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Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace | 
 enlarge | Author: Terry Brooks
Publisher: Random House Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $49.95
Buy New: $42.95
You Save: $7.00 (14%)
New (2) Used (3) from $18.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  341 reviews
Sales Rank: 989043
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 8
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 5.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 037540743X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780375407437
ASIN: 037540743X
Publication Date: April 21, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Alexander Adams, the actor who reads this full-length novelization of Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, actually manages to do Jar Jar better than Jar Jar himself. Although he does sound a bit like a well-meaning dad doing an impression of the gangly amphibian for his kids, that added bit of restraint and unaffected goofiness actually works. Likewise, Adams's voice--all earnest and NPR-smooth--does good service to the rest of the cast, especially with Jedi teacher Qui-Gon Jinn and (surprisingly) Queen Amidala. (Only Anakin proves a little hard on the ears at first, perhaps a little too nasal.) The book's narrative receives the same competent treatment as the dialogue, with the added oomph of both John Williams's stirring score--woven in unobtrusively--and short suites of Lucasfilm sound effects that accompany every spike in the action, whether it's R2's beeping or the metallic bang of blaster fire. Modern marketing has made movie novelizations a necessary evil and hence suspect, but Terry Brooks proves a deft embellisher of Lucas's well-loved epic, skillfully splicing in scenes and dialogue to fill out the breakneck, foreshadowing-filled story line of Phantom Menace. But that shouldn't be surprising: Brooks has long been the equal or better of Lucas when it comes to storytelling, most notably in his long-lived Shannara series, which began with The Sword of Shannara back in 1977, the same year Star Wars hit theaters. (Running time: 9.5 hours over eight discs) --Paul Hughes
Product Description
In barren desert lands and seedy spaceports . . . in vast underwater cities and in the blackest depths of space . . . unfolds a tale of good and evil, of myth and magic, of innocence and power. At last the saga that captured the imagination of millions turns back in time to reveal its cloaked origins--the start of a legend--the story of STAR WARS. Based on the screenplay by George Lucas, this novel by master storyteller Terry Brooks probes the depths of one of the greatest tales of our time, providing rich detail and insight into the minds and motives of the characters--and shedding bold new light on Lucas' brilliant creation. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, an evil legacy long believed dead is stirring. Even the Jedi are caught by surprise, their attentions focused on the political unrest between the Trade Federation and the Republic. Now the dark side of the Force threatens to overwhelm the light, and only an ancient Jedi prophecy stands between hope and doom for the entire galaxy.On the desert world of Tatooine, far from the concerns of the Republic, a slave boy works by day and dreams by night--of being a Jedi Knight and one day traveling the stars to worlds he's only heard of in stories . . . of finding a way to win freedom from enslavement for himself and his beloved mother. His only hope lies in his extraordinary instincts and his strange gift for understanding the "rightness" of things, talents that allow him to be one of the best pod racers on the planet. In another part of the galaxy, the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, young Obi-Wan Kenobi, are charged with the protection of Amidala, the young Queen of Naboo, as she seeks to end the siege of her planet by Trade Federation warships. It is this quest that brings Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and the Queen's beautiful young handmaiden to the sand-swept streets of Tatooine and the shop where the slave boy Anakin Skywalker toils and dreams. And it is this unexpected meeting that marks the beginning of the drama that will become legend . . . An incredible audio production complete with original Star Wars music and sound effects.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 336 more reviews...
A surprisingly good novel July 30, 2008
I read this book mainly out of curiosity. Even though I'm one of those SW fans who were very disappointed by the film, I was delighted and intrigued by the novel. As only a novel can do, it gave us a glimpse into the story as no film would have been able to do. Also, many irritations in the film (i.e. Boss Nass, Anakin's accidental space victory, and of course Mr. Binks himself), are somehow much less irritating in the novel. This novel would prove a relentless page-turner to even a slow and impatient reader.
In short, Terry Brooks did a great job.
 Fun, but the film works better. May 16, 2008
This novel is written well enough, and giving Terry Brooks credit for his talent (he is author of the best selling Sword of Shanara series) I have to say that he did a good job with the material he was given. The Phantom Menace is a bode of contention with many and as a film and book, it seemed very scattered in its layout. The film aside, the screenplay on which the novel is based seemed to want to cover a lot of ground but lacked the cohesive-ness of the original trilogy. There is one scene that does stand out and unfortunately it never made its way into the film, in which Anakin Skywalker keeps watch over a Tusken Raider child that has been trapped out in the desert. He tried to free the child but when he can't he stays all night with it to make sure nothing comes to harm it. He wakes in the morning to find himself surrounded by the child's clan and they silently acknowledge his act of selflessness and leave. This scene would have greatly enhanced Anakin's character in the film and would have been echoed beautifully in Episode II when his mother is killed by the Tuskens. In true ironic fashion, this type of tragic element would have worked so well to further empathize viewers sympathy for the title character and it was simple to boot. But in digression, this is a must read novel for die hard Star Wars fans, but not really necessary for the casual fan.
