by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Out of the Shadows was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Justina Ireland.
Justina Ireland did a pretty good job with her previous High Republic book, Test of Courage. However, with this one, I checked out early. I read the whole thing, but my care for anything going on was absent. There are parts of the story that are ok, but there are many parts that were just so boring.
I love that this book tied in with the other High Republic books and comics so well. Familiar and new characters have a lot going on. The events on Valo have many people throughout the galaxy scared. The Nihil are really making a name for themselves. The Jedi are getting really frustrated with the Nihil, but also with struggle they face by dipping too far into the affairs of Republic politics and war (sounds familiar).
This book had a lot of cringey material. I don’t know why the YA books have more adult themed subjects than the adult books. For example, alcohol consumption, sexual advances, and even prostitution. When a YA book has to mention every sexual orientation and every racial skin tone, it doesn’t read good. It feels like a a diversity training manual disguised as a Star Wars book.
I’m not kidding, just about every character that was brought in was described by the color of their skin, it’s poor character development, I can understand doing this occasionally… but all the time? Please stop. Our main character, Syl, is horn-dog, she’s so pervy.
RATING: I hate doing it, but I have to give this book an F. I spend my time reading books and I want to like them, I really do. The most important thing I MUST do, is be honest and give my opinion on the book. Some of you folks, will love this story.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Ronin was written by Emma Mieko Candon. Ronin is Emma’s debut novel. It was published by Del Rey (thanks for this copy) and ties in to the Disney Plus series, Visions.
SUMMARY:
An old man is haunted by a voice in his head. He has lived a long, hard life. Events unfold in a manner he never expected, when he witnesses a slain warrior rise from the dead. It’s brought to light that a Sith witch has been resurrecting the dead to do her bidding. The Ronin and a band of unusual folks make it their mission to find the witch who’s creating her demonic army, and sever the strings of her dark puppetry.
This band of warriors will face many trials, some will be victorious, some will be overcome with grief. This quest may also bring to light answers as to what happened to the beautiful planet Rei’izu, which vanished after the great war between the Sith and Jedi.
In this tale, lore of the force and those that wield it altered in a way reader’s have never witnessed.
CHARACTER:
Ekiya: She’s the pilot of the Poor Crow, the most down to earth of the characters. She’s not afraid to tell people how things are going to be on her ship. When tensions rise between bickering force users, she’ll tell them to shut it. In her youth she was forced to fight in a war she wanted nothing to do with. She lost so much that was dear to her. She holds pins her anger on the Sith and the Jedi.
The Ronin: He’s a seasoned warrior, of both light and the dark. In his youth he served the Jedi. Yet, he eventually abandoned the the Jedi and Empire, to serve his own desires. He and the woman he loved, sought out the Mirror of the Shinsui Temple, which was said to give visions that would fulfill their desires. This led to a great war on the planet Rei’izu. Now, in his old age, he is alone but not alone, a voice in his head guides him. It guides him into danger, to duel with Sith warriors. But… this voice isn’t singular to just the Ronin.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This book, I have mixed feelings about it. Most of what’s in this story I absolutely enjoyed. We have a wonderful adventure full of obstacles, with pain and suffering, there is mystery, hope, betrayal, and mysticism.
The novel takes an alternate path from what we know as canon. Emma tells a unique story, that does have familiar tones that we’ve witnessed in Star Wars, but it’s also so very different. This story, this galaxy of Star Wars, is a version we have’t seen. The Empire rules the galaxy, but it’s not the Empire we know of in current canon or the Expanded Universe/Legends Empire. The Jedi are its warriors, they are divided into clans and ruled by Jedi lords that serve princes of the Empire.
Emma’s writing style is nice, it’s not a style I recognize in the other Star Wars books, so that’s great, it reads more like a fantasy than a science fiction book, which is the style I prefer. The plot was great and the twists were decent. As a tale that isn’t part of the canon timeline, it definitely works as a stand alone novel that brings in its own lore and could potentially spark a new line of canon in an alternate Star Wars universe.
The negative that I have… I hope you actually hear me out on this, I do not like the use of the pronoun they/them/their. I found it EXTREMELY difficult to follow some situations and got very confused when a group of characters were talking amongst each other. The shift of they or their between an individual and individuals was making my head spin. I also don’t understand how a character is known to be identified as this, when another character comes along and refers to that character as a they/them/their… I can’t find the logic in it. However, this character was very interesting and mysterious. I just wish so much about the character didn’t confuse me.
RATING: I will give Star Wars: Ronin a ( B – ). I loved the writing style and the plot, but the confusion that disrupted my brain while reading a particular character brought the rating down.
by Matthew Wilson
The Final Girl Support Group was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Grady Hendrix. I’ve been a fan of Hendrix for a while, I highly recommend you pick some of his other books, My Best Friend’s Exorcism & The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
So, what is a Final Girl? Well, she is the lone survivor in a horror story. After her friends and/or family have been brutally murdered by a violent psychopathic killer, she stands to face the killer alone. In most cases, she triumphantly overcomes her attacker, putting an end to the graphic bloodshed.
In this story, we follow Lynnette, as she does her best to keep the support group she’s attended for over a decade, from dissolving. The members, all Final Girls, are the inspiration of slasher horror films and writers of tell-all books. Some of the ladies feel the group should to disband! During a meeting that spirals out of control with pointless debate and petty complaints, one of the members checks her phone to see the horrific news, that the Final Girl whose chair was empty, was killed.
The news of one of their own being killed strikes a nerve, especially with Lynnette. On her way home, she takes unique paths through the city that she believes would shake a tail – in the event that someone was actually following her. She focuses in on the shoes of people near her, checking if the same pair have crossed her path more than once. Lynnette’s the kind of gal that has back up plans for her back up plans, just in case things go wrong… which they do.
Someone is trying to kill off the Final Girls!
Lynnette is the only one aware, thanks to her paranoia, that a killer is hell-bent on spilling the blood of her and her friends… To kill off the Final Girls.
Will Lynnette save her friends? Or, will she be the Final Girl – of the Final Girls?
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
As always, I get a kick out of Grady Hendrix’s stories. Each one of his books is so different, but as far as I can tell, they all share just one thing… a wonderful female lead. I could be wrong, but seems to be a trend in publishing right now (don’t cancel me) to have a female lead. Almost every new book I’ve read has a leading female protagonist – there’s nothing wrong with that! Hendrix writes characters extremely well. As a man writing the female perspective the way he does it, it’s just mind blowing. Hendrix always puts a character in the most uncomfortable situations, and it’s always exciting to see how the character will react.
I found it humorous to base not just characters, but the actual massacres of the Final Girl’s past off of real horror movies and characters, like Sidney from Scream and Laurie from Halloween. Of course, things are mixed up and twisted a bit. Although certain plot points mirror things that we have seen in horror flicks, the story is still unpredictable and loads of fun.
While I did enjoy the book, the only complaints I have, is that some plot points were slightly muddled down and some things were resolved a bit too conveniently. HOWEVER, those complaints share almost ALL of my thoughts on horror films in general – off the wall plot points and convenient resolve. Well, I guess that’s what makes it fun.
Rating: I will give The Final Support Group a B+
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Shatterpoint Book Review
Star Wars: Shatterpoint was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Matthew Stover. Shatterpoint takes place during the Rise of the Empire Era, it is the 27th book on the Expanded Universe timeline . The tale takes place 22 years before the events of A New Hope.
SUMMARY
Mace Windu is irritated with himself, he had the opportunity to rid the galaxy of Count Dooku, but failed to execute the Separatist leader. Windu is living with that failure daily, his living nightmare, as the galaxy is now in a full scale war. Master Yoda and Mace Windu meet with Chancellor Palpatine to discuss some disturbing evidence that was discovered involving Master Windu’s former Padawan, Council Member Depa Billaba.
Depa Billaba is on Haruun Kal (WIndu’s homeworld) to train natives how to fight as a guerrilla resistance force against the Separatists. An audio file was found at a massacre on Haruun Kal with Depa’s voice. It appears, that she has turned potentially turned to the dark side. Mace will take it upon himself to go to Haruun Kal to investigate matters on the planet, to find out if this is true.
The planet is an absolute warzone, Windu is met by violence and betrayl. He’s captured by militiamen, but let go, in order to find the “Jedi problem in the wilderness” Windu has a lot to learn about Haruun Kal, not just about the war taking place between the Republic and the Separatists, but the war that’s taking place between the Haruun Kal people, the Balawaii and Korunnai. This war, is known as the Summertime War.
Will Mace Windu find Depa Billaba? Has his former Padawan, a member on the Jedi Council, turned to the dark side? Well the book has been reprinted and is now available in an unabridged audiobook, I suggest you give it a read or listen to find out!
CHARACTER
Mace Windu, Jedi Master on the High Council, is guided by the force to see shatter points. He’s able to see weaknesses/breaking points of people or events, and how they can effect everything around them. (for example, Dooku is a shatter-point for the civil war. If he could be broken, the war could potentially crumble away.) Windu is lean, intense, intellectual, and very strong willed. It’s why he had become a council member before the age of 30. The Jedi Master had been on the council for more than 20 years before the battle of Geonosis. He’s tempted many times to go against what is right, he’s even got a temper, but he does have excellent self control.
Kar Vaster: He’s the leader of the Upland Liberation Front. The man is a creepy mystery. He’s got an aura about him that’s shrouded in darkness. In his youth, he witnessed the death of his family, which changed him for the worse. As a child, he had to survive on his own in the jungle. He’s now a witch doctor, a fierce warrior, and a manipulator. People fear him. When he walks through the jungle, it’s as though the trees and brush move aside.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I enjoyed this book, mostly. The first half was very strong, Stover was clear in all that was happening. I found the characters interesting and true to how I’ve seen them on screen and how I imaged they would be in another story. I felt that the second half of the story was weighed down heavily with far too much action. Yes, I know – Star WARS, but it was just too much at times. That said, I was still fully engaged in the story, even if some details escaped me.
Mace Windu is basically dropped in the Vietnam War of the Star Wars universe. His birth planet, Haruun Kal is such a brutal place with constant war and lush jungle full of danger. Militiamen, nasty insects, a dark force, a rogue Jedi… it’s not a fun place to be. Mace has a full arc that was satisfying in the end. He had to fight not just the enemies around him, but he had to fight the darkness creeping within.
There are sections in the book labeled, “From the Private Journal of Mace WIndu” I think it’s an interesting way of getting in Mace’s head, to know what he’s thinking. I enjoyed the entries – Mace giving his thoughts and recording facts about what he’s witnessing and experiencing. These journal entries are encrypted immediately, and uploaded to the Jedi archives, so they can’t be altered or deleted. A cool touch.
There is one thing I found a bit too silly, it’s implied that Mace Windu flips up the middle finger to a couple bad dudes. It was humorous, but it wasn’t that funny.
The ending of this book without spoiling anything, is one of my favorite types of endings in a book. I’ll just say, I love a good tragedy. That’s not a spoiler… because you don’t know what I find tragic. The outcome of the characters and the results of what plays out on Haruun Kal, is fantastic.
Do I recommend Star Wars: Shatterpoint? The answer, is yes. I like Mace Windu, and I’m glad we have novel with him as the main character.
RATING
I will give Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover, a B+
by Matthew Wilson
Moonraker, the third James Bond story, was written by Ian Fleming in 1955.
SUMMARY: M is fascinated by the man named Hugo Drax, a millionaire and idol of Britain. Hugo Drax has dedicated his money and life to the construction of an atomic defensive weapon, called the Moonraker. For M, the most fascinating and peculiar thing about this “man of the year” type fellow, is that he cheats at cards. M calls on Bond to take a closer look at Drax, to find out what hidden motives the man may have. Does the millionaire cheat for thrills or is there something a tad more sinister going on?
The SIS is also investigating a murder/suicide at Drax’s Moonraker facility. Typically this wouldn’t be a job for the SIS, but because they cleared the man that did the killing to enter the county, they have to take a closer look. Especially when such violence breaks out around the Moonraker site, with just four days remaining until its first test launch.
As expected in a James Bond spy thriller, things get crazy and the plot gets wild! Bond can feel the dark intentions lingering in the air around the incredible presence of powerful Moonraker. The clock is ticking, and the countdown has begun – for millions of lives.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Moonraker is such a good book! The story unfolds nicely, it’s full of surprises, drama, and action! I really enjoyed how the book starts, with James Bond doing petty office work. Little details Fleming throws in are fantastic, such as Bond attempting to open a door, but it’s locked, so he has to make the inconvenient walk around to another door.
The story progression has excellent pacing. I thought the way things unraveled to expose the villain was fascinating. There are bits and pieces dropped along the story that keep you guessing and theorizing who certain people are.
In this story, we get insight on what James Bond’s job is like most of the time. It’s just mundane office work, looking at files and reading over reports. Usually he has only one major assignment a year, the rest of the time is boring office work. Bond makes good money, he loves women, has no family, and he likes to drive fast.
Gala Brand is an under cover agent for the special police force, Vallance. She’s been working as a secretary for Hugo Drax, keeping an eye out on the mysterious man and the whole Moonraker operation. She knows that Bond is an SIS agent and is very annoyed that he was sent in – why would he be able to find something that she couldn’t? She can’t stand Bond, however, as usual, Bond mages to break the ice, cooling her bitterness towards him.
There’s this wonderful moment between Bond and Brand. after some intense action, Fleming places the perfect human reaction between the two. Each character was a bit sick, they left each other alone with privacy, they came back together and sat in silence for a moment. Then Bond lights a cigarette. They soak in the remaining sunlight on a beach, then they spoke of business.
Hugo Drax seems to have a clean record, a man of the year type of personality. His past is shrouded in mystery, he came out of World War II with severe wounds to his face, which resulted in plastic surgery and altered his face. He later invested in a metal, called Columbite, and got rich off of it. He gave his entire holding of the mineral to Britain, to build the super atomic rocket, Moonraker. Turns out, behind closed doors, he’s a pretty bad dude.
Do I recommend Moonraker? Yes! The book is fantastic, a must read for the spy/thriller fan.
Rating: This book receives an A+
by Matthew Wilson
Live And Let Die, the second James Bond story, was written by Ian Fleming in 1954.
SUMMARY: Gold coins from the lost treasure of Bloody Morgan, are being shipped from a secret location in Jamaica, to New York. These coins are being sold on the streets to fund the Russian organization, Smersh. James Bond has a heavy burden on his shoulders in this big city and tropical adventure. He must find the source of the secret of the treasure to uncover a communist spy ring in New York, run by a voodoo criminal mastermind; and continue his personal mission to cripple Smersh.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I really enjoyed the second James Bond story just as much, if not more so than the first book. Live & Let Die was thrilling from start to finish. The threats James Bond faces were dire and sometimes horrifying. Ian Fleming did great work with the second installment of James Bond, expanding the spy adventure to the streets of New York City, and to the tropics of Jamaica.
There are many characters in this book that were written extremely well. Some characters from Casino Royale come back for the second book, such as Felix Leiter and M. Some of my favorite characters from this book would have to be ‘The Robber’ and Quarrel. The Robber was an excellent henchmen, he was hard edged, not easily pushed around and was full of surprises. Quarrel, was a helpful friend to Bond.
It appears that James Bond has evolved a bit since Casio Royale. In the previous book, he viewed women as a burden, especially on the job. In this book, his attraction for Solitaire was immediate, and felt a connection with her as soon as they made eye contact. Who is Solitaire? She’s a voodoo psychic medium, who was taken by the villain of the story, Mr. Big. She was to marry him against her will. Bond also has a solid friendship with Felix Leiter, an agent of the CIA. Something happens to Leiter in this novel that enrages Bond further into his hatred of the Russian organization, Smersh.
The villain, Mr. Big, was written so well. His presence was overreaching, he was everywhere. He is an intimating force, even though he isn’t present through much of the story. The fear that he instills in the streets with tales of Voodoo magic, plays to his advantage. He has people/goons everywhere, eyes and ears that watch and listen to the happenings in the streets. He’s an extension of Smersh, though we don’t get into those connections too much at all. He appears to be his own man, his own boss, with his own goals.
The tension between Mr. Big and James Bond is great. Mr. Big, really lays down the law, telling Bond how things are going to be. Much of the conversation in the book is well written. The only dialogue that has potential to be a little cheesy, would be some of the conversations between Bond and Solitaire. Overall, the dialogue was good. Fleming did very well with descriptions of people and locations.
The Voodoo aspect of the story was very interesting and worked well. The book basically has two parts, the big city, and the tropics of Jamaica. I’m not much a fan of the tropics, but Fleming had me hooked with the oceanic climax of the story, full of sharks and barracuda. Live & Let Die is a fun James Bond adventure for sure.
Do I recommend Live And Let Die? Yes! However, if your sensitive to cultural differences and historical events, you’ll probably be offended.
Rating: This book receives an A+
