Bradley K. Brown
The fourth book of the Song of Ice and Fire series disappointed many, and left readers holding their breath for so long, some may have perished waiting. Many fan-favorite characters do not even appear in Feast. In Martin's words:
“I felt that readers would be better served by a book that told all the story for half the characters, rather than half the story for all the characters.” - George R.R. Martin
A Feast for Crows
A Feast for Crows
Feast
A Storm of Swords
Feast
Ice and Fire
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows,
Feast
Feast
A Feast for Crows
Ice and Fire
Feast
Feast
A Dance with Dragons
A Dance with Dragons
A Feast for Crows
A Feast for Crows
The third book of the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Storm of Swords continues events in Westeros, and holds nothing back. Ned Stark's murder in A Game of Thrones proved that no character is safe, but Swords takes that ideal to the next level, removing no less than six major characters from the story, some in rapid succession, leaving the reader's head spinning.
Not only do deaths abound in A Storm of Swords, but major and surprising events take place at every turn. The book's pace is relatively lazy during the first half of the novel, but once the first of those major deaths mentioned earlier occurs, the second-half of the book turns into a rapid page-turner that leaves no stone unturned.
The story picks up almost immediately after events of A Clash of Kings. With Winterfell burned, one would think that the Starks' could imagine life no more cruel, but they would be wrong, as readers will learn by the end of Swords. It would be easy to spoil events by revealing who lives or dies, but it would ruin the surprise of the story.
The most intriguing portions of Swords have to deal with the politics and betrayal that the reader will mostly likely never see coming. Littlefinger, largely absent, becomes an even more enigmatic player when his role in events is revealed. Clearly, he is a character that has been vastly under-estimated.
Events in Westeros are far more important to the story this time around, and the plight of Daenerys takes a backseat to what's happening on the other side of the Narrow Sea. Still, there are some truly surprising scenes involving Daenerys and her faithful servants, some of which turn out to be less faithful than she'd been led to believe.
With the twists and turns, deaths, and surprising events in A Storm of Swords, it's easily not only the longest of the series, but by far the most superb. Martin has a special skill for storytelling, and for making us care about his characters–and not just the good ones.
The second entry in the Song of Ice and Fire Saga, A Clash of Kings, written by George R.R. Martin begins a bit slowly, but introduces us to new viewpoint characters, such as Stannis Baratheon, the true heir to the Iron Throne. It's quite clear by the end of Kings however, that those with the most gold and swords aligned with them can claim the throne for themselves.
The book titles have very closely followed the events of the books. In the first entry, A Game of Thrones, there is much political positioning, backstabbing, and plans being laid. It truly was a game of thrones. In A Clash of Kings, though there is still many politics going on, it truly is a clash of kings. At the beginning of the novel, there are four kings in Westeros, and fighting is occurring in all parts of the land.
The most intriguing character in the series so far, Tyrion Lannister, is serving as Hand of the King, in the stead of Joffrey's Grandfather, Tywin Lannister, who is busy fighting a war against Robb Stark. Tyrion quickly impresses with his shrewdness and aptitude for subterfuge. He has never quite shined as he does in Kings.
Though the novel is fantastic, it doesn't flow as quickly as did Thrones, and seems to wander a bit. Still, the events in the book can't be discounted. Without giving it away, suffice it to say that things are coming unraveled in Westeros, and the Reader may be surprised by how vulnerable every character is–whether we get to see through their eyes or not. Indeed, it's one of the draws to the series: no character is ever safe. New characters are frequently introduced, secondary characters slowly become more important, and major characters can be killed off and replaced. It's a refreshing change of pace from so many other novels (especially series-based books) that fail to truly put their antagonists in jeopardy, or seriously threaten their main characters. The author makes no such assumptions; everyone is cannon fodder.
A Clash of Kings takes place primarily in two locations: Winterfell, and King's Landing. Though we are taken all over the realm, to places like Riverrun, and Pyke, we don't spend nearly as much time there. We also get to go beyond the Wall for a huge portion of the book, and see how that story is beginning to unfold. Jon Snow has become yet another major player in the series, and continues to be enthralling to read about.
In the end, A Clash of Kings is a great read, and continues to develop one of the greatest Fantasy sagas of all time.
Since it was first published in 1996, A Game of Thrones has been one of my favorite books, and the start to one of my most-anticipated series ever. With each new volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, I find myself excited, and anxious to return to the world of Westeros that author George R.R. Martin has created.
When the HBO series Game of Thrones started in 2011, I found myself interested in re-reading the Ice and Fire saga for two reasons: It had been well over a decade since I'd first read it, and many of the specifics of the story had been lost to me over time; The second, and most importantly is the impending publication of the fifth book in the series, A Dance With Dragons, due out in July. It has been six long years since the last time I delved into the lands of Westeros, so found a refresher necessary.
I've since learned that catching up on the Ice and Fire saga is no simple task. With over 3,000 pages making up the series so far, A Game of Thrones was just a small leap into the series. But alas, I did read Thrones again, and here are my thoughts:
The seat of Winterfell is harsh and cold, with little ornamentation or fanfare. Fortunately, the same can't be said of author George R.R. Martin, who does an amazing job of bringing this fictional world to life. The reader is immediately drawn in, with descriptions of evil tidings taking place beyond the Wall. And what a Wall it is! An ingenious setting, the Wall actually becomes a character in itself, imposing and inhospitable. Martin makes the reader actually feel bad for the men of the Night's Watch, as they have this enormous weight standing over their heads; they surely must feel as if the world stands on their shoulders.
Though the novel is long, it never feels tedious or bogged down. The use of so many viewpoint characters helps to keep readers interested, and the plot flowing along nicely. Indeed, with so many characters, it would typically be difficult to keep up with them all, but Martin miraculously prevents this from happening. Where so many authors fail in introducing new characters, Martin shines brilliantly. The story truly revolves around the four main houses: Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, and Targaryen. Hundreds of other houses are introduced, and play their role, but Martin keeps them in their place, as required, and the novel excels because of it.
Memorable characters, landscapes, and events fill A Game of Thrones from beginning to end, and though this is a series based in a mythical kingdom, in a world where summers last years, and winters a lifetime, there is little that is unbelievable; it's a book about real people, with real ambitions, and political scheming, as those with power vie for even more. So much of history is made up of stories like this that the events in the book are not only believable, but plausible as well.
