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A review by pagesofmilkandhoney
Star Wars: Book of Lists: A Galaxy's Worth of Trivia in 100 Lists by Cole Horton
2.0
Before I go on to list (haha) all the things I think are weird and strange with this book, I just want to say: I can't fault it for doing what it says. It's a Book of Lists, and it's...a bunch of lists. 100, in fact. So if you don't like lists and repetitiveness...avoid this book.
ANYWAY....here are my critiques. (Scroll down for a tldr;)
I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but the lists that are in here get quite strange and nuanced. I understand some of them, like languages spoken around the galaxy or the different types of ships, but 'List of Objects and People Destroyed by Kylo Ren'? (His HELMET is listed.) 'Ugliest Creatures'? (Also known as "Faces Only A Mother Could Love' - what did they ever do to you?) Is there anything more boring than 'Methods of Interrogation'? Even the lists I don't mind read like one of those Buzzfeed articles ('10 ways that the hot Scot from Outlander made us swoon!' (Note: not a real list, just an example.)) It seems to me that instead of writing a book about Star Wars that is actually useful or entertaining, it's just another way to make something for the consumer that they will buy simply because it's even remotely Star Wars related. You write it, they will come. A lot of the lists do actually feel like they belong in an encyclopedia, and it's great! They're the best ones in the book! But instead of going into more detail, we get to move on to 'Cosmic Coiffures: The Outlandish Hairdos and Luscious Locks of the Galaxy' (I can't make this stuff up - that one sounds like a YouTube video).
A couple other weird ways to phrase things - I GUESS TECHNICALLY Darth Vader is a cyborg, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Also, why do we get Luke's most 'heroic' moments, but Leia's most 'defiant'? I let the author calling Chewie a walking carpet slide (I wasn't sure if that was a movie reference I just forgot), but lost it when they called Lando "this old smoothie' (get it - because he's so smooth). On the other hand, it's not their fault that a snowtrooper (which I forgot even existed) looks like a futurized version of the KKK (did anyone check with the costume department? Are they doing okay?) However, I am Totally Here for Warwick Davis getting his own list (even if it's titled 'Warwick Davis and His Characters Who Start With A 'W''.) The sentence 'Like father like son, lost limbs now run in the Skywalker family' shows up, which is impossibly funny and I had a giggle over it. However, closely followed by a kissing page, which is just mainly Padme and Anakin/Anakin and Padme/Padme and Anakin/Leia and Luke/Luke and Leia/Han and Leia/Leia and Han. I get it. They like to kiss each other. One of the final lists is a list of weirdest names, which okay, I guess. but it does have the sentence 'Poof is a fitting name for a character whose head is shaped like a cotton swab', so I guess I will let that slide because of it's sheer cheek.
tldr; probably a marketing gimmick, definitely not worth your money, but there are a few things in there that are cheeky or chuckle-worthy if you want to take it out of the library or buy it as a gag gift or something. I'm going to rewatch my favorites of the series now, and just be grateful they didn't include Reylo's kiss from The Rise of Skywalker on the kissing list.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
ANYWAY....here are my critiques. (Scroll down for a tldr;)
I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but the lists that are in here get quite strange and nuanced. I understand some of them, like languages spoken around the galaxy or the different types of ships, but 'List of Objects and People Destroyed by Kylo Ren'? (His HELMET is listed.) 'Ugliest Creatures'? (Also known as "Faces Only A Mother Could Love' - what did they ever do to you?) Is there anything more boring than 'Methods of Interrogation'? Even the lists I don't mind read like one of those Buzzfeed articles ('10 ways that the hot Scot from Outlander made us swoon!' (Note: not a real list, just an example.)) It seems to me that instead of writing a book about Star Wars that is actually useful or entertaining, it's just another way to make something for the consumer that they will buy simply because it's even remotely Star Wars related. You write it, they will come. A lot of the lists do actually feel like they belong in an encyclopedia, and it's great! They're the best ones in the book! But instead of going into more detail, we get to move on to 'Cosmic Coiffures: The Outlandish Hairdos and Luscious Locks of the Galaxy' (I can't make this stuff up - that one sounds like a YouTube video).
A couple other weird ways to phrase things - I GUESS TECHNICALLY Darth Vader is a cyborg, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Also, why do we get Luke's most 'heroic' moments, but Leia's most 'defiant'? I let the author calling Chewie a walking carpet slide (I wasn't sure if that was a movie reference I just forgot), but lost it when they called Lando "this old smoothie' (get it - because he's so smooth). On the other hand, it's not their fault that a snowtrooper (which I forgot even existed) looks like a futurized version of the KKK (did anyone check with the costume department? Are they doing okay?) However, I am Totally Here for Warwick Davis getting his own list (even if it's titled 'Warwick Davis and His Characters Who Start With A 'W''.) The sentence 'Like father like son, lost limbs now run in the Skywalker family' shows up, which is impossibly funny and I had a giggle over it. However, closely followed by a kissing page, which is just mainly Padme and Anakin/Anakin and Padme/Padme and Anakin/Leia and Luke/Luke and Leia/Han and Leia/Leia and Han. I get it. They like to kiss each other. One of the final lists is a list of weirdest names, which okay, I guess. but it does have the sentence 'Poof is a fitting name for a character whose head is shaped like a cotton swab', so I guess I will let that slide because of it's sheer cheek.
tldr; probably a marketing gimmick, definitely not worth your money, but there are a few things in there that are cheeky or chuckle-worthy if you want to take it out of the library or buy it as a gag gift or something. I'm going to rewatch my favorites of the series now, and just be grateful they didn't include Reylo's kiss from The Rise of Skywalker on the kissing list.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.