Return of the Jedi: A Storybook (Star Wars Series) (Paperback)

by J. J. Gardner (Author), George Lucas (Author) "OUTSIDE the small adobe hut, the sandstorm wailed like a beast in agony, refusing to die..." (more)
Key Phrases: golden droid, two droids, deflector shield, Death Star, Dark Lord, Darth Vader (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"Watching from his throne, the Emperor laughed with evil glee. 'Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!'" Luke, of course, refuses and good triumphs over evil in Return of the Jedi. The final installment of the original trilogy--flawed, perhaps, by the Ewoks (what was Lucas thinking?)--is beautifully presented in this charming book. Images from the film provide inspiration for Brandon McKinney's crisp illustrations, which complement John Whitman's adaptation of the original screenplay. This book is a perfect little gift for Star Wars fans of all ages. --C.B. Delaney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
This stunning production, first heard on National Public Radio, is a must for all fans of science fiction, "Star Wars," or radio drama.It's a truly "cinematic" audio program, with outstanding production values, full stereo sound, vivid sound effects, and dramatic music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The acting is superb....HighBridge previously produced successful NPR productions of the first two part of the trilogy...and this final chapter should prove as phenomenally popular as the first two. -- Billboard, January 11, 1997

Winner of the Audie Award for Best Production of 1997 [brought to you by HighBridge Audio]. -- Audio Publishers Association

Winner of the Listen Up Award for Best Science Fiction of 1996 -- Publishers Weekly, January 6, 1997 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Scholastic (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590066595
• ISBN-13: 978-0590066594
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,378,266 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable but mostly for radio fans or Star Wars completists, October 18, 2000

By	D. Klees (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Return of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatisation (Audio Cassette)

When NPR's audio adaptation of the first Star Wars film hit the airwaves two decades ago, it was as big a landmark in the history of the Star Wars "universe" as any of the subsequent movies. By stripping the story down to the essentials of character, it proved that the appeal of Star Wars is not merely visual flash, but something more enduring, characters you care about, villains you love to hate and (that oldest of rivalries) good against evil. The writing was excellent and the cast equally good, including as it did Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels as Luke and C3P0 respectively. When NPR produced a radio version of The Empire Strikes Back a few years later, Billy Dee Williams came on board to recreate the role of Lando Calrissian and the producers' winning streak continued.

It would be over a decade before the production team got the chance to complete the trilogy with Return of the Jedi. Sadly, just as Return of the Jedi was the weakest of the original movie trilogy, it is also the weakest of the three radio versions. That is not to say it isn't enjoyable, because it is. Rather it can't quite match the exceptional standards set by the previous two series.

Part of the problem is the casting. Although Anthony Daniels returned to play C3PO, Mark Hamill does not reprise the role of Luke Skywalker. Unfortunately the actor who took the role, Joshua Fardon, does not convey the increased maturity of the character in this part of the story. Fardon's performance has a quality of over-eagerness that seems more suited to the naive farmboy that Luke was when we first encountered him rather than the fully trained Jedi-to-be he is here. Good as the other performances are, especially Brock Peters as Darth Vader and Ann Sachs as Leia, this misguided interpretation of Luke leaves a large hole in the story.

Part of that hole can also be attributed to the writing. Like the previous adapatations, Return of the Jedi was scripted by the late Brian Daley. Daley did a good job of translating what was perhaps the most visual of the three original Star Wars films into the audio medium, but he doesn't open up the story the way the previous two series did. Whereas the radio versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back took the time to show us more about the characters, Return of the Jedi is, for the most part, just what we saw on the movie screen with a handful of extra scenes thrown into the mix.

Those criticisms aside, anyone who is a fan of radio drama in general or Star Wars specifically will enjoy these programs. In the final analysis the producers understood the ways in which sound alone can fire the imagination. Using that knowledge, they have crafted yet another fine way to enjoy the magical world that George Lucas has given us.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what Star Wars is all about, October 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Wars, Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (Mass Market Paperback)

You'll never see me cite one Star Wars movie being better than all the others (at least until Episode III comes out, which I'm convinced has the potential to be the best movie of all time), but as far as the novelizations go, Return of the Jedi is by far my favorite.

If you didn't already know it, there are a handful of important details included within this book that didn't make it into the movie. These details alone are reason enough for all Star Wars fans to read this book. When Episode III finally comes around, you will be able to appreciate it much more having read this book.

However, the true strength of this book is the wonderful portrayal of the characters. So much depth was given to them that it just strengthened all of the reasons why I love Star Wars. And the reason I do love Star Wars is because of the characters. While all the sci-fi stuff is really great, it is the story of these characters that has drawn me into this universe. Reading about Luke flaunting with the Dark Side as he faces against Vader and the Emperor is gut wrenchingly incredible.

This is the third part of a three part story. I recommend reading the first two parts first respectively - the third part is a treat you won't regret.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the movie, June 13, 2002

By	"russell1813" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Return of the Jedi (Star Wars, Episode VI) (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book. It provided an insight into the thoughts and feelings of the main characters which the movie was unable to. Darth Vader's thoughts in particular, are an amazing revelation. Kahn describes very persuasively the incredible lure that the dark side of the force possesses - the heady exultation and sense of unbelievable power make it seem almost sexy. I began to see how Anakin would have been seduced by the dark side. The best part of the novel is the confrontation between Luke and Vader - it is dealt with in far more detail than in the movie. The scene where Darth Vader dies is poignant, even heartrending because we find out what he is thinking and it is this more than anything else, which made me realise what the title "Return of the Jedi" actually means. The only part of this book which I had a problem with is when Vader is unmasked and he is described by Kahn as an "old man". This perplexed me because according to the starwars timeline, Darth Vader would have been about 45 when he died. Apart from this detail, the novel is well done and much better than the movie - even the Ewoks are less silly and irritating than they are in the movie.
This book has the distinction of being the only starwars novel that has ever made me cry.