Space Disaster!: A Review of Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray

The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Since Star Wars first appeared in theaters in 1977 and authors such as Timothy Zahn have expanded that universe in later years, a plethora of novels, comic books, and TV shows have played around a lot with different genres and styles. For example, in the novel Death Troopers, you have an example of zombie horror; in the novels Shatterpoint and Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, you have psychological thrillers. But never before, in my mind at least, has a Star Wars novel ever taken on the genre of disaster novel. Thus, Claudia Gray breaks new ground for Star Wars by writing its full disaster novel in this stunning conclusion to the first phase of The High Republic publishing series.

Since the start of The High Republic series last year, the brutal villains the Nihil have instigated several disasters.  There was the Great Hyperspace Disaster that kicked off the first novel, Light of the Jedi, and there was the attack on the Republic Fair in The Rising Storm.  But each one of those involved some kind of battle between the Jedi and the Republic against the Nihil.  But in this novel, aside from a few surprise attacks on helpless planets at the beginning, there is no engagement between the Nihil, the Jedi, or the Republic.   Instead, the novel is entirely consumed up with the sabotage and destruction of Starlight Beacon, the symbol of the hope and peace promised by the Republic and the Jedi to the Outer Rim territories, which was introduced in the first High Republic novel.  Thus, the station's impending doom forces the main characters to deal with the disaster on hand.  There are no battles, only tough decisions to be made by Jedi and regular people on how to get the most people out alive and what sacrifices everyone is willing to make to see that happen.  Like the 1997 film Volcano,  this book has a certain feeling of inevitability and the only question is who will survive.

At the same time Starlight Beacon is falling from the sky, another threat lurks in the shadows of the station.  The creature unleashed by the Nihil's leader, Marchion Ro, at the very end of The Rising Storm, has found its way onto the station and has its sights set on any Force-wielder it can get its hands on.  There is still no real answer as to what exactly this creature is, what exactly it looks like, or how it seems to kill Jedi so easily, but these creatures may remind fans of the old, pre-Disney expanded universe of the ysalamiri creatures introduced in Timothy Zahn's classic Heir to the Empire that could temporarily dampen a Jedi's connection to the Force.  However, these creatures are far more malevolent than the ysalamiri ever were. 

My only complaint about this novel is that, with The High Republic series encompassing multiple mediums, including YA novels and comic books, some plot threads that make their way into this novel may leave some fans confused.  As an analogy, imagine you had skipped over the film Ant-Man and the Wasp in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and started watching Avengers: Endgame.  You would have no idea why Ant-Man just materialized in the back of a van at the beginning of the movie or why he knows so much about the Quantum Realm.  Similarly, I know that I have not been keeping up with The High Republic comics and because of that I feel there have been some plot points that I have missed leading up to this novel.  This is becoming a growing problem with multi-media stories like the MCU in general and The High Republic series in particular, one that, I fear, might not be resolved in the future.  That said, this feeling of missing key details is not necessarily Ms. Gray's fault and should in no way dampen a casual fan's enjoyment of this novel as long as they have been keeping up with the previous adult novels in the series at least.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this conclusion to phase I of The High Republic.  By setting The High Republic in a time period never before explored with brand new characters, not even by the pre-Disney expanded universe, no character is safe.  Indeed, quite a few characters, including perhaps one or two fan favorites, meet an untimely death in this novel.  Thus, as the first phase of this series closes and a new phase is set to begin, fans are reminded that this is not the film eras, which means that no character is truly safe and everyone is in danger.

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October 2021 Readathon

 

Oct. 24, 11:13 a.m.

Now that I've gotten something approaching a full night's sleep, I can look back on this readathon and reflect on how successful I was.  Fortunately, Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon has a closing survey that I can use to assess my readathon: 

1. How would you assess your reading overall?  Honestly, this was one of the better readathons that I have done.  I had two major goals and two minor goals.  My major goals were to finish Dune and Collected Poems, Prose, and Plays by Robert Frost and I accomplished both of those goals.  I also had minor goals of starting to read The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee and Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang and I did start reading those, though I didn't get as far as I thought I would.  I even almost made it the full 24 hours, only bowing out at the end of hour 23.  In short, I read somewhere between 600 and 700 pages during this readathon, which is the most I have read for a readathon in a long time.
2. Did you have a strategy, and if so, did you stick to it?  Since I was reading Dune as an ebook and I didn't want to strain my eyes too much, my strategy was to flip between my books every 50 pages or so.  So, I would read about 50 pages of Dune, then I would read 50 pages of Robert Frost, then back to Dune, and so on.  I did largely stick to this and I think that was part of my success.  Rather than just power through a single book, flipping between books helped me to not get bored with one or the other, instead working towards an achievable goal before moving towards another book.  I also made it a point not to be so doctrinaire about sticking only to reading during the readathon as I went and did a few errands in the afternoon either by myself or with my wife.  This helped me to back off a little bit from time to time, give my eyes a little break, and get me some fresh air every now and then.
3. What was your favorite snack? Definitely the cheese, salami, and wheat crackers plate that I made, although the fruit plate my wife made with strawberries, blueberries, and pineapples was a very close second.
4. Did you add any new books to your TBR/wishlist after seeing what everyone else is reading?  Honestly, I was so focused on my own reading that I didn't engage with anyone else's reading on Dewey's website, or on social media.  Heck, I didn't even engage with my blog as much as I wanted to during the readathon.  I think I will need to rethink how I engage my blog and social media for the next readathon.
5. What was your favorite book or experience from this readathon?  Definitely finishing Dune.  I had just watched the new film adaptation with my wife the day before and I had started the book roughly where the movie ends (the movie out now only covers the first half of the book), so it was like finishing the movie in my head.  I have some mixed feelings about the book that I will have to work out in my review, but it was certainly the best of the reading I did for the readathon.

Oct. 24, 3:41 a.m.

I've now gotten a little reading doe for both The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee and Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang, but my body is beginning to betray me.  Though there is only about an hour left in this readathon, I think I am going to call it a night.  After I get some sleep, I'll write a postmortem for this readathon.  Good night everyone!

