Star Wars: Darth Bane Rule of Two Book Review

Star Wars: Darth Bane – Rule of Two, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the tenth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book two, in the Darth Bane trilogy. It takes place 990 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

Darth Bane has completed his task in destroying the Brotherhood of Darkness. The Sith army is done, and the quest to destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy has begun. Darth Bane has acquired his apprentice after successfully wiping out the Sith. The Sith Order has been reformed to its origins, with Bane’s apprentice, the rule of two has been reinstated. One with the power, another to crave it.

Bane discovers a book with the tomb location of an ancient Sith, Freedon Nadd, and will seek it out with the hope of finding a holocron. The holocron is a device that captures the essence of its creator, used to pass on knowledge. Bane will go alone, leaving behind his apprentice. In this quest, Bane becomes the host of a strange parasite called an Orbalisk that feeds on the dark side, but produces an enzyme that produces strength and increases the flow of the dark side. These hard shelled parasites cannot be removed. However, their exoskeleton is an incredible armor.

Zannah is left on Ruusan by herself as Bane begins his research. She must find a way to meet up with him on another world. This serves as her first test by Bane. As time jumps forward, Zannah is still learning the ways of the Sith, while a link from her past tempts her to turn from the dark side. The time for her to seek out her on apprentice is near. Through her own adventures, she has infiltrated a rebellious cell against the Republic. It is through this group she discovers a force sensitive who she may find useful.

The rebel cell attacks a government official who is guarded by the Jedi named Johun. Johun eventually discovers that the Sith are actually still in the galaxy. He will gather other Jedi to meet Bane and Zannah in a clash of lightsabers.

CHARACTERS

This book has a handful of great characters once again. In my review of Path of Destruction, I did not mention Bane in this section. In this review, I’ll talk about Bane, Zannah, Johun, and Darovit.

Bane: He has become so powerful, yet still craves more and more dark side energy. As the Master, he works tirelessly, nonstop at gaining more understanding of the Sith. With this knowledge, he will pass on all he learns to his apprentice, so that the order will remain true to its origins.

Zannah: Her power in sorcery is incredible. She can twist her opponents mind, turning their fears against them, driving them mad. She’s on the prowl for an apprentice, it has been quite a challenge to find the right candidate. She’s loyal to her master, absorbing as much knowledge and skill she can before she will eventually dismantle Darth Bane from his position.

Johun: He was the padawan of Jedi Master Hoth. He served with his master in the fight against the Sith, as a Jedi soldier in the Army of Light. Johun can be temperamental at times, causing others to remind him often, to take it easy. He’s brave yet vengeful, and will find his way to be face to face with the Sith.

Darovit: The temptation of Zannah. He’s the link to her past, to her childhood. He’s persistent in his pleading to Zannah, to go back to the light. He constantly refers to her as her former name, Rain. He went by the name of Tomcat in his youth. His failure as a Jedi padawan led to darkness, but he quickly abandoned the Sith and returned to the light. Will his quest to turn Zannah from the dark side be complete? Get this book and read it to find out.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

The Rule of Two is an excellent continuation in the Darth Bane trilogy. I’m just as thrilled with this read as I was with Path of Destruction! In this book we’re introduced to a new cast of characters and revisiting some from the previous book.

Bane has some nasty stuff going on with those parasites for sure. The imagery described for the Orbalisk and what they do is disturbing and disgusting. Karpyshyn does an incredible job at tying in new characters to the story and revisiting previous themes or locations. It reminded me of what George Lucas said about the Star Wars films, “it’s like poetry.”

The climax of the book had me on edge, the drama and thrills can cause chaotic reading and rereading. Darth Bane’s views on equality are pretty much real world politically incorrect, I love it. Bane’s quote on equality is so spot on, I had to copy it down in a notebook. That also goes to show that the dialogue in this book, is legit.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Darth Bane – Rule of Two? Yes, it’s a must, it’s book two of a trilogy!

RATING

I give this book an A+. It continues the brilliant tale of how one character changed the destiny of the Sith, and shapes his apprentice.

*Purchase Darth Bane Rule of Two: https://amzn.to/2Pf84KL

*PRODUCT – AFFILIATE – LINKS*
By clicking these links and buying the products you are helping to support my content. There are no additional costs to you. I use these products and stand behind them. I appreciate the support!

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck Review

Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon – Lando’s Luck

Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon – Lando’s Luck is a junior novel, written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Justina Ireland. Illustrations in the book were done by Annie Wu.

