The Rise of Skywalker

The Rise of Skywalker novelization is a quick, but good read. It adds a bit more to the movie and the characters without straying too far from the fast, action paced plot of the film. Readers will get to find out just how Palpatine survived, how his son came about, and more. There’s extended scenes that were hinted at with the behind-the-scenes artwork, plus sections that help transition characters from one place to another that the movie didn’t have time to delve into. But beyond the book just having extra content, it maintains a enjoyable vibe that stays entertaining from beginning to end.

First, lets get into the extra content. While it can be nice to have the dialog at your hands to go over again and catch what you might have missed, the real draw of any novelization is getting more out of the story. This novelization delivers on that in several ways. For anyone who was a fan of Zorii Bliss in the movie, you get a lot more of her in the novelization. The book explores a bit of her spice runner gang and helps connect the dots with what she did once everyone else left, how she wound up with Babu Frik, and how they wound up in the big battle at the end. It dives into her thoughts to explore more of her character. And the book doesn’t stop there. There are precious insights throughout the book where the story goes into the characters’ heads to reveal what they’re thinking and what they’ve been through. There’s reveals of Leia and her Force abilities and connection to the Force, what Hux thought he was up to, Poe’s reservations after Crait, Finn’s subtle realization of his Force connection, Rey’s lingering fear of the darkness within her and much more.

Furthermore, there’s some big reveals with Palpatine. The book lays out how he survived his fall in the shaft of the second Death Star, why he looks like a rotting corpse, and he wound up with a son which lead to Rey. Not everything is completely revealed or explored, though. There’s still much about Ben Solo that we don’t know. There’s some cryptic stuff about that dyad that still leaves a lot to be fleshed out. But the book isn’t meant to be an encyclopedia to answer everyone’s questions or fill in all the voids. The book is simply capturing the story of the movie while also giving the reader a bit more to enjoy.

Another factor that adds to that enjoyment is little bonuses like the cameos at the big space battle. At the end of the battle, there are thousands and thousands of ships. Far too many to identify while watching the film. We know there’s all kinds of visual cameos hidden in that scene. However, the book takes the time to point out some of those cameos, and even gives them a bit of dialog. Even the Wicket scene gets expanded with some dialog and background. It’s not a ton, but it’s a nice inclusion.

In the end, The Rise of Skywalker novelization does a good job of retelling the story of the movie, keeping it fun, and giving readers something extra to enjoy. For hardcore Star Wars fans, this is a must read as you’ll get more out of the movie by reading the book. On top of that, it’s a good read. As such, I give it a four out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.