I have found that some of the best, most outstanding novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (SWEU) have been the few handful that went against typeI have found that some of the best, most outstanding novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (SWEU) have been the few handful that went against type by ignoring the standard campy "space opera" formula for something a little more serious and "grown-up".
*Aside: I always get shit for making statements like this. It's inevitable, I suppose. My intention, of course, is not to insult. Everyone expects the Star Wars franchise to maintain a kind of child-like appeal, which is what has made it so popular over the years. There are, however, a few writers in the SWEU who have deviated from the formula, to varying degrees of success. I'm sure Drew Karpyshyn's "Darth Bane" series received push-back for being too violent. Joe Schrieber's "Death Troopers" was criticized for introducing an element of horror to the franchise. Even Gareth Edwards's film "Rogue One" got some shit for being less campy and more of a serious examination of war. You either like it or you don't. I happen to be someone who likes it.
Matthew Stover's "Shatterpoint", which is now considered non-canonical, or part of the "Legends" series, is an attempt to add serious depth to the franchise through literary allusion: it is basically Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" in space. (For the more filmically-minded, it's Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now".)
Set after the Battle of Geonosis ("Episode II: Attack of the Clones"), which was the first major battle of the Clone Wars, "Shatterpoint" is a Mace Windu-driven story.
Windu's padawan, Depa Billaba, who was on a mission to the war-torn planet of Haruun Kal (not coincidentally the home-planet of Windu), has gone missing in the jungles of the planet. All that remains is a cryptic holo-recording in which she claims to have given up being a Jedi. Disturbing reports are coming in that she is responsible for mass killings of men, women, and children. Windu, at the behest of the Jedi Council and Chancellor Palpatine, is ordered to go in and retrieve her, alive or dead.
Windu's greatest fear is that his padawan has succumbed to the Dark Side of the Force. When he arrives on the planet, though, he quickly learns that there are even worse things than the Dark Side at work.
This is a must-read for Star Wars fans, if only because it dares to question some of the long-held edicts of the Jedi Knighthood. There is also a lot of philosophical ponderings on the nature of good and evil, which is a rarity in the SWEU. "Shatterpoint" also boasts some of the most intense action sequences I have read in a Star Wars novel in a while. Be forewarned, though: like Karpyshyn's Darth Bane series, this book would probably be rated a hard-R for violence....more
Alan Dean Foster is a familiar, and beloved, name in the field of science fiction/fantasy as well as, specifically, the Star Wars Expanded Universe. HAlan Dean Foster is a familiar, and beloved, name in the field of science fiction/fantasy as well as, specifically, the Star Wars Expanded Universe. His 2002 novel "The Approaching Storm" was a bridge novel between "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones".
While not a great novel, "The Approaching Storm" is like nearly ever Foster novel I have read: competent and entertaining. Set almost exclusively on a small primitive planet named Ansion, the novel follows Master Ob-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, and Master Luminara and her Padawn, Bariss. (Supposedly, Luminara would play a larger role in "Attack of the Clones", but I honestly don't recall her at all. I wonder if some of her scenes found themselves on the cutting room floor.)
Ansion seems to have no obvious strategic importance for the Republic, so talk of its secession doesn't raise much interest in the Senate. To some, however, the small planet has great importance in future trade routes and as a potential hub for the Commerce Guild. Certain actors---those with a clear anti-Republic agenda---see great potential in Ansion: if Ansion secedes, it could set off a a domino effect of other worlds quickly falling suit. The four Jedi are dispatched to the planet to convince the Anionian leaders to remain a part of the Republic. Unfortunately, steps have been take to insure that such talks never take place...
It's small-scale Star Wars---no grand space battles or even significant lightsaber duels---but Foster's novel covers ground that would later make the TV show Clone Wars successful. ...more
While Michael Reaves and Steve Perry's 2007 novel "Death Star" was, sadly, negated by Gareth Edwards's (far-superior) 2016 film "Rogue One", the novelWhile Michael Reaves and Steve Perry's 2007 novel "Death Star" was, sadly, negated by Gareth Edwards's (far-superior) 2016 film "Rogue One", the novel is still worth reading for die-hard Star Wars fans.
Edwards's film, which is now canonical, provided an answer to a question that Star Wars fans argued about for decades: how did one single design flaw---a poorly located ventilation shaft---cause the catastrophic destruction of the Death Star, and how did the Rebel Alliance get their hands on the information?
The answer to that question was definitively and eloquently answered in the film, also providing depth and pathos to a wonderful cast of new characters that would never appear in future films, mainly because everyone died in the end. (Oops, sorry for the spoilers...)
Reaves/Perry's novel doesn't bother to delve into answering that question. Hovering in the background is an attempt to align the story within the novel with the events of the 1977 film "Episode IV: A New Hope", but they aren't really interested in shedding light on how the Rebels came across the data or what the data actually was, because, until "Rogue One", all of that was simply a MacGuffin anyway.
What Reaves/Perry's novel does, and does well, is answer the now-classic argument in Kevin Smith's 1994 film "Clerks" as to whether the independent contractors, medical workers, business owners, and miscellaneous non-Imperial personnel on board the Death Star were innocents and collatoral damage when the Rebels---specifically, Luke Skywalker---blew it up. The answer, of course, is yes.
The novel follows a lot of characters, including a doctor, a librarian (and, yes, the Death Star apparently had a library), a pub owner, and a few soldiers, all of whom were not quite happy with the Imperial agenda. It is a gentle reminder that not everyone who works for the Other Side or the Enemy is evil. They may just be stuck in a bad situation and can see no way out....more
Samuel L. Jackson was, in my opinion, one of three great actors criminally underutilized in the Star Wars prequels: Terence Stamp (Chancellor Valorum)Samuel L. Jackson was, in my opinion, one of three great actors criminally underutilized in the Star Wars prequels: Terence Stamp (Chancellor Valorum) and Christopher Lee (Count Dooku) being the other two. As Jedi Master Mace Windu, Jackson was relegated to a handful of scenes and four or five lines in the whole series.
Thankfully, efforts have been made to flesh out his character with more depth and backstory than he received in the films. In 2017, there was a short-run graphic novel series. This year, another short-run graphic novel series hit newsstands. Also, sci-fi author Steven Barnes was invited to pen a Mace Windu novel.
"The Glass Abyss" is the result, and, while I must admit to being disappointed with the latest run of novels being put out by Disney/Lucasfilm (especially the High Republic series), this novel did not disappoint at all.
Despite a slow start, Barnes's contribution to the new canon is a wonderfully entertaining and exciting novel that breathes more life into the character of Windu.
Set immediately after the events of "Episode I: The Phantom Menace", "The Glass Abyss" sees Windu grieving for his fellow Jedi and friend, Qui-Gon Jinn (played by Liam Neeson). Jinn left Windu a death-bed request to travel to an Outer Rim planet called Metagos. Very few details were included about why, other than Jinn was seriously injured the last time he was there and could not complete the mission. He felt Windu was better suited to finish the mission.
Upon arrival, Windu learns that the planet (actually a giant geode in space, in which the inhabitants live within partitioned cities inside the geode) is overrun with two warring gangs who are using the indigenous peoples as slave labor. Befriending the impoverished locals, Windu immediately gets to work in fomenting dissension and rebellion among the lower castes. He also pits the two warring gangs against each other, with the intent of having them distracted with their own conflict that they neglect to see the rebellion happening under their noses.
Meanwhile, Windu is having troubling dreams about his childhood. Something about Metagos is triggering memories (false or real? he can't tell) about what happened to his parents and his initiation into the Jedi Brotherhood.
Overall, this is one of the better books in the newer crop of Star Wars novels that I have read, and I hope Barnes will be invited back to continue the adventures of Mace Windu....more
Ugh. Intellectually, I'm done with this High Republic series, but, physiologically, I have this compulsion to keep reading them, even though I can recUgh. Intellectually, I'm done with this High Republic series, but, physiologically, I have this compulsion to keep reading them, even though I can recognize the fact that they are dumb.
Tessa Gratton's "Temptation of the Force" is the follow-up to George Mann's "Eye of Darkness". Neither of these books are in any way good. Gratton may be a decent writer, but you wouldn't necessarily know it from reading this book.
The one bright side is that my least favorite character, Marchion Ro, does not have much to say or do in this novel, unlike in Mann's book, where every page seemed to have a stupid speech by Ro. Seriously, it was like listening to Donald Trump speak. Painful.
Some fans---not me, unfortunately---will probably like the long-anticipated hook-up between Jedis Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann, who have been pining for each other and eye-fucking one another since their introduction four books ago. Just get a room! Thankfully, in this book, they finally do.
Unfortunately, in keeping with the long-standing Lucas-enforced fear of sex scenes (unless, of course, it is between Lea Thompson and an animatronic duck), their coupling conveniently is done off-screen. Yawn...
I will probably read the next book. I will probably think it's trash, but I will, inevitably, read it, because I am a goddamned lemming......more
Starlight Beacon has been destroyed. The loss of innocent life, including Republic citizens and Jedi Knights, is staggering. Whole planetary systems aStarlight Beacon has been destroyed. The loss of innocent life, including Republic citizens and Jedi Knights, is staggering. Whole planetary systems are lost behind the Nihil's impenetrable stormwall. No one can get in. No one can get out. It is the darkest of times for the Republic.
The leader of the Nihil, Marchion Ro, gloats on his throne. His campaign of wanton violence continues unabated, as his Nihil hordes continue to ravage the innocent planets within Nihil space behind the stormwall, what the Nihil call the Occlusion Zone.
Still, for the Jedis caught on either side of the stormwall, there may be hope.