SUMMARY

Lando Calrissian is out on the planet Hynestia, playing a game of sabbacc after doing a bit of smuggling business. He smuggled in some special juice which is highly illegal on Hynestia. Well once this game ends a bounty hunter bursts through the cantina doors and arrests Lando’s sabbacc opponent… her name is Zel. She had something stolen something called the Solstice Globe. Lando attempts to make his way out of the cantina when the Queen of Hynestia comes in and basically says, “Hey… you sit down, you smuggled in some illegal juice!” So while Zel is sentenced to time in the dungeon, Lando is given a death sentence. However, Lando’s hide is saved when Prinecss Rinetta steps up and says “How about we let Lando take the Solstice Globe to the Empire, as our payment to them.” So the Queen agrees. However, what the Queen and Lando don’t know, is that Rinetta was actually working with Zel, to get the Soltice Globe off planet to Livno III, where it came from. Long ago, Hynestians had stolen it from Livno III. So… a bunch of shenanigans ensue and that’s basically the story… A crazy adventure to get an artifact from one place to another, with obstacles needing to be overcome.

CHARACTERS

Lando Calrissian: He’s consistant with who he is in the films, especially Solo: A Star Wars Story. He’s obsessed with himself, his looks, and his ship, He wants to get rich, but he’s got to do it the easy way… by cheating.

Princess Rinetta: She’s defiant against her mother. She’s got a strong will and wants to follow her heart and act on what she believes is the right thing.

L3: I don’t like this droid, the book didn’t make “her” any better for me. L3 is just as annoying in this book as she is on screen. However, L3 did provide some humor.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

It’s an okay read, nothing too special. It’s a quick easy read. Character development was pretty good. The familiar characters were consistent with how they appeared in previous material and the new characters were introduced well. The Flight of the Falcon Series will take the Falcon on several new adventures and I’m looking forward to what else we have in store for the series.

Do I recommend that you read Flight of the Falcon – Lando’s Luck? Sure, read this instead of Last Shot!

RATING: I give this book a B-

Story of Redemption Bible Review

by Matthew Wilson

Story of Redemption Bible Review

Provided by Crossway

Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through the Unfolding Promises of God

The ESV Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through the Unfolding Promises of God was published by Crossway.

The hardcover edition is pretty think, but not too heavy. The design on the dust-jacket is very impressive. The inner flap sheds light on a few of the features within this Bible (listed down below). Underneath the dust-jacket is black board with some gold designs and text on the spine. With a book this thick, I personally prefer taking the dust-jacket off to prevent wear and tear. This Bible is also available in tru-tone and top grain leather.

On the inside there is a presented to page with some elegant design work. The cream colored pages with the gold and grey highlights are just beautiful. The contents page lists everything within this Bible along with its page number. On the back of the contents page, is a chronological overview, organizing the books in, well… chronological order. To summarize the Introduction, it’s basically saying that the Bible is a STORY, an epic TRUE STORY. However, it’s not just an epic tale of those within the books, it’s OUR story, our epic. It’s true, because God’s Word is still relevant and the story is still unfolding. The preface provides a brief history of translations and an explanation of the English Standard Version translation.

Each book in this Bible has a unique illustration that sits above the title. In the back of the Bible, we have an index of the title illustrations. We see all the art with a summary of what it represents. You can also find a Daily Bible Reading Plans section, with two different plans. Both take you through the bible in one year. There’s a suggested reading plan and a canonical reading plan.

Cited Information from the Bible and Crossway.org:

9.25 Milo Type (Scripture)

8.5 Milo Type (Notes)

897 notes written by pastor Greg Gilbert

All-new introductions to each book of the Bible

80+ maps, illustrations, and timelines

Foldout timeline in the back

Highly readable typesetting with generous margin space

Premium cream-colored paper

Smyth-sewn binding

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

The Story of Redemption Bible is gorgeous. The cream colored paper, the gold accents, and black text… beautiful. The layout is simple and the illustrations throughout are a nice touch. The margin space is generous, but it wouldn’t be considered a “wide-margin.” While there is some space, you’d have to write pretty small or turn the Bible to write your notes horizontally.

This single column paragraph style is clean, the paper isn’t overloaded with text. So, there’s no references or notes at the bottom of the pages, just the occasional translation note.The notes are in line with the paragraph format, separated by dividing lines within the scripture. They are conversational, inspire thought, and share valuable, wise information. I love how these notes are laced into the scripture, it’s so much easier than referring to the bottom of the page.

So, do I recommend that you pick up the Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through God’s Unfolding Promises? Yes! If you like elegant, simple design and distraction free reading… get this bible!

Purchase the Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through God’s Unfolding Promises: https://amzn.to/2QefdMR

*PRODUCT – AFFILIATE – LINKS*
By clicking these links and buying the products you are helping to support my channel. There are no additional costs to you. I use these products and stand behind them. I appreciate the support!

Archaeology Study Bible

by Matthew Wilson

ARCHAEOLOGY STUDY BIBLE REVIEW

Provided by Crossway

The Archaeology Study Bible English Standard Version, is published by Crossway. It’s available in hardcover, tru-tone, and Genuine Leather.

One of the first pages is a presentation or presented to page. The contents page gives us a list of each item in the book, as well as the page numbers, which by the way, this Bible has 2037 pages total.

Archaeology is important, especially when it comes to the history of God’s word. This Bible, uses archaeology facts to create a setting and backdrop to paint a clear picture of the timeline in which biblical events took place.

I did find something humorous in the introduction, and I’m not sure if it was intentional. Keep in mind… this is an archaeology bible.

“We desire that laypeople, as they study this bible, would be encouraged to dig deeper into the scriptures and to grow in grace, knowledge, and truth.”

The introduction also mentions that this bible could be part of a suite, as there are two other books that could contribute to this study Bible. The other books are the ESV Study Bible (2008) and the ESV Bible Atlas (2010).

The Archaeolgists that have contributed to this Bible are legitimate, as they have experience in the field, digging up the past. In the Biographical Sketches section, we’re introduced to all those who contributed to this Bible, giving us a brief background of the contributors.

The preface goes into great detail about the ESV translation, covering 5 pages! It’s pretty interesting to learn how the text was translated.

Because this is an Archaeology Study Bible, we get an in-depth explanation and discussion about… Archaeology! We have an awesome list of the 10 most significant arcaological biblical discovers. We dive into what it is, why it’s important.

Another cool feature is that the Old and New Testaments have in-depth background info. Each book in this Bible has an introduction section which sheds light on the theme of the book, a summary of the contributors (notes and archaeology) and a simple outline.

Cited Information from Crossway.org:

Double-column, paragraph format
Cross references
Footnotes
2,000+ study notes
400+ full-color photographs
200+ maps and diagrams
200+ informational sidebars
15 articles
4 timelines
Book introductions
Presentation page
Smyth-sewn binding
9. font / 8. font for notes

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I really enjoy this Bible! The maps, graphs, and photos of archaeological finds scattered throughout, certainly enhance the reading experience. It even states in the introduction that they hope to add a backdrop with the archaeological details, and they succeeded. I’d say that if you’re a history buff, you’d love this Study Bible.

This hardcover editions is a bit heavy, so you’re going to want to sit down with this at a table or any surface to lay the book down. The layout and design of the book is nice and simple. The design of the spine is really nice, a little more intricate than the cover. The one thing I wish this Bible had, was a ribbon marker.

I’ll defiantly be using this bible, even though it won’t serve as my primary book, I’ll be visiting it quite often to read up on the historical findings and study notes.

Do I recommend that you pick up the Archaeology Study Bible from Crossway? Yes! It’s unique… it’s awesome. If you’re a history buff, this is the Bible for you.

God Bless

MAKE THE PURCHASE: Archaeology Study Bible

*PRODUCT – AFFILIATE – LINKS*

By clicking these links and buying the products you are helping to support my channel. There are no additional costs to you. I use these products and stand behind them. I appreciate the support!

Star Wars: Darth Bane Path of Destruction Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Darth Bane

Path of Destruction Book Review

Path of Destruction was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the ninth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book one, in the Darth Bane trilogy. It takes place 1003 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

Dessel, a miner on the world of Apatros, had a hard life. He was abused by his father and picked on by the other miners. With age came great height and strength, and the bullying, a thing of the past. He developed a sixth sense, spawning quick reflexes and quick glance of the future.

Apatros was a sink hole for Dessel, debt held him there. He was no friend of the Republic, nor an enemy. His opinion on politics of the galaxy was neutral. He’s outspoken about his feelings one evening, during a tense game of Sabacc, with a table of Republic soldiers. The results of the game had taken Dessel’s life in an unexpected turn. He’s forced to flee Apatros, the only way he could do that, was by being secretly smuggled off world by Sith academy recruiters.

Dessel served the Sith as a soldier. Months had passed and he’d already been promoted to sergeant. On the front lines, he did the unexpected, he disobeyed orders, actually punching out his superior officer. He’s arrested and escorted to one of the Sith leaders, a member of the Brotherhood of Darkness. Instead of being punished, Dessel is invited to Korriban, to be a student at the greatest Sith academy. He is reborn… as Bane.

Bane had some struggles in the academy, some serious struggles, but actually became the best student. His faith in himself and the dark side was shaken, but he became stronger than ever. He learned so much more from the Sith archives than he did from lessons by instructors. His view of what the Sith should be is vastly different then what the Sith had been. A brotherhood of Darkness was not the nature of the Sith. Passion, strength, power, and victory was part of the Sith mantra, not brotherhood.

In Bane’s quest he adopts the title of Darth Bane. To use the title Darth, is frowned upon, it’s not the way of the Brotherhood of Darkness. So in Darth Bane’s quest, he is to reform the Sith order completely. There is an ongoing war on Ruusan, between the Sith and the Republic, Bane believes it could play a major roll in the balance of the force.

