by Matthew Wilson
Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy was written by R. L. Stine. This is the 7th book in the Goosebumps series, published in May of 1993. The Cover Artist was Tim Jacobus.
SUMMARY
Twelve year-old twin sisters, Lindy and Kris, have a bit of a hard time getting along. Lindy tends to tease Kris a little too harshly at times, leaning over to the side of bullying. The rivalry really kicks into high gear once Lindy finds an old ventriloquist dummy in a dumpster near their home. Lindy’s excitement over the dummy is sincere, and it sparks a new hobby. She gives the dummy a name, Slappy.
Kris is desperate for her own dummy to prove that she can be a better ventriloquist than Lindy. When she finally does get her own old puppet that she names Mr. Wood, the competition really begins. One day, Kris finds a note in the dummy’s pocket, written in a strange language. She reads it out loud, which casts a spell over Mr. Wood. The dummy becomes a living object, ready to make the twins his slave.
THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed this book. The competitive spirit between twins really drives the story. Lindy, full of tricks, really torments her sister. The plot is reminiscent of the old tale, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The jokes Lindy makes at the expense of her sister aren’t so funny when a magic spell is cast over Kris’s dummy.
There were a few moments that I thought the creep factor was dead on. Even though this is a kids book, some parts really did give me the creeps! As an adult, you won’t be terrified reading the story… but R.L Stine may give you some goosebumps!
I laughed out loud when Lindy discovers her dummy, slappy. Her sister, Kris, thought it was a small child that was tossed in the dumpster! I know, it’s not really funny, but it was so unexpected. There weren’t any other humorous moments in the book, which I liked. I thought going into it, that because it was a kids book, there would be many silly moments… there weren’t. This is a creepy tale, not a comedy.
The rivalry between the sisters was done very well. Right when I found myself routing for one sister, she does something too extreme, so I’d flip to the other one, and the cycle would continue. I found myself equally liking and despising both of them throughout the story. I like that the relationship between the two felt authentic, siblings getting after each other, and at the end of the day, they loved each other as such.
I liked how R.L. Stine closed out the book. He created an eerie atmosphere and delivered a nice twist at the end.
RATING
I give Night of the Living Dummy a B+
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space Book Review
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space was written by Karen Miller. This novel is part of the Expanded Universe, aka, Legends timeline. The tale takes place during the Rise of the Empire era, during the Clone Wars. The story is roughly 22 years before the battle of Yavin.
SUMMARY
Control of hyper-space lanes have become essential at the beginning of the galactic conflict. The separatist movement has picked up its pace in acquiring space-lanes throughout the galaxy. The plan is to disrupt the supply lines for the Republic; such as Tiabani Gas and Kessel Spice. General Grievous, of the Separate Army, has become a thorn in the Jedi’s side. The General geeks a kick out of keeping the order on edge at all times.
The Separatists are using brutal tactics to force planetary governments into withdrawing from the Republic. Intelligence has revealed that General Grievous has set sights on his next target, Bothawui, home-world of the Bothans. Kenobi was injured during a terrorist attack on Coruscant! As a result, the Jedi Council appoints newly raised Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker to lead a battle group . Skywalker is to fight against the assault on Bothawui.
Once Kenobi is healed, he and Senator Bail Organa team up to meet one of Organa’s informants. The contact has coordinates to the mysterious planet Zigoola, in Wild Space. Secrets of the Sith and a plan to overthrow the Jedi, may be found there. Kenobi and Organa are greatly challenged by the dark side.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The first few chapters of the book are extremely good. We get important details that I had assumed were always overlooked. Such great detail is given about the horrible of tragedy that befalls the Jedi on Geonosis. I’ve always been curious with what happened after the battle; Karen Miller does a wonderful job laying it all out. The concern, the dread, the sorrow was expressed perfectly in the opening chapters. Miller does such a wonderful job of filling in the blanks between Attack of the Clones & The Clone Wars.
