Review of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Visual Dictionary"

 Review of

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Visual Dictionary ISBN 9781465438164

Five out of five stars

Clear explanations of the characters and their backgrounds

 I loved episodes IV, V and VI of Star Wars and was extremely disappointed in episodes I, II and III. Episode VII was a bit of an improvement, but there was a far more complex context in the story. The Empire was defeated and the Emperor killed, leading to the rebirth of the Republic. A new dictatorial group known as the First Order has arisen and there is a man with powers emanating from the force that is a wanabee Darth Vader. The heroes of the middle three episodes have been relegated to secondary status in the new political order.

 Into all of this complex political and relationship mix there is a genocidal battle where a village is wiped out by troops that appear to be imperial Storm Troopers. There is a lot of action with the two new characters of Rey and Finn but very little is explained. This book does a great deal to answer the logical questions about what has happened.

 It also gives some essential background on many of the supporting characters and groups that the new round of heroes encounter. This is a book that one should read after seeing the movie and then once you finish it, view the movie again. The story will make a good deal more sense the second time.