Masterfully put together, both in design and content, Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary is another great from the encyclopedia and visual dictionary kings Dorling Kindersley. Digging deep into the movie’s lore to answer a number of critical questions, it’s a book that goes way beyond being a mere cash-in and does a fantastic job of educating and explaining The Force Awakens universe.
Written by the Lucasfilm Story Group’s own Pablo Hidalgo, the 80-page hardcover gives background (concept art, paintings, illustrations and photos) to key elements like characters, costumes, weapons, organizations and locations. All this is done with crystal clear images (that literally feel like they pop off the page) and a wealth of information (laid out like infographics) regarding your favourites – Kylo Ren, Han Solo, BB-8, Poe, Rey, FN-2187 / Finn and so much more. The only notable characters missing are Luke Skywalker and Supreme Leader Snoke – for obvious reasons.
Expanding on the galaxy far, far way, most of the pages are devoted to our new heroes – chock-full of spoilers. We get to learn cool details about the design of Kylo’s unstable crossguard lightsaber (how and why it so unique), Rey’s X-Wing pilot helmet and Finn’s backstory. A lot of stuff missing from the final shooting script is dealt with here.
If you’re keen on knowing the scale of the various vehicles, you’ll find that here too. It’s just that detailed. This book serves as a good reminder of just how huge the Star Wars universe is.
If you have an unquenchable love for Star Wars then this quintessential companion guide to the movie is a must-have. DK Publishing has a long history with creating insightful fun, detailed guides for geek fans, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary is among the best of them. If you have unanswered questions, look no further. Or perhaps you’re looking for a styling book for your coffee table? It works well for that too.
All images owned by Dorling Kindersley
