Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron by Elizabeth Wein - Book Review #293

This book was written for a middle school audience.  Reading it as an adult, it sometimes became tedious.  I kept having to remind myself of this fact.

Other than that I enjoyed the book very much.

I am dismayed at the lack of adult novels set in the timeline of the new trilogy of Star Wars movies.  I guess the publishers are targeting the next generation of fans and believe that an old guy like me just wants to read stories about Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie.  

Too bad, because I am very much taken by Rey, Poe, and Finn.

This book is set in a time before The Last Jedi and centers around the character of Rose, an engineer on one of the New Republic ships.  Before her assignment to that ship, she was part of a bomber squadron with her sister Paige.

The New Order is blockading an independent system and the New Republic is asked to help by smuggling supplies to the resistance movement on one of the planets.

Part of what makes these books, and this one in particular, so satisfying is how they can inform the movies.  In The Last Jedi, we met Rose and only got a glimpse of her sister, Paige.  By reading this book, those quick scenes have much more emotional weight.

Borrow the book from the library or a friend.

Elizabeth Wein's website - https://www.elizabethwein.com/

Elizabeth Wein

Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn - Book Review #277

I love Star Wars.  I love heists.  Put them together and you get Han and Chewie putting a team together to rob a Black Sun crime boss.  Nothing to it.

This story takes place shortly after the events of A New Hope, where Han has lost his reward from the Alliance and he has to make it up to pay his debt to Jabba.

I can't say enough about the talents of Marc Thompson, who narrated the book.  His abilities to create character voices was as if an entire cast was making the production.  It really felt like an episode of the movies.

That said Timothy Zahn sometimes went over the top in putting obstacles in the way of the terrific team of specialists Han gathered to do the job.  The safe they had to crack was so elaborate that I completely lost my interest in it.

All-in-all it was an entertaining story if a bit long, I loved how Zahn tied in events of the past with hints of the future.  He also created characters that I wound up caring about and look forward to reading about in the future.


The book is certainly set up for a sequel.

Lots of fun.

Timothy Zahn's ISFDB page - http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Timothy_Zahn

Timothy Zahn

Raymus by Gary Whitta

I do love these kinds of collections, where they fill in little corners of iconic stories and movies.

This one bridged the events of Rogue One and A New Hope.  In the opening sequence of the original movie, the rebel ship, Tantiv IV, was boarded and the captain questioned while being lifted off the deck and strangled.

This is his story.

Princess Liea has the Death Star data in her hands and the ship is trying to escape the star destroyer.

This was a personal war story.  One where the main character suspects that this is when his part in the struggle will come to an end.

We know just a little bit more about this poor man who died shortly after the opening credits. In movies, death is meaningless.  But here we come to understand how each body had a story, a history of its own.

A strong start to a giant collection that was published to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of the first movie.

Gary Whitta's website - http://www.garywhitta.com/

Gary Whitta

Star Wars: Aftermath, Book One by Chuck Wendig - Book Report #230

This is an interesting series.  In the run up to the much-anticipated release of the new Star Wars movie The Force Awakens Chuck Wendig wrote a trilogy that bridges the time between since Return of the Jedi.  32 years is a lot of time to play with.

The only downside to the story is the filler.  There are so many action sequences, that felt unnecessary, it quickly became boring.

But it was the narration, done by Mark Thompson, that kept the story lively.  He is a terrific voice actor with a complete command of accents.  This was impressive considering how many characters the author used.

It should also be said that the music and sound effects were amazing.  It was a complete experience.  It is unusual to hear a full audio drama.

There was a lot of exposition to cover, but since the leadership of the Empire is dead, Wendig chose to focus on one splinter group which control three capital ships.  During a secret meeting with this group of Empeirals an unlikely group of people come together to thwart their plans.

I loved the formation of that rebel team.

Chuck Wendig's website:  http://terribleminds.com/ramble/

Chuck Wendig

Star Wars: Agent of the Empire by John Ostrander - Book Review #177

I've always been a sucker for spy stories and one set in the familiar Star Wars universe had some appeal.

Volume One - Iron Eclipse

This was a straight up action adventure similar to a James Bond movie.  Our hero is deadly, capable, smart, funny, handsome and terrific with the ladies.

It was clever and fast-paced.  I liked how Jahan Cross, our spy, bumps into Han Solo and Chewie at a critical time in the story.

