Star Wars: Lando’s Luck Book Review

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck Review

Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon – Lando’s Luck

Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon – Lando’s Luck is a junior novel, written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Justina Ireland. Illustrations in the book were done by Annie Wu.

SUMMARY

Lando Calrissian is out on the planet Hynestia, playing a game of sabbacc after doing a bit of smuggling business. He smuggled in some special juice which is highly illegal on Hynestia. Well once this game ends a bounty hunter bursts through the cantina doors and arrests Lando’s sabbacc opponent… her name is Zel. She had something stolen something called the Solstice Globe. Lando attempts to make his way out of the cantina when the Queen of Hynestia comes in and basically says, “Hey… you sit down, you smuggled in some illegal juice!” So while Zel is sentenced to time in the dungeon, Lando is given a death sentence. However, Lando’s hide is saved when Prinecss Rinetta steps up and says “How about we let Lando take the Solstice Globe to the Empire, as our payment to them.” So the Queen agrees. However, what the Queen and Lando don’t know, is that Rinetta was actually working with Zel, to get the Soltice Globe off planet to Livno III, where it came from. Long ago, Hynestians had stolen it from Livno III. So… a bunch of shenanigans ensue and that’s basically the story… A crazy adventure to get an artifact from one place to another, with obstacles needing to be overcome.

CHARACTERS

Lando Calrissian: He’s consistant with who he is in the films, especially Solo: A Star Wars Story. He’s obsessed with himself, his looks, and his ship, He wants to get rich, but he’s got to do it the easy way… by cheating.

Princess Rinetta: She’s defiant against her mother. She’s got a strong will and wants to follow her heart and act on what she believes is the right thing.

L3: I don’t like this droid, the book didn’t make “her” any better for me. L3 is just as annoying in this book as she is on screen. However, L3 did provide some humor.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

It’s an okay read, nothing too special. It’s a quick easy read. Character development was pretty good. The familiar characters were consistent with how they appeared in previous material and the new characters were introduced well. The Flight of the Falcon Series will take the Falcon on several new adventures and I’m looking forward to what else we have in store for the series.

Do I recommend that you read Flight of the Falcon – Lando’s Luck? Sure, read this instead of Last Shot!

RATING: I give this book a B-

Story of Redemption Bible Review

by Matthew Wilson

Story of Redemption Bible Review

Provided by Crossway

Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through the Unfolding Promises of God

The ESV Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through the Unfolding Promises of God was published by Crossway.

The hardcover edition is pretty think, but not too heavy. The design on the dust-jacket is very impressive. The inner flap sheds light on a few of the features within this Bible (listed down below). Underneath the dust-jacket is black board with some gold designs and text on the spine. With a book this thick, I personally prefer taking the dust-jacket off to prevent wear and tear. This Bible is also available in tru-tone and top grain leather.

On the inside there is a presented to page with some elegant design work. The cream colored pages with the gold and grey highlights are just beautiful. The contents page lists everything within this Bible along with its page number. On the back of the contents page, is a chronological overview, organizing the books in, well… chronological order. To summarize the Introduction, it’s basically saying that the Bible is a STORY, an epic TRUE STORY. However, it’s not just an epic tale of those within the books, it’s OUR story, our epic. It’s true, because God’s Word is still relevant and the story is still unfolding. The preface provides a brief history of translations and an explanation of the English Standard Version translation.

Each book in this Bible has a unique illustration that sits above the title. In the back of the Bible, we have an index of the title illustrations. We see all the art with a summary of what it represents. You can also find a Daily Bible Reading Plans section, with two different plans. Both take you through the bible in one year. There’s a suggested reading plan and a canonical reading plan.

Cited Information from the Bible and Crossway.org:

9.25 Milo Type (Scripture)

8.5 Milo Type (Notes)

897 notes written by pastor Greg Gilbert

All-new introductions to each book of the Bible

80+ maps, illustrations, and timelines

Foldout timeline in the back

Highly readable typesetting with generous margin space

Premium cream-colored paper

Smyth-sewn binding

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

The Story of Redemption Bible is gorgeous. The cream colored paper, the gold accents, and black text… beautiful. The layout is simple and the illustrations throughout are a nice touch. The margin space is generous, but it wouldn’t be considered a “wide-margin.” While there is some space, you’d have to write pretty small or turn the Bible to write your notes horizontally.

This single column paragraph style is clean, the paper isn’t overloaded with text. So, there’s no references or notes at the bottom of the pages, just the occasional translation note.The notes are in line with the paragraph format, separated by dividing lines within the scripture. They are conversational, inspire thought, and share valuable, wise information. I love how these notes are laced into the scripture, it’s so much easier than referring to the bottom of the page.

