Ok, DK books are like crack which is why I picked up the DK Star Wars: The Power Of Myth. I have watched The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell repeatedly. We take the audio version on car trips to listen to so we don't have to talk the entire 18 hours it takes to drive to Florida. I probably didn’t need this when I bought it. But buy it I did and I even read it.
And upon reading it I can’t see that there is a human alive who would need this book. It's lean on information and the information that is provided is pretty basic to the point of being intuitive. There are lots of pictures which is that DK books are known for, but the question I have to ask is, how many pictures do I need? If they had used the Moyers interview a little more heavily they would have gotten a much better product.
If you’re interested in The Power of Myth, the investment of a couple of hours to watch the interviews (that include all the Star Wars references you can stand and are filmed at Skywalker Ranch) is definitely worth the time. The $13 you will spend on this book is definitely not.
This book has the wonderful trademark design of all DK books. It has the lovely photos, stills and illustrations we’ve come to expect. It has the short, informative essays. It’s perfectly fine. Except for the fact that it’s so darned lite. Really, the interviews with Joseph Campbell are as concise and clear as they can be, considering that the subject is the roots of all story telling. I can only see this book as an effort on the part of Lucas Film and Dorling Kindersley to milk the cash cow.
So, while it seems like it would be a good thing for the kids and it has such pretty pictures, resist the temptation of the dark side. Don’t buy this book.
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