This is my first experience reading one of Freed’s Star Wars novels, and I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoy authors who can write from multiple perspThis is my first experience reading one of Freed’s Star Wars novels, and I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoy authors who can write from multiple perspectives, and Freed did this very well, giving me the additional insight into the characters that I was looking for. He especially excelled at writing Baze and Chirrut! I very much enjoyed seeing the story through their eyes and felt their deaths even more acutely than in the film. He likewise did a great job with Cassian, showing us how he is drawn to Jyn’s fire as he realizes at some point he lost his own. For me, his writing of Jyn’s perspective was ok - overall good, excellent at times but at other times fell pretty short. It took the combination of this and Rebel Rising (which was not as good as this novel, different author) to fully piece together Jyn’s entire character. She is (and I suspect always will be) my absolute favorite character from the SW universe - complicated, shaped by hardship, a survivor, a badass, and a bit of an antihero, who ultimately saves the galaxy. ...more
3.5 Stars. Overall I enjoyed this book; told as a series of flashbacks while in the labor prison camp on Wobani, it does a good job of taking us throu3.5 Stars. Overall I enjoyed this book; told as a series of flashbacks while in the labor prison camp on Wobani, it does a good job of taking us through Jyn’s tumultuous life following the death of her mother and her father returning to work for the Empire. It seems the Star Wars books in general are written at a fairly basic level, while I wish they were richer and included more depth, but still this book did a reasonable job of showing us how Jyn becomes the woman she is. It gives significant insight into Saw’s character, explains Jyn’s hatred of both the Empire and the Rebellion, and most importantly what drives her decisions and actions in the film. The epilogue of this book makes the ending of the film even more meaningful than it already was.
Jyn is (and I suspect always will be) my favorite character from the Star Wars universe. I had high hopes for this novel, and while I wasn’t greatly disappointed, I also particularly impressed. But I’m still going to pick up the next one. ...more
With similar classic elements as the first two books, this was another swashbuckling tale in the life and adventures of John Carter of Mars. I have veWith similar classic elements as the first two books, this was another swashbuckling tale in the life and adventures of John Carter of Mars. I have very much enjoyed reading these books, but it is starting to get a bit formulaic. The damsel is taken and threatened. The hero risks everything to try to free her and is thwarted (just barely) by his enemies at nearly every turn. In the end, there are terrific battles as he overcomes incredible odds all to save the woman he loves. It is definitely endearing in its own way, but I have yet to decide if I shall continue in the series. After this, Burroughs turns to follow the adventures of John Carter's son rather than those of Carter himself, and for now I have sated my apetite for classic scifi literature. Fun reads, though, if you're looking for classic adventure stories!...more
This was a fun read. Having become initially interested in the story of John Carter after learning that the recent Disney movie was based off of a claThis was a fun read. Having become initially interested in the story of John Carter after learning that the recent Disney movie was based off of a classic scifi novel, I was unsure exactly what to expect when I picked this up. As I had hoped, it possessed all of the requisite qualities of a novel that helped establish the foundation for the fantasy/scifi genre as we know it today: adventure, heroism, intrigue, whit and romance. It is written such that you are actually reading John Carter's journal, and so is entirely a first person narrative. While this made the book seem a tad tedious to me at first, it served to emphasize the strengths of Carter's character as you witness his thoughts and reactions to the events he finds himself thrust into. At first I feared that the romance between he and Deja Thoris would be archaic in the extreme as there was the typical immediate, unfounded attraction when their eyes first met, but I was pleasantly surprised when the romance failed to blossom until each had come to appreciate the true heart of the other. Several of the other characters have a surprising amount of depth to them as well despite the relative shortness of the novel, which was unexpected and for which I mush give Burroughs credit. If you're looking for a fun, classic, easy-to-read science fiction novel, look no further. However, I would advise you to expect the unique delight of experiencing the english language as it was commonly spoken 100 years ago....more
It was interesting to read this volume, as it is a continuous story written by three separate authors.
The Phantom Menace: 2 Stars I was not particularIt was interesting to read this volume, as it is a continuous story written by three separate authors.
The Phantom Menace: 2 Stars I was not particularly impressed with this book, which felt like reading a slightly expanded version of the script. Brooks excelled at describing action sequences (which one could just as easily enjoy by watching the film), but included little additional insight into the characters. Jar Jar Binks was equally annoying in the book as the movie, making The Phantom Menace my least favorite book as it is my least favorite film. Only two things make this book worth reading (or the movie worth watching, for that matter): 1) the wonderful relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and 2) the establishment of the beginning of the story line as we meet Anakin Skywalker and witness Palpatine moving his pawns upon the chessboard of the Republic during the initial stages of the foundation of his empire.
Attack of the Clones: 5 Stars I enjoyed this book significantly more. Salvatore incorporated much more detail about what the characters were thinking and feeling amidst all the political and personal turmoil, as well as describing the action sequences wonderfully. I find him to be a perfectly balanced writer, including just the right amount of detail to give me the insight I am looking for without encumbering the reader with wordy descriptions.
Revenge of the Sith: 4 Stars This was a different read altogether and my first experience with Stover. He delves VERY deeply into what the characters are thinking and feeling at any given moment, going as far as to interrupt action sequences to describe in great detail what is going on the mind of any given character. While this insight was interesting and proved that he truly understands these characters in great depth, I found it to be distracting and excessive. Such deviations interrupt the overall flow of the scene at hand and encumber the reader in overly-wordy descriptions that manage to surpass even Tolkien's heavy writing style. While I enjoyed certain aspects of getting to know the characters in such depth, overall I though his style was rather cumbersome to read.
The volume overall: 4 Stars If you are looking for additional insight into Lucas' iconic Star Wars characters and/or want to understand Palpatine's malevolent plan as he brilliantly (if also evilly) brings his empire to power, this is a good read. ...more
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