Title: Return of the Jedi
Author: James Kahn
Pages: 181
Time: 4 ABY

Introduction
Do we really need an introduction? This is the story where the prophecy finally reaches its conclusion, the story where Anakin Skywalker finally overcomes Darth Vader and he story which ends the terrible rule of Darth Sidious. The movie version was my favorite, especially now that I've finally seen how things got so messed up. Did I like the novel as much as the movie?

Novel quality
The first thing you'll notice when you get this novel is the small size. No more than 181 pages to tell the final chapter in the great story. Although I would have liked to read more about this great chapter, the shortness of the novel never really irritated me. There are so many great moments in the novel that you'll forget about any issues you could have with the length of the story. I will not bore you with any storyline details; anybody reading this review has likely (VERY likely) seen the movie and will know exactly what happened and when it happened. In stead I will highlight a couple of the greatest additions the novel makes to the movie.

The biggest difference is, like with the other OT novels, the look we finally get into the mind of all the main characters. Especially the thoughts of Luke and Vader provide for some interesting reading. The fact that you can read more about the motivation of these characters alone makes this novel more than worth the time you'll need to read it. And then there is the interaction between Han and Leia and the end of both Jabba and Boba Fett (Yes, I know he survives the Sarlacc!). A thing some of you will also be happy with is de de-teddybearing of the Ewoks. I personally didn't mind the Ewoks, but there are many Star Wars fans who hated them. They seem a bit less like cuddly little toys and a bit more like real intelligent animals. This should help the Ewok-haters to make the Ewok action a bit easier to accept.

That's about all I can really say about the novel. It is a good, albeit short, novel which should be enjoyable for any and all Star Wars fans. I believe even EU-haters would gain some interesting insights from this novel. Mr. Kahn did a good job with the limited amount of creative freedom he had. If you are on the fence about whether or not this novel is worth your time and money, you can come down and buy it. You will be entertained and you might actually pick up on some new information.
Rating: 80/100

Personal tilt
If you liked the movie, you'll like the novel. If you didn't really like the movie, you probably wouldn't be here. So, a piece of advice to all of you: Just pick this novel up and read it. It will not take you long to read it and it will give you some nice insights into the mind of some of the most important characters in Star Wars history. Plus, it will let you re-visit the final episode of the saga and it will let you do so in a different way than you are used to.
Rating 85/100

Overall rating: 82.0/100

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See my Book review summary for other reviews and a my personal top ten