Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker Book Review

Journey to The Last Jedi

The Legends of Luke Skywalker is a YA book, written by Ken Liu. This book has the banner, Journey to Star Wars: Journey to The Last Jedi.

Summary: A group of you deckhands aboard the cargo freighter, Wayward Current, exchange stories they’ve heard about the mystical, mysterious, and legendary Luke Skywalker. The captain of the Wayward Current is a Hutt, only hiring young naive beings; they won’t be greedy and they won’t get feisty (maybe).

Characters: Although there a few characters in this book, I’ll focus on the main character, Luke Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker: He’s the hero, obviously, but the continuous trait in each tale, is how much he hates violence. It can be a little annoying at times. For example, maybe a minor spoiler, but it’s nothing important, this information won’t ruin your day. Luke and another person are swallowed by a space slug, and he’s worried about giving the beast indigestion.

Overall Thoughts: This book was not good. It was so lame! I just couldn’t get excited reading this book. Some of the material would be cool had it been true. One of the tales mentions Luke on Jakku, bringing down Star Destroyers… but he’s also mentioned as giant mystical being in the stars.

I think the best part of the book is the design of the book itself. The art throughout is very nice. The pages were artistic, down to the unique font that was used. I liked the texture of the book as well.

Do I recommend you pick up The Legends of Luke Skywalker? No. It’s unnecessary and silly.

Rating: I will rate this book a 1.5 out of 5.

Warcraft Novelization Review

by Matthew Wilson

Warcraft

The Novelization

SPOILER FREE

Warcraft Novelization was written by New York Times Best Selling Author Christie Golden

While the novel was written by Christie Golden, the story was created by Chris Metzen, the film was directed by Duncan Jones.

Summary: The Warcraft novelization is the book format of the film Warcraft. Warcraft, is a film based on the popular game from Blizzard Entertainment, a film many fans of the game have been waiting for.

Draenor, the world of the Orcs is dying! Gul’Dan, a mysterious Orc, uses dark magic to raise up a portal that his horde will use to enter Azeroth, another world. His dark magic is called Fell, it’s very dangerous, it’s fueled by absorbing life.

The humans must defend their world, with or without the help of elves and dwarves. The Guardian is summoned, he is the defender of the Azeroth. With his magic the world could be safe from the massive orcs.

Characters: I’m going to mention two of my favorite characters from the book and film.

Durotan: He’s an orc and chieftain of the Frostwolf clan. He and his people have endured much suffering. They would have shared the fate of their dying world had Durotan not come to the complicated decision to join the horde of Gul’Dan and venture to the world of Azeroth. Durotan is a warrior, a husband, and great leader. He is strong, yet he remains humbled.

Lothar: He’s a human from Stormwind, brother of the King’s wife. He’s a soldier, the right hand man of the King. He’s protective of his grown son and haunted by the death of his wife. His concern and love for Azeroth is great. He fears nothing and will do whatever possible to defend his people.

Overall Thoughts: The book didn’t stray to far from the film, which was a bit disappointing. I was hoping for more details, maybe have some of the deleted scenes included into the story. There were some very minor differences, but nothing to worth mentioning. I also thought that this would tie in to the prequel novel, Durotan… but it didn’t. Surprised at the amount of typos in this book. Was there not an editor? No proof reader? I enjoyed the film, it had awesome visuals and great music. The story was great too, I just wanted this book to elaborate further on the story. I’ll have to say I don’t recommend this novelization, just watch the film.

Rating: I give this book a 1.5 out of 5

Spider-Man Your Friendly Neighborhood Hero

by Matthew Wilson

Marvel – Spider-Man: Inside the World of Your Friendly Neighborhood Hero

This reference book was released by DK Publishing. The book is over 200 pages, loaded with everything you need to know about the amazing Spider-Man! A nice little design detail I like is the gold edged pages.

Up top I’ll put the credits page, information on the editors and directors.

The forward was written by none other than Stan Lee, the creator himself! I was highly entertained by his words, he comes off slightly cocky, but hey… he has every right to be.

In this book, you can learn so much about Spider-Man. Personally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the web slinger. After I watched Spider-Man homecoming, I became a bit more interested. This book taught me a lot about the hero. There’s a breakdown of his current suit and the technology within. We get a look at all his past spidey suits too!

From Spider-Man’s list of villains to Peter Parker’s coworkers!

You want to learn more about Spider-Man? How about his friends and foes? This DK reference book is for you!

My Best Friend`s Exorcism Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

My Best Friend’s Exorcism

SPOILER FREE

My Best Friends Exorcism was written by Grady Hendrix

SUMMARY: A young Abby Rivers has the worst birthday ever, but midway through her lame party, she’ll meet a special someone that’ll drastically change her life forever.

In this this story of friendship, we follow the high school years of Abby, Gretchen, and a few other friends within their circle. One day, the girls are having a great time hangin’ out and having fun. Things get crazy and go sideways when one of the girls has a wild idea… and in comes the devil!

CHARACTERS: This novel contains a nice cast of characters. I will only mention the two leads.

Abby: She’s a nice kid, always reward hang out and cut loose with her friends. Her favorite movie was E.T. Her parents aren’t wealthy, but they do manage to have Abby in a private school. (Where all her wealthier friends are). Abby is loyal, encouraging, and extremely brave.

Gretchen: The innocent, friendly right hand of Abby. She comes from a wealthy family, which comes with a little baggage, irritating parents. She’s very nice, a great friend… until the devil comes in.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: My Best Friends Exorcism, was a wonderful read. I enjoyed it so much! I may even return to this book next October, turning it into an annual horror read. It was a quick read, loaded with good times and horror.

The characters were written so well! The chemistry between the friends, teachers, and parents was so organic. I was reminded of my high school years through these characters, except I’m a dude… and we didn’t do drugs.

My only issue with the book, was the faith part of the story (being that faith in each other is more powerful than Christ). That’s just due to my personal belief.

Do I recommend you read My Best Friends Exorcism? Yes, I highly recommend this book!

RATING: I will give this book a 4.5 of 5

Star Wars: Leia Princess of Alderaan Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Leia – Princess of Alderaan Book Review

The Journey to The Last Jedi

SPOILER FREE

Star Wars: Leia – Princess of Alderaan was written by New Your Times Bestselling Author, Claudia Gray. This young adult novel is part of the Journey to The Last Jedi marketing. Claudia Gray also wrote Lost Stars another YA novel and Bloodline.

SUMMARY: Princess Leia begins her trials to be recognized as the official heir to the throne of Alderaan. The 16 year old Princess must test herself, so that one day, she will be named the Queen of Alderaan. In this book of self-discovery and the unintentional discovery of political unrest as she uncovers her parents secrets. Leia needs has to be extra careful and play it cool around her peers. The secret of the rebellion is a heavy burden.

Leia and other youth around the galaxy attend the Apprentice Legislature, a program designed to shape future government officials. The program allows the youth to mingle, to get to know each other and learn more about the Empire and Galactic Senate.

We learn a lot about Leia’s rise to power. She’s got the best intentions, but it seems no matter what she does, she’s always at the wrong place at the wrong time. Leia’s efforts definitely didn’t go unnoticed by the Empire… or the rebel alliance.

CHARACTERS: As always, there will be a mention of a few characters. I will mention two that we already know, but explore further in this book. One surprise character from The Last Jedi

Leia: She is brave, honorable, and daring. She feels distant from her parents lately. The feeling comes as she prepares for the royalty trials of Alderaan, to be recognized as the proper heir to the throne. Leia is a smart young lady. She loves her parents and is saddened by the distance between them. She’s able to reveal these feelings after finding trouble on a humanitarian effort, meddling in business.

Princess of Alderaan

Bail: The adoptive father of Leia and viceroy of Alderaan. We know him from the prequel trilogy. He’s an original member/founder of the rebel alliance. He is stern and confident. For a long time, he has been building up a rebellion against the tyranny of the Empire. Bail wants the best for his daughter, wanting her to remain ignorant of the plans to overthrow the Empire, to remain innocent. However, when Leia starts putting pieces together, he does have a bit of a temper.

Amilyn Holdo: She’s from the planet, Gatalenta. She serves in the Apprentice Legislature alongside Leia. She is super weird, most of time she annoys everyone with her strange behavior. Her view on life is abstract, she approaches situations differently. She gets quite a few eye rolls from Leia. She’s highly fashionable in the strangest sense, donning bright colors and extreme hair colors.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: I’m convinced Claudia Gray is the supreme writer of the new canon. She’s 3 for 3 when it comes to superior storytelling in Star Wars. Her books are deep, the characters well fleshed out, and her books are laced together in subtle ways.

While this story wasn’t action packed, it was political and entertaining. There are a few nuggets referencing the film The Last Jedi such as Amilyn Holdo and the planet, Crait. I’ve complained in the past about writers handling Leia wrong, Gray understands the character and does a fantastic job.

As I like to remain as spoiler free as possible, I will say that I was pleased with the new planet, Crait. It’s used a rebel base, from The Last Jedi footage we’ve seen as the time of this review, looks like either snow or sand… it’s actually salt.

I couldn’t help but smile at the tie in to Lost Stars and the link to Bloodline. I mentioned there wasn’t much action, which is perfect. Why does every Star Wars book have to have loads of action? This story focuses on Leia at the age of 16 and her introduction to galactic politics. As for the climax… there really wasn’t one, but the story wraps up nice with some tragedy.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Leia – Princess of Alderaan? Absolutely yes!

RATING: I will give this book a 5 out of 5.

If you enjoyed this review, you should check out my book review on PHASMA!

Princess of Alderaan - Princess Leia Book Cover Image

Star Wars: Phasma Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Phasma

– A Star Wars Book Review –

SPOILER FREE

Star Wars: Phasma was written by Delilah S. Dawson. She wrote a short story for Star Wars in 2015, The Perfect Weapon. Phasma appears on the novel timeline after Bloodline.

A BRIEF SUMMARY

SUMMARY: Vi Moradi, a resistance spy, sent by General Leia to verify the First Orders presence at a specific location. When Vi drops out of hyperspace, she is immediately captured, caught in a tractor beam from First Order ship, Absolution.

A red clad stormtrooper meets Vi when she’s brought aboard his First Order destroyer. He quickly takes her to an isolated interrogation room before anyone else really notices. The trooper straps her into a torture chair and sends electrical shocks through her body. He gets straight to the point, making it clear he will do what it takes to get what he wants; information on Phasma.

Vi knows this trooper as Cardinal. What she doesn’t know, is that Cardinal knows that she’s a resistance spy, her name is Vi Moradi, and that she has family. Cardinal is aware that Vi recently visited Parnassos, Phasma’s home world. He wants everything she’s learned about Phasma. He believes Phasma is a threat to the First Order and she has already committed treason. He just needs to prove it.

The story Vi tells is of Phasma’s life and how she was able to get off her desolate world of Parnassos. It was a tough time, leading up to her joining the First Order.

ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

As always, I’m going to mention a few characters. With this novel, I’ll go ahead and talk about three.

Phasma: She’s a mighty warrior of the Scyre people of Parnassos, where the young rule over the elders. Parnassos is a barren world, its’s hard to survive. While she’s the fighter, her brother is the leader of the Scyre. She’s hard edged, she’s serious, and to her enemies, menacing. She doesn’t speak often, when she does it’s too the point. The other Scyre warriors look to her for guidance, and trust her with their lives. However, Phasma is a very selfish person. She’s all about herself and keeps others at a distance. Her entire life, she still remains a bit of a mystery.3

Siv: A Scyre warrior. She’s also tough, yet emotional. It is her duty to pass on the ritual of the detraxors. The detraxors are used to extract the essence of life (the fluid) from the fallen Scyre bodies. They put the salve on their skin to protect from the elements, “your today will help our tomorrow.” It’s a mystical type tradition and it’s up to Siv to continue this tradition by teaching it to others.

Cardinal: He’s taken under the wing of Brendol Hux, on Jakku. He was raised up as a First Order stormtroomer. He excelled in all his duties, granting him promotion after promotion. Cardinal was the first to done a unique trooper outfit!, and it’s RED! He became the right hand man of Hux, personal guard. Cardinal trains the youth to become stormtroopers, while Phasma fine tunes them and makes them great warriors. He’s supposedly a tough guy, but he’s a softy. He’s angry that Phasma seems to get all the glory that should be his.

NOW FOR MY OVERALL THOUGHTS

Phasma is certainly entertaining, mostly. I’ve gotta say, I’m not a huge fan of the way this story was told. There were many times this novel stepped over the line from Star Wars and reality. We’ve got that classic line you’ve heard many times, “it tastes like chicken.” So now we have chicken in Star Wars. There’s also that ridiculous sand quote from Anakin, from the mouth of Phasma! I literally put the book down and walked away from it a few times with irritation. The Scyre warriors pull a Poe Dameron from The Force Awakens… they meet stormtroopers, and as you know they have ID numbers, not names. Well, PT-number number number… we’re not gonna call you that, we’ll call you Petey… Petey! LE-2003, you’re Elly. That… is stupid! The mention of R&R time with umbrellas in drinks also irritated me… a lot.

The Detraxors thing, it’s interesting, but it’s extremely gross. Not complaining about that, thought it was a cool idea for the culture.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Phasma? Sure, parts are cool… but be prepared to get irritated by many earthly things.

AS FOR THE RATING

I will give this book a rating of 2 out of 5.

Check out another review… Thrawn, right here.