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In a galaxy far, far away, on the desert planet of Jakku, the quiet town of Reestkii is raided by a band of slavers. As the slavers pillage the settlement, a traveling merchant—Bobbajo the Crittermonger—calms the frightened villagers with a story of the tiniest creatures…facing the greatest of enemies.

39 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2015

17 people are currently reading
468 people want to read

About the author

Landry Q. Walker

198 books72 followers
Landry Q. Walker is a New York Times bestselling author of comics and books. His work includes Star Wars stories, Batman and Supergirl comics, and the Project Terra series of novels. He also co-created a Saturday morning cartoon called Scary Larry. He likes castles and robots and also pop-tarts. Most days he sits in his office and pushes buttons on a keyboard until stories somehow happen.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
Profile Image for Geekritique.
72 reviews22 followers
December 6, 2015
Find this and many other reviews at Geekritique!

On December 1st, Del Rey released 4 short stories written by Landry Q. Walker within the canon Star Wars universe as we know it, as tie-ins to the Force Awakens. These four shorts will be collected, along with two others, in an anthology called 'Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens'. These stories, written for a targeted age of 8-12, are still enjoyable little snippets for ravenous fans of the Star Wars book range, as they tell tales of some of the alien creatures we've seen in the trailers and other media. Some spoilers from here on out.

Can I just mention how terrible Disney and Del Rey are marketing this? The official title for this short story is 'Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens: Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens: All Creatures Great and Small.' Nobody in their right mind is keeping up with their initiative in releasing books and media under the banner of Journey to the Force Awakens, as the range boasts anything and everything, from adult novels to coloring books! And I understand this is from the Tales from a Galaxy whatever, but that won't be available until April of next year. It seems more like a filing method than a name. Let's just call each short story as they're titled by the author.

All Creatures Great and Small is the first of such stories I read, and it revolves around the awfully adorable creature known as Bobbajo. If you remember correctly, over a year ago Abrams released an Omaze video on the set of Jakku, and Bobbajo waddled across in the background, with a bunch of crates on his back. He's a fully puppeted alien.

This short sees him travel to a small town on Jakku known as Reestkii, some 400 kilometers away from "the only settlement on the planet worth noting - Niima Outpost." Bobbajo's an ancient being, and a traveler, that the people sometimes call Storyteller or the Crittermonger. He's a bit like Gandalf in this respect, performing tricks for kids in different towns. But instead of fireworks (like Gandalf) he uses the ultra-smart creatures in his crates to perform tricks for him. Nobody quite knows if he uses magic or not, but his creatures are surely talented.

Pirates come down out of the sky suddenly. And while they pillage the town, Bobbajo tells everyone a story after they were rounded up and shoved into the town hall. This story, for many of his listeners was hard to believe. It's a story told from the perspective of Bobbajo's creatures as they try and free him from imprisonment aboard the Death Star. From their vantage point they could see much of what was going on around the station: a Wookiee being detained by two stormtroopers; issues with the garbage chutes; blaster fire, etc.

Nobody seems to believe him, although they love his story. However, it must be said that the tale he tells going on in the background (of A New Hope playing out) is exactly what occurred on the Death Star, stuff that isn't common knowledge. Where I take massive umbrage with this story is what it implies near the end. That certain events which played out in the original film may not be wholly attributed to the characters and actions we've assumed were the cause all of these years. And the story gives a really silly alternative. The last lines in the short neither confirm nor deny the story that Bobbajo tells to be true, but it does make it clear that their may be many truths.

It's a cute read, and it'll last you long enough to enjoy it with a cup of coffee. For two dollars I can't say I've wasted my money, especially since it does a good job giving life to what will inevitably just be a background character in The Force Awakens.
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Profile Image for Peace.
62 reviews10 followers
July 14, 2017
It was cute! Tiny animals blowing up the Death Star.
Profile Image for Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight.
1,198 reviews
December 8, 2022
*2.5

These stories are so weird.

I mean, I get that they're all just following a new character from TFA, but... the CREATURES.

