Guardians of the Whills
Who’s
your favourite character from Rogue One?
Is it main character Jyn Erso? Or do you prefer the snarky wit of K-2SO? Or do
you go for the easy cop-out answer and pick Darth Vader?
Despite
this, the answer I’ve seen the most online is “the blind guy and his friend”,
otherwise known as Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus. These two mysterious Force
warriors serve as the heart and soul of the movie, as their friendship leads to
a lot of charming, funny and even heartfelt interaction between them. But no
matter where I go, I always see them referred to as “the blind guy and his
friend”. Granted, Chirrut and Baze aren’t the easiest names to remember, but
you’d think such popular characters would become more recognized.
Well,
if you ever wanted to learn more about these two ancient warriors, there’s a
book for that.
Released
in May 2017, Guardians of the Whills came
out with little fanfare or attention from the core Star Wars fanbase. It didn’t help that it was released on the same
day as the Jyn-focused novel Rebel Rising,
as well as the fact that Whills wasn’t
particularly long, making it appear more akin to a pre-teen novel than a real Star Wars book. But having read both Guardians of the Whills and Rebel Rising to completion, I can
safely say that I found the former book to be a much more enjoyable time, and
even makes Chirrut and Baze’s story in Rogue
One deeper and far more tragic.
Set
prior to the events of Rogue One (but
that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering who the main characters are), the
Empire has an iron grip on Jedha, but Chirrut and Baze are trying their hardest
to keep the peace and charm the planet had in the days of the Republic alive.
They spend their time trying to improve the life of the kids at the local
orphanage, hanging out with local mechanics and vendors, and of course fending
off the Stormtroopers whenever necessary. But when Baze is visited by Saw
Gererra and offered a way to save the orphans, the two of them have to decide
whether they want to trust the most dangerous man on the planet for the sake of
the children they care about.
Let
me just get this out of the way first: if you’re looking for a massive canon
book with a lot to say about the Force, spirituality and other deep topics, Guardians of the Whills is not it. It’s
just a fun adventure starring two characters from Rogue One with a lot of great action and some strong morals for
kids. If you want a deep and thought provoking canon book, I’d recommend giving
Thrawn a try instead.
If
you’re still interested, I’d definitely recommend giving this book a try. It’s
really a fun adventure that can be a real page turner at times. If you know a
kid who’s a fan of Rogue One, they’ll
adore Guardians of the Whills.
But
for me the best part of the book is what happens after you’ve finished reading
it. Guardians of the Whills tries
it’s hardest to make Jedha City feel like a real place, with lots of great side
characters that befriend Chirrut and Baze and play key parts in the climax. And
then Rogue One happens and the entire
city is blown to smithereens with everyone inside. That short conversation
Chirrut and Baze have afterwards where Chirrut makes him say what happened and
his subsequent reaction hits a lot harder after reading this book.
While
Guardians of the Whills isn’t gonna
change the way you look at the Expanded Universe anytime soon, having read it
makes Chirrut and Baze’s story in Rogue
One even better. It also helps that it’s an entertaining adventure to go
on, and it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome by any means. If you’re looking for a
good Star Wars book that won’t take
up too much of your time and stars characters from the movies, this one will be
right up your alley.
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