If you’re looking for a somewhat last minute gift for a Star Wars fan, I’d suggest “Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars” by Edward Gross & Mark Altman. As of right now, it’s the first and only comprehensive oral history of the Star Wars movie franchise.

Categories — Pop Culture / Film, Sci-fi, Movies/Film Studies, Oral History

Currently has a 3.78 review average on Goodreads. Published in 2021 by @stmartinspress

Quick Summary — An oral history (interviews, clips, quotes etc) of the entire Star Wars franchise. Featuring the commentaries of hundreds of actors and filmmakers involved with and impacted by Star Wars, as well as writers, commentators, critics, executives, authors, film historians, toy experts and many more.

Some of the highly recognizable names found within — George Lucas, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels and many more.

The format is basically thematic chapters with snippets from recognizable names associated with Star Wars franchise. Some of the topics covered include all the movies of course, visual effects, marketing Star Wars, merchandising SW, the holiday special, the prequels and sequels, future of SW including the television series that are made and potentials in the future, actors + staff views, etc.

It’s a hefty book undertaking a seriously impressive scope of over 50 years of Star Wars content. It’s been broken down into thematic chunks, so it’s not overwhelming, and in fact is an easy read due to the nature of oral histories (imo) not being so much as detail oriented as they are conversational.

I’ve seen this at @barnesandnoble and @booksamillion recently, so still time to pop in and find it 😂

It does what it sets out to do, without a lot of exposition or explanation; just a lengthy compendium of interviews and quotes from people (notable and non-notable alike) who were engaged in the making of one of the popular film franchises in the world. Hard-core Star Wars fans probably won't come away with much in the way of revelation (many of the boldface names' quotes are taken from interviews elsewhere) but they also won't have much to complain about, either.

This is a really deep dive for the superfan. Of course, some superfans will already known some of this. But if you have a collection of Star Wars books within your collection of Star Wars memorabilia, it's worth adding this one. Some may not like the oral history format, but it reads like a magazine or blog mostly.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

A great behind-the-scenes look into the feature films, novelizations, and television series in the Star Wars universe.

Whether you know your droids from your wookies or are just a casual film enjoyer, this title is a wealth of knowledge just waiting to be discovered!

There was some negativity in the book. On top of which, I'd heard pretty much everything before. It's good that they put it all together in one place, but not that interesting to fans who've already read a lot about Star Wars.

Unfortunately there’s nothing new here you won’t already know if you’re familiar with any of the numerous making of books available

this was a great star wars history book, it had what I was looking for in this type of book. It was a fun read and had great writing.

This book helped me realize that I enjoy Star Wars in general, but I'm not necessarily a big enough fan to enjoy reading 500+ pages of people going into way too much detail about the making of the films.
Now, for fans who like to know the most minute detail of how production took place and all of the behind-the-scenes info, this is the book that will give them everything a fan could ever possibly need to know about. It goes very, very into details of production and technicalities. The chapters on the original trilogy get into the very nitty-gritty details of everything from how George Lucas envisioned the story and worked to make the first movie to how the artistic geniuses in what would later become ILM managed to create the magic that we saw in the movie theaters. The prequel trilogy goes into a little less technical details and more on the actors' reactions to being part of Star Wars. And the chapters on the Disney-led sequel trilogy veer towards the politic, say nothing bad so we don't get in trouble with the giant corporation style of reporting. Some mentions are made about the less-than-stellar reception and the mess that was everything to do with creating the story and production, but they're pretty much glossed over.
Though I do have to praise the authors for going above and beyond in keeping as much of the ugly side of the fandom's reactions to the movies and abuse of the actors out of the narrative. It makes for lopsided reporting that diminishes the negative by focusing mainly on the positive aspects, but there's enough Star Wars toxicity out in the world already.
Overall, this is a book that is a must-read for any down-to-the-core Star Wars fan, but maybe not for the everyday reader who is only superficially interested.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the read!

A fairly comprehensive history of the making of all nine Star Wars movies. Each movie is dealt with in about the same level of detail. This book will definitely be interesting for any Star Wars fan.

Secrets of the Force is a retrospective look at Star Wars told through interviews with George Lucas, the cast, crew, executives, and also critics/fanboys. It is really interesting to hear the stories told this way and there was some nice nuggets of information, particularly of the Kasdan/Lucas disagreements during the filming of Empire Strikes Back, and the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney.

What I did not like was how negative it is. The tone was set from the start of the book with the author introductions already being very negative to the prequel and sequel trilogies and that carried its way through the books. I dont think it ended up being as objective as a look as it could have been and honestly i would rather not hear from the fanboy or the critic community; since both have the benefit of hindsight to change their minds.

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … “

With those words, on an opening crawl that crept its way up from the bottom of movie screens all over the world, the “Star Wars” phenomenon was born. From those beginnings, an entertainment dynasty was born, one consisting of films, books, television shows, comic books, action figures, video games and literally any other creative content that one might be able to imagine.

But how much do you really know about how this phenomenon came to be?

In “Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars” (St. Martin’s Press, $29.99), authors Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman have attempted to provide a clearinghouse of sorts, an assemblage of interviews and other ephemera that covers the breadth of the Star Wars experience. Pulling from a variety of sources from across more than four decades, the book attempts to tell the entire story.

As to how successful it is? Well … that depends on your perspective.

There’s no disputing the thoroughness of research done by Gross and Altman; the contents of this book have been pulled from a nigh-uncountable trove of resources. These are words taken directly from the horse’s mouth (you know, if George Lucas was a horse); the book is packed with thoughtful insights regarding the birth and growth of what would become the global phenomenon.

It should be noted that the heavy reliance on already extant sources means that for many hardcore fans, much of this information will prove already familiar. However, when I say “hardcore,” I mean HARDCORE – casual and even avid fans are likely to learn all manner of new things about the beloved franchise as they make their way through.

Now, it probably won’t surprise you that a large chunk of the book is devoted to the original trilogy – those are the films that have spent the most time in the cultural consciousness. And for many fans, it is that chunk that will prove the most enlightening – we get a lot of information about the development of “Star Wars,” both in creative terms and in terms of studio involvement.

We’re walked through the many, many drafts of Lucas’s first script – I’ll confess that I had no idea just how much the story shifted and evolved over the course of years of rewrites. And we get to follow along as Industrial Light and Magic is born, created solely to make the effects necessary to bring “Star Wars” to life. These people literally invented moviemaking technology on the fly, techniques we take for granted today that were created specifically because no one had ever tried to do what Lucas and company were attempting to make happen.

We get to see the studio’s skepticism as to whether this movie would even get finished, let alone released. We get to see Lucas’s shrewd maneuvering to maintain control of potential sequels and to get his hands on the merchandising dollars, which he so presciently predicted would be significant (though no one really knew just how much money was going to be made there). And we get to watch as the groundswell of support turns “Star Wars” into one of the biggest box office successes in movie history, as well as making its unknown leads – Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher – into outright superstars.

From there, we’re guided through the subsequent installments of the original trilogy – as well as the retroactive mythmaking that Lucas has engaged in almost from the get-go – as those films continue to push the franchise forward into staggeringly unprecedented success.

The prequels and sequels – as well as the TV shows and other properties – get some attention, but they’re almost treated as a bit of an afterthought; “Secrets of the Force” is very much focused on the origins of the series and those first three films. One gets the sense that the rest of it is of considerably less interest to the authors.

A book like “Secrets of the Force” could easily have been twice as long – it’s clear that there was a wealth of material still available to access. But the truth is that even now, decades after their initial release, it is the original trilogy that holds the most interest for the vast majority of fans. Gross and Altman are clearly aware of that, and craft their book accordingly.

As someone with an affinity for the “Star Wars” universe, but without the deep-seated obsession that many carry for it, I was engaged by “Secrets of the Force.” There was a lot there that I didn’t know, and the deep dive into the development of the first film and the fallout from its explosive success was both informative and entertaining. But I’ll admit that I lost steam after that initial engagement – a feeling that I’d wager was shared by the authors. The post-original trilogy chapters are … fine, but not much more than that. The driving energy seems to dissipate once those first three films have been addressed.

“Secrets of the Force” is everything that its subtitle promises – a complete, uncensored, unauthorized oral history of “Star Wars” – but the truth is that while the beginnings are fascinating, what follows proves to be largely a product of diminishing returns. Fans will likely find plenty to like, but don’t expect too much depth beyond the original trilogy.

So much has been written about the Star Wars movies--is there anything people still don't know about them? The answer is yes, as revealed in Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman's engaging, nearly 600-page Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars.

Organized chronologically, the behind-the-scenes anecdotes take readers from the development of 1977's Star Wars (since retitled Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope) through 2019's Star Wars, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, also covering the franchise's standalone movies, such as Rogue One, and TV projects.

The stories come from interviews--both new and archived--with creator George Lucas, the actors and key creative minds behind the movies. It's unclear which excerpts are fresh or old (besides those from people now deceased), but Gross and Altman do state that all of Lucas's quotes are from previously published materials; Lucas didn't make himself available for this book. Regardless, there's enough material here for even diehard fans to learn something new. Such as Episode IV having roots in the Vietnam War because Lucas wanted to direct Apocalypse Now but the job went to Francis Ford Coppola. Peter Cushing, who played the evil Grand Moff Tarkin, was a lovely man who smelled of lavender, making it difficult for Carrie Fisher to pretend to hate him on camera. And Episode IX would have been much more philosophical had original writer/director Colin Trevorrow's version made it to the screen instead of J.J. Abrams's. Even if fans already know everything, Secrets of the Force will likely inspire them to rewatch the films and revisit the magic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its in depth look at the Star Wars franchise. There were parts that were totally engaging and parts that I found tediously detailed but that is going to depend on each individual's interests. I particularly liked the discussions of how George Lucas got it financed and the casting discussions but found the details of camera angles and CGI development a little tedious. It made me want to watch all the movies again, and that's a good thing. Strongly recommended.

I'm not a huge fan of Star Wars, but I previously read this duos Star Trek Oral Histories and enjoyed them. They do an equally fine job with this franchise, but I'd mostly recommend it for hardcore fans.

I was provided with an e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I think "complete" might be the most apt word in that long book title. That's certainly not a bad thing, but it lead to a very long read. The writing was rather dry as well, with the main narrative from the authors being little bridge paragraphs to connect the quotes from directors, authors, actors, writers, critics, and production crews.

That said, there were fascinating bits throughout this book. The insights from Lucas and the primary players (on camera as well as behind the scenes) were invaluable. This is a great tribute to the body of work that is Star Wars, covering the phenomenon from its earliest draft beginnings to the present day Disney Plus productions. No stone was left unturned.

I can just think of two things I would have liked to seen. One, it would have been great to get George Lucas's comments about the sequels, though I suspect that to be something he's quite tight-lipped about. Two, it would have been nice if the authors left their personal political beliefs out of the narrative. It only happened a couple of times, but it was jarring, especially when they contributed such a small amount of personal insight to the book as a whole.

Overall, this was worth the time for a Star Wars buff, though I probably wouldn't recommend it to the casual fan. It was easy to skim over the parts that weren't as interesting and then slow down and soak up the good stuff.

Secrets of the Force is everything the title promises it to be: a complete, uncensored, unauthorized oral history of Star Wars. Written by Edward Goss and Mark A. Altman, this is a novel full to the brim with Star Wars details and history.

This is a novel that delves into the making of the famous Star Wars films. It should go without saying, but if you don't like the franchise – you won't like this in-depth look at it. However, if you're a megafan, I feel like you will appreciate many of the details that come up within these pages.

Then again, if you're a megafan, you might already know a lot of what is going to be discussed here. There aren't a lot of secrets in this book – just perspectives and facts. They're still interesting, but it certainly evokes a different image.

As a fan of the franchise (one who has seen the movies/shows, read the books/comics, and collected lots of merch), I was blown away by how thorough Secrets of the Force ended up being. There is a lot of information to sift through here. Think about it – this book is nearly 600 pages long, and it is all about Star Wars. That's a lot of information to include and even more to go through. It was such a delight to read! I can't recommend this enough to fans of the Star Wars franchise, regardless of your experience level.

As a longtime Star Wars fan, I found this book an engrossing read. It’s an oral history covering a wide variety of topics surrounding Star Wars, including the movies, television shows (including the Holiday Special), merchandising, and to some extent the novels. It also covers some of the events surrounding the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney. It’s presented in chronological order, so it roughly covers the original trilogy, then the prequel trilogy, the Clone Wars TV show, the sequel trilogy, and briefly The Mandalorian.

The book has responses from an interesting range of people including: cast and crew, fansite creators, movie and pop culture critics, and George Lucas himself. It definitely doesn’t shy away from some of the negative views surrounding the prequels and sequels, and even Return of The Jedi, but I like that it has a range of opinion. Some of the critics’ views get to be a little repetitive because they stick with the same critics for all of the movies, but overall that’s a small complaint. I highly recommend this book to Star Wars fans.

This book is really a collection of long quotes and interviews from people involved with the Star Wars franchise; as well as other writers/directors/historians that were not involved but have something to add to the conversation. The sections are structured so that there is a background/introduction by the two authors first (in the version that I read, these parts were in italics), and then a series of long quotes from a variety of different people (in regular font), and then occasionally the authors would add in a few sentences of their own in italics again in between quotes.

The version I read had 16 total chapters, divided into four parts: Part 1 – A Star (Wars) is Born, Part 2 – The Original Trilogy, Part 3 – The Prequels, and Part 4 – The Sequels and Beyond.