George Mann's "The Eye of Darkness" continues the story started in Charles Soule's "Light of the Jedi", Cavan Scott's "The Rising Storm", and Claudia Gray's "The Fallen Star".
I wish I could say it was any better than those books, but no, it isn't. If anything, it's even more boring. At least those previous books had some pretty exciting action sequences. This one had a handful of lightsaber duels and space battles, but mostly, this is a novel in which a majority of the characters talk. And talk. And think thoughts. And talk some more.
As Lego Emperor Palpatine said in the "Lego Star Wars Holiday Special": "Less talky talky! More fighty fighty!"
Strangely, despite how crappy I find these books, I still end up reading them...
P.S. I read this as an audiobook, replete with sound effects, John Williams's fantastic score, and Marc Thompson's narration. I just wish they had spent as much time and effort on the story as they did on the production value for the audiobook....more
As a kid growing up in the late-70s/early-80s, buying comic books was a rush. First of all, they were thirty cents. My parents would give me $5 to speAs a kid growing up in the late-70s/early-80s, buying comic books was a rush. First of all, they were thirty cents. My parents would give me $5 to spend at the town drug store, and I would run immediately to the magazine racks, where one whole section was devoted to comic books. I devoured anything: Wonder Woman, Thor, Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Richie Rich, Archie, Jonah Hex, Hulk. Occasionally, just to scare the crap out of myself, I’d pick up a House of Mystery. (The drug store rarely carried this, mainly, I think, because the covers were lurid and always had buxom half-naked women running from a mummy or a vampire or a mer-man. The store was owned by a nice old lady who more than likely didn’t approve of those things.)
Star Wars comics were my favorite, but, for some reason, the store only carried them semi-regularly. Once every three months an issue would come in, and I would snatch it up. Never mind that the storyline didn’t make sense because I hadn’t read the previous issues. More than likely, it ended on a cliffhanger, one that would forever leave me hanging because I knew I would never get the conclusion issue. I didn’t care, though. It was Star Wars. I think I read and re-read every issue of these comics so many times that the covers fell off.
Fast forward roughly forty years: I still love comic books, but I rarely buy them anymore. (A “cheap” issue is $4.) Most of the time, I get the compilation volumes from the library. I can read five to six issues in one paperback edition, for free.
There are a few titles, though, that I will dish out money for. Recently, Marvel released their “Epic Collections” of the “Original Marvel Years”. I bought Volume 1, which included the first 23 issues of the original run that started in 1977, as well as the first 16 issues of a Marvel magazine called “Pizzazz” (which I had never heard of) that ran a 3-page serial of Star Wars.
The first six issues of the original run was an adaptation of the film, written by Roy Thomas (based on George Lucas’s screenplay) and illustrated by Howard Chaykin, plus a rotating stock of other artists. The subsequent issues were original stories, many of which are so far from canonical as to be their own Star Wars multiverse, but they are still fun. Keep in mind, Lucas hadn’t divulged any secrets about what he was planning in the sequel, or if there was even going to be a sequel. (The ridiculous mega-success of the first film almost guaranteed one.)
I would love to own all of these someday, but they can be pretty expensive. (Amazon lists the second volume at $32, and the third volume is, inexplicably, $65.)
The local library is looking better every day…
P.S. This edition is NOT the kindle edition, as it states in the format bar. It's the paperback edition, but Goodreads, for some reason, doesn't have that as an option. Weird......more
Vampire Sith! Intergalactic werewolf smugglers! A Jedi Master with a Dark Side! Witches of Dathomir vs. a Sith Lord!
If you’re a Star Wars fan lookingVampire Sith! Intergalactic werewolf smugglers! A Jedi Master with a Dark Side! Witches of Dathomir vs. a Sith Lord!
If you’re a Star Wars fan looking for a spooky good time within the Star Wars universe, George Mann’s “Star Wars: Dark Legends” is the perfect little Halloween treat.
These are seven short stories set within the familiar galaxy far, far away with some interesting little horror twists. While the book is clearly targeted to a middle school age young reader, fans of any age will enjoy these haunting and, in some cases, genuinely creepy tales of terror.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, during the height of the Republic, an exploratory mission of six Dreadnaughts connected by a central core, A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, during the height of the Republic, an exploratory mission of six Dreadnaughts connected by a central core, carrying several thousand men, women, and children, was launched as an attempt to, ostensibly, explore and potentially colonize new and unexplored star systems at the outer edges of the known galaxy. It was called Outbound Flight, and, with the exception of only a handful of people within the government, nobody else in the galaxy knew about it. Sadly, Outbound Flight disappeared without a trace, the ship and its crew of families and a handful of accompanying Jedi Knights considered missing and presumed dead.
Fast forward roughly 60 years, after the Rise and Fall of the Empire and the foundation of the New Republic: Outbound Flight has been rediscovered. Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker have been invited to be representatives of the New Republic for a retrieval mission. The flight’s remains are on the planet Nirauan. Joining the Skywalkers are representatives of the Chiss Ascendancy (the alien race that spawned Thrawn), the Imperial Remnant, the 501st (a stormtrooper platoon once known as Darth Vader’s hand-picked creme de la creme), and a relatively unknown human ambassador named Dean Jinzler.
When they arrive at the crash site, the Skywalkers immediately realize that everyone has a secret agenda. On top of that, readings indicate that Outbound Flight possesses something nobody expected: living survivors.
Timothy Zahn’s “Survivor’s Quest” is the phenomenal sequel to “Outbound Flight”. (Technically, “Survivor’s Quest” was published first, and “Outbound Flight”was published as a prequel, but it simply makes more sense to read them in chronological order.)
As expected, there is a lot of action, suspense, and plot twists that make this one of the better “old canon/legends” novels....more
The Star Wars limited-run series “Crimson Reign” was the continuation of another cross-over series started in the series “War of the Bounty Hunters”, The Star Wars limited-run series “Crimson Reign” was the continuation of another cross-over series started in the series “War of the Bounty Hunters”, which was, in itself, a cross-media series carrying on a storyline that was started in the 2018 Ron Howard film “Solo: A Star Wars Story”. Confused? Don’t be. It just means it’s a lot of Star Wars, which is generally a good thing.
I actually hate cross-over events within comic books. They’re usually confusing, and they are a blatant attempt by the comic book company to sell more comic books. I’m not being cynical, I’m just thinking like a capitalist.
“War of the Bounty Hunters” was okay, but it involved reading the series “Bounty Hunters” which I don’t like. It also carried into another series that is hit or miss for me: “Darth Vader”. The main title series “Star Wars” has been consistently good, and I never pass up an opportunity to read “Doctor Aphra” (another series that has its ups and downs but mostly ups.)
Lady Qi’ra (played by Emilia Clarke in “Solo”) has taken over the criminal organization known as Crimson Dawn. She’s playing a long con that involves many different actors, none of whom has any idea what her ultimate endgame is. It means chaos throughout the Empire and a vast shadow conspiracy she calls The Hidden Empire…
Charles Soule writes and Steven Cummings illustrates an interesting but ultimately unsatisfying series in which there is a lot of set-up but not a lot of pay-off. ...more
The galaxy’s greatest duo (not Rocket and Groot, although they are pretty awesome, too) finally have their own comic book!
The adventures of Han Solo aThe galaxy’s greatest duo (not Rocket and Groot, although they are pretty awesome, too) finally have their own comic book!
The adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca are memorialized by writer Marc Guggenheim and artist David Messina in the first volume, “The Crystal Run, Part One”.
In this volume, set prior to the events of “Episode IV: A New Hope”, when Han and Chewie were still smugglers for Jabba the Hutt: Jabba sends the duo on a mission to Corellia, Han’s home planet, which unleashes a flood of memories; Han is reunited with his long-lost dad, although he suspects that the old man may not be exactly who he claims to be; after ditching Greedo, Han et al. flee to planet Antillion, but the Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan is waiting for them to take Solo’s (maybe) dad, who is a wanted criminal; Han and his team stage a daring rescue, but Han and Chewie get captured and thrown into the slammer, where they meet an old friend…
Also included is a silly little story set on Life Day…
Guggenheim/Messina’s Han Solo & Chewbacca is fun if not fantastic. It’s good enough that I’ll read the next volume....more
James Luceno’s 2012 novel “Darth Plagueis” does for the Star Wars prequel trilogy what Gareth Edwards’s film “Rogue One” did for “Episode IV: A New HoJames Luceno’s 2012 novel “Darth Plagueis” does for the Star Wars prequel trilogy what Gareth Edwards’s film “Rogue One” did for “Episode IV: A New Hope”: filled in some major plot holes that had annoyed fans for years.
Basically, “Darth Plagueis” is a prequel of a prequel. Despite that, it’s actually quite good, working well as a stand-alone novel. It’s true achievement, though, is helping to clarify the ridiculously confusing mess of a script that was George Lucas’s “Episode I: The Phantom Menace”, which is, hands down, the least coherent of any of the Star Wars films, followed closely by “Episode II: Attack of the Clones” and “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.
Luceno answers the question: who was Emperor Palpatine’s Sith Master? I mean, Darth Sidious had to learn his evil Sith ways from someone. The answer is Darth Plagueis, whose real name is Hego Damassk II. A Muun (from the planet Muunilinst, a world of bankers and financial experts), Damassk believed that the Sith’s ultimate goal of galactic conquest could be achieved through political and economic means, rather than through sheer aggression and violence.
Setting his sights on a young politician from Naboo, Damassk takes the young Palpatine under his wings. Palpatine, early in his career in the Galactic Senate, demonstrates a gift for political power plays. With Damassk’s financial backing and, more importantly, Sith training, Palpatine quickly becomes an adept Sith apprentice.
