When two worlds collide.
It’s a trite saying, but when two things you love merge to form something wonderful, it’s an amazing feeling. LEGO and Star Wars. Disney and Marvel. Chocolate and Peanut Butter. You get the picture. So when I saw there was a manga version of Claudia Gray’s Lost Stars novel, I had to experience it for myself. I’ve been a fan of Claudia’s work for some time, but never got around to reading Lost Stars. There were so many books flooding the market when The Force Awakens was about to come out, I had to pick and choose. But a manga version? I could make time for that. And I’m so glad I did.
In many manga adaptations, one style is often forced onto another. It never quite seems to be the right blend between story and art. But with Lost Stars, Yusaku Komiyama takes Claudia’s work and does a tremendous job blending it into a manga style that most manga fans would appreciate. The drama, the budding love relationship, destiny torn apart by circumstance, wistful secondary characters pining after our heroes – all of those elements you’d expect in a good manga are all here and yet this story is still distinctly Star Wars. There are cut scenes with Star Wars favorites who cross paths with our characters (it’s fun to see Lando Calrissian in manga form) and fans curious about pieces of Star Wars lore get their questions answered. Like how did that Star Destroyer end up crashed on the planet of Jakku? Find out here!
Spanning the time from before A New Hope and all the way up to The Force Awakens, this love story across time and space is intriguing, mesmerizing, and hard to put down. It flows so quickly and easily and adds richness and depth to stories we already know in the Star Wars universe. At the same time, it develops and adds characters that readers can fall in love with. Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree are two kids from opposite sides of the track but both with the same dream – to fly for the Empire. Claudia Gray is so clever how she can take so many different perspectives on the Empire and make them all believable. While we know ultimately how evil the Empire is, we can see how people could be taken in by the Imperial propaganda machine and convinced what they were doing was good or right.
For Thane and Ciena, these two childhood friends end up on opposite sides of the conflict. Thane, who grew up with everything, ends up disillusioned with the Empire and ends up fighting for the Rebellion. Ciena who grew up with relatively little, remains loyal to the Empire with hopes of making a name for herself, but in the end gets trapped by the machinations of the Imperial system. Even when she discovers how evil the Empire is, she can’t break free. So how do these star-crossed lovers keep crossing paths? How will their story end up? This tale of loyalty, love, and friendship is a great story, an easy read, and continues to contribute to the Star Wars universe. Explore something new with this perfect blend of manga and Star Wars with Yusaku Komiyama’s adaptation of Claudia Gray’s Lost Stars.
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