I was pleased with seeing a different side of Yoda, more grim and direct. It’s been a long time since Yoda had to use his Lightsaber, seeing this conflict with Republic is heavy on his spirit. He wasn’t just the kind, wise Yoda we’re used to, he was authoritative and direct.
Miller managed to put a little thing in this book that I thought to be a brilliant move. Palpatine pushed the media to highlight Jedi that play a prominent roll in battle. It’s brilliant because this cloud be used later in his Imperial propaganda pieces. The Jedi, did not like being on the forefront of the Holo-Net.
I was hearting that this story would be one of the worst! Honestly, I really have to disagree, I found it to be entertaining. That said, there are some things about this that are too silly, that in my opinion, somewhat belittle Obi-Wan. I thought the book, while mostly decent, has some really weird things, the title should’ve been “Kenobi Crisis.”
I don’t want to spoil the book for those that haven’t read it; but if you replace the word “Sith” with “the dark side” so many moments would have been so much better. This mix up really is what deducted some points for the rating.
Do I recommend this book? If you like the Clone Wars, yes.
RATING
This book receives a 3/5 stars, or a C+.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel was written by New York TImes Bestselling Author, Beth Revis. This novel, published by Del Rey, takes place immediately after the events of Return of the Jedi. The book scheduled for release August 16th 2022. A big thanks to Del Rey for providing a copy for review.
SUMMARY
The Rebellion celebration of the major blow to the Empire last only one day. The reality was, a battle was won… but the war would still rage. As we’ve read in other material post Return of the Jedi, we know that the Emperor had a contingency plan. Had the Rebels not paused to celebrate, the transmission initiating such plans may have been stopped.
The war is changing, The fear of direct, discreet assassination attempts will be attempted on key rebel targets. It goes beyond just the Empire. Former political rivals, Hutt crime lords, and business owners that relied on Imperial contracts to remain operating; may all hold a grudge against those who toppled the Empire.
While the rebels spend a little time on the forest moon. Han doesn’t waste any time, he can’t be without Leia. His love for her is strong. Through romance and humor sprinkled throughout this tale, the couple get married. It’s not a big fancy wedding that would have been traditional for a princess, but it was perfect for the couple who trying to save the galaxy.
Mon Mothma sends the couple out on a honeymoon on a galactic cruise, but it’s cut short. Leia has a bad habit of mixing business with pleasure. Events unfold that throw the newly weds right back into a fight with the Empire.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Beth Revis writes a good story. This book fills in some gaps that some of us fans have been wanting. The book is somewhat of a slow burn, in that it lacks action up until around 75% into the story. Honestly though, I thought it was fantastic that way. It’s a story that really zooms in on the relationship of Han and Leia. We see clearly how they view each other, and how they desire each other to be.
We get a look at the internal conflicts within Leia; her struggle with the force, politics, war, her lineage, and her love. There are also some quiet moments between characters that are really good. Such as a conversation between Luke and Leia about what the future holds.
We see a softer side of Han, a man that was willing to change his life for someone he loves. He’s run from it in the past, he even tried running from Leia at one point, but he couldn’t help but fall deeply in love with her. Some of his dialogue feels flat, maybe if we had some other details sprinkled around it, it would set, not just a better atmosphere, but a deeper understanding of some of his emotion behind it.
One thing that didn’t make much since to me was that Leia is wanted by the Hutt crime lords, dead or alive. She’s got a big bounty on her head for killing Jabba. My issue is… how do they know? How does anyone know Leia killed the slug? The barge blew up. Maybe there was a live holo-stream, and others watched Leia do it? That would be interesting, but we don’t know how everyone knows Leia killed Jabba.
There are a few moments in the story I could have done without, thankfully those moments were few. There are also a handful of characters from other stories that pop up, tying the Star Wars story together. Overall, I enjoyed the book and absolutely love the cover design.
RATING
I give Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel 4 out of 5 stars. It was an easy read that really shed light on some of our favorite characters.
by Matthew Wilson
Ghost Eaters, was written by Clay McLeod Chapman. Author of Whisper Down the Lane and The Remaking. Ghost Eaters is published by Quirk Books (thanks for sending a copy for review).
