Review: How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor

reviews, star wars films, book reviews, books, star wars, star wars books

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe . Chris Taylor. September 30, 2014. Basic Books. 488 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The Star Wars fandom is a worldwide community with various backgrounds and even more varying degrees of devotion and enthusiasm. There is a mixture of casual fans and fans who absorb Star Wars every second of every minute of every day. Whether you’re tuning in every once in a while or staying on top of the news at every moment, every Star Wars fan should pick up a copy of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Deputy Editor at Mashable Chris Taylor. To be honest, my knowledge of Star Wars barely scratches the surface. I care more for the characters, worldbuilding, and mythology than I do for behind-the-scene trivial facts. I’ve never been one to dig deeper and discover more about the movies. However, Taylor’s extensive exploration of the history of Star Wars and the impact it has had on popular culture makes for an eye-opening and entertaining read. Throughout the book, he also captures how the films have influenced the lives of various individuals, including Albin Johnson, the creator of the philanthropic 501st Legion.

Fans of the Making of Star Wars book series by J.W. Rinzler will also appreciate the in-depth research conducted by Taylor. Though detailed and seemingly overwhelming, the information presented is weaved into a very approachable and readable narrative. Since Star Wars is nearly 40 years old, I genuinely expected the book to be longer, especially after turning the last page in my desire to learn more. For me, every page contained with it a fascinating fact that expanded my growing knowledge of my beloved franchise. The chapter I enjoyed the most, “The First Reel,” not only captured the excitement and giddiness I first felt after watching the film on television, but it also painted the world as it was during the film’s first reel. Personally, I vividly remember sitting on the floor in front of the television set and being completely fascinated by what I saw. Having read this chapter, I now fully understand the creative processes and thoughts surrounding that point in time.

As we enter this new era of Star Wars, I found that the book portrayed a realistic future for the franchise. Unfortunately, the fandom is full of naysayers and people willing to deface Star Wars in order to make their opinions and sentiments known, but I continue to have faith in Lucasfilm, its new owner, and the creative decisions currently being made. Taylor calls December 18, 2015, the release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, a “glorious and terrifying day.” It’s an accurate description because the future for Star Wars has never felt more uncertain and secure at the same time–if that makes any sense. To close, for those looking to catch up with the history of cinema’s most iconic film franchise, this book will do the job adequately, touching on the topics old and new and the influences they’ve had on the population. Though the narrative felt slightly jumbled at times, this book remains a necessary item for any bookshelf.

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe is currently available online and at your local bookstores.


Movies Posts

Sep 14, 2015

The Martian Reviewed, Godzilla and King Kong, America’s Got Talent, Iron Maiden and Muse Album Reviews, and Ninja News!

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Entertainment News The upcoming film, The Martian, was just reviewed at the Toronto International Film Festival. According to JoBlo’s site - As such, The Martian really is terrific family entertainment....

Sep 07, 2015

Too Much NetFlix? The Shannara Chronicles, Hellboy 3, New releases in DVD-music-games, Favorite Job, Mini-Alex and Cicadas, and Ninja News!

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Happy Labor Day to my friends here in the States! Entertainment News This article caught my eye - New Study Suggests Americans are Watching Too Much NetFlix. From JoBlo’s site...

Aug 24, 2015

RiffTrax Live! Plus Movie Reviews, Trivia, and News; Dragon and Cassa News, Battle of the Banned, and Ninja News

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Back from vacation! I’m starting to really enjoy those… RiffTrax Live! Two more shows remain in this year’s RiffTrax Live line-up – Miami Connection and Santa and the Ice Cream...

Aug 17, 2015

Dragon’s Destiny! Plus Movie News, War Movie Trivia Answers, Ninja News, Box Social Winner, and Internet Questions for Everyone…

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Movie News World Wide Box Office – Jurassic World is now number three: 1 Avatar - $2,788.0 million 2 Titanic - $2,186.8 3 Jurassic World - $1,582.4 4 Marvel's The...

Aug 05, 2015

Roving Packs of Ferals

By Morbid Is as Morbid Does

I’ve wanted to start writing about the science fiction books that influenced my writing and there’s no better place to start than the book that revised my world and showed me what was possible in fiction.

Jul 27, 2015

Justice League: Gods & Monsters (Review)

By Comics Worth Reading

Justice League: Gods & Monsters is the best of the DC original animated movies in a long while. That’s because it’s fresh. It’s based on an original story by Bruce...

Jul 25, 2015

Pixels

By Comics Worth Reading

Pixels is exactly what it promises: a movie where video games have come to life, and Adam Sandler and friends, former arcade champions, are the only ones who can save...

Jul 20, 2015

The State of Sci-Fi Shows, Ant-Man Review, Movie News, Mini-Alex, and Reading Ambitions

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

I’m back from vacation! And it was awesome… I’m also over at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group with guest blogging tips. Movie News Ant-Man Review I’m happy to say the...

Jul 15, 2015

Review: Space Cowboys & Indians by Lisa Medley

By Escape Reality, Read Fiction!

My Review: While Space Cowboys & Indians isn’t really like the 2011 movie Cowboys & Aliens, it also isn’t not like it. Along with a bit of Farscape or the...

Jul 13, 2015

RiffTrax Sharknado 2 Review! Plus Minions Review, How Often Should You Blog, Box Office Results, and Ninja News

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

RiffTrax Live – Sharknado 2 Review and Feature On July 9 (with an encore presentation on July 16), the RiffTrax crew tackled a classice – Sharknado 2. I felt bad...