by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel was written by New York TImes Bestselling Author, Beth Revis. This novel, published by Del Rey, takes place immediately after the events of Return of the Jedi. The book scheduled for release August 16th 2022. A big thanks to Del Rey for providing a copy for review.
SUMMARY
The Rebellion celebration of the major blow to the Empire last only one day. The reality was, a battle was won… but the war would still rage. As we’ve read in other material post Return of the Jedi, we know that the Emperor had a contingency plan. Had the Rebels not paused to celebrate, the transmission initiating such plans may have been stopped.
The war is changing, The fear of direct, discreet assassination attempts will be attempted on key rebel targets. It goes beyond just the Empire. Former political rivals, Hutt crime lords, and business owners that relied on Imperial contracts to remain operating; may all hold a grudge against those who toppled the Empire.
While the rebels spend a little time on the forest moon. Han doesn’t waste any time, he can’t be without Leia. His love for her is strong. Through romance and humor sprinkled throughout this tale, the couple get married. It’s not a big fancy wedding that would have been traditional for a princess, but it was perfect for the couple who trying to save the galaxy.
Mon Mothma sends the couple out on a honeymoon on a galactic cruise, but it’s cut short. Leia has a bad habit of mixing business with pleasure. Events unfold that throw the newly weds right back into a fight with the Empire.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Beth Revis writes a good story. This book fills in some gaps that some of us fans have been wanting. The book is somewhat of a slow burn, in that it lacks action up until around 75% into the story. Honestly though, I thought it was fantastic that way. It’s a story that really zooms in on the relationship of Han and Leia. We see clearly how they view each other, and how they desire each other to be.
We get a look at the internal conflicts within Leia; her struggle with the force, politics, war, her lineage, and her love. There are also some quiet moments between characters that are really good. Such as a conversation between Luke and Leia about what the future holds.
We see a softer side of Han, a man that was willing to change his life for someone he loves. He’s run from it in the past, he even tried running from Leia at one point, but he couldn’t help but fall deeply in love with her. Some of his dialogue feels flat, maybe if we had some other details sprinkled around it, it would set, not just a better atmosphere, but a deeper understanding of some of his emotion behind it.
One thing that didn’t make much since to me was that Leia is wanted by the Hutt crime lords, dead or alive. She’s got a big bounty on her head for killing Jabba. My issue is… how do they know? How does anyone know Leia killed the slug? The barge blew up. Maybe there was a live holo-stream, and others watched Leia do it? That would be interesting, but we don’t know how everyone knows Leia killed Jabba.
There are a few moments in the story I could have done without, thankfully those moments were few. There are also a handful of characters from other stories that pop up, tying the Star Wars story together. Overall, I enjoyed the book and absolutely love the cover design.
RATING
I give Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel 4 out of 5 stars. It was an easy read that really shed light on some of our favorite characters.
by Matthew Wilson
Ghost Eaters, was written by Clay McLeod Chapman. Author of Whisper Down the Lane and The Remaking. Ghost Eaters is published by Quirk Books (thanks for sending a copy for review).
Chapman delivers once again! His previous novel, Whisper Down the Lane was a real treat that tingled the spine and raised anxiety levels. This is the third novel I’ve read from the author. Chapman has quickly become one of my favorite writers.
Ghost Eaters is a fun, unique, and trippy ghost story. The horror of losing control of life is one of the themes. Some of the elements in this story have actually haunted my dreams for years, and to see the main character experience these things, is just horrible (in the best way of course).
The friendship dynamic is spot on with reality. There’s conflict, love, awkwardness – the evolution/devolution of where one stands in a friendship when there’s a loss. Erin, the main character, is our vessel in experiencing the trippiest ghost story I’ve experienced. The other supporting characters also feel like real people, not just ink mannequins or tools of dialogue on the pages.
Chapman’s writing style is fantastic and continues to impress. He gives us great characters, wonderful dialogue, and horrific situations. I think horror fans will get a kick out of this story!
Rating: I give Ghost Eaters 4 out 5 stars!
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith was written by Adam Chrisopher. This novel was published by Del-Rey (thanks for the ARC for review). This story takes place seventeen years after the events of Return of the Jedi.
SUMMARY
A young family is on the run. Dathan, Miramir, and little Rey (Palpatine) are being hunted down by the Sith Eternal Cultists. The family is to be taken to Exegol. New Republic forces stumble upon Dathan and Miramir’s ship while the family was under attack, the Republic rescues the family, and files a report with them before the family heads back out into space.
Lando Calrissian is having the Sabbac game of his life, when he overhears a guy called Ochi of Bastoon talking with some goons about the Sith and kidnapping a girl. This hits hard for Lando, as his own daughter was taken from him six years ago, when she was just two years old! Lando then reaches out to Luke Skywalker, knowing that he would absolutely want to hear of any Sith happenings in the galaxy.
Luke has been training new students of the force, including his nephew, Ben Solo. Luke senses something dark on the horizon, but can’t pin down exactly what it is. When Lando reaches out to him about Sith shenanigans, the two hit the road to save a family from being kidnapped and to find out more about the Sith and their secrets.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I was pretty excited for this book, a new Luke story featuring Lando. The lesson I learned, once again, is to keep expectations low. What I thought was going to be a fun adventure, turned out to be a boring and depressing tale.
The author does a pretty good job with descriptions, however, sometimes it turns into a detail overload, describing the same thing in slightly different ways… it’s very repetitive. The format of the shorter chapters is something I have really come to enjoy, it makes the story feel like it’s moving along quickly.
The story heavily ties to the sequel trilogy, lightly touching on some of the questions that were raised by the films, but not fully answering anything. I get the feeling that the story group still doesn’t really know how to handle characters or situations in this New Republic era. A lot of ancient Sith lore is mentioned, but never fully explored. While answering some questions from the sequels, it actually raises new questions… being vague and mysterious does not make a story good – the sequel films were vague and mysterious, and many fans were unsatisfied by the lack of depth with the story and characters.
Ochi, the Jedi Hunter that worked with Sidious and Vader, is now working for the Sith Eternal Cultists. He is in a public place, talking about working with the Sith, telling secrets, telling of his past, and how he’s on a mission to kidnap a child. One, the word “kidnap” is a little too silly sounding in Star Wars. Two, Ochi is in PUBLIC, so EVERYONE can hear his plans.
At times, the story read like a YA or children’s book. Some moments with the Sith Eternal Cultists that could have been creepy, come across cheesy. There is a planet that we visit, called Yoturba, I kept reading it as YouTuber, I can’t be the only one that did this. That line from The Rise of Skywalker that goes something like “Somehow, Palptine has returned” is echoed in a way, “Somehow, the Sith blade knew it murdered and enjoyed it.”
Do I recommend you read this novel? If you’re a huge fan of the sequel trilogy, then you might enjoy this book. If you didn’t like the sequels, this one may not be for you.
RATING
I have to give Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith 1/5 stars or a D. The story really lacked depth and good characterization of the characters we know and love.
