Book Review "Star Trek: The Visual Dictionary"

Author: Paul Ruditis
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: DK CHILDREN
Release Date: March 18, 2013

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Are you a fan of the “Star Trek” franchise? Or just becoming a fan? Either way there is something here for you in the “Star Trek: The Visual Dictionary”. Obviously this book is aimed for the younger audience but it is still delivers. It covers the everything “Star Trek” including the live-action TV series and films. The book is only 96 pages, so it is a little crammed but there is a lot of great content included in this book. Fans of the “Star Trek” universe take a look at the characters, aliens, starships, and technology from this incredibly vast franchise. I highly recommend for all Trekkies.

We start off with a wonderful forward from John de Lancie (who played Q in “TNG”). I have had the priveldge of chatting with John and he is such a cool guy.  He contributed so much to this show throughout his few episodes and remains of my favorite characters. Each of the series gets its own sections to showcase their ship, captain, and crew. We also get to explore the various races in the series inclduing the Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, Borg, Dominion, and Cardassians. If you know “Star Trek” then you know what a vast universe this is. So does this book cover everything? No. But it is enough to showcase the most important parts of the show and will easily assist with any new fans young and old.

For a long-time fan like myself, I was still able to learn new specific details about various characters and many obscure facts like costume or weapon background info. The images are extremely high quality and very detailed as well. You can tell that there is no shortage to the level of attention given to this book. The author, Paul Ruditis, worked in full collaboration with CBS Consumer Products on this, so you know everything is accurate and valid. With the new “Star Trek” movie just around the corner and the recent celebration of the 25th anniversary of “TNG”, “Star Trek” has never been more popular and this is a great way to get your fix.

Book Review “LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary”

Author: Simon Beecroft
Reading level: Ages 8 and up
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: DK Publishing
Release Date: September 21, 2009

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

DK Publishing is known for taking care of the nerds with books focusing on  Star Wars, Harry Potter and Batman and much more. This Visual Dictionary looks into the world of LEGO Star Wars, it is a blend of characters with showcasing on the current available LEGO Star Wars sets. To top off the coolness of this book, it comes with an exclusive Like Skywalker mini-figure. If you are looking for the go-to book for LEGO Star Wars, I would highly recommend “LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia”. This book would be perfect if it ran a little longer, it clocks in at under 100 pages.

Official Synopsis: In true DK style, LEGO® Star Wars™: The Visual Dictionary elucidates, illuminates, and excites even the most discerning LEGO Group, Star Wars™, and minifigure fans around the world. Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, and more are brought to life with dozens of little-known facts and hundreds of photos of accessories, vehicles, weapons, and even the Death Star! Learn about the history, manufacturing, and construction of the minifigures of the Star Wars galaxy, and come away a LEGO® Jedi Master.

One thing this book was successful at was making me want run out and purchase some new LEGO Star Wars sets.  Luckily Santa Claus brought me the new LEGO giant R2-D2 set, so this book has inspired me to get to building that set ASAP.  Even though I prefer “LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia”, this book has more detail in various aspect of LEGO Star Wars, not just the characters. So it is recommended to have both book as a companion to each other. With the LEGO Star Wars universe only growing each year, I am excited to see what DK Publishing is planning next.

 

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