Oct. 24, 1:08 a.m.

With all of the distraction I had this afternoon, it took me longer than expected to complete the other major goal I had set out for myself with this readathon.  But, I have finally finished Dune by Frank Herbert.  Absolutely fascinating, but I started this book a little distracted.  I also feel like there is so much that happened between parts 2 and 3 of this book that I wouldn't have minded a little bit more.  No official biography for this book yet, but my preliminary rating is a 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Now, with the few hours I have left, I am going to try to achieve some minor goals I had set for myself at the start of this readathon.

Oct. 23, 11:40 p.m.

I haven't been updating this page as much as I had hoped as I have had to run a few errands that not only distracted me from updating this page, but also distracted me from my reading.  Fortunately, I have completed one of my major reading goals for this readathon.  That goal was to finish reading the collected poems, prose, and plays of Robert Frost from the Library of America (the green book in the picture).  This was tough as the portion I was reading was his prose and, let's be frank, his poetry is WAY more interesting than his plays or prose section.  Still, I can't deny that his poetry is quite beautiful and I can see how it has had a hold on folks for a long time.  So, while I won't have an official review out for awhile, I'm going to give this a preliminary 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Now, on to completing Dune by Frank Herbert and starting The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee.

Oct. 23, 9:51 a.m.

I am nearly five hours into this readathon.  How's it going so far?  Well, I've read about 100 pages of Robert Frost and 10% of Dune.  So, I am going a little slower than expected, but I am making good progress nonetheless.  I think I shall take a sort break to eat some breakfast, but I will continue to read Dune while I am eating.

Oct. 23 5:00 a.m.

It looks like it's time for another 24 Hour Readathon.  This one is being sponsored by Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon.  For this readathon, my goals are rather modest in comparison to previous readathons: finish Dune by Frank Herbert and Colleceted Poems, Prose, and Plays by Robert Frost.  After that, my goal is to try to get started on Vagabonds by Hao Jing Fang and The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee.  Wish me luck!

Stuffed with Intrigue: A Review of Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland

Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With the events of The Rising Storm, things have taken a darker turn in this new era of Star Wars storytelling. The tragic events of that book can be felt throughout this one, already creating an atmosphere doubt, uncertainty, and mistrust amongst the Jedi and the people of the Republic. In this YA continuation of the series, Ms. Ireland takes the reader through a tale drowning in intrigue and mystery, but wraps things up too quickly.

(Warning!: Some spoilers from The Rising Storm are included below.) 

The Rising Storm was marked by two devastating disasters: the calamitous Nihil attack on the Republic Fair on Valo and Marchion Ro’s unleashing of the Leveler, a mysterious weapon that killed Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm and left his Padawan, Bell Zettifar, in a catatonic state.  Though only the assault on the Republic Fair is directly mentioned in this book, both of these tragedies weigh heavily on all of the Jedi and Republic forces and there is much debate about what should be done and what role the Jedi should play.

Into this story comes three characters: Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, the pilot Sylvestri Yarrow, and Padawan Reath Silas.  Sylvestri, or Syl, is a completely new character while Reath Silas is a returning character from the previous YA novel and Vernestra Rwoh is familiar to readers of the High Republic comics or middle grade novels.  Each of them is fascinating in their own way, with Rwoh being the standout as she is both a capable Jedi Knight as well as young, unsure, teenager.  Each one of them have their own views on what the Jedi should do about the Nihil threat, which creates a nice backdrop debate for this book.

The narrative surrounds a seemingly empty part of space where Syl lost her space ship to Nihil.  But there is more going on than meets the eye and all of our characters soon find themselves caught in a web of business and political intrigue connected to another new weapon the Nihil are building.

Though I have been thoroughly enjoying the High Republic series thus far, I must confess that this is my least favorite book in the series so far.  There are two reasons for this.  The first is that it dwells way too long on the business and political intrigue aspect of the story.  Throughout the book, there are secret agendas being pushed throughout and, because of it,  our main characters don’t have as much agency as they do in previous novels.  Furthermore, the intrigue and mystery surrounding this empty space sector gobble up nearly all of the action.  By the time the big reveal happens, Ms. Ireland leaves very little room for the action to happen, whipping through to the conclusion like crazy.  Thus, I found my attention getting strained in the middle of the book and then finding myself whipsawed through to a quick conclusion at the end.

The other major drawback of this book is the number of characters.  On top our three main characters, there is a shady rich businessman named Xylan Graf, a duplicitous senator, a love interest for Syl, a Nihil named Nan, known to readers of the previous YA novel in the series, Reath Silas’s Jedi master, and Vernestra Rwoh’s empathic Padawan.  There are a few other characters that come in and out of the story too, one of which I can’t share because it would spoil one of the mysteries at the heart of this novel, but none of them, with the exception of Xylan Graf, get enough meaningful screen time.  And that is a shame because some of them, like Jedi Master Cohmac Vitus, are fascinating characters in their own right.  Because of the number of characters, the story struggles to give some of them a meaningful role to play. 

One of the characters who does get a lot of screen time, and I hope gets a lot more in future adult and YA novels in the series, is Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh.  As the youngest Jedi Knight in a generation, Vern is an interesting character in her own right.  She is incredibly capable with a good head on her shoulders and an unusual Force connection to hyperspace.  It seems the mystery of how hyperspace really works is still being held close to the chest by the Lucasfilm overseers of the High Republic series.  It was also great to see Padawan Reath Silas again.  He was the standout character in the first YA novel and it is great to see him get more comfortable going on adventures, even if he would still prefer to spend his time in the Jedi Archives.  Sylevstri Yarrow is the weaker character in this book, but still fascinating in her own right.  I hope to see more of her in the future.

I will also say that the mystery at the heart of this novel is fascinating and it does tie into a weapon that is familiar to Star Wars fans (no, it’s no the Death Star).  And though the narrative favors intrigue over action, the action parts are quite good when allowed to breathe.  Indeed, I could have seen the action at the climax of the novel go on for a little longer and I would not have minded at all.  Sadly, too much of the action does get cut short.

Overall, this book has three very interesting main characters, some good action, and a decent mystery.  But it wallows too long in that intrigue and mystery and is overstuffed with side characters.  Also, by the end of the novel, it felt like it was overly concerned with setting up future stories.  Though I did enjoy this book in the end, it has not been my favorite novel of the series so far.

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A Fair to Remember: A Review of Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott

The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Earlier this year, Star Wars began one of its most ambitious publishing events since the pre-Disney New Jedi Order series with the publication of the first novel in the High Republic series. Taking place about 200 years before the prequel trilogy, the High Republic series sees both the Jedi and the Republic at the pinnacle of their power and prestige. Encompassing adult, young adult, and middle grade novels as well as comic books and, later this year, manga, the High Republic tells an interconnected tale across all these formats with the adult novels seemingly being the tentpoles. This being the second adult novel in the series, The Rising Storm advances the story into its next phase. And, following the best Star Wars tradition, this sequel surpasses the first in terms of action, storytelling, and raising the stakes for the entire series.

This novel takes place approximately a year after the events of the first adult novel, Light of the Jedi.  Since then, Starlight Beacon has been in operation and the Nihil, the main villains of this series, have been laying low.  Believing the Nihil to have actually been defeated, Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh and the Republic are about to welcome the galaxy to the Republic Fair, an exposition promoting “the Spirit of Unity” within the Republic and encouraging Outer Rim worlds to join them.  But the Nihil have not been defeated and have their own dastardly plans for the Fair and when the dust settles at the end of this novel, the Jedi will discover their greatest challenge yet in this series.

This novel was amazing!  The set up to the main action at the Republic Fair was great and Mr. Scott does a great job of showcasing multiple characters and their struggles throughout the narrative.  Following multiple characters around can be a bit challenging, but Mr. Scott overcomes this challenge by keeping most of the chapters relatively short.  The bulk of the action happens during the Republic Fair and Mr. Scott has a great knack for telling multiple, pulse-pounding action sequences.  I could hardly put down this book by the end.  Speaking of the ending, it was incredible!  Just when you think the Jedi are about to salvage a victory from defeat and come out on top, Mr. Scott pulls the rug out from under you one more time in a devastating climax.  This novel opens up so many possibilities for the future of this series while making the Nihil and its mysterious leader, Marchion Ro, a worthy threat to the Jedi and the Republic.

The only issue I have with this book is that a fear I had about this series might be coming true: that missing out on one format of the series means you might be missing out on things.  This is particularly true of this series’s side villains, the Drengir.  First introduced in the young adult novel Into the Dark, the Drengir are a sentient plant-life form that eats any other organic lifeforms it comes across.  Think of them as large walking, talking Venus Flytraps that eat people and aliens alike.  The Drengir playing a larger role moving forward was only hinted at the end of Into the Dark, but apparently they have been the major threat of the comics and get a brief, but significant mention in this novel.  In fact, their threat appears to have an indirect effect on the events of this novel.  Of course, if you haven’t read Into the Dark or the comics, you could be forgiven for having no idea what they are talking about.  While missing out on the comics and Into the Dark probably won’t diminish your ability to enjoy this novel, it does make me worried that skipping one format will mean missing key plot points later in the series.

Overall, this was an outstanding Star Wars novel right up there with some of the best of them.  My expectations for this series have been raised even higher than they already were.  Though you might want to at least read Light of the Jedi first before this one, I highly recommend this book to all Star Wars fans and I highly recommend this series as a great introduction to anyone looking to jump into Star Wars novels.

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Deciding Between Two Worlds: A Review of The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stories about multiverses and post-apocalyptic societies are staples of science fiction and fantasy, even if multiverses are only just entering the cultural zeitgeist thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But this is the first novel that I have read that has tried to combine both a multiverse and a post-apocalyptic story into one. And while it takes some time for Ms. Johnson to decide which lane to stick to, once she does the bang up is extraordinary.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the privileged live in pristine Wiley City and the poor live short, violent lives in shanty towns around it, a scientist and businessman discovers how to send travelers to other worlds in the multiverse.  The only catch is that travelers cannot go to a world where their doppelgänger is still alive.  Thus, the only people who can travel to these worlds are the less privileged as they tend to have shorter, more violent lives.  Our protagonist Cara is an excellent candidate to travel between worlds because she has died in nearly every other world.  But she also harbors a secret and when she miraculously survives traveling to another world where her doppelgänger wasn’t quite dead yet, it sets of a chain of events that will consequences on her world and others.

This book has a very fascinating premise with its in-your-face metaphor about gross inequality and its attempt to combine both a multiverse and a post-apocalyptic story into one.  But Ms. Johnson’s attempts at this synthesis does not always gel very well, especially at the beginning.  At times I found myself confused at who was who and the inner workings of this society, especially since the differences between the worlds are sometimes very subtle and not very easy to identify.  Indeed, the background doppelgängers are so close to each other that it becomes difficult to figure out who is who and what is going on.

That said, once this book enters the third act, Ms. Johnson begins to find her footing and the narrative starts to come together.  Cara’s discovery of key figure’s past lives and future plans collide into a wonderful climax.  By the end, I found myself very invested in Cara and those she was closest to.

Overall, this book has a wonderful premise, but it takes the author a little while to find her narrative footing.  Once she does though, it turns into a spectacular novel.  I would recommend this book to fans of both the Mad Max movies and alternate dimension novels.

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Into the Unkown: A Review of Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray

Into the Dark by Claudia Gray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With the end of the Skywalker saga of movies and shows like The Mandalorian, Star Wars has begun to move away from the titular Skywalker family drama and delve into the unexplored eras of that galaxy far, far away. With Light of the Jedi, Star Wars began to tell the tales of the High Republic, an era in Star Wars history between the Old Republic and the Prequel era. Not even the pre-Disney Expanded Universe had touched upon this roughly 1,000 year period of Star Wars history where the Sith are believed to be extinct and the Republic and the Jedi are at the peak of their influence and power. In this first YA novel of the series, Ms. Gray has written a great action story that connects well to the events of that first novel, but is far enough removed from that book’s events to tell its own exciting tale.

