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: Thrawn Alliances Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances Book Review

Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Timothy Zahn.

This is the second novel in canon staring the legendary character, Thrawn! The novel takes place on the timeline after the first Thrawn book, as well as A New Dawn and during events in the Rebels television series.

SUMMARY:

So the Clone Wars era, Padme answers a call on Batuu, a planet on the edge of the unknown regions. She runs into trouble, causing Anakin to search for her. On this quest, Anakin meets Thrawn. It’s great stuff… but I’ll leave it at that.

During the Galactic Civil War era, Emperor Palpatine senses a disturbance in the Force generated from a great distance, the unknown regions. He calls upon Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader to seek out the source.

The duo isn’t too thrilled to have to work together, but they do so. Vader is appalled by Thrawn’s social/leading tactics, he lets his subordinates speak to him freely. Vader does not trust Thrawn, he’s suspicions of his loyalty to the Empire.

On this mission. They indeed discover a looming threat over the galaxy. Spoiler alert, spoiler alert, I’m going to mention the threat in 3… 2… 1… The Grysk! An alien species on the prowl ton concur the galaxy! They are brutal, and they have been watching the Empire, studying their tactics.

CHARACTERS:

Anakin: He’s the complete opposite of Thrawn and he’s a Jedi! He’s arrogant, likes to shoot first, (or slash with a lightsaber) and ask questions later. Who needs a solid plan when you can wing it? He’s demanding and focused on executing his will.

Vader: Bits of his past still linger, though now, he’s a Dark Lord of the Sith. He’s angry, takes nothing from nobody. He takes charge with force (pun not intended). He doesn’t trust Thrawn or his loyalty to the Empire. Vader uses a familiar Force power in an all new way that I found incredible. (Not spoiling it in this review)

Finally, I didn’t expect to mention Padme… but I will. She’s whiney, and expects others to drop what their doing to assist her in accomplishing her goals. She’s also a horrible liar, but what else can you expect from a politician?

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

The alternating timeline doesn’t bother me in this book, Zahn does a great job switching between the timelines and with writing the characters as they would appear to be during the time in which the story is taking place. However, as interesting as the story is during the Clone Wars era with Anakin, Padme, and Thrawn… I couldn’t help but want to skip over it to get to the Galactic civil war era material.

Bringing some things from the prequel era is important, and when I say that, I’m meaning the films. We have Anakin and Padme together, we have R2D2 and his jet boosters. I wonder if those boosters were always in George’s mind for R2?

I really hope that this book is the introduction to a much larger universe that will continue on in other books, shows, and future films. There is a possible hint at the origins of The Skywalker name as well! The Chiss are an amazing species that I’d love to see more of. The threat in the unknown regions seems legit. I don’t know we’d get anything more with that within the Skywalker saga. However, in other novels, we’ve read that the First Order had to overcome a powerful force. I think it would be great to have this threat explored in a film or streaming show!

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances? Well, if you’ve been waiting for the Star Wars galaxy to Expanded in canon… yes!

RATING:

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.

World of Warcraft: Before the Storm Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

World of Warcraft: Before the Storm Book Review

Written by New York Times Best-Selling Author, Christie Golden.

World of Warcraft: Before the Storm was written by New York Times Best-Selling Author, Christie Golden.

SUMMARY: The Burning Legion has been defeated. Both the Horde and Alliance seek solitude to mourn, heal, and prepare for the future. The defeated leader of the Burning Legion, Sargeras, struck Azeroth with a mighty sword for his final blow in his lost war.

A substance with great power is discovered in Silithus, the location in which the giant sword pierced the world. Goblins are mining this newly discovered material. The Alliance discovers the happenings in Silithus and concludes that the majestic material not fall into the wrong hands, especially the horde.

In this brief time, absent of war, The King of Stormwind, invites the Warchief of the Horde and her forsaken people, to an event that all say will be impossible. While the King of Stormwind extends his hand in a peaceful gesture, Sylvanas Windrunner, warchief of the Horde, boils with hatred.

CHARACTERS: There are quite a few characters in the book, and they’re all fleshed out very well. I’ll be talking about two, Anduin Wrynn and Sylvanas Windrunner.

Anduin Wrynn: He’s the king of Stormwind. What he desires most, is peace in Azeroth. He is proud of his people, yet humble in his actions. He’s young, but bears the weight of leadership well. He trusts his loyal advisors, though he does not always act on their advice.

Sylvanas Windrunner: She is the Warchief of the Horde, the Banshee Queen, and Dark Lady of the Forsaken. She’s fueled by hate. However, she does care for her forsaken people. She is occupied with Horde business on Kalimdor, while her people dwell in the Undercity on the Eastern Kingdoms. She is very war hungry.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Christie Golden delivers an enthralling, emotional story driven by hope and rage. This book is wonderful.

This story introduces so much for such a short book. By the end we have a lot of loose ends that don’t get wrapped up in the novel. I think another hundred pages… even two-hundred more would have been welcome. Christie Golden knows how to write characters extremely well. Each character stands out individually with rich backstory that could easily grant them their own story.

Scene setting is always important to me, I like to get a real since of the atmosphere our characters are experiencing. Golden does this wonderfully. The flow of the story was smooth, at no time was a bored or thought things dragged on. I wasn’t counting down the pages wondering when I’d finish a chapter.

Call me a gnomist and goblinist if you want, but I’ve never really liked those races in Warcraft… but in this book I really got a kick out them. They brought in some welcome humor and played an important role on things to come in Azeroth.

There are times in this novel I had to hold back tears. I didn’t expect the book to be an emotional rollercoaster at times! It’s political (in the Warcraft since) and a little adventurous.

Do I recommend you pick up World of Warcraft: Before the Storm? Yes, but I also highly recommend you at least read Rise of the Horde as well, if not before reading Before the Storm.

RATING: I will give this book an A.

Star Wars: Most Wanted Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Most Wanted

A Young Adult Novel by Rae Carson

Star Wars: Most Wanted was written by New York Times Best-selling Author, Rae Carson. This tale takes place before the events that take place in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

SUMMARY: Corellia, A planet known for its outstanding ship manufacturing, is now held in the tight grip of the Galactic Empire. The Empire uses the massive shipbuilding plants to manufacture their star-fleet.

On the the streets, even in the sewers below, life is rough. The white-worm gang, run by Lady Proxima, recruits orphans to run criminal errands in exchange for shelter and a meal.

An auction is to take place in the underbelly of Corellia. Lady Proxima sends two of her best and mature white-worm members, Han and Qi’ra, to do her bidding in the deal. However, the auction goes sideways, forcing a trio of characters to work together. Though not only just to survive, but by coming up with a solution to fix the unexpected turn of events.

CHARACTERS: as you can see on the cover, our main characters are Han and Qi’ra, so I’ll mention them and a new Character. Each of these characters are scrumrats, working for Lady Proxima in the white-worm gang.

Qi’ra: She’s one of the oldest in the white-worm gang. She puts her trust in no one but herself. Others, especially Han, view her as a stuck up, know it all. She wants out of the sewer life, going as far as having a secret safe-house out in a ship boneyard. Rae Carson did an excellent job writing Qi’ra, giving her a complete arch for this tale.

Han: He’s a survivor, loves driving, had a strong desire to pilot a ship. He’s daring and risky. He’s also one of the oldest in the white-worm gang. He’s kind, somewhat oblivious to things. His character is consistent with how he’s portrayed in the Solo: A Star Wars Story film.

Tsuulo: He’s a Rodian, somewhat of a whiz as he’s pretty good with technology. He has a strong belief in the force, trusting in it to guide him.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Although it doesn’t dive too deep into the backstory of Han’s youth, we get a better understanding of the relationship between Han and Qi’ra. Rae Carson did an excellent job writing Qi’ra and Han. Qi’ra has a drastic and complete character arc before we meet her in the Solo film.

I only have two complaints with the book, one is the name of the rodian, Tsuulo… it’s a little to close in sounding like Solo. The other thing I don’t like, is the cover of the book! The art is just fine, but this little image of the Falcon that looks like a sticker… is not a sticker, I can’t remove it! It’s printed on the cover! It says, “Read this book! Then see Solo A Star Wars Story, now in theaters!”

We have a fun tale here, the event was on a much smaller scale. I think we need more stories like this, that don’t always tie into some major galactic scale event. (Looking at you Last Shot.). The book is a quick read and like the film, I had fun with it.

Do I recommend that you pick up and read Star Wars: Most Wanted? Yes! It was a face paced read that gives a rich backstory of Han and Qi’ra.

RATING: I will give this book an A-. A solid companion for the Solo film.

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.