Science Fiction
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From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars)
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Celebrate the legacy of The Empire Strikes Back with this exciting reimagining of the timeless film featuring new perspectives from forty acclaimed authors.
On May 21, 1980, Star Wars became a true saga with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. In honor of the fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers re-create an iconic scene from The Empire Strikes Back through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains, to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists:
• Austin Walker explores the unlikely partnership of bounty hunters Dengar and IG-88 as they pursue Han Solo.
• Hank Green chronicles the life of a naturalist caring for tauntauns on the frozen world of Hoth.
• Tracy Deonndelves into the dark heart of the Dagobah cave where Luke confronts a terrifying vision.
• Martha Wells reveals the world of the Ugnaught clans who dwell in the depths of Cloud City.
• Mark Oshiro recounts the wampa's tragic tale of loss and survival.
• Seth Dickinson interrogates the cost of serving a ruthless empire aboard the bridge of a doomed Imperial starship.
Plus more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales from:
Tom Angleberger, Sarwat Chadda, S. A. Chakraborty, Mike Chen, Adam Christopher, Katie Cook, Zoraida Córdova, Delilah S. Dawson, Alexander Freed, Jason Fry, Christie Golden, Rob Hart, Lydia Kang, Michael Kogge, R. F. Kuang, C. B. Lee, Mackenzi Lee, John Jackson Miller, Michael Moreci, Daniel José Older, Amy Ratcliffe, Beth Revis, Lilliam Rivera, Cavan Scott, Emily Skrutskie, Karen Strong, Anne Toole, Catherynne M. Valente, Django Wexler, Kiersten White, Gary Whitta, Brittany N. Williams, Charles Yu, Jim Zub
All participating authors have generously forgone any compensation for their stories. Instead, their proceeds will be donated to First Book-a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need. To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies' longstanding relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House will donate $100,000 to First Book and Disney/Lucasfilm will donate 100,000 children's books-valued at $1,000,000-to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education.
On May 21, 1980, Star Wars became a true saga with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. In honor of the fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers re-create an iconic scene from The Empire Strikes Back through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains, to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists:
• Austin Walker explores the unlikely partnership of bounty hunters Dengar and IG-88 as they pursue Han Solo.
• Hank Green chronicles the life of a naturalist caring for tauntauns on the frozen world of Hoth.
• Tracy Deonndelves into the dark heart of the Dagobah cave where Luke confronts a terrifying vision.
• Martha Wells reveals the world of the Ugnaught clans who dwell in the depths of Cloud City.
• Mark Oshiro recounts the wampa's tragic tale of loss and survival.
• Seth Dickinson interrogates the cost of serving a ruthless empire aboard the bridge of a doomed Imperial starship.
Plus more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales from:
Tom Angleberger, Sarwat Chadda, S. A. Chakraborty, Mike Chen, Adam Christopher, Katie Cook, Zoraida Córdova, Delilah S. Dawson, Alexander Freed, Jason Fry, Christie Golden, Rob Hart, Lydia Kang, Michael Kogge, R. F. Kuang, C. B. Lee, Mackenzi Lee, John Jackson Miller, Michael Moreci, Daniel José Older, Amy Ratcliffe, Beth Revis, Lilliam Rivera, Cavan Scott, Emily Skrutskie, Karen Strong, Anne Toole, Catherynne M. Valente, Django Wexler, Kiersten White, Gary Whitta, Brittany N. Williams, Charles Yu, Jim Zub
All participating authors have generously forgone any compensation for their stories. Instead, their proceeds will be donated to First Book-a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need. To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies' longstanding relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House will donate $100,000 to First Book and Disney/Lucasfilm will donate 100,000 children's books-valued at $1,000,000-to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education.
Editorial Reviews
"An A+ list of today's best sf/f writers explore the inner reaches of a galaxy far, far away, which is sure to appeal to sf readers and Star Wars fans alike."-Booklist
Readers Top Reviews
Seif ZLewisKindle M
Having really enjoyed the first book of this anthology series, I was really looking forward to this one, especially seeing as 'Empire' is my favourite Star Wars movie. However, I'm left feeling slightly disappointed. I would give this 2 and a half stars but I rounded it up to 3. Most of the stories are dull; far too many of them take place in the rebel base on Hoth or on Star Destroyers from the point-of-view of the Empire. They add nothing to the story and none of the incidental characters are interesting enough to have overly long stories based around them. Once we leave Hoth, it gets far more interesting with tales of the space slug and the dark side nexus tree cave on Dagobah being particularly interesting. Other stand out stories are those of Boba Fett and Bossk. Once the story reaches Cloud City, the pacing begins to slow again and we are told several stories from the perspective of random citizens of Bespin, none of whom are particularly interesting. There are a couple of stories that tick the "woke" boxes too which i found pointless. Another disappointing one is Obi-Wan's story on Dagobah, which doesn't feel like Alec Guiness' voice and one of the latter ones features a deserting stormtrooper witnessing the duel between Vader and Luke, which seems incredulous and takes away somewhat the spirit of the scene. The penultimate tale is good, told from the perspective of the medical droid reparing Luke's hand, but the finale is another 4th wall breaking narrative from "The Whills" which is probably just a non-canon comedy but cones across as stupid, disrespectful and pointless. The only other remark I would make is that this book pointed out something I had never noticed before in the film; there are barely any aliens in it. I'm looking forward to the inevitable Return of the Jedi entry because I know it will be the opposite of this.
K. G. A. Alavi
To think I almost missed this book, I kept seeing a Certain Point of View and thinking it was the Star Wars (The New Hope) version, days before it came out I realised I realised it was the Empire Strikes Back reciving the FACPOF treatment. Like the first book it is difficult to give an overall rating as there are some stories I enjoyed more then others. I found I really like probobly 35 out of 40 stories so 5 stars it is. Unlike the first book, the stories are not in completely sequential. Some do overlap so it give a different person's story or perspective on the same event. I must say prefer this to the first book, and I did like in the first few stories a couple of crossover characters. The book will does follow the format of the group of stories based on the battle of Host will be together. Then the search in the asteroid field and so on. I like that they hive both Rebel and Imperial perspective stories. Also fills in the blanks of what the rest of the Rebels were doing while Luke was Jedi Training giving a major side character a well deserved life. Potentially leading into one of the upcoming Star Wars spinoffs series to be released. Though Disney has let me down with bridging book to TV in the past. Though I still have hope. A very enjoyable book and great stories. The book is 549, 561 if you include the acknowledgments pages. 9once again adds depth and great character to build on in the future I hope. Now I am already looking forward to Return of the Jedi FACPOV.
James W. AndersonMac
I caught this on sale and thought I was getting a behind-the-scenes account of the making of The Empire Strikes Back, but this is not that at all. Instead, it's a collection of short stories, made up by people who have nothing to do with what is regarded as canon with regard to the original trilogy. You're as well off just making up your own stories, because that's all these folks have done here, and they're about as entertaining to read as Kristen Stewart is to watch on screen. The Star Wars universe has become so diluted by all these attempts to provide back stories to every conceivable character, droid, spacecraft, planet, beverage, etc., that it's no longer interesting to me. I liked it better when George Lucas owned the story, and regret that Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and Richard Chew were not around to help him with the prequels because, if they had, there would NOT have been a Jar-Jar Binks, there would NOT have been all the boring dialog in the Imperial Senate, and it's possible that different actors would have been chosen for young and grown Anakin Skywalker, and the movies would have looked and felt much more like the original trilogy, and the characters and stories more endearing. I won't even go down the rabbit hole of trying to explain the disaster that Disney has made of the whole franchise, with the exception of Rogue One and The Mandalorian.
