Sunday 29 November 2015

OUT NOW IN THE UK: 'STAR WARS TREASURY- THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY'


A lovely book that has seemingly not quite gotten the publicity it rightly deserves (not even a mention on the official STARWARS.COM site that I could find!) - presumably due to the merchandise storm build-up that has exploded for other areas linked to THE FORCE AWAKENS - is the newly released in the UK STAR WARS TREASURY, from Egmont Books. A great modern storybook for young readers and Kidults to enjoy, the STAR WARS publishing universe's respected Ryder Windham and the equally celebrated talents of entertainment illustrator Brain Rood have joined forces to present a lovingly crafted adaptation of the first three blockbusting, cinema re-defining STAR WARS movies - From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker - as of their post 1997 Special Edition guises.



Alongside Windham's efficient scene-conveying prose, Rood gets the chances to illustrate the saga's greatest scenes in 120 pieces, adapting/enhancing classic photographic images to artistic form (some of which he improves on), as well as providing his own stunning new works and interpretations of beloved moments in film and pop culture history, the majority of which are used to their best as lavishly-printed full spreads. Standouts for this reviewer are many: STAR WARS (A NEW HOPE) - a lovely shot of Han meeting Jabba and his goons in Docking Bay 94, and the classic chasm swing of Luke and Leia, EMPIRE- Chewbacca's watching out for the Probe Droid on the cold surface of Hoth, the dreaded dinner at Bespin with Vader, and Luke's Falcon rescue, plus JEDI's thrilling speeder bike chase and the Ewoks slugging it out with beleaguered Stormtroopers!



Its a lovely book for fans, especially delightful for younger readers new to the saga who will want to bedtime read catch-up on the heroes of George Lucas's original universe before they see them matured within the all-new galactic action and excitement of THE FORCE AWAKENS. It also makes for a lovely Christmas gift for all ages, currently available online at a good price.

AFICIONADO rating: 3.5 out of 5


Front and back cover, though the book's title has since changed.

Get the book here: Star Wars Treasury: The Original Trilogy: Amazon.co.uk: Brian Rood, Ryder Windham: 9781405280228: Books

Website: The Art of Brian Rood

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