Book Review: Star Wars: Cataclysm

 

Cataclysm is the third (in chronological order) main storyline, adult canon novel in the Star Wars canon material. It is set during the early High-Republic era and picks up shortly after the events of the previous book, Battle of Jedha. The story is still set around the warring neighboring planets of Eiram and E'ronoh. The Jedi discover that "The Path of the Open Hand", which is basically a cult that appears to be set up as the precursor to the Nihil who are the antagonists in the later High-Republic novels, sabotaged the peace talks on Jedha and are using the warring planets as a part of the larger plan to take out the Jedi. The climax of the story occurs on a planet called Dalna, where the Path has a stronghold, and a massive battle between the Jedi and the Path occurs.

This book finally does what I have been waiting for the High Republic novels to do, namely incorporate Yoda, the most recognizable Jedi alive at the time, into the larger storyline. In all of the other novels, be they the adult novels or the young adult novels, if Yoda is mentioned, it is in passing and amounts to a sentence or two. In this book, he actually appears and takes part in the story. Actually, he and Yaddle both appear, and Yaddle has an even larger role in the story.

The book is a good blend of action and suspense. It reveals more about the mysterious entity that can block the Jedi's use of The Force and turn people to ash (which introduces a bit of a plot hole in the later High Republic novels in which the Jedi seem totally clueless about what it is), and the author does a good job of making you care about and get invested in the new characters, having used the two previous books to establish those characters. The other big issue I had with the first batch of High Republic novels (which occur later in the chronology than this book) is that it seemed like every book introduced a bunch of new characters and it would take three books to return to the storylines of previously introduced characters. And by then, it was hard to keep them all straight. While this book does introduce some new characters, many of the characters that were introduced in the books Convergence and Battle of Jedha also appear in this book, so it feels like a cohesive story. 

In my opinion, this is the best of the High-Republic novels (at least so far), with the proviso that I have read all of the adult novels and most of the young-adult novels set in the High-Republic era. The story flows well, it wraps up the story told in the first two books and provides almost a blank slate from which future books can pick up. The book is just under 400 pages and can easily be read in a week or so, depending on how fast you read and how much time you have to read. It is definitely on my must-read list for die-hard Star Wars fans.

Book Review: Star Wars: Convergence

 

Convergence is, for the moment, the first (chronologically) in-canon Star Wars novel. It is still set during the High Republic era, but a generation or so before the novel Light of the Jedi and the conflict with the Nihil. So, there is an entirely new crop of characters in this book, and again, the one character that everyone is familiar with, Yoda, is only referred to in passing but is not directly included in the storyline.

The plot of this book involves warring neighboring planets Eiram and the E'ronoh, and the Jedi being dispatched to help negotiate a peace treaty during a cease-fire between the two planets. As you would expect, things do not go smoothly, and the Jedi must stop an attack that threatens to plunge the planets back into war.

The book is good, but not one that I would call a must-read.  It is a moderate length at just over 350 pages, but it is a fairly quick read. If you are a fast reader you can probably finish it in a day or two. I think it suffers from what the other High Republic novels do, namely too many characters that have no real backstory or setup that fans are just supposed to be invested in. I think that the books would be a lot better if Yoda was a lead character and then introduce the other characters around him. The story does have a good blend of action and mystery/suspense and does set up some of the elements that are used in the later High Republic novels. It is one of those books that I would say is worth reading once, but it is not one that a lot of people are likely to read more than once. 

Book Review: Star Wars - The Battle of Jedha

 

This is now the second book in the Star Wars canon, both in the High Republic era and overall (at least for the moment). It is set on the Jedha, which is the moon that was introduced during Rouge One. This book is another one of what has become fairly common for the adult canon books being released, in that it is written as a script. It follows the events of the novel Convergence, and the battle between the planets Eiram and E'ronoh depicted in that book. Jedha is preparing for a Festival of Balance in which different groups worshiping and/or studying The Force, including the Guardians of the Whills, are included. The festival will be used as a backdrop to peace negotiations between the Eiram and the E'ronoh, to be aided by two Jedi Masters. 

The book introduces a new group named Path of the Open Hand, who hate the Jedi's use and manipulation of The Force and sets up a clear precursor to the Nihil, who are the group of pirates that are the protagonists in the other High Republic books. There are tie-ins to the later novel, including introducing the monster that can sever the Jedi's connection to The Force, although what it is exactly, remains a mystery in this book. Of course, the negotiations go sideways and the Jedi must try to protect the citizens of Jedha, many of whom do not want them there at all. 

The book introduces even more characters (at least if you read this before Convergence as I did) and still does not utilize Yoda (which has been my big issue with all of the High Republic books to this point), just casually mentioning him at the very end. The book is one of the longer ones at just under 500 pages, but it is a fairly quick read. If you are a fast reader it can easily be finished in a couple of days. I think the story is good, but not great. It is not one of the canon books I would classify as a must-read, but I do think it is worth reading at least once for those who are keeping up with the stories outside of the movies and tv series. 

Book Review: Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars

 

This novel is a continuation of the video game Fallen Order which was set five years after the events of Revenge of the Sith and introduced the various characters, including Cal Kestis, who was a Jedi Padawan who survived Order 66. The book assumes that the readers know the various characters from the video game. Chances are if you have played the game you are probably more invested in the characters than a reader who picks up this book for the first time, especially since there is not a ton of character development in this story. 

The story is basically set around a stormtrooper who is looking for the crew of the Mantis to help her defect, promising to help the crew locate a shroud that can mask force-sensitive beings and protect them from the Empire. Of course, things go sideways and the mission puts the group in the crosshairs of one of the Inquisitors, the Fifth Brother (who was played by Sung Kang in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series).

The book is set right around the time of the Solo movie, and the cover makes it clear that the character's story will continue in the video game Jedi Survivor (or Fallen Order 2). So, you can read between the lines about what the outcome of this book is going to be, but even so, it does tell a pretty good story. The only complaint I have about it is that it does get a bit soap-opera-ish with the romance plot(s) and could have done a little bit more character development for those who have not played the video game. It is a fairly short book, under 300 pages, and can be read pretty quickly. If you are a fast reader, it can easily be read in a day or two. Overall, I think it is a good, but not a great story, and while I would not say that it is one of the must-read canon novels, I do think that it is worth reading once. 

Book Review: Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil (Ascendancy Trilogy Volume III)

 

This is the third book in what is now the third overall (and second in official Star Wars canon) Thrawn Trilogy. This book concludes the events of the attack on the Chiss Ascendancy (the group of worlds in the unknown regions controlled by the Chiss and their ruling families) with the intent of starting a civil war between the ruling families. Probably more important to Star Wars fans is that it details the lead-up to how Thrawn ultimately became a member of the Empire after being exiled from the Ascendancy (which was hinted at in the first canon trilogy).  In this book, we find out that there is more to that story, and we get a hint of where Thrawn's actual loyalties lie. The book ends just after the events of the Revenge of the Sith and the fall of the Republic and the corresponding rise of the Empire.

I think the book was a good end to the storyline and is definitely better than the second book in the trilogy (Greater Good). Although this one does suffer from a couple of long stretches in which Thrawn is totally absent so if you are not really invested in the ancillary characters, the book may drag a bit. That said, there are some good action sequences, one of which is the final battle at the end of the book, that really displays Thrawn's ability at battle strategy, which is mostly what made the character so popular in the original Thrawn trilogy of novels that were written in the 1990s. While I still think that trilogy was the best one, this book is definitely worth reading for fans of the character to get his entire backstory.

Book Review: Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good (Ascendancy Trilogy Volume II)

 

This is the second in the backstory trilogy of the character of Thrawn in the new Star Wars canon material. Specifically, during the time when he was an officer in the Chiss Ascendancy before he joined the Empire. This is set a short time after the events of the first novel, Chaos Rising, and in the Star Wars timeline occurs between Episodes II and II, during the Clone Wars. The basic plot of the book is that the Chiss Ascendancy (which consists of multiple planets in the Unknown Regions) is being attacked by enemies who seek to divide the nine ruling families and start a civil war within the Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn's ship is one of two that are mopping up the remnants of the Nikardun military (from the first book) only to uncover the larger plot. 

There is definitely less action in this book than in the first and a lot more political maneuvering. Thrawn is also not in the book as much, and the memories chapters really have nothing to do with him, focusing on some of the ancillary characters. There is another big battle at the end in which Thrawn uses his enhanced strategic and observation skills, which is what most people who are reading the books are likely to be interested in. So, while I do not think the book is bad, it is not as good as the first and definitely feels like the middle part of the story. 

Book Review: The Empire Strikes Back Novelization

 

This is the original novelization of The Empire Strikes Back, which was published around the time of the movie's release in 1980. The book was re-released in the 1990s, including a hardcover version, when Lucas was working on the special editions of the original trilogy and getting ready to finish writing and start filming the prequel trilogy. This has an introduction by Lucas in which he talks about the movie and some of the issues that surrounded getting it made after the success of Star Wars. 

This is a pretty straightforward novelization of the movie. It does not change the story at all but does have some dialogue changes here and there. Usually, what ended up in the movie is better than what was in the book, so the dialogue was changed for the better in the movie screenplay. The book is very short, much shorty than the novelizations of the prequel and sequel trilogy movies, and can easily be finished in a day or two. 

Book Review: Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendency - Chaos Rising

 

Chaos Rising is the first book in a new trilogy of novels (called the Ascendency Trilogy) based on the character of Thrawn, who is probably the most popular character outside of the legacy characters like Luke, Han, and Leia with people who have been reading the Star Wars novels for years. Thrawn was introduced back in the 1990s in a now non-canon or Legends trilogy of novels (widely called the Thrawn Trilogy) written by the same author Timothy Zahn. After Disney's takeover of Lucasfilm, the character of Thrawn was brought into the canon through a new trilogy of books and in the animated series, Rebels.

This book is set at the time of The Clone Wars but the story is mostly constrained to the unknown regions beyond the Outer Rim, where the Chiss Ascendancy rules on the Chiss homeworld. This book jumps in time between the present, in which Thrawn is a commander of a Chiss ship, and his time as a cadet, and establishes his role as a tactical and strategical genius (when it comes to battle and war tactics). He is investigating a threat to the Ascendancy by a race called the Nikardun. The novel basically serves as a backstory and origin story for Thrawn as well as the Chiss as a race. One of the interesting aspects of the story is that the Chiss travel through hyperspace (what they call the Chaos) using child navigators who are force sensitive (what the Chiss call the Third Sight) to get their ships safely through hyperspace. Much like Jedi younglings, the navigators, called sky-walkers, are taken from their families when they are young and act as navigators being raised by caretakers, until they are teenagers when they lose the Third Sight, at which point they are adopted into one of the ruling families of The Ascendency. 

The book has a good blend of action and suspense along with building the characters who will be the main characters in the trilogy. The author does a good job portraying Thrawn as a version of who he becomes when he is a Grand Admiral in the Empire, with traits that he shows later on, but not yet the fully developed character. We also get to see the lead-up to Thrawn's meeting with Anakin Skywalker in the story that was told in the second novel of the first canon Thrawn Trilogy, Thrawn: Alliances in which Thrawn helps Anakin find Padme when she is abducted. Basically, we get to see what Thrawn was doing when Anakin's ship showed up as he was looking for Padme.

Overall, the book tells a good story and does a good job of fleshing out Thrawn's backstory and establishing the new characters. While I am still partial to the original, Legends, Thrawn trilogy, I think this is the first of the new Thrawn novels that really showed that version of the character. It is definitely one of the must-read canon novels.

Book Review: Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances

 

This is the second novel in what was, back in 2017, the new Thrawn trilogy which returned the book is a fine follow-up novel to the first book, just entitled Thrawn, but it is not as good as any of the novels in the very popular original Thrawn Trilogy of novels (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command) which were written by the same author back in the 1990s, which are now relegated to Legends, or non-canon status. 

This book is set in two time periods, one during the Clone Wars, between Episodes II and III, and the other between Episode III and a New Hope, during the events of the animated series Rebels. The novel is set mostly on the planet Batuu in each of the time periods. In the early time period, Anakin is trying to find Padme who was kidnapped on Batuu, and in the later time period, The Emporer tasks Thrawn and Darth Vader to investigate a disturbance in the Force the Emperor has felt. 

This book has a lot more action than the first Thrawn novel, and it shows off more of Thrawn's strategic planning and thinking ability than the first book did. Zahan is definitely setting up a larger plot, even though much of the storyline that is set in the "present" is resolved by the end. Vader and Thrawn actually work well together, even though neither particularly likes the arrangement, and Thrawn does have suspicions as to Vader's real identity although he agrees to never speak of the subject. 

While Thrawn is not written exactly the same way in the new canon as he was in the Legends books, some of the character traits do carry over to the new novels. I am guessing that Zahn has much less carte-blanch to do what he wants with the character than he did years ago when the only directive from LucasFilm is that he could not kill any of the legacy characters off and he could not set any of the stories before A New Hope. I find this to be one of the better novels in the new canon and definitely consider it one of the must-read novels. 

Book Review: Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

 

This is the second in what is likely to be a trilogy of books released in 2020 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Like the first book, which had stories told during the events of A New Hope, this one has a collection of 40 short stories that are set during the events of The Empire Strikes Back. The twist is that most of the stores are told from the point of view of an ancillary or background character or creature, like that of the Space Slug, a Stormtrooper who decided to defect in the chaos of Cloud City during the evacuation, the Ugnauts on Cloud City, the Wampa on Hoth, one of the Tauntauns on Hoth, etc., There are a couple of stories that are told from a main character's point of view, such as from Yoda's point of view as he was sneaking up on Luke, or Obi-Wan's point of view when he and Yoda were trying to convince Luke to stay on Dagobah, and Palpatine's point of view just before he made Vader contact him during Vader's pursuit of the Millennium Falcon.

The stories are mostly very good, although like pretty much every book that has a collection of stories in it, some are better than others. The stories range in length from just a few pages to about 20 pages, give or take. The book is fairly long (at just under 550 pages), but it is a pretty quick read, especially because for most people, the story is not entirely new. The final "story" in the book is from the point of view of The Whills, who are writing the opening crawl to the movie and arguing about what to include, which is pretty humorous. So, if you are a fan of the original trilogy, this is definitely one of the must-read books. 

Book Review: Star Wars: Canto Bight: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi

 

This is a canon novel that, to me, should have been one of the young-adult ancillary novels. It is basically a collection of four short stories set on the gambling/gaming planet, Canto Bight. It is the planet that Finn and Rose go to in order to find the slicer in The Last Jedi, which was a part of the storyline that many people at the very least thought was stupid, and/or hated with a passion. 

None of the stories in the book involve any of the main characters, either the original, legacy characters, or the new sequel trilogy characters. They are set from the point of view of members of the various alien species that were seen in that part of the movie. The first story, written by Saladin Ahmed, involves a salesman who is taking a dream vacation on Canto Bight and gets mixed up with a criminal who causes him nothing but trouble. The second story, written by Mia Grant, involves a deal over a priceless bottle of wine. The fourth story, written by Rae Carson, involves a servant who is caught in a power struggle between members of the Canto Bight Elite, and the fourth story, written by Jonathan Jackson Miller, involves a deadbeat gambler trying to turn his luck around. 

For the most part, the stories are self-contained, although there is some slight overlap between a couple of them. I do think the lack of including any main character hurts the book a bit, and why I think it should have been released as a young adult novel as opposed to a main storyline novel, but I think the stories are entertaining enough. This is not what I would call a must-read canon novel and is probably not a book that I would read multiple times. 

Book Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Expanded Edition

 

+++Warning, this assumes that you have already watched the movie, so there is some slight spoilerish material in the review+++

This is a fairly standard novelization of what was probably the most controversial of the sequel trilogy movies, The Last Jedi. Meaning, it tells the same story that the movie does, it just fleshes out some of the details that we saw in the movie, and has some additional content that was not included in the movie, but does not dramatically change the storyline. Some of the additional material includes a dream sequence that Luke has at the beginning shortly before Rey arrives, a funeral for Han, more of Luke and Rey's interactions on Ahch-to, including the revelation that Luke was going to actually come with Rey before he walked in on her communing with Kylo-Ren, and more scenes on the Supremacy involving Finn and Rose. 

Ultimately, how you felt about the movie is likely going to be how you feel about the book. Whether you loved or hated the movie, the book does not alter the story in any significant manner, it just expands on what was already there, and includes more of the ancillary characters. Luke is still bitter, something even Mark Hamill took issue with when filming the movie, although I think he is more like the original trilogy character at the end of his story in the book than he was in the movie. The side stories still make as much or as little sense in the book as they did in the movie, and the controversial elements from the movie like not filling Poe in on the plan, Snoke, etc., are not any better or any worse in the book. So, if you liked the movie you will like the book. If you hated the movie, the book is probably not going to change your mind. 

Book Review: Star Wars: Victory's Price: An Alphabet Squadron Novel

 

+++Warning, this contains a spoiler from the prior novel in the series, but no major giveaways from this book.+++

Victory's price is the third in the trilogy of "Alphabet Squadron" novels, telling the story of an elite fighter squadron that is tracking and trying to take out an Imperial unit called "Shadow Wing". The book is set one year after the Battle of Endor, and as the New Republic is gearing up for a "final battle" against the remnants of the Empire (in what would become the Battle of Jakku). Some in the New Republic think the war is over and underestimate the threat that the remains of the Empire pose and others know that it is not. The members of Alphabet Squadron are reeling from what they believe is the death of their leader, Yirica Quell. Of course, the readers know that she actually defected to Shadow Wing, although there is a bit more to that part of the story that plays out throughout the book. At the end of the book, we get yet another perspective on the events of the Battle of Jakku, which has been included in a few different novels. 

The big thing that the book (and the trilogy as a whole) lacks for me is any inclusion of the legacy characters. The book does include appearances by Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar, but Luke, Leia, and Han are nowhere to be seen (although some are mentioned), and it seems unlikely that they would never cross paths with some of these characters, even if for just a very short time. The book does expand the role of Hera Syndulla, but unless you watched the Rebels series (which most people who are likely to read this book probably have), she is not someone that readers are going to recognize as a major character. I think fans are still really looking forward to a novel set after Return of the Jedi that really shows what the legacy characters were up to, which, at the time the Alphabet Squadron trilogy was written, had not happened. To be fair, there are some novels that have come after this, such as Princess and the Scoundrel which have started to tell those stories, but I think a lot of fans, especially those who really grew up with the original trilogy and the characters of Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, etc., may find this trilogy of novels a bit hard to get into. The book does have a lot of action, and it does a good job wrapping up the arcs of the main characters, so if you have been a big fan of the prior books in the trilogy this will probably provide a satisfying conclusion to their story.

Ultimately, I think this is a good, but not great novel in the new canon material. But, it is not one that I would classify as a must-read if you are one of those who read some, but not all, of the novels. 

Book Review: Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View (A New Hope)

 

From a Certain Point of View is a collection of short stories set during A New Hope, but told from the perspective of characters that were ancillary and/or in the background of the various scenes. For example, the first story is told from the point of view of Raymus Antillies who was the officer on board Princess Leia's ship whom Darth Vader kills after he comes aboard looking for the Death Star plans. There is also a story from the point of view of the droid with the bad motivator that allows R2 to be purchased by Owen and a story from the point of view of one of the Jawas. We also get a story from the point of view of the stormtroopers who got mind-tricked by Obi-Wan, and a couple of stories set inside the cantina. There are also stories that include Qui-Gon (appearing as a force ghost to Obi-Wan) and Palpatine after Vader informs him of Obi-Wan's death.

The book is very entertaining. Some of the stories are better than others, but I would not say that there are any bad stories among the bunch. Of course, none of the stories change the plot of A New Hope but do flesh out the story a bit. It will appeal to most Star Wars fans, but will probably appeal the most to the people in their 40s and 50s who grew up on the original trilogy. The book is almost 500 pages long, and the stories vary in length. On the whole, it is a fairly easy read, although some of the stories are easier to get through than others. I definitely recommend it. 

Book Review: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi The Legends of Luke Skywalker

 

This was a novel released in the lead-up to the movie The Last Jedi, that told stories of Luke Skywalker, which may or may not have been tall tales, from the perspective of outside viewers. The book has a collection of short stories that involved Luke, a couple that retold the events from the movies, and others about things he may or may not have been doing since Return of the Jedi. 

There are six stories in all, the best of which are, for me, the second and third stories. The second, titled The Starship Graveyard is set after the battle of Jakku, and the third, the Fish in the Deluge is about his search for Jedi artifacts. There are a couple of humorous stories as well, including the first which tells the story of A New Hope through the eyes of a conspiracy theorist. 

The book is just under 430 pages, and the six stories are pretty evenly spaced out. It is a fairly easy read that can be finished in a few days, depending on how much time you have to devote to reading. I definitely think it is a book that will cater more to the nostalgia of those of us who grew up on the original trilogy than it really does to give a lot of detail about what Luke did after Return of the Jedi in the new canon material. Hopefully, that will be filled in with subsequent novels, but until then, this one is definitely worth checking out.

Book Review: Star Wars - Phasma: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi

 

Phasma is a novel that was written between the movie releases of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi that, while not exactly centered around, is highly focused on, the character of Captain Phasma (played by Gwendolyn Christie in the sequel trilogy movies). The core characters in the novel are Resistance spy Vi Moradi and a stormtrooper who wears red armor named Cardinal, who was one of the troopers who were kidnapped into what would become The First Order after the Battle of Jaaku. Cardinal and Phasma are adversaries in the First Order, and Cardinal wants to get information from Moradi about Phasma to use against Phasma. 

The novel essentially alternates between the present and the past (about a decade prior) which provides the origin story for Phasma. We learn that Phasma grew up in a barren world called Parnassos, in which nomadic clans fought for the scares resources of the planet. We learn how Phasma met General Hux's father, Brendol, and was brought into the remnants of the Empire, and then about her rise through the First Order. The novel is not told from Phasma's perspective. In the present, the novel shifts between Cardinal's interrogation of Vi, and his planning to take down, and ultimate confrontation with, Phasma. 

The novel is very good and provides a good backstory for a character that was vastly underused in the movies. The book also sets up a subsequent novel set shortly after the events of this one. If you are one of the people who only read some, but not all, of the canon Star Wars novels, I do think that this one is worth the read. It is just under 400 pages and is a pretty quick reading book with a story that flows well. I definitely recommend it.

Book Review: Star Wars: Battlefront II - Inferno Squad

 

This is a Star Wars canon novel set after A New Hope, that is told from the perspective of the "regular" (non-sith) imperials. The main character, Iden Versio, leads an elite Imperial unit called "Inferno Squad" which is tasked with tracking down and eliminating the remnants of Saw Gerrera's partisans, who are still carrying out attacks separate from the rebels. The book actually begins with the destruction of the first Death Star, with Iden surviving the battle and crashing on Yavin IV.

The book is actually a setup for the video game Battlefront II and basically follows Iden and her team as they embark on a series of missions to infiltrate and then take down various rebel groups. What is interesting about the book is that it is written from the perspective that the Empire is the peaceful entity in the galaxy and the rebels are terrorists trying to disrupt life in the otherwise peaceful and lawful Empire. The members of the group do start to see cracks in that narrative as the book goes along, but in the end, the team is still resolved to take out the rebels at any chance they get.

The book tells a good story and is a fairly easy read. It is one of the shorter adult canon novels (about 330 pages) and can be read in a couple of days (depending on how much time you have to read). You do not need to have followed the characters in the video games to follow the story or connect with the characters. It is well-written and definitely leaves open the possibility of future novels based around the group. So, if you are someone who reads some, but not all, of the novels, this is a good one.

Book Review: Star Wars: Rebel Rising

 

Rebel Rising is a young-adult novel that fills in the time-jump gap of approximately thirteen years that occurred at the beginning of the movie Rouge One between when Jyn Erso is found by Saw Gerrera hiding in the cave and when she is freed from Imperial detention by Cassian Andor. The book details Jyn's training with Saw, and why he ultimately abandoned her. It also explores what she did after she was on her own (including a bit of a love story) and ends just before she is rescued and taken to Mon Mothma and the rebels on Yavin IV.

To me, the best part of the novel is the Saw-Jyn relationship, and the lengths he went to in order to protect her identity. It makes their reunion in Rouge One more emotional and more impactful. The book also shows that Jyn and Saw butted heads as she got older regarding his tactics in fighting the Empire, specifically, his willingness to allow collateral damage. 

The book is a fairly quick read, and can pretty easily be finished in a week or less, depending on how much time you have to read. It is about the length of the regular adult novels (at just over 400 pages) and the story is actually pretty gritty, so it could have easily been published as an adult novel. If you liked the character of Jyn from the movie, this is definitely worth reading.

Book Review: Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills

 

This is a junior novel set around the characters of Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus, the characters introduced in the movie Rouge One. This book is basically a prequel to Rogue One, exploring Chirrut and Baze's backstory, showing their actions on Jedha before the events of Rouge One, including interactions that they had with Saw Gerrera. This is basically a short story detailing a mission against the Empire. It does not lead directly into the events of the movie, but the end of the book sets the stage for their role in the movie.

The book is relatively short (about 240 pages) and is a relatively easy read. While it is a junior novel it is entertaining enough for adults. So, if you liked the characters from the movie, it is worth reading.

Book Review: Star Wars - Thrawn

 

The character of Thrawn has been a favorite of die-hard Star Wars fans from his introduction in the now Legends novels known as the Thrawn Trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command), also written by Timothy Zahn. Those novels were what many of us hoped would be made into a sequel movie trilogy, but as the actors got older (as it was set only a few years after Return of the Jedi) that became impossible. When Lucasfilm bought out Disney, it was unclear whether Thrawn would ever be included in the new material. Thankfully, he was. This novel serves as a partial origin story for Thrawn (or Mitth'raw'nuruodo), detailing his rise through the Imperial ranks from a cadet to eventually becoming a Grand Admiral.

Throughout the novel, we get an idea of Thrawn's brilliance as a tactician and master of strategy. However, that is not as much on display in this book as it was in the Thrawn Trilogy. However, that was set at a time when his skills were more refined and developed and this book is really about character development, so that does not bug me as much. The book does include minor appearances by Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, and Tarkin, but mostly the book is about Thrawn and his translator (Eli Vanto) participating in various missions as they rise in rank. The book ends shortly before the point where Thrawn was introduced in the animated series Rebels.

Overall the book has a good mix of the political intrigue that the novels set during the early years of the Empire have and action, whether it is Thrawn chasing down smugglers or dealing with Wookie raids. The book is clearly just setting up the character in the new canon for additional appearances (which would come through additional novels, the appearance in the Rebels series, and a very widely speculated live-action appearance in the new Ahsoka series. While I do not think it is as good as the Thrawn Trilogy from the 1990s, it does tell a very good story and sets up the "new" version of the character well. If you are someone who only reads some of the novels, I would definitely put this in the must-read category.