Thursday, January 7, 2016

Star Wars: Lost Stars Reviewed

Howdy folks

Well, in honor of Star Wars Episode VII, I've decided to take us all to that galaxy far far away....


First off, how cool is that cover? It really sells the book, its themes of divided loyalties, and the promise of some pretty kick-ass action.

Anyway, Claudia Gray's Lost Stars is a YA book set during before and during the Galactic Civil War. It opens on the outer rim planet of Jelucan as the planet is peacefully annexed into the Galactic Empire. There we meet young Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, who bond over their shared dream of one day flying the cool spaceships they see during the Imperial Ceremony in the service of the Empire that promises to bring new opportunities and a better tomorrow for their backwater world. Thane is part of a second wave of immigrants to Jelucan who shun Ciena's poor valley Kindred, but their different worlds matter little to them as they swoop and dive through the skies of Jelucan together. Their different upbringings, however, will have serious consequences for them later in life. Thane's abusive family makes him cynical and distrustful of powerful people, with a strong sense of justice. Ciena's people value honor and loyalty above all else, and her oath, once given, must never be broken.

Propelling each other, they both make it into the prestigious Imperial Academy on Coruscant. Here the book turns into a mini-Harry Potter novel, if Hogwarts was preparing kids to be evil. Still, none of them see the darkness in the Empire until they graduate. They make new friends, end up having a falling out, but reconcile when they find out their disagreement was manufactured by the Academy staff in a concentrated effort to drive them apart, to strip them of ties to their old world and make them loyal only to the Empire. They even realize there might be more between them than just friendship...and then the Death Star shows up and ruins everything.

It's a credit to Gray that she can make something you know is coming so nauseatingly tense. The obliteration of Alderaan and resulting destruction of the first Death Star are a watershed moment in their lives. From then on, it's as if someone looked at this popular meme...


...and treated it as a serious statement. Thane, Ciena, and their friends are all decent people, watching them struggle with trying to justify what the Empire did to Alderaan is genuinely heartbreaking, though the loss of so many friends and colleagues on board the Death Star leaves no one with any warm fuzzies towards the Rebel Alliance. Ultimately though, the evidence of the Empire's cruelty is too much for Thane and he deserts. Ciena tracks him down, but neither will back down from their position, even as they finally act on their feelings for one another. United in the heart but divided by their ideals, they go their separate ways. It's not until months later, seeing injustice after injustice piled on by the Empire, that on a mission of mercy Thane meets one of the great heroes of the Rebel Alliance (I won't spoil which one but it's my favorite character from the original trilogy so yay!) and is finally convinced that it's not enough to not participate in the Empire's crimes, he must actively oppose them. Yet he's torn apart inside, knowing with every TIE fighter he shoots down, he might be killing the his best friend and woman he now loves. Having spent so much time flying together, Ciena recognizes his flying style during the battle of Hoth and is crushed by the same realization, and furious at his utter betrayal of the oath they both swore. Yet nothing can seem to break the bond between them...
Can these two crazy kids make it work?

Yeah yeah. There's a lot of teen/new adult angst, but it feels pretty earned, especially during the engagements when they know for certain that the other is in their crosshairs. Plus it's fun the way the book weaves through the events of the original trilogy. Thane and Ciena are like Forest Gump, always accidentally crossing paths with the famous (at least in the Star Wars universe). But far and away what I loved most about this book is the way it humanizes the faceless enemy. The original trilogy is a classic tale of good versus evil, but many within the Empire are not evil. Ciena is as much the protagonist in the book as Thane is, and while her disillusionment with the Empire grows and grows, she will not break her oath of loyalty, or break faith with the men and women under her command. It's a common refrain you hear from soldiers the world over. "It's not about politics, it's about the person next to you."

 One of the acolytes given to The Force Awakens is showing us the man behind the stormtrooper mask, Finn. But Finn defects as soon as the movie starts, so he's immediately "one of the good guys". Imagine if, even though he's a good person, his strong sense of loyalty prevented him from leaving. It's not just Ciena, either. Ciena's roommate at the Academy, Jude, is a kind, bookish nerd who perishes on the Death Star. Thane's roommate Nash is a carefree spirit with an infectious laugh, and devastated by the destruction of his homeworld (though oddly it only increases his dedication to the Empire)

One of my all time favorite war movies is The Enemy Below, staring Robert Mitchum as a destroyer skipper and Curt Jurgens as a U-Boat commander. Jurgens' character is disillusioned with the Nazi regime but still fights for his country to the best of his ability, and both captains come to respect and admire each other, with neither being made out to be the "good" or "bad" guy, and Lost Stars ratchets up this dynamic by making the two opposing characters not respected enemies but friends and lovers.

I listened to the audiobook version, and I highly recommend it. Sound effects and music are tricky things for audiobooks, they can add or detract from the story in equal measure so their use must be judicious. This one uses both far more heavily than most, but to great effect. It helps that the sound effects are so iconic (the screech of TIE fighters, the roar of Wookies) and the swells of music underneath are from one of the most memorable and beloved scores in movie history, and they give the production a very cinematic feel.

So check out Lost Stars, and may the Force be with you!

-Mike, out.