Where does a Jedi go to unwind? Why, to a Contemplation Station, of course. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant has three of them.

But you'd already know that if you had Inside the Worlds of Star Wars: Episode I, yet another lushly illustrated and obscenely detailed Star Wars reference from the folks at DK Publishing. Much like their other excellent cross-section books, most of which focus on vehicles, this title pulls apart Episode I's exotic locales, from Otoh Gunga to the N-1 hangar in Theed to poor Anakin and Shmi's pathetic excuse for a home in Mos Espa.

Each illustration includes a few paragraphs of background information (along with some well-chosen stills from the movie in some cases), but the meat is in the copious call-outs pointing to minute details that would otherwise go unnoticed. In the honeycomb of "species-friendly" offices surrounding the Senate, for example, you can see the Wookiee napping rooms (oh, the Jedis only wish that they had hammocks in their Contemplation Stations) and learn about re-orgs in the Neimoidian diplomatic corps ("To enforce competitiveness, Neimoidians assign identical work to two teams of worker drones, with the incentive that the successful team eats the other").

The book's biggest set piece is a fold-out rendering of the Mos Espa Arena, but fans will likely enjoy the diagrammed blow-by-blows of Episode I's most dramatic scenes even more: What route did the Queen and her retainers take as they scurried through occupied Theed? Exactly how and where did the Trade Federation deploy its droids? And which turn is the tightest on the Boonta Eve Classic? Thanks to DK, it's all there in meticulously drawn detail. --Paul Hughes


From Publishers Weekly
For those who do not yet possess all the facts, Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Episode I: The Complete Guide to the Incredible Locations from The Phantom Menace by Kristin Lund-Meyer, illus. by Hans Jenssen and Richard Chasemore, acts as a moviegoer's atlasAcomplete with drawings and movie stills. Beginning with an overview of the galaxy itself, this oversize volume peeks at Naboo's underwater ways, takes readers inside the Droid Control Ship and offers cutaway views of the Galactic Senate. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Gr. 3-6, younger for reading aloud. This oversize (14" x 10 3/4" volume features very detailed drawings and scenes from the Star Wars movie The Phantom Menace, contributed by Richard Chasemore and Hans Jennssen. Each double-page spread introduces a new topic to be explored through the colorful pictures, brief explanatory text, and many captions. Only the biggest fans, those who would happily vacation on Naboo or Coruscant, will want to read every word, but plenty of kids will find at least some of the drawings and their detailed labels and captions of interest. With foldout pages extending the already large double-page spreads, this visual extravaganza will delight Star Wars devotees. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Uncover the inside story of all the amazing locations from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace in this stunning new addition to DK's best-selling Star Wars series. Peer right into the buildings, trace the routes of the characters, and learn all the facts about the planets and locales of the movie. To produce this definitive guide, the DK team was given access to the original blueprints, scale drawings, and models for Episode I stored at Skywalker Ranch, Lucasfilm headquarters in California. Absolute accuracy and authority was ensured by the close involvement of insiders at Lucasfilm. With the addition of dozens of never-seen-before stills from the movie, illustrated maps and Kristin Lund's detailed, wide-ranging text, this book is the only reference work to provide Star Wars fans with all the background to the places and locations of Episode I.


About the Author
Kristin Lund was 13 in 1977 when her mother took her to a Cape Cod mall to see the new movie, Star Wars. Graduating cum laude with a degree in philosophy from Smith College, she writes story, dialogue, and manual text for Lucas Learning Ltd., George Lucas's educational software company. She is also a contributor to Star Wars Kids magazine, and has written numerous articles and short stories. She lives in Northern California with one husband, two daughters, and three dogs.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Uncover the inside story of all the amazing locations from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace in this stunning new addition to DK's best-selling Star Wars series. Peer right into the buildings, trace the routes of the characters, and learn all the facts about the planets and locales of the movie.

To produce this definitive guide, the DK team was given access to the original blueprints, scale drawings, and models for Episode I stored at Skywalker Ranch, Lucasfilm headquarters in California. Absolute accuracy and authority was ensured by the close involvement of insiders at Lucasfilm.

With the addition of dozens of never-seen-before stills from the movie, illustrated maps and Kristin Lund's detailed, wide-ranging text, this book is the only reference work to provide Star Wars fans with all the background to the places and locations of Episode I.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

For those who do not yet possess all the facts, Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Episode I: The Complete Guide to the Incredible Locations from The Phantom Menace by Kristin Lund-Meyer, illus. by Hans Jenssen and Richard Chasemore, acts as a moviegoer's atlas--complete with drawings and movie stills. Beginning with an overview of the galaxy itself, this oversize volume peeks at Naboo's underwater ways, takes readers inside the Droid Control Ship and offers cutaway views of the Galactic Senate. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature