SPOILER Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Lost Stars (Review)

Does the book mention anything about their ages ?

 

Knowing that, I think it might be a little bit weird to see two near-60year old People in love if there are sequels lol .

 

You're talking about between The PR & The OT ?

 

Ohhh they'd be what---in their late 40s ?

 

I keep forgetting how condensed the timeline is ...

 

It's interesting to think about the perspectives of "young audience." I agree, I could tell there was a bit of a difference in terms of the minute details given about throttle controls on a TIE fighter or something of that nature but it wasn't juvenile. On the flip side of that there are definitely adult situations. I was thinking about sharing the book with my nephew, but then I realized that although he reads at practically a high school level, there are scenes that a 12 year old might not be able to deal with yet (or at least his parents wouldn't want him reading about lol). You'll get to those soon if you're only at the dance scene.

 

thanks! kids read much different stuff now than when i was young. i read Stephen King when i was 12 because there really weren't any "teen" books outside of Zindel and Hinton and the like. and none of that was terribly interesting to me. nowadays it's a huge market and writers write to it. and yeah, doesn't mean the work is "juvenile" in a pejorative sense. just that it has that audience in mind.

 

okay, i finally finished this puppy (got interrupted about halfway through so it took me a few extra days). even though this is a "Spoiler" thread, i see other people making spoiler cuts, so i'll drop this below one as well:

Spoiler: Bit and Bobs and Whatnot

Things I didn't care for:

• the writing style.so much rambling internal monologue was very tell tell tell and not enough show show show. i literally started skimming some of it in the middle when it was clearly just redundant exposition.
• Ciena's arc: i didn't find her believable at all. she's supposedly indoctrinated from such an early age, but has a moral crisis--not even over Alderaan initially, but over the second Death Star and how ugly Palpatine is. it's like she just ditches everything and clinges to a sense of honor that makes no sense. I get what Gray was going for here, but i would have liked for Ciena to have been an actual adherent to the Empire so we can see what that really looks like (fanaticism, cult mentality, etc.). i still think she could have been conflicted about Thayne. i fear the autor went with a "safe" choice to make her morally correct (and i get why), but it was disappointing when she really could have challenged the reader more by being honorable to an evil cause in a way that made sense.
• the star-crossed romance was okay, but i felt like Thayne and Ciena did a lot of mooning that actually detracted from their characters and made them less likable. i've got important galactic business, but nothing on my mind except my childhood friend/lover who is dead/gone/deserted/whatever. both of them just endlessly clinging felt a bit claustrophobic.
  
• ending the story with Nash was puzzling. we didn't need that last scene at all, firstly, and secondly, it took away from what was a nice conclusion between Thayne and Ciena.

Things I really liked:

• First scene with Tarkin when Thayne and Ciena are kids.
  
• Wynnet (not sure this paid off, but it was cool).
• Nash digging his loyalties in after Alderaan.
  
• Jude perishing on the Death Star and the ramifications of that explosion.
• Ciena and Piett thinking Vader's going to kill them after the fiasco at Bespin.
• Thayne showing up at Ciena's father's house to support her mother. corny, but i was on board with it. especially since Ciena let her mother go down (brutal, but absolutely necessary and "right" for the story).
  
• Logharra (she needs a story of her own ~ ha!)
• seeing the battle of Hoth through Ciena's eyes.
  
• Ciena deciding to go down with the Inflictor and the subsequent fight on the bridge.

there's probably a reason why Thayne and Ciena were spared (though they leave the ending hanging as to Ciena's ultimate fate. i would have liked for them to have gone down together on the Inflictor. Ciena refusing to give up her post and Thayne sacrificing himself just to be with her. i feel like this should have been a true tragedy (hence the Lost Stars).

but overall i'm glad i read it and there was much to enjoy in just the world Gray builds. perhaps i was just a little disappointed that it didn't challenge my thinking more or serve more strongly as demonstration of the split ideologies between the Republic and the Empire (which is what's so black and white about Star Wars and not improved upon by the PT).

 

Ciena was 25 when she was given ownership of the Inflictor.

So I loved this book, and it was the first Star Wars novel I have "read." I say this as I listened to an "audible" book version of it when my book was being delivered, which was fantastic. It brings in sound effects throughout and voices for each of the characters. Highly recommend for those who need to drive a lot.

The one thing I was hoping for was more in the ending. I really wanted to know the outcome of Ciena's fate. It certainly leaves for a future with these two love birds. The Jakku star destroyer certainly could presumably make you think Rey is the child of Thane and Ciena but I still think the movie was motioning towards Luke being the father.

Either way, I was just waiting for one of them to rip out the force in one of their fights. Here is to hope they continue with Thane and Ciena in another novel or better yet one of the spin-off movies!

 

Just finished reading finally, and after hearing so much hype for this book I was
Just finished reading finally, and after hearing so much hype for this book I was worried it wouldn’t hit my expectations. Sadly, I was right. This book far exceeded all expectations! The characters were incredibly written, and all of the tie-ins felt natural and not forced in. Finding out how the Star Destroyer ended up on Jakku was a cool moment too.

Rey Kyrell? Not likely, but would be pretty cool!!

 

@Hard Case, great review! I'm late to commenting about the novel, but it was the best Star Wars novel I've read in a very long time, though Dark Disciple did hold that spot for a short while! I gotta say, I was hoping Bloodlines would continue the story, but it won't, so i'm hoping that a sequel comes. It was so well done, but I feel like Lost Stars is like ANH, and somehow, in some way, a sequel novel would beat it (VERY VERY HARD). I just wanna see this couple again, and soon!

 

First to say Hello to all im new at this forum
(english is not my native language so pls forgive me)

finished it 2 days ago. But im still so electrified about the book and still thinking about it.
I read many Star Wars Books in my life, as youth liked the Young Jedi Knights, Thrawn Trilogy and so on, later much about Jaina Solo i liked so much was my favourite character at all.

But now after resetting the canon, i must say i have 2 new favorable chars Ciena and Thane... Im thankful that Claudia Gray didnt let them die as many other writers did before and going the easy way.
So there is hope we get a sequel because there are so many open questions.

What is Ciena doing after prison? Left Imperial Fleet forever and joins his love to the republic? They marry? like others said get Rey Kyrell?
they 2 fight against the evil Nash and Thanes evil brother Devlin...

what im hoping for that we get there a sequel, disney must after this positive reviews at amazon.com and other sides.

Think i will re-read it again in a few weeks. This Book is such amazing, love it.

Celinna

 

thx Hard Case, is it okay forgot to hide some stuff, but its only a open dream so no spoilers