Star Wars: Knight Errant Book Review

Star Wars: Knight Errant, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, John Jackson Miller. This novel is the eighth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era. It takes place 1032 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

A rivalry among the Sith has broken out into all out war. The dark lords of the force are dissected into multiple factions across the stars, far from Republic space. The Sith battle each other over territorial control. Kerra Holt, a lone Jedi, has made it her mission to disrupt various Sith organizations by causing such things as complication and chaos.

Kerra finds herself and several young refugees at the center of a deadly battle. She takes it upon herself to rescue these youngsters and find them a safe place to stay, away from the ongoing Sith war. However, finding a safe place in the middle of Sith space… is nearly impossible.

CHARACTERS

There a few main characters in this book, but I’m only going to mention three, Kerra Holt, Narsk Ka’hane, and very briefly… because he was just so crazy, Damian.

Kerra Holt: She’s a rogue Jedi, on a mission to collapse the Sith Damian’s regime and to save as many innocent lives as possible. She’s confident and brave, not afraid to speak her mind. Kerra won’t settle with mediocrity or be persuaded to move against her gut feeling. She’s not the most powerful of Jedi, but her love for youth and the hope for light in the galaxy, surely is.

Narsk Ka’hane: He’s a Bothan spy, working around the clock in Sith space for… someone. He’s pretty good at his job, but not as good when a Jedi interferes with his work or when his special stealth suit is taken from him. Narsk is sneaky, has a strong will, and a pretty complicated work environment.

Damian: He’s a self declared lord of the Sith who believes he’s a god. He’s brainwashed the population into believing he’s their creator. Damian is quick to anger and an out of control ego!

OVERALL THOUGHTS

An interesting book of twists and obstacles. I was bored out of my mind for the first half of the book. I’m very thankful and glad it picked up in the second half! I wrote this review about two months after I read the book. For some reason writing this short review was just as difficult to get through as the first half of the book. There is a Knight Errant comic series, though I’m not sure if the book is based on the comics or if the comics are based off the book.

I liked the idea of the Sith at war with each other. What I didn’t like, is that they were all family? Maybe my eyes glazed over during this part and missed something, but I’m pretty certain this Sith war was a family affair. Didn’t like that

John Jackson Miller is an excellent writer, so it’s disappointing that this work didn’t shine like a lot of his other work. The characters were all well written, dialogue was fluid. But overall… the story was just okay.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Knight Errant? Sure, but just be aware that it takes a while to get moving and interesting.

RATING

I give this book a C. It took too long to get into the story. This book definitely felt like a companion piece, meaning it would probably have been better if the comic series was read first.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Annihilation Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Annihilation Book Review

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Annihilation, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the seventh event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book four, the last, in The Old Republic series. It takes place 3,640 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

The Sith Empire is in shambles! The Sith, Darth Karrid has control of a sleek, fast, and powerful ship, the Ascendant Spear. The Republic fears the might of the Ascendant Spear! Operation End Game is created, pulling the best of the Strategic Information Service and a Jedi together, to destroy the ship. Doing so would strike a heavy blow against the Empire.

CHARACTERS

There are a few interesting characters but the only two I’ll talk about are Theron Shan and Darth Karrid.

Theron Shan: He’s a Republic Strategic Information Service (SIS) Agent. He’s somewhat reckless but quick on his feet. He’s loyal to the Republic but has an issue taking orders. He likes to take care of business his own way, even knowing that there will be consequences from high command. He was adopted by a Jedi as a baby, so he’s going to have some parental issues. He’s got a cybernetic implant in his face.

Darth Karrid: She’s a Sith Lord, former apprentice of Jedi Master Gnost-Dural. Long ago, she was sent on a mission, to go undercover as a spy. Sadly the dark side wins her over and she calls Darth Malgus her master. She is a Falleen, which works against her in the Sith Empire. She is captain of the Ascendant Spear, a dangerously powerful ship. Members in the Dark Council want to destroy her to get the ship for themselves. She’s angry, full of pride, and craves power. Karrid will crush all who stand in her way, be it the republic, or her fellow Sith. She also has a cybernetic implant in her face.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Annihilation is a fairly decent read. The story is simple and compact. The chemistry between our characters was great. However, character traits and descriptions, made for predictable reveals and plot points. The cast was great, not a ton of names to remember or get confused with. I really enjoyed some of the references to Darth Malgus, who was the star antagonist of Decieved.

The story moved along quickly. I laughed a few times, especially toward the end. The little spice of humor thrown in was good. Like I mentioned, some of the story was predictable… it was in a big way. In the first two chapters I had already predicted details in the climax and was 100% correct. I’m no genius, I think anyone could see it. It was the only issue I had with the book.

I wouldn’t mind more stories with Theron Shan… but sadly, I don’t think that’s going to happen… ever.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: The Old Republic – Annihilation? Yes. It’s entertaining yet simple.

RATING

I give this book a B. It was entertaining but nothing spectacular… and predictable.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Fatal Alliance Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Fatal Alliance Book Review

Fatal Alliance was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Sean Williams.This novel is the sixth event on the Legends timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era. The book also counts as the third installment in The Old Republic series. It takes place 3,643 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

A smuggler is doing work for a Hutt, when he and his crew come across a mysterious ship. When they attempt to capture it, it self-destructs. However, they collect two interesting pieces from the debris; the Navicomp and a strange metallic cylinder.

The Hutts invite many factions across the galaxy to Nal Hutta to inspect and have an opportunity to place a bid on the rare, mysteries items. There’s a Mandalorian warrior who shows up and causes all kinds of trouble, activating the strange metallic cylinder, revealing a dangerous new threat.

The factions involved include; the Republic, the Empire, the Jedi, and the Sith. After the violent actions of the Mandalorian, they begin to hunt the warrior down and seek out the location of the metallic cylinder’s origin.

CHARACTERS

There are a ton of characters to choose from, too many, but I’m only going to mention two.

Jet Nebula: He’s a pilot and smuggler for hire. He really doesn’t seem to care about much. His primary objective is just, staying alive. He’s laid back and observant. He’s no hero, but he’s no villain. Was this character super important? No.

Eldon Ax: She’s a Sith apprentice under Darth Chratis. For a Sith, she really doesn’t have a desire for power, she doesn’t seem to care about the glory of the Empire. Maybe she has the personality of the average Sith? However, she was punked by a Mandalore and wants revenge.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

So, wow. There are a ton of characters in this book. I don’t really like that, especially for just one novel, unless they appear in the next book in the timeline, which I highly doubt they will. This isn’t an epic tale like Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, was curious if the author was trying to have a memorable cast like those tales. The conflict within and around the characters didn’t come across organic. They were boring, and in a week or two, I’ll probably forget everyone’s name in this book.

I actually got lost in most of the action scenes. At many points I was a bored with the story and the characters. The novel tries to tell a tale of a grand, galactic doomsday scenario. It falls flat at the end. I was waiting for some amazing climax to redeem the story… but the book just ends.

Do I recommend you pick up Star Wars: The Old Republic – Fatal Alliance? Absolutely not. I don’t understand why this story was told, it’s completely different than the previous books in The Old Republic series.

RATING

I give this book an F. It didn’t hold my attention and sometimes I just got a little confused.

Star Wars: Red Harvest Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Red Harvest Book Review

Star Wars: Red Harvest, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Joe Schreiber. This novel is the fifth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era. It takes place 3,645 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

A Dark Lord of the Sith intends to live forever. He’s on a personal quest to make it happen, by experimenting on unwilling Sith students, at his very own Sith Academy. This Sith needs a special ingredient for his sinister concoction, a Murakami orchid, s a force sensitive flower.

The Sith, Darth Scabrous, has hired bounty hunters to search for the precious flower. When the prize is brought to him, it comes with baggage… a Jedi that’s bound to it. Without the Jedi, the flower would die.

Chaos ensues. Darth Scabrous manages to bring the dead back to life. In the process, an infectious disease is born and spreads quickly throughout the academy. In the horror, the bounty hunter and the Jedi, fight for survival as they desperately search for a way off the planet, Odacer-Faustian.

CHARACTERS

There are a few interesting characters but the only two I’ll mention are Darth Scabrous and Hestizo Trace.

First up is Darth Scabrous: He’s in charge of the Sith Academy on Odacer-Faustin. He dwells in his high tower, shrouded in mystery. Scabrous is disturbing, he lusts after an immortal life. His madness drives him to commit heinous acts and experiments on his own Sith students.

Hestizo Trace: She’s a Jedi in the Agricultural Corps. She has a life/force bond to the rare Murakami black orchid. She is pretty confused but has valid reasons for that. She isn’t the greatest Jedi when it comes to battle. Her primary focus is on her flora understanding. She is focused and has a strong telepathic power.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I honestly don’t really know how I feel about this book. It was entertaining but geez, it gets into some weird places. Yes, Star Wars is a fantasy, a sci-fi fantasy. Red Harvest feels less sci-fi and more like a horror fantasy with a few elements of Star Wars. Druid-like Jedi and zombies… talking trees and force flowers.

Joe Schreiber is an excellent writer when it comes to character development and descriptions. The way he describes events are unique and so very gory. It’s so good how he does it. I’d say the way he writes gore, is nastier to read than it would be to see.

I liked most of the Characters, though the bounty hunter, Tulkh seemed to have changed his personality throughout the story. The others were consistent. I like how the main Jedi character has some deep thoughts and internal soul searching going on.

So, do I recommend you read Star Wars: Red Harvest? Sure. It’s not spectacular, but it isn’t horrible. Pick this up around Halloween.

RATING

I will give this book a C. It was fun, weird, and creepy, but only “great” half the time.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Decieved Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Deceived

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Deceived, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Paul S. Kemp. This novel is the fourth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book two in The Old Republic series. It takes place 3,653 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

A war has been raging between the Sith Empire and the Republic. In this tale, the two factions sit on opposite sides of a table to negotiate a peace deal. While the peace negotiations are taking place; Sith Lord Darth Malgus, his companion Eleena, and a Mandalorian, spring a surprise attack on the Jedi Temple on the Republic world of Coruscant.

A Jedi knight feels the disturbance in the force and will do anything it takes to get back to Coruscant to avenge the attack on her fellow Jedi.

CHARACTERS

There are many great characters I’d like to mention, but I’m only going to talk about two, Darth Malgus and Aryn Leneer. An honorable mention goes to Zeerid Korr.

Darth Malgus: He’s s an absolute beast. He’s one angry Sith. This guy is so full of hate! His desire for conflict is his driving force, the thought of peace drives him deeper into madness. Looking at the cover of the book, he looks like pure evil, intimidating to all in his path. Malgus has one weakness and with a slip up in battle, exposes it to his foes.

Aryn Leneer: She’s a Jedi with empathic force abilities. She is powerful in the force, feeling what others cannot. While the galaxy she knows begins to crumble, her will does not allow her to sit idly by and wait for a solution as her peers do. She comes to a fork in the Jedi road, one that leads to light… the other to darkness.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Paul S. Kemp is such a good high intensity writer. I really enjoyed reading this novel. I think it’s important I mention that there is a whole other storyline that takes place in the book that I didn’t mention in the summary, not because it’s bad, but because I don’t want to give you all the information.

For me, it’s rare to sit at the edge of my seat while reading a book. The first few chapters were so intense. I couldn’t peel my eyes from the words. The character development was excellent. The chemistry between all characters was fluid. I really hope to come across these characters again somewhere in The Old Republic timeline… but I doubt it. Darth Malgus is so disturbingly awesome. I can’t think of anything negative to say about this book. I loved every page of it.

Do I recommend that you read Star Wars: The Old Republic – Deceived? Absolutely. Buy it now. Read it now.

RATING

I give this book an A+. It was fast paced, surprising, and just so cool. I have nothing negative to say about the book.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Revan Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Revan

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Revan, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the third event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era. This also counts as book one in The Old Republic series. It takes place 3,954 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

To keep this spoiler free, a lot of information will be left out. Revan, a Jedi Knight, is tormented by a piece of his life he has no recollection of. He begins his investigation, in an attempt to regain his memories. An opportunity arises when Mandalorian soldier Canderous Ordo advises Revan that the Mandalorians are seeking out an important relic to their culture, Mandalor’s Mask. Because Revan has ties to this relic, he believes it may be a piece of the puzzle in regaining his memories. His investigation will also lead him to the dead world of Nathema, where he crosses paths with Sith Lord, Scourge and Darth Nyriss.

The ruler of another faction in the galaxy, the Sith Emperor, is extremely powerful. He had plans to conquer the Republic and rule the entire galaxy, but first he must overcome the pesky obstacles in his path.

CHARACTERS

I’ve selected my two favorite characters to talk about, some plot points are mentioned but I remain spoiler free.

Scourge: The Sith Lord who was summoned by the Sith Emperor, Vitiate, to find and eliminate the root of the assassination attempts on Dark Council member, Darth Nyris. He’s big, prideful, intimidating, and fierce. Yet, he’s also weak… internally he’s not as confident. He hesitates often, second guessing and rethinking either his actions or words.

Revan: A Jedi Knight who’s been through some crazy stuff. He actually fell to the Dark Side once before but was redeemed. He’s confused and tormented by his past, in that he can’t remember it. It’s known across the galaxy how powerful in the force Revan is. He’s focused and humble, yet confident in himself. [He wears an awesome looking mask too]

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This book is fantastic! It’s pretty epic, as well as a tragedy! Drew Karpyshyn basically wrote two stories and tied them together very well. One story following the protagonist, the other following the antagonist. I was surprised that both of the main characters were extremely interesting. The book is a page turner for sure! It’s thrilling and I didn’t think it was predictable. The story was great, I can’t recall anything cheesy or tacky about it. I really like this novel.

My only negative, which also contains a positive, is the lore. Wow, do we get tons of Jedi and Sith Lore! The positive side, it’s so much material that made my imagination run wild, I wanted more and more! The negative, it’s so much material that we won’t get to read about. I enjoy the history, there’s always going to be history, just a bummer when I can’t read the details.

So, do I recommend that you read Star Wars: The Old Republic – Revan? Heck yes!

RATING

I will give this book an A-. The minus because there are so many pieces and questions I want answers to.