Reath Silas is apprenticed to Jedi Master Jora Malli, a member of the Jedi Council who has just taken an assignment on the Republic’s new Starlight Beacon, an assignment Reath is not particularly fond of.  While Master Malli goes on ahead, Reath takes passage with two other Jedi Knights and a Jedi Wayseeker aboard a small vessel with an unusual crew.  But when a disaster in hyperspace strands them on an uncharted space station, this motley crew must work together to uncover a hidden evil and keep it out of the hands of others.

While I have read many Star Wars novels, this is actually my first YA Star Wars novel.  But don’t let that designation deceive you.  This book is just as exciting as any Star Wars novel written for adults.  Indeed, despite there being only one lightsaber fight in the entire book, there is a great deal of excitement throughout.  But there is also a mystery too as the abandoned space station harbors an evil that is making both Jedi and non-Jedi characters very nervous.  The reveal at the end is incredibly satisfying too and sets off a climatic battle to contain this evil and keep it out of the hands those who would seek to abuse its power.

But this isn’t an isolated tale.  As part of the High Republic series, this book is connected to a larger story in two ways.  First, the hyperspace disaster that grounds our main characters on this space station is the same disaster from Light of the Jedi.  Also, the main villains from that novel, the Nihil, make an appearance in this novel.  What is great about this novel though is that while connected to and informed by this larger story, Ms. Gray is telling her own tale.  You do not have to have read Light of the Jedi to enjoy this novel and vice versa, though I would recommend that you don read both.

Another great aspect of this book is the characters.  All of the characters are engaging on every page.  Reath is a book nerd on his first big adventure; Affie Hollow is a teenage pilot with a tragic past and a colorful co-pilot; Jedi Knight Dez Rydan is a former apprentice of Master Jora Malli’s who craves adventure and acts as an older brother to Reath; Jedi Knight Cohmac Vitus harbors an old, private grief that he has never fully reconciled; and Orla Jareni is a Jedi Wayseeker, a newly introduced category of Jedi who are still a part of the Order, but have made a formal decision not to be bound by the Jedi Council’s orders so that they can explore the deeper meanings of the Force in new ways.  But the most interesting character is Geode, the third crew member aboard Affie’s ship.  As his name suggests, he’s just a very large rock.  That’s it.  No cute catchphrase like “I am Groot” or hidden transformation from rock to rock creature.  He’s just a rock.  At first, this is played for laughs as nearly all the Jedi just assume that he is just a rock, because that’s exactly what he is.  And yet, Geode plays a critical role at key points in the narrative.  He may not speak much, or at all, but I look forward to reading many more adventures with Geode.

One thing I did not like about this book was a side story with Orla and Cohmac that is told in flashbacks.  It involves a mission 25 years before the events of this book that went bad.  While it is an interesting story in its own right and does much to explain how Orla and Cohmac became the Jedi that they are now, the flashbacks are dropped in the middle of certain chapters, which kind of took me out of the present action.  I think it would’ve been better if they had been their own separate chapters rather than airdropped into the narrative.  But, as I said before, it is important for Cohmac and Orla’s character development and it happens infrequently enough to not become a nuisance.

Overall, this is another great story set in the High Republic that both connects to and enlarges the boundaries of this era.  Both adult and young adult readers should find this book highly enjoyable and I recommend it to all Star Wars fans.

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"We Are All the Republic!": A Review of "Star Wars: The High Republic: The Light of the Jedi" by Charles Soule

Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A long time ago in a high school and college far away, I spent a large chunk of my reading time on Star Wars novels. This was in the days of the old Expanded Universe prior to the current Disney era. Back then, the series that really grabbed buy attention was The New Jedi Order, a bold push forward into Star Wars’s future after the “Return of the Jedi” that included a fascinating new villain very different from the Sith and the other Dark Side Force users the EU had made its bread and butter. And while my interest was always engaged, no other Star Wars novel series quite piqued my interest again. That is, until now. Set 200 years before the prequel trilogy, the High Republic series will explore an interconnected story in a period of Star Wars history never covered before, not even during the pre-Disney EU era. After reading this first novel in this new series, I can say that I am incredibly excited and looking forward to more tales from this era.

As said above, The High Republic is set about 200 years before “The Phantom Menace” movie.  This is a time when the Sith are believed to have been destroyed at least 800 years before and are in hiding, so there are no Darths to speak of (though you never know if there might be a connection between this series’ villains and those wielders of the Dark Side).  At the same time, it’s about 200 years before the birth of Anakin Skywalker, so there are no Skywalkers either.  No Sith, no Skywalkers, no Solos, no Kenobis.  That may not sound particularly enticing to a new comer, but it is actually quite refreshing.  While a few characters such as Yoda and a few deep cut members of the Jedi Council from the prequel trilogy are name dropped, almost none of them make an appearance of any kind of significance.  Yoda pops up at the very end, but he doesn’t even have a single line of dialogue.  That means that almost every character is new and, most importantly, their water is uncertain.  Indeed, without any connection to major characters in the Star Wars movies, any one of these characters can fail, be hurt, or die at any moment.  And many of these characters do, including a few characters that readers might grow attached to.

Another fascinating aspect of this story is the just the era it is in.  With the Jedi-Sith Wars 800 years in the past and the Clone Wars, Galactic Civil War, and the First Order 200 years in the future, the High Republic is a golden age for the Republic and the Jedi with both of them at the peak of their power and influence.  The galaxy is largely at peace, the Republic is led by a seemingly wise and benevolent Chancellor Lina Soh, and the Jedi have never been more powerful, influential, and numerous throughout the galaxy.  And the first third of this book is, in effect, a showcase of just how powerful they are at this point.  When an accident in hyperspace obliterates a large space ship and the wreckage threatens billions of lives in one particular system and throughout the Outer Rim, the Republic and the Jedi work together to save as many lives as they can.  The Jedi in particular, show off an incredible amount of Force abilities in this first third of the book, put into sharp relief just how powerful they are at this point in Star Wars history.  Whereas the movies always have this dark undercurrent of authoritarianism, rebellion, and evil, the High Republic is an incredibly hopeful period in Star Wars history, best summed up by Chancellor Soh’s slogan that becomes a kind of mantra for Jedi and normal people in this novel, and one that could even speak to our current troubled times in America: “We are al the Republic."

