The Road to Episode Infinity: Before the Awakening Book Review

“Before the Awakening” is a middle-grade Star Wars book by Greg Rucka, which focuses on the characters of Finn, Rey, and Poe. As the title suggests, the events in the book lead up to the events of “The Force Awakens”.

I have to admit, I love all three of these characters, and stepping into their world to learn more about what makes them tick, was a treat. You pretty much understand what Rae and Finn’s motives are in “The Force Awakens”, but those ideas are a little more fleshed-out in this novel. We don’t have a real sense of Poe’s backstory in TFA, so this book digs into that.

Finn’s Story
In “The Force Awakens” Finn is obviously struggling with his place in The First Order. The audience has no real idea how long Finn has been having these feelings or what triggered it.

This book features Finn’s time as a cadet. He is part of a group that has been selected by Captain Phasma herself and she is grooming them to be an elite force. Though FN-2187 is the top cadet in his class, Phasma has noticed that he has a high capacity for empathy, something she has tried to train out of her forces.

It is the empathy that eventually forces FN-2187 to come to grips with his place in the First Order. He truly cares about his team members, even the ones that are struggling to make it. Finn is sort of a socialist in a world where only the strong are meant to survive.

Rey’s Story

Rey, for me, is the most compelling character in Disney’s new Star Wars films. In some ways she is the ultra-version of Luke Skywalker. Her struggles are greater than Luke’s, yet her attitude is less whiney. The one major difference between Luke and Rey is that Rey doesn’t want to leave her lifeless planet.

In “Before the Awakening”, we see more of Rey’s day-to-day struggles. Though TFA shows Rey as a skilled pilot and engineer, this novel explains exactly why this is. When the story presents Rey with a means of escaping her life of poverty, the reader truly hopes that she will succeed on a deep and visceral level- all the while knowing that success is impossible. The eventual outcome of this tale is obvious from the get-go, and yet the reader hopes against hope until the very last paragraph that Rey has escaped her impoverished reality.

Poe’s Story
Poe’s tale in this book fits very neatly between the novel “Bloodline” and the Marvel Comic series “Poe Dameron”.

This story finds Poe as a Pilot for the New Republic in a time where the New Republic is not taking the threat of The First Order seriously. Furthermore it has become obvious that many New Republic senators secretly support The First Order. Poe is obviously frustrated with the New Republic, partially because his parents fought for the Rebellion (See the comic "Shattered Empire") and it was their greatest fear that everything they fought for would not last.

Poe begins to challenge the orders that the New Republic has given him and someone takes notice. That someone happens to be General Leia Organa, who has secretly founded The Resistance, a group that will do what the New Republic cannot do- squash The First Order before it gains too much power.

Star Wars For All Ages

“Before The Awakening” is a great introduction for upper elementary students into the world of adult Star Wars novels. It is a bit surprising that most Star Wars books are actually aimed at adult readers. I remember struggling through many heavy Star Wars tomes when I was in middle school. It is nice to discover that Disney has not forgotten the younger readers, and “Before the Awakening” is challenging enough for kids and adults to enjoy equally, much like the films themselves.

This book was released one day after “The Force Awakens” and was preceded by three junior novels, published three months earlier, which focused on Han, Luke, and Leia. A fifth book, called “Cobalt Squadron”, features the same color scheme and will release this December shortly after “The Last Jedi”. “Cobalt Squadron" will focus on Rose, a new major character introduced in “The Last Jedi”.