Review: New 'The Force Unleashed' audiobook is a video game in your ears
The fan-favorite story of Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice, gets new life thanks to Marc Thompson's incredible narration.
The Force Unleashed isn’t just a video game, adapted book, or graphic novel. It’s a multimedia event in the Star Wars galaxy — one that has become a fan favorite and arguably a cult classic.
Now part of the Essential Legends Collection, its new trade paperback edition and the unabridged audiobook breathe new life into the story of Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret apprentice.
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The story itself hasn’t changed. The Force Unleashed is a direct adaptation of the video game published in 2008. The story follows Darth Vader’s unnamed secret apprentice — dubbed Starkiller — on his missions to hunt down and eliminate powerful Jedi in the years before A New Hope.
While the story is 16 years old, I don’t want to spoil it. But let’s just say Starkiller learns the hard way that his master doesn’t care whether the apprentice lives or dies. Starkiller is just a pawn in Vader’s and the emperor’s endless Sith scheming. His journey to the light is full of intense, dark, and violent missions that push Starkiller to his physical and mental limits.
The Force Unleashed is an incredible story made all the more thrilling and heartbreaking with Marc Thompson’s narration.
Back in the days of the Expanded Universe, many books got abridged audiobooks — shorter, condensed versions of their stories. The audiobook released this week is the first time The Force Unleashed is narrated in its full, unabridged glory.
Thompson, the GOAT of Star Wars audiobooks, easily differentiates between Starkiller, pilot Juno Eclipse, PROXY the droid, and characters like Rahm Kota and Darth Vader. As with most new Star Wars audiobooks, the production quality and sound effects are top-tier — from thumping cannons and blaster pew pews to the hissing buzz of a lightsaber.
Now a Legends novel, The Force Unleashed is a classic Star Wars sci-fi adventure. It reads like a video game in your ears with Starkiller flying from mission to mission around the galaxy. But like every action-heavy Star Wars story, there’s an undercurrent of deep emotion and character development. Starkiller’s journey is raw, horrifying, and heartbreaking, and Thompson’s narration lets his light and dark feelings shine.
As someone still on a journey to catch up with all the Legends novels, The Force Unleashed has become one of my favorites. It certainly was among the most accessible and easy to understand and follow.
There are many older Star Wars books that hold a lot of nostalgia for people. Some are excellent on their own — canon or not — but some I’ve found are just…fine. I didn’t grow up reading Star Wars books (thought I was the perfect age for it), so I try to at least understand why a book is so beloved in the fandom.
Yes, Starkiller is a badass. But he’s also painfully human — flawed and hurting and desperate for an outlet for his anger and grief that he doesn’t fully understand. That’s the core of most Star Wars stories — finding ourselves reflected in the characters no matter how alien or powerful in the Force they are.
It’s easy to see why The Force Unleashed is so loved. It’s also a fantastic book for all Star Wars readers and gamers. I’d even recommend it to someone new to reading Star Wars Legends books. The Force Unleashed is a fantastic story made more remarkable by author Sean Williams’ prose and Thompson’s voice talents.
The Force Unleashed, part of the Essential Legends Collection, is available now in trade paperback and unabridged audiobook.
Find more Marc Thompson-narrated Star Wars books on Audible.com
Thank you, Random House Audio, for sending review files of The Force Unleashed audiobook!