World of Warcraft: Cycle of Hatred Book Review

SPOILER FREE

World of Warcraft: Cycle of Hatred was written by USA Today Bestselling Author, Keith R.A. DeCandido. It’s a novel based on the fantasy game created by Blizzard Entertainment.

Summary: Cycle of Hatred takes place after the Burning Legion has been defeated. Though pease is loosely held in place by an Orc named Thrall – the War-chief of the Orcs and the human leader of Theramore – Jaina Proudmoore. In this tale we focus on the Humans and Orcs living amongst each other in the land of Kalimdor. In the shadows, a cult long thought destroyed has resurfaced with its members serving allegiance to the demon called Zmodlor. The followers are a mixture of both Human and Orc, setting things in motion to crumble the already too fragile peace between the races.

Character: The characters were all written well. I enjoy the accents some of the characters were give, some authors really can’t deliver on that, making it too confusing,,, but not DeCandido. Each character severed their equal part in the tale. I really look forward to further adventures with Thrall and Proudmoore.

Overall Review: The writing style is perfect for this story, it’s not deluded with too much action and it doesn’t fall short on the plot. Can Thrall and Jaina ease the tension and establish a lasting peace between their people? I suggest you get this book and find out! This book was great! It was a quick, exciting, and easy read. It has sparked a new addiction in collecting books in the World of Warcraft series. I didn’t feel like I needed to know anything about the World of Warcraft to understand anything in this book. It’s a great standalone book and left me wanting even more!

Rating: I give this book a 4 out of 5

Star Wars: Bloodline Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

SPOILER FREE

Bloodline is the 9th “adult” novel released in the new Star Wars canon. It was written by New York Times Best-Selling Author, Claudia Gray.

After reading Lost Stars, which Claudia Grey also wrote… I really looked forward to this book, and that day has finally arrived!

Summary: This story takes plaice nearly two decades after return of the Jedi. The New Republic is finding itself divided. Two factions have formed, the Centrists – who believe the galactic government should be stronger and have a more powerful military throughout the galaxy. Then there is the Populists, who believe individual planets should retain authority over their own. So we basically have big government ideology versus small government. The book is loaded with politics that change the course of the galaxy.

Leia is getting tired of the banter in the senate, she’d like to retire… that is until the senate is approached with a seemingly serious problem. In the absence of the Empire, a criminal organization is flexing its muscle in the galaxy. You may or may not remember, in the Aftermath novel by Chuck Wendig, Mon Mothma pretty much demilitarized the New Republic. So… not such a good idea Mon. Leia shoves aside her retirement dreams and steps up to investigate the problem. In the senate, during this distraction, a motion is made to create a definitive leader of the New Republic, called the First Senator.

Characters: Claudia Gray does an excellent job introducing us to several new characters and expands slightly on some of the newer worlds. One character with a fascinating backstory and arch is Ransolm Casterfo. Ransolm is a young Centrist who is fascinated by the fallen Empire, he understands why things went wrong, but the idea of what could have been possible, fuels his political aspirations. Leia, a Populist, has never been written better! She’s older, wiser, and a born leader. Another great character would be Greer Sonnel, Leia’s pilot.

Overall Review: Gray was able give me goosebumps on several occasions with this book. There are moments when something was brought up that we had already known about from the previous films. However, the emotion expressed within and from a different perspective, makes it seem likes it’s the first time we hear about it! Like I mentioned in the summary, the book is political and I know some folks would turn their nose at that. You don’t want to do that… this is the type of Star Wars I like to read, there are consequences to be paid in full by the actions of the senate. Here’s a negative – the action came off a little weak and rushed. Some issues weren’t so much predictable, but a little too convenient. Yet, the book is loaded with story, with character, emotion, and the direction brings us closer to The Force Awakens than any other book has. Star Wars Bloodline gets two thumbs up from me.

Rating: I give this book a 4 out of 5

Star Wars: Battlefront Twilight Company Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

SPOILER FREE

Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company is the seventh novel released in the new offical canon. It’s written by Alexander Freed, who’s written many short stories including Star Wars: The Old Republic, Blood of the Empire. Battlefront: Twilight Company is Mr. Freed’s first novel. This tale takes place after A New Hope and during The Empire Strikes Back era.

Summary: We gear up and delve into the wars of Star Wars! in this tale we follow Twilight Company on its campaign through the wins and the loses, taking on the Empire at every corner in the galaxy. An imperial governor surrenders to Twilight Company, with means to defect from the Empire. Now, with her knowledge, she helps lead the Company on a mission to cripple the Empire. However, trust isn’t an easy thing to come by when the enemy is now giving orders.

Characters: We step away from our familiar characters in this book, and it’s truly a breath of fresh air. Our main characters, even the side characters, are written extremely well. Each given a personality you won’t forget. I say it’s a garanntee you’ll find one of the characters to relate to. I don’t want to explain anything about them because they each have their arch that’s worth reading. Namir, Gadren, and Roach are a few of my favorites.

Overall Review: Alexander Freed’s first novel is outstanding! A real gem in the new canon. Now, I’m not a big gamer but I’ve heard Battlefront game wasn’t the best, I’m pretty certain if the game had a campaign mode based on this book, you’d have the game of the year! I have my fingers crossed we get more Battlefront stories and that we definitely get more writing from Alexander Freed!

I give this book a 5 out of 5

Star Wars: The Crystal Star Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Crystal Star Book Review

Star Wars: The Crystal Star, A New York Times Bestseller, written by Vonda N. McIntyre. This book… is not what I was wanting to come back to. You may vomit while reading this book. I thought the new canon book Aftermath was bad, this book takes bad to a whole new level.

SUMMARY

The children of Han and Leia have been kidnapped! Chewy was left for dead. While this was going on, Han was on “vacation” with Luke as he is on the search for more Jedi. There’s a character that pops up from the Han Solo trilogy… that was fun. Leia, the wounded Chewbacca, and R2 leave the planet called Munto Codru to track down the kidnappers. The antagonist, Hethrir has a plan to resurrect the Empire with himself being the all powerful leader. Occasionaly in the Expanded Universe, something drains the force from users. In this book, it’s a dying star… The Crystal Star.

I believe this may very well be the Star Wars book from hell. If you look at the picture from the back of the book, you’ll find hidden on the Falcon the number 666. Coincidence… I think not.

CHARACTERS

Character development is weak, C3PO couldn’t be more annoying and Luke less interesting. Luke is treated like a child, he’s not in his right mind really at all the entire book. He’s always confused or grabbing his light saber as a way to threaten Han. Han Solo, you want to punch his face in this book… because this, this isn’t the Han Solo we love.

Leia, comes off as a weak character, she seems desperate and not all there in the head, she’s like a crazy person. She’s always been cool and collected, but in The Crystal Star, she uses an alias,calling herself Lelila, a bounty hunter. Jaina Solo, I know she’s only a 5 year old, but my goodness she’s annoying.

Waru, a bloody blob with gold scales, with the power to hypnotize, heal, and even kill. Thats pretty much all that matters for the character of Waru. Hethrir is a crazy pedophile who creeps throughout the galaxy snatching up children. He finds out if they are force sensitive, so he may train them as his minions. If they don’t meet his requirements, he sells them to the highest bidding pedophile. How was Hethrir going to rule the galaxy with a bunch of kids? That’s possibly the dumbest plan ever.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Horrible detail and disappointing dialogue. In the 2nd chapter there’s what I thought was a cameo from Golem, “Has it got a coin in it’s pocketses for me?” The structure of each paragraph was odd, half the sentences in this book were nearly five words each! It reads very choppy, which makes the boring tale lag.

The climax matched the rest of the book, week. The family has an awkward reunion. There are about a hundred hugs happening. As the Solo family is reuniting and having a good time, some other side characters are having it out with emotions of anger and a bit of family love drama… very weird. The last line of the book was some kid asking, “Are we home yet?’ Thats not closure!

RATING

I give this book a 0 out of 5

Star Wars: Lost Stars Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

SPOILER FREE

Lost Stars is the first Young Adult novel released in the new Star Wars canon. It was written by New York Times Best-Selling Author, Claudia Gray.

After reading Lost Stars… I’m really looking forward to Claudia Gray’s next book!

Summary: Lost Stars starts off with our two main characters, Therin and Ciena as eight year old children. They watch as the Empire makes its first appearance on Jelucan to declare the planet as part of the Galactic Empire. Tarkin’s inspiring speech gives hope to the poor and security for the wealthy. The children are in awe and hope that one day they may serve the great Empire, as pilots.

Over the years our main characters become best friends, they study and practice flying together, preparing for the day they’ll have a shot at applying for the Imperial Academy. The day comes when Therin and Ciena are welcomed into the Empire, and through those years, their friendship goes through trials but the love they have for each other, flourishes.

The events unfolding in A New Hope have now crossed into Lost Stars. We celebrated with the rebellion when the Death Star blew up, now we get to see the affects the destruction has caused through different eyes. One character eventually sees the “true” colors of the Empire, and must get as far away from it as possible. While the other character, must stay true to their honor. They can no longer be with each other, but it doesn’t mean they can’t love each other.

Characters: Claudia Gray does an excellent job introducing us to two new characters and a planet we’ve never heard of. Both Therin and Ciena are from this new planet, Jelucan. Jelucan is a beautiful world with grey skies, valleys, and a mountainous terrain – reminiscent of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Our lead male character, Therin, comes from a wealthy family that lives in the mountains. Our female lead, Ciena, is from a poor family that lives in the Valley. We have plenty of side characters, written just as well as our leads, everyone in this book feels like a real individual.

Overall Review: Lost Stars is now my favorite Star Wars book. Although the original trilogy ties into the tale, it works perfect. The dialogue is great; it doesn’t fall flat at any time. The love story works, it feels organic and it’s not a total cheesefest. Plenty of other Star Wars books in the new canon and in Legends have love stories, Lost Stars gets it right. The book begins before the events of A New Hope and by the end of it; we’re on our journey to The Force Awakens.

Rating: I give this book a 5 out of 5

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