Star Wars: Before the Awakening

Fun, gripping and well written, I'd love to not only read more by Greg Rucka, I want to find the other great Star Wars novels out there. The battles between space ships, between stormtroopers, between desperate aliens out in the desert were interesting and clear to witness.

Finn & Rey's stories gave great insight into their characters, but unlike Poe's they could not delve much into their history.

Finn's story was shorter by a few pages, but gave a neat view of the mechanisms of the First Order, how they controlled their citizens, or rather, controlled their stormtroopers. More than anything, this established Finn's loyalty to the people he fought beside, and how he struggled determining right from wrong long before the movie.

Rey's story show more was surprising in that we were set up for betrayal, but I was surprised at how she was betrayed. Instead of feeling frustrated for her loss or at her for not seizing an opportunity, I felt the weight of her situation: being stuck, waiting. And I really sympathised. Something that was felt briefly in the movie was expanded upon here.

Poe's story is the highlight of this volume. If you wanted more of the dashing pilot who stole our hearts, you will not be disappointed. Coming in as the longest (again, by a few pages) of these three, we are told about Poe's family, his history and his introduction to the Rebellion. We get a glimpse of the Republic as it exists in The Force Awakens (something we don't see much of in the movie) and get the emotional context of Poe's brief introduction and capture in the movie. When Finn inadvertently rescues Poe, it appears to us as the start of a beautiful friendship in the movie. With Poe's story, we get the real sucker punch in retrospect: Poe wasn't expecting to ever be rescued.

That's what made me pick up the volume, and maybe you'll do the same now, too. show less

Mild spoilers for The Force Awakens.

Greg Rucka and Phil Noto work together again in Before the Awakening, a novel set immediately prior to The Force Awakens that offers insight into the three new characters just as the Journey to the Force Awakens novels did with Han, Luke, and Leia. Before the Awakening begins with a story about Finn's time as a stormtrooper, when he was known as FN-2187, before switching to Rey and concluding with Poe Dameron.
The Finn story establishes that he resisted the First Order's brainwashing early on and, while he could kill in a combat scenario, he was resistant to orders to kill civilians. Rucka also shows how the First Order differs from the Empire and explains its motivation to its own people. Finn's story show more leads right into his appearance in The Force Awakens.
In Rey's story, Rucka perfectly captures the emotion and poignancy of Rey's early scenes on Jakku, showing how she fits into that world and goes about her day-to-day life. This is the most enigmatic of the three stories and could take place at nearly any time during Rey's life on Jakku. Here, Rucka teases a bit of Rey's history, explaining that, "if she left [Jakku], her parents would have no way of finding her" (p. 126). The use of the plural may indicate that Rey is Han and Leia's daughter, but it is too early to be sure.
Finally, in the Poe Dameron story, Rucka links Poe's work with the New Republic to that of his parents in the Rebel Alliance as Rucka himself detailed in Shattered Empire. In addition to exploring Poe's character, Rucka provides a much needed explanation of the politics of the galaxy prior to The Force Awakens, with an uneasy truce existing between the New Republic and the First Order as a result of the Galactic Concordance, which established a neutral zone between the two. The Resistance, composed of those in the New Republic who fear a return to the time of the Empire, evokes comparisons to those in Europe who foresaw the coming of World War II. Like Finn's story, Poe's tale leads directly into the new film.
Throughout the book, Noto's artwork continues to impress, being an interesting blend of realistic and stylized as he uses his red-and-grayscale palette to great effect. Those who enjoyed his work in the Journey to the Force Awakens books will love it here. The First Order and space battle particularly benefit from Noto's work, capturing a dynamism and intensity that a wider palette may have missed. show less

Anyone aching for more details about the new Star Wars characters will enjoy this book of three separate stories. You must know, going in, that these aren't so much profiles as vignettes. This is light reading, even for something marketed as young adult (almost middle grade). We get personalities, not details; attitudes, not deep history. But they are nicely written and well plotted, with only a couple of flaws (every old ship seems to be 'venerable'). Recommended.

This slim book offers quick, but significant, glimpses into the lives of the 3 heroes of Star Wars Episode VII before we meet them in the film: empathetic stormtrooper Finn, loner scavenger Rey, and hot-shot pilot Poe Dameron. While a relatively easy read, I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about each character - the inclusion of other minor and major characters form the film was also a welcome surprise. I love when I'm able to tell how much an author loves Star Wars merely from their writing, and such is the case with Greg Rucka.

A set of longish, yet still somewhat perfunctory, short stories. I found Poe's story to be the most interesting, probably because we get less of his story in Episode VII. Nothing in Finn's backstory is terribly surprising, especially for anyone who has read or watched any canon stories about Imperial cadet training (e.g., [book: Lost Stars] or the Rebels episodes that address it). Rey's story was drawn out a bit too long – not unlike the hot, sandy deserts of Jakku, I suppose – and the ending was telegraphed from miles away.

I don't mean to say these are bad stories, they just aren't great. They're worth reading for the Star Wars completist, but you won't really find much new in them.

A companion piece to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this book contains three short stories about the protagonists of that film immediately before the events of the film. Finn, then known as FN-2187, goes through rigorous training as a stormtrooper showing great skill and leadership, but the First Order are concerned that he has one flaw: empathy. Rey discovers an entire ship among the wreckage she's scavenging and works to get it into flying shape. Poe, unlike the other who are orphans, remembers the stories of his mother the pilot and his father the foot soldier in the Rebellion, as he is recruited to join the Resistance. They're good, concise stories with a lot of insight into the characters. This is a good book for a Star Wars fan or show more anyone who enjoyed The Force Awakens. show less

Before the Awakening is three short stories focusing on Finn, Rey, and Poe before the events in The Force Awakens take place. I picked this up because I recognized Greg Rucka's name from a few graphic novels I've enjoyed. I enjoyed Poe's story most of all. I felt the other two needed more action and less drama. It was an enjoyable read and gave some background to the new Star Wars characters.