The three stories are entirely separate from one another and serve as neatly packaged vignettes that illustrate one aspect of each character. Finn’s empathy makes him stand out among the Stormtroopers of the First Order, and not in a good way. Rey’s resourcefulness wars with her desire to find her parents, and the unwillingness of the New Republic to fight the First Order grates on Poe. Before the Awakening is a fun, illuminating quick read, and for fans looking for answers about The Force Awakens, might even be more essential than the film’s actual novelization. Poe’s section has some of the best action in the book. The final space battle has a lot of short, simple sentences that could have come off as clunky, but instead do a good job of indicating how fast-paced and surprising the X-Wing combat is. The writing was smooth and bright elsewhere too: a tool makes “a strange singsong moan,” and on Jakku, Rey finds “small groups of scavengers working new wrecks.” Speaking of Jakku, Rey’s section does a good job of fleshing out the desert planet. It shows that the Teedos—the native species—have their own language and religion. The chapter begins with stuff like the natives’ belief that all sandstorms are one storm, and that the natives curse using the name of their god. It’s a nice way to add flavor to Rey’s story. Finn, meanwhile, shows what life was like as a First Order recruit. Like the others, his story builds slowly up to the beginning of The Force Awakens, but even more so than the others. We see his characterization escalating. His turn from First Order enforcer to Resistance fighter on the run was critical, and we get some more of it here. There are still some questions—was he really in sanitation?—but it makes the First Order seem like a more established presence. In fact, Finn’s Imperial training is very similar to the Imperial training shown in Rebels or Servants of the Empire. Finn was the best member of his squad. This makes sense, since he was eager to take charge in The Force Awakens, and it adds an extra layer of tragedy to his story. He left people that he liked—and he liked them better than Captain Phasma or the First Order did. I read Before the Awakening simultaneously with the novelization of The Force Awakens, and was surprised to find that the former actually provided more background on the characters than the latter. Disney has done consistently well with its Star Wars books, like the emotionally gripping Lost Stars or adventurous Weapon of a Jedi. Before the Awakening continues in that vein, with emotionally colorful stories that could appeal to both children and adults. If you have questions about The Force Awakens and an interest in reading more about the Star Wars galaxy in order to better understand the movie, Before the Awakening is a great place to start. Megan Crouse is a staff writer.
