Books The Last Jedi by Jason Fry

I'd like that as well. The UK edition of Insider did not have the short stories when the US edition started them. I think it was a few years until that changed.

 

Ominous news.
They could just release it before the new year so everyone has a fortnight or so to watch the movie but three months?
That is not a good idea!
They're up to watch issue of the comic rendition of the TFA or was that Rogue One movie?
Oh my... we're talking Takei level intervention is needed!

 

I was going to renew my subscription to SWI this week but now I will not be as I get it only for the short stories. Ah well. Thanks for the information.

Interesting about the novelization being pushed back. I assumed if nothing else that the ebook would release alongside the film like TFA did.

 

March? Well, that explains why it hasn't turned up for pre-order yet. Thanks for the info - weird placing too.

 

March release = best place for a novelization to capitalize on the film, I would think. If it hits day and date with the movie "Hey, I can just see the movie" but if it hits in March, TLJ will be down to very few theatres, and the blu ray / digital release will probably be April so it's a prime spot for the novelization to be the easiest option to re-experience the movie.

 

A novelization of a film being released three months after the film airs. This can't be right.

 

To be fair, people complained that the Force Awakens adaptation was essentially pointless anyway. And really, is a novelisation necessary for the casual audience in the age where we don't have to wait months or years after a film leaves theatres for the home video release? It seems like the right sort of placement, especially with the wealth of tie-in material being released around the film anyway.

 

The TFA adaptation was viewed as pointless because it basically added nothing to the film - that's not the case for every novelization. Even discounting the extremely high bar set by the ROTS novelization, others have expanded more upon their source film, making them more worth reading.

 

That's so untrue. The novelization explained how Starkiller Base's weapon worked, so it was great for sci-fi science junkies like myself and it also revealed that Snoke and Kylo Ren knew that Vader had a change of heart and returned to the light. Snoke dismissed it as passion in the moment; however, its VERY important that those two know that. It might be what saves Ben.

 

The novilization and comics of TFA is huge disappointed, the film is so good, and they did bad in both medias
RO i bought the book yesterday, the comic i don't read yet.
Really surprise that the TLJ novel will be release just in march, but maybe to hide some spoilers, maybe Fry himself explains better.

 

It's pretty odd for a novelization to come out a couple months after the movie release. I would guess novelizations sell MUCH better if released at the same time or prior to the movie release to cash in on the hype.

I'm wondering if this is due to canon consistency, which is a challenge for novelizations, inherently, due to late rewrites, reshoots, edits, etc.

By releasing later, they can make the necessary boom revisions to stay in line with inevitable, late movie revisions.

But the cost is less profit. But perhaps small potatoes compared to the movie profits.


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As a big fan of movie novelizations, especially ones of Star Wars movies, I totally agree that they are the perfect place to elaborate further on various plot points and/or incorporate bits of lore. As my buddy GrandAdmiralJello points out, the Rogue One novelization by Alexander Freed is a recent example of this. To me, the standard barer is still James Zahn's novelization of Return of the Jedi. It may well be one of the best movie novelizations ever, and not just for the reasons you'd think I say that. Sure, I love the expanded look at the Battle of Endor, the details of the battle, and all that. However, there are subtle things that get me ever more.

Read the scenes where Vader is dying. They are, without a doubt, some of the best written and most poignant scenes written for Star Wars. His pain, his anguish, but also the flood of love that rushed back into his heart. His thoughts of Padme, the feel of rain on his skin, the smell of flowers - all eerily connect well to what we learned decades later in the Prequels. Also, if memory serves, the final line of the novelization (or one of the last) is "Long Live the Alliance". Not sure why that has stood out in my mind all these years, but it still does.

As a unabashed fan of jasonfry and his awesome books*, I have no doubt that his novelization of The Last Jedi will be awesome. Few authors have the depth of SW knowledge like him, I still can't think of anyone better to write a novelization about this movie.

(*Still haven't read the Jupiter Pirate books... I need to seriously get my ***t together and move them to the top of my reading pile!)

--Adm. Nick

 

Based on how closely and boringly the TFA novelization aligned to the movie, as well as the novelization canonicity stance (they are canon except for any parts not in the movie), perhaps that is the new normal...which would suck.

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I think I read somewhere that the YA novel by Michael Kogge is also not releasing until March? So will there be any story adaptations released day and date with the film? Storybooks? Young reader adaptation?

My plan was to buy and read the novelization the second the e-book was released because I won't be seeing the film for a couple days and I'd like to experience the story in some cohesive, structured form rather than overhearing all of the major plot points out of context.

 

Perhaps the change of directors for IX is part of the reason as well? If they were changing direction a bit with the script to IX, they wouldn't want any background info in the novelization of TLJ to go against where they were heading...

 

I'm guessing there are some End Of The Movie secrets they really don't want multiple hired hands having access to.

That, and having a final pass at the book once the people involved have actually seen the final film might benefit it.

 

One of the most well-regarded novelizations was of James Cameron's The Abyss, by Orson Scott Card, which he worked on concurrent with filming. Because Cameron hated it when novelizations didn't jive with the final film, it became a major collaboration. He talked with the cast to get some ideas of their view of the characters' other-wise undetermined backstory. Card was also invited on set as well, among other incredibly unique experiences. The novelization was a unique act of co-creation that was entirely consistent with the film, but expanded on it in cool ways. (there's a cool Q&A about that process here)

I like to think that the Story Group might help serve a little bit in that function, as the go-between w/ the filmmakers and the novelization writers, giving the closest practical real-time application of that sort of principle.

 

wrong way round my friend. The books are all canon, however scenes in the movies or tv show take precedent. Descriptions and characters thoughts during those scenes are regarded as canon, but extended dialog (such as Rey considering BB-8 in Niima outpost) would be considered non-canon and goes down as "artistic licence".

New scenes in novelisations or comics are- all 100% pure canon gold.

So highlights I can recall off the top of my head from the nu-canon are:

1) Unkar Plutt getting his arms ripped off by Chewie
2) Extra Poe scenes on Jakku
3) additional wookie scenes from Spark of Rebellion/Rebels
4) Obi-Wan talking to Luke about the Sith on-board the MF
5) Obi-wan remembering and hinting to R2-D2

 

My understanding was canon unless not in movie for novelizations. But that seemed specific to the PT and OT books...prior to the more integrated canon. So those extra scenes in the ROTJ novelization...not canon...never happened.

There seemed to me to not be a clear answer on that for ST novelizations. Where was what you are saying clarified? I like that approach--I've just never seen it officially legitimized.

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