The plot of this story is pretty straightforward - nothing to write home about; it's fine -but the way all of the little aliens are named drove me crazy. They don't have enough physical description for me to picture them with any accuracy, they all have the strangest names, and that just makes it hard and annoying to follow. The tale that the main guy tells the children is fine, but the fact that I couldn't get a solid idea of the creatures' appearances just made this frustrating. 2.5/5 stars.
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,429 reviews1 follower
April 8, 2022
This one was even shorter than the last short story I read from this group, only about 40 pages. I didn’t like it as much, partially because I just didn’t find the story that compelling, but mainly because it kinda retcons MAJOR events from A New Hope and Rogue One. It tries to leave it vague whether the story as presented in this book really happened or not, but it still felt to me like it cheapened the sacrifices made by characters in the movies.
Profile Image for osoi.
789 reviews38 followers
April 1, 2016
Впереди спойлеры и ушат негодования.
На отдаленное поселение Reestki на планете Джакку нападают пираты, возжаждавшие накинуть рабовладельческие сети на беззащитных жителей. В это время там гостит Bobbajo – существо, таскающее на себе странную конструкцию, являющуюся домом для всевозможных мелких зверушек со всех концов галактики. Пока жители в страхе забурились в ближайшем амбаре, вышеуказанный прославленный сторителлер решает успокоить народ очередной сказочкой.

1. Насколько надо отчаяться, чтобы забыть про impending doom на пороге и заслушаться историей какого-то любителя многозначительных пауз и неспешного повествования?

2. Повсеместные намеки на события «Новой надежды» умиляют сверх меры, пока Bobbajo в своем героическом рассказе не заявляет, что спасение Явина и уничтожение Звезды Смерти вовсе не на совести удачного выстрела Люка Скайуокера, а на деле заслуга самого рассказчика и его команды разношерстных компаньонов. Конечно, тут же дается лукавая отговорка, что это, мол, всего лишь история, у правды множество граней и т.п. Сам факт такого бесстыдного перекручивания канона можно воспринимать как милую шутку (и даже как тонкую отсылку к опальной SWEU), но мне подобные выкрутасы кажутся немножко оскорбительными. Либо рассказывай как оно реально случилось, либо придумывай свои приключения, но без присвоения чужих заслуг. Фантазии на тему «я тоже помогал уничтожить ЗС» – отлично, сказки из раздела «это я взорвал ЗС, а не Люк» – фу и некомильфо. И все было бы не столь грустно, если бы господин сторителлер остановился в своих выдумках на ступеньку раньше и позволил слушателям сделать вывод, что герои просто боком поучаствовали в масштабном событии, а не вываливал лапшу про «unsung heroes of Yavin battle» :|
Profile Image for Paul Decker.
853 reviews17 followers
December 15, 2015
This was the first creature we were introduced to in the Force for Change promotional video. And again, at Comic-Con. In this story we get to meet this unusual storyteller.

I like how uncertainty and believing in the implausible is at the heart of this story. Although it does get kind of outrageous. I'd be interested to learn more about how he is aware of such details.

The story told within this short story is a tale of the unsung heroes of Yavin who aided in the destruction of the Death Star.

This story was fun and interesting. It's a story that makes you wonder about stories. I give it a 5/5.
Profile Image for Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind).
3,212 reviews11 followers
December 20, 2015
There are so many alien creatures in The Force Awakens and tgese e-novellas give you great insight into their lives and histories. In this story we meet a storyteller trying to calm some fearful children after their village is attacked by slavers. His story involves the heroics of his small animal friends on the dreded Death Star.

I loved the narration and the zen elements in the main characters personality
Profile Image for Daniel.
136 reviews1 follower
February 26, 2016
"History...is an interesting thing. We know only...the versions we are told. It does not mean...that there are not...other truths."

Now this was a good short story. It gives depth and charm to a new character. It touches on the great stories of Star Wars as a whole. And it leaves you with just a little bit of doubt and a pleasant sense of wonder. Spot on.
Profile Image for DarkChaplain.
357 reviews75 followers
February 17, 2016
What an adorable story!
The bulk of the events told take place parallel to A New Hope, aboard the Death Star. Seeing such an unconventional, animal A-Team story certainly made me happy.
Profile Image for Ненко.
Author 120 books22 followers
February 18, 2016
http://starwarsbg.com/news/3910-3910

Не им е лесно на Star Wars феновете в наши дни! Освен, че премиерата на „Силата се пробужда” бе едва преди месец и еуфорията още не е отминала, втори сезон на „Бунтовниците” продължава с пълна сила, а Егмонт България приземиха в родните книжарници цяла флотилия от български преводи на междузвездни заглавия! Не е лесно да следиш всичко и да не изоставаш. А ако освен тези неща се опитваш да следиш и всички западни издания на английски, задачата се усложнява значително! Бих, казал, че ние от StarWarsBG.com се опитваме да го правим, но… както казва Йода, „Do. Or do not. There is no try.” И затова – действаме!