While there are very few actual action sequences in the novel, the novel still moves at a fast pace, as Damassk and Palpatine wage a secret war of political maneuverings with the ultimate intent of positioning Palpatine as Chancellor and, ultimately, Emperor. They also set in motion the falling dominoes that will eventually result in the Great Purge, otherwise known as the death of the Jedi Knights.
This may be considered “old canon”, but it’s still an essential read for fans....more
Claudia Gray’s YA novel “Into the Dark” is a part of the Star Wars: The High Republic series. Set between Charles Soule’s “Light of the Jedi” and CavaClaudia Gray’s YA novel “Into the Dark” is a part of the Star Wars: The High Republic series. Set between Charles Soule’s “Light of the Jedi” and Cavan Scott’s “The Rising Storm”, “Into the Dark” introduces us to yet another group of characters that aren’t given enough time or story to develop. What we get is a decent enough Star Wars adventure, but one that we would expect better from a talented writer like Gray.
It must also be said that there isn’t anything in this novel that hasn’t been done before, or better, in other series.
The novel opens with a spaceship carrying several Jedi Knights to the Outer Rim caught in the Great Hyperspace Disaster (see “Light of the Jedi”), and they are forced to find shelter in an ancient space station. While exploring the ancient station, the Jedi discover an ancient evil strong in the Dark Side of the Force. It appears to be linked to four artifacts, which they deduce was put there by an ancient race to keep the evil at bay. When they take the four artifacts back to the Jedi Council, they realize, too late, that they have deduced wrong.
I liked “Into the Dark”, but, I’ll be honest: parts of it dragged. The side-story involving the background of the two Jedi Masters probably could have been removed entirely with no serious detriment to the main story. And the introduction to the Drengir—-an enemy that I find infinitely more interesting than the Nihil—-was somewhat anti-climactic. They also kind of reminded me of the Daleks from Doctor Who.
So far, I have read four of the novels in the High Republic series, and I have not been overly impressed by any of them. Still, I’m not giving up hope. Because rebellions are built on hope… which doesn’t really apply, but whatever…...more
Cavan Scott’s “Dooku: Jedi Lost” sheds light on a severely under-developed character from the Star Wars prequels. The great Christopher Lee was hired Cavan Scott’s “Dooku: Jedi Lost” sheds light on a severely under-developed character from the Star Wars prequels. The great Christopher Lee was hired on to provide star power to the George Lucas films, but he was horribly under-utilized in all three films as the Jedi-turned-Sith Count Dooku, a character that was given no backstory and barely even a motivation as a character.
Like “Tempest Runner”, “Dooku: Jedi Lost” is a script for an audio production that I have not listened to. Scott is quite good at this format, and he succeeds at providing something that a lot of the “new canon” stuff has been missing: depth.
The character of Dooku is finally given a back-story and a motivation for his actions.
To be fair, I have not watched the now-classic cartoon series “The Clone Wars” all the way through. (My wife and I are still on the third season. It’s good, and I like what I’ve seen, but we have watched way too many Disney+ cartoons, thanks to my daughter, to want to watch one more cartoon, even if it is Star Wars related. I’m starving for adult shit on TV, which is why I’ve recently become hooked on “True Detective” and “GLOW”.) My understanding is that Dooku is given a bit more screen time on that show than he was in the movies, thankfully.
In Scott’s script, we finally learn that Dooku is a real, honest-to-goodness Count. Born from a royal family on planet Serenno, Dooku was given to the Jedi Order as a child to train as a Jedi. By a weird twist of fate, Dooku discovers his true identity, and it gradually becomes a source of contention between himself and his Master, Yoda. It is not the only source of contention.
Dooku feels that Jedi Order has, occasionally, made errors in judgment regarding what they should or shouldn’t do in regards to being galactic peace-keepers. Yoda tells him that it is not his place to question the decisions of the Jedi Council. Dooku disagrees. One can see the slippery slope toward the anger and hatred that leads him to the Dark Side.
Scott does a very good job of showing Dooku’s progression and evolution over time from Jedi to Sith, and he also demonstrates the many grey areas that legitimately make him question the Jedi’s black and white philosophy. Dooku is that very rare of villains: one that we almost agree with.
Much like “Tempest Runner”, “Dooku: Jedi Lost” demonstrates a maturity in Scott’s writing that has not been demonstrated in many of the other new canon novels I have read. It helps that Scott devotes an entire story to developing one character rather than telling a story with an ensemble cast of characters, none of whom we can relate to because none of them are ever clearly developed....more
Cavan Scott’s “Tempest Runner” is the first High Republic novel that I didn’t find pathetically mediocre, which says a lot, considering it isn’t even Cavan Scott’s “Tempest Runner” is the first High Republic novel that I didn’t find pathetically mediocre, which says a lot, considering it isn’t even a novel.
“Tempest Runner” is actually a script for an audio play, one that is intended to have music, sound effects, and (I assume) different actors playing the different roles. Like most plays, audio or otherwise, much of the action and the plot comes from dialogue, and this is very dialogue-heavy. In a novel, this may not work as well, but as a script, it works very well and helps to build momentum for the story. Indeed, the story is very fast-paced, and the format fits the story.
There are several things that Scott does in this script that are improvements over the last several novels. Narratively, Scott’s story lacks the trademark Star Wars linear story-telling format. Nothing necessarily wrong with that style, but Scott’s nonlinear, non-chronological approach gives the reader more of a challenge, in a good way. Time-jumps, in my opinion, are always better for a story because it makes the reader pay more attention.
It is also somewhat of a more mature approach to storytelling. Star Wars has always harkened to a more old-fashioned, traditional linear form of storytelling, much like the classic Saturday afternoon serials that were the inspiration for George Lucas when he created Star Wars in the late-70s. That style also has a certain appeal, one that modern audiences (especially adults who have, like me, grown up with Star Wars) may find childish. (And please don’t take that the wrong way. I don’t mean that in a negative sense. “Childish”, in this sense, is simply meant to imply that it is targeted to children---or, perhaps more abstractly, the child within, which, in a sense, Star Wars always has been.)
Another improvement is that, unlike the previous novels (and, by the way, “Tempest Runner” is chronologically set between the events of “The Rising Storm” and “The Fallen Star”), the focus is on one character rather than an ensemble of characters. This allows Scott to develop at least one character more fully. It’s a shame that Scott devotes the story to one of the villains, but, for the first time at least, we are given more backstory and humanization of a character than we have seen in any of the previous books.
The story follows Lorna Dee, one of the three Tempest Runners of the Nihil. Within the hierarchy of the Nihil, she is the highest-ranking officer just under the leader, Marchion Ro, whose title is “The Eye”. (Ranks and titles are all storm-related.)
The Jedi are on the hunt for her because they mistakenly believe that she is the Eye. It is unfortunate for her but very fortunate for Ro, who schemes quietly in relative safety.
Also on the hunt for her is another former Tempest Runner, Pan Eyta, who was betrayed by Dee and thought dead. He is, unfortunately, not dead. He is very angry and bent on revenge.
Eventually captured by the Jedi, Dee still manages to keep her real identity a secret, but her situation makes her realize that even she doesn’t know who she is. We get glimpses at the various events in her life that have shaped her into the killer that she is, but can she be redeemed? Does she even want to be redeemed?
Amidst an exciting manhunt, prison escape, and showdown, (and, yes, “Tempest Runner” is exactly what it sounds like: a space western) Scott’s story is also an insightful examination of the birth and evolution of a terrorist....more
I was hoping that third time’s a charm, and I had high hopes because I have liked Claudia Gray’s previous Star Wars novels, but “The Fallen Star”, theI was hoping that third time’s a charm, and I had high hopes because I have liked Claudia Gray’s previous Star Wars novels, but “The Fallen Star”, the third novel in the High Republic series, didn’t wow me. It had a few moments, but the book was as mediocre as the last two.
The plot of “The Fallen Star” is, basically, “The Poseidon Adventure” in space. For those out there who aren’t familiar with the reference (and, having been a high school teacher for a brief time, I am sadly cognizant of how woefully unaware children are of any pop cultural reference that is more than five years old), “The Poseidon Adventure” was a 1972 film about a cruise liner that is flipped over by a giant tidal wave. The survivors must figure out a way to reach safety in a boat that is upside down and sinking fast. It was a great movie. (Not to be mistaken for the 2006 remake “Poseidon” starring Kurt Russell, which sucked.)
A disaster movie in the Star Wars universe sounds like a win, and, to be fair, Gray does a great job with the disaster parts of the novel. In this novel, Nihil saboteurs have infiltrated the Starlight Beacon, the giant space station that is both an intergalactic life buoy and a symbol of the Republic, and have set off a bomb which destroys the station’s power source that controls its stability in space and the opening of dock bay doors. The thousands of inhabitants trapped on the station are now floating in space on a dead space station, running out of air and rations, unable to leave, and the station is gradually falling out of orbit on a collision course with the nearest planet.
For a good chunk of the middle part of the book, Gray had me hooked. This was exciting stuff.
What I didn’t think was great was the same problem I have had with the last two books: too many characters, very few stand-out well-developed characters, and a villain that is yawn-inducingly boring. Marchion Ro is no Darth Vader. He’s not even Kylo Ren. At best, he’s a Snoke wanna-be, and that’s pretty dumb.
Also, Gray throws in an added threat: a mysterious presence on board the Starlight Beacon that has the ability to drain the Force. It literally sucks the life out of any Jedi in its path and turns them into mere husks that fall into piles of ash. (Thanos?)
It sounds cool, except one thing: we never find out what the hell it is! Gray ends the book with this part unexplained! I’m assuming that it leads into the next book, but come on!
I’m not asking for much, people. I’m just looking for a few cool characters that I can latch onto. I don’t want 37 characters that I know or care nothing about. And give us a villain worthy of being in the Star Wars pantheon of villains. Vader. Jabba. Palpatine. Thrawn. Maul. The Yuuzhan Vong. Darth Caedus. Giancarlo Esposito.
Marchion Ro? Seriously? Captain Jack Sparrow, minus the humor, and always wearing a gas mask? It’s embarrassing, really....more
Cavan Scott’s “The Rising Storm” is the follow-up to Charles Soule’s “Light of the Jedi”, the underwhelming first novel in the High Republic series, DCavan Scott’s “The Rising Storm” is the follow-up to Charles Soule’s “Light of the Jedi”, the underwhelming first novel in the High Republic series, Disney/Lucasfilm’s answer to the question, “What the hell do we do now, after “Rise of Skywalker”?”
“The Rising Storm” is slightly better than the first novel, which is, sadly, not saying too much. Don’t get me wrong: I was still entertained by the book. It kept me engaged, at least.
One of the problems, I figured out, is that everyone involved in the High Republic experience—-from writers, artists, publishers, up to the ones in charge of footing the bill (the producers)—-has made a conscious effort to not become like the Star Wars Expanded Universe (SWEU) “old canon” series, where continuity wasn’t always followed to a “t”.
Now, I loved the old canon, but I understand that, occasionally, storylines didn’t always mesh up. This was partly because some of the prequels hadn’t come out yet. It was also because teams of writers were working on novel series, and they didn’t always confer with the teams of writers working on the comic books or the video games. Hence, lack of continuity. Hence, problems.
Adhering to an extremely strict continuity, however, engenders its own problems. Hence, “The Rising Storm”.
One of the problems is that not everybody who reads novels reads graphic novels, and vice versa. And this novel requires readers to understand not only what happened in the last novel but also what happened in the concurrent graphic novel series. Thankfully, I have read the comic book series of The High Republic, an excellent series and one that I recommend highly.
But when references are made to storylines that are happening concurrently and from sources that readers may not even want to bother with, confusion arises.
I never had this problem with the old canon. I understood that a whole slew of stuff was happening in the video game worlds of Star Wars, but it never affected me, because it never spilled over into the worlds of the novels. I also detest video games, so I knew that I was never going to play them. Likewise, the stuff going on in the comic books stayed within the world of the comic books, which was great since I didn’t really read comic books at that time either.
But it seems like this High Republic series is trying way too hard to be all-inclusive and multi-media, which may not appeal to all readers. Like me.
Then again, what the hell do I know? From a purely profit-motive business perspective, it’s probably brilliant. Because it basically forces readers to go out and gather all the books and comic books and YA novels and video games just in case they missed any references. Consume, you lemmings! Consume!
Maybe I’m just being a curmudgeon. (And a hypocrite. I am, after all, consuming as much as the next lemming.)
Anyway, here’s an actual review of the book: Scott does a decent job of balancing numerous (way too many, still, in my opinion) characters in numerous locations. In some ways, Scott does as decent a job as some of the writers of the SWEU (the late Aaron Allston comes to mind, an author who wrote some of my favorite old canon stuff), given that he is dealing with characters that still aren’t nearly as developed or established as they should be.
Logistically, Scott focuses on a few characters and tries to develop them further. I like Elzar Mann, a Jedi Knight who has “issues” with the Force, as well as personal hang-ups, one of which is that he’s a horndog. (OMG! Sex in Star Wars?) I also like Ty Yorrick, a former Jedi Padawan who got tired of the Jedi bullshit and became a rogue monster-hunter-for-hire.
Scott’s attempts to develop Marchion Ro, the villain of the novel, fall flat, however. Probably not his fault, as I feel Ro is just a lame villain. I actually think the Nihil—-a disorganized band of multiple species working together as pirates and ne’er’do-wells—-is the lamest group of villains to ever be featured in Star Wars. They remind me too much of an attempt at the Pirates of the Caribbean in space. Disney already tried this. It was called “Treasure Planet”, and it kinda sucked.
Overall, though, despite my problems with the book, it had plenty of action and suspense, including light-saber duels and spaceship dogfights, which managed to check off some of my personal boxes....more
Project Luminous was the name given to the top-secret project at Disney/Star Wars that, for several years after J.J. Abrams’s “Episode VII: The Force Project Luminous was the name given to the top-secret project at Disney/Star Wars that, for several years after J.J. Abrams’s “Episode VII: The Force Awakens” hit theaters, was only talked about in hushed whispers. It was going to be big.
In 2021, it was announced that Project Luminous was the code name for the next phase of the Star Wars franchise, after “Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker” officially concluded the nine-film arc started way back in 1977 by George Lucas.
Set hundreds of years before the original films, “The High Republic” imagined a pre-Empire galaxy when the Jedi Knights held the peace during a time of prosperity and exploration for the galaxy.
(For those, like me, who grew up in a pre-J.J. Abrams, pre-Disney-owned Star Wars world, there was a similar setting called the Old Republic, presumably set several hundred years prior to the High Republic. The Old Republic is considered “old canon” and is not talked about, despite the fact that to a lot of fans—-especially gamers—-the Old Republic was the best thing to ever happen to Star Wars. Sadly, though, like the misunderstood weird older brother in “Encanto”, we don’t talk about that Bruno.)
Charles Soule had the honor of writing the first published novel in the High Republic series, “Light of the Jedi”. Part of a huge publishing event that simultaneously saw the beginning of a series of young adult novels, middle reader chapter books, children’s books, and graphic novels, the High Republic series carried the hopes of many excited Disney executives.
Fans, not so much.
Not that it stopped them from going out to Target and buying them all up. I admit it: I did.
Granted, it took me this long to read them, but whatever.
“Light of the Jedi” starts out strong. A space freighter accident while in hyperspace results in the fragments of the ship popping out of hyperspace and becoming missile-like projectiles that lay waste to anything in its path. A large portion of these killer fragments pop up in the Hetzal system and on an extinction-level collision course toward Hetzal Prime, a large farming planet that produces a large percentage of crops for the entire galaxy. If it is destroyed, the consequences—both economically and in terms of food distribution—would be catastrophic.
Thankfully, Jedi Knights from the newly-created Starlight Beacon answer the distress calls. They rush to the Hetzal system to protect the planet and other inhabited moons and stations.
I admit: the first hundred pages of this book are pretty intense and action-packed. It reads like a classic Tom Clancy techno-thriller based in outer space. This is, hands down, Star Wars at its best.
The rest of the novel was, sadly, a bit of a let-down. The villains of the novel—a motley arrangement of multiple alien species devoted to piracy and bad life decisions called the Nihil—-don’t appear until the half-way mark. They are annoying and not that threatening. They remind me of the Pirates of Caribbean in space, minus any interesting characters like Captain Jack Sparrow to rally behind. They mostly want to wreak havoc and cause lots of death and destruction. That’s pretty much it for their motivation.
The other major problem with the novel is that there are way too many characters and none of them are given any time to develop into actual three-dimensional people. They are all just stock cardboard cut-out Jedi heroes. When several of them die throughout the course of the novel, I was left with a rather embarrassing feeling of utter indifference. Was I supposed to feel bad and shed a tear? All I knew was their name. Soule’s idea of character development is telling us what their favorite food is and that they like to listen to Star Wars-y rock music. Then they die.
What separates “Light of the Jedi” from the original Star Wars movies is characters that were, at the very least, interesting and, over time and several films later, lovable. But you can’t forcibly duplicate that. It has to happen organically.
Soule is info-bombing us with an entire cast of characters that we are suddenly supposed to give a shit about, but it doesn’t work that way.
I’m disappointed with “Light of the Jedi” but I can’t say I’m totally shocked. I have felt this kind of disappointment with a lot of the new canon stuff. The only new canon stuff that I have actually thought was great has been the comic books, including the High Republic comic book series.
Actually, “Light of the Jedi” has the feel of a story that was probably supposed to be in graphic novel form but then novelized. I’m sure if “Light of the Jedi” was adapted into graphic novel form (and I’m honestly surprised that it hasn’t yet, that I know of), it would probably work a lot better....more
The third and (maybe) final book in Cavan Scott's excellent Vader's Castle graphic novel series for young readers, "Ghosts of Vader's Castle" continueThe third and (maybe) final book in Cavan Scott's excellent Vader's Castle graphic novel series for young readers, "Ghosts of Vader's Castle" continues the fun as Lina and her friends must travel back to Mustafar for a third time to rescue her little brother Milo, who has been kidnapped by... the ghost of Darth Vader?
Another selection of fun and scary stories featuring a zombie Jar Jar Binks, a Godzilla-sized Chewbacca, a swamp-monster on Dagobah, and the angry ghost of Vader.
Honestly, I would love to see more of this series....more
I have always enjoyed the child-like sense of wonder of Star Wars, and please don't read into that an insult. Part of the popularity of Star Wars has I have always enjoyed the child-like sense of wonder of Star Wars, and please don't read into that an insult. Part of the popularity of Star Wars has always been its appeal to the young, and Cavan Scott has tuned into that extremely well in "Return to Vader's Castle", a graphic novel targeted specifically to middle readers (and older).
A sequel to "Tales From Vader's Castle", "RTVC" follows where the story left off: Lina and her Rebel friends managed to escape Mustafar, but poor Lieutenant Thom Hudd got left behind. Now he's being tortured by one of Vader's former servants, Venee, having to endure an onslaught of horrible tales of woe and misery. Thankfully, Hudd has a few tricks left up his sleeve, but he just needs to stay alive until his friends return.
Think "Tales From the Crypt" meets "Goosebumps" in the Star Wars universe, and you'll get a good sense of what Scott was aiming for. Fun and spooky (but not too spooky) stories that kids between 8 and 98 will enjoy....more
