Excerpt: STAR WARS PSYCHOLOGY (Sterling)

October 28, 2015October 27, 2015 Civilian Reader Excerpt C-3PO, Droids, Jim Davies, Non-Fiction, Psychology, R2-D2, Star Wars, Star Wars Psychology, Sterling Publishing, Travis Langley

Today, we have an exclusive excerpt from Star Wars Psychology, edited by Travis Langley (Sterling, 2015). Specifically, a section by Jim Davies about droids. First, the synopsis for the book:

STAR WARS PSYCHOLOGY: Dark Side of the Mind explores the various psychological aspects of the beloved series, giving fans a better understanding of the motivation and mental states of their favorite characters.

A group of expert contributors, led by Travis Langley, explore the “Big Five” personality factors and the characters who embody each major trait. Get to know the major players a little better leading up to the new movie coming out this December… How does anxiety disorder explain the transformation of a character’s psyche from good to evil and back to good? Can robots feel pain and suffering? How does limb amputation and neuroprosthesis impact the brain? Does music influence our emotional reading of the entire saga?

And now, on with the excerpt. Continue reading →

Latest FORCE AWAKENS Trailer (Tingles…)

October 20, 2015 Civilian Reader Upcoming, Video Force Awakens, Lucasfilm, Movies, Sci-Fi, Star Wars, Trailer

Looks fantastic. Great to see a little bit more of the new characters (and Han Solo, of course). I’m cautiously optimistic — more so each time they release something new. Except for one possible snippet, though, where’s Luke Skywalker…? As with the poster released this week, he seems noticeably absent. Mark Hamill is in the behind-the-scenes video that aired at Comic-Con 2015 (and in the above-linked-to post), so we know he is in the movie.

I wonder if Force Awakens is about bringing the old band back together?

New STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Poster

October 18, 2015 Civilian Reader News, Upcoming, Video Force Awakens, Most Anticipated 2015, Star Wars, Trailer

I’m very much looking forward to this movie. Very, very much, in fact. I wonder why Luke isn’t in the image, though. Also, does anyone else wonder if John Boyega’s character, “Finn”, is Leia and Lando’s child…? Here’s the trailer (again):

And the Comic-Con 2015 Reel — an all-too-short making of clip, featuring a few cameos from the stars and crew:

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENING Teaser 2

April 16, 2015April 16, 2015 Civilian Reader Upcoming, Video Force Awakened, Most Anticipated 2015, Movie, Star Wars, Trailer

Just saw this. Goosebumps… Can’t wait to see this movie.

Audio Review: HOW STAR WARS CONQUERED THE UNIVERSE by Chris Taylor (Basic Books/Head of Zeus)

April 4, 2015April 4, 2015 Civilian Reader Review Audible UK, Basic Books, Chris Taylor, Head of Zeus, How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, Must Read 2014, Non-Fiction, Sci-Fi, Star Wars

The book every Star Wars fan is looking for…? Yes.

Why do most people know what an Ewok is, even if they haven’t seen Return of the Jedi? How have Star Wars action figures come to outnumber human beings? How did ‘Jedi’ become an officially recognised religion? When did the films’ merchandising revenue manage to rival the GDP of a small country?

Tracing the birth, death and rebirth of the epic universe built by George Lucas and hundreds of writers, artists, producers, and marketers, Chris Taylor jousts with modern-day Jedi, tinkers with droid builders, and gets inside Boba Fett’s helmet, all to find out how STAR WARS has attracted and inspired so many fans for so long.

This book is the first comprehensive history of the Star Wars phenomenon, tracing its origins and examining the incredible impact the films (especially the first three) had on science fiction, film-making and storytelling. Written by Mashable journalist Chris Taylor, this book is a fascinating trove of trivia, insight and observation. Taylor traces almost every kernel of influence — from George Lucas’s fascination and fondness for Flash Gordon to his early days of wanting to be a race-car driver — to paint the most detailed picture of the franchise’s evolution. I alternated between the audiobook edition (provided by Audible UK) and an eARC (provided by Basic Books).

The short version of this review is pretty simple: How Star Wars Conquered the Universe is a must-read for all fans of science fiction. Continue reading →

Marvel STAR WARS Featurette

January 18, 2015January 18, 2015 Civilian Reader Comics, Video Axel Alonso, Becky Cloonan, Comics, Darth Vader, Jason Aaron, Jordon D White, Marvel, Princess Leia, Skottie Young, Star Wars

Here’s a mini-featurette on the recently-published STAR WARS #1, in which series writer Jason Aaron, editor Jordan D. White, and Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso talk about the creation of the new ongoing series:

[youtube http://youtu.be/H_Hiky7fT2s]

There were 69(!) variant covers for this issue (which is frankly insane). A good number of them are pretty cool (Skottie Young’s is great). Personally, I think I like the Midtown Comics exclusive the best:

Speaking of of Skottie Young, he’s produced three covers – for Princess Leia #1, Star Wars #1, and Darth Vader #1 – that can be stitched together into a single image (via MTV News):

New Books (2015 Inaugural Edition)

January 13, 2015August 23, 2018 Civilian Reader New Books Alan Finn, Angry Robot, Anthony Reynolds, Beth Shapiro, Black Library, Brandon Sanderson, Brian Staveley, Daniel José Older, David Walton, Deborah Install, Duane Swierczynski, Ferrett Steinmetz, Forge, Gail Carriger, Gallery, Ha Jin, Haruki Murakami, Henry Holt, James Grady, Jim C Hines, Kevin Hearne, Louis Bayard, Michael Moorcock, Mulholland Books, Olen Steinhauer, Orbit, Pierce Brown, Princeton University Press, Pyr, Severn House, Simon R Green, Star Wars, Susan Wilkins, Titan, Tom Doyle, Tor, Transworld

Featuring: Louis Bayard, Pierce Brown, Gail Carriger, Tom Doyle, Alan Finn, James Grady, Simon R. Green, Kevin Hearne, Jim C. Hines, Deborath Install, Ha Jin, Michael Moorcock, Haruki Murakami, Daniel José Older, Anthony Reynolds, Brandon Sanderson, Beth Shapiro, Brian Staveley, Olen Steinhauer, Ferrett Steinmetz, Duane Swierczynski, David Walton, Susan Wilkins Continue reading →

Star Wars in Rolling Stone

September 7, 2013 Civilian Reader Uncategorized Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Empire Strikes Back, Harrison Ford, Journalism, Mark Hamill, Movies, Rolling Stone, Sci-Fi, Star Wars

While perusing Rolling Stone’s website (something I do frequently), I spotted a link for “Star Wars in Rolling Stone”. It’s a collection of the articles from the magazine, beginning with an interview with George Lucas from 1977. They’re presented in reverse-chronology, so I’d start with the final page (linked above) and work from there.

One article in particular jumped out for me – partly because of the title – and that was from the June 12th, 1980 issue of the magazine (pictured): “Slaves to the Empire: The ‘Star Wars’ Kids Talk Back”, by Timothy White. The article is about (according to the standfirst):

“Five actors caught in the paradox of ‘Star Wars’ (the highest-grossing film of all time has done nothing for their careers) talk about their trap, the making of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and why they still want to be a part of the third installment”

It’s an interesting interview, more about their opinions about the movies, working on them, and where they came from, than about being “trapped” by the films’ success. It’s filled with some great trivia for die-hard Star Wars fans. For example: Carrie Fisher is quite mischievous, and suggests that Leia should have fallen for Chewbacca; Mark Hamill considered Luke to be the “classic thankless role”, confesses that he is a “serious collector” of Star Wars memorabilia, and amusingly bemoans the fact that the Luke dolls have been marked down in price for collectors; Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) explains why the first movie was a “miasma of pain”; Harrison Ford sheepishly admits that he’s “never been much of a film fan” but felt like Empire Strikes Back was “the first time I’ve ever seen anything I’ve done that I’m happy with”.

The piece also addresses Mark Hamill’s car accident, and is actually the first time I’ve read anything about it:

“Hamill’s anxiety about landing choice roles was tragically accelerated when his BMW ran off the freeway in 1977. Star Wars had not yet been released, and his face was sufficiently ravaged that he wondered whether he would be able to retain any part of his angular good looks, let alone fulfill the remainder of his three-picture deal with Lucas. That mental anguish was only intensified when the film proved to be an international smash.”

Reading these articles got me to thinking: has anyone written a book about the making of the movies? Not just big, photo-stuffed Coffee Table books (although, those are really nice, too), but a campaign-biography-style volume about the making of the original movies. I’d definitely read one of those.

Upcoming: Star Wars EMPIRE & REBELLION (Lucas Books/Random House)

July 29, 2013September 8, 2018 Civilian Reader Uncategorized Honor Among Thieves, James SA Corey, Lucas Books, Martha Wells, Random House, Razor's Edge, Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Star Wars, Upcoming

The first novel in this series was announced quite a while ago, I think (super-excited for it, and I already have an ARC!). Today, however, I stumbled across some bare-bones preliminary information about book two, which has just ratcheted up my interest in the series to new heights. Here’s what I know so far…

The first novel, RAZOR’S EDGE, is written by critically acclaimed author Martha Wells, an author who has been on my radar for ages – and yet, as is becoming ever-more the case with me, still unread. With my long-held love for all things Star Wars, I can see this being my introduction to Wells’s writing. Here’s the synopsis…

Times are desperate for the Rebel Alliance. Harassment by the Empire and a shortage of vital supplies are hindering completion of a new secret base on the ice planet Hoth. So when Mid Rim merchants offer much-needed materials for sale, Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo lead an Alliance delegation to negotiate a deal.

But when treachery forces the rebel ship to flee into territory controlled by pirates, Leia makes a shocking discovery: the fierce marauders come from Leia’s homeworld of Alderaan, recently destroyed by the Death Star. These refugees have turned to pillaging and plundering to survive — and they are in debt to a pirate armada, which will gladly ransom the princess to the vengeful Empire… if they find out her true identity.

Struggling with intense feelings of guilt, loyalty, and betrayal, Leia is determined to help her wayward kinspeople, even as Imperial forces are closing in on her own crippled ship. Trapped between lethal cutthroats and brutal oppressors, Leia and Han, along with Luke, Chewbacca, and a battle-ready crew, must defy death — or embrace it — to keep the rebellion alive.

Today, I stumbled across the cover for the second novel in this series: HONOR AMONG THIEVES, which will be written by James S.A. Corey (the pen name for Daniel Abraham and Ty Frank). This novel is due for publication around March 2014, but I wasn’t able to find much more other than the cover on the internet (Random House’s page for the novel is effectively blank). I did find this nugget from the Star Wars Books Facebook page…

The book, set in the classic era, is a stand alone adventure and is scheduled for publication in Spring ’14. Our editor-at-large, Shelly Shapiro, received the manuscript last week and posted on this page the other day “I am super enjoying the Star Wars manuscript I’m reading right now.” I loved Corey’s LEVIATHAN WAKES so I’m very excited to read this Han and Chewie romp through the GFFA.

All-in-all, I think we’re in for some great new Star Wars novels. Colour me utterly intrigued and impatient…