The arrival of a new Star Wars film means the release of all sorts of tie-in novels and books. At least, that’s been the case with The Force Awakens and Rogue One. From fiction to reference, I look forward to reading the new titles to digest all the details they have to offer. Some of the books are encyclopaedic with fact after fact listed, while others present intel in a more organic way—like Rogue One: Rebel Dossier by Jason Fry.

I enjoy reading both formats (read some of the what I learned in the Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide), but Rebel Dossier used an interesting presentation. The book, targeted at young readers, goes over the ins and outs of the Rebel Alliance via documents assembled for Mon Mothma. Pretend General Cracken is presenting you with a neatly labeled confidential file folder packed with key personnel profiles, state of the galaxy reports, intelligence briefings, and more—that’s essentially the Rebel Dossier.

Rogue One altered a few aspects about Star Wars for me, including giving me a different perspective on the Rebel Alliance. We saw some of the organization’s structure, hierarchy, and the way they make decisions. It was eye-opening. Rebel Dossier expands upon that while further illustrating the somewhat fragile state of the resistance (we saw a bit of that when Jyn presented what she learned about her father and the Death Star to the council). You get to put yourself in Mon Mothma’s shoes and soak in reports without having to make the hard decisions.

Because of the style of the book and the age group it’s intended for, I would have loved some sort of interactive element or pull-out ephemera. I’m thinking fold-out documents, security ID cards, and the like.

Aside from wanting some extras, I found Rebel Dossier provided the right amount of information for younger readers. Getting background and context from in-universe characters such as Bail Organa was an interesting way to learn about the bigger picture. A section from Lieutenant Voren Na’al about his impressions of Jyn Erso from the briefing room scene comes to mind. It’s not galaxy-changing material, but it adds color to what we already know in a creative way—in other words, it’s relevant and intriguing. That’s what you get from Rebel Dossier, plus some new tidbits.

Have you picked up Rebel Dossier? If so, tell me your opinions about the book in the comments.

Images: Disney-Lucasfilm Press

This review was completed using a copy of Rebel Dossier provided by Disney-Lucasfilm Press