Upon reading through a second time, I actually found the novel more entertaining that the first read-through (or at least I believe so, the first having been more than a decade ago.) The story is eminently enjoyable and enthralling, ending with a bang. I can't recommend A Game of Thrones highly enough, and thoroughly look forward to reading through the other books of the series for a second time.
MINI REVIEW:
Every now and then a book comes along that defies all expectations, and transcends genres. THE SPEED OF DARK is one of those books. Though technically science fiction, this certainly doesn't feel like it. It's first and foremost a character-oriented story; so much so that the ‘story' barely applies. Very introspective and enlightening from someone who knows autism intimately (her son is autistic). This is certainly one of those books that make you think and reevaluate your opinions. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE, not just science fiction readers.
“History of Death” is a long story, but well worth the read, and is easily one of the most interesting pieces of fiction I have ever read. I highly recommend others to read this story. The story details Mortimer Gray's journey of writing about death, and the fascination people have with it, once people become essentially immortal. The story's author works on a number of volumes in the History, which takes 174 years to complete. Battling several close calls with death himself, Mortimer Gray is an intriguing and highly flawed character, who is a joy to read about.
“The Undiscovered” by William Sanders - Another ‘alternate history' story, “The Undiscovered” ponders what Williams Shakespeare might have accomplished, were his audience completely different than the ones he wrote for. The story details how ‘Spearshaker' puts on a play with native-americans, after being stranded in the new-world, rather than writing his plays back in England. It's an interesting twist for a story to ponder, but Sanders does an admirable job.
“Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang - Though not a highly prolific author, I cannot help feeling like I've been missing something. “Story of Your Life” was arguably the best story in the book, and grabbed my attention more than any story I can remember. Another longer piece, “Story or Your Life” is both a flashback, and a flash-forward–sort of. Aliens at last visit us, but we find it more difficult to communicate than imagination could provide. Using ‘semagrams', the main character learns not only how to communicate with the aliens', but also how to think like them–to unusual results. It's one of the best-written stories I've ever encountered, and should be required reading for any science fiction fan.
“10-16 to 1” by James Patrick Kelly - This is actually a story I had run across before, in a science fiction magazine. A time-traveler enlists the help of a young boy, to change the course of history for all life on Earth–if the boy completes his task properly. Set during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the tension of the story is a character in itself, and helps set the tone for the world that the boy lives in. Add the dysfunctional family, in a time where families weren't supposed to be dysfunctional, and the reality of the situation sets even further. With an interesting premise, and an even more interesting ending, this story is an enjoyable, and thought-provoking read.
“Lobsters” by Charles Stross - Another author whose work I've never delved into, Stross does a superb job portraying the future of the ‘internet-age' in a believable, and somewhat terrifying manner. The technical portions of this story are what made me take notice, describing how even a Windows NT server from Russia can survive into the future, and become a character worth interacting with. Stross has become an author I will be looking for now, in order to see if his other stories are as technically rich. If so, I have a new favorite.
“Lambing Season” by Molly Gloss - Another story that I'd read in a magazine, “Lambing Season” is another fantastically understated work. Portraying an encounter with aliens, who look nothing like we'd expect, this story is leisurely and relaxed, and makes the reader feel comfortable with the idea that it's okay not to report the contact. I've not seen a lot of work by this author, but look forward to finding more.
Though these are not all of the great stories in the book, these were just my favorites, or the ones that made me notice the authors for the first time. All of the stories in the collection are amazing, as they should be for this book, and all could be recommended easily. For any science-fiction fan who wants to get a sample from many good authors, they should pick up this book. It's also an example of what great science fiction looks like, and would-be authors should take notice.
Kim Stanley Robinson's Science in the Capitol trilogy concludes with Sixty Days and Counting. For years, Robinson has been pushing the boundaries of science fiction broader and broader into the world of mainstream fiction. This latest series by him is less typical science fiction, but more of a political and sociological study. In fact, there more science in his fiction that most other books of the genre.
Robinson's books are rarely the gripping, thrill-inducing page-turners that some people enjoy. Rather, they are often methodical, leisurely-paced thought-provoking character-driven stories. That's not to say they don't have their climactic sections though. The difference is that Robinson's work doesn't always build itself up over the final hundred pages, only to resolve itself unsatisfactorily. Sixty Days and Counting is no different, though maybe a bit less exciting than his other works.
The novel picks up the story of Frank Vanderwal, Charlie Quibler, and a few other interesting characters, on their quest to fix the world's environmental problems. In Sixty Days and Counting, Phil Chase has been elected President and plans to bring the world's climate problems to the forefront of the government's agenda. Indeed, Chase is depicted as a President who gets things done–a rarity in today's Washington.
Unfortunately Robinson uses Sixty Days and Counting as a platform to make a political statement, somewhat tarnishing the originality of the plot. Though vague and unspecific, there are clearly indications that Robinson is unhappy with the current Administration and its actions. His message will quickly become dated, however, as years from now, readers will think nothing of it, since it's the current situation that makes his message clear. Nevertheless, it's slightly disappointing.
Of the three books in the series, Sixty Days and Counting feels like the weakest. The story resolves many of the plot elements brought up on the previous book, Forty Signs of Rain. However, the radical projects that are begun in this novel seem to happen a little too easily. Though not impossible, the idea that the whole world would jump to assist in essentially terraforming our own planet seems a bit unrealistic–sadly. Robinson shows us just what is possible, were everyone to try to put our energy and focus toward projects that would help all of humanity. Unfortunately, we live in a world where the actual possibility of these things occurring is slim. Then again, that's what good fiction is designed to do: make people reevaluate their opinions or views, which Sixty Days and Counting and all of Robinson's other works accomplish ably.
Though not his best work, Robinson spins an elegant, intelligent, and persuasive tale that's highly recommended for any fan of his writing.
Exile by Aaron Allston is the fourth book in the Legacy of the Force series, and the second by Allston in this nine-volume arc. In Exile, Allston continues the events chronicling Jacen Solo's journey to becoming a Lord of the Sith.
Unfortunately, Exile does little to excite readers, or surprise anyone within the story. In fact, most of the characters feel emotionally detached, as if even they were bored with the story. In the past, Allston has written highly engaging, entertaining and detailed prose, regarding space battles, or even ground-based military incursions. Exile offers little of this material, however.
