Apologies

Sorry for the lack of posts, dear readers, but with the fate of the Star Wars Expanded Universe in question in the last few months, I decided to cool my heels with the reviews featuring them. Now that we know it's called the Legendary Universe, I'm debating on whether to continue with the reviews for it because I don't think anyone's all that interested in them.

The other reason I haven't written some is that the last few David Weber's Honor Harrington saga books are massive and it's taking my a while to summarize the main plot. Same goes for Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois Bujold and Anne Bishop's Murder of Crows. I'm also unable to find copies of Xanth: Quest for Magic by Piers Anthony so I can't finish the review for his wonderfully puny saga.

Now, I've thought about ways around this, but I'd like your opinion. Do you think I should continue with the Star Wars Legendary Universe books now that they're only used for idea mining? Or do you think I should scrap them all together and just take a month to review each of the other series I've got on the project shelf? I'm very interested in hearing your opinions. Please leave your suggestions in the comments section.

Book Review: Star Wars: X-Wing: Iron Fist SPOILERS!

In July 1998, Aaron Allston published his second X-Wing novel (X-Wing 6). It promised to be great, and yet fell into his stereo-typical writing of juvenile kids acting as adults. Synopsis:  Against all odds, the controversial Wraith Squadron has survived its first covert mission. But now they are called upon to cheat death twice. This time Wedge Antilles sends them in to stop the warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, Iron Fist. If Zsinj joins the Empire, it could turn the tide of war against the Rebels. The Wraith Squadron's mission: infiltrate the warlord's fleet and uncover his carefully guarded plans. To do so, they must pose as ruthless pirates seeking to join Zsinj's forces. And that means first becoming pirates in space lanes teeming with Imperial Navy patrols. If that isn't enough to get them killed, they'll have to pass one last test—a suicide mission for Zsinj. Can they survive the test and turn the tables on Zsinj? Or is this the end for Wraith Squadron?

The novel opens with the Wraiths in a bar fight on Coruscant, but the New Republic Military Police arrive, and arrest them. Garik "Face" Loran takes them down when he notices their so-called Corellian walks aren't genuine. Colonel Atton Repness and Admiral Ackbar debrief them, then Ackbar give the Wraiths new orders. Ton Phanan and Kell Tainer recall that Repness was the one who wrecked Tyria Sarkin's career because she wouldn't steal a ship for him. Ton decides to bring Face in and then use Implacable survivor Lara Nostil against Repness and flush his illegal thefts out into the open. They convince Wedge to go along with it and then they get Lara to agree. Meanwhile, Piggy and Runt note that Zsinj is conversing with pirates, either to enlist them or get intel from them. Three new crew members join: Dia Passik, a Twi'lek ex-slave; Castin Donn, hacker; and Shalla Nelprin, whose sister is in the Katarn Commandos. Zsinj gets a communique from Gara--now Lara--and she offers to help bring Wraith Squadron down. Lara goes to expose Repness, but he subdues her. However, General Airen Cracken shows up and arrests Repness. Lara breezes through the remedial training and joins up with Wraith Squadron. Meanwhile, the Wraiths meet up with General Han Solo on Mon Remonda along with Rogue Squadron. Zsinj finds out where Lara is and is pleased that he can use her to end Solo's hunt for him. It's on Mon Remonda that Face suggests Wraith Squadron splits up and have only certain members infiltrate Zsinj's people. Under the name of Hawk-bats, Face leads Ton, Lara, Shalla, Wes, and a stuffed toy Ewok against Zsinj's fleet, but Ton dies. Ton leaves everything he owns to Face. The Hawk-bat's now include Face, Dia, Kell, and the Ewok toy. They attempt to join Zsinj, but Castin has stowed away and is found by Zsinj's men. Face pretends to not know him and Zsinj has him executed. Meanwhile, Myn Donos and Lara head to Aldivy so Lara can reunite with her "brother" and update Zsinj on Wraith Squadron, but a frantic call to Myn cuts that short as he strafes the place. Castin, meanwhile, stowed away with Face and gang who are now "working for" Zsinj. It's then revealed that ex-Imperial and former Rogue Squadron member Baron Soontir Fel is indeed working for Zsinj inhis old unit, 181st Imperial Fighter Wing/Group. Castin's caught, then brought before Zsinj, Melvar, Face and company. Dia, staying in character, kills Castin, though she notes to Face that Castin was already dead when two stormtroopers presented him to them. She goes insane and attempts to kill herself, but Kell and Face restrain her. Piecing together the data Zsinj gave Face and from what little Castin was able to obtain before his death, the Wraiths discover that Kuat Drive Yards, in orbit above Kuat, is Zsinj's next target, and the warlord is after a Super Star Destroyer. The Hawk-bats and Zsinj, with numerous others, attack KDY. The battle rages on and Shalla Nelprin is presumed dead, but is actually hiding and awaiting pick up after the battle. In the midst of the battle, Wedge, as Kettch, teams up with his brother in law (Fel) and the two of them fight alongside each other, and Wedge learns that Syal (his sister) is still alive, but Fel insists that the only other great human pilot is Luke and that Wedge can't hold a candle to either of them. After the fight, Face meets again with General Melvar, the Vibroaxe squadron leader, and others to receive payment. Zsinj, however, notices Mon Remonda and orders Iron Fist and Razor's Kiss to destroy the ship and Han Solo. But Rogue Squadron--led by Captain Tycho Celchu--and Wraith Squadron, with additional units, help defend the ship. Maneuvers by Solo's entire task force send Zsinj fleeing from the battle. Shalla--who was sabotaging Razor's Kiss--and Piggy are recovered, and Razor's Kiss is destroyed. As a result, Shalla is allowed to paint a half-SSD on her X-Wing in recognition that half of Razor's Kiss was her kill. Face reveals that after his surgery,he had his scars removed and looks younger than he used to.

All in all, a fast read that gets most of Allston's terrible writing done and over with. Though, yes, he did pass away recently, his writing was indeed found fondly by large members of the EU fans; though this still baffles me, as I can't see why anyone loves his writing. But he will be missed in the former triumvirate that was the Zahn-Stackpole-Allston saga. And now it's just Zahn left writing for Star Wars out of that lot. We will miss you and your terrible jokes, Allston. Yub Yub, Aaron.

Book Review: Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown SPOILERS!

A special treat for you patient viewers. Two books came int he mail last week and I spent my time reading them to review. This is the other.

On January 28 2014, horror author Joe Schreiber published Maul: Lockdown. In this, Maul must overcome gangs of prisoners to track down one arms dealer before Jabba the Hutt or Komari Vosa of the Bando Gora get their hands on him. The events of this book take place after Cloak of Deception by James Luceno and before Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves. Synopsis: It's kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy's worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object capable of obliterating the Jedi and conquering the galaxy. Sith Lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are determined to possess the prize. And one of the power-hungry duo has his own treacherous plans for it. But first, their fearsome apprentice must take on a bloodthirsty prison warden, a cannibal gang, cutthroat crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and an unspeakable alien horror. No one else could brave such a gauntlet of death and live. But no one else is the dreaded dark-side disciple known as Darth Maul.

The novel opens with Maul surviving a fight against an unknown alien with a living staff. He recalls how he arrived; then he goes about his business of tracking down Iram Radique, a local hidden arms dealer found inside Cog Hive Seven--the prison. As he does so (without use of the Force), a number of things happen: the first is that a mysterious Twi'lek calling himself Zero offers loose advice to Maul; Maul takes down the top two gangs; and an old man and his son offer help.

Maul does fight his way through opponent after opponent, even killing some of Radique's people, much to the ire of the Galactic Gaming Commission. The warden, Sadiki Blirr, brushes off many threats to her by insinuating that Maul--otherwise known as Jaganath--must be killed because he's become a problem. Meanwhile, Hego Damask has sent in a field analyst named Vesto Slipher, who also starts working with Radique in odd ways.

During all this, Darth Sidious oversees Maul's work via hologram communication, but Darth Plagueis informs Sidious through a couple of face-to-face meetings that he's aware of what Maul's doing because of Slipher. But Sidious doubts that Plagueis really knows why Maul was sent there: to acquire a bomb for the Outer Rim for their upcoming war to rip the Republic apart. Sadiki's brother, Dakarai, is often absent mostly when she needs his moral support.

She also learns that Jabba Desilijic Tiure has taken an interest and she kills his hired mercenaries which angers Jabba. Maul eventually learns that Zero is Radique--who is also Dakarai in disguise. Maul receives orders to kill Radique and leave no witnesses--which he does under cover of Jabba and his thugs coming to take over Cog Hive Seven. Jabba's takeover is harassed by Komari Vosa of the Bando Gora who wants Radique's head.

Maul wants to hand over the weapon or Komair, but Komari goes into a blind fury believing it to be a trap, and attempts to kill Maul, but Maul bests her. She accepts the weapon and helps him escape from the prison. Hego Damask informs Palpatine that Cog Hive Seven is no more than a debris field somewhere in the Outer Rim, and all went well according to their plans. Komari, Eogan--the boy--and Maul have stolen one of Jabba's ships and fled before the destruction (so did Jabba, but we know that already).

All in all, a well-thought-out book that still keeps the suspense Schreiber is known for, as wells acknowledging the EU continuity and Darth Plagueis. This serves to show that any author can use continuity well and still tell a damn good story, and that continuity doesn't have to be tossed out because some people can't handle a unified series.

Book Review: Halo: Kilo Five 3: Mortal Dictata SPOILERS!

A special treat for you patient viewers. Two books came int he mail last week and I spent my time reading them to review. This is one of them.

On 21 January 2014, Karen Traviss, 343 Industries, and Tor Book published the final installment of the acclaimed, gripping, and well-written Kilo Five trilogy. This time, the gloves come off as Staffan Sentzke attempts to recover a Sangheili shpi to glass Earth, but will Kilo Five stop him, or will Naomi-010 be unable to prevent her father from seeking vengeance? Synopsis: Wars end. But hatred, guilt, and devotion can endure beyond the grave. With the Covenant War over, the Office of Naval Intelligence faces old grievances rising again to threaten Earth. The angry, bitter colonies, still with scores to settle from the insurrection put on hold for thirty years, now want justice--and so does a man whose life was torn apart by ONI when his daughter was abducted for the SPARTAN-II program. Black ops squad Kilo-Five find their loyalties tested beyond breaking point when the father of their Spartan comrade, still searching for the truth about her disappearance, prepares to glass Earth's cities to get an answer. How far will Kilo-Five go to stop him? And will he be able to live with the truth when he finds it? The painful answer lies with a man long dead, and a conscience that still survives in the most unlikely, undiscovered place.

The novel opens with Staffan Sentzke ruminating on his life thus far. Then, it shifts to the past to explore what it felt like to have a child kidnapped, then Staffan's reaction to it, the clone-Naomi that died, and how he was convinced that the UNSC did this. Presently: Naomi-010 and Vasily Beloi attempt to situate themselves into Venezia's captial--New Tyne--when Naomi is recalled for fear that someone will link her and Staffan as family, so Malcolm "Mal" Geffen takes her place. Together, Mal and Vaz manage to gain an entry into the local militia. Meanwhile, Avu Med 'Telcam hires Kig-Yar shipmistress Chol Von to track down Sav Fel--the renegade Kig-Yar who stole Pious Inquisitor from the Sangheili rebels during the civil war on Sangheilios months ago--but she has plans to return the Kig-Yar navy and kick some pride back into her people. Sav Fel, however, sold Pious Inquisitor to Staffan and they tested the ventral beam on a collection of Forerunner ruins; this greatly upsets the aging Huragok Sometimes Lists, and Staffan finds other places to test it out on before parking PI in darkness above Venezia. Staffan invites Mal and Vaz aboard because of their expertise as renegade UNSC marines who've flown Covenant vessels. Black Box (BB) and Admiral Serin Osman keep ONI queen--Admiral Margaret O. Parangosky--up to date. However, Mal and Vaz get picked up by Staffan and a couple of his people--plus Staffan's son Edvin--and BB alerts Port Stanely. Mal and Vaz are interrogated, but Vaz loosely tells Staffan that Naomi is alive and fine. Because of this, Staffan wants to keep them alive so he can learn the truth or meet Naomi.

