The Idea
Lucas starts the creative process.
Drawing Concepts
The artists begin sketching the new worlds of Star Wars.
Building the Fantasy
A look at the 55 different sets used in the movie.
Transforming Ideas Into Reality
A day in the life of the Star Wars crew.
The Creatures
Transforming human beings into bizarre alien creatures.
Lightsaber Fighting
An inside look at the fabulous fight scenes.
The Assistant Directors
The three right hands of George Lucas.
Three Thousand Anakins
George Lucas selects the next child superstar.
The Shoot
The cast and crew on location in Tunisia.

[Return to TOP]

t has been decreed by George Lucas that books tying up with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace may not be sold in Europe until the movie is released. And this from the man who has complained that "People should have a well-rounded life. I'm happy that Star Wars stimulates young people's imagination . . . but when you get a situation like this where you have so much hype and expectation, [a movie] can't possibly live up to that."

So all of the books listed below are available only from Amazon US.

Also, we'd assumed that given Lucas's desire to have his movies shown "properly" (ie in a cinema, with surround sound etc), he'd have at least made the trilogy available in the superior DVD format, complete with trailers, production shots and all the other goodies that the technology makes possible. But no. It has to be VHS or nothing.

But if you are prepared to pay the extra shipping, Amazon US has some great TPM goodies available. And for those completists out there who want anything that has a "Star Wars" tag to it, you can get the self-same Terry Brooks novelisation with four different covers. (Click the image at top of this column to order a boxed set of the four.)

And you can order yet another copy with a fifth different cover (left).

For the kids, there's an "easy-to-read" (their words, not ours) story book aimed at the youngsters who are probably the main target of this whole franchise.

There is the inevitable "how they made the movie" book, plus a "visual dictionary" - which in a movie that has further extended our visual horizons, is almost essential for anyone who really wants to delve into the world of young Anakin and Obi-Wan. As it says in the blurb, "See the terrifying anatomy of Naboo sea monster, a wild podrace on Tatooine, Battle Droids in combat. Discover the finery of Queen Amidala's court, the Jedi's sacred beliefs, the Nemoidians' bizarre customs and technology. Explore the secrets of the Wheel Droids, the underwater world of Jar Jar, the Byzantine intrigue of Coruscant, and much, much more!" But probably the most dazzling of all of the background books is Star Wars Episode I: Incredible Cross-Sections , by David West Reynolds, with remarkable illustrations by Richard Chasemore.

Cross-Sections All of the vehicles and space craft found in Star Wars: Episode I are explored in precise detail, with cutaways of armaments, defence capabilities, propulsion systems and all other key technological aspects of vehicles like the Maul's Infiltrator, whose cloak field generator has an "experimental" ion engine that will later put the I-E in TIE fighters, the Sith Infiltrator, the Droid Control Ship, the Naboo Queen Amidala's Starship, and the Droid Starfighter, among many others.

As this is being written, it is five days before the US release date of the movie, though some sneak reviews have appeared, ranging from Newsweek's "The movie is a disappointment. A big one. . . It's been 22 years since Lucas directed a movie, and he's gotten rusty. His rhythm is off. Many of the scenes feel shapeless and flat." to the Daily News of Los Angeles, which enthused "It's safe to say that Phantom Menace presents the most elaborate, thoroughly integrated fantasy universe ever put on film. You could watch it without sound and still be enthralled."

[Return to TOP]

Here is a checklist of US TPM books:

[Return to TOP]

[Internet Review of Books HOME PAGE] [WHAT'S NEW] [Amazon BookSearch]
[IRB popup menu] [IRB Eurocalculator] [Email IRB]