Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.  

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time.  As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree. 

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Book Review: Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Light

 


Into the Light, published in 2025, is (as of this writing) one of the newest entries in the High Republic era of Star Wars novels. It was written by Claudia Gray, who has penned several of the books in the series. This is a young adult novel set in Phase III of the High Republic era. It follows the events of the novel, Tears of the Nameless, in which Nihil leader Marchion Ro indicated that he could cure the mysterious blight that has been destroying various worlds. The Jedi are still working towards finding their own cure for the blight and how to counteract the effects of the creatures that the Nihil use to kill the Jedi, the Nameless/Levelers. Much of the story in this novel is set on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk. Characters such as Reath Silas, Bell Zettifar, and Burryaga play significant roles in the story. Yoda makes an appearance as well, but is not integral to the storyline. The novel also reintroduces several ancillary characters, including Nan, Azlin Rell, and Avon Starros. While dealing with the blight is the primary storyline element, the Drengir are significant antagonists in the story.

The hardcover version of the novel is moderately long, coming in at 360 pages. The story flows pretty well, but there are a lot of characters that you need to keep track of, and if you have not read the other novels in a while, you may need to reacquaint yourself with who is who. While this is a young adult novel, it can also be enjoyed by adults. It is partially a standalone story, but it does tie back to earlier novels and introduces some story elements that may connect to the subsequent books. So, while I do not think it is the best novel set in the High Republic era, it is worth reading, especially if you have enjoyed the overall storyline told in the various books.

No comments: