by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: The Living Force, a novel written by bestselling author, John Jackson Miller. This story takes place before the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
SUMMARY
Jedi outposts are being shut down across the Republic, opening up many regions to a rise in criminal activity. With the urging of Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Council will make a trip off coruscant to celebrate a Jedi Outpost scheduled to close, this outpost is special to many on the council, many were present at its opening centuries before.
This celebration will also be interrupted with violence from a pirate group that Depa Billaba had recently infiltrated, the Riftwalkers. The head of the Riftwalkers, Zilastra, is bitter toward the Jedi and the Republic and will stop at nothing to burn them to the ground.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I said I wasn’t going to review another canon novel, but when I see something as interesting as this, written by an author that’s written pretty solid books in the Expanded Universe, I just had to give it a read.
John Jackson Miller did a fine job in the opening chapters, capturing the feel and flow of the prequel films. There was a sense of familiarity with the scenario taking place, and the characters read true to who they were in the prequel films; such as Qui-Gon’s confidence and Kenobi’s curiosity and dry humor.
It was neat having the full Jedi Council out of the Jedi Temple to be servants of the the people. However, when the action starts and lives of the people and Jedi are in danger, we know from the films that these council members are fine, so there wasn’t anything in this book that really felt like a real risk when it came to the characters. My favorite character in this story has to Qui-Gon Jinn and I wish we focused a lot more on him; he truly has a servant’s heart, wanting to help the innocent lives in the galaxy.
What stuck out to me, was how easy it was for the Empire to take control after the Republic had fallen. The citizens throughout the galaxy were pretty needy, unable to really take care of themselves, too dependent on the Republic and the Jedi. However, I think the Republic failed the people when it came to planetary security and preservation; crime is just way too rampant.
The message I feel this book is delivering, is that the people are suffering, not just in this fictional world, but the one we live in. Suffering with physical, financial, and identity issues. The Jedi, the Star Wars equivalent of spiritual leaders, have grown distant from their purpose as servants. Through Qui-Gon, a Jedi who seeks the will of the Living Force (the Star Wars version of the Holy Spirit) is the one who brings the Jedi back to their roots, waking them up from a sort of spiritual sleep.
To conclude, I honestly felt the story to be a little weak. I felt this one was pretty similar to a previous canon book I read, maybe a High Republic novel. While I think John Jackson Miller did well with the characters, bringing in good humor at times (especially with Ki Adi Mundi) and really pivoting from several different characters and their actions to others; The plot was a bit of a dull one. I did not hate this book, I don’t think it was bad, in fact this book delivers a better message than a lot that I have read in canon.
RATING
I give Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller, a B-plus.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade was written by bestselling author, Delila S. Dawson. This tale takes place over a time, during the events of Attack of the Clones and well after Order 66.
SUMMARY
In this story we follow Iskat Akaris, from her time as a padawan to where she ends up after the great Jedi purge. When she was a youngling in training, she caused an incident that hurt another, and it’s been held against her. She’s always been a black sheep, never fitting in with her peers. She feels alone and betrayed.
When she is sent with a team to Geonosis and is forced to use her blade, she finds pleasure in taking the lives that cross her. At that first battle, marking the beginning of the Clone Wars, her master is killed. With her dying breath, she utters apologies to a name unfamiliar to Iskat. Through research, Iskat believes the name her master had mentioned is tied to Iskat’s past. Anger swells at the Jedi, for having hidden her past from her.
Bitterness toward the Jedi Oder boils over, they’ve let millions die in the Clone Wars with their tactics and poor intelligence. Iskat has lived a lonely life of frustration and depression. The bonds she’s tried to form always fail.
When the Order is issued to Clone Troopers to kill Jedi, Iskat is spared. She is given the option to live – to not be oppressed by the traitorous Jedi. She can have the freedom to unleash the force within, to discover who she truly is.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Okay so I’ll admit I was surprised by this novel. Delila S. Dawson was an author I really wasn’t a fan of at first, with Phasma. Later she wrote Black Spire which I thought was a decent book, and now we’ve got Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade – I enjoyed it.
Iskat Akaris, a black sheep in the Jedi Order, was a well written character. We follow her from the best of times to the worst of times… (though her life never really had best of times) it was always sad. I like getting an alternate perspective of the Jedi Order and how it may have felt for those that didn’t fall in like mindlessly. The glimpse at the Geonosis battle and Order 66 from a new perspective was also very well done.
I like how this book pulled from other content, obviously the movies – Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but also other books. The one that stuck out the most was Brotherhood, which was a major turning point for the Jedi Order.
While I dislike the direction of canon, Dawson laid out the best argument for the Inquisitors. The one thing that drove me crazy though, was the lightsabers that the Inquisitors used. They were given new lightsabers with red blades. Whatever happened to the concept of “bleeding the blade?” The crystal’s energy being tainted by the dark-side… that would have been much cooler.
I am pleased with this book, I had fun reading it, it’s always fun diving into a character that struggles with who they are. There are opportunities and dreams that could become their reality but they keep doing the thing that binds them.
RATING
I give Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade, an A. I was hooked from page one all the way through to the end. We get some awesome Vader action, we have Sidious, we have a really deep look into the arrogance of the Jedi.
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
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.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Brotherhood was written by Mike Chen. The book was published by Del Rey (thank you for sending out a copy for review). This story takes place shortly after the events of the film, Attack of the Clones.
SUMMARY: A major city on the planet Cato Namodia had been attacked! The neutral home-world of the Namodians falls victim to the most devastating tragedy the planet has ever seen. The Separatists have done an investigation and point their finger to Coruscant, blaming the Galactic Republic for the terror attack.
Kenobi, who is temporarily seated on the Jedi Council, comes up with a strategic plan to prevent the Chancellor from visiting Cato Namodia, believing that a heavy Republic presence could spark unwanted tension. Kenobi takes it upon himself to go to Cato Namodia, to represent the Republic and head up an investigation of his own.
While newly raised Jedi Knight – Anakin Skywalker is tending to duties he never dreamed of doing, passing on Jedi knowledge to a group of younglings. Meanwhile, on Cato Namodia, Kenobi meets with the a representative of the Separatist Party, Assaj Ventress. The investigation takes a turn for the worst, when Kenobi is set up by darker forces, leading the Namodians to believe Kenobi and the Republic are indeed their enemy. Anakin must get to Cato Namodia somehow to rescue Kenobi.
But, let it be made known, again, “that business on Cato Namodia… doesn’t count.”
OVERALL THOUGHTS: This is going be a heavy statement, but this is the best Clone Wars content I’ve experienced. Brotherhood is a perfect extension of Attack of the Clones. The story is highly entertaining with characters we know and love, as well as introducing some new characters that I wish we could get more of. Author Mike Chen did an outstanding job with this book, dropping the perfect amount of humor, action, and politics. (Star Wars politics, not real world garbage.) I had a really great time with this novel.
This book was actually a lot of fun to read! If you’ve been watching my content for a while, you’ll know I’m not a fan of the Clone Wars era, this book did everything right. I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the format of short chapters, jumping to other characters/events, it makes the story unfold neatly and also gave the feeling of moving through the book quickly. I felt like the story read a lot like an Expanded Universe novel more so than other canon books (it’s a feeling that can’t really be explained). There was one thing that I couldn’t stand though, the use of the word “disinformation.” I like that we get a new story with Anakin and Kenobi in their prime, and exploring how their relationship transitioned from master and apprentice to equals (mostly… Kenobi had a seat on the council)
Brotherhood is an absolute fun-fest of a Star Wars story! An Instant classic!
Does the book have some silly tacky moments that could have been withheld, yes, but these moments were fine. For example, I was conflicted with the way Dexter Jettster, the Dex from Dex’s Dinner, is used in this story. This Besalisk is Kenobi’s go to for information trading. It mentions that Obi-Wan and Dexter had a youthful misadventure in the Unknown Regions. Chen reveals that Dex had his old “black-market” days, explaining why Kenobi comes to him for insight on specific intel that wouldn’t typically be available elsewhere.
Chen did a great job writing Anakin. The young Jedi Knight was assigned to a group of younglings, to pass on what wisdom he might have to the next generation. Anakin was so out of his element, being both intimated and frustrated with the young crowd. These moments were both funny and sad (knowing that these younglings would be butchered by Vader in just a few years). This is also the best look at the relationship of Anakin and Padme yet. The author did a really good job bringing the two together, showing us how the couple was able to work the relationship around their “galactic duties” and keep it secret, out of the public eye.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, I’m amazed at just how great this book is, especially being a Clone Wars era novel.
RATING: This book receives an A+ / 5/5 stars!
Star Wars: Brotherhood Review
https://youtu.be/TEWG49A6ytw
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars : Queen’s Hope was written by bestselling author E.K. Johnston. This YA novel is published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press. Queen’s Hope is the final Padme book, in the YA series.
SUMMARY: Padme and Anakin are in love. They want to live a life of secrecy and risk by fulfilling their personal desires by committing themselves to each other in marriage. This is forbidden in the Jedi Order, but it’s a risk Anakin is willing to take. When they return to Coruscant the first true test of how they will maintain their relationship begins. Anakin is shipped out to fight in the Clone Wars and Padme goes on a secret mission behind Separatist lines.
Check out this audio excerpt provided by Disney-Lucasfilm Press!
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OVERALL THOUGHTS: The Padme trilogy, is one the most bizarre trilogies we’ve had. One book was a retelling of The Phantom Menace through a different perspective. One book jumps back in time as Padme adjusts to being Queen, and finally we close out the trilogy with the start of the Clone Wars.
Padme is tired of serving others before herself. She does like being a servant of the people, but she also wants to fulfill her own desires. When facing death on Geonosis, she realized the love of Anakin Skywalker, is just what she needs. Padme touts that she handles aggressive negotiations. In this story, she has no fear, but she risks exposing so much, with her decision to go on a secret mission.
There is something that felt off with this story, and that would be the timeframe. Little things don’t balance well with timeline of the relationship status between Anakin and Padme. This book suggests they had a lot more time together than what we witnessed in Attack of the Clones. They knew so much about each other and how each other would react to specific things.
I’ve always felt that Padme’s character is mistreated. I don’t believe an author has truly been able to tap into the character and give her an appropriate story that feels realistic or isn’t full of cringey fluff. I really don’t think anyone knows how to write the character of Padme. She’s a senator, not a secret agent… or is she? She is treated like an errand-girl, doing work that she shouldn’t be doing.
RATING: This book receives a D+
