This is a mess. As such, it is an interesting take on one of the early drafts of what eventually became the Star Wars we all know and love (it took years and many revisions of the story and script to make that film). It's pretty amazing that the author and artists were able to make this into something as semi-coherent as it is. You should only read this if you are a giant Star Wars fan and your little fan-boy heart won't be broken when you see the names of your favorite characters attached to almost unrecognizable new characterizations. I had fun reading it. ( )

It's difficult to know what to say about this project - the book is very well-executed, the art is incredible and it's a lot of fun seeing all the familiarity of Star Wars refracted and remixed into parts of its original vision. However, George Lucas' first draft, the basis of this book, is an uneven mess with a lot of pacing and character issues. However, I can't fault the book for this, as showcasing the rough draft as it is was the entire point. Ultimately very entertaining. ( )

How do you rate something based on the version of a film that was never made? It's reasonable to assume that the reason it was never made—the reason it was changed before filming—is because there are some significant lapses in storytelling or characterization or world-building...or all of the above. So your expectations for any of that can't be too high.

Even with those managed expectations, though, The Star Wars is far, far away from an excellent story. What is excellent is the interior art and the extensive work Rinzler and his crew did to bring the design of this Star Wars-that-could've-been to life. And while I'm deeply appreciative that the Star Wars I know is the Star Wars we got, reading the original, intended tale explains a lot, at least for me, about why the prequels went the way they did. ( )

Different than what we know, but falls a bit flat. ( )

Yikes!

Interesting historically. (a GREEN Han Solo?)
Good artwork.

Bizarre plot - all over the map.

Glad I read it - but man - we dodged a bullet here; grateful the Star Wars filmed... wasn't this... ( )