Smile. That's what Qi'ra would do whenever she thought of the dreams and possibilities of travelling the stars with her friend and once love Han Solo. You'll smile too, thinking about those early origin adventures of the young and reckless anti-hero/hero smuggler-to-be, as brought to life with amiable page-turning vigour by the talented Mur Lafferty, her delightful work in adapting Solo: A Star Wars Story into novelisation form out now in UK hardback (boasting a nifty and very welcome inside eight-page colour photo scene section) via CENTURY.
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| Han Solo and Chewbacca - aka 'Hairy and the Boy - survey the nightlife of Fort Ypso. |
Like the film itself, bright and breezy fun is how best to describe Lafferty's work here, capturing the strong and surprising script of Star Wars meets the Wild West fusings generated by the Kasdans with great ease and efficiency, and getting the chance to add further unused material (from early script drafts and deleted scenes now on Blu-ray) to her adaptation. What a joy it must have been for the author to bring such well crafted excitement and feel good emotion from the film to a new dimension of life on the printed page, and with such great old and new icon characters to have in her personal writing sandbox to indulge in, especially shaping young Han on his personal journey of reaching the stars, alongside his slavery freed friend and 'bromance' companion in Chewbacca; the femme fatale with a good heart but too much of a dark survivalist edge imperative in Qi'ra; the crafty and wily freelance thief who ultimately gives away too many of his personal 'work' coda secrets -Tobias Beckett. And, of course, that charming galactic rogue whose love of stylish capes and luxury beauty product items knows no boundaries, Lando Calrissian, paired uniquely himself with his (kinda) faithful revolutionary-in-waiting droid companion L3-37, piloting the ship that Han craves so much for- that (soon not so) slickly modified YT-1300 freighter, the Millennium Falcon!
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| Find out more about the dark path trod by Qi'ra. |
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| Always seemingly blessed with the winning hand: Lando Calrissian 'plays' Han! |
Not including the material already seen on home entertainment release, great new and extended highlights satisfyingly rendered include the lead-in to Han's conflict with Lady Proxima, just what awful things the recaptured Qi'ra had to endure in her training alongside new master Dryden Vos (and the destiny he shapes in her), more snippets of Beckett's prior criminal adventures with fiery delight Val and lovably eccentric pilot Rio Durant, L3-37's becoming uniquely at one with the Falcon, and further humour (and character self-observations) linked to Lando Calrissian's vanity, including a running gag involving Chewbacca's fur maintenance. Plus some charming links to the original Expanded Universe (especially regarding Lando) if you know where to look, and two super and relevant cameos from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story characters whom we wish had made it to the original film!
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| Facing the dangers of the Kessel Run! |
So, enjoy the Blu-ray or DVD release out now, then snuggle up for the autumn to enjoy the accompanying makings of a galactic duo of mavericks (or 'morons', if you side with Val's opinions!) in their zestful Kessel Run related action, adventure and humour, all of which generates old but new layers of Star Wars history-making via Miss Lafferty. It's also a book that additionally acts/compliments as a fine continuance to the previous EGMONT young readers adventure Most Wanted in further developing the characters of Han and Qi'ra during their Corellia trapped genesis days.
Will your Solo: A Star Wars Story novelisation reading experience be as fun as partaking in a Mynock hot roast with a group of festive Ardennians? Probably not, though it'll surely be close enough!
AFICIONADO RATING: Another fine adaptation for the official book shelves. 4 out of 5.
Get it here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solo-Star-Wars-Story-Expanded-ebook/dp/B07D9L57YT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538478372&sr=8-1&keywords=solo+mur+lafferty
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