В това ревю искам да ви запозная с първото от четири заглавия, които излязоха под формата на електронни новели преди премиерата на „Силата се пробужда”, и ако притежавате Киндъл или нещо от сорта – продават се в Амазон едва за $1.99 всяко.

Ако пък няма къде да четете електронни книги, то имам за вас добра новина – просто ще трябва да почакате до пети април! Тогава от Дисни Прес пускат на хартия четирите вече издадени електронно истории, заедно с още няколко съвсем нови, в луксозен сборник с твърди корици и 352 страници!

Capture

Автор на новелите е Ландри Уокър (Landry Q. Walker), който многократно е писал истории с героите на Дисни за по-младите читатели („Frozen”, “The Incredibles”, “Tron”…), а освен това е и сценарист на комикси, някои от които от култови поредици (писал е за герои като Батман, Супергърл и Костенурките нинджа например). Работата му по „Междузвездни войни” определено много ми допадна и се надявам да продължат да го ангажират като автор на истории от галактиката на Лукас и за напред! Историите се четат така леко и приятно, че направо летят като комикс. Стилът е вълнуващ и увлекателен, и са подходящи за всяка възраст. Дано да видим и български превод някой ден!

И четирите новели са обединени под банера на кампанията „Пътуване към Междузвездни войни: Силата се пробужда” (Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens). Като заглавие на отделната поредица пък имаме „Истории от една далечна, далечна галактика – Том І: Извънземни” (Tales From a Galaxy Far, Far Away Volume I: Aliens) – значително по-дълго, от първоначално заплануваното и в последствие отхвърлено заглавие „Създания от Външния пръстен” (Creatures of the Outer Rim). И така, заглавията на новелите предизвикаха насмешка у феновете, защото де факто пълното наименование на всяка новела започва с Journey to Star Wars The Force Awakens: STAR WARS: Tales From a Galaxy Far, Far Away – ALIENS: ………. (последвано от самото заглавие на новелата). Някой там горе, в отдел маркетинг и реклама, май се е попрестарал леко.

Във всеки случай, историите са обединени от една идея – всяка от тях се върти около нов герой, извънземен, който очаквахме да ни бъде представен в „Силата се пробужда”. Трябва да призная, че прочетох новелите още преди премиерата на филма, и се оглеждах да ги зърна на екрана! Някои от тях видях още на първото гледане… други пропуснах. Оглеждах се за тях на второто гледане, но отново не ги видях. И тогава разбрах, че уви, явно някои от чудесните нови герои са паднали жертва на монтажа, и са останали извън филма. Дано ги видим поне в отпадналите сцени!

Освен това, всяка от историите е издържана в стилистиката на определен жанр, приложен в контекста на Междузвездни войни! А ето и историите, в реда, в който ги прочетох аз!

Capture

„All Creatures Great and Small“

Герой: Бобаджо

Място на действието: Джаку и първата Звезда на смъртта

Жанр: Пътуващ разказвач, приказка в приказката

Подобно на: епизод от Jim Henson’s The Storyteller



Бобаджо бе първия ни поглед към ефектите и създанията на Епизод VІІ. Той е създанието, което видяхме зад Джей Джей Ейбрамс в неговото промоционално видео за благотворителната кампания на Omaze. Името му пък бе официално разкрито на Star Wars панела на ежегодния КомикКон в Сан Диего. Може да се каже, че Бобаджо стана знаменитост сред феновете дълго преди премиерата на „Силата се пробужда“. А във самия филм, той се появи за секунда на опашката към Ункар Плут, в Niima Outpost, на Джаку, когато Рей отказва да продаде BB-8. В тази история той ни е представен като пътуващ разказвач и дресьор на екзотични животни. Бобаджо има уникална връзка със своите създания, които пренася в клетки на гърба си – животните притежават интелигентност и способност да комуникират със своя стопанин… може би посредством Силата?

1438040698916Bobbajo-Comic-Con-Panel

В „All Creatures Great and Small“ Бобаджо пристига в малко село, където възнамерява да разведри ежедневието на децата от местното население с една от своите приказки. Скоро обаче селото е нападнато от бандити и търговци на роби. Бобаджо се опитва да успокои уплашените деца с история, според която той се е измъкнал от първата Звезда на смъртта, паралелно с бягството на Принцеса Лея… и ни представя алтернативен вариант за унищожението на имперската станция, според която заслугата не е точно на Люк Скайуокър! А докато разказа тече, как ли ще се справят с надвисналата опасност? Дали ще успеят да надвият търговците на роби?

Коментар (съдържа спойлер за историята на новелата): Първата от историите ми се стори доста необичаен избор за попълнение в новия канон на Дисни. Според историята, има вероятност Люк Скайуокър да не е отговорен за взривяването на Звездата на смъртта! Всъщност, животните на Бобаджо, в усилията си да го измъкнат от килията му и да му осигурят път към свободата, дори се вмъкват в системите на космическата станция. Интелигентните животинки успяват да променят свръзки из схемите по такъв начин, че опит от страна на Империята да използва унищожителния лъч, който помита цели планети би предизвикал самоунищожението на Звездата на смъртта. И така, когато Таркин и компания се канят да стрелят по бунтовниците на Явин… БУМ! А това, че и Люк е пуснал торпедата си кажи-речи по същото време… чисто съвпадение. Историята се заиграва с думите на Оби-Уан, че истината е въпрос на гледна точка. А никога до сега не са ни представяли гледната точна на невидими малки герои, които се спотайват и прокрадват през вентилационни шахти и тунели за техническа поддръжка… Изборът да се пренапише финала на „Нова надежда” е смел, но и доста труден за възприемане. Ако приемем историята на Бобаджо за истина, излиза че Люк, Силата и Оби-Уан играят втора цигулка, план Б, в случай, че животинчетата на Бобаджо не са си свършили работата. Все пак, авторът оставя историята свободна за интерпретация от читателите, и така и не дава доказателства, които да потвърждават разказа на Бобаджо. И въпреки това, разказвачът споделя със слушателите си за ууки в белезници, златист протоколен дроид, и други детайли за бягството на Лея, които няма как да знае, освен ако…? Хммм…
Profile Image for C.J. Daley.
Author 5 books136 followers
January 16, 2020
So is technically a YOUNG READER level short story. A Disney canon short story, it’s short, fun, and a quick read. It can alternatively be found in the collection, Tales From The Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens: Vol. 1

All Creatures Great and Small: 4*

This story is probably the strangest and silliest thing I’ve read from Disney canon? An old Nu-Cosian is a walking-talking zoo and he carries them all on his back. When he visits on Jakku the old and young alike flock to him for stories. The creatures love him and can understand him and they have the ability to get him out of an old and very familiar situation...
Profile Image for John  Kennedy.
33 reviews
June 2, 2017
This was a great read

This alternate telling of a New Hope was great and the stray of the Nu-Cosian and his menagerie doing what they did. Two stories in one. A very good read.
Profile Image for Kirsty.
1,089 reviews19 followers
August 11, 2019
Very entertaining short story, that gives a version of the destruction of the Death Star over Yavin in which 3 small creatures make victory possible for the Rebel Alliance.
Profile Image for quinnster.
2,577 reviews27 followers
January 10, 2021
This was a fun little book about maybe what could have happened on the Death Star. Loved the little creatures!
13 reviews2 followers
January 26, 2016
These four "Tales From a Galaxy Far, Far Away" aren't as good as "The Perfect Weapon" or the three short stories set amidst the original trilogy, but they're good for what they are; quick glimpses of background characters seen (or in one case, not seen due to late production edits) in The Force Awakens. Unlike the original trilogy books, which did that in the context of big character development stories about the classic four, there's a clear "no main characters" rule in place here in closer proximity to the new trilogy.

