Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills

Although advertised as a kids book and is styled with some black and white pictures for children, I, a 21 year old, thought this was a great book. It is a great insight into two of the main characters from Rogue One, Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus. It gives a backstory to the two Guardians and the state which Jehda is in during the movie. It really builds on the great relationship between these two movie characters and is very in character I think. The other characters you meet are also engaging and there is an interesting plot as Chirrut ad Baze struggle to deal with the collapse of their home and the affects this has on a group of orphans which they try to save. Those who watched Rogue One will also recognise Saw and his partisans who are a major part of the story.

Book was a gift for my brother, and he loved it.

I loved this book! Yes, it's aimed at the younger reader, but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it! Greg Rucka completely nailed the humourous relationship and dialogue between Chirrut and Baze. Every scene was just wonderfully written and really added to the two characters development. I'll definitely be reading this one again!

This novel places Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbous (the eponymous Guardians) centre stage, portraying a period on the world of Jedha in the runup to the events of ‘Rogue One’. As such it serves as a bit of a prologue to Jedha’s role in the film by establishing the setup of the Imperial presence and what that has meant to the world, its people and the Jedi temple. This is an Imwe and Baze who are coming to terms with living under the empire whilst wondering what their roles as Guardians now entail with the former Jedi temple in the hands of the Empire. It is a fairly simple story involving the two leads trying to find a way to protect a group of orphans (most orphaned by the actions of the Empire) on an Imperial suppressed world. If Chirrut and Baze can no longer be Guardians of the Whills and the Jedi temple then they become guardians of those that need them most. There is a smattering of Baze and Chirruts’ backgrounds and what it might mean to be a guardian of the temple; although ‘Whills’ is still far from fully explained. There is a nice contrast between the two characters (elaborated upon from the material present in the film) in how they react to the Empire and its seizure of their home. It causes a lack of faith in Baze whereas for Chirrut it seems to strengthen, or reaffirm, his trust in the Force. It is an endemic part of the story and their characters. The novel makes a relatively successful job of capturing the feel of a city under occupation. The Star Destroyer that hangs over Jedha is an ominous presence throughout the course of the book. Jedha constantly feels under siege, its people under the oppression of Imperial occupation. Saw Gerrera is a relatively shadowy figure throughout; rarely coming into the foreground apart from some brief interaction with the two leads. It means there isn’t the opportunity for much character development for him, but it keeps him as a figure in the background as he needs to be whilst also giving him a prominent role. In approaching him in this way the author captures and maintains the mystery that surrounds the character in the early stages of ‘Rogue One’. Overall, the novel adds little to ‘Rogue One’ other than a touch of background to some elements. It’s strength, though, lies in the convincing portrayal of the two main characters and their relationship; the jargon between them probably being the novel’s best aspect. Well worth a read if you are interested in Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbous.

My teenage son is reading this book,easy to read,on the eyes,doesn’t squint on the print and very educational about the 2 characters.hoping more can come from theses characters,when they was young.

Loved it as an expansion on Chirrut and Baze from Rogue one. Hard back in particular is really nicely presented! Author seemed to have fun with this SW prequel. :) Really recommend!

great service and item.

I found the writing style to be both simple and difficult to read at the same time. Maybe it is an American English versus UK English thing. I found the characters uninteresting and I didn't care about them - I struggled to finish the book.

O livro é bem gostoso de ler, a história consegue entreter e você fica preso dentro da trama do começo até o fim

Una delle grande pecche del film di Rogue One è la caratterizzazione dei personaggi: quasi assente. Vuoi per una questione di tempo, vuoi per il montaggio impietoso ed i vari reshoot, lo spazio dedicato a ciascun eroe della "Suicide Squad" starwarsiana è, inevitabilmente, pochissimo. Aspettavo con ansia questo libro, perché Baze Malbus e Chirrut Imwe sono i personaggi del film che più mi hanno affascinata, ma anche quelli dei quali si sa meno (Bodhi a parte, poveretto). Diciamo che questo libro aiuta nel delineare un po' di più la loro personalità, il loro modo di fare ed i loro ideali; ci rende partecipi di una Jedha City sotto il controllo dell'Impero e della sua parte "underground", fatta di reti di contrabbandieri, criminali, orfani e così via. Diciamo anche che la narrazione può essere utile per inquadrare un pochino di più il personaggio di Saw Gerrera (soprattutto per chi non l'ha conosciuto nella serie animata "The Clone Wars"), ribelle dalla moralità estremamente grigia. Il problema è che la storia è vista e rivista. Non emoziona granché (a parte alcuni passaggi e personaggi) e, personalmente, speravo che un libro sui due Guardiani dei Whills avrebbe approfondito la loro storia come tali, non che ci presentasse solamente l'ennesima situazione di ribellione verso l'Impero (basta, seriamente). Non so, secondo me è una grande occasione sprecata. Lo stile non è male, il problema è proprio la trama. Peccato. Ah, come più o meno tutti gli altri libri del Nuovo Canone di SW, anche questo non è stato tradotto in italiano, e non si sa ancora quando e se accadrà.

Very interesting insight into the shared life of this amazing duo. The story is compelling enough nothing fancy but is Chirrut and Baze, and their interactions (both touching and hilarious), who constitute the definitive stars of the show. Only wished it was a longer read or covered a bigger span of time (maybe their youth at the temple) but all in all I'm pretty satisfied with it. Greatly enjoyable, highly recommend!

Libro molto semplice e scorrevole che ci fa conoscere un po' meglio due personaggi che ci hanno incuriosito in Rogue One. Le quattro stelle e non cinque sono dovute solo al fatto che avrei preferito fosse un po' più lungo, che ci mostrasse ancora altri aspetti della loro storia ma per il resto l'ho adorato. I loro caratteri sono stati ripresi molto bene, tanto da prendere vita: a volte, in alcuni passaggi, mi sembrava di sentire davvero la voce di Baze e Chirrut che si scambiavano battute sarcastiche.

Great story about my two favorite Star Wars characters. Couldn't put it down. I now habe an even greater appreciation of Bazevand Chirrut.