Star Wars

Grade 10 Up–In the introduction to this collection, J. W. Rinzler writes about the weekly Friday meetings with writer/director George Lucas and the concept artists of the movie The Revenge of the Sith. In those preproduction meetings, Lucas would toss around ideas and the artists would come up with visual representations. Although Lucas liked many of the concepts, he did not believe that all of them fit into his movie, so 10 of the artists use these pages to show off their styles and imaginative Star Wars scenarios, providing readers with intimate views by some of the key creators of a galaxy far, far away. The artists were given free reign to explore all aspects of the Star Wars universe; each tale offers a glimpse into or new twist on that galaxy. The emphasis is on art and character origins. The graphics range from gothic-looking watercolors to bright and dazzling paintings. The book is in full color, but there is a tendency toward dark, muddy hues and bright red highlights. Not just for fans of the movies, this compilation is an excellent resource for readers interested in how ideas, artwork, and printed material come together.

–Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA