I’m not going to sit here and act like The Rise of Skywalker is my favorite Star Wars film. I went to see it three times in theaters, and I have not watched it at home once over four years later. So, yeah. But, I recently read the junior novelization of the film by Michael Kogge, and it’s pretty good!

I’m obviously not the target audience of a junior novelization, but I thought it was well done. Kogge did a good job bringing the story to life, and he gave me a new appreciation for the film. It makes me honestly want to watch it again.

Look, I still have all of my problems with the film that I had when I first saw it. This book isn’t going to make the things I dislike better, but it really helped enhance the things that I do like.

Since the movie came out in theaters, the publishing world has enhanced the story through various books and comics. The two biggest being the Darth Vader comic from Marvel featuring Ochi of Bestoon and Adam Christopher’s Shadows of Sith novel. If you’re looking to increase your appreciation of the rise of Skywalker, I would start with either of those. Ochi in the Vader comic is outstanding. Whoever decided that would be his characterization deserves around the applause.

Overall, it’s a very solid adaptation, and if you really like the film, this is for you. If you aren’t a big fan of the movie, you probably don’t want to waste your time.