Most of the book follows Ben Skywalker, a character who–until now–has seen little individual and up-close-and-personal time in the series. Sadly, there's nothing new or interesting here to capture the reader's attention. It feels very much like what it is: a filler until the next hardcover, which is a shame; Allston is a much better author than this book represents, and it certainly does him no justice.
The ending feels especially weak and contrived, prompting more questions, than providing answers. Though still a fast-paced read, it lacks the excitement to stand out in the crowded field of Star Wars literature.
The Martian Tales Trilogy is, as described, actually three books, now combined into a single volume. Comprised of A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and The Warlord of Mars, all written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs is responsible for other classics such as Tarzan of the Apes.
Since the books in The Martian Tales Trilogy were published nearly a century ago, there's nothing I could write that most likely hasn't already been said. It is my intention therefore, to put my own thoughts down, for the purpose of this review.
Though written long ago, I was impressed by the language within. Other novels written in older timeframes are often fairly hard to read, since the language often is quite different from modern publications and style. During the course of the novels, the prose does seem to affect some type unusual phrasing, but it's still immensely readable.
The story of John Carter is nothing if impossible, but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the story, as it sweeps from pole to pole of Mars, known as Barsoom to its inhabitants. Once you put aside what we currently know about our red neighbor, the story captures the imagination of the reader. When the story was first published, back in 1914, one can only imagine what readers were capable of believing. Very little was known about Mars at that time in history.
Throughout the three novels of the Trilogy, John Carter's heroics are chronicled, as he strives to rescue his Martian wife from the evil clutches of numerous creatures. Written in first-person, from John Carter's view, it does grow a tad tiresome to hear his boasts of swordsmanship and courage, when his story describes no such skills while he's on Earth. Of course, the facts of his magical appearances on Mars, and his seemingly immortal character is also so fantastical that one can only accept it as part of the story.
In all, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories, and was mildly disappointed to reach the end. Certainly, Burroughs could have written much more about the events surrounding John Carter, and continued those marvelous adventures, but alas he did not.
The Martian Tales Trilogy can be described as one of the first science-fiction novels, in a new and upcoming genre of that area. Though I had my doubts about the story before beginning, I quickly cast aside my preconceptions and enjoyed the work.
It's a marvel that this was never turned into a movie or series of films. I highly recommend it for fans of all literature–not just science-fiction. It's more of a fantasy than science-fiction and it does not disappoint.
The Sky People by S.M. Stirling is an interesting new novel, with a somewhat old-time feel. The Sky People takes place on a very different planet Venus than we know exists today.
During the 1950's, astronomers believed they saw canals on Mars, and concluded they were the work of alien civilizations. The Sky People draws on that assumption and rewrites history to show that Venus is truly a sister-world of Earth, filled with wild animals and species that died-out on Earth, such as dinosaurs, Neanderthals, and enormously dangerous sea creatures. In a world-gone-rampant, our heroes are set forth on a journey to rescue a stranded Earthman, and stumble upon unexpected secrets that will challenge all of humanity's beliefs.
At times, this book succeeds wildly, portraying big-picture-action and suspense. At other times, it gets annoyingly repetitive and dull. The author does a good job of bringing to life a new and interesting world, not that much different that our own. However, the repeated references to the subtle differences of Venus's fictional atmosphere grow tiring before long. The author also does a poor job of holding up the suspense, about a traitor in the heroes' party, by foreshadowing that treachery multiple times, before finally revealing what the reader has already been guessing for hundreds of pages.
In all, The Sky People turns out to be a fairly good novel, but without demanding too much of the reader's attention. The story doesn't get flowing until well over 100 pages in, and never quite goes where one would expect–or hope. The epilogue also sparks far more questions than it answers, and follows an annoying Hollywood tradition of leaving the option open for a sequel–or series of sequels.
This reader isn't sure another is wanted.
Stephen Baxter returns with a new–and surprising–series, called Time's Tapestry. In the first book of the series, Baxter chronicles the rise and fall of the Roman Empire in Britain. Time's Tapestry is positioned as an alternate history epic.
In Emperor, readers are introduced to the Prophecy of Nectovelin, which is central to the entire series. Broken into several parts, Emperor follows the descendents of Nectovelin through history, beginning with the second Roman invasion of Britain, and chronicles the family's use of the Prophecy for personal gain, and family wealth.
The first obvious difference between Emperor, and Baxter's typical work is the lack of space. Outer space is a staple in Baxter's fiction, but barely surfaces in this book, except for a couple of off-handed references by the characters in the novel.
Stephen Baxter does an excellent job however, of bringing the ancient majesty of the Roman Empire to life, and richly details the novel with descriptions of daily life, and of the replacement of the British culture with the overwhelming Roman style.
One way Baxter sets this saga apart from his typical fare is to even change the style of the text, the formatting, and print-style. Quotations use only a single mark, rather than the ordinary two. There are no headers, with Baxter's name, or the title of the book, and the chapters are very simply numbered in Roman numerals.
Though extremely different from his standard works, Baxter hints at things to come, and it's easy to see how Time's Tapestry could become embedded heavily into Baxter's infinite vision of time and space. Other books, such as Coalescent, now make a lot more sense, and can be seen as building-blocks toward this series.
Emperor succeeds as a whole, and keeps the reader engaged and interested throughout, very well. The only complaint could be the abruptness with which the novel ends, seemingly too soon. Certainly the ending is appropriate, but a “to be continued” would have been nice, and not unwarranted. Nevertheless, Emperor is an excellent novel, and a promising start to the new series.
Whitley Strieber's The Grays is an interesting read from front to back, and never disappoints. In fact, it's hard to know what to expect at any time throughout the novel, as the author provides enough twists and turns to keep readers constantly guessing.
On the surface, The Grays at first appears to be a fairly typical alien-abduction story, but quickly expands to a cataclysmic scale, and the author's imagination provides for some unique ideas, and an interesting climax.
On the whole, The Grays is extremely successful in weaving a complex plot around a fantastic and believable set of characters. From the uber-genius child, to the militant fanatic, to the ailing relationship of the parents, to the unique capabilities of the Grays, the book succeeds on all levels.
The story builds nicely to the climax and resolves pretty much all of the plot elements. It's a book that defies expectations, but does not leave the reader disappointed.
Riding Rockets is an autobiographical account of Astronaut Mike Mullane's journey to achieve a lifelong dream to fly into space. Despite some formidable difficulties, Mullane made the difficult journey and flew in space not once, but three times.
In the book, Mullane describes his disbelief in his selection as an astronaut candidate. He also regales readers with humorous and personal anecdotes from his childhood. He describes the frustrations the astronauts experienced in dealing with NASA Management, and the mettle of the brave men and women who lived–and died–while flying the shuttle.
Riding Rockets is also a tribute to Mullane's family, especially his father. He also praises his wife for her years of selfless sacrifice, without complaint.
Mullane tells a fascinating story, full of rich description, that shows the world a side of the manned space program we have never seen. Indeed, the general public has probably never considered how stressful and dangerous flying on the shuttle can be, both for the astronauts themselves, and for their families, who are forced to watch from the ground.
The book is also not preachy, or overly technical, but focuses instead on Mullane's emotions and experiences over the years of astronaut training. He does an excellent job of relating his love and respect for everyone around him. The humor is very nicely integrated into the text, and it's obvious that Mike Mullane cares very much about others, and uses his self-deprecating humor to that effect to tell his story.
In all, Riding Rockets is an intriguing and very entertaining look inside the mind of a very special type of person: the American Astronaut.
For years, Michael Crichton has been known for releasing books at exactly the right moment. He released Jurassic Park when cloning and DNA extraction were all over the media. He released Airframe at a time of worry over air travel safety (but before 9/11). He released Prey during the introduction of nanotechnology concerns. Indeed, all the way back to The Andromeda Strain, Crichton's books have been uncannily tied to recent events, and his research has proven to uncover new insights into the events that shape our world.
With his latest novel, State of Fear, Crichton once again releases a novel at a strangely and scarily perfect moment, as the world deals with an unparalleled catastrophe.
State of Fear primarily deals with the global-warming issue, and the book is about eco-terrorists, who are actually working for environmental groups, trying to make the world see their point of view. In order to reinforce their point, and get the world to pay attention to them, they actually try to control the weather, in the form of hurricanes, storms, and tsunamis.
What makes this book so interesting is that Crichton essentially argues that global-warming is, in fact, not occurring, as today's media reports, but in fact, it is entirely possible that the Earth is headed for its next ice age. Crichton does make it clear however, that so little is known about our environment, nobody can predict with any accuracy what our climate will look like 100 years from now, or even 20 years from now.
Of course, the timing of this book couldn't be more coincidental. With the horrible tsunami that has taken so many lives, it was almost surreal reading about a tsunami's effects in this book. Indeed, Crichton could not have anticipated what the world is currently experiencing. It is beyond comprehension.
Nevertheless, State of Fear is a book that I feel I must recommend, even though it really is not a fantastic read. It rates up there with The Da Vinci Code as a thought-provoking novel, that challenges the reader to reexamine their opinions about a great many subjects. Unfortunately, there are no less than three separate climaxes in the book, which lead to a frustrating and rollercoaster reader involvement level. There are times that the book begins to pick up, when suddenly, we are treated to essentially a lecture about global-warming, including charts and article references, before we get to continue with our story. The plot suffers in order for Crichton to include all his research information into the story, rather than the story flow around his research.
But nevertheless, readers are treated to an exciting and rather compelling story that reads quickly, and in fact, feels very much like a movie—not surprising, considering the source. State of Fear has some fantastic characters who are well fleshed-out, and readers should enjoy the plot twists, as few as they are.
Is State of Fear Michael Crichton's greatest novel? Certainly not. Is it a great piece of literature? I wouldn't classify it that way, but it is a fun read and one worth picking up, if only for the coincidence factor of the tsunami, and for the ironic events that occur in the pages.
Jedi Healer, by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry is the second and last of the Medstar duology. Good riddance. This book felt like a long and convoluted second half of a single volume. In the first book, titled Battle Surgeons, readers were introduced to a few, unknown characters who were part of a medical unit helping clone soldiers on a remote planet called Drongar.
The first novel primarily set up the characters, including Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee, who had been sent to Drongar to help heal people, and as a final test to her becoming a Jedi Knight. The other character prominent character introduced is Jos Vandar, a surgeon who fans will come to either love or hate throughout the series.
Though Battle Surgeons was fairly successful in revealing an interesting story, Jedi Healer fails on almost every level to deliver a satisfying conclusion. The only thing it has in its favor is a bit of humor, and the fact that it manages to tell a story not seen in the Clone Wars so far: a battle of spirit on an out-of-the-way planet, and does so without any major characters.
The Medstar duology truly should have been one book, and in fact, shouldn't have been published to begin with; there are simply too many problems in this series. For instance, early in the novel, we are told that Jos Vandar is Corellian. Strange, since the first book does a pretty good job of telling readers how his culture looks down very harshly on being involved with people not from his planet. Therefore, readers begin to assume his love interest, Tolk, is either not human at all, or that Jos is from a strange, secluded planet. Not so if he's from Corellia. But if that culture frowns on the prospect of people marrying from other cultures, why didn't Han Solo have a problem with getting involved with Leia in the Original Trilogy, or in the subsequent books? Why was it never mentioned? To the authors' credit, later in the book, there's talk of how attitudes on Corellia are changing but it comes far too late to keep the reader from being helplessly confused.
This book was also horribly proof-read–much like this review–and spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and many other problems mar this book throughout. As if the problem with Corellians being ostracized marrying “eksters” isn't bad enough, it's even worse when they refer to the same thing as “eskers” several times. Make up your mind please. (Note to LucasBooks and Del Rey Editors: Microsoft Word has an excellent feature called ‘Find & Replace' I would also turn off the proofreading markup features and try reading these manuscripts. You'd catch more errors that way.) Star Wars books have been getting progressively worse about these types of errors lately, and it's embarrassing to see how poorly some of these books read.
As if proofreading mistakes weren't enough to drive the reader crazy, many of our modern-day sayings and phrases are translated and inserted into Jedi Healer. In fact, the language rating of this novel would have to be at least PG-13. After all, “no mopek” isn't going to fool anybody. A few ‘curse' words won't bother some people, but it just sounds dumb to see “getting his drive tubes scoured,” when we know what they mean. It's okay every now and then, but not as often as this book parades these phrases around.