Naomi and Devereaux rescue the two marines and capture Staffan. Meanwhile Chol Von tracks Sav Fel to Venezia and kidnaps him. They attempt to board PI--now called Naomi--but Sometimes Lists engages Slipspace and flees. Port Stanley gives chase and catches up to them. Staffan, having learned everything from Naomi, BB, and the marines about the kidnapping and being brainwashed and indoctrinated by Halsey into the SPARTAN-II program (though Halsey's name is left unsaid), agrees to help his daughter retake the ship. Naomi, Mal, Vaz, and a portion of BB split from Staffan, Sometimes Lists, and rig PI to self destruct. BB lets Staffan and Sometimes Lists go so long as they vanish completely; Staffan agrees to fade and sends Vaz a holographic imagery display that shows the night time sky of Naomi's glassed homeworld. Chol Von and her crew--plus her plans for the Kig-Yar--are destroyed with the ship. In the end, Serin works up the courage to view her files and learns that her mother was a prostitute and that the only person who cared for her was a teacher--one Mrs. Alkmini Leandro--who's still alive on Cascade. Serin decides the crew needs some down time and goes to meet her former teacher, who's overjoyed that Serin survived and made something of herself. During this, Vaz attempts to help Naomi get over reuniting with and losing her father while Evan Phillips and Lian Devereaux go on a date. The novel ends with a letter to Admiral Margaret O. Parangosky detailing how he can't stand to go on and commits suicide because of the SPARTAN-II Project; the letter belongs to Dr. Graham J. Alban who's brain was preserved for Black Box (BBX-8995-1) a.k.a. BB.

All in all, a wonderful ending to a great trilogy that captures the very real feeling of post-war turmoils and skeletons-coming-out-of-the-closet scenarios. Props to Karen Traviss for braving the Halo universe. A must read for every fan. 

Book Review: Honor Harrington: The Shadow of Saganami SPOILERS!

In November 2004, David Weber published the first of a second spin-off to the Honor Harrington series: the Saganami Island series. In it, the next generation of young men and women of the HMS Hexapuma must stop the terrorism striking in the heart of the newly connected Talbott Cluster as their leaders vote to allow the cluster to join the Star Empire of Manticore. The events of this novel occur at the same time as At All Costs. Synopsis: The Star Kingdom of Manticore is once again at war with the Republic of Haven after a stunning sneak attack. The graduating class from Saganami Island, the Royal Manticoran Navy's academy, are going straight from the classroom to the blazing reality of all-out war. Except for the midshipmen assigned to the heavy cruiser HMS Hexapuma, that is. They're being assigned to the Talbott Cluster, an out of the way backwater, far from the battle front. The most they can look forward to is the capture of the occasional pirate cruiser and the boring duty of supporting the Cluster's peaceful integration with the Star Kingdom at the freely expressed will of eighty percent of the Cluster's citizens. With a captain who may have seen too much of war and a station commander who isn't precisely noted for his brilliant and insightful command style, it isn't exactly what the students of Honor Harrington, the "Salamander", expected. But things aren't as simple--or tranquil--as they appear. The "pirates" they encounter aren't what they seem, and the "peaceful integration" they expected turns into something very different. A powerful alliance of corrupt Solarian League bureaucrats and ruthless interstellar corporations is determined to prevent the Cluster's annexation by the Star Kingdom . . . by any means necessary. Pirates, terrorists, genetic slavers, smuggled weapons, long-standing personal hatreds, and a vicious alliance of corporate greed, bureaucratic arrogance, and a corrupt local star nation with a powerful fleet are all coming together, and only Hexapuma, her war-weary captain, and Honor Harrington's students stand in the path. They have only one thing to support and guide them: the tradition of Saganami. The tradition that sometimes a Queen's officer's duty is to face impossible odds . . . and die fighting.

The novel opens with Captain Aivars Terekhov waking up from that nightmare to find he's being assigned HMS Hexapuma with new orders for the quiet Talbott Cluster; he's being asked to ease the annexation through by helping the Manticoran ambassador, Rear Admiral Augustus Khumalo. Midshipwomen and midshipmen on their "snotty cruise"--Helen Zilwicki, Aikawa Kagiyama, Ragnhild Pavletic, Paulo d'Arezzo, Leopold Stottmeister--and Lieutenant Abigail Hearnes, with Commander Ginger Lewis, and Senior Chief Petty Officer Aubrey Wanderman board and head off for the Talbott Cluster. Once they get there, they find the situation unlike anything the reports hinted at. Meanwhile, Mesa's spokesperson for the Talbott Cluster, the illusive Aldona Anisimovna, helps set up--via discreet people--the terrorism network; she also helps Commissioner Lorcan Verrochio of the Solarian League's Office of Frontier Security sabotage the Manticoran talks. Agnes Nordbrandt heads one cell on Kornati, and Stephen Westman leads the Montana Independence Movement. Founder and ex-chairman of the Remembrandt Trade Union Bernardus Van Dort comes back from retirement to play politics, but ends up--in a fury--removing chariwoman Ineka Vaandrager as she helps drag the annexation talks out just for profit. Khumalo would just as soon remove Terekhov from the Talbott Cluster than have a war-weary man help; he demands that Terekhov just patrol and do nothing else. Nordbrandt takes a more aggressive terrorism approach and eliminates people whereas Westman just demolishes vacant and abandoned buildings. Eventually, Van Dort crosses paths with Terekhov and company. He helps Terekhov plead with Westman to bring about a resolution, but Steve won't have it; he uses more aggressive means. Westman also meets Helen and remarks how much she looks like Susanne--the deceased wife of Van Dort and friend to Westman. In the course of Hexapuma's cruises, evidence begins to pile up indicating that the local terrorists are actually (unwitting) pawns of foreign interests, and that the terrorist actions are merely the first step of a larger plan for the Cluster.

