Ex-Library copy,

A fun junior / young adult novel that really gets into Baze and Chirrut's head. A perfect lead in novel for Rogue One and the characters.

You can read my full review here:

https://thebeerthrillers.com/2021/11/02/book-review-guardians-of-the-whills-greg... ( )

First of all, book, how dare you. It's kind of the worst to read about wonderful characters and then remember OH WAIT THEY ARE BOTH DEAD NOW. But also this is a good book and now I'm more upset that they're dead than I was after the movie. If you don't care much about falling more in love with characters who will abandon you because DYING then you will probably enjoy this book lots. I am personally offended that I had to feel all these unexpected feels and be EMOTIONALLY COMPROMISED. It's terrible.

(Also, whether or not you care about Star Wars tie in books, this is a really beautiful story about friendship, refugees, warfare, and family. You don't need to know, like, anything about Star Wars to get lost in this book. And I'd recommend this for adults possibly even more than kids.) ( )

In Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills, Greg Rucka explores the backstory of Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus on Jedha prior to the events of Rogue One. The story begins with the planet and the city of NiJedha already under Imperial occupation as the Empire strips the kyber mines. Chirrut and Baze find ways to care for those in their community while occasionally striking back at the Empire. They also work with Saw Gerrera, but Chirrut finds Gerrera's methods distasteful as they put innocents in danger. The basic story itself is entertaining and provides plenty of excitement, but Rucka's exploration of the spirituality of non-Jedi in the Star Wars galaxy is the most interesting part of this novel. He provides some background on the Guardians of the Whills and the Disciples they protect as well as various other groups drawn to the city due to its connection with the Force. Most of the Star Wars tie-in media follows the films in presenting the Force as something black and white that non-Force users can only reference, but not understand. Rucka explains that, even if they cannot manipulate it, Force sensitive people are aware of the "energy field created by all living things" that "surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together" and so they develop their own belief systems to explain and understand its meaning. In Rogue One, Chirrut appears to have some Force sensitivity. Rucka explains that he does, but only in that he can glean information from it. Unlike a Jedi, he cannot manipulate the Force to his own advantage. Along with this world-building, Rucka includes references to other parts of the Star Wars canon, such as the Corporate Sector (pg. 65) and the Lothal transmission from Star Wars Rebels (pg. 74). Like Rucka's other Star Wars novels, this is a book for all ages and parents could read it with their children, both enjoying it as they read. The black-white-and-red art inside resembles the various "Journey to The Force Awakens" novels published in 2015 and gives these books a coherent style that works rather effectively. Rucka begins each chapter with a quote reflecting the different religions' interpretations of the Force, helping to expand the Star Wars galaxy while also incorporating an element of the Secrets of the Galaxy books by Daniel Wallace. ( )