Book info

• Title Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
• Author Donald F. Glut
• Year 1980
• Genre Science Fiction

Widely considered the darkest and most intriguing of the central Star Wars trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back deepens the exploration of mythic themes first essayed in A New Hope. From its opening amid a besieged Rebel stronghold on the ice planet Hoth to its finale on Bespin, the floating city run by gambler Lando Calrissian, Empire charts Luke Skywalker's travails on the arduous path to becoming a Jedi Knight - a journey that culminates in a punishing face-off with Imperial warlord Darth Vader, and Luke's realisation of the dreadful truth about the fate which befell his father Anakin.

Thoughts

After reading the novelisation of the first (fourth) Star Wars movie, I quickly moved on to the next, and this one I found slightly less engaging. The writing is still good and it’s just as effective at painting the picture of the various worlds, but I felt like some of the emotion was missing. The ‘I am your father’ piece just didn’t work so well in the novel as it does in the movie - although potentially that’s just because it’s so iconic. Sitll a good read though.

Rating: 4 / 5