Archive for October, 2010

Daily

Reading

Update

The Force Unleashed by Sean Williams

I have completed this novel, and I have to admit this novel bothered me on so many levels…pun totally intended.  If you have read my Daily Reading Update part 2 on The Force Unleashed there will be some repetition here.  This novel is just so over the top, filled with galaxy altering events that will shape the Expanded Universe, that there was not enough space to adequately cover these topics.  In my Daily Reading Update part 2, I mentioned how Starkiller faces 3 post purge Jedi in just 92 pages.  That is 3 monumental events in the Expanded Universe to learn of 3 post purge Jedi and one padawan.  Since those 92 pages, Starkiller learned that there was another Jedi who survived the initial purge in his father.  We learn of a total of 5 new Jedi that survived the initial purge.  Words cannot adequately describe how huge this is, but this just scratches the surface of the Universe altering events that were in this novel. 

We are also introduced to some serious Rebel Alliance leadership like Bail Organa, Leia Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Ibis, and they are secondary characters.  This is a pre-rebel alliance look into these characters, which is another huge event. 

In the last third of this book, we have Starkiller who breaks Bail Organa out of prison and then takes down a Star Destroyer construction facility, and through these two acts becomes trusted enough to observe and actually become the founder of the Rebel Alliance as the rebel leaders give their allegiance to him.  Not only do we have 5 new post purge Jedi, we have the actual founding of the Rebel Alliance, and that founding is a side story…how can something this huge be a side story? 

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Novel or Series Mentioned

Shadows of the Empire

You talk to most Star Wars fans, and ask their favorite character and no one is too far down that list before Han Solo and Chewbacca are mentioned.  They are the pirates with the hearts of gold.  One of my favorite character types in stories is the guy or girl who does not want to do right, but they cannot help themselves.  They do the right thing even though goes against everything that comes out of their mouth like Mat Cauthon in The Wheel of Time series, and of course Han Solo in Star Wars.  Also, I love characters that are completely loyal like good ol’ Chewie.  My 7^th favorite scene displays both Han and Chewie for who they truly are, and that is why I just love this scene. 

This scene comes from Shadows of the Empire.  I know what you are thinking.  How does this show us anything about Han Solo since he is frozen in carbonite through the entire novel?  Great question…The answer is Han had the money and the reward to pay off Jabba the Hutt, and if he left the rebellion immediately after receiving the reward he would have paid off Jabba, and all the bounty hunters in the galaxy would not have been hunting him.  Also, Han would not have fired on the Death Star and escaped from Hoth garnering the Empire wrath.  He would have continued his life as a smuggler, but Han had to do the right thing, and that is why he is frozen. 

So I loved Han being frozen, and his frozenness being a focal point of this story because it is a constant reminder that Han Solo has a great heart.  Next, my favorite scene displays the loyalty of Chewbacca. 

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When Star Wars: The Force Unleashed hit stores in 2008, jaws around the gaming world dropped. The game sold an incredible seven million-plus units in total, making it the best selling Star Wars game of all time.  Why? Well, that’s something I’m going to tackle in another blog. This time around, we’re looking at the inevitable result of all those cash registers ringing up a wealthy tune – a sequel.  Yes, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Two is now out and I’m going to take a look, level by level, the this sequel and see just what it adds to the mythos of the Star Wars universe, whether the story packs any punch and whether or not the game is any good on its own.
For those of you scoring at home, I’m playing the Xbox 360 version of the game. It is also available on the PlayStation 3, Wii and DS, but I cannot say whether the Wii and DS versions will adhere to the story I’m about to discuss. The PS3 version, however, should be the same.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin.

The Introduction:

In setting up the game, it recognized that I had a save game file from the original TFU game, meaning I have access to character outfits I won in that one.  The menu screen pops up with a very ticked off looking Starkiller, also known as Vader’s Secret Apprentice, holding two lightsabres against a rainy Kamino night. Lightning flashes reveal images of Vader in the top right corner and Juno, the female pilot Starkiller fell in love with in TFU, over his left. Makes me think we’re going to see another battle for Starkiller’s soul.  Four difficulty levels – easy, medium, hard and unleashed. The crawl says the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Starkiller’s death has led to the begininnings of the rebel alliance. However, Jedi General Rahm Kota has been captured. And Vader is plotting once again.

