Word Nerd Review: From a Certain Point of View
by Trisha Quezada

Provided by the Publisher for Review

From a Certain Point of View gathers the things that get left on the cutting room floor when a book is made into a movie. They give you all the color, depth, nuance, and insight that movies just can’t provide in the limited time frame they have. These stories are the reason that I never like movies that are made from books. While cutting all of this material out typically makes the movie inferior to the book (I’m biased and never like the movie), since the Star Wars movies weren’t books first* these stories just make the world richer and bring new insights to the films when you watch them again.

There are 40 stories by 40 different authors, and all of them are crafted to give you insight and color into the worlds and side characters surrounding the main story thread of the original Star Wars trilogy. Each is carefully written so that the author’s own style is evident, but they’re also clearly channeling the storytelling style of Star Wars.

One of my favorite stories is early in the collection. It’s told from the perspective of the droid that “malfunctioned” when Uncle Owen was choosing which droids to buy for the moisture farm. You experience that transaction through its eyes and really begin to feel how BIG the ripples of the Resistance will be and how many sacrifices were made to support the success of the Jedi.

While you can enjoy these stories without having seen the original movies (Confession Time: I’m a bad nerd and I haven’t seen IV, V, or VI), I can tell I’m missing a lot. There are clearly references, and likely easter eggs, throughout all the stories. I can tell they’re there…but not what they really mean. That doesn’t make the stories unenjoyable, I just know that I could appreciate them MORE. For those of you who already love Start Wars, this book is more than a treat – it’s a must read.

*Yes, I know I’m splitting hairs here, but the screen play was first and the novel was written afterwards to support the movie even though it was published first.