He also has a droid assistant that I really wish existed because I want one.

Volume Two - Hard Targets

Here we find Jahan Cross at a crossroads where he must choose between his duty as an agent of the empire and to do what is right.

I was less a fan of this one since in centered around politics and power.  There are murders and political shenanigans that I find exceedingly dull.  It's not a fault of the writer, it's a personal preference.

A young boy is caught in the middle and his life is threatened.

I found the first half of the story a slog but I enjoyed how it all came together.  There was a nice touch of humor in the plot development that allowed me to enjoy the story as a whole.

You can find out more about the author here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ostrander

Star Wars: Smuggler's Run by Greg Rucka - Book Report #157

09/15/2016

As you might have noticed by what I've been posting lately, I am in a bit of a reading slump. I can't concentrate on things for very long and I am finding it difficult to discover something that can keep my attention.

I am not usually a fan of YA stories, but I have read Rucka's work in the past and know that he is also a novelist.  If anybody can make a story hum and move the plot forward, he can.

This book is part of a publishing push to fill in voids in the space of time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.  Strangely, this one takes place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.  So we will see how this ties in.

Taking everybody's favourite characters, Chewie and Han, and sending them off to the Outer Rim on a rescue mission we are also introduced to a formidable villain.  Commander Alecia Beck is at once a typical baddie with a big scar on the face and an artificial eye but is updated for today by being female.  This actually makes the character more menacing as she is also very smart and calculating.  I liked her very much.

The story moved along very well, giving the reader a glimpse into events right after the first Death Star was destroyed.  Han and Chewie are packing up their bags and cash, ready to settle their debts with Jabba the Hut.  But Princess Leia has a problem that only they can help with.

I liked the story very much; the interplay between Han and Chewie was spot on and the Milennium Falcon was lovingly written as a third character.  It was interesting to get an insight on how the ship was flown and how much knowledge they had about her.

The only thing I felt didn't work, and this is a very minor thing, was how often Han called Chewie "pal." From the movies I got the impression this was a term he would use on strangers not on somebody he knows or trusts.  Somehow, it just wasn't in character.  That said, Rucka got their voices perfectly and it was a treat to get an insight into Cewbacca's thoughts.

It was a good book and stands on it's own perfectly well. If it informed something about The Force Awakens, I missed it completely.

Greg Rucka -  http://www.gregrucka.com/wp/

Greg Rucka

Star Wars: Princess Leia by Mark Waid (writer) and Terry Dodson (artist) Graphinc Novel

This is a collection of the single issues of Princess Leia #1 through #5.

It takes place between the movies A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back telling the story of how she worked hard to unite the remaining people of Alderaan in the fight against the empire.

I thought the art was bold and clean without being overly cartoony. The book fit right in with the universe George Lucas created.

A ripping yarn, if you will.

Star Wars: Shattered Empire - Graphic Novel by Greg Rucka

With all the attention given to the Star Wars universe with the release of Episode VII it is no surprise the comic publishers are pumping as many titles as can be sold.

Shattered Empire tries more to expand the stories of the aftermath of Return of the Jedi than to fill in the gaps of the main characters from the first trilogy of movies.

We generally follow Lieutenant Shara Bey and how she must deal with the inevitable mopping up of resistance from the Empire and to try to re-unite with her husband and to stand down from war.

I liked the story very much.  It added a touch of reality and complexity that the movies simply could not address, without being six hours long.

Since this story was a mini series, only running four issues, Marvel Comics added the first issue of the new Princess Leia series and the first issue of the classic 1977 adaptation of A New Hope.

This served to up the page count to an acceptable level given the $18.99 cover price and to whet the appetite for more buying of the books.  On it's own the added stories only made the reading disjointed and leaving me a bit puzzled.  I am not sure it worked.

I may have been more satisfied had there been some extras like sketch art and an interview with the author about the series.  I found the added stories took away from what was otherwise and excellent exploration of the Star Wars universe and the complexities of winding a war down.

Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens: High Noon on Jakku by Landry Q. Walker - A short story review.

66/100

What fun!

This was an old-fashioned wild-west stage coach bank heist story.

This time it involves a rogue droid named CZ-1G5 as the primary suspect.  There are chases, shoot-outs and even a stand-off between the good guy and the bad guy.