Paul Slater
I am enjoying the book I enjoyed the first one in the series and I also hope that they will do one for return of the Jedi. There are stories that are good some are average Some are well , not so good, and some brilliant ones. Each person will have their own taste, That's what you get when you get a collection like this. this is the sort of book, you can read over and over sit back and enjoy a trip to Hoth System, or to Cloud city , as you read it , you can hear the John williams soundtrack playing, you can hear the sounds of blasters and Tie Fighters flying and the sounds of Wampas. Its a weird size though in hardcover and looks odd next to its predecessor, and as book lover it bugs me that its smaller than the other star wars hardcovers on the shelf, but that something I can live with. Worth a read
...Paul
If you're a Star Wars buff, you'll obviously want to read this book. Not every story is fantastic, but there are some good stories in there, and a few forgettable ones. Some are really well integrated into the "deep lore", which as a Star Wars geek, I adored, and some are a bit lighter and disconnected. If you're not a Star Wars fan, not sure there's enough "here" to really captivate you, or make you a Star Wars fan.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Eyes of the Empire
Kiersten White
"Pick any of the last ten transmissions you've looked at. You have to live there for the rest of your life. Where are you?" Lorem said, her voice ringing through the small processing room where they all worked.
Maela admired how Lorem could multitask, sorting through data while keeping up a steady stream of chatter.
Dirjo Harch did not admire it. "Just do your job." He deleted whatever he was looking at on his screen and pulled up the next data packet. Maela wished they could work individually. Or better yet, in small groups. She'd pick Lorem for her group. And Azier. So really, she'd make a group that was everyone except Dirjo, with his sour expressions and his pinched personality.
"I am doing my job," Lorem said, chipper as always. Sometimes she wore her cap at a jaunty angle over her dark curls. Just enough to be off dress code, but not enough to give Dirjo an excuse to report her. Maela liked the uniform, liked what it meant. That she was here. That she did it.
A light flashed near Maela's face and she flipped the switch, accepting an incoming transmission and adding it to the ever-growing queue. She had spent so long with the Vipers, infinite rows of them, round domes and legs like jointed tentacles. She used to stare into their blank black eyes and wonder where they would go. What they would see.
Now she saw everything.
"But while I'm doing my job," Lorem continued, and Dirjo's shoulders tensed, "I don't see why we can't have some fun. We're going to be looking through a hundred thousand of these transmissions."
Azier leaned back, stretching. He rubbed his hands down his pale face, clean-shaven, wrinkled. Maela suspected working on the Swarm transmission recovery and processing unit was a demotion for him, though she didn't know why. Dirjo and Lorem were just starting their Imperial service, like her.
"Lorem, my young friend," Azier said in the clipped, polished tones of the Empire, the ones Maela was still trying to master to hide that she came from somewhere else, "the man we report to is serving on the Executor as part of Lord Vader's Death Squadron. Do you really think fun is a priority for any of them?"
Lorem giggled, and even Maela had to smile. Dirjo, however, scowled, turning his head sharply. "Are you criticizing Lord Vader?"
Azier waved a hand dismissively. "They're bringing death to those who would threaten the Empire. I lived through a war none of you remember or understand. I have no desire to do it again. And Lorem, to answer your question, I'd rather stay in this floating tin can forever than visit any of the forsaken rocks our probe droids are reporting from."
"Not a hundred thousand," Maela said softly.
"What?" Lorem asked, turning around in her chair to give her full attention to Maela.
"Project Swarm sent out a hundred thousand. But some won't make it to their destinations. Some will crash and be incapable of functioning after. Some might land in environments that make transmission impossible. If I had to guess, I'd say we'll receive anywhere from sixty-five thousand to eighty thousand transmissions." Vipers were tough little wonders, and their pods protected them, but still. Space was vast, and there were so many variables.
"In that case," Lorem said, grinning, "we'll be done by the end of the day. And then we can decide which planet we'll live on forever! Though none of my prospects are good. You're from the Deep Core, aren't you? Any footage from your planet so we can add it to our potential relocation list?"
Maela turned back to her own work. Her accent attempts hadn't been as good as she thought, after all. "No footage. We didn't send droids to Vulpter."
Azier snorted a laugh.
"Why?" Lorem asked. "Why is that funny?"
Dirjo hit a button harder than necessary. "Half the probe droids we have are made on Vulpter. Back to work." His tone was brusque, but he looked appraisingly at Maela. "You came from the manufacturing side. I would like to speak about it, sometime."
Maela went back to her screen. She knew this work wasn't sought-after. That it was either washouts like Azier or those who hadn't managed to climb up the ranks yet like Dirjo. But she had specifically requested it and had no desire to move elsewhere in the Empire's service. She slipped her hand into her pocket and rubbed the smooth, rounded surface of a probe droid's main eye. How many times had she traced these eyes, longing to see what they saw? Imagined flinging herself through the reaches of space alongside them to uncover sights untold?
