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Have you ever wanted to know where the electromagnetic freight barge clamp is on the Millennium Falcon? Or how many photon torpedoes Luke Skywalker carried in his X-Wing during his attack against the Death Star? If so, then this is the book for you.

Incredible Cross-Sections is a visual guide to the technology of the Star Wars Universe. This oversized hardcover is thin, but chock-full of details. You can spend quite a long time studying each page and still miss some of the fine points.

Artists Hans Jenssen and Richard Chasemore certainly know their craft. Each illustration is richly rendered, showing both the inside and outside of each vehicle. Illustrations include a blockade runner, star destroyer, tie fighter, the death star and much more. The book reads almost like a tech manual, but also includes important information such as where the ships appeared in the movies and what role they played.

The text goes beyond just defining the pictures. It brings life to the technical drawings, bringing them into sharp relief. I found myself reminded of the intricate cutaway ship models that I used to build as a teenager. In fact, this is somewhat better, since my models never came out the way they looked on the box!

Each illustration points out all of the salient features of the vehicle including sensor arrays, life support systems, weapons, engines and the like. Everything you'd need to know to take one out. I'm surprised this information isn't classified!

If you are a Star Wars fan, and have a liking for the intricacies of spacecraft and land roving vehicles, then you will likely appreciate this book. X-Wings, Y-Wings, AT-AT walkers, even Jabba's sail barge -- all are included.

Incredible Cross-Sections may not be for everyone, but I'm certainly going to spend an awful lot of time exploring its offerings.

Steve Lazarowitz reads and writes fantasy and SF. His work has been published in a number of online 'zines and he is the editor of the Dragonclaw Showcase. His short story anthology A Creative Edge: Tales of Speculation is due out from Domhan books in 1999.