I loved it.

Even though it was set in the Star Wars universe it could have been played out in any genre.

I don't know if it helped me understand the new movie in any way.  The previous short did that very well by using a setting from the movie in it's narrative.  This one was so generic that it did not matter that it was a Star Wars story.

So, if it's purpose was to fill out the movie, it did not accomplish that.  But as pure entertainment it sure was a fun read.

Recommended.

Landry Q. Walker

Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens: The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku by Landry Q Waker - A short story review

65/100

Now this is what I'm talking about.

It's a tough, gritty and funny story set in a strange, dangerous world.

As the title suggests it's an adventure tale of hidden treasure. What makes this so much fun is that it expands things from the new Star Wars VII movie; in the trailer we see a crashed star destroyer on a desert planet.  In this quick read we learn which ship it is, why it crashed and what is supposedly on board.

The author found entertaining ways to introduce characters and ending them in quick succession.

It is not written to be taken too seriously, after all Star Wars does have a sense of humour and the author took the opportunity to tell a fun story without venturing into farce.  By the end you've had a small taste of a very large universe and you've been able to fill in a bit of the story.

Now when you see that crashed ship you won't just think that's a cool background but you'll know how it came to be.  That is the ultimate value of reading it.

Well done.

The author's website is here:  http://landrywalker.blogspot.ca/

Landry Q Walker

Winner Lose All - A Lando Calrissian Tale; Star Wars Legends by Timothy Zahn

Fun story (mine, I mean) I bought Scoundrels in paperback a few months back.  I've been looking over the bookcase, trying to find another book for the Book A Week Challenge.  The new trailer for Star Wars Episode VII was just released and it got me thinking that I'd like to read something in the Star Wars universe.

I went on line to see where Scoundrels fit in the time line when I found Winner Lose All described as a prequel to the book and since it was a short story it was only $1.99 for Kindle, so I bought it.  It was when I was half way through the ebook that I noticed a badge on the cover of Scoundrels that said: "Includes the bonus novella Winner Lose All."

Well, damn; I bought it twice.

No matter, it was a fun story and I enjoyed it very much.

I'm a sucker for a heist story and this one involves Lando Calrissian, high stakes gambling, a valuable work of art and two thieves who are trying to steal it.

Lots of fun.

If this is a taste of the book I bought I think I'll enjoy it very much.

Timothy Zahn

Therefore I am: The Tale of IG-88 by Kevin J Anderson - Tales of theBounty Hunters

I came to this book from an article in Entertainment Weekly; in it the writer gave five ideas to make the next Star Wars movies better. One of his points was to look to the novels of the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

I've always known of the books, and have dipped my toe in, but I've always found it overwhelming. The books span thousands of years back to about 45 years after the last movie (Revenge of the Jedi)

Tales of the Bounty Hunters takes place during the events of The Empire Strikes Back and tells the stories of these five bounty hunters from a scene from the movie. (See the picture below.)

Darth Vader, Dengar, IG-88, Boba Fett, Dossk, and 4-LOM

The Tale of IG-88 was a really fun story about an assassin robot that is making its own moves to take over the galaxy. It ties into the events in the movie perfectly and does a great job of expanding Boba Fett's bad-ass reputation.

Books I Have Not Read

Or more to the point:  Books I've Given Up On.

I start and give up on as many books as I read completely.  I thought it would be fun to track the books I've given up on in 2012.  I'll keep a list of them on the right side of the blog.

My first entries are for a Star Wars trilogy.  Over Christmas I was looking for something easy to read; I found a Han Solo adventure that I thought would fit the bill at my local used bookstore; Wee Book Inn.

Written by Roger MacBride Allen the Corellian Trilogy was dull, dull, dull.  189 pages into book 1 and NOTHING happened.  I do get it: it's a trilogy you've got to expect a bit of exposition but the thought I kept coming to is:  How much exposition do you need?  It's Star Wars - the world has been built.  The books are even conveniently inserted into a timeline (18 Years After the Battle at Yavin) so you have a general idea of when you are in the "World."

If I'm reading book 1 just to read book 2 then what is the POINT of book 1? 

I've never been a fan of writers padding their works and I get bored very quickly if nothing interesting happens.

So, my first three entries for 2012 are: Ambush at Corellia, Assault at Selonia and Showdown at Centerpoint.