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| Someone should tell the blog authors this. |
Also! We have a poll up on the side now: WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE STAR WARS EPISODE?!?! I wanted to include the holiday special, but decided against it because it would win hands down. Well, Episodes I and II may have given it a run for its money, but still.
Back to the meat of the post though. As a few of you no doubt know, when Disney purchased Lucasfilm, they struck down the old expanded universe and have been gradually replacing it with their own. As of now, the only things that are canon in the Star Wars expanded Universe are the movies, the Clone Wars and Rebels TV shows (the ones on the Disney channel and very much meant for younger audiences), a few comic books, and a few normal books. This includes a series of books and comics that supposedly lead up to and provide a bit of background for Episode VII. So, of course, over the last few months or so I've been slowly purchasing and reading all of the new books and comics. I'm currently about three books, twenty TV episodes, and five comic series into this new canon.
Now, a preface to this post: I had never really read much of the old canon, just two books actually (the zombie ones. And they were the PINNACLE of Star Wars fiction, lemme tell ya)(they weren't bad actually, but that's another blog post)(oh, also the first two Republic Commando books, so four books total, I guess), so this "review" is more of a literary one rather than a "Star Wars" one. I only know a little about the old canon and so won't be comparing this new stuff to the old stuff.
In no particular order:
Star Wars: Lost Stars (YA Novel)
First off: this is a Young Adult novel. This means that the plots are easy to follow, the characters easy to read, the print is HUGE, and the book is easy to predict. Also the sentences are short. Like this. Short and choppy. Those are my main complaints. That and this doesn't really add to much to the universe as a whole. It mostly kind of follows the plot of the original trilogy through the eyes (people who read the book will get that joke) of these two kids from some backwater planet that become Imperial Officers right before the rebellion really takes off. Then one of them deserts after they watch Alderaan blow up. It also has a bit at the end about the battle of Jakku (one of them is the captain of the Star Destroyer that crashes into the planet (it's not a spoiler, it's literally on the dust jacket (and it's a very pretty dust jacket))), but nothing much about why the battle was fought or the aftereffects of the battle on both sides (the book ends directly after the battle). Otherwise, the book has a really nice cover and it's a quick read. That's all I really have to say about it.
Star Wars: Aftermath (Novel)
This one goes a much deeper into the aftereffects of the Battle of Endor and the formation of the New Republic/Post-Endor Empire. Not through the main story line though, this book gives most of its best information through little interludes that are interspersed throughout the entire book. It also sets the stage for a few other things to happen later either in movies or in the two other books that have been promised in this series (oh, this book is the first in a trilogy. Forgot to mention that). I honestly would have liked it better if the story was "baked in", but hey, at least they're there. And the interludes themselves are interesting little slices of what's going on elsewhere in the galaxy. The author has a weird writing style, but once you get used to it, the story about how a motley band of rebels interrupt an Imperial planning session thing is pretty good.
Star Wars: Tarkin (Novel)
This one I enjoyed, even though it didn't really expand too much on anything other than Tarkin himself. Which is fine. It is his book, after all. About every other chapter or so gives insight into Tarkin's past, shedding light on how he became the man the galaxy learned to fear. The non-flashback portions of the story take place I think about midway between episodes 3 and 4. Maybe closer to 4 than 3. The point is that it has a lot to do with the construction of the first Death Star.
Anyway, as far as writing goes, the book is good. And getting insight into villains is always fun for me. As far as new expanded universe content, it mostly just provides names of planets, to what sector they belong, and where parts for the Death Star are being constructed. It also gives insight into what the rank of Moff means and the composition of the Empire's ruling body (the emperor's advisors and cabinet and whatnot). It was an interesting little book.
Star Wars: A New Dawn (Novel)
This one I read in a day. That's not something I do often, so there's that. This book is a tie-in to the Star Wars: Rebels TV series, and so I was surprised that it wasn't classified as a YA novel, but rather as an actual novel. It was still a little on the kiddy side, but not so much as Lost Stars was. Not nearly as much. And that, I think, is what made it a good read. It was easy to read, it was captivating, and it had a good story.
I think that this takes place after Tarkin in the timeline. It tells the story of how two members of the Rebels crew get together and take on the Empire by actually helping out the Empire in a roundabout way, and in the process saving an entire planet. It's weird. It had the same Star Destroyer captain as Aftermath did, only she was a little lower in rank here. It also had a forward that suggested that Lucalfilm, under the supervision of Disney, is going to make the stories in the expanded universe follow fewer characters than the old expanded universe did. Keep the plot lines for individuals few and separate. Or at least consistent across the board if not few or separate.
Star Wars: Shattered Empire (Comic Miniseries, Finished)
This was a fun one. It only has a few issues and is already finished, so you might have to wait for the trade paperback to some out (if it hasn't already) if you want to get it. This series follows the parents (well, actually mostly just the mother) of Poe Dameron, that one X-Wing pilot that we see in the Star Wars VII trailer. The series starts during the battle of Endor and ends a few months later on some nameless planet that will probably show up in Episode VII. It's really short, so I don't really think that I can share much, but it definitely does introduce some interesting things.
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And that's literally all I've been doing the last month or two. I have a few new canon books to read, so I'll probably post more of this stuff closer to the Episode VII release date with new and updated reviews. Maybe I'll include Geslin's view on the new canon material (since he's actually read most of the old canon). I need something to do while standing out in line for a theater seat, right (IMAX 3D OPENING NIGHT WOOO)? Also a lot of the comics I've been reading aren't finished yet, so I couldn't really give my full opinion of them. I also have to finish The Clone Wars, but I've got like 100-something episodes in 5 1/2 seasons to watch still. I'm progressing slowly with that one.
I'll be posting a giant How-To guide next. It's pretty cool, but a lot of work to set up, which is what's been taking me so long (this is the post I've been working on for two months). I think I'm at a few pages (if this were an actual paginated report and not something you scroll through for giggle son the internet) and it'll probably be a few more (pages, not months) before I'm finished. Also it'll have parts two and maybe three. Those are for later though.
'Til then! Have fun in Internet Land and may the Force be with you!
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| Also have a dancing taco. Because taco. |
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