I think I read this in the wrong format, as I feel like an oral history makes the most sense as an audiobook, and I didn’t think of that beforehand. I’d constantly check how much of this long book I had left, and end up balking instead of being excited. It is comprehensive, and I do appreciate that it gets the perspectives of everyone from cast (even those with the teeniest supporting roles), crew, critics, and more. But a lot of stuff is stuff super-fans already know, and you’ve likely heard bits and pieces in other interviews. And I think it would be a bit daunting for a new fan, but perhaps they might come away with more appreciation for the depth and length.

Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars is the ultimate collection of stories covering the entire history of the Star Wars franchise, featuring recollections and tidbits from some of the biggest names in Star Wars lore: directors, authors, producers, actors, and George Lucas himself. And while Secrets of the Force is centered on tales from a galaxy far, far away, there’s so much cinema history packed into this volume that any sci-fi cinephile will surely enjoy the journey as well.

I love Star Wars, and have been reading Star Wars novels since the 90s, but I was wary that I would have a hard time getting into a written oral history of the franchise. All my worries were for naught, and I quickly fell into the narrative, each new voice adding a new level and dimension to a history only they know.

This oral history was certainly thorough. Starting at the dawn of New Hollywood and how that gave way to summer blockbusters like Star Wars, the editors take the reader all the way past the sequels and to the current television series like The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch. Not only is this volume as up-to-date as it can be, but each topic and area of franchise history is thoroughly explored from multiple angles. There is even discussion about The Star Wars Holiday Special, which I was not expecting to be included or mentioned given how Lucas generally pretends that television special never happened.

Whether you are a new Star Wars fan looking to explore the galaxy for the first time, or a fan from way back wanting to relive some memories from a new perspective, this new oral history is a fantastic addition to the Star Wars lore. The numerous voices contributing to the volume all seamlessly weave together to tell a history as grand as the Star Wars saga itself. Light on references or hard facts but heavy on personal experiences from those who lived the adventure, Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars is entertaining, educational, and a must-read pure delight for the Star Wars fan in your life.

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy of Secrets of the Force in exchange for an honest review.

I am so excited to finally be able to read this book. Myself and my husband are a huge star wars fan . As soon as I finish reading this book , My husband is next in line to read it . I highly recommend this book to every one and I will definitely make sure I tell everyone I know to get this book and read it

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this new cinematic oral history.

I was 7 years old when I first saw the movie Star Wars on Father's Day with my Dad and younger brother. I collected Kenner proof of purchases to order two Boba Fetts that arrived in nondescript boxes that looked like small coffins, upset that the rocket on the back didn't fire like I imagined it should have. I'll admit to sleeping in Star Wars in grade school. I've loved Star Wars through feast and famine, well with exceptions, for most of my life. That's why I loved this book so much.

Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars by two film guys I've read for years, Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, is almost at 600 pages one of the most comprehensive oral histories I've read on any subject in a long time. Yes the original trilogy does get a lot of mention in the book, but time allows people to be a little more honest about things, things that were good and bad. Also the Mouse casts a very large shadow, so I feel that is why the Disney trilogy seems a tad brief.

The is information of course on the movies, some on the comics, little on the Ewoks TV shows, but a lot on the holiday special, which was a treat. The cartoons are included, which I found fascinating as I didn't know much about their creation or shows that did not make it to screen.

The format is very readable, the characters are all introduced numerous times, as the cast of those interviewed is a lot. The amount of kissing up is astonishing in some places, but it is a Hollywood story, so that kind of makes sense. As a long, long time fan I really enjoyed this book. Casual fans might bog down in the beginning chapters with the information about 1970's film history, and George Lucas' early works, but this book is a very illuminating history on a film series that has meant quite a lot to millions of people.

Much Better Than Being There!

I am part of the few (millions) who have been lucky enough to see all the Star Wars movies when they were released in the theaters. This includes Solo and Rogue One as well as watching a number of The Clone Wars (sadly, I have never seen the Boba Fett film). Other than purchasing the novelization of A New Hope (and convincing a theater chain to part with a battery-operated ad box that flips between Anakin Skywalker and Darth Maul), I purchased none of the toys/books/paraphernalia that could have filled up a galaxy far, far away.

I do love sci-fi (although Star Wars is more of a fantasy or space opera) and felt drawn to this book. Learning more of the back stories sounded like it would be fun, although I expected more of a novelization of those events. What authors Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross provided, however, was much better.

The easiest way to explain the book’s presentation is to picture a huge table, populated by people who were involved with the Star Wars trilogies or were part of George Lucas’s life. As the story unfolds, each has multiple turns to speak, detailing their memories and feelings about the current topic. Each time they speak, their names precede each sub-section (which could be a few sentences or a few pages long) along with a reminder of who they are. The authors jump in to steer the conversation, easily spotted as Altman and Gross italicize their words to let us know they are taking over for a moment.

The result? More info than I ever could imagined. The authors dealt fairly with the recollections, never taking sides and allowing the people speaking to differ with each other. Thus, readers are allowed to see the creation of the movies (and associated items and things) from multiple angles and are allowed to think for themselves. Like others who have seen the movies, I had strong thoughts on my favorites, which plots were better, which actors should have been replaced, etc. If anything, the book did not so much change my original thoughts as it helped to crystallize and deepen the reasons why I felt the ways I did.

Great book for fans as well as the casual reader. I suppose one could dive right in at any chapter (to get to the prequal trilogy, for instance) though I found value in seeing how everything happened in sequence. The Force is strong in this one. Five Stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance electronic copy of this book.

I was 9 years old when I waited in line with my parents and my Weird Old Uncle Bob to see the first Star Wars movie. It was the first time I ever remember there being a line of people halfway around the building all wanting tickets. In 1977 in small town America, theaters had one screen and one showing a night....if the movie sold out you had to come back another day. Star Wars had people lining up, even in middle-of-nowhere Kansas. Luckily we got there early and managed to get seats. My Weird Old Uncle Bob had talked my parents into seeing the film, promising that it would be one of the most wonderful movies ever. My dad wasn't sure. I remember him mumbling that he didn't want to go see some "silly space thing.'' When we left after the movie, my father said that it had been a great movie. It was one of the only times he admitted Weird Old Uncle Bob was right about anything. (But then again, Weird Old Uncle Bob thought if you turned your car off when going downhill and restarted it at the bottom of the hill that you would save gas. This sort of thing was why we called him weird.)

That silly space thing is still a big deal for many, even after 44 years. I kinda fell off the Star Wars band wagon with the prequel movies. Jar Jar Binks just killed it for me. Ugh. Jar Jar is the Scrappy Doo of the Star Wars Franchise. Barf. My love came back with the newer movies and the new Mandalorian series on Disney+. One look at Baby Yoda and I forgot all about Space Scrappy Doo.

So, of course I wanted to read some trivia and reminiscences about the movies! In fact, I'm still reading this book! When the book blurb says this book tells the story of the Star Wars Franchise in "one exhaustive volume'' it means this is one gigantic 570+-page gi-normous tome of Star Wars lore. Gi-freaking-normous! This book talks about the movies, the actors, extras, games, toys....everything Star Wars from Alderaan to Yoda (I couldn't come up with a SW word that started with Z....but it's probably in this book somewhere!)

The information is entertaining, interesting, supremely nerdy and nostalgic! I'm reading my way through a little bit at a time and enjoying every minute! This is one review copy that definitely got me to add the physical book to my must-buy list.

And, it just proves that Old Weird Uncle Bob was right (once). Star Wars is wonderful!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martins Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I've enjoyed Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman's series of books about the making of pop culture franchises. Their "Fifty-Year Mission" books about Star Trek are some of the most comprehensive about that franchise. Their style is to let the writers, actors, and crew tell their story by collecting interviews and ordering them in a way that makes the book feel like a narrative. It's an effective method that works for Star Wars as well.

However, I've also read a lot of books about the making of the Star Wars films, including Paul Duncan's The Star Wars Archives, Chris Taylor's How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, J.W. Rinzler's The Making of Star Wars books, and The Secret History of Star Wars (Duncan and Rinzler take a similar approach in letting interviews tell the story). And, like those ones, "Secrets of the Force" focuses a bit too much on the Original Trilogy, which has already been covered extensively. Duncan's latest book covers the Prequel Trilogy in far greater depth than "Secrets of the Force" does. Longtime Star Wars fans will probably be looking for new revelations about the newer films, but unfortunately this book contains fewer than 100 pages about the Sequel Trilogy (and no chapters about Rogue One or Solo).

"Secrets of the Force" is probably more accessible than Rinzler and Duncan's books, both of which get into extensive minutiae about the making of the films. That said, if you've read any of those books, I don't know how much more you'll get out of "Secrets of the Force."

I, unfortunately, DNF'd this book at 42%. I really wanted to like it, as the history of Star Wars seems interesting to me, and I love oral histories. But I just thought the insights in this one were boring or presented in a boring manner, and I think there's too much extraneous information about the film industry in the '70s and the history of science fiction. I understand these are necessary for the context of what was going on when Star Wars was released, but I just found it a slog to get through, and at a certain point, I was only reading it because I was supposed to review it, which isn't a good sign.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I don't think this book is awful; there's tons of info that Star Wars fans will appreciate. It was just the presentation for me that wasn't working.

A thoroughly comprehensive book for a Star Wars aficionado like me.
Detailed and informative but entertaining as well.
This is a book I will purchase for fellow fans.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

We all love star wars especially now since the first one came out in the 1970s and with all of the episodes caught up after Rise of Skywalker, I am glad to see two fellow enthusiasts express their nerd-fighting attitudes and come up with this book composed of interviews with producers, directors and stars of each of the films. It was super interesting to read all of the life stories and idea sessions that went into pre-production of the franchise and I know when I saw the movies and the infamous I am Your Father line how shocked America was that the story has taken a whole new turn. I was so glad to have seen the entire saga from beginning to end and how the whole galaxy far far away has evolved throughout the years. The most interesting interviews had to have come from Mark Hamil and George Lucas and hearing the work they put in and all that went through behind the scenes. The ultimate Star Wars fans have to either own or read this book and will love all of the insights in it.

We will consider adding this title to our Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Excellent look into the forty plus years of the Star Wars saga. The book was well laid out with most of the content coming from interviews from the people involved or critics who are well versed on Star Wars. This included quotes from Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and especially George Lucas. The authors interjected at times to give background on what the interviewers are talking about. They transition in and out seamlessly, and I found it was very easy to follow as I read. I found that the outsiders who were interviewed, ie the critics, had a good range of thoughts on the movies. Some liked certain trilogies over others, and together they provided a broad view of how all three trilogies are viewed.

Overall I really enjoyed the access this book gave you into what happened behind the scenes and the changes that happened with the script. That being said there were a couple things that made me rate this a four star versus a five star. The book tended to focus heavily on the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy (they make up about 80% of the book). I wish more time was spend on the movies and tv shows outside of that, especially Rogue One and Solo which were mentioned, but never examined in depth. The other part was the inside movie making that I personally found boring. There was a lot of information about cameras and processes used to create the films. I realize that to some people this might raise the overall rating of this book, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Overall this is a must read for Star Wars fans as it give a lot of good information about the films and tv shows. If you are really into moving making I think you might also take a lot of out this book. Thanks you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

This Could Go on Forever
Secrets of the Force reads like a documentary, cutting between passages written or spoken by various creators, actors, and enthusiasts. It becomes a bit of a hodgepodge in places, filled with glowing reviews or historical chatter rather than strait Star Wars facts. The bases being that Star Wars has revolutionized the popularity of the movie industry and sci-fi as a genre. Even though Star Trek, and other such sci-fi franchises, are often mentioned as well. With plenty of discourse on how creators view the film industry, and speculation on why films become successful. Each quoted individual gives an honest view of what they believe is important about Star Wars, and its importance in their lives. Not always glowing either. Such comments as new blockbuster movies, like Star Wars, destroyed any further innovation. It just shows that many people can live through one event, and come out with a different point of views. Also, be prepared to read meandering antidotes about George Lucas that are unrelated to Star Wars, and a lot of repetition. This is certainly a book for a nostalgic look at Star Wars, despite the references to upcoming Star Wars movies and shows. An interesting book for more serious Star Wars fans and film enthusiasts.

I just concluded the marathon read about the...well, let the complete title describe this book: “Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars.” This book, at close to 600 pages, has been designed for the Star Wars nerd. Now I am not a Star Wars nerd ( actually, I am a Star Trek- fella going back to the 1960’s ) but I did enjoy reading this historical look back exploring the nearly 50 year saga of Star Wars.
Following a similar book a few years back focusing on Star Trek World, this book uses any number of folks ( both behind and also in front of the camera) interviews as the voice of the narrative. I particularly enjoyed the details of the first movie trilogy and found that the book did not park nearly as long on the final trilogy. Some of the commentaries are fascinating; others are quite boring. But, all total, this book captures at a detail level the development of the Star Wars Universe and was very educational for this casual fan.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book—and now I am going to go binge The Mandalorian this weekend.

Secrets of the force
By Edward Gross and Mark a Altman
Work together to show their devotion to the Star Wars series that started the remarkable start to their life long obsession. The book shows the remarkable impact of the Star Wars trilogy and its legacy in the world of story telling. It was interesting to see the manipulation and hard work that gives the work its life.

At nearly 600 pages, "Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars" is, it must be said, both exhaustive and exhausting in its comprehensive and thorough exploration of the history of Star Wars.

Co-written by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, authors of "The Fifty-Year Mission," "Secrets of the Force" journeys its way through the entire history of the franchise from the very beginning and including the most recent efforts.

It needs to be said that "Secrets of the Force" is truly most ideal for the true Star Wars nerd who has seen every single film, preferably more than once, along with all of the television incarnations including, yes, the godawful holiday special.

For those who aren't as familiar with "Star Wars," "Secrets of the Force" may be a struggling read as so in-depth is this journey that at times it can be downright dizzying. I've certainly seen all of the films, I'm a film critic, but I'm somewhat less familiar with the television incarnations and, quite honestly, I'm not nearly as obsessive as it helps to be to truly appreciate this film.

In some ways, "Secrets of the Force" has a bit of a weird framework. While the chapters are largely written in order, I think there's little denying that the farther we get into the Star Wars universe the more rapid the pace and the less precise the detail. The last trilogy, for example, almost seem to be glossed over when compared to George Lucas's first three films (that would come to be known as the second trilogy).

Gross and Altman utilize their familiar oral history format while incorporating commentaries from hundreds of actors, filmmakers, tech professionals, writers, and others in telling the story. The book is truly uncensored, both overwhelmingly flattering and often hyper-critical depending upon the voice at the time. Noted as unauthorized, the film still includes commentaries from Lucas himself and many others from throughout the history of the franchise.

It would be an injustice to go in-depth into the book itself. Of course, it would also be nearly impossible to do so with the oral history format giving the book a feeling of an on-stage dialogue rather than an actual book much of the time.

At times, these commentaries are engaging and insightful and revealing. Other times, they are almost stunningly mundane.

Truthfully, I struggled at times with "Secrets of the Force." It's a long book and it FEELS like a long book. While I'm ordinarily a rather quick reader, I struggled to immerse myself in this book and struggled to commit to it for any length of time. It was, quite honestly, a book I could easily put down yet still enjoyed when I returned.

For those who truly love the Star Wars universe, however, it's hard to imagine a more enjoyable reading experience from faces familiar and unfamiliar. This is the first and only truly comprehensive oral history of the entire Star Wars franchise and it requires a remarkable level of commitment and surrender just as that offered by those who've followed the franchise for over 40 years and yet eagerly anticipate more.

"Secrets of the Force" will most certainly not resonate with everyone, however, for the full-on and completely engaged Star Wars fan this will definitely be a book you'll want to add to your collection.

Secrets Of The Force is a book for Star Wars fans who believe Greedo shot first.

One of the most notable changes made in the 1997 Special Edition release of the first Star Wars movie was that digital effects were added to make it clear that protagonist Han Solo didn’t kill bounty hunter Greedo in cold blood. In this revised telling, the bounty hunter shot first, so Han’s action was justified.

It’s an emotional beat that reversed one of the memorable character arcs of the first Star Wars movie; Han was no longer a lawless rogue who became a better person over the course of the story. He was always good, because in the re-telling Greedo shot first.

But the truth is more complicated. Early shooting scripts of the movie show that Greedo never got a chance to shoot.

Over the decades, George Lucas has changed Star Wars. He’s famously revised the movies themselves … but he also revised the story behind how the story was made.

Despite being described as ‘uncensored,’ Secrets Of The Force leans pretty closely into the orthodox Lucasfilm version of events, and fails to grapple with the complexities (good and bad) of the creator who first invited fans to a galaxy far, far away.

This is a book for fans who are comfortable believing that all along, Greedo shot first.

As the most recognizable and financially successful space adventure in popular culture, Star Wars is bound to generate a variety of non-fiction books written by people trying to grapple with its enduring cultural value.

Given the outsized impact of these movies on the public imagination, serious critical examination of the franchise is necessary and welcome.

But unfortunately the vast majority of these works inevitably reveal themselves to be either venal attempts to cash in on the popularity of the franchise, or turn out to be puff pieces created by wide-eyed fanboys.

Secrets Of The Force falls somewhat short of the critical examination this subject needs. The questionable quality of this book is surprising, given the credentials of the authors involved -- it’s written by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, who previously authored a The 50-Year Mission, which was a first-rate examination of Star Trek.

Perhaps because Gene Rodenberry’s passing had allowed Star Trek fandom to become less enthralled by their franchise progenitor’s mythmaking, The 50-Year Mission was more able to interrogate his flaws.

Told by way of a series of quotes from a rotating cast of people involved in the production, Secrets Of The Force is divided into roughly four parts: the inception of the franchise in the mid 1970s; the creation of the trilogy; the prequel movies; and finally the franchise after Lucas left active control.

Some sections of this book do provide interested readers with first-hand accounts of production details, the evolution of the script, and aspects of the casts’ lives that are interesting. Mark Hamill’s recollection of how he became involved is engaging. Carrie Fisher’s descriptions of Peter Cushing are quite winning.

But overall, the book focuses on George Lucas, and really centres his voice in telling this story, and as such Altman and Gross inevitably fall into the trap of the Lucasfilm myth making empire.

There are many other voices in the book; Altman and Gross have collected quotes from a vast majority of the people responsible for the movies. From special effects people like John Dykstra to editors like Paul Hirsch, and from obscure actors like Ray Morton to big stars like Peter Cushing.

What’s missing are voices of those whose contributions have been marginalized or demeaned. People like Marcia Lucas. What’s also missing is much attempt to question the veracity of accounts, or to point out when George Lucas has contradicted himself or has blatantly lied.

There are sections of the book where the quotes selected provide little but page upon page of fawning praise:
“One of Lucas’ great innovations was to give his space opera the feel and form of an old-time movie serial”
“I was struck by the incredible detail of George Lucas’ imagination. He could remember things and see what he wanted to do in such tremendous detail.”
“It was more than an action film, it was a personal quest; a story of self discovery.”
“Every shot, even if that shot was less than a second long, it was designed to the nth degree. It wasn’t that he put too much stuff in it, it’s just that it was wonderfully designed.

Secrets Of The Force gets a bit tiresome and repetitive, and might appeal only to the most hardcore Star Wars fan who wants to read justifications as to why their favourite franchise is the bestest franchise ever, and why George Lucas is just so great.

Two guys who nerd out about their love of Star Wars. They intertwine facts about the series, both good and bad. If you like Star Wars, and want a non cannon outward look at the movies, books, franchise as a whole, this is for you. Check it out and enjoy.