Star Wars: The Force Awakens (novelization)

"First comes the day Then comes the night. After the darkness Shines through the light. The difference, they say, Is only made right By the resolving of gray Through refined Jedi sight."

- Journal of the Whills, 7:477

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the canon novelization of the film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. The novel, written by Alan Dean Foster, was published as an eBook by Del Rey on December 18, 2015, the same day as the film's release. The hardcover version of the book will be issued on January 5, 2016. An online audio version was released at the same time as the eBook, with an audio edition on discs set to release the same date as the physical book. Marc Thompson narrates the audiobook.

Official description
The official novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the highly anticipated blockbuster film directed by J. J. Abrams, hitting theaters in December 2015. More than thirty years ago, Star Wars'' burst onto the big screen and became a cultural phenomenon. Now the next adventures in this blockbuster saga are poised to captivate old and new fans alike—beginning with the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And alongside the cinematic debut comes the thrilling novel adaptation by New York Times bestselling science fiction master Alan Dean Foster.'' Set years after Return of the Jedi'', this stunning new action-packed adventure rockets us back into the world of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2,and Luke Skywalker, while introducing a host of exciting new characters. Darth Vader may have been redeemed and the Emperor vanquished, but peace can be fleeting, and evil does not easily relent. Yet the simple belief in good can still empower ordinary individuals to rise and meet the greatest challenges.'' So return to that galaxy far, far away, and prepare yourself for what happens when the Force awakens.

Development
Regarding the project, Foster stated that "working on the book has been as much fun as the script itself, which harkens back to the spirit of the first three films" and that it feels as if no time at all has passed since he novelized the first film and then wrote Splinter of the Mind's Eye.

Differences from Movie version
There are no major differences, mostly extra scenes or extra beats that may have been present in a late draft of the script (or possibly were even filmed), but were removed from the final cut. For example, the eBook opens with a scene of Leia (although not actually named in this section) as an older Resistance Leader, thinking about the events of the past and about sending an exceptional pilot to try and find her brother -- before cutting to the First Order's Star Destroyer, the Finalizer, as in the movie.

In a later scene, Leia is seen to be sending one of her personal envoys to plead with the New Republic to take a stand against the First Order -- thereby indicating that the Resistance is not formally associated with the Republic. This envoy is later noted to be one of the victims of the first firing of the Starkiller Base weapon.

There is an additional scene at Maz Kanata's cantina, just after Finn's decision to try and flee the conflict: Unkar Plutt and some of his henchmen arrive and attempt to abduct Rey and BB-8. Rey tries to shoot him with the blaster given to her by Han, but has not taken the safety off -- so is quickly disarmed by him. This is presumably why, in the movie, in the scene where she is shooting at the First Order stormtroopers, she is seen as explicitly taking the safety off.

Release
The release of the title as an eBook on the same day as the film itself, with no print copy available until January 5, marks the first time that a novelization of a Star Wars film will not be released before its respective film. The novelization of the original film was, in fact, released some five months before the film.

The unusual publishing schedule was arranged directly by The Walt Disney Company with Del Rey, who reluctantly agreed to forego the possibility of massive holiday sales of print copies of the novel. The decision was motivated by Disney's concern that print copies of the novel, if released at the same time as the film, might be purloined and used to leak plot details to the Internet. David Moench, a spokesperson for Del Rey, expressed that the publisher would have preferred to put out the hardcover edition on the same day as the film, but understands the importance of preserving the secrecy. J.J. Abrams, the film's director, when contacted by the Wall Street Journal regarding the story, stated that he was not previously aware of the decision, but looked forward to reading the novel.