mjedib's reviews
25 reviews

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was the first Star Wars book I’ve read after taking a multi year break from reading them and it has been my favorite book in the franchise since. It shows how much Star Wars can thrive when it dives into the politics of the universe by exploring themes such as the importance of bipartisan cooperation, the dangers of misinformation, the role bloodlines should play in politics, and how fascism can rise in the midst of an ignorant government. It also brings the charm of the original trilogy through the dynamics between the characters. The Leia writing in this book is amazing. She basically starts out this book as a senator who is cranky about her Job and hopes to close out her career on a high note. Seeing detective Leia was a delight since Claudia wrote her as a seasoned professional who also knows to use her instincts and charm when necessary. Claudia also challenged her well as a character by pairing her with Ransolm Casterfo, a centrist senator. Spending time with Ransolm makes her realize that when you reach across the aisle, you may find you agree with someone more than you would think. Ransolm also causes her to reflect on her own relationship with her Bloodline. Particularly with Vader and Ben who aren’t in the book but their shadows loom large over the story and Leia’s conscience. One of Leia’s main conflicts is that she does not look back at Vader fondly like Luke does, and she doesn’t want Ben to feel overpowered by her legacy but she also doesn’t wanna hide things from him. This is one of the more subtle but very interesting parts of the book. Ransolm Casterfo is easily my favorite original character in any Star Wars book so far. I hated him at first and saw no redeeming qualities but as he and Leia became better friends throughout the novel I began to understand him more. He ultimately has good intentions but some of his perspectives are so wrong that you can’t help but get frustrated because you’re rooting for him to get better but he’s so stuck in his mindset. Seeing Leia rub off on him over the course of the novel was really satisfying to see. Easily one of the most complex and nuanced characters in Star Wars. Leia also has some cool members of her staff like pilots Greer Sonnel and Joph Seastriker. They are really charismatic supporting characters and their love for flying despite the odds thrown at them is really beautiful. There’s also Leia’s assistant Korr Sella who has a small but poignant role in the story. Han has a few fun scenes with Leia which were interesting because they outwardly seem like a really good couple but they don’t want all the same things. Don’t read this expecting a ton of Han content tho. There are a few main villains who each operate at different levels within the conspiracy against the new republic. Rinnrivin Di has a cool hero villain dynamic with Leia. The other 2 villains are more secretive but very well handled and so easy to hate. I loved how they expanded the Star Wars lore with the introduction of the Amaxine warriors who have history dating back to the Old Republic. The division between Populists and Centrists is handled with so much nuance because even though one group is portrayed as worse, they are both shown to be extremely incompetent and there is even division within both parties which I appreciated. To conclude I love that Lucasfilm let Claudia Gray tell such a big scale, yet incredibly poignant story that helps contextualize the sequels, adds so much too Leia’s character, and introduces some great new characters into the universe.

Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a fun “get the squad together” type story that follows the resistance in the first week after the Last Jedi. One of the main character focuses is on Leia who is struggling to find hope after losing Luke and having her call for help go unanswered but she must push forward and use her connections to save the resistance. The Leia content in this feels kind of like a spiritual sequel to Bloodline. Poe has to deal with his guilt over all the mistakes he made in the Last Jedi and he has his squadron and friends motivating him to move forward. His arc was the heart of the novel and he especially has some great moments like when he talks about his mothers love for flying. There’s also a first order officer in this book that has a really disturbing story that plays out over the book which I thought was handled well. Finn gets a decent amount to do but I wanted more from Rey, Rose, and Chewie. I’ve also seen this book referred to as the No Way Home of Star Wars which is hilariously accurate. Characters from several of the stories between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens show up including the Aftermath trilogy, Bloodline, Battlefront 2 Resurrection campaign, and the Poe Damerom comics. He’s on the cover so it’s not a spoiler that Wedge is in this and it was really interesting to see him settled into his new life and now having to consider abandoning it. Something else I really loved about this book is it paints a good picture of the first order occupation and what’s going on across the Galaxy. It has a good explanation for why people are so afraid to stand up to the first order. Ultimately a really solid book but could maybe be developed more in a few places.

Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I knew this book would be great going in because Claudia wrote my favorite Star Wars book Bloodline and this did not disappoint. The deep dive on the nature of Qui Gon and Obi Wan’s master and apprentice relationship is interesting and it has several ups and downs throughout the novel which was refreshing. Rael Aveross was a great new character who reminded me of Anakin but he felt distinct enough to me as a character. Extremely charismatic but his flaws are central to the story which I liked. Plus comparing him and Qui Gon as former students of Dooku made this book more interesting. I appreciated the Dooku flashbacks especially his conversations with Qui Gon about the prophecy. I love that Dooku sees something in Qui Gon beyond what the rest of the Jedi do and he realizes that the Jedi don’t appreciate it as much as they should. The mystery in this book is somewhat straightforward but still solid. Claudia made it convincing to me that 3 Jedi working together would have a hard time solving the mystery because of their clashing personalities and especially Qui Gon’s premonitions. It can be really hard to make that convincing without adding some other force that is just as powerful as the Jedi but Claudia managed to do it well. I really enjoyed how this book made me reevaluate how I see the prophecy by elaborating on their vagueness and the vastly different ways they can be studied. I’m more open to the idea of the prophecy than I was before the book. Ultimately a very introspective book that lets you reevaluate how you see several aspects from the Phantom Menace and made me a bigger Qui Gon fan.

From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back by Elizabeth Schaefer

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I’ve always really enjoyed myself with these books. They encapsulate something about Star Wars that I don’t think many other franchises have, that being their willingness to explore even their smallest background characters. This has a really good variety of ton s and as per usual the best stories usually focus on the admirals or the pilots. They spent a bit too much time on Hoth though. My favorite story was The Final Order. Other standouts for me include Eyes of the Empire, Kendal, For the Last Time, Rendezvous Point, Amara Kel’s Rules for TIE Pilot survival, Disturbance, Lord Vader Will See You Now, Vergence, Standard Imperial Procedure, Faith in an Old Friend, The Man Who Built Cloud City, and Right-Hand Man.

Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a great New Republic era planet hopping rescue mission with an intriguing mystery behind it. I was surprised at how well this book complements Rise of Skywalker, a movie I didn’t even like. It pieces together several events that are mentioned throughout the sequel trilogy, making them feel less disjointed and more like a cohesive story. I mainly read this because of the Luke and Lando content and was excited to read a story of them working together. I enjoyed seeing more of Luke’s relationship with characters like Ben and Lor San Tekka. In regards to Ben, Luke struggles having to balance treating him as a student and as his nephew which I found interesting, but they have a really touching relationship. It was also a treat getting to see more of Luke and Lor San Tekka exploring ancient archeological sites and collecting artifacts. Would love to see more stories exploring their relationship. However throughout the book Luke is troubled by the possibility of the Sith’s return evidenced by his visions of Exegol, his discovery of Sith artifacts, and the sudden appearance of a new Dark Side wielder. He does want to protect Rey and her family but he has his eyes set more onto the bigger Sith threat that could be hiding in the shadows. I loved this writing for Luke and how it mirrors his struggle in the Last Jedi of looking too much to the horizon that he can lose sight of those who need him in the present. This is where his dynamic with Lando benefits him because Lando is much more concerned with the immediate threat to Rey’s family. After losing his own daughter he feels the need to protect Rey so he can prevent another family from experiencing what he’s going through and he hopes that this rescue mission could lead him to his daughter. So when Luke is getting too preoccupied by the Sith threat, Lando is often there to remind him of the current threat to Rey’s family. This goes both ways too because when Lando loses his rationality in his desire to protect Rey’s family, Luke is there to remind him of the bigger picture. I loved how Adam showed Lando’s grief over losing his daughter and his fear of being alone. It’s not the kind of writing you would normally see for Lando but I loved it. Plus the charismatic and hopeful Lando we’re more familiar with resurfaces more and more throughout the novel which was great. The scenes of Lando and Luke piecing together the origins of multiple Sith artifacts and tracing them back to Exegol were some of the most engaging parts of this book. Getting to know Rey’s parents was interesting because I never liked the idea of Rey Palpatine or the idea that her parents loved her. However I did find them to be very charismatic characters and their love for Rey was touching. They were also really resourceful with Dathan bringing more mechanical experience to the table, and Miramar being the pilot. Although Luke and Lando did help them some, they were still very capable on their own. The book does a good job at making you care about them even if you know what happens to them. Seeing young Rey was nice but she doesn’t have any major role in the story besides being a MacGuffin. There is also a new character named Komat who has some history with the Acolytes of the Beyond. She keeps to herself more but she brings a really cool skill set to the table that we’ve never seen before. She also had some cool moments with Lando. Need to see more stories with her. Also loved seeing Shriv from Battlefront 2 in a small role here working with Lando once again. The 3 main villains I found to be kind of a mixed bag. Ochi of Bestoon I found to be kind of disappointing. He had a few promising moments but the book makes him out to be kind of incompetent and he outsources so much of his work. They were doing something cool with him that I felt never really went anywhere. The masked Sith acolyte on the other hand was great. The Sith mask she wears provides her with a sense of power but she also feels like she’s losing herself and that duality makes her compelling. She has some good scenes with Luke in particular. Plus I loved bringing back the concept of Sith masks possessing people that came from Soule’s Lando and Vader comic runs. Pryde’s few scenes were good as they helped tie this story to Rise of Skywalker. Plus I enjoyed his spiteful banter with Ochi. Ultimately, while this book is somewhat flawed in the villain department it is a really fun and intriguing story and handles Luke and Lando in really interesting ways. Would definitely recommend to any fans of the era.

Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn

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challenging informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Zahn is truly unleashed in this fantastic start to the Ascendency trilogy because he is allowed to tell an almost completely self contained story exploring a new part of the Star Wars universe. He doesn’t have to abide by the rules of the main Galaxy and is instead able to develop his own complex lore about the Chiss and their high standing in the unknown regions. The Chiss are given an extremely powerful persona, in how the other species see them. They are given some really cool lore pertaining to the history of Csilla that is slowly revealed throughout the book. The political landscape of the Chiss is beautifully laid out and it ties into the novels themes about the distinctions between the Military and Politics and the need for more risks in government. This was the kind of system hopping widespread mystery that Zahn loves doing except this time he has a whole new playground he gets to build and an entire trilogy to do it. Because of this the intrigue is great. The flashback structure, which I thought would be annoying, ended up working well because we get to jump right into Thrawn as a military leader and detective but we still get small glimpses at his origins every once in a while. His transition between families and fast tracked training was really interesting. We also get to see him do some super impressive art analysis in this book that I’ve never seen from him in the other books. He’s not infaliable however as his ineptitude in politics causes problems for him. Loved seeing more of Ar’alani who acts as a weary military but also political ally to Thrawn in the present day and flashbacks. She is almost just as skilled as him in almost every department which I loved. Bakif as Thrawn’s military boss who constantly protects him from politicians was fun and had some great scenes in his office. Thurfian, former navigator now caretaker, and Cher’i the navigator made a great duo and the exploration of how particular the skywalker program has to be is really interesting. Samakro doesn’t do much but I enjoyed having him as a reluctant ally to Thrawn. Q’ilori was a fun guild navigator who serves as a wildcard throughout the novel and has a very two sided relationship with Thrawn. IThe villain was well realized and incredibly cocky yet with a much more gleeful demeanor to contrast Thrawn’s. In conclusion is a great SciFi novel that feels almost completely detached from the Star Wars we know. The lore is incredibly rich and Zahn is given so much room to develop his world and new characters. Plus it works really well as a self contained story even if it is part of a trilogy.

Greater Good by Timothy Zahn

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced