Audiobooks aren’t my usual means by which to consume media but when presented with the opportunity to get an early copy of Rebecca Roanhorse’s newest gift to the Star Wars universe, I jumped at the chance. In fact, my response to the possibility was just the word “WANT” in all caps in response to the offer.
I am happy to report this book did not disappoint.
It was, indeed, a gift. But maybe not one I should have turned on while driving in Seattle rush hour.
Rebeca Roanhorse is a master of her craft, and it was clear from the opening sentences that she put every bit as much care into this beautifully written piece as she has into her award-winning original novels. The prose flawlessly straddles the line between eloquence and approachability and veteran narrator Marc Thompson knows precisely how to deliver it for maximum impact. The production is stellar; sound effects and underscoring are mixed in expertly to make it a much more cinematic experience than I might have guessed going in. Other than one alarm klaxon I found a mite off-putting, it was a joy to discover just how immersive the sound design could make things.
The book is being reviewed elsewhere on our site so I won’t wax too poetically about the story itself, but I will tell you just how deeply satisfying I found it. This book gave me everything I need to be ready for our heroes are when we sit down to watch The Rise of Skywalker in just a few short weeks.
The glimpse we get inside the lives and motivations of a few First Order functionaries was a great surprise, and a view from the other side I haven’t seen the likes of since Catalyst.
And there are narrative threads spanning multiple Star Wars media that pay off in spades. If you’ve been tirelessly keeping up with canon, you’re about to see some beloved, familiar faces reappear. Friends, I screamed an expletive and had to pull my car off the road. (Pro Tip: don’t listen while driving. I mean it.)
The character work is especially profound in Resistance Reborn. The author is spot-on with her interpretations of Rey, Rose, Finn, Leia (anyone who knows me knows that’s high praise indeed!), and others folks we know and love. Her original characters are all fully realized, interesting, and compelling people I want to know more about.
But it’s Poe who really shines in this book.
Resistance Reborn is, at its heart, Poe’s story, and I have to tell you, he is practically perfect in every way. He’s written so deftly and so thoughtfully I want to see Rebecca Roanhorse write him forever, please. He is performed so well by Marc Thompson that I actually looked up whether they’d brought in Oscar Isaac to read his lines. If you love Poe Dameron in particular, I highly HIGHLY recommend going the audiobook route on this one.
The only major complaint I have about the whole thing (other than that one klaxon I didn’t care for) was that Thompson’s chosen voice for Leia had a pitch and tambour that reminded me way too much of a character from a popular animated franchise. I won’t say which*, because according to my husband you can’t un-hear it once your brain has made the connection, but I will say it was distracting. It got more and more pronounced throughout (or maybe I was just noticing it more) and by the end I really had to work to picture Leia delivering her lines as opposed to REDACTED.
More than once I wished there’d been a female co-narrator, and not just because of the Leia problem. None of the women characters’ voices were done nearly as well as the men’s; but even with that shortcoming, every character was distinguishable from the next and every character remained consistent and recognizable throughout the multi-hour experience. Book narration isn’t the same as audio drama or voicing animation, and there’s only so much even the best narrators can do when faced with a cast of dozens!
All in all, the audiobook was a delight. The book itself is truly excellent and has already climbed onto my list of all-time favorites. The audio production is artful and cinematic and only ever adds to the moments where its employed. If you’re a reader who’s considering dipping your toe into the audiobook realm for the first time like I did**, I can say this book is very well done and I enjoyed the journey a great deal. Having someone else reading to me, at their pace, made me slow down and savor the book more than I’d have been able to had I devoured a hard copy like I usually do (and this story begs to be devoured). If you’re a fan of audiobooks as a medium, or prefer them for accessibility reasons, I can speak to the quality of the production, the skill of the narrator, and the overall experience of Resistance Reborn as being top-notch.
Just don’t listen to it while operating a motor vehicle or any other heavy machinery. Please.
*If you hear it, too, I want to know about it! @MandaTheGinger
** full disclosure: I have listened to ONE audiobook prior to this one and it was Jonathan Frakes & Marina Sirtis reading Peter David’s Imzadi in 1992 but I was in middle school so I don’t count that.
Thank you to Random House Audio for providing a copy of the audiobook for review purposes.