Great quality book, but.... August 31, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The look of the book is great. The writing is poor. It's rather simple and bland. The word-choice is kiddish. Boring.
Some good things but it still doesn't compare to watching the movie! May 20, 2007
Reading any Star Wars book can't beat the experience of seeing a Star Wars movie. Star Wars was meant to be cinema; all the books are just extra. This is especially true about a movie novelization. So if you've seen the movie, what is the point of reading the book that is based on the movie? I want to read the stuff that happens behind the scenes and the parts of the story that are based on scenes that were cut from the film. The novelization is the opportunity to add a lot of background not in the film. It is the chance to get inside the characters' heads. Ideally, the novelization will enhance our appreciation of the film.
In `99, I saw this movie in the theater six times and absolutely loved it. It totally lives up to the classic trilogy in my mind (and the lightsaber dueling in TPM surpassed the classic duels). On an action-adventure level, this movie is awesome. And I'll admit right here that I even like the character of Jar Jar. He's funny!
Even though the movie is completely enjoyable as it is, it did raise questions in my mind. What was a Trade Federation? What were the details of the political happenings of the Senate? Why did the Supreme Chancellor have to dispatch two Jedi Knights to the Naboo trade blockade "secretly"? And what is the young queen's background. Where is her family?
Over the course of the movie's run in the theater, I decided to read the novel (mostly based on The Phantom Menace screenplay), with the previously mentioned purpose of enhancing my movie experience the next time I saw it. I was a little nervous as I remembered not liking the classic trilogy novelizations because too much was different from the movies.
Well, the good news is, I don't remember this novel changing much from the movie. And there was even an extra part that Lucas himself demanded be added to the novel. Lucas wanted a few chapter's to show Anakin before the other characters met him. Show that he is a little boy with a lot of compassion, Lucas directed Brooks. So there are a few chapters that portray the events leading up to the fateful encounter in Watto's junk shop that we see in the movie. And Lucas also gave the author a little bit about why the Sith have been thought to "have been extinct for a millenium."
But the bad news is, exactly none of my questions had been answered! So I was overall disappointed with this book. Cloak of Deception has the answers to my questions about this movie (except about Padme's family and backgroud - The Attack of the Clones novel and DVD deleted scenes help out there). I give this book 2.5-stars.
If you want to know a little more about Anakin Skywalker, the one who will bring balance to The Force, my recommendation is to read Chapters 1, 2 and 6 of this novilization and then just watch Episode I again!
I highly recommend the following 5-star novels that are extremely relevant to the film series:
Cloak of Deception (Star Wars)
Shadow Hunter (Star Wars: Darth Maul)
Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars, Episode III Prequel Novel)
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)
 Doesn't add much to the film. August 24, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Being tapped to write a novelization of a film as massively successful as a Star Wars movie has got to feel like a bit of a thankless job, artistically speaking. Sure, the exposure and potential earnings would probably excite many a potential author, but it has to be rather limiting to any lofty literary aspirations a writer might have. I can also imagine that Lucasfilm is likely quite restrictive of writers taking liberties with the adaptations of the Star Wars films, especially when the book in question is of the first Star Wars film to be made in sixteen years.
So how does Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace stack up as a novel? Unfortunately, I wasn't terribly impressed. I don't think it makes sense to evaluate a movie novelization on its story, as the story was already dreamed up and written in script form before Terry Brooks was brought on board. What I look for in a good movie novelization is an expansion of the story presented in the film, an in-depth exploration into characters and their motivations, and tasty tidbits that either didn't make it onto the screen due to running time or simply because they were better left to prose.
The book starts off well with several chapters devoted to young Anakin on Tatooine. Anakin races Sebulba in a Podrace briefly alluded to in the film, he meets with his buddies Kitster and Wald and rambles around Mos Espa, and has an exciting encounter with a wounded Tusken Raider out in the desert, whom Anakin nurses back to health. Surely Terry Brooks couldn't have known about Anakin's eventual slaughter of the Tusken Raider tribe that kidnapped his mother in Attack of the Clones, but it plays out like he did. Young Anakin's unthinking care for the Tusken adds pathos and a tinge of irony to the bloodbath he unleashes on the desert tribe in Clones.
However, after this opening, the book quickly settles into essentially being a blow-by-blow account of the events of the film. It uses many Star Wars terms freely without much description and also uses some that don't seem to be quite "Star Wars" at all.
I find Terry Brooks' writing style workmanlike - he tells a story in a very straightforward and easy-to-follow way but rarely illuminates a particular page with anything that leaps out and grabs you by the proverbial throat. The book does a lot of telling you what characters are feeling without actually showing you what they feel - there's not much subtlety in simply stating a character is sad, angry, or happy.
I believe the two-star rating may be a shade harsh, but I hoped to get more out of this novelization than a flat retelling of the film. Books can go places films cannot, and I didn't feel this book tried very hard to do that. I did enjoy the movie The Phantom Menace and find it an entertaining story, but reading the book didn't add much to my run through reading the entire Expanded Universe.
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