“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Well, actually…

… You say ‘a long time ago,’ but it’s not as long ago as the last one, right? It’s more like ‘in more recent developments.’ 

You want me to start this episode of the Journal of the Whills – which everybody has been looking forward to for three years – with ‘in more recent developments?’… I was hoping you would have learned how to shut your Sarlacc-sized mouth by now…”

And thus does Tom Angleberger take us out of the newest (second) volume of From a Certain Point of View, a written celebration of The Empire Strikes Back‘s 40th anniversary. But what about the collection that comes before this hilarious final missive?

The Star Wars author pool has expanded exponentially since we celebrated the 40th anniversary of A New Hope back in 2017, and that’s to all of our benefit. The breadth of experiences and perspectives those writers bring to the galaxy bring new wonders, new subtleties, and new perspectives. Many of them share that wonderful creativity in this deliciously chunky volume.

(Check out our review of the first From a Certain Point of View book here.)

Although there aren’t as many home runs in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back as there were in the first From a Certain Point of View, they were more cohesive as a whole. Either the authors worked more closely as a group or editorial chose certain themes they wanted included in each of the book’s three sections (Hoth, the… middle bit, and Cloud City).

The themes that grabbed me are:

1. Han Solo is a giant douchebag. This one is probably my favorite, because let’s be honest, Han Solo is a giant douchebag. As a pansexual lady of a certain age, he was one of my first crushes, but even back then, I knew I liked him because he was an asshole rather than despite it or because underneath the bravado was a heart of gold. It’s affirming to know literally everyone in the Rebellion was in accord.
2. The residents of the Rebel base on Hoth had a betting pool going as to when Leia was going to kick Han’s ass. This is just… I love it. Of course they did.
3. The Empire sucked. In a lot of the Star Wars books, the space Nazis are an efficient machine. In FaCPoV: ESB we’re given the stories of individuals within the Empire. We’re not asked to be sympathetic with regard to their various plights, but we are showing that they’re individuals who make mistakes. One of the major differences between the Rebellion and the Empire is that those who screw up in the former are given the opportunity to redeem themselves, whereas in the latter, a misstep usually means death by Force choking. If you’re lucky.
4. Rebellions are built on hope… and on the everyday people who fight them. Even though Han, Leia, and Luke are very present in these stories, very few of them focus on the heroes of the Rebellion (or on the main players in the Empire). Most of the stories are about food runners and foot soldiers, TIE pilots and maintenance workers. Heroes inspire, but it’s the rest of us who keep the fight going. And on the days we feel low, the days we feel as though no one sees us – that our vote doesn’t matter, that our single voice is lost in the maelstrom – that’s what we need to remember.

But what you all really want to know about is the stories, right? As I said above, there were fewer that grabbed and shook me than last time, but those that were in that category were 100 percent knocked out of the park.

As a quick aside: If you’re interested in listening to some great conversations with some of the authors included in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, please do check out our chats with Tom Angleberger, S. A. Chakraborty, Zoraida Córdova, Delilah S. Dawson, Jason Fry, Christie Golden, John Jackson Miller, Michael Moreci, Daniel José Older, Amy Ratcliffe, Gary Whitta, Jim Zub, and Marc Thompson (one of the audiobook performers).

In the opinion of this reader, the best entries were:

C.B. Lee’s “A Good Kiss”: A short-order cook on Hoth who is desperate to be more finds out that he is… and finds the courage he needs to do the thing. We must stan. (Tied for my favorite with “Faith in an Old Friend.”)

Gary Whitta’s “Rogue Two”: Luke Skywalker is missing on Hoth. His squadron isn’t sure they can take another loss, and they’re terrified.

Charles Yu’s “Kendal”: Admiral Ozzel reflects on his life choices in his final moments.

Django Wexler’s “Amara Kel’s Rules for TIE Pilot Survival (Probably)“: Ever wonder what happened to the TIEs that chased the Millennium Falcon into that giant space worm? This is also one of the stories I mentioned above that very skillfully humanizes Imperials without asking for any sort of sympathy or empathy.

Sarwat Chadda’s “Standard Imperial Procedure”: Imperials always follow the rules. It sucks to be an Imperial. Especially when Boba Fett decides you’re between him and something he wants.

Brittany N. Williams’s “Faith in an Old Friend”: Rejoice L3 fans. She’s back! And she’s brought some incredible friends. (Tied for my favorite with “A Good Kiss.”)

S.A. Chakraborty’s “But What Does He Eat?”: Lando Calrissian asks a celebrity chef on Bespin to cook the meal of her career. For Darth Vader.

Lydia Kang’s “Right-Hand Man”: The medical droid caring for Luke after he loses his hand on Cloud City reflects that, sometimes, wounds to the psyche are more damaging than wounds to the flesh.

There are a bunch of other entries in the anthology that are good, solid stories. There are also a few I didn’t care for or skipped. One of the great things about an anthology is the beauty to do exactly that: connect with some of the work, enjoy some, and feel okay about passing on the ones that don’t work for you.

Anthologies are also a great way to find new authors whose back catalog you might want to explore, and I’ve certainly done that. Overall, I think From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back is a worthwhile investment of fundage and time and that pretty much every Star Wars fan will find something to love.

For the audiophiles among you, you’d do well to check out the audiobook version, with narration by Jonathan Davis, Sean Elias-Reyes, Dion Graham, Jon Hamm, January LaVoy, Soneela Nankani, Marc Thompson, Sam Witwer, and Emily Woo Zeller.

May the Force Be With You.