In the Introduction, both authors tell their stories about how they first came to fall in love with Star Wars. You can tell from the way that they describe their enthusiasm and excitement about the first Star Wars movie, that these two have been lifelong fans.

Part 1 contains quotes from: George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Gary Kurtz, Bill Condon, Randy Stradley, Jeremy Barlow, Ray Morton, Alan Dean Foster, Dave Pollock, Johnathan Kirshner, Jeanine Basinger, Micky Dolenz, Brian Jay Jones, John Kenneth Muir, Howard Kazanjian, and Eric Townsend. Many of these people were not involved in the making of Star Wars, but were either contemporaries of Lucas, or historians/authors that comment on the time period. Each quoted person is identified (ie Micky Dolenz – Muscian, The Monkees), although when exactly the quotes are from is not specified.

Part 2 contains quotes from many of the same people, with the additions of Ralph McQuarrie, John L. Flynn, Dan Madsen, Irvin Kershner, Thomas Parry, Christian Gossett, Carrie Fisher, Peter Beale, David Prowse, Alec Guinness, Anthony Forrest, Todd Fisher, Peter Cushing, Stuart Freeborn, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, Billy Dee Williams, Jeremy Bulloch, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Robert Watts, John Mollo, Paul Hirsch, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, John Stears, Dennis Muren, William Shourt, Lorne Peterson, Bruce Logan, Charles Lippincott, and more.

Part 3 adds quotes from Liam Neeson, Ashley Eckstein, Hayden Christensen, Samuel Jackson, Ahmed Best, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Ray Park, Christopher Lee, and more. George Lucas also has quite a few sections explaining his takes on things.

Part 4 still has some quotes from George Lucas and some others from previous sections; and adds quotes from Kathleen Kennedy, Peter Holmstrom, Robert Iger, J.J. Abrams, Simon Kinberg, Lawrence Kasdan, Andy Serkis, Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong'o, Rian Johnson, Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran, Glen Oliver, Jason Ward, Genndy Tartakovsky, Dave Filoni, Joel Aron, Henry Gilroy, Catherine Winder, James Arnold Taylor, Matt Lanter, Tom Kane, Catherine Taber, Dee Bradley Baker, Sam Witwer, Simon Kinberg, Justin Ridge, Brandon Auman, Brendan Hay, Seth Green, Jon Favreau, Phil Galler, Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, and Emily Swallow.

Overall, this book contains a ton of information and perspectives from dozens of different people, and at almost 600 pages it really has quite a few interesting details. There is a little more focus on the first trilogy than the other two parts, but there are still quotes from most of the major actors/directors of every film. If you are a Star Wars fanatic, I'm sure you'll find some things that you love about this book.

Secrets of the Force contains a multitude of material about the creation of the first six films in the Star Wars universe. There is lesser information about the films made without George Lucas. Quotes from movie insiders including George and some of the actors do release some secrets.

At over 500 pages, it is a lot of information and rather overwhelming. Some of the quotes are repetitive though they may have been sourced to confirm the original speaker’s memory. It would be more effective to add them to footnotes or endnotes so reading them are optional.

This book is definitely written by Star Wars fans for Star Wars fans. The authors seldom write anything critical of the series. If you have a diehard Star Wars fan in your circle, however, Secrets of the Force is the perfect gift. It would also be fascinating for anyone thinking of making a film. 4 stars!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A massively comprehensive and engulfing dive into the history of the nine Star Wars films (with a few detours for the Holiday Special and other tangentially-related projects, like The Mandalorian). Almost understandably, it's heavier on the front end (the original trilogy), as it's necessary to set the stage for how and why SW became the juggernaut it is, but fret not, as there's plenty of opinions and factoids on the back end to fill your time.

If I recall, there was an adherence to a structure in each chapter (concept, production, results, film reviews, score, etc.) that helped keep things in perspective. Such an arrangement helps when you're wading through arguably the biggest science fiction film property ever.

There's anecdotes and factoids a-plenty to educate; incredible details and film analysis awaits to help you re-assess (for better or worse) pretty much anything SW-related since 1977.

Some titles, like Solo and Rogue One, get a mere mention relative to the main nine films, and I wonder if that was just an editorial choice, or if some of that information just isn't readily accessible yet.

The array of interviewees are impressive and wonderfully educational--legendary author Alan Dean Foster among them, who got to contribute more than just stories on how he got affiliated with the SW universe, which was a treat.

I think it's a great and valuable purchase for any fan of the series. It places everything into context and blessedly aggregates a ton of information for your reading pleasure.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance read.