'The Phantom Menace' by Terry Brooks Del Rey 1999 (hardback)  Episode I novelisation

Characters from the movies -- pretty good. In a book you get the chance to explain a character's thoughts and feelings, and so their logic in certain situations. Brooks fleshes out the characters a little, but still manages to keep them true to their portrayal in the movie.

Cover art -- take your pic! Several covers available - choose your favorite character.

Chicks -- Padme/Amidala and the handmaidens. I would have liked to have seen more from the handmaidens, but I guess you can only fit so much into a novelisation, and I suppose the author was limited a little by LucasArts. Padme/Amidala was well written - it was nice to read more about her character and her motives.

Any good? -- yes and no. I've read a lot of Terry Brooks' work, so maybe I had a few pre-conceptions about his style and pace before I read this, but it really didn't feel up to his usual (high) standard. I felt it was aimed at a 'young adult' market - the language was a little simplistic (but not as oversimplified as, eg. the 'Jedi Apprentice' novels). I'm probably also biased in that I'm not a big fan of film novelisations anyway - movies are designed to be watched, books are designed to be read, yadda, yadda. And yet - it's Terry Brooks! Yay! If you want to read the book of the movie, this is it, and pretty good it is too. Several scenes that ended up on the cutting-room floor are here, along with dialogue changes and some background information. If you're a big Episode I fan, I'm sure you'll love it.

Read it? -- diehard fans - you've probably read it already. If you know a teenage Star Wars fan that won't pick up a book, then buy them this - anything to get them reading. If you're looking purely for cut scenes, etc. - you can get the info off the internet if you don't want to fork out for this book. But the hardback does look nice on your bookshelf, and if you don't own the video, it's nice to dip into occasionally! :)

Rating -- 7 out of 10
 

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