So, do I recommend that you pick up the Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through God’s Unfolding Promises? Yes! If you like elegant, simple design and distraction free reading… get this bible!

Purchase the Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through God’s Unfolding Promises: https://amzn.to/2QefdMR

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Schuyler Quentel Bible Review

by Matthew Wilson

SCHUYLER QUENTEL BIBLE REVIEW

Provided by EvangelicalBible.com

The Schuyler Quentel ESV Black Goatskin can be found on evangelicalbible.com. The Quentel edition comes in a range of colors, such as dark green, imperial blue, and more. Schuyler Bibles are actually printed and bound by Royal Jongbloed, in the Netherlands. Much craftsmanship and artistry goes into the design and quality of the Schuyler brand. The Goatskin cover is extremely nice, and the 36-GSM paper feels and looks great.

This Bible is pretty straight forward. It’s got a clean and classic layout. It’s a double column, cross-reference bible. The references are very helpful for personal study. There is a detailed explanation on how to use the references on the Explanation Features section. For example, when you’re reading the scripture and a little letter precedes the the text/phrase, that would be your indicator for a cross reference, which can be found under a dividing line on the bottom of each page. When you see a little number after the text or phrase, that indicates there is a footnote to refer to. There are several types of cross-references used in this Bible, it may sound complicated… it’s not.

In the back of the Bible, there is a wonderful feature, the Concordance. It’s basically a tool you can use to find where key words are located in scripture. There is an explanation on how to use the concordance after its introduction. The maps are are nice and clear as well, with a helpful index to said maps.

Cited Information from evangelicalbible.com

$195.00

ESV Text Edition: 2016

11 point Milo font

Line Matching

3 Dark Blue Ribbons

Art-Gilt edging (red under gold) with gilt line (gold line inside the cover)

Raised Spine Ribs

Smyth Sewn

Black letter text (chapter numbers, headers and page number in red)

More than 80,000 entry cross references

Concordance

Presentation page

Extensive Schuyler Bible Maps

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This Bible is absolutely beautiful. The artistry is simple, sleek, and luxurious.The goatskin is smooth and It actually smells pretty good. The three ribbon markers are a fancy benefit! The raised spine ribs add an antique vibe, that I love!

The 11 pt font makes reading easy, without straining the eyes. The line matching brings balance and crispness. I’ve never really referred to references, but after reading the explanation of how to use them, I’m less intimidated by them.

My only negative with this Bible, is that it doesn’t have profile pages; such as a family tree, births, deaths, marriages etc. I think if those pages were added in, it would make this Bible perfect.

Do I recommend the Schuyler Quentel ESV Bible? Yes! If you can, save up and make the purchase. It could be the only Bible you’ll ever need!

MAKE THE PURCHASE: https://evangelicalbible.com

The provided link is not associated with an affiliate program. The bible was provided in exchange for an honest review.

You won’t regret purchasing a Schuyler!

Check out the Archaeology Study Bible Review Here

Archaeology Study Bible

by Matthew Wilson

ARCHAEOLOGY STUDY BIBLE REVIEW

Provided by Crossway

The Archaeology Study Bible English Standard Version, is published by Crossway. It’s available in hardcover, tru-tone, and Genuine Leather.

One of the first pages is a presentation or presented to page. The contents page gives us a list of each item in the book, as well as the page numbers, which by the way, this Bible has 2037 pages total.

Archaeology is important, especially when it comes to the history of God’s word. This Bible, uses archaeology facts to create a setting and backdrop to paint a clear picture of the timeline in which biblical events took place.

I did find something humorous in the introduction, and I’m not sure if it was intentional. Keep in mind… this is an archaeology bible.

“We desire that laypeople, as they study this bible, would be encouraged to dig deeper into the scriptures and to grow in grace, knowledge, and truth.”

The introduction also mentions that this bible could be part of a suite, as there are two other books that could contribute to this study Bible. The other books are the ESV Study Bible (2008) and the ESV Bible Atlas (2010).

The Archaeolgists that have contributed to this Bible are legitimate, as they have experience in the field, digging up the past. In the Biographical Sketches section, we’re introduced to all those who contributed to this Bible, giving us a brief background of the contributors.

The preface goes into great detail about the ESV translation, covering 5 pages! It’s pretty interesting to learn how the text was translated.

Because this is an Archaeology Study Bible, we get an in-depth explanation and discussion about… Archaeology! We have an awesome list of the 10 most significant arcaological biblical discovers. We dive into what it is, why it’s important.

Another cool feature is that the Old and New Testaments have in-depth background info. Each book in this Bible has an introduction section which sheds light on the theme of the book, a summary of the contributors (notes and archaeology) and a simple outline.

Cited Information from Crossway.org:

Double-column, paragraph format
Cross references
Footnotes
2,000+ study notes
400+ full-color photographs
200+ maps and diagrams
200+ informational sidebars
15 articles
4 timelines
Book introductions
Presentation page
Smyth-sewn binding
9. font / 8. font for notes

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I really enjoy this Bible! The maps, graphs, and photos of archaeological finds scattered throughout, certainly enhance the reading experience. It even states in the introduction that they hope to add a backdrop with the archaeological details, and they succeeded. I’d say that if you’re a history buff, you’d love this Study Bible.

This hardcover editions is a bit heavy, so you’re going to want to sit down with this at a table or any surface to lay the book down. The layout and design of the book is nice and simple. The design of the spine is really nice, a little more intricate than the cover. The one thing I wish this Bible had, was a ribbon marker.

I’ll defiantly be using this bible, even though it won’t serve as my primary book, I’ll be visiting it quite often to read up on the historical findings and study notes.

Do I recommend that you pick up the Archaeology Study Bible from Crossway? Yes! It’s unique… it’s awesome. If you’re a history buff, this is the Bible for you.

God Bless

MAKE THE PURCHASE: Archaeology Study Bible

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Star Wars: Darth Bane Path of Destruction Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Darth Bane

Path of Destruction Book Review

Path of Destruction was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the ninth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book one, in the Darth Bane trilogy. It takes place 1003 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

Dessel, a miner on the world of Apatros, had a hard life. He was abused by his father and picked on by the other miners. With age came great height and strength, and the bullying, a thing of the past. He developed a sixth sense, spawning quick reflexes and quick glance of the future.

Apatros was a sink hole for Dessel, debt held him there. He was no friend of the Republic, nor an enemy. His opinion on politics of the galaxy was neutral. He’s outspoken about his feelings one evening, during a tense game of Sabacc, with a table of Republic soldiers. The results of the game had taken Dessel’s life in an unexpected turn. He’s forced to flee Apatros, the only way he could do that, was by being secretly smuggled off world by Sith academy recruiters.

Dessel served the Sith as a soldier. Months had passed and he’d already been promoted to sergeant. On the front lines, he did the unexpected, he disobeyed orders, actually punching out his superior officer. He’s arrested and escorted to one of the Sith leaders, a member of the Brotherhood of Darkness. Instead of being punished, Dessel is invited to Korriban, to be a student at the greatest Sith academy. He is reborn… as Bane.

Bane had some struggles in the academy, some serious struggles, but actually became the best student. His faith in himself and the dark side was shaken, but he became stronger than ever. He learned so much more from the Sith archives than he did from lessons by instructors. His view of what the Sith should be is vastly different then what the Sith had been. A brotherhood of Darkness was not the nature of the Sith. Passion, strength, power, and victory was part of the Sith mantra, not brotherhood.

In Bane’s quest he adopts the title of Darth Bane. To use the title Darth, is frowned upon, it’s not the way of the Brotherhood of Darkness. So in Darth Bane’s quest, he is to reform the Sith order completely. There is an ongoing war on Ruusan, between the Sith and the Republic, Bane believes it could play a major roll in the balance of the force.

CHARACTERS

This book had a handful of great characters, I’m going to mention only one Githany. Wait… why not Bane? Because I mentioned him pretty heavily in the Summary, I don’t want to spoil more than I have to.

Githany: She was an apprentice of the Jedi, until she abandoned the order to join the Sith… for selfish reasons. She desperately wants to be the top student in the Sith academy on Korriban. She’s beautiful and she knows it, she uses her stunning looks to manipulate others. She takes a liking to Bane, for a while, she helped him when he was at his lowest point. She has traits of an old fashion Sith. She’s power hungry and full of betrayal.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This book is outstanding. I like how the Sith had evolved into something different, how they lost sight of who and what they truly were. They became soft, and that was the tipping point. It’s as though it’s their destiny to fail.

Bane’s rise to power was an emotional journey. One reason that makes this book so great, was the struggle! Bane wasn’t some super human who was unstoppable, he had a weakness. The chemistry between our characters was magic. The shift in loyalties was natural, nothing seemed out of place or unlikely. The characters were true to themselves to the very end. I have to say, this book contains one of the best character arcs yet, and this is only book one of a trilogy.

The book was loaded with surprises. I thought that maybe this book would be predictable, it wasn’t, at least not for me. I enjoyed every page! The war of Ruusan was handled great, it was a fine backdrop to the main story, until it’s brought to the forefront in a natural way. Drew Karpyshyn, is an amazing writer. I’m really looking forward to more of his writing in the Expanded Universe!

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Darth Bane – Path of Destruction? Absolutely! For some reason I always imagined this book, this trilogy would be mediocre. I was wrong.

RATING

I give this book an A+. It was a brilliant tale of how one character changed the destiny of the Sith.

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