danan delve into the mysteries of magic and nature (i.e. the rides thru the earth/fire) are first class.

Alas, as mentioned by other reviewers, the complete chronicles hold several contradictions at some points, and also key occurances are only described briefly (is it just my lack of imagination, or did I miss the moment that made Thorn+Anakerie believe that Elora 'killed' Khory) or, worse, just mentioned on a side note. And there's of course this highly unnecessary last chapter, which really doesnt give any new informations other than stating trivial blahblahblah and leaving the reader with a half-hearted cliffhanger that doesnt really encourage to go on with this tale.

Still, for most of the series the positive elements prevail and since I'm a fan of twisted, intricate plots and time jumps and detailed sorcery, it was entertaining enough to earn 4 stars.

I found this trilogy and sequel very enticing. I believe all three chronicles of the Shadow War were professionally written. I myself did not drag along in these books. In truth, if you drag along in any book, then you shouldn't be reading its genre. You don't just read a book looking for battles or other appealing factors to you. If you choose to start reading a book, then you should finish it. These books contained a vast amount of details that help the story along. If books did not contain such details, then the story, plot, theme, and characters would be dull as dirt. You see, books need detail to emphasize its components. It seems as if you are discouraging readers of Fantasy and or Fiction to read the Shadow War trilogy. I did not find the Shadow War trilogy hard to read or difficult and I did not become oblivious to what I just read, later discovering that they were in another area, and not knowing how they got there. No one can rightfully judge a book and discourage others not to buy it because they dislike it. Thus I believe that the authors of the commentary on the book Shadow Star and its two prequels who were odious to the trilogy should change their opinion to at least be neutral instead of offensive.

This book was kind of a guilty pleasure for me. On one hand, I have been a huge Star Wars fan (pretty much since birth) and I couldn't put this book down due to the behind-the-scenes story of the struggle Lucas had to go through to put his grand vision on the screen. All of the adversity and drama that is very well described in this book would make a very good story for a decent fiction writer, but knowing that all of the seedy hollywood politics actually did happen makes the "making of the movie" story almost as powerful as the film itself. The guilty part of the pleasure is that I almost felt like I was betraying George Lucas by reading the book. Jenkins seems to write much of the story from Star Wars/Empire producer Gary Kurtz's point of view. This would not be a problem if Kurtz didn't come off like a bitter ex-producer who got booted from the set for conflicting with Lucas' demands. Many passages allude to Kurtz being the one who saved the production, and since Kurtz did have much input in the book, it looks like Jenkins is trying to downplay Lucas' involvment while trying to over-emphasize his buddy Kurtz's involvement. Even while feeling this, I could not put the book down. A must have for all Star Wars fans.

This book is a great behind the scences look at how Star Wars Trilogy was made. It shows how George Lucas bulit an empire from a film that the stuidos were sure would flop. It describes how Lucas had to fight for every penny and try to keep the studio excs from butchering his film. However behind the scences it also showed how Lawarnce Kasdan, the producer, and the special effects wizards at ILM helped shape and refine Luca's vison. I love Star Wars BUT after reading this book and watching the embarrasment that was Episode 1 I no longer view George Lucas as the god that can do no wrong. I came away feeling cheated after seeing Episode 1. It was a lame movie. The villians were weak, the plot moved so s l o w ly, there was almost no Wars in Star Wars. The best villian Darth Maul gets little screen time and a big five lines. (The imperial officers had more lines in the classics) and Lucas directed this? What went wrong? Did he go senile? The I found this book and the answers to all my questions. The movie Lucas had the least amount of input (Empire Strikes Back) is considered by most the best SW film in terms of charecter delvepoment, humor, plot, etc. He hated how it was shot and kicked Kasdan out and picked a director that was bascialy his puppet, thus the subpar ework filled Return of the Jedi. This book is a great look at how SW affected Lucas, Kasdan, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill, and why did the acting in Ep 1 not even make it the level of the previous films? Lucas might be a visonary but as a direcor of actors he is subpar at best and this book will tell you why. Classic SW moments (i won't give it away after all buy the book)Lucas did not even and sometimes reisted thier inclusion into the films. There was no grey side (Fett, jabba, Solo) in Episode One, just black and white, good and evil. Also please in the next SW film give the bad guys more screen time, they had none in ep 1. and those weak droids make stromtroopers seem like snipers. The myth of Star Wars is George Lucas bulit it by himself, but as you will see from the book if it was not for a top fox exuctive, Lawarnce Kasdan, some freaked out 70's band of geek boys obsessed with models and computers, numerous rewrites to inject some humor (real adult humor not Jar *grinding of teeth* Jar Binks, the force would not be with us today.

This is a book that I could not put down for a day! Then a month or so later after I read it, I had to read it again. Must read for anyone at all interested in Star Wars.