This one is a cute story-within-a-story set as the background to a story we all know. It's kind of like the Phineas and Ferb Star Wars episode, but, well, canon, technically. Only Bobbajo knows for sure. I would love to see Adlee and the other children of Reeskii developed further in some way.
Profile Image for Jessica (Books: A true story).
413 reviews142 followers
August 1, 2018
This, by far, is my favorite short story from the Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens collection.  Bobbajo is a story teller who is briefly seen on Jakku in The Force Awakens.  He tells stories about the adventures of his little pet animals and you can't tell if they are tall tales or not.  One of his stories even has a very cute tie-in to Episode IV.  When the kids who he is telling his stories to don't quite believe him, he says "But stories...they are powerful things. Never...discount their...strength. (pg 153)"

The stories in the collection also connect in small ways.  The kids in the story expect the constable from the first story, High Noon on Jakku, to help them.
Profile Image for Timothy.
Author 10 books16 followers
December 22, 2015
Ugh. There was nothing to enjoy in this story. The writing's at an elementary school level, the author feels this incessant need to woodenly name every one-line character ("Oh, no," said Gorzam Drell, the long-snouted Pa'lowick. "What is it?" asked Bilbobo Teemte, the bald-headed Bith, etc.) and then there's the ludicrous plot. Kinda ruined my enjoyment of a scene in Force Awakens, to see the "protagonist" in the background and think that this story is canon.

Honestly reads more like an outline for a short story than an actual short story. Blech.
Profile Image for Adam Fisher.
3,594 reviews23 followers
December 29, 2015
Slavers show up to capture a village of people in this new short story in the Star Wars canon universe. As they begin to round up the villagers, an old quirky storyteller begins a tale to help them focus on something other than their impending plight. Accompanied by fantastic trained animals, he spins a different version of the truth to a very famous Star Wars scene.
This was amazing! Very well written, compelling, visually descriptive. One of the best short stories I've ever read. No spoilers from me, but this is 40 pages not wasted at all.
High praise and recommend!
Profile Image for Matthew S. Zielinski.
186 reviews
December 28, 2015
A nice revisiting of scenes from A New Hope from a character in The Force Awakens. Story felt a little contrived, both in the story that the main character told as well as the story that was unfolding around them on Jakuu. The conclusion was predictable and anticlimactic, but the journey was short and cute. Not sure that it was worth the $2 price. Didn't give us any insight into the actual story of The Force Awakens, but fills into the Star Wars lore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Stanley.
469 reviews5 followers
January 26, 2016
This was a decent little tale of a odd little man with an affinity for creatures who seem to have an affinity for him.

He relays his story of blowing up the Death Star (during Return of the Jedi) with the help of his creatures after being captured, while his desert village is under attack by slavers.

Its a neat story that is left as maybe or not being true. Interesting little tale.
Profile Image for Lisa.
78 reviews1 follower
March 16, 2016
Delightful!

A quick, fun read and a unique spin on a familiar story within the Star Wars saga. Who were the real heroes at the Battle of Yavin? It's interesting to ponder. Suitable for Star Wars fans of all ages!
Profile Image for Jim.
438 reviews67 followers
January 18, 2016
Size matters not. One of the more "out-there" stories from the new canon. Far-fetched but on purpose. I didn't want to like this story out of sheer believability, but it was cute and totally in the realm of tall-tales.
Profile Image for Armando Negron.
107 reviews2 followers
January 20, 2016
This is a nice short story, more of a side-story of a very well known event. Pretty much the story is short enough to read in one sitting. Fun indeed, though the story does not add much to the overall Star Wars Universe.
Profile Image for Jamie.
75 reviews
August 6, 2016
An alternative take on the events of the Battle of Yavin

A very cute, yet enthralling, story about great deeds performed by unlikely heroes. I'd love to hear more about this Nu-Cosian and his rag tag group of mercenaries in the future!
3 reviews
December 4, 2015
Great work


I'm biased because Landry is a great writer I have known for a while, now. Great short story series! Kudos!
1 review
January 14, 2016
Very fun story

This story was light, fun, and delightfully entertaining. It is a well written short that I would certainty recommend. Well worth the price, in my opinion.
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