They then stumble across the Silesian privateer Marianne, which is in the process of delivering weapons to Westman. About to be boarded, and realizing that the penalty for piracy is death, one of the privateers panics and destroys the boarding pinnace, killing seventeen of Terekhov's crew, including Midshipwoman Pavletic. The surviving crew of the privateer, after being decimated by the Manticorans' deadly response, throws themselves on their mercy, and gives up the majority of the OFS's plan to occupy the Cluster. Helen withdraws from helping out with Westman; Van Dort, and the local president and marshal convince Westman to give up; he does when he learns that Mesa was helping his operation and disbands his group under amnesty. After dealing with the local terrorist groups by either force or reason, Captain Terekhov and Hexapuma assemble an ad hoc "squadron" with other Manticoran ships in a mission to prevent the next step of the conspirators' plan: the service entry of a fleet of powerful ex-Solarian battlecruisers which have been transferred to Monica, a Frontier Security proxy system, to be used against Manticore. After dropping into the system, Terekhov demands the surrender of the local fleet until Manticore can validate the cruisers' authenticity, and that they're sovereign of Monica and not the OFS. Playing for time, the Monican Navy manages to lure the Manticoran squadron into weapons range. In the following Battle of Monica, half of Terekhov's squadron is destroyed or crippled, though the Monican Navy is almost completely wiped out. Terekhov then threatens to nuke the remaining Monican military infrastructure, thus buying enough time for relief forces led by Rear Admiral Augustus Khumalo to arrive. After being relieved, and with the formal annexation of the Cluster well under way, Terekhov and Hexapuma return to the Manticore System, and are given a heroes welcome by the Home Fleet and Queen Elizabeth III.

 All in all, a great addition to the saga that sets up the next generation of heroes before Honor's child takes the mantle. Worth reading for the saga. Great characterization, fantastic plotting, and wonderful world-building create yet another stunning piece to the Honor Harrington series.

Book Review: Star Wars: X-Wing: Wraith Squadron SPOILERS!

In February 1998, writer Aaron Allston joined the Bantam Spectra ring of Expanded Universe authors to bring you the first of many one-dimensional books, and surprisingly remains a fan favorite among certain fans. Synopsis: It is Wedge Antille's boldest creation: a covert-action unit of X-Wing fighters, its pilots drawn from the dregs of other units, castoffs, and rejects given one last chance. But before the new pilots can complete their training, the squadron's base is attacked by former Imperial Admiral Trigit, and Wraith Squadron is forced to swing into action--taking over an Imperial warship and impersonating its crew. The mission: to gain vital intelligence about Trigit's secret weapons, to sabotage the admiral's plans, and to lure him into an Alliance trap. But the high-stakes gamble pits Wraith Squadron's ragtag renegades against the Empire's most brilliant master of guile and deception. Are they up to the challenge? If not, the penalty is instant death.

The novel opens with Rogue Squadron returning from the Battle of Thyferra and heralded as heroes on Coruscant. Above Gravan Seven, Lieutenant Myn Donos becomes the lone survivor of Talon Squadron during the battle. Days later, Wedge proposes starting a new X-Wing unit to Admiral Ackbar; Ackbar refuses, but strikes a bet with Wedge--if Antilles can get the squadron up and running, he can stay a commander, but if he loses, he becomes a general. Wedge actively seeks to stop this, but seeing that Ackbar's serious, he agrees. After weeks of selection and training, the new squadron is formed; it consists of Commander Wedge Antilles, Lieutenant Wes Janson, Lieutenant Myn Donos, holo-actor Garik "Face" Loran, demolitions expert and former Katarn Commando Kell Tainer, gifted mathematical Gammorrean Voort "Piggy" saBinring, Antarian Ranger Tyria Sarkin, Hohass "Runt" Ekwesh, Falynn Sandskimmer, Eurrsk "Grinder" Thri'ag, Jesmin Ackbar, and doctor Ton Phanan. It turns out that General Han Solo is given the command of the teams that will hunt for Warlord Zsinj, but Wraith Squadron isn't fully active yet.

During the next set of training, the squadron gets a name: Wraith Squadron from one of the commando-pilots. Shortly afterward, the training base at Folor is attacked by Admiral Apwar Trigit. All squadrons flee, but Wraith Squadron, though fleeing, decides to strike back. During this, it turns out that Wes killed Kell's father early on in the Rebellion because Kell's father was going to give away their position to the Empire via his panicking. Kell bears a grudge against Wes for that, but Wedge attempts to defuse it. Though Kell works well with the squadron, he still harbors anger at Wes. On the shuttle Narra, Kell and squadron mechanic Cubber Daine, send out a distress signal to Imperial Captain Darillian's ship, Night Crawler. Aboard the jury-rigged ship Lunatic, Piggy boards Night Crawler and neutralizes the hangar bay, which allows Wraith Squadron to board it. Piggy captures the bridge; Grinder takes a look and happily announces to Wedge that the Imperials left everything intact and didn't get a signal off; Piggy also killed Darillian. After visiting a number of worlds, Night Crawler faces off against more Imperials and Myn's droid Shiner and Jesmin Ackbar die--Jesmin because Kell's unable to reach her in time.

Myn goes into a near coma. When Wes covers for Myn, Kell finally realizes that Wes isn't a monster and forgives him for the imaginations of a child. Face, Kell, Tyria, and Falynn help Myn recover from his coma and convince him that the failure at Garvan Seven wasn't his fault and that his former squadron would want him to live. Wedge asks New Republic Captain Choday Hrakness to help them out by filling out Night Crawler with a complete crew, commanded by Hrakness himself, but under direct command of Wedge; Hrakness agrees and Night Crawler appears to work for Zsinj while secretly having some of Zsinj's borderline worlds unknowingly joining the New Republic. Wraith Squadron gets a holocom from Trigit who demands to know what they've been up to--he believes them to still be Imperial officers under the complete command of the deceased Captain Darillian--but Face manages to convince him to drop the subject. Trigit says he can't wait to see them at the rendezvous point. At the rendezvous point, Trigit points out that Night Crawler has been upgraded and has picked up a shuttle.

Imperial Lieutenant Gara Petothel warns Trigit that their secret weapon has been neutralized by the New Republic at Talasea and Trigit orders a change of course. Hrakness catches on and orders the crew to open fire on Provocateur and  Constrictor's engines, leaving the ships unable to escape. Implacable gets a shot off to the bridge of Night Crawler and Hrakness ends up spaced. Implacable gets away, much to Rogue Squadron, General Edor Crispin, and Wraith Squadron's disappointment. Face, Tyria, and Kell get promotions while the sole surviving member of Night Crawler's crew, Imperial Lieutenant Atril Tabanne is promoted to Captain in the New Republic Fleet. Kell receives the Kalidor Crescent for excellent piloting skills and bravery; Kell doesn't want it because he failed to save Jesmin's life, but Tyria berates him for being an idiot. Later, Night Crawler rendezvous with Trigit and Zsinj; Zsinj sends them out to eliminate Rogue Squadron--Trigit boasts that he'll do to Rogue Squadron what he did to Talon Squadron: annihilation. At Ession, the climax comes to a head between Wraith Squadron and Night Crawler.

Gara warns Trigit that it might be a Rogue Squadron trap. The Katarn Commandos, led by Lieutenant Judder Page, sabotage the Imperial reinforcements from Ession, and because of this Trigit tells Gara that if they (Trigit, Gara, and Implacable) survive, they're going renegade. During the fight, Kell loses it and attempts to flee, but he sees Tyria getting swarmed by TIE Fighters and rushes back to rescue her. Falynn and Grinder enter the Star Destroy to blow out its reactor as well as to severely cripple Implacable from the inside. General Crispin, commanding the A-Wing group Blue Squadron, arrives to lend a hand, as does Rogue Squadron. Trigit arms the Star Destroyer for self destruction, but Gara stops it just to save 35,000 people's lives, then she orders the crew to abandon ship. Grinder's X-Wing explodes during the attempt to escape the falling Implacable. Falynn dies as Impacable crashes into Ession's moon. Baron Soontir Fel--former Imperial ace pilot of the 181st Imperial Fighter Group, and Rogue Squadron pilot--orders the rest of the crew of Implacable to surrender, including the pilots; Wedge wonders when Fel went back to the Empire and why he's only an observer to Trigit. Crespin eliminates Trigit's wingmen while Myn blows Trigit up. Days later, Admiral Ackbar tells Kell that he's grateful that Kell attempted to save his niece's life. Ackbar finds Wedge and reminds him that the three month bet isn't up and despite Wraith Squadron's first victory, Wedge might have to accept that promotion.

All in all, a flat, stale, one-dimensional novel with gratuitous overused "humor" that's hardly worth reading. Believe me, it's worse than Piers Anthony's puns.

Up next: Honor Harrington: Shadow of Saganami by David Weber.

Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy III: The Last Command SPOILERS!

As an apology for lack of book reviews, I send this out today: 1st January 2014, American Pacific Time

On May 1993, Timothy Zahn finished the final book of the best-selling Star Wars saga: The Last Command. This time, Thrawn and the Empire press the advantage, but can Luke and company stop insane Jedi Master C'baoth and Thrawn before the New Republic is doomed? Synopsis: The embattled Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has marshaled the remnants of the Imperial forces and driven the Rebels back with an abominable technology recovered from the Emperor's secret fortress: clone soldiers. As Thrawn mounts his final siege, Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a coalition of smugglers for a last-ditch attack against the Empire, while Leia holds the Alliance together and prepares for the birth of her Jedi twins. Overwhelmed by the ships and clones at Thrawn's command, the Republic has one last hope--sending a small force, led by Luke Skywalker, into the very stronghold that houses Thrawn's terrible cloning machines. There a final danger awats, as the Dark Jedi C'baoth directs the battle against the Rebels and builds his strength to finish what he had already started: the destruction of Luke Skywalker.

The novel opens with Thrawn's fleet, under the Force-precise timing of C'baoth, launches attacks on dozens of worlds, but this plan goes wrong when C'baoth recalls forces to capture and pursue Leia. Thrawn is angered by this; C'baoth uses the Force to force Captain Gilad Pellaeon to prepare the Mount Tantiss facility for his arrival. Luke finds Talon Karrde and informs him that Mara is recovering well and asks for help in the fight against Thrawn; Talon again states that he intends to remain neutral. Mara recovers and is placed in house arrest in the Imperial Palace, but when Imperials attack Coruscant, Mara breaks out and prevents Leia's newly born children--Jacen and Jaina--from being taken captive. Thrawn has thrown asteroids into the orbit of Coruscant, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the planet. However, Ghent figures out that most of the asteroids are holograms and the Republic is able to remove the correct ones without further incident. General Garm bel Iblis leads the attack against Thrawn and the entire outcome rests on the shipyards of Bilbringi. Meanwhile, Talon gathers all the head smugglers and attempts to form an alliance, but set backs occur that are blamed on Talon. Nigel Ferris, eventually and by accident, reveals that he was working for Thrawn and the smugglers join together to help the fledgling New Republic fight Thrawn. Luke, Han, Chewie, Leia, and Mara--with a company of Noghri commandos--infiltrate the planet Wayland and sneak into Mount Tantiss. Delta Source, the illusive informant of Thrawn's, is uncovered by Ghent and is revealed to be a set of trees that record everything its holocams pick up. During the Battle of Bilbringi, Thrawn starts to overpower the New Republic, but the Smuggler's Alliance comes in and helps stave off the impending assault. Lando, Han, and Chewie destroy the Spaarti cloning tanks while the others fight C'baoth. Thrawn's bodyguard, Rukh, kills Thrawn for crimes against the Noghro people and flees. Pellaeon orders a full retreat. During the duel with C'baoth, Luke and Leia are separated from Mara as she battles Luuke, a clone of Luke. She defeats him and kills C'baoth, then they all escape on board the Millennium Falcon as Mount Tantiss explodes. Back on Coruscant, Luke and Mara talk about the future.

All in all, a decent novel that finished the much-beloved EU trilogy by Timothy Zahn. Also, sorry for the late post. Thought I'd programmed this to submit earlier, but you tend to forget things during the busy holiday season. I will hyperlink later. 

Upcoming book reviews for the new year

This year has been one of the craziest, fans, and I expect next year won't be any different. The exception will be not doing that many game tie-ins in November. I'm not doing that again.

The next year will see some series either finished, caught up on, or continuing in some fashion.

The List:
The Honor Harrington Saga by David Weber
The Vorkosigan Saga: Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Halo: The Kilo Five Trilogy Book 3: Mortal Dictata by Karen Traviss (January 21, 2014)
Star Wars: X-Wing: Wraith Squadron through Mercy Kill by Aaron Allston and Michael A. Stackpole
Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn duology by Timothy Zahn
The Xanth Saga by Piers Anthony
Assassin's Creed: Forsaken by Oliver Bowden
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag by Oliver Bowden
Murder of the Crows: A Novel of the Others by Anne Bishop (March 2014)
Star Wars: I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by Donal F. Glut
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by James Kahn
Star Wars: Survivor's Quest by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Allegiance by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Choices of One by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn
The Clockwork Empire series by Steven Harper
The Age of Zeus by James Lovegrove
The Age of Odin by James Lovegrove
The Age of Aztec by James Lovegrove
The Age of Voodoo by James Lovegrove
The Age of Godpunk by James Lovegrove
The Age of Shiva by James Lovegrove (March 25, 2014)

I think that'll keep for the year. Don't you? Enjoy the upcoming book reviews, people. I know I enjoy writing them as much as you enjoy reading them.

Book Review: Star Wars: A New Hope SPOILERS!

On December 1976, the novel to the bestselling movie was published by Del Rey under the name George Lucas, but was really ghostwritten by acclaimed author Alan Dean Foster—his prose is very succinct and easily noted with certain words and phrases. Synopsis: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . . Luke Skywalker lived and worked on his uncle's farm on the remote planet of Tatooine—and he was bored beyond belief. He yearned for adventures out among the stars—adventures that would take him beyond the farthest galaxies to distant and alien worlds. But Luke got more than he bargained for when he intercepted a cryptic message from a beautiful princess being held captive by a dark and powerful warlord. Luke didn't know who she was, but he had to save her—and soon, because time was running out. Armed only with courage and with the lightsaber that had been his father's, Luke was catapulted into the middle of the most savage space war ever…and he was headed straight for a desperate encounter on the enemy battle station known as the Death Star.

The novel opens with a rare two epigraph prologue, one that summarizes the Prequel Trilogy before it was even filmed or written, and the other a quote from Leia. Then it shifts to a brief history of the Tatoo system, particularly that of Tatooine. It then goes to the Tantive IV being captured by Darth Vader; during a battle on the ship, Princess Leia Organa codes a hologram message to General Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi to give to her father on Alderaan, with a set of plans for the Death Star, inside the astromech droid R2-D2. R2-D2 and his protocol droid counterpart C-3PO escape the doomed ship and crash land on Tatooine. Luke, working on a part of the moisture farm, witnesses the battle above and alerts his friends—Camie, Fixer, Deak, and Windy—but they don't believe him; Biggs Darklighter is there and tells Luke that he and a friend plan on deserting the Empire for the Rebellion.

After days of wandering, both get captured by the trader natives, Jawas, and eventually brought to the Lars Homestead, where Owen Lars buys them. When his nephew, Luke Skywalker, cleans R2-D2, a portion of the message plays out, but R2 refuses to play the rest. During dinner, Luke asks his uncle if Obi-Wan is related to Crazy Ben, but Owen refuses to answer. During the night, R2 sneaks off to the Jundland Wastes, but Luke—in the morning—gives chase. C-3PO and Luke catch up to R2 and they are promptly attacked by Tusken Raiders. Luke's wounded and Ben chases them off, then takes R2, Luke, and C-3PO back to his hut and listen to the message. Ben reveals himself to be Obi-Wan, and that he fought in the Clone Wars with Luke's father; they decide to go toward the nearest spaceport, but when Luke learns of Jawas being massacred over the droids, he races back to the farm and finds the remains of his uncle and aunt's corpses. He then sets of toward Mos Eisley Spaceport with Obi-Wan and the droids.

Meanwhile, having been captured by Darth Vader and subsequently interrogated, Leia is brought before Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin who intends to demonstrate that rebellion won't be tolerated and threatens to destroy Alderaan when Leia, breaking down, tells Tarkin that the rebel base is on Dantooine. Tarkin admits that Dantooine is too remote for an effective demonstration and blows up Alderaan. Back on Tatooine, Luke and Obi-Wan encounter Han Solo and his copilot Chewbacca. After a deal is struck for passage off-world, Han tells Jabba Desilijic Tiure that he (Han) will have the money shortly, then flees the planet with the gang when the stormtroopers attempt to arrest them. After fleeing Tatooine, and with Obi-Wan training Luke in the ways of the Jedi Knights, they arrive at the remains of Alderaan and get captured by the Empire. Obi-Wan goes to sabotage the Death Star's tractor beams while Luke, Chewie, and Han rescue Leia. Vader, sensing Obi-Wan through the magical and mystical Force, seeks his former Master and duels him. After a fight through the Death Star, the gang flees when Obi-Wan sacrifices himself to allow Millennium Falcon to escape the battle station.

They arrive in the Yavin system and land at the Great Temple on the fourth moon, where the plans are delivered to the rebels. A briefing is held, during which Wedge Antilles voices concern about the plan; Han and Chewie take their reward and leave. Luke meets up with former childhood friend Biggs and they have a brief reunion. The Death Star arrives and the Battle of Yavin IV begins. During the Battle, Gold Squadron, in Y-Wings, is eliminated, while Red Squadron, in X-Wings, is heavily reduced. Luke, Biggs, and Wedge are left at the end, but Vader destroys Biggs' ship, then damages Wedge's before targeting Luke's. However, Han—having a change of heart—arrives to destroy two of Vader's wing-men, then sends Vader spinning out of the system, giving Luke the shot to destroy the battle station. Tarkin remains unconvinced that it can be destroyed, but is proven wrong when Luke's two proton torpedoes fly down an uncovered thermal exhaust port and blow up the main reactor. Han, Chewie, Luke, Wedge and an unnamed pilot head back to Yavin IV where they are honored for their victory.

All in all, a great novelization of the first film that captures the entirety of the Star Wars galaxy. A pity that Alan's other two entries into the galaxy were terrible. It remains one of the must-read novels in the entire saga.

Book Review: Assassin's Creed: Revelation SPOILERS!

On 29 November 2011, US version, Oliver Bowden published the final book in the Ezio storyline. Synopsis: Older, wiser, and more deadly than ever, Master Assassin Ezio Auditore embarks on an epic journey to find the lost library of Altaïr--a library that may hold the key to defeating the Templars. However, a shocking discovery awaits him. The library holds not only hidden knowledge but also the most unsettling secret the world has ever known, a secret the Templars hope to use to control humankind's destiny. Five keys are needed to access the library--to find them, Ezio must travel to the troubled city of Constantinople, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the Ottoman Empire. Walking in the footsteps of his predecessor, Altaïr, Ezio must defeat the Templars for the final time. The stakes have never been higher, and what started as a pilgrimage has become a race against time. . .

The novel opens with Ezio arriving at Masyaf only to find it occupied by Leandros and an army of Templars. Ezio gets captures, and rethinks on how he undertook this journey: he found a letter to his father and recalled the first Codex and decided to head to Masyaf; he also recalls learning from Machiavelli that Caterina is dead, leaves his sister temporarily in charge, and travels with Bartolomeo to Bari; from there, Ezio travels to Cyprus, then to Greece, and finally to Acre. Once Ezio is done rumenizing, he fights his way free and hunts Leandros down in a town far from Masyaf. Ezio kills Leandros and discovers a book and that the Templars got it in Constantinople. Ezio journeys there and chats with Prince Suleiman; Ezio takes notice of a lovely Italian woman named Sofia Sartor. Once they arrive in the great city, Ezio is spirited away to the Assassin Headquarters by Assassin leader Yusuf Tazim. Ezio also learns of the hookblade and how to use it. Ezio tells Yusuf about his trio and why he's there, but another assassin warns them of an impending two-prong attack on two of the Assassin Dens. Ezio defends one of the dens while Yusuf goes to defend the other, but Ezio arrives to help out once he's done.

Ezio asks Yusuf the location of the old Polo Trading Outpost, and Yusuf directs him to Piri Reis--the two hit it off and Reis points Ezio in the direction of a new book shop. At the bookshop, Ezio discovers that Sofia runs the place and asks to take a look inside. He finds a secret passage that leads into the sewers and promptly tells a curious Sofia that he's "the most interesting man" she will ever meet. He tracks down and the first key and a map of other books; Ezio returns to Sofia and asks her for help in locating the other books. Sofia gladly does this, provided she can republish the books. During a party, Ezio, as a minstril, saves Suleiman's life. Suleiman requests that Ezio eavesdrop on a conversation between him, his uncle Ahmet , and the Janissary captain Tarik Barleti. He tails Tarik and discovers that the Janissary captain has dealings with Manuel Palaiologos; with this knowledge, Suleiman requests that Ezio assassinate Tarik. In his dying moment, Tarik reveals that his forces were to ambush Manuel after gaining his favor. He then entrusts Ezio to continue his plan, and set sail for Cappadocia. During all this, Ezio continues to hunt for the books that will lead him to Altaïr's keys and falling in love with Sofia, who loves him.

In the first one, Ezio experiences Altaïr saving Rashid ad-Din Sinan--Al Mualim--from former assassin Haras. The second key details Altaïr burning Al Mualim on a pyre and Abbas Sofian's failed rebellion through utilizing an Apple of Eden, which Altaïr later retrieved. The third memory details Altaïr's fall from power in 1228; after defeating Genghis Khan's army with his son Darim and wife Maria, Altaïr found out that Abbas had usurped command from Altaïr's appointed proxy Malik Al-Sayf, and that his son Sef was murdered by Swami, Abbas' right hand man. Altaïr confronts Abbas and his loyalists, but was overcome with rage and used the Apple for revenge, which caused the death of both Swami and Maria. In the wake of this incident, Altaïr fled Masyaf with Darim before Abbas could apprehend them. The fourth key shows Altaïr's return to power in 1247, with the help of several Assassins who grew tired of Abbas' iron clad rule; he achieved this through Abbas' death at his hands, where Altaïr used his newly crafted Hidden Gun.