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Daily

Reading

Update

The Force Unleashed by Sean Williams.

Chapter 10 through 20

I know my last DRU was somewhat negative about this book, and I hate to be negative, but it was just too many post-purge Jedi and not enough pages to do these confrontations justice.  Again, I believe that to more of a product of novelizing a video game than anything else.  I enjoyed these 10 chapters much, much more. 

First, Darth Vader saves Starkiller and has him nursed back to health on his secret lab ship.  Vader gives Starkiller a new plan to overthrow the Emperor.  I loved this scene because it shows that Darth Vader has the same fear and anxiety that you see in Anakin Skywalker.  Vader does not believe he can take down the Emperor alone, which is what was prophecied about him as the Chosen One.  Anakin and now Vader do not have a fear of death as much as a deep fear of failure, and Vader is so afraid to face the Emperor because then he has to face his status as the Chosen One.  Being the Chosen One brings Anakin much anxiety in the Clone Wars era novels, so I loved seeing this insecurity and fear in Vader by saving Starkiller and trying to get help in taking down the Emperor.  It reminded me just who was under that mask.  I cannot say just how much I loved this scene Vader displays so much of Anakin’s emotions, anxiety, and fear.  Tremendous!

Next, I loved Starkiller disobeying a direct order from his Master, who again happens to be Anakin, because of his attachment to Captain Juno.  This again was a wonderful play on Anakin’s life as a Jedi.  How many times does Anakin lie and disobey his master Obi-Wan, the Jedi Code, and the rest of the Order because of his attachments to Padme, to his desire to save everyone, and his mother?  The answer is a lot, so to see Vader’s apprentice disobey him because of his attachment was a very nice bit of irony. 

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Daily

Reading

Update

Dragon and Thief: The First Dragonback Adventure

This update covers chapter 13 through the end of the book.

Having read Zahn’s Star Wars works I knew he was a master of a multi-layered action plot, but I was blown away in this novel by his sense of humor.  Timothy Zahn is very funny.  We left our young hero Jack Morgan last time crashing a bonding ceremony.  Jack terrified about being sent back out to the street because he is being chased out there, and Jack is even more terrified of the Wistawki because he has crashed a sacred ceremony that could also get them very angry at him and Wistawki do not have a reputation for being understanding, so Jack improvises to allow him to stay at the party without the Wistawki knowing he crashed their party.  Jack pretends to be the entertainment, and juggles, tells jokes, and performs some other minor tricks with Draycos totally following along.  It was great.  The grand finale is making Draycos, his dragon robot, disappear when Draycos returns to Jack’s skin.  This was an incredibly lighthearted and funny scene with Jack and Draycos delighting the audience.  This was a nice interlude to the chase scene that preceded it. 

Jack and Draycos leave this ceremony thinking that the chasers are long gone, but Raven was waiting.  Raven captures Jack, with Draycos who cannot do anything because Raven has backup and Draycos is not sure he can take them all before Jack gets shot.  In the process Raven kills two Wistawki, which he can pin these murders on Jack to help Jack cooperate.  Raven drugs Jack and they leave Vagaran.  Zahn goes from light hearted to deadly serious in about two paragraphs.  This sudden change was shocking.  You were expecting Raven to be long gone when Jack left the ceremony.  If this was movie, or if you can read really fast, you would jump at the abruptness of Raven’s arrival.  Again, as stated multiple times in my last Daily Reading Update on this novel, this novel shows Zahn’s incredible range going from laughter to intense in just a few short sentences. 

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Novels or Series Mentioned

Darth Bane: Rule of Two

Darth Bane: Path of Destruction

Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil

Darth Bane Trilogy

I am late to reading novels as I have only been reading the novels for just a shade under four years, which grants me the benefit of not having to wait to read sequels and prequels and series because most were completed before I began reading.  I have rarely had to experience the torture that is waiting months and years before I get the end to the story, but after feeding my full blown novel addiction for four years, I have tore through them like a hot knife through butter, a tornado in a trailor part…you can pick your cliché here.  It was not until I read the Darth Bane trilogy a while back that I had to wait for the next installment to be released, and it is my 8^th favorite scene that caused me to purchase my first hardback ever because I just could not wait to have the story completed, so the number eight on the countdown was so good is cost me an extra 12 bucks. 