Among the other problems in this book, and quite possibly the most frustrating: it has a see-through plot. Near the end of Battle Surgeons, the authors set up the fact that there's a spy in the midst of the characters introduced. Readers will probably begin to suspect a particular character as the spy, and will most likely be correct. Throughout most of Jedi Healer, Reaves and Perry try to keep a lot of drama going on this fact, hoping that it will pay off at the ‘reveal' near the end. However, they do very little to draw guilt away from the character most readers should be suspicious of. Granted, the authors try to distract the reader, in poor fashion and with more embarrassing, overlooked mistakes, but the story is so cliché that it fails to excite. Readers may doubt their assumptions once or twice, but when the Reveal finally happens, it's entirely too short, and extremely un-gratifying. It's not surprising at all; downright disappointing is more like it.
Though the book suffers through many hurdles, it does have its high points. Unfortunately, those high points are still depressingly low. A couple of fairly noteworthy events are the appearance of a Republic Star Destroyer, and a mention of the Modal Nodes–the band playing in the cantina in A New Hope. Another fascinating–if not confusing–point talks about Republic weapon tests of what we can only assume is the Death Star.
Overall, the book tries to deliver a story, but instead reveals itself for what it truly is: a commercial attempt to extort the Star Wars franchise in order to elicit fans to buy the latest offering. Del Rey knows that fans will buy it if it says Star Wars. It's sad that they would use that to promote this Medstar duology. Rather than write books around a good story, they tried to wrap an ill-conceived story around two books, to make money not just once, but twice. What easily could have been a single volume was instead split into two. Twice the page count, twice the profit, right? Or was it simply because there were two authors? Either way, these books could have never seen the light of a word processor, and it probably would have been for the better.
Unless you're a die-hard fan, who doesn't need the extra $14 USD, skip ‘em.
Kim Stanley Robinson, best known for his Mars trilogy Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars, is a fascinating author, capable of challenging readers to think not about what it means to be human, but what it means to exist altogether. In The Years of Rice and Salt, he rises to majestic heights and delivers a story worthy of much praise.
The Years of Rice and Salt is an alternate history unlike any other. Re-imagining how the world would have progressed if Europe had been wiped out by the Black Death in the fourteenth century. The most amazing aspect of the novel, however, is how it tries not to present itself like an alternate history. Instead, Robinson allows readers to live in an entirely different world, where Europe has different names, like Firanja and Al-Andalus, instead of Spain, England or France. He also allows readers to easily understand the locations of a story by using names that are familiar from ancient history, like Mecca, Inka, Burmese and Arabia. But the world Robinson has created is entirely believable, and educational.
In The Years of Rice and Salt, Kim Stanley Robinson challenges his readers to reexamine their viewpoints on many topics: life and death, reincarnation, religion, philosophy, science, and even the place of women in society. Rarely does a work so thought-provoking come around.
Robinson uses a different method for conveying his story throughout the novel, which consists of ten ‘books'. We are introduced to many ‘characters' which all share the same souls throughout multiple lives. His jati, meet up with each other in life after life, which he details in the novel.
Though their names all begin with the same letter in each life, their situations rarely mirror their previous incarnations. Readers are treated to living the life of a tiger through the eyes of one, and on the effect humans have on the nature surrounding them. It's an interesting storytelling method seldom seen working so well. Though confusing at times, especially at the beginning, Robinson's use of the bardo separates the lives nicely.
Nevertheless, this novel takes time to ingest. Spanning over 750 pages, and having no true climax–an interesting theme in Robinson's books–the novel is not a huge page-turner. In fact, readers may find themselves rather confused in the early pages, and not very interested until the birth of science in Samarqand. The development of weaponry and combat is especially interesting, since it mirrors our own history so well. Indeed, it's intriguing to see how many things could be so very similar. Several times, readers may find themselves thinking of a character as the equivalent of our Einstein, or understanding that scientists are working on a nuclear bomb, though the terms are all different.
Robinson does an excellent job weaving together an interesting, thought-provoking journey through history, beginning with the death of a warlord, and moving through the discovery of the ‘New World' by the Chinese, who land on the west coast–which seems decidedly odd. Also interesting is the development of China into the largest power in the world.
Overall, The Years of Rice and Salt has something for everyone, but commands great respect from all. This is one of those novels that can cause some very long, very heated and opinionated discussions. It may also cause some good to come, if people act on the messages it conveys. It challenges readers' ideas of religion, society, government, and even our daily views of the world.
This book cannot be more highly recommended, and sits beside Kim Stanley Robinson's other work as continuing the very best in science fiction.
Kim Stanley Robinson is best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars) as well as The Years of Rice and Salt. With the publication of his newest novel, Forty Signs of Rain, Kim Stanley Robinson begins another trilogy of epic proportion.
Set primarily in Washington, D.C., Forty Signs of Rain tells the tale of a young environmental policy analyst for a popular U.S. Senator, and his wife, a scientist with the National Science Foundation. The book details many of the varying climatic changes occurring throughout the world, and the desire (or lack thereof) within our government to enact changes to care for the situation before it's too late.
The majority of the novel builds a few major characters while introducing us to the reality of the global scientific situation. Even though the topics are fairly mind-boggling, Robinson keeps readers engrossed by building interesting, fully-realized characters, and exploring their passions about their fields of science.
Unfortunately, since the novel is the first in a trilogy, there are a lot of loose ends left dangling, and the climax is rather flat, since, for most of the book, readers aren't quite sure where they are headed. The plot revolves around a small number of major characters, which Robinson takes ample time in developing, creating a rich, entertaining read, but with very little discernible direction. By changing locales, and sometimes, scientific tracks altogether; it's hard to see where the story is headed.
One thing Robinson does well, however, is in pulling complex events together, for the greater whole of the story. Approaching the final pages of Forty Signs of Rain, many events and situations fall into place, and the reader begins to see that nothing here is explored by accident. There is a very carefully plotted story here. A story only Kim Stanley Robinson can unveil so masterfully.
Despite its wanderings, the novel pulls together very satisfactorily near the end, exploring some exciting scenes, which are so realistic and believable; they feel as though they had been pulled from the morning newspaper. In fact, Robinson is careful not include any dates at all in Forty Signs of Rain, which will only add to its timelessness. If this series follows its commendable introduction in similar fashion, it will surely be a trilogy of astounding magnitude, and will not only represent fine literature, but will make a bold political statement as well. The ‘Capital Code' trilogy, as it is being referred to, may very well become required reading for both global climate scientists, and political candidates.
K-PAX III: The Worlds of Prot by Gene Brewer completes the trilogy of prot–an alter identity of Robert Porter–who has relapsed after his remarkable recovery in On a Beam of Light. Unfortunately, K-PAX III seems to have been written only to fill out the trilogy. In fact, there's very little story to be found.
As readers of the first two novels, we already know the fairly complex story of how prot came to be, and about Robert Porter's tragic life. What's not known completely, is whether prot is truly another life form, inhabiting Robert's body, or–as Dr. Gene Brewer believes–another personality within Robert's fragmented mind. In K-PAX III, the answer is revealed vaguely, but brings the series to a fairly satisfactory close. Readers will learn the truth about Robert, and the mystery of his traumatic upbringing, through the sometimes redundant work of Dr. Brewer.
Overall, however, the book falls flat where it could have been marvelously entertaining. Instead of being charming and likable, prot is rather annoying and obnoxious. Dr. Brewer seems to realize this, too, since he becomes quite angry and agitated several times through the text.
Another problem in this volume is it tries too hard to carry a message. Gene Brewer seems to be trying to tell his readers that the world could be a better place if we all tried to make it one. While the message is a good one, and worthwhile exploring, the method used in K-PAX III becomes tiresome and preachy.
Despite the bad, the plot picks up well, and climaxes satisfactorily, though the departure of prot–a huge event in the previous books–is a bit lackluster here. An epilogue fills us in on the events after prot's final departure, and how it affects everyone he's had contact with.
K-PAX III didn't live up to expectations set by the previous to books in the series. It seemed to have been written just to make a trilogy, not because it was entirely necessary to the story. The approach Brewer uses to narrate the story is rather confusing, considering he is not, in actuality, a psychiatrist. Readers will probably begin to wonder where the reality ends, and the story begins. Overall, it's a disappointing outing from a promising author.
This was a book that nearly snuck in under the radar. After a cancellation of another Clone Wars novel, it was unclear when the next book would come out. Therefore, about a year after Shatterpoint–the first Clone Wars novel–hit shelves, The Cestus Deception finally arrived. It was historic in two ways.
Not only does The Cestus Deception mark the first Star Wars novel written by Steven Barnes, but it is also the first Star Wars book written by an African-American author. And what a debut it was.
The overall plot is that Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto, along with a detachment of clonetroopers are sent to the planet Ord Cestus to dissuade the government, run by a corrupt corporation, to cease production of a lethal new droid model, which the Confederacy of Independent Systems is intent on using to destroy the Jedi. Obi-Wan's mission is to attempt a diplomatic response, but a saboteur with a hidden agenda makes sure that diplomacy fails. The novel proceeds in a race against time to resolve the situation before millions perish, as Obi-Wan finally realizes his mistakes, and nearly pays for it with his life.
Though the novel contains a fairly small cast of characters, Barnes concentrates mostly on a clonetrooper designated A-98 or ‘Nate' for short. It's interesting to note that it was Barnes's idea to delve into the psyche of a Grand Army Republic trooper. Readers are treated to the realization that these troops are most certainly not droid army machines. They have feelings, emotions, and everything else you would expect from human beings.
The novel also deals with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his internal struggle to deal with a fairly major oversight. Barnes switches back and forth between Obi-Wan and Nate, without dwelling on any particular subject for an inordinate amount of time. In fact, unlike other authors, who build dramatic tension by switching to another character/scene at the moment of a major event, Barnes instead stays with that character until they get a chance to ‘breath', if you will. Though this decreases the buildup of the climax, it's a refreshing change of pace. Readers will find it nice to read a book with a plot that doesn't jerk them around.
Barnes does a superb job in this novel of getting into character's heads, without preaching, and yet makes the point that a person is more than the sum of their parts. There is an underlying philosophical message here that's hard to identify, but makes the reader appreciate the writing on a whole new level.
Barnes will not only surprise readers, by surpassing expectations of a Star Wars author, but in fact sets the bar higher than ever before. This reader will certainly be seeking other works by Steven Barnes, and is proud to place The Cestus Deception on the bookshelf.
After a very long pause in the publication of new material in the New Jedi Order series, Sean Williams and Shane Dix bring us the first chapter of the Force Heretic trilogy, Remnant.
Aptly titled, most of this novel takes place in the Imperial Remnant, who has fallen under attack by the Yuuzhan Vong, and is very nearly destroyed. A large amount of the novel also revolves around Nom Anor, as he struggles for survival in the under levels of Yuuzhan'tar, previously known as Coruscant.
Overall impressions of this novel are quite positive. Though not necessarily as memorable as many of the other books in this series, it stands very well as not only a single novel, but doesn't fall victim to the trilogy effect. The book actually has one of the most satisfying endings of the New Jedi Order.
The first notion that this book may be a slightly different read than normal is the lack of chapters. The story is divided into four parts, no doubt the result of having two authors working on it. We can assume that both authors wrote two parts.
However, this novel doesn't fall prey to many of the traps that others in the series has similarly not been able to avoid. There are no annoying repetitions of various terms or phrases, no scenes that simply don't make sense, with the exception maybe of Tahiri's dream scenes.
Unfortunately, the book is not completely without fault. There is very little humor, and rarely will the reader more than grin at some cliché line, or an inside joke. The space battles are adequate, but lack the vivaciousness of other NJO novels.
Though the Expanded Universe has not always followed the movies, or George Lucas's explicit word, it was especially disheartening to read that C-3PO was built by Cybot Galactica, when we know he was, in fact, assembled by Anakin Skywalker from spare parts. While an explanation probably exists, this reviewer has yet to see it.
Tahiri's scenes were quite odd, and if they continue in the same manner throughout this trilogy, it will be a frustrating series. However, it is a good possibility that Tahiri is the Force Heretic that the series title implies.
Other than those small problems, there are no major issues with this novel. Despite not being an exceptionally memorable book, Remnant holds up quite well. After reading this book, the titles Refugee and Reunion, the two remaining chapters in this series, become obvious, and we can look forward to a decent series.
If I could choose a term that described my overall impression of this book, it would most likely be: pleasantly dissatisfied.
Yes, an oxymoron.
Simply put, I expected more from this book. The pleasant part comes from the way certain events played out, covering major ground without treading too heavily on any particular subject.
The dissatisfied part comes from the blandness of the writing. I could discern no noticeable style or flair to Williams' writing, though, to his credit I was never annoyed by repetitive phrases or cliché situations.
I also never noticed any particularly well-written sections.
Admittedly, Traitor is a difficult success to follow, with the deep introspective passages, and intrigue surrounding Vergere's intentions. Instead, Destiny's Way is a sprawling epic, with appearances by a huge cast of characters, including a rather disturbing, but revealing portrayal of Ackbar. Because of its epic proportions, Destiny's Way doesn't have a chance to focus on any particular character for long.
Some of the things I enjoyed about this novel were the reappearance of Luke as a leader, taking large strides to help the Jedi. His dislike of Vergere is refreshing, but seeing Luke come to terms with a different point of view about the nature of the Force is the first truly original thing I've seen in the New Jedi Order to date.
Luke and Mara's scenes were comfortable, though I'm a bit disturbed by how little Ben Skywalker seems to matter to them right now. Or at least by the way Williams portrays their emotions about him. The author had many opportunities to shed more insight into the characters' emotions and actions, but did not capitalize on those chances.
Looking back at the book, after having read it, I realize that it was more action-oriented rather than character-oriented. That fact is what makes the novel unremarkable. A very good action-oriented novel might be remembered as great fiction, but this novel is simply another decent Star Wars novel. Had it been a paperback publication, this review would be much more positive. However, I don't feel as if my $26 was well spent.
I must give credit to Williams for one thing I found fantastic. The space battles were indeed large and involving. Not to slight Aaron Allston or Michael Stackpole, whose portrayals of space battles are second-to-none, but Williams is the first author who has truly made me see a humongous battle, encompassing tens of thousands of troops on either side, in full-scale combat. He showed us utter fatigue and desperation of the fighter pilots that never seemed to show before.
We got to see the toll this war has taken on many of these pilots.
With that exception, and the final battle being the crown jewel of the novel, the myriad of events occurring in this book damage what might have been a fantastic story. Hopefully, this explains the oxymoron ‘pleasantly dissatisfied'.
Now on to Sean Williams and Shane Dix's trilogy, for which I hold very little hope...
I'll begin by saying that this book was better than I thought it would be, but not as good as I'd hoped it would be.
What do I mean by this statement? Well, I'll try to explain throughout the rest of the review. For the sake of those fans who have yet to read the book, I'll try to remain as spoiler-free as possible.
I have to admit that this novel was probably one of the most well-written Star Wars novels I've ever read. This dialogue was believable, if not strange in some sections. The language was fairly eloquent sometimes, but never really grew repetitive; The exception being some of the lines exchanged by Vergere and Jacen throughout the book.
Yes, Jacen is alive. Sort of.
What happened to me being spoiler-free, you ask? Well, Del Rey makes no secret of his being alive on the back of the book, so why should I bother pretending otherwise? After all, like you thought he was really dead.
Nevertheless, this book surprised me. As I've said, I had hoped it would be better. Then again, maybe I should rethink that statement.
Because this book strayed so far from what I expected, I automatically judged it, based on my expectations. Which is wrong. It's like falling to the Dark Side of the Force. One thing we learn, reading this book, is to reevaluate our opinions of everything we've ever known.
I think a lot of fans don't like the New Jedi Order because it did what they didn't expect. Chewbacca's death was, in my opinion, what either bolstered a fan to the NJO, or pushed them away. Hindsight being better than foresight, maybe Chewbacca's death should have occurred later in the series. And maybe not.
But maybe some fans dislike the series simply because it doesn't do what they think it should. That's absolutely the reason why I continue to like the series.
Traitor flies in the face of everything I had begun to call cliche with the NJO. I thought I had it mapped out and could predict the final moments of the series. But Jacen's revelations in Traitor shine new light on the changes that have occurred, illustrating just how disparaging the situation is.
Matthew Stover wrote a wonderful novel, full of introspection, intrigue, and deep meaning to a series that desperately needed it.
Though some sections were so disorienting, I found myself struggling to make any sense of it, most of the book falls under the age-old category of ‘page-turner' with a slight twist. Most page-turners keep me entertained to the point that I can know, keep in my mind that it's interesting. Traitor kept me so involved, I was surprised to find that I'd read 150 pages in one sitting. I don't even remember flipping the pages.
Some fans will find huge problems with this book, as it revolves almost solely around Jacen. I was at first surprised by the extremely short Dramatis Personae at the beginning. After reading the rest of the novel, however, I realize that the Dramatis Personae is actually a bit inflated, including characters who are rarely discussed throughout the book.
Personally, I found the book more involving because of its focus on one character. Most books flip around from scene-to-scene, character-to-character, back-and-forth. When written well, that type of style can be wonderfully dramatic, succeeding just as well as a single character novel. But Traitor is involving because of its single character. The flow feels never-interrupted and reads wonderfully well. We've read other single character books in the NJO: Conquest centered on Anakin Solo and Dark Journey was centered around Jaina Solo. But neither of those novels succeeded on as many levels as Traitor. I would easily compare this novel to the uniqueness of I, Jedi, which was written completely in the first-person viewpoint.
In Traitor, we begin to see how important Jacen Solo is not only to the Jedi, but to the entire series. Suddenly, New Jedi Order takes on a whole new meaning.
Matthew Stover has surpassed many of my fondest hopes for this series by delivering a pleasant, surprising read, and I would gladly welcome him back to the Star Wars universe, were the choice mine. He has certainly given me my favorite NJO paperback, if not my favorite novel of the entire series–to date, anyway.
Well, I seem to have gotten off on a tangent (which I often do). I highly recommend this novel. The rest of the New Jedi Order will hinge greatly on events on this novel.
My only gripes: The story is sometimes horribly hard to follow, and can take a concerted effort to continue reading. A couple of lines get overused once or twice. My biggest problem is the cover. For such a good book, why give it such a horrible cover? The term “never judge a book by its cover” has never been more appropriate.
Remember, everything I tell you is neither the truth or a lie. It's just my opinion.
Aaron Allston finally makes his glorious return to Star Wars literature with Rebel Dream, the first book in the Enemy Lines duology.
For those of you who are disgruntled, and barely want to continue reading the New Jedi Order, I understand. However, if all the NJO books were as well written as Rebel Dream, your attitudes would be completely opposite. Allston has done a great job with this novel, and I must applaud him for it.
He brings great life to nearly all the characters, making none of them feel two-dimensional, like many other books have done so far. Jaina is portrayed as a young woman going through difficult times, and not knowing how to deal with her emotions. She is very likable and understandable in this novel, and brings a great amount of depth to this story.
Wedge Antilles becomes a completely new character (as far as I'm concerned), when dealing with his wife Iella and his children. Never before has this side of the story been told; it makes Wedge even more likable than before.
Jagged Fel displays some emotion in Rebel Dream, and starts to become a three-dimensional character, and finally, is good enough for our Jaina.
I just can't say how well Aaron Allston portrayed all the characters in this story. Lando is believable, and even gets a bit of story-time. I also liked the way Allston portrayed Tahiri in this book, continuing what I felt was a pretty crucial plotline.
But the real savior of this novel, and, as I'm sure will be the case in the conclusion in Rebel Stand, is the tactics.
Allston keeps up the suspense throughout the book–and keeps just enough to himself–that the reader is often wondering just what's going to happen, but knowing that it's all part of a plan. Seldom have I seen an author do this well in any genre. But Allston excels at portraying military tactics, at least as far as Star Wars is concerned.
On the side of the Yuuzhan Vong, I was very happy with the way they were portrayed, even though little of it delved very deeply. Some of the things I enjoyed were seeing how Tsavong Lah respected his father, who was challenged by Tsavong for the position of Warmaster. It also shows that there were arguments about even coming to the Galaxy, far, far away in the first place. Nen Yim makes her reappearance, finally, and does pretty well, though the subject matter could be considered rather gruesome.
The fate of the New Republic is poor, I'm sorry to say, and the fate of Coruscant staggering. Never before have I considered what is happening there, and I shudder just thinking about it, but I am also salivating wanting to know more about the future of this story, after the Vong are eventually driven out.
I'm sure you're wondering about the humor aspect as well. Naturally Allston gives us the goods, as usual, with several humorous sections, and even bringing in the old Ewok joke; I was certainly glad to see that. Being a rather dark series, small points of light making us smile are very welcome, and for that, Aaron, I thank you.
All that being said, and I know it's a lot, there are very few things that I disliked about Rebel Dream. The most nagging thing I can recall was early on in the book. There were two phrases which got a little old for me. First was when Luke “knew how they felt”, or something to that effect. Another was when everyone would “suit words to action” and I think this was actually transposed somewhere, but I'm not certain. I mean, can't someone just “follow their own orders” or something worded differently, but mean the same? I know, I'm not a professional author, and I'm sure writing books is difficult, I've tried. But these are the nit-pick things I'm forced to come up with when reviewing a good piece of work such as this.
I also didn't care for the whole Tarc kid. He played his part well in Star by Star, but it's certainly time to let him go. I never expected to see him again after Dark Journey, and I felt his reappearance to be fairly annoying. I certainly can't see a plot for his character at all, and I wonder why he's still hanging around. I DID like, however, the way Han deals with him in the book, being very stern and father-like. But his character wallows in “adopt me to replace Anakin”-itis and I pray that Del Rey does NOT fall into that trap. I would lose what respect I have left for this series if they did.
This may possibly be my favorite book in the New Jedi Order, but once again, I still give that edge to Vector Prime, simply for the excitement factor. I wish all of the books had been like this one; the series would be much stronger.
I really can't find much else to complain about, except that the story does kind of drop off at the end. Not really a big deal, since the concluding book in this duology comes out in two months. In the meantime, we have the Attack of the Clones novelization, and of course that little thing like the movie, to keep ourselves entertained. But don't forget folks, the New Jedi Order goes on, and does so only a couple weeks after the attack of the Clones.
Jaina, Jaina, Jaina! That's all anyone ever talks about is Jaina! And that's more or less what Dark Journey is all about: Jaina Solo. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Let me begin by saying that if you've yet to read Star by Star, you should most certainly pick it up before reading Dark Journey. While I actually found Dark Journey to be a better novel than Star by Star, events in the latter absolutely rely on the former novel.
The book picks up literally right where Star by Star left off. I won't go into details here in part one, for you people who haven't read the book yet; part two will delve more deeply into the plot. Overall, this book was much better than I had anticipated. All things considered, I believe that Elaine Cunningham did an excellent job forwarding the New Jedi Order.
This book was a nice change of pace from some of the previous in the series, as events unfold slowly, and do not spread all over the galaxy. In fact, there are very few events of consequence take place. The story dwells mostly on the characters, and has a good balance, but with just a bit too much Jaina. Overall though, Cunningham did a great job frolicking in the Star Wars universe.
I can't really give a rough description of events, since it would reveal way too much of the plot, which really has to be read through without spoilers. I can say that many of the scenes are quite touching, emotionally, and one gut-wrenching scene comes to mind. The novel is full of many memorable quotes, some bringing back the flavor of the original trilogy. I will say that Jag Fel makes his reappearance, and gets a tad more character depth, though not enough to please this fan. I would have liked to see a little more into his mind, but I guess I'll have to wait until further installments come out. Oh well. One possibly major event that occurs will either outrage, or entice fans to keep reading. The item in question is written in very well, and will make even the most casual fan take notice. But be aware when you read: not everything is as it seems; don't go jumping to conclusions.
Cunningham does a wonderful job of expanding lightly on some events that occurred in Star by Star, and heavily on others. Jaina's character development was interesting in the least, and seeing how people around her reacted showed a lot about her in general.
As with all books, there are always a few minor points that should be addressed. The first half of this book was quite good; certainly better than the second half. I noticed very few repeating phrases, and the wording seldom became annoying. Strangely enough, I don't remember reading a single “this one” (if you've read my comments in the 2001 Year in Review, you'll know what I'm talking about). Overall, the only word I grew tired of was when people thought in ‘accord'. There was also one minor point where a message was supposed to be relayed and never was, at least not in the events outlined in this novel. The only reason it bothered me was that the message was a very powerful one, and I felt its missing presence when I closed the book after reading the final page.
I would certainly recommend this book to any reader of the New Jedi Order, though without reading Star by Star, many of the events and emotions will not register properly. But this is a worthy addition to e series which has captivated Expanded Universe fans for over two years, and will set the stage for some more interesting novels. Readers should be pleased and hopefully thoughtful after finishing this book.