After the death of Tarik, Ezio informs Suleiman of Tarik's allegiance and Ezio apologizes for killing an honorable man; they are interrupted by Ahmet, who assumes his enemies killed Tarik to lose his small favor with the Janissary guard; Ezio leaves with Suleiman's blessing. After destroying Constantinople's Great Chain, Ezio arrives at Cappadocia, then seeks out Tarik's ally, Dilara in the city of Derinkuyu. After freeing her captured friends, Ezio blows up the firearms, which causes Cappadocia to go up in flames and smokes out Manuel. Ezio kills Manuel, then is greeted by Ahmet, who is the Grand Master of the Templar Order. The fifth key plays out with Altaïr, now the Mentor, escorting Niccolò and Maffeo Polo from Masyaf as the invading Mongols drew near the city. Altaïr gave the brothers his Codex as a parting gift, and escorted them out of the city. As the brothers left on their horses, Altaïr gave Niccolò the keys, which he asked to be hidden from others, so that the one who was meant to know the message could seek it out. Ezio races back to Constantinople with Piri Reis and the two arrive in time to find out Ezio's a wanted man.

He races back to Sofia's book shop to find it ransacked and Yusuf dead. Ezio hunts down Ahmet, but Ahmet, after telling Ezio to bring the keys or else he'll kill Sofia, flees; Suleiman witnesses this and tells Ezio to kill his uncle before his Templar fantasy destroys Constantinople. After the funeral, Ezio gathers the assassins and brings Ahmet the keys, then climbs up Galata Tower and frees a dangling Sofia. But it's not Sofia, it is one of the assassin's and Ezio parachutes off the tower to rescue Sofia who's being hanged. Not understanding what's going on, Sofia takes over the horse coach while Ezio picks off Ahmet's guards. Eventually, Ahmet and Ezio crash their carts and they can barely stand. Suleiman's father, Selim I, arrives with his forces and Selim kills his conniving brother. Meeting with Ezio, Selim went on to threaten that Ezio be killed if he returned to Constantinople, sparing him only due to Suleiman's good word. As tensions grew between the two men, Ezio's rage was quelled by Sofia, and as Selim left, so too did Ezio and Sofia, heading for Masyaf.

Once they arrive, Ezio completes his tale of how the Assassin's came to be and the tale of the great mentor Altaïr. Once inside the castle, Ezio places the five keys on the door and it opens to reveal an empty library. Ezio, with a torch, scours the scene and comes across a corpse holding a sixth key. Ezio picks it up and witnesses Altaïr telling Darim to flee for Alexandria, then seals himself in Masyaf castle, places the Apple on the pedestal in the empty library, then sits for a moment to rest. Ezio says "Requiescat in pace" to Altaïr, then looks at the Apple and refuses to do anything with it and Tinian--Jupiter--appears to give a message to Ezio for someone else; it depicts the end of the First Civilization and how it can be averted in some other time. After Ezio receives the message, he and Sofia depart Masyaf castle. After arraigning for Lodovico Ariosto--Lucrezia Borgia's husband--to be the next Mentor, Ezio and Sofia, now his wife, retire to live outside Florence. They produce two children and Ezio, with Machiavelli, watches Leonardo da Vinci succumbs to memory loss; they learn later that he died. Years later, a young Chinese Assassin--Shao Jun--comes to seek guidance from Ezio and he trains her to help her prepare to drive the Templars out of China. Years later, after she's gone, Ezio and Sofia, with the kids, go for a trip to Florence where Ezio dies of old age.

All in all, a well-crafted book that wraps up Ezio's storyline in the series. Hihgly recommended for all fans of the Assassin's Creed series.

And with this last tie-in post comes the end of November for me. I will pick up with four books in December to wrap it up. The list, not in order, follows: Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Last Command, Honor Harrington: Shadow of Saganami, Star Wars: X-Wing: Wraith Squadron.

Book Review: Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade SPOILERS!

On 28 June 2011, Oliver Bowden decided the time was right to compose the novelization of the first Assassin's Creed game. Synopsis: Niccolò Polo, father of Marco, will finally reveal the story he has kept secret all his life--the story of Altaïr, one of the Brotherhood's most extraordinary assassins. Altaïr embarks on a formidable mission - one that takes him throughout the Holy Land and shows him the true meaning of the Assassin's Creed. To demonstrate his commitment, Altaïr must defeat nine deadly enemies, including the Templar leader, Robert de Sable. Altaïr's life story is told here for the first time: a journey that changes the course of history; his ongoing battle with the Templar conspiracy; a family life that is as tragic as it is shocking; and the ultimate betrayal of an old friend.

The novel opens with Ezio reading Niccolò Polo's tale of the great Mentor of the Levantine Assassins Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad as related to him by Altaïr; Niccolò's relating this tale to his brother Maffeo. The story starts with Masyaf being besieged by Salah Al'din's army. Salah Al'din holds Ahmad Sofian--father of Abbas Sofian--hostage, but Umar Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr's father, surrenders himself and asks Al Mualim to train his son. Years later, Altaïr, Malik Al-Sayf and Kadar Al-Sayf enter Solomon's Temple and find Robert de Sable and his Templar brothers surrounding the fabled Ark of the Covenant. Altaïr challenges Robert, but the Templar easily defeats him.

Altaïr flees back to Masyaf, but Robert and the Templars are right behind him. Altaïr alerts Al Mualim to his failure, but Malik arