by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: I, Jedi was written by bestselling author, Michael A. Stackpole. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic Era, 11 ABY (11 years after the Battle of Yavin).
SUMMARY
The dangerous Invid Pirates causing havoc throughout the space ways and manage to evade New Republic forces! Rogue Squadron hero Corran Horn learns that his wife, Mirax, is taken by the network of bandits. He’s denied intel by General Cracken; if Corran Horn goes off on his own to be a hero, it could put many other lives in danger.
After speaking with Luke Skywalker, Corran Horn decides to chase after his Jedi roots and become Keiran Halcyon. He trains at the Jedi Praxium on Yavin, the Jedi Academy. He unlocks force powers within and learns to tame them. Once he saves Luke Skywalker from the evil on Yavin, he has a minor personality crisis. He sheds the Halcyon alians and is reborn once again as Corran Horn, with force powers.
Now, with his new found powers and previous CorSec (Corellian Security Force) experience, he infiltrates the pirates in an attempt to rescue his wife, Mirax.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Before I dive too deep here, I’ve got to say something that I really did enjoy about this book, was the ties to the Jedi Academy trilogy and the time spent at the Jedi Praxium on Yavin. While some of the events are elaborated and expounded upon to push Corran Horn up the “hot shot” ranks, sine if it was decent. I enjoyed getting more knowledge of Kip Durron when he began his fall to the dark side. What I didn’t like, was that Horn was able to best Luke Skywalker in a lightsaber sparring match. The excuse used was that Luke had too much on his mind, with Exar Kun lingering about.
I can’t help it, I’ve gotta say it. I hate the first person writing style for Star Wars. I believe this style is fine in other genres, but it doesn’t belong in Star Wars. To me it feeds into the ego that is Corran Horn and Michael A. Stackpole.
I can’t help but feel that there is a special bias toward this character by the author. Like this guy can do no wrong, he has to be better than everyone, he has to know how to do – everything. Even if he messes up, it only exposes something new that no one else has discovered yet. This character has a few self reflection moments, and I can’t stand that it seems to happen after he gains all the knowledge he needs first, in order to be better than someone else. For example – Corran takes on the alias Halcyon, a family name from his “Jedi lineage.” He gets all the training he needs before he has a personality crisis – he’s Corran Horn, not a Halcyon. I don’t know why it’s so annoying to me.
I think this book has too many coincidences and some characters are given too much knowledge about things they shouldn’t. Somehow Corran knows the way a duel went down invloving his grandfather, like the fighting style that was used.
Do I recommend you read this book? No, it’s a story about a character who seems to be better than everyone else. It gets old.
RATING
I give Star Wars: I, Jedi a C-.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Dark Apprentice, book two of the Jedi Academy trilogy, written by bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic era, eleven years after the Battle of Yavin (ABY).
SUMMARY
The Jedi Temple on Yavin IV has been active with the resurrection of a new Jedi Order for a few months now. Luke Skywalker is burdened with the task of rebuilding the order, training force sensitives to have control of the power within them. The location of the new Jedi temple is on ancient Massassi grounds. A haunting presence works to destroy all that Luke is attempting to build.
Disaster shakes the New Republic leadership when Akbar crashes a ship while on a diplomatic mission, which leaves thousands dead. Akbar then leaves his role in the New Republic, seeking seclusion on his home-world. Leia takes on more responsibility as Mon Mothma slowly steps out of the limelight. Yet, she wastes no time in attempting to bring Akbar back into the action.
Admiral Daalla and her imperial fleet go back to the drawing board on war tactics. Things have been changing rapidly and drastically for this fleet. After learning what’s happened throughout the galaxy during an interrogation of Han Solo and research, they find that the remnants of the Empire are preoccupied with fighting each other instead of the “rebellion.”
It appears that history is beginning to repeat itself, will the New Republic or resurrected Jedi Order survive?
OVERALL THOUGHTS
There are so many cool moments in this book, things I wish we could have seen on the big screen. Kevin J. Anderson went dark in some places with this book, and I love it. The story is exciting, taking us to a new place with the characters, putting them in uncomfortable positions and throwing real challenges at them.
While I’m not too impressed with the characterization Luke, not just because he’s struggling with how to do the task set before him, but just the way he handles people and events regularly. I get the “Luke speaking to Jabba” vibes, I don’t care for his demeanor. I believe other, original characters to this story were handled very well.
This is a thing that just annoys me, it happens a lot in Star Wars, not just this story. I don’t like it when phrases that Yoda said are repeated by others, as Yoda said it. “Size matters not.” No one else talks like that, i just doesn’t flow right when others repeat it like that, they’d say, “size doesn’t matter.” I know… I’m being petty, but that’s just a Star Wars pet peeve of mine.
Kip Durran, one of Luke’s students, is eager to learn more, he appears to to be almost like a “new chosen one.” Once he makes it to the Yavin Jedi training area, what Luke calls the Praxium, he shuts himself off from socializing to focus on his abilities and studies. The spirit of Exar Kun, an ancient Sith Loard roams the Massasi grounds, seeking whom he may manipulate. Some of Luke’s students are tempted by Exar Kun… with knowledge that would exceed what Luke Skywalker could ever teach.
Do I recommend Star Wars Dark Apprentice? Yes.
RATING
I give Star Wars Jedi Academy: Dark Apprentice a B+.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Jedi Search, book one of the Jedi Academy trilogy, written by bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic era, eleven years after the Battle of Yavin (ABY).
SUMMARY
The New Republic continues to expand and reach out to worlds unassociated with the new government. Han Solo and Chewbacca fly out to Kessel with hopes of communicating with the ruling party of the wild planet. It’s overrun with former inmates and crime lords. Kessel is widely known for its production of spice (drugs). Han Solo’s history plays a role on Kessel, the former smuggler was to deliver a load of spice to Jabba, but once the Imperials got on his trail, he dumped the spice from the Falcon (there begins the beef with Jabba and Solo). The mission falls apart quickly, leading to the capture of Solo and Chewy, and forced labor deep in the spice mines of Kessel.
Luke speaks with the Senate. He requests that the New Republic sanctions his quest to search the galaxy for force users and to establish a Jedi Academy. He stresses the importance of the Jedi, laying out their role in resolving disputes and protecting the galaxy. One person objects, stating that only one failed Jedi could bring about the destruction of the New Republic, it happened once, it could happen again, the recent battle of C’baoth is still fresh on everyone’s mind. However, the senate agrees to Luke’s proposal.
An Imperial instillation is discovered, leading to the emergence of a new threat to the Republic.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Kevin J Anderson does a fine job, he does well with being descriptive, as Luke Skywalker stands out on a platform on Coruscant, he stares up at the sky as the wind wraps around his robe. Debris of destroyed ships from the battle of taking Coruscant from the Empire is still orbiting the upper atmosphere of the planet. Parts of the planet are now a wasteland, where ships have crashed into the cityscape. (this imagery would be cool to see on film) I never thought about that, and now I can’t get that awesome/battle worn image out of my head. New Republic is at work cleaning up.
Luke’s experience in Dark Empire, where apparently he fell to the dark side of the force for a bit, broadened his insight and understanding of the force. The power of the force is so vast, it actually terrifies Luke. (reminds me of God, we fear God, the creator of the universe, we exist in a moment of time, our understanding of reality and the spiritual realm is so limited.)
Even our favorite Jedi, Luke Skywalker, misquotes Vader when reflecting on his time on Cloud City. “Luke, I am your father.” WRONG.
I’m glad we have a story of Luke going out in the galaxy to find trainees. I also like that some citizens of the New Republic are actually a bit concerned with the resurrection of the Jedi Order. Many are fearful that one slip up, one Jedi that craves too much power, could bring about the destruction of the galaxy once again. We meet new characters, young and old that are ready to be attuned to the force, to get a better understanding of the power they have within.
At first, I was concerned with how the Empire was handled in the story. An Imperial instillation has been out in the Maw, a cluster of black-holes, for 11 years. The instillation is run by Admiral Daala and she hasn’t heard a word from Tarkin, the only individual aware of this weapons development program. They continued about their work all these years, not knowing a single thing about what has happened to the Empire. As odd as it is, I think it works, only because it was a top-secret facility.
Do I recommend Star Wars: Jedi Search? Yes I do.
RATING
I give this story an A.
by Matthew Wilson
Ghostbusters: The Return, was written by Sholly Fisch. This unofficial/non-canon novel was published in 2004 by ibooks. This story takes place after the events of the film, Ghostbusters 2.
SUMMARY
The Ghostbusters return in, Ghostbusters: The Return! The city faces a rise in the supernatural once again. Xanthador! The ghostly creep releases his minions to bring terror in the streets, fueling his energy for a potential take over of the living realm.
Peter Venkman has become the face of the Ghostbusters, he’s a crows pleaser. The current Mayor of New York uses the Ghostbusters who are popular amongst the people, as part of his campaign. Elections are coming up soon and he want’s the Ghostbusters to be present at one of his speeches.
Meanwhile, members of an Independent party need a candidate to take the Mayor’s seat. With the Ghostbusters popularity and recent event that put them in the news, the party calls on Peter Venkman to be their man. It takes a little convincing, but Peter, thinking the job would be easy-peasy, accepts, and chooses Winston Zeddemore to be his Deputy Mayor.
As Xanthador ramps up his hauntings and two Ghostbusters are busy with politics, Ray and Egon struggle to keep the streets clean. Hauntings that resemble familiar Urban Legends are terrorizing the people of New York.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I had absolutely no idea what to expect with this novel. The original film is my favorite film – of all time. I don’t expect anything to be as good as that first Ghostbusters movie, especially tie-in media. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ghostbusters 2 and The Real Ghostbusters cartoon series, but they pale in comparison to the first film. So my expectations for this novel were set low, if there’s anything that the Disney Star Wars canon has taught me, it’s to tame my expectations. That said, this book wasn’t too bad!
At times, the characters read as though they were the very characters from the films; and sometimes they resembled the cartoon versions. We have Slimer in this story, and he is very much the Slimer from The Real Ghostbusters. I’d say Janine is a mix between Ghostbusters to and the cartoon. The inconsistency of characterization for the main Ghostbusters does bother me a bit, however, I do like that Slimer hangs around just like in the cartoon, with an angry Peter discrediting the little spud. There’s a moment involving Slimer that made me laugh out loud…
Ray and Slimer give each other a secret handshake. Peter walks in and says, “I mean, how are supposed to maintain any sort of credibility with the public if people come in here and find this… ectoplasmic reject kicking back with a beer?”
The use of the word “spud” is used too much. It was funny in Ghostbusters when Slimer was referred to as “an ugly little spud.” This book uses it a few in a different context. Louis is a bumbling idiot that acts like he’s got zero brains. Yes, in GB2 we had some silly stuff with him in the courtroom, but he wasn’t a complete goofball.
This book isn’t bad at all. The tone of the story was just a bit confusing. It would shift from sequel movie material to a cartoon episode. I don’t know if that was intentional, to maybe bring in the nostalgia to all Ghostbusters fans? A strange tale, but I’m happy I finally read it.
I like that this story didn’t just focus on the Ghostbusters taking on a new big villain. It got into the relationship between Dana and Peter, we get plenty of Louis and Janine, and we see two characters take on a new challenge – politics. I love that they made Peter and Winston an independent party. I also love the fact that the book didn’t get “real-world” political! There were not secret motives, no pathetic agenda’s being pushed. It was clean, it was silly, it was fun, and I love the way the story ended.
Do I recommend you read this book? Yes, it was a fun, yet unusual story that did not discredit the material that came before it.
For the rating of Ghostbusters: The Return, I give this story a B.
by Matthew Wilson
The X-Files: Skin, is book six in an X-Files expanded series. This novel was written by Bestselling author Ben Mezrich and was published in April 1999.
SUMMARY
Mystery surrounds a the deaths of a few individuals. It appears that a deadly bloodborne virus is spreading, the last time this virus was spread, was over 70 years ago. Mulder and Scully dig into a strange case that involves a burn victim, who – with super human strength, destroys his hospital room and murders a nurse. He then proceeds to jump from a second story window and evade authorities.
The X-Files investigation leads the FBI agents into another race against time. The root of the issue stems from a psychopath with an obsession with skin transplants. The story leads from the US, to a research facility in a small village in Thailand.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
So, this this book was written by a different author. So far we’ve had Charles Grant, Kevin J. Anderson, and now, Ben Mezrich. Mezrich did a fine job with this X-Files story for the most part. There was one bit of dialogue that didn’t quite fit into the vibe of the series, the author uses the “F” word. I don’t like it when that happens, Charles Grant did that a few times in his X-Files books. It takes me out as it doesn’t flow with the show, or Anderson books.
I’d say Mezirch did well with setting the tone and direction of the story. Our main characters were treated very well. I like how they were thrown into some really dangerous situations, where things got really tense. The action was written well. I believe in my review of Antibodies I said it contained the most graphic death scene. Skin now holds the title for most graphic death scene. I may have even said “eww” as it happened.
My only complaint other than the F-bomb that was dropped, was the development of new characters in the book. I’m not gonna lie, I got confused with who was who. There were a lot of doctors and victims, I just couldn’t keep track sometimes.
Do I recommend this novel? Yes, this book was a fun one, the last half was very adventurous.
RATING
I give The X-Files: Skin, a B+
by Matthew Wilson
The X-Files: Antibodies, is book five in an X-Files expanded series. This novel was written by Bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and was published in July 1997.
SUMMARY
The DyMar genetic research laboratory was focused on a new form of cancer therapy, was, because the lab was destroyed by activists, and now the land has been sold off for development. An eerie death occurs on the closed lab grounds which is scheduled for demolition.
Mulder and Scully receive an X-File focused on the DyMar Lab death, the victim appears to have been killed instantly by some sort pathogen, looking like an insect killed by bug spay. It’s assumed by the duo that it’s likely that an animal, a test subject from the laboratory may have escaped when the place was burned down; it’s possible that a new disease may be on the verge of breaking out.
A mother, her sick child suffering from Leukemia, and their pet dog are in hiding out in the woods of Oregon. The husband/father was a scientist at the DyMar lab, doing everything he could to create a cure for his son. The failed prototype and final product of the potential cure, a nano-tech that manipulates DNA, is released from the burring lab. Now a man hunt on multiple fronts for multiple causes is taking place across the state of Oregon.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This is the first book in the series that makes me feel as though I needed to be up to date on the show, some things are mentioned that I don’t recall happening in the previous book, but the details seem rather important as it affects Agent Scully.
Even though I just said watching the show would be beneficial, most of what happened is touched on in the book. This story is the best one yet, with a hook at the beginning that really pulled me in. Anderson did a great job setting the tone. This book was cut up into many small chapters, which was nice, for some reason that makes me feel like I’m moving along rather quickly while reading. At the end of each chapter, I wanted to keep going, keep reading, find out what happens next.
This story was wild! I feel like we may have less of Scully and Mulder in this book compared to the others, or maybe we just had so much of them in the previous book they felt absent here. This story was not only a race against the clock, but race against who would catch up with who first.
The climax of this X-Files book may be the most graphic/goriest in the series. I actually got grossed out by some of the highly detailed action. I enjoyed the characters in the story, though one of them seemed to really lack emotion at a point that I expected to see a lot of emotion. However, people are people and we all react in different ways to different things. The plot of this book was highly entertaining.
Do I recommend you read this book? Yes! An intense, fun X-Files book.
RATING
I will give The X-Files Book 5: Antibodies, an A.
