Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Unabridged)

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Summary: Terry Brooks still one of the great fantasy masters.
Review: Terry Brooks is undoubtly one of the greatest fantasy writers of our time. Those who doubt this have either not read any of his other books or do not know what great fantasy really is. I, for one, have read most of Brooks' other works, including the Shanara and Landover sagas and his most recent series starting with Running with The Demon. There is no doubt in my mind, and in the mind of many other fantasy fans, that Brooks ranks up there with the likes of Tolkien and Jordan in terms of the great fantasy masters. But his newest book, The Phantom Menance, certainly does not reflect the true talent of Terry Brooks. First, as many reviewers who have given bad reviews have noted, the book is not written at an adult level. But remember, the Star Wars experience is not just for adults. In fact, The Phantom Menance, in my view, is much more for the new generation of Star Wars fans who will be made by this movie. Brooks makes this clear in his dedication. Second, don't believe Terry Brooks is a bland, unimaginative writer just based on this book. I agree with a fellow reviewer who wrote that most of what Brooks wrote was directly from Lucas and the screenplay. I do not think that Brooks was given much creative license with this project, otherwise the true Terry Brooks would of shown.

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Summary: and we'll have fun, fun, fun...
Review: ...now that George brought the story back today! ok, so at times you see it coming, but you want to read it anyway. ok, so, if you've read the other books (and are from the same era as I am) and read the interviews, etc - you know a lot of this story. WHO CARES? It is so much fun, and so enjoyable to get to sit around the campfire and have Uncle George tell us another great Star Wars story. We still like it no matter what.

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Summary: It's My New Favorite Book
Review: I am one of the slowest readers in the world and usually get bored with a book about halfway through. When I got this book I couldn't put it down and finished it in three days. It's a great story with great characters. You can realize so much more about character's personalities through readin the book than through the movie. This book is great to read before the movie because if you're like most people you won't see the movie the first month it comes out. Reading the book ahead of time won't spoil the movie for you it'll make it better. There are only three books that are my favorites and this is at the top of the list. You've got to read it!

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Summary: Great Background Information
Review: This book was great. It gives a lot of information I'm sure the movie won't be able to cover or explain. If the film is half as good as the book it will still be awesome. Definitely recommended before you see the movie.

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Summary: No words can describe
Review: A fantastic book, all who review this as a bad book I honor you opinions but this was just a great story. Brooks had a lot to work with and what he pulled of is something that adds more to depth to a fantastic story. Mr.Lucas- you haven't lost your touch and Mr. Brooks I must say great job!!!

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Summary: Sketchy plot, but with great potential.
Review: The Phantom Menace read like an outline for a potentially great story. Little character development forces us to make many assumptions to fill the void left by the writer. The plot has a few nice twists which will keep Star Wars fans satisfied until the final release of the movie. Terry Brooks is a fantasy writer, while Star Wars needed a science-fiction writer. Paul Anderson would probably have served as a better vehicle for the development of the story. Never the less, a story worth reading of a movie worth watching.

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Summary: Great Story!
Review: This book is a work of art. I myself am I writer and I think Terry Brooks did very well on this one. It had alot of action and the detail of the story was exquisite. And I bet the movie will be just as good.

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Summary: This is a long book, but a great story for Star Wars fans!
Review: I have only read up to chapter 8 in this book, but it is so far a great story about the new Star Wars movie! It has so many brand new characters, so much new and cool technology, and, let me tell you, try to read it before the movie comes out, that's what I'm doing before I see the movie so I can understand the entire story. It is really long, but very good reading.

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Summary: Nice rendering of the story, but not much depth.
Review: Well, I broke down and read the book this weekend - I was going to wait for the movie. In general the book read very well. Unfortunately I was caught up both in the hype over Star Wars and my excitement that Terry Brooks was going to be the book author. Both of these facts had my hopes set a bit high for what ended up being a rather simply told story with little detail into the thoughts and background of the characters.

I didn't really feel myself getting behind the good guys (the Jedi), and couldn't really hate the bad guys (Darth Maul). I wanted to know more about all of their backgrounds and motivations. Hopefully the movie will add some detail that the book was lacking. I have to believe that Terry Brooks didn't have enough of the details from Lucas (or enough freedom to explore these areas) to tell a really great story.

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Summary: Waiting very patiently for the next one....
Review: This book was incredible. I started on a Wednesday after work and finished Sunday. It reveals some great stuff. I am hoping that the movie can duplicate the passion and drama of this book. The last book I read before a movie was The Firm. The movie was good but it left out a bunch of stuff.