My 8^th favorite scene is the ending of Darth Bane: Rule of Two.  As I have mentioned before I am not a behind the scenes guy, and I do not even follow the Star Wars novel news that much.  I just enjoy parusing the Kindle Store for my next thrilling adventure…although when I complete Dark Next III: The Swarm War, I will have finished all the Star Wars novels available on Kindle, so message to Amazon, “GET MORE STAR WARS ON KINDLE!”  Thank you.  Now that that rabbit has been thoroughly chased, let’s get back to the topic at hand.  I had no idea that Darth Bane was going to be a trilogy while I was reading Darth Bane: Rule of Two, so I had no idea that there was a story to come after this one.  Needless to say, the ending of this novel got me. 

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This is a spoiler conscious review of Knight Errant: 1 Aflame

Books or Series mentioned

Knight Errant: 1 Aflame

The New Jedi Order

The Legacy of the Force

The Fate of the Jedi

We are eagerly awaiting LucasFilm’s approval of our John Jackson Miller interview, and as soon as it is approved, episode 11 of the podcast will be posted.  Mr. Miller was fun to talk to, and I cannot wait to share that interview with you as he discusses the difference between writing comics and novels, the crown jewel of his comic collection, where is the best place to watch a college football game, and much more.  While we wait, John Jackson Miller’s comic Knight Errant was released, and I checked it out and was not disappointed. 

Now, I have been out of comics a while.  I think the last time I bought a comic the cover price was $1.25 Captain America was alive, the X-Men were fighting bugs, and the most powerful being in the universe was wrestling.  I have begun reading the 1970’s Star Wars Marvel Comic, but I have not read a comic from this century in a long time.  Let me say, comics have advanced significantly in quality of ink, paper, and printing that blew me away.  The slicker paper and more vibrant colors in the ink make the artist’s drawings pop in ways that plain paper couldn’t do in the late 80’s and early 90’s when I was reading.   

Onto, Knight Errant #1 Aflame, it begins simple or page one with a Sith army loading cargo liners, and then you turn the first page, and my eyes opened wide with this beautiful full page picture of 11…yes 11, Jedi with lightsabers blazing leaping out of a cargo ship they crashed into this Sith operation…consider my attention grabbed.  I have spent the majority of my reading time in the post Yavin era where Jedi are extremely rare.  It is not until The New Jedi Order that you read of large groups of Jedi, but those Jedi still clearly disagree over what it means to be a Jedi, and the Jedi and the Jedi’s leadership is vastly different in The New Jedi Order, Legacy of the Jedi, and Fate of the Jedi, so Jedi that are not dealing with defining what it means to be a Jedi are somewhat of a novelty to me.  To see 11 jump from this ship in a beautiful drawing was impressive to me who still sees a Jedi as somewhat a rarity, even though everyone and their mother seems to be a force sensitive lately. 

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This is a spoiler conscious review, with one piece of spoiler info, of Crosscurrent by Paul Kemp. 

Novels or Series Mentioned

Crosscurrent

The Lost Tribe of the Sith

The Fate of the Jedi

I enjoyed this book like more than the average Star Wars.  It changed scenes, and had multiple storylines that you knew were going to converge in a climatic finale tying all things together.  The characters were great.  You had heroes that faced not only physical enemies, but the emotional enemy of doubt.  You have your scoundrels with hearts of gold.  You have vicious villains.  You have some interesting twists, and more…at one point I was reading, I was wondering if this novel was going to crack my top ten favorite novel list…but then it happened.  This book was a wonderful read from cover to cover, but without a doubt, this novel worries more than any other I have read. 

Let me begin with what I liked.  First, this was my first novel that I have read by Paul Kemp, and I was very much impressed.  I can see why he has been signed to do two more books.  His is an excellent wordsmith that can capture your attention and build rich characters in a short space. I eagerly await Kemp’s other Star Wars installments. 