Chapman delivers once again! His previous novel, Whisper Down the Lane was a real treat that tingled the spine and raised anxiety levels. This is the third novel I’ve read from the author. Chapman has quickly become one of my favorite writers.
Ghost Eaters is a fun, unique, and trippy ghost story. The horror of losing control of life is one of the themes. Some of the elements in this story have actually haunted my dreams for years, and to see the main character experience these things, is just horrible (in the best way of course).
The friendship dynamic is spot on with reality. There’s conflict, love, awkwardness – the evolution/devolution of where one stands in a friendship when there’s a loss. Erin, the main character, is our vessel in experiencing the trippiest ghost story I’ve experienced. The other supporting characters also feel like real people, not just ink mannequins or tools of dialogue on the pages.
Chapman’s writing style is fantastic and continues to impress. He gives us great characters, wonderful dialogue, and horrific situations. I think horror fans will get a kick out of this story!
Rating: I give Ghost Eaters 4 out 5 stars!
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith was written by Adam Chrisopher. This novel was published by Del-Rey (thanks for the ARC for review). This story takes place seventeen years after the events of Return of the Jedi.
SUMMARY
A young family is on the run. Dathan, Miramir, and little Rey (Palpatine) are being hunted down by the Sith Eternal Cultists. The family is to be taken to Exegol. New Republic forces stumble upon Dathan and Miramir’s ship while the family was under attack, the Republic rescues the family, and files a report with them before the family heads back out into space.
Lando Calrissian is having the Sabbac game of his life, when he overhears a guy called Ochi of Bastoon talking with some goons about the Sith and kidnapping a girl. This hits hard for Lando, as his own daughter was taken from him six years ago, when she was just two years old! Lando then reaches out to Luke Skywalker, knowing that he would absolutely want to hear of any Sith happenings in the galaxy.
Luke has been training new students of the force, including his nephew, Ben Solo. Luke senses something dark on the horizon, but can’t pin down exactly what it is. When Lando reaches out to him about Sith shenanigans, the two hit the road to save a family from being kidnapped and to find out more about the Sith and their secrets.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I was pretty excited for this book, a new Luke story featuring Lando. The lesson I learned, once again, is to keep expectations low. What I thought was going to be a fun adventure, turned out to be a boring and depressing tale.
The author does a pretty good job with descriptions, however, sometimes it turns into a detail overload, describing the same thing in slightly different ways… it’s very repetitive. The format of the shorter chapters is something I have really come to enjoy, it makes the story feel like it’s moving along quickly.
The story heavily ties to the sequel trilogy, lightly touching on some of the questions that were raised by the films, but not fully answering anything. I get the feeling that the story group still doesn’t really know how to handle characters or situations in this New Republic era. A lot of ancient Sith lore is mentioned, but never fully explored. While answering some questions from the sequels, it actually raises new questions… being vague and mysterious does not make a story good – the sequel films were vague and mysterious, and many fans were unsatisfied by the lack of depth with the story and characters.
Ochi, the Jedi Hunter that worked with Sidious and Vader, is now working for the Sith Eternal Cultists. He is in a public place, talking about working with the Sith, telling secrets, telling of his past, and how he’s on a mission to kidnap a child. One, the word “kidnap” is a little too silly sounding in Star Wars. Two, Ochi is in PUBLIC, so EVERYONE can hear his plans.
At times, the story read like a YA or children’s book. Some moments with the Sith Eternal Cultists that could have been creepy, come across cheesy. There is a planet that we visit, called Yoturba, I kept reading it as YouTuber, I can’t be the only one that did this. That line from The Rise of Skywalker that goes something like “Somehow, Palptine has returned” is echoed in a way, “Somehow, the Sith blade knew it murdered and enjoyed it.”
Do I recommend you read this novel? If you’re a huge fan of the sequel trilogy, then you might enjoy this book. If you didn’t like the sequels, this one may not be for you.
RATING
I have to give Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith 1/5 stars or a D. The story really lacked depth and good characterization of the characters we know and love.
