Is the Episode VII Novelization Worth Reading?

[Vex Pendel]

I've heard a few good things about the novel. Apparently it gives a lot more detail about what happens? I was pretty irritated by a couple of things in the movie, namely Rey's Mary Sue-ness. I was baffled at her use of a jedi mind trick on the stormtrooper with no distracting gesture. Even extremely powerful jedi still needed to in every case in the movies, right? Obi-wan did, Luke did, Anakin did, and other powerful Jedi.

Apparently the novels elaborate by saying she intuited that if she could resist and even turn Kylo's mind probe back onto him, she'd be able influence a mere stormtrooper with her mind. I still don't really buy into it, but with that added detail I can at least stomach it.

Has anyone here read the novel? Does it elaborate more on things like that?

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

I haven't properly sat down to close read it, I've been focusing on the Half Lost series and reading that umpteen times over. I can basically quote the last book in that series work for word.

However, I skimmed it and to me it didn't really offer anything extra, just more of the same with a few more thoughts and a Leia argument with herself at the start.

 

[Jen]

There's some extra sequences in it. Such as an explanation on how Poe made it off Jakku. Which I found fun.

Since you're (unlike in the movie) able to know the thoughts of the characters, it also offers extra insight into the characters. But if you're as negatively loaded towards the movie as I'm sensing you are, you won't gain anything from it. It's up to yourself to put away your preconcieved expectations and accept the movie as it is.