CHARACTERS

This book had a handful of great characters, I’m going to mention only one Githany. Wait… why not Bane? Because I mentioned him pretty heavily in the Summary, I don’t want to spoil more than I have to.

Githany: She was an apprentice of the Jedi, until she abandoned the order to join the Sith… for selfish reasons. She desperately wants to be the top student in the Sith academy on Korriban. She’s beautiful and she knows it, she uses her stunning looks to manipulate others. She takes a liking to Bane, for a while, she helped him when he was at his lowest point. She has traits of an old fashion Sith. She’s power hungry and full of betrayal.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This book is outstanding. I like how the Sith had evolved into something different, how they lost sight of who and what they truly were. They became soft, and that was the tipping point. It’s as though it’s their destiny to fail.

Bane’s rise to power was an emotional journey. One reason that makes this book so great, was the struggle! Bane wasn’t some super human who was unstoppable, he had a weakness. The chemistry between our characters was magic. The shift in loyalties was natural, nothing seemed out of place or unlikely. The characters were true to themselves to the very end. I have to say, this book contains one of the best character arcs yet, and this is only book one of a trilogy.

The book was loaded with surprises. I thought that maybe this book would be predictable, it wasn’t, at least not for me. I enjoyed every page! The war of Ruusan was handled great, it was a fine backdrop to the main story, until it’s brought to the forefront in a natural way. Drew Karpyshyn, is an amazing writer. I’m really looking forward to more of his writing in the Expanded Universe!

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Darth Bane – Path of Destruction? Absolutely! For some reason I always imagined this book, this trilogy would be mediocre. I was wrong.

RATING

I give this book an A+. It was a brilliant tale of how one character changed the destiny of the Sith.

World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde Book Review

A Novel by Christie Golden

World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde was written by New York Times Best Selling Author, Christie Golden.

SUMMARY: This book is somewhat difficult to breakdown into a brief summary. I will do my best and not drop any spoilers.

Sergeras, the Dark Titan and lord of the Burning Legion, has corrupted the eredar, a race of powerful magic wielders. Sergeras promised power to the eredar leadership in exchange for their peoples bidding on the world of Argus. Two of the three eredar accept this offer. The one who believes this deal is wrong, is Velen. He and his most trusted, gather others who disagree with the deal between the leadership and Sergeras, to escape their world with the help of a devine Naaru. The eredar who escape the dreaded grip of Sergeras, and make their new home on Draenor. They are given the name, draenei, meaning, exiled ones.

The draeni live among the orcs. The two races aren’t necessarily allies, but they do get along. Over many many years the draeini (who live extremely long lives) have watched the orcs become more civilized with time. Two young orcs find themselves in trouble. However the draeni save them and take them to the draeni kingdom, where they meet Velen. The hospitality the orcs were given, will have a lasting affect on their lives and for major events to come.

Kil’Jaeden, one of the eredar leaders who accepted the deal from Sergeras, becomes obsessed with searching for the draenei. When he finds them on Draenor, he will use his dark power to seduce the orcs into doing his bidding. The shaman orc, Gul’dan, does as instructed and gathers the separate clans of orc, and unites them under one banner as… the horde.

CHARACTERS: There are great number of characters, I will only mention three.

Durotan: He and his Frostwolf clan don’t like how events are playing out under the leadership of Gul’dan. The horde defies much of who they are as a people and their traditions. Durotan does his best to stay loyal to the legacy of the Frostwolf clan and slow to changes forced upon him. He’s brave,defiant, and moral.

Gul’dan: He’s a shaman orc, he’s the great betrayer, the first warlock of the horde. He forces the orcs to abandon the old ways. No longer shall the orcs dwell on the spirts, but a new dark magic. Gul’dan leads his people to betray all they once believed, the peaceful draeni have been twisted in the minds of orc, they are now viewed as the villain and have no place in the world of Draenor. Gul’dan will lead his horde to war, and when the war is over, through a magical portal… to Azeroth… for more blood.

Velen: Former eredar, now a draeni. He is wise and caring for his people. He’s always keeping an eye out for the traitorous Kil’Jaeden. He’s always one step ahead of the Burning Legions quest for domination and annihilating the remainder of his people. His desire for peace and a place to call home is great.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book was great! The lore for Warcraft is deep and expansive. The story is actually pretty tough to explain without giving much away, but I’d say I succeeded in remaining spoiler free. I loved the book. the characters felt real and their situation dire.

Christie Golden is an excellent writer. This book is the best place to start reading in the Warcraft novel timeline, it’s the formation of the horde and the beginning of the invasion of Azeroth. If your time is limited and you can’t play World of Warcraft the game, the book is a wonderful substitute!

Do I recommend that you read World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde? Heck yes!

RATING: I will give this book an A! It’s full of action and emotion, will leave you craving more of Warcraft lore!

« Older Entries

Next Entries »