And now here she was. As close as she could get. The fates...
Kiersten White
"Pick any of the last ten transmissions you've looked at. You have to live there for the rest of your life. Where are you?" Lorem said, her voice ringing through the small processing room where they all worked.
Maela admired how Lorem could multitask, sorting through data while keeping up a steady stream of chatter.
Dirjo Harch did not admire it. "Just do your job." He deleted whatever he was looking at on his screen and pulled up the next data packet. Maela wished they could work individually. Or better yet, in small groups. She'd pick Lorem for her group. And Azier. So really, she'd make a group that was everyone except Dirjo, with his sour expressions and his pinched personality.
"I am doing my job," Lorem said, chipper as always. Sometimes she wore her cap at a jaunty angle over her dark curls. Just enough to be off dress code, but not enough to give Dirjo an excuse to report her. Maela liked the uniform, liked what it meant. That she was here. That she did it.
A light flashed near Maela's face and she flipped the switch, accepting an incoming transmission and adding it to the ever-growing queue. She had spent so long with the Vipers, infinite rows of them, round domes and legs like jointed tentacles. She used to stare into their blank black eyes and wonder where they would go. What they would see.
Now she saw everything.
"But while I'm doing my job," Lorem continued, and Dirjo's shoulders tensed, "I don't see why we can't have some fun. We're going to be looking through a hundred thousand of these transmissions."
Azier leaned back, stretching. He rubbed his hands down his pale face, clean-shaven, wrinkled. Maela suspected working on the Swarm transmission recovery and processing unit was a demotion for him, though she didn't know why. Dirjo and Lorem were just starting their Imperial service, like her.
"Lorem, my young friend," Azier said in the clipped, polished tones of the Empire, the ones Maela was still trying to master to hide that she came from somewhere else, "the man we report to is serving on the Executor as part of Lord Vader's Death Squadron. Do you really think fun is a priority for any of them?"
Lorem giggled, and even Maela had to smile. Dirjo, however, scowled, turning his head sharply. "Are you criticizing Lord Vader?"
Azier waved a hand dismissively. "They're bringing death to those who would threaten the Empire. I lived through a war none of you remember or understand. I have no desire to do it again. And Lorem, to answer your question, I'd rather stay in this floating tin can forever than visit any of the forsaken rocks our probe droids are reporting from."
"Not a hundred thousand," Maela said softly.
"What?" Lorem asked, turning around in her chair to give her full attention to Maela.
"Project Swarm sent out a hundred thousand. But some won't make it to their destinations. Some will crash and be incapable of functioning after. Some might land in environments that make transmission impossible. If I had to guess, I'd say we'll receive anywhere from sixty-five thousand to eighty thousand transmissions." Vipers were tough little wonders, and their pods protected them, but still. Space was vast, and there were so many variables.
"In that case," Lorem said, grinning, "we'll be done by the end of the day. And then we can decide which planet we'll live on forever! Though none of my prospects are good. You're from the Deep Core, aren't you? Any footage from your planet so we can add it to our potential relocation list?"
Maela turned back to her own work. Her accent attempts hadn't been as good as she thought, after all. "No footage. We didn't send droids to Vulpter."
Azier snorted a laugh.
"Why?" Lorem asked. "Why is that funny?"
Dirjo hit a button harder than necessary. "Half the probe droids we have are made on Vulpter. Back to work." His tone was brusque, but he looked appraisingly at Maela. "You came from the manufacturing side. I would like to speak about it, sometime."
Maela went back to her screen. She knew this work wasn't sought-after. That it was either washouts like Azier or those who hadn't managed to climb up the ranks yet like Dirjo. But she had specifically requested it and had no desire to move elsewhere in the Empire's service. She slipped her hand into her pocket and rubbed the smooth, rounded surface of a probe droid's main eye. How many times had she traced these eyes, longing to see what they saw? Imagined flinging herself through the reaches of space alongside them to uncover sights untold?
And now here she was. As close as she could get. The fates...
