From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars)

A stylistically diverse group of authors commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original Stars Wars film with this anthology of short stories about minor characters from the film. The collection assembles big-name authors from the realms of comics (Kieron Gillen, Matt Fraction), sci-fi (Nnedi Okorafor, Ken Liu), young adult literature (Elizabeth Wein, Sabaa Tahir), and Star Wars fiction (John Jackson Miller, Claudia Gray). Fittingly, the audiobook brings in highly acclaimed actors, including audiobook veterans (January LaVoy, Jonathan Davis) and celebrities (Neil Patrick Harris, Jon Hamm). While the pairings between actor and story are adequate, the overall production is more noteworthy for its high-quality sound design. Each story is enlivened by background music and an array of sound effects (alien noises or the shuffling footsteps of soldiers marching in line add atmospheric detail to the narration). Loyal listeners of the Star Wars franchise audiobooks will agree that this is one of the best yet. [em]A Del Rey hardcover. (Oct.) [/em]