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Star Wars: Yoda Dark Rendezvous

Star Wars: Yoda Dark Rendezvous

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Star Wars: Yoda Dark Rendezvous was written by Sean Stewart. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the Clone Wars in the Rise of the Empire era, 19 BBY (19 years before the battle of Yavin)

SUMMARY

A message has been delivered to Yoda, that Dooku wants to return home. Despite the casualties and destruction of the war, Yoda desires to meet with his former Padawan. Yoda and a small team set out for the planet Vjun. Clearly, it’s a trap.

Ventress has a desire to be trained as a Sith under Dooku. However, he explains to her just how unprepared and unlearned she really is.

THOUGHTS

I like diving into these characters, Yoda and Dooku. These older characters have been around a while, they have so much unexplored backstory. Dooku binging Yoda’s most talented student; there should be a book series on the adventures these two had. The wedge that was placed between them is heart breaking, image the emotional impact we could have experinced if we had so much more content focused on these two.

I really liked the writing style. Yet sometime I felt like humor was squeezed in at the weirdest places, and mostly pined on Yoda, which made him feel out of character. Yes, we get a few comical moments with him in film, especially Empire Strikes Back, with R2-D2. It’s the same sort of humor but far too often. I could’ve used less of it. However, the confrontation between Yoda and Dooku shows the mature, wise, and power within Yoda.

There seems to be a contradiction, Qui-Gon appears to Yoda… that wasn’t a thing until the end of Revenge of the Sith… Unless Yoda has been communicating with him for a long while before he decides to tell anyone else about it?

This Star Wars story has what makes the Expanded Universe so good, new characters, new relationships and relationships that are established (but we get to dive into them). It’s got real threats and character deaths. We get so used to characters facing threats that don’t have consequences, for this book, obviously we know Yoda is going to survive… however the new characters are fair game, we don’t know what to expect of their fate.

RATING

Star Wars: Yoda: Dark Rendezvous receives an A.

Star Wars: Medstar I: Battle Surgeons

Star Wars: Medstar I: Battle Surgeons

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Star Wars: Battle Surgeons, part one of the Medstar Duology was written by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the Clone Wars in the Rise of the Empire era, 21 BBY (21 years before the battle of Yavin)

SUMMARY & THOUGHTS

Jedi Padawan Barris Offee was sent to the planet Drongar to assist the Clone medic team and use her force ability as a healer. Her other task is to to keep an eye on Bota harvesting. Bota is a plant with several medicinal benefits and is in high demand across the galaxy… It’s value is high.

Admiral Bleyd is not happy to be on Drongar, in charge of the Medstar medical frigate. He’s upset, so naturally, he comes up with a get rich scheme and aligns himself with Black Sun.

This story focuses on a few characters going about their daily tasks. Life is hard during war. We tend to think only of the warriors during the Clone Wars, this novel sheds light on the other heroes… the surgeons.

I’d say the authors did a fine job of expressing the chaos of war, especially within the medical units. Although the clones are disposable, the medics do what they can to prolong and heal the injured.

This book starts off pretty gross with some surgical gore. The clones have a tough, dangerous job fighting on the front lines of a galactic war. Spare body parts/organs are grown from cells, so when a clone is in need of say, a spare lung, the surgical team may have one in a cooling tank.

The cast of characters is great, I enjoyed the bits with the villain of the story, Bleyd (silly name). He gets cocky, which leads to stupid decisions. I also enjoyed Barris Offee’s role in the story. Some in the galaxy really have a distaste for the Jedi and the force.

The little link to some other EU tales with the arrive of I-5, Lorn Pavan’s droid, Lorn was from the EU book I really enjoyed, Maul Shadow Hunter, which was also written by Michael Reeves. There were few sexual things that are unnecessary, I’m guessing that’s Steve Perry’s doing. A lady is trying to seduce Jos, but he want’s to reserve himself.

While I thought the story was decent, it is much slower than I’d prefer. I’m not the biggest fan of the Clone Wars era (which I’ve said multiple times on the channel). Sometimes slower stories that focus on characters is much more enjoyable than constant – flashy action.

RATING

I will give Star Wars: Medstar I: Battle Surgeons, a B.
Star Wars: The Cestus Deception Book Review

Star Wars: The Cestus Deception Book Review

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Star Wars: The Cestus Deception was written by bestselling author,Steven Barnes. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the Clone Wars in the Rise of the Empire era, 22 BBY (22 years before the Battle of Yavin).

SUMMARY & THOUGHTS

Kenobi & Kit Fisto are summoned by the Chancellor to see first hand a new battle droid in action, it contains bio-engineering from a force sensitive creature – A battle droid with force sensitivity is extremely dangerous.

Clone training exercises are extreme! We follow arc trooper Nate on one exercise, the drill is deadly, claiming the lives of many clones, which some consider cheap and expendable.

I highly enjoyed the first half of this book, witnessing the deep dive of Clone training and the perspectives that people have of the clones was great. The book does say something I disagree with, Kit Fisto is a superior fighter than Kenobi… ha!

I love that Jango’s death is a mystery, the truth has been twisted. Some clones believe that Fett was loyal and heroic, that he was betrayed, that it took 11 jedi to take him down.

It’s like a better quality episode of the Clone Wars. The story starts off strong but gradually gets less captivating.

I don’t care for the characters, I don’t care for the plot, I just… don’t care about this book and I’m ready to move on from it.

RATING

For the rating, I give this book a D. The strong intro kept the book from failing all together.
Batman Resurrection Book Review

Batman Resurrection Book Review

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Batman Resurrection was written by bestselling author, John Jackson Miller. The book was published by Random House Worlds, October 15, 2024. This Novel is a direct sequel to Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film.

This novel is hard to summarize while keeping it spoiler free… Yet, I’ve gotta say, I did a pretty fine job keeping this review spoiler free. There is so much I’d like to talk about, but I really want you all to experience this book for yourselves.

SUMMARY

Months after the Joker’s death, the streets of Gotham are still in recovery after Smylex, the solution the Joker and his goons used to terrorize the city, was unleashed. Many were killed by the chemical concoction that deformed faces, twisting cheeks upward into a heinous smile, and forced victims to laugh themselves to death. A man named Auslander, may hold the key to curing many victims.

Bruce Wayne is loosing sleep over his last encounter with The Joker. Something the Joker said to Batman before his fall from the Gotham City Cathedral is eating away at Bruce’s mind. It seems that more and more questions arise as he recalls specific details leading up to the final fight.

A resurrection stuns Gotham City and Batman! The Joker’s reign of terror continues, but how? Batman is pushed to his limit while fighting crime and doing his best to solve a great mystery that plagues the city and his own mind! Who will have the last laugh in Gotham City?!

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Batman Resurrection is an absolute blast of a sequel story that ties up loose ends! The book is a satisfying read from start to finish! I recommend this novel for anyone who was a fan of the 1989 film, Batman. John Jackson Miller does a fine job keeping the tone of the story consistent with the vision of Tim Burton’s heroic vigilante. This tale is dark and mysterious, yet fun and heroic.

I love that characters from the original film are present in this book. The author did such a good job keeping them true to how they were represented in the film, nailing their personalities and dialogue nearly perfectly. The new characters that are introduced are also very well written and move the story along in a thrilling direction. 

 

Batman Resurrection is fun, fast paced, packed with action, and full of mystery! This novel is a must read for anyone who calls themselves a Batman fan, especially a fan of the Batman 1989 film! I highly – highly recommend this book.

I’ve never been excited to read a super hero novel, but because Batman (1989) is my favorite hero film… I got excited for Batman Resurrection. I was thrilled to get direct sequel novel to that story. John Jackson Miller delivered an excellent Batman tale that had me burning through the pages. I’m also thrilled that this expanded material is not the last of Tim Burton/John Jackson Miller Batman “canon,” as there is more to come soon! 

I’ve mentioned the characters already, but I can’t stress enough just how well John Jackson Miller wrote these characters. Bruce Wayne is a wealthy man, he’s got many toys for Batman, and it’s cool that we get to see him test out his new equipment on street thugs. For a 400 plus page book, it felt like 200.

Some may say this review is hyping the book up way too much… but I don’t think so, this book didn’t focus on some real world political agenda or squeeze in any sort of “woke” nonsense. It’s just good old fashion fun with the greatest caped hero of all time, who drives the coolest vehicle to ever grace the big screen (second to Ghostbusters Ecto 1).

 

RATING

Batman Resurrection by John Jackson Miller earns a solid A+ rating.

The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos Book Review

The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos Book Review

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The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos was written by Kami Garcia, published in January 2017. This is book one of the Origins series.

SUMMARY


After Samantha, Fox Mulder’s little sister was abducted by …someone or something… a wedge was driven into the family. His parents’ marriage fell apart and the couple separated, with Fox having to split his time between the two. He and his father don’t have a solid relationship, it’s more business that father/son. In this tale, we spend time with Fox while he has to stay at his father’s home.

Fox is watching the news when a story breaks that a child was kidnapped. He takes a special interest in the story, he believes it could be related to the disappearance of his sister. He comes across a crime scene when the body of another boy is found, and what he witnesses fuels his determination to find the abductor/killer. When he brings information to the police, they shove him out of the department, brushing off his information.

He’s got two friends, Phoebe and Gary Winchester, aka, Gimble. Gimble’s father is the one who really began to peak Mulder’s interest in conspiracies, government cover-ups, and the possibility of extra-terrestrials and UFOs.

In this book we follow Mulder and his friends as they attempt to uncover who is kidnapping and killing children. Mulder holds onto hope that it will uncover the mystery of who or what took his sister.

OVERALL THOUGHTS


This is was an excellent read. Diving into Fox Mulder’s past, with his desire to learn the truth about his sister was an excellent way to tell a prequel story focused on the character. Getting into the young mind of Mulder was both sad and enlightening. A boy, mostly lonely with a scarred past, who blames himself for the loss of his sister. He’s determined to find out the truth, to find out what happened to Samantha. He’s a smart kid with strong will and knack for solving mystery.

The author did an excellent job laying out different aspects of the story; the mystery, the romance, the friendships, and thrills. The novel has the perfect amount of humor, that wasn’t over the top or cheesy. Many moments in the story were intense, driven by excellent dialogue.

This X-Files prequel is well worth the time to read. It was fun picking up on little bits that would have deeper meaning in the show. Kami Garcia wrote an exciting book and did a wonderful job with the characterization of a young Fox Mulder.

RATING

I give The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos an A+.