Book Review: The Mythology of the Skywalkers gets a fitting tribute in "The Odyssey of Star Wars"
by Arezou Amin
Popular culture is home to many modern day mythologies. With the epic scale, the tragedy, and of course, a single very powerful, very dramatic family causing chaos far and wide, Star Wars definitely ranks up there as one of the closest comparaisons to the epics of old. As such, it was only fitting that the story of the Skywalker family be given the Homeric treatment in Jack Mitchell’s The Odyssey of Star Wars.
As I said, the book is written in the style of famous Homeric poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. Though, as someone who studied both in college, I will say that the resemblance does come down in part to which translation you read, and the stylistic choices of that particular poet. That said, Jack Mitchell manages to capture the heart and spirit of those epic poems without ever making it inaccessible to readers who might be less than familiar with older texts.
Something many writers tend to forget when they try and imitate an older style, is that just because the language or syntax of the text is difficult for present day readers to understand does not mean that it was difficult for readers - or listeners - of the time. The Homeric epics were written to be performed orally, to listeners of all walks of life. Reading The Odyssey of Star Wars, it was hard not to picture this text being recited to a similarly captive audience, with a new poetry being given to a tale we all know so well.
Adapting a story across mediums is never as straightforward as it seems, and credit goes to Mitchell for taking liberties with the text where needed to suit the style of epic poetry. While he does on occasion narratively jump back and forth between two scenes, generally each “book” - the Homeric equivalent of a chapter - generally takes place within a single location, or following a single plot thread. In moments where the back and forth jump is necessary, he often finds clever ways to keep the narrative voice within the present location, while moving the action around as needed. For instance, the rescue of Han and the defeat of Jabba the Hutt is framed as a story Luke is telling Ben when he returns to Dagobah to complete his training.
I must also commend Mitchell for resisting the inclination to alter the text and make it fit better in an ancient Greek setting. All the sci-fi terminology is retained, and even some of the more contemporary language. The style is Homeric, but he never tries to pretend that the story is of that time.
I often say that one of the things I enjoy most about Star Wars, and the current canon in particular, is the way it all ties together like a tapestry. Jack Mitchell, it seems, takes a similar approach. Though the book is ostensibly focused only on the Original Trilogy, there are references and callbacks to Rogue One, Solo, The Clone Wars and Rebels. There is even a quick reference to the Aftermath novels. Because of the large role Anakin Skywalker plays in the story, the mentions of the Prequel Trilogy are numerous, making thematic connections between the two trilogies where necessary, while never divulging more information than the present characters need to know at any given time.
My sole regret is that other than a mention of Jakku and Ach-To, there aren’t really any hints or foreshadowing about the Sequel Trilogy or that era. There must be a literary device within the epic poem that allowed for it, but it’s a small quibble with a text I otherwise enjoyed very much.
It might not be strictly necessary to adapt Star Wars to different, much older mediums, but if it must be done, Jack Mitchell has identified the way to do it: get out of your own way, take the story for what it is, and don’t lose the heart.
The Odyssey of Star Wars is available now.
Special thanks to Abrams Books for the advance copy for review purposes.