Book Review: Return of the Jedi Novelization

 

This is the novelization of Return of the Jedi, the hardcover version of which was re-released in the mid-1990s when Lucas was working on the prequel trilogy and the special editions of the original movies.  Like the other two re-published novelizations for the original trilogy that were released around the same time as this one, this has a short introduction that was written by George Lucas.

The hardcover version of the book is very short, coming at just under 230 pages, and it reads very quickly. As is the case with the novelizations of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, what is in the book is very close to what ended up in the movie, with mostly just some minor tweaks to scenes or dialogue. It does, however, include what was a deleted scene from the movie in which Luke is finishing his new lightsaber before Artoo and 3P0 go to Jabba's palace. As with the other original trilogy novelizations, I would not say that this is a must-read, but for people who are more than just casual fans, it is worth the time to read.