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This article was first published on www.geekoutonline.com by my good buddy Big Honkin’ Steve, and since, Big Honkin’ Steve has announced a sabbatical from cyber-space, which we all hope will not be long, I thought I would bring this top ten list over and complete it here, and when Steve comes back give the complete listing to him as well.  Again I want to thank Steve for all the joy he has given to me and us through his website, podcasts, and friendship, and for his encouragement to begin your Star Wars Book Report.    

I grew up in Florida, and I have a great deal of family in Tennessee, and there was nothing in this world I hated more than the drive to Tennessee to visit relatives.  It was not because I had to hear about how much I have grown even though I was the same height and weight of my last visit.  It was not that I had to share a bed with who knows how many cousins.  It wasn’t because my cheeks could only take so much pinching.  It was not even because of my crazy Aunt Jo Blair, nor the long drive itself.  I hated going to Tennessee because of my dad’s music collection that we had to listen to for nine hours…there is only so much Porter Wagner, Hank Snow, and others who all sing through their noses, that one man can take.  These old country and western stars of yesteryear drove me crazy.  I begged and begged my dad to listen something current like Def Leppard, Bon Jovi; heck, I would even have listened to New Kids on the Block if it got us off of country oldies for a few minutes.  But of course, I had to hear about the time my dad met this star or that star when he worked at the Grand Ole’ Opry in 1968, and he just cranked the oldies even louder. 

I made a vow on one of those long journeys with myself that I would never listen to just oldies.  I vowed that I would always keep my musical taste current.  There was just one problem with that vow.  No one told me that music was going to become horrible at the turn of the millennium.  That whole Y2K business we were worried about missiles, banks, electricity, water and the like, and we totally ignored the music business, and that is where the Y2K bug attacked, and music has never been the same.  Now, in my car, my kids are cultured on good music like Def Leppard, Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, The Bangles, and even the New Kids on the Block.  Please Don’t Go Girl, I must admit is a great song.  One day as I was teaching my eldest daughter the lyrics to Allison’s Starting to Happen by the Lemonheads…I realized something…I have turned into my father, and you know, as horrible as I thought that was twenty years ago, now, I am kind of proud to be him because music today is just terrible.  We are all products of our upbringing, and since I work with teenagers, I am fascinated about how our upbringings shape us either by imitation or by revulsion.  I find the events that shape people to be fascinating, and that it why the number nine scene made the list of my favorite scenes of all time.

My 9^th favorite scene is when Dewlanna helps a young Han Solo escape his basic slavery aboard the Trader’s Luck.  This scene is the scene that took me from Star Wars book enthusiast to pure addict because it shows the beauty of how the books can meld perfectly with the movies by showing us how Han Solo’s upbringing shaped the man he was in the movies and the novels for that matter.  This scene is from chapter one in The Paradise Snare by Ann C. Crispin, which is still my favorite novel I have ever read. 

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This article was first published on www.geekoutonline.com by my good buddy Big Honkin’ Steve, and since, Big Honkin’ Steve has announced a sabbatical from cyber-space, which we all hope will not be long, I thought I would bring this top ten list over and complete it here, and when Steve comes back give the complete listing to him as well.  Again I want to thank Steve for all the joy he has given to me and us through his website, podcasts, and friendship, and for his encouragement to begin your Star Wars Book Report.    

I have a passion for the Star Wars books.  I am not anti-cartoon, anti-comic, or anti-any other Star Wars genre…I just love the novels, and I hope to either develop a passion in you to go read these books, or give you a platform through the comments at the end of these blogs or in the forum, where you can share your passion for this particular corner of the Star Wars Universe.  To begin our journey, I thought I would use a top ten list.  Nothing gets the passion flowing in the veins like arguing over a good old fashion list, so here is my first list for Geek Out Online…My Favorite Scenes of All Time.  I want to share the scenes that reached into my chest grabbed my guts squeezed and twisted them all at the same time…the scenes that I could not stop reading…the scenes that made me love these books. 

            Number 10 on our countdown comes from Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover.  It is the scene where Mace Windu finally comes face to face with Depa Billaba in chapter 11. 

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