Archive for the ‘Mara Jade Skywalker’ Category

In today’s episode, Wayne and I discuss Clone Wars: The Animated Series and how the cartoon and the novels accent and help develop one another.  We discuss our thoughts on the cartoon dropping Ahsoka Tano into the timeline, and how certain novels and the cartoon follow similar models: from Anakin’s leadership style in the Clone War Novels to the twisted Rule of Two followed by the Emperor that allows for other Dark Side Jedi such as Mara Jade from the Novels and Asaj Ventress from the Animated Series, and more.

We then break down the amazing Night Sister Trilogy from the Animated Series that borrows heavily from earlier novels, our thoughts on Savage, whose name looks more manly in print than when spoken, and what are our thoughts on Darth Maul coming back if that was Maul in that orb.

Today’s show is full of fun Star Wars talk, but that does not stop us from chasing rabbits, as I ask Wayne his thoughts on the recent NHL All Star Game and we make a Super Bowl bet where the loser will pay up in the next episode.

Join us for our usual shenanigans and explore with us the galaxy one page and one episode at a time.

Thanks for listening, Jesse

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

We have a big show for you today.

Wayne and I break down Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn.  We discuss Zahn’s ability to write great characters.  Some you love, and others you love to hate.   We also break down plot and how Zahn truly captures the spirit of Star Wars and is faithful to George Lucas’ vision.

Later we share with you and interview with Paul Kemp author of multiple Forgotten Realms and Star Wars novels, short stories, and more.  Mr. Kemp shares with us his favorite characters he has written, if any of his Forgotten Realms characters come from his RPG days, how he would describe his own writting, and I couldn’t resist asking who is crazier Star Wars or Forgotten Realms fans, and much, much more.

One note – early in the podcast I mistakenly say that Crosscurrent by Paul Kemp was connected to the Legacy of the Jedi series, and that is incorrect.  As you all know, and I do too, I just misspoke, it is connected to the Fate of the Jedi series.

Thank you for listening.  Please share us with your friends.

Exploring the galaxy one page at a time, Jesse

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

If there is one thing that has been made clear in the Star Wars Universe it is this; if you are an over thinker, you will become the epitome of evil.  If you like to think four and five moves ahead, you need to stop right now, or you will end up on the wrong end of a light saber or a blaster.  Just look at the evidence. 

Case One – Grand Admiral Thrawn – This man looked at the art of a culture…the art…we are talking paintings and statues and stuff, and by examining the art, he knew how that cultures generals were going act in battle.  If that is not over thinking I don’t know what is.  Thrawn is the classic chess master villain who over thinks every situation and how did Thrawn end up?  He threw invisible asteroids at Coruscant which hurt civilians as much as it did the military and by over analyzing threats that were ten steps down the road that he totally missed the Nohgri right in front of him as a threat.  Over thinking was Thrawn’s downfall.

Read the rest of this entry »

This review is a review of Abyss by Troy Denning and contains spoilers, so be wary of the prior to reading.

Novels or Series Mentioned

Abyss

Star by Star

Dark Nest I: The Joiner King

The Fate of the Jedi

Troy Denning is quickly rising on my favorite Star Author list.  Star by Star was an epic story that was written and handled very well.  I recently posted how much I enjoyed Dark Nest I: The Joiner King even thought there were numerous reasons for me to hate it, since I am quite the traditionalist and do not like change.  Both of those novels are testaments to Denning’s writing skill, and Denning’s writing skill is also on display in Abyss. 

Denning is an excellent writer of action.  The way Abeloth’s planet was filled with action with the venomous and dangerous foliage.  I know dangerous plants do not sound thrilling, but Denning writes them in a way that keep you on your toes because you know at any moment another attack is coming from left field, and I enjoyed that constant danger while reading.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is a spoilerful review of Dark Nest I: The Joiner King by Troy Denning. 

Novels or Series Mentioned

Dark Nest I: The Joiner King

The Unifying Force

Star by Star

Dark Nest Trilogy

The New Jedi Order

This book got my blood pumping and boiling more than any Star Wars novel I have read in a long while.  My reading of this book and it’s take on the Force in particular.  The new Unifying Force espoused by Luke Skywalker during the conclusion of the New Jedi Order has already spawned a two part crossover podcast spectacular with Steve Glosson and Geek Out Loud and Star Wars Book Report to discuss the nature of the Force, which is in the editing phase, and an article where I addressed Barris Offee’s declarations on the nature of the Force because of her bota induced Force experience.  If the goal of a novel is to get a reaction, Dark Nest I: The Joiner King succeeded like no other. 

The Dark Nest Trilogy is a series that I have largely ignored.  I finished the 19 book saga of the New Jedi Order about two years ago, and after spending so much time on one time period, I wanted a break from the New Jedi Order time period, and I have jumped all over the timeline since.  One thing I love about Star Wars novels is the ability to jump around eras, and if you have followed my blog and/or podcast for long, you see I do some considerable jumping around, but I am glad that I finally landed in the wasps’ nest…and wasps’ nest it is.

Read the rest of this entry »

Novels or Series Mentioned

The Courtship of Princess Leah

Shadows of the Empire

The Thrawn Trilogy

The Hand of Thrawn Duology

The X-Wing Series

The New Jedi Order

The Legacy of the Force

The Fate of the Jedi

If we learned anything from the Princess Bride, it is that man or woman, boy or girl, we are all looking for true love, or should I more appropriately say…twuuee wwove.  Well, thankfully we have some great advice to find our soul mate found in the pages of some good old Star Wars novels.  Today, we are going to examine four couples who found true love to help us find the secret of catching that perfect guy or girl of our dreams. 

The four couples we are going to look at are as followed: Han and Leah, Luke and Mara Jade, Corran and Mirax, and Jagged Fel and Jaina.  Han and Leah have been successfully married for decades, and their marriage has weathered and been strengthened through storms that I cannot fathom going through from carbonite freezing to the death of children.  Luke and Mara Jade do not even have to talk to each other to share their feelings or love.  They have a deep connection that most couples dream about.  Who enjoys each other company more than Corran and Mirax?  From the first time they shared a ryshcate together, you saw magic spark because they truly love each others’ company, and with Jagged Fel and Jaina, we see teenage puppy love mature into a deep commitment for one another than easily spans the vast gulf between the Imperial Remnant and the Galactic Alliance.  We are going to examine these loves to help us all out in our own quest for true love. 

Read the rest of this entry »