The last two thirds of this novel deals with the mystery of what caused this happened and introduces the new villains of this series, the Nihil.  This is, perhaps, the weakest part of the novel and what keeps me from giving this book a full five stars (I would give this 4.5 stars, but Goodreads does not allow for half stars).  Currently, the Nihil are just a riff on the “Vikings in space” caricature.  Using some rather mysterious technology, the Nihil are able to raid planets and ships throughout the Outer Rim at will.  Sadly, at present they are just not as interesting an adversary for the Republic and Jedi as say the Sith, the Empire or even the First Order.  That said, there seems to be a bit of mystery behind the Nihil’s sinister leader, Marchion Ro, that has yet to be fully revealed.  The Nihil may not be super interesting right now, but with Marchion Ro beginning to enact a grand plan to cripple the Republic and the Jedi and his motivations for doing so not completely clear, it will be interesting to see these villains develop.

One last gripe I have with this series thus far is how exactly everything fits together.  Unlike the previous Star Wars EU, while adult, YA, and middle grade/children books were all connected, they also operated within their own bubbles.  But the High Republic series appears to incorporate adult, YA, and middle grade/children books into one overarching interconnected series.  But since I don’t always have the money to buy every single book in the series, which books are the most important to read.  Can one just stick to the adult novels and be satisfied or will the YA and middle grade/children’s books have significant plot points too?  For all the online media Star Wars has been generating since announcing the High Republic, that question has not been answered in a satisfactory way.

Overall, I am incredibly excited about this new publishing event.  The High Republic showcases the Republic and the Jedi at their peak and with this series set far enough away from other major characters and events in Star Wars, there is a level of uncertainty and unpredictability that is absolutely refreshing for Star Wars novels.  Whether you are a lifelong fan of Star Wars or new to it, I would highly recommend this first novel in the series to you.

“We are all the Republic!”

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February 2021 24in48 Readathon Live Blog

 

A Photo of Jefferson and my tea taken from my Instagram.

February 6, 2021, 1:08 a.m.

I didn't intend to truly start this readathon until the morning, but because it officially started at 12:01 a.m. EST (9:01 a.m. PST), and because I got to my reading late earlier today, I unintentionally kicked my readathon off at the same time as everyone else.  I started off by reading the first two chapters of Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin out of my Library of America edition of his early novels (see below for some links) and then read 100 pages of Jefferson while enjoying some nice Sleepytime Extra tea.  It took a little longer for me to finish all this reading than I expected, though not as long as I feared.  If I keep this pace up, I do believe I can finish Jefferson, Giovanni's Room, and The Light of the Jedi this weekend.  But will I be able to finish Felix Ever After or Children of Virtue an Vengeance (let alone start it) this weekend?  Doubt is creeping into my head.  Hopefully I can, but I am going to get some rest now and truly dive into this in the morning.

February 5, 2021: The Day Before!

It's been a few months since I have done an honest to goodness readathon and if I am ever hopeful of whittling down my TBR, then readathons are my only hope.  Fortunately, the wonder folks at the 24in48 Readathon have been working hard at organizing a great readathon and I am so happy to be joining them.

What is a readathon you ask?  A readathon is where you try read for as long as you can in a certain time frame without stopping, sort of like running a marathon (read + marathon= readathon).  One online place that is famous for organizing this is Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon.  They famously choose 24 hour period to just read non-stop during that period (their next one is on April 24).  There is also a bunch of social media done on Facebook, Instagram, Twitterm, etc. that folks can participate in as they are reading.  

The 24in48 readathon is similar in that you try to read for 24 hours straight, but they break it up over two days.  That means you can tackle your 24 hours of reading in any combination you like.  Read all day Saturday or all day Sunday?  Go for it!  12 hours on Saturday and 12 hours on Sunday?  Absolutely!  8 on Saturday, 16 on Sunday?  That works too!  Any combination of 24 hours of reading you can think of works for this particular readathon.

One thing they are doing differently this year is that they have chosen two group reads for folks to participate in, one fiction and one non-fiction.  Their non-fiction read is Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, a YA Romance starring a trans male as the protagonist.  The non-fiction read is White Negroes by Lauren Michele Jackson about cultural appropriation.  I personally plan on reading Felix Ever After myself, but no one is obligated to read these books if they want to read something else.

On top of Felix Ever After, I have a few books I either want to finish or make progress on.  First, I want to finish reading the Library of America collection Thomas Jefferson's writings that I have been working on since January 1.  This has been an interesting read, but at 1600 pages it is huge!  I had planned on finishing by the end of January, but life interceded.  I also plan on making progress on Library of America's collection of James Baldwin's early novels.  I just finished re-reading Go Tell It On the Mountain last night and I hope to have Giovanni's Room finished by the end of this readathon.

Next, I am going to finish reading Star Wars: The High Republic: The Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.  My reading obsession originated with my love of Star Wars novels (the pre-Disney original Expanded Universe novels that is) back in high school and college, but I haven't really read many Star Wars novels since then.  However, this High Republic series sounds incredibly exciting.  I've been enjoying this book very much and I plan on finishing it this weekend.

Lastly, I plan on at least starting Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi.  This is the second book in her Legacy of Orïsha series, the first one being Children of Blood and Bone.  I read that when it first came out and I loved it!  I'm looking forward to diving back into this amazing YA fantasy world.

Of course, this is just the plan.  I have no idea if I will be able to actually do any of this.  Fortunately, like pervious readathons, I plan on live blogging this one.  Just come back to this page throughout the day tomorrow, February 6, and Sunday, February 7.  I'll be regularly adding updates to this page about my progress.  And while you're at it, be sure to check out any one of these great books or authors I have mentioned.  And if you want to join the 24in48 Readathon, head over to their website and fill out their online form.  Happy reading everyone!

World Come Falling Down: A Review of State Tectonics

State Tectonics by Malka Ann Older

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In her previous books in this series, Infomocracy and Null States, Malka Ann Older has created a futuristic government known as micro-democracy and a powerful data platform in charge of running it all known as Information. What is interesting is that she has always been questioning the very system that she has created. In this concluding novel to her Centenal Cycle series, micro-democracy reaches a crisis point that it may not survive.

There are many things to love in this book. Ms. Older has honed her ability to write a taut thriller where the pages leading up to the climax were hard to put down. She also continues a trend from her previous book where she brought peripheral characters in the past to the forefront. Unlike the previous book though, she doesn't leave previous main characters behind. The previous characters, such as Roz, Mishima, and Ken, all have an important role to play. It does get a little confusing at the climax, but it shouldn't be too hard to follow along.

There are still a few problems with this book. Though it has gotten much easier after three novels, I am still not a big fan of Ms. Older's use of the present tense. Also, while I thought it was very good of Ms. Older to question the world government, but in her books micro-democracy has only existed for 25 years before reaching its next crisis. I don't wish to spoil anything about this book, but it feels like not a lot of time has passed for this system before things start to go bad. I know it's a small point, but she could've given her system more time before shaking things up. Then it would feel like there were real stakes involved with the story overall.

Ms. Older has improved on a lot that held her back previously and she seems to be getting better. I look forward to seeing her writing prowess grow even further in future novels.

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#StayHome24in48 Readathon Live Blog

Sunday, March 22, 9:42 p.m.:

Well, it's the end of another readathon.  I finished reading four books and started two others over the course of this readathon.  I must have finished somewhere between 300 and 500 pages in total, though I did not keep a specific count.  Not all of the books were that great (I'm looking at you Ulysses), but it is always a pleasure to get something finished.  I hope to do another readathon in the near future, but we will see how things turn out.  Thanks to everyone who has read this live blog and a special thanks to the bloggers at 24in48.com for putting this on.  See you all next time!

Sunday, March 22, 8:45 p.m.:

Well, I finished A Long Walk to Water and I thought it was a very good middle grade read about the Sudanese Civil War, the plight of refugees, and the good things that they can do if given a chance to immigrate and prosper in America.  I gave it 5 out of 5 and I would recommend it, but just use some parental caution if giving it to younger readers.  Some people die in pretty awful ways in the book.  While I am going to start The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, unfortunately I won't be able to finish it during this readathon seeing as it is technically suppose to end at 9 p.m. PST (12 a.m. EST).  But, I am looking forward to ending this thing with Mr. Sherlock Holmes

Sunday, March 22, 4:57 p.m.:

And another book is finished!  I just read the last page of All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries #1 by Martha Wells.  This was a pretty good book, but, like a lot of novellas, things moved very quickly, particularly at the end, and I would've liked a lot more details.  So, 3.5 stars for this one.  An enjoyable, lite read and I might want to read more of the series in the future.  Now, on to A Long Walk to Water...

Sunday, March 22, 3:22 p.m.:

It appears the big brunch I had is affecting me a little more than I expected it to.  I started dozing off a little in the middle of my chapter.  But, I got the first chapter of Ocean of Milk, Ocean of Blood finished.  On now to All Systems Red...

Sunday, March 22, 2:00 p.m.:

So, this second day of the readathon did not start off as planned as I completely missed my alarm and slept in much longer than I meant to.  But, I am back up and reading.  The goal for today is to read another chapter of Ocean of Milk, Ocean of Blood by Matthew W. King, then completely finish reading All Systems Red by Martha Wells, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, and The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.  Let's do this thing!

Saturday, March 21, 10:19 p.m.:

I was able to get a little more of All Systems Red completed and I am now halfway done with it.  But with dinner and Skyping with my Bible study friends, the time went by more quickly than I had anticipated.  One thing I promised myself during this readathon is that I would get a good night's sleep and that is exactly what I am going to do right now.  So, good night everyone.  I will see you sometime tomorrow for day 2.

Saturday, March 21, 5:57 p.m.:

Even though I am also taking care of laundry right now, I am still checking off the boxes of books I wanted to finish reading this weekend.  I just finished reading A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende, a good historical fiction novel about a pair of refugees fleeing the Spanish Civil War and putting down roots in Chile.  It's good, but rather short in comparison to other historical fiction novels in the same genre.  Still, it might be a good one to start with for those who have wanted to jump into the genre but have been intimidated by the size of some of the best known ones.

I also discovered that All Systems Red by Martha Wells is actually a novella, not a novel like I first thought.  Though I wasn't planning on it, I think I am going to try to finish it this weekend as well.  In fact, that is what I will be picking up right now...

Saturday, March 21, 3:39 p.m.:

It's over!  I've finally finished reading this long nightmare of a book Ulysses by James Joyce.  I've been working on this book for over a month now and every page was a confusing bore.  No plot, ever changing style, etc.  This may be an interesting book for English Lit. majors, but it's a completely confusing mess to me. I give it only 1 star.  Now, on to finishing A Long Petal of the Sea...

Saturday, March 21, 2:10 p.m.:

I just finished the first chapter of All Systems Red.  Wow!  This book is going to be a much quicker read than I thought.  Still, I'm going to circle back to Ulysses and A Long Petal of the Sea and finish those books today.

Saturday, March 21, 1:45 p.m.:

It turns out that my online meeting was much shorter than I thought it was going to be.  So, I ate a nutritious lunch and I am now back on the reading clock.  Going to read my first chapter of All Systems Red by Martha Wells.  Oh, and I have to do laundry at the same time.

Saturday, March 21, 12:28 p.m.:

I just finished reading the introduction to Ocean of Milk, Ocean of Blood by Matthew King.  It's about the life and legacy of an influential Mongolian Buddhist monk at the beginning of the 20th century.  Phew!  It looks like this is going to be another tough read.  But now I need to eat some lunch and go to a virtual meeting.  I should be back to reading around 3 p.m., if not sooner. 

Saturday, March 21, 11:12 a.m.:

Just finished a little bit of my A Long Petal of the Sea reading.  I'm now just two chapters away from finishing this one.  But, I need to get started on two other books, Ocean of Milk, Ocean of Blood by Matthew W. King (for my History Book Club at Cellar Door April Read) and All Systems Red by Martha Wells (for the Life's Library Book Club).  Better get to it!

Saturday, March 21, 9:50 a.m.:

Just finished a little bit of my Ulysses reading and I am now just 34 pages away from finishing it.  I've been working on this god-awful "classic" for over a month now and I will be glad to be done with it once and for all and move on to something better.

Hour Zero:

It has been several months since I last did a readathon and live blogged it and with all the craziness going on in the world right now, I think it is time to knock another one of these out of the park.  Fortunately, the bloggers over at 24in48.com created a Social Distancing Readathon for this weekend.  And, unlike a traditional readathon, this one takes place over the course of two days.  So, instead of exhausting myself trying to get 24 straight hours of reading done, I am going to try to space it out over the next two days.  In fact, I plan on taking this one a little easier than the last one, so this will be the main place people can come to for my live blogging.  I am going to get things started with a little Ulysses by James Joyce and A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende and go from there.  Wish me luck!

God is Change Visualized: A Review of Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

Parable of the Sower by Damian Duffy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Earlier this year, I read Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower and was completely fascinated by this tale of a society that it is beginning to collapse. What struck me even more was how closely it resembled our current times, despite the fact that Ms. Butler wrote this book back in the early 1990s (Check out my review of Parable of the Sower). So, when I learned that this book was being adapted into a graphic novel by the same team that had created Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, I jumped at the chance. And, like that previous adaptation, I was not disappointed.

Damian Duffy and team don't try to reinvent the wheel with this adaptation. Indeed, with the exception of a few minor changes, they stick pretty close to the original story. So, if you have already read Parable of the Sower, you already know what to expect in terms of plot. What is truly joyous to discover in this book is the artwork and how the team integrates and visualizes Ms. Butler's tale. Like their previous adaptation, the team favors a more blocky artwork with dark colors and harsh lines to represent this world falling into chaos. The liberal use of reds, oranges, and black colors works very well to show how the fires, which are both a prevalent threat to the characters and a constant theme in this book, seem to define life in this world. The team also does a good job of pointing out who is who as there are a lot of characters to keep track. Like Kindred, this is a wonderful adaptation of a modern classic.

That said, at times the color palette gets so dark that it is difficult to make out what is going on, especially as events turn violent. This may be a good thing for younger readers, but it does obscure the violence and madness that is prevalent throughout this world. Also, while the team uses text boxes to point out the many different characters, it can still be hard to track who is who as some characters tend to look similar. That said, the most important characters are distinctive enough that it is okay that some of the minor characters tend to look alike.

Whether you have read Parable of the Sower or not, this is an excellent graphic adaptation that lovers of sci-fi, graphic novels, or the works of Octavia Butler should not miss. I would give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars if Goodreads allowed it and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the three categories I mentioned.


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God is Change: A Review of Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once again, I find myself being drawn to bleak speculative fiction and books don't get much bleaker than this. I've heard it compared to George Orwell's 1984 and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and truly this is one of the great modern classics of dystopian fiction that feels a little too prophetic for comfort.

Set in 2024 Southern California, America is right on the edge of societal collapse. Rule of law is virtually non-existent, politicians promise to restore the country's greatness, but everyone is let to fend for themselves. Living in the middle of this is Lauren Olamina, a teenage girl born with hyperempathy, the ability to feel another person's pain. As the world and her walled-off community continue to crumble, Lauren rejects the religion her father and begins to develop one of her own based on the central idea that God is change. When her walls are breached, Lauren and her followers must trek across the broken landscape of California to find a new home.

This is an incredibly bleak novel. Nothing and no one ever stay safe for long and people are hurt or killed in horrible ways. The fact that our main character can feel that pain makes it worse. But what is so striking about this book is how it eerily parallels the future. The politician promising to restore America's greatness sounds an awful lot like Pres. Trump on the stump. And the main cause of societal breakdown, climate change, is unfolding itself before our eyes in many places around the world. And the fact that Ms. Butler wrote this book back in 1993 is all the more striking.

Though this book could be read swiftly, you really should take your time. Ms. Butler writes very compellingly anther descriptions of how to navigate a post-apocalyptic landscape are incredible. 

This is truly a gripping read and one that fans of post apocalyptic novels like Cormac McCarthy's The Road should not miss.

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Quantum Heist: A Review of Randomize by Andy Weir

Randomize by Andy Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Andy Weir seemingly shot out of nowhere to become one of the biggest contemporary sci-fi authors with his book The Martian. With his blend of realistic science and dark humor, I fell completely in love with it and recommended it to so many people. I even loved the Ridley Scott movie adaptation that came out later. When an author becomes an overnight sensation, the next questions people ask is what will they write next and will it be just as good as his first work. While I have yet to read Mr. Weir's sophomore novel, Artemis (I'm getting to it!), after reading this short story, I do believe that Mr. Weir's narrative powers will hold up just fine over a long and promising career.

Set in a Las Vegas casino in the near future, Mr. Weir relates a tale of a high-risk, high-reward heist. The thieves though are not a bunch of hardened master criminals straight out of Ocean's Eleven, but a brilliant husband and wife team with an intimate knowledge of quantum mechanics, quantum computing, and how it can be used to rig a Keno game. In less than 30 pages, Mr. Weir both engages the reader with his heist story and does a fairly good job of explaining quantum mechanics and computing to novices like me. And, like Mr. Weir's other characters, when the chips are down the characters in this book must rely on their wits to get themselves out. Like his other works, Mr. Weir makes being smart cool and completely necessary to succeed.

One thing that is lacking from this book is Mr. Weir's signature humor. While none of the characters are particularly dour, neither are any of them particularly humorous. Of course, not every Andy Weir work has to be funny, but, especially towards the end, a little humor to break the tension would have been appreciated.

Overall, this is an excellent short story that one can knock out in about an hour. For anyone who has been hesitant to pick up an Andy Weir novel, this could be a good introduction to one of the best sci-fi authors working today.

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Twists and Turns: A Review of The Brightest Fell

The Brightest Fell by Nupur Chowdhury

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(Note: I received an e-book ARC of this book from the author. The views written in this review are my own and do not reflect that of the author or publisher.)

If you're a country that has just pulled itself out of a devastating civil war with a fragile peace, what would you do to maintain that peace? And if your a scientist that has possibly developed the answer through the use of a wonder drug that isn't quite ready yet, what would you do to protect it? This is the basic set up for this taut sci-fi political thriller.

Set in the fictional nation of Naijan, Jehan Fasih is a brilliant scientist that has developed a drug that can either curb violent tendencies in a population, thus significantly reducing violent crimes in a country just coming out of a civil war, or make people compliant. Fasih wants to keep this project out of the wrong hands and bloodlessly seizes the reins of power in his country to ensure that. But the family he betrayed and disgraced will not forget what has been done to them so easily. Thus the stage is set for a wonderful sci-fi political thriller.

The story is top-notch as the author weaves a very good plot through many twists and turns. At the same time, each of the main characters have their own personal reasons for doing the things that they do, so it feels like there are real stakes involved with each characters' decision. While this book is a little exposition heavy, there are moments of pure action that break up all the talking just enough to keep the story from being weighed down. Sometimes, I really didn't want to put this book down.

For those of you who like a like political thrillers a la James Patterson or a sci-fi lite read, I would highly recommend this book.

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Senseless Violence: A Review of Frankenstein in Baghdad

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The War in Iraq was devastating to the people of that country, but there have been few books written about the war from their perspective, and even fewer of those books have been fictional. This book greatly rectifies that by riffing on one of the greatest books in the Western canon and using it as a vehicle to meditate on the senseless violence of the civil war that gripped the country in the mid-2000s.

The book starts not long after the the invasion of Iraq, around 2005 or so, and Baghdad is just beginning to sink into the sectarian violence that will grip it for several years. In the midst of this, an eccentric homeless man collects the body parts of different bombing victims and puts them together. Suddenly, the body comes to life, goes on a killing spree, and becomes the obsession of a local reporter, the general of a rogue Iraqi division, and the residents of the local district the monster inhabits.

If this all sounds exciting, just know, going into this book, it is not a super exciting book. While there are moments of high drama, this is not exactly some kind of horror-suspense novel. Rather, as I said above, this book is more of a meditation on the senseless violence that the invasion unleashed. The monster itself is more of a metaphor, though he does have a great chapter that he narrates in the middle of the book.

Honestly, it was not the book I was expecting when I picked it up, but that does not mean that it is a bad book. Indeed, this is a book that I am going to have to revisit in the near future as my stuttered reading of it probably did not lend itself to the best reading experience. All I can say is that, after reading this book, I am still fascinated by its premise and I feel like I have to read it again in the near future.

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It Lives!: A Review of Frankenstein

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Frankenstein was an instant classic when published in 1818 and still holds a hallowed place in world literature. You can't have a serious discussion about scientific advancement in any field today without someone asking, "Are we making a Frankenstein's monster?" It's taken me awhile to get to this book myself, but after finally reading it, I must say that it lives up to the hype.

The novel, which follows the life of Victor Frankenstein and the monster he creates, is good. The basic plot, which you already know, is gripping and Mary Shelley really knew how to write a good sentence. Unlike many other books of 19th century literature, there isn't a whole lot of wasted space and this book is just as quick a read today as any other book of contemporary literature. Indeed, this may be one of the most readable books of classic literature you are likely to find and, I dare say, will still be readable 100 years from now.

That is not to say that this book is completely free of the 19th century tropes that have bogged down other classic literature. There is still the obligatory retelling of the main character's life from their birth to their very death, like with Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, and there is a lot of exposition, particularly when the monster begins to relate his own story. While the language is still very readable, it is still very flowery, with the same long-winded flourishes that you will find in other classic 19th century literature. In spite of that, this is still an incredibly tight story, mostly because of the overall story's shortness. I could imagine this book getting tedious were it 100 or 200 pages longer.

Frankenstein has survived and thrived in our cultural landscape not just because of the thematic elements that still haunt contemporary debates about nature, humanity, and science, but also because it is a darn good book. This is a book that will appeal to science fiction and horror fans, but is also a great seating point for classic literature.

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"What a Wonderful World This Could Be": A Review of Red Mars

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mars has had a particular hold on the imagination for centuries, almost as long as the Moon. This book takes our imaginings of Mars to a new level as Mr. Robinson examines what it would be like for the first colonists on Mars, how would their efforts affect Mars, and how Mars would affect the people and Earth too.

Starting with the journey of the first 100 colonists to Mars, this book devotes different parts to different key players in the story in a revolving limited third-person perspective. Because you follow a character's perspective for quite awhile, you are able to gain an appreciation for all of the characters from different angles. Characters you may have liked during the beginning become multi-layered as you see them from another's perspective.

But the really great thing about this book is how Mr. Robinson explores to just how terraforming the planet Mars could work, but how the process of terraforming Mars would change the people involved, even change the planet Earth and its politics ban home. It is an incredibly multi-layered examination of space exploration and colonization that is not found in other books out there.

This is not a perfect book though. For example, it takes Mr. Robinson a long time to really build up some momentum. The first third of the book or so takes a while to set up what will ultimately become the main conflict of the book. But once the stage is set, everything comes together very well. Another problem with this book is some of Mr. Robinson's characterizations of female protagonists, particularly the character Maya. Though she is one of the first hundred, her main function in the story appears to be to bounce between relationships with two of the key male protagonists, John Boone and Frank Chalmers. When she is with one, she wants to be with the other and vice versa. And, aside from acting as some kind of leader in the latter part of the book, her main function appears to be mostly in her sex appeal, not as full character in her own right.

Despite these problems, this book is a great sci-fi novel that paved the way for other similar sci-fi novels to look beyond just simple exploration of the stars and imagine colonizing them as well. Though it takes a long time to build momentum and Mr. Robinson's characterization of his female protagonists is a bit problematic, this is a classic of modern sci-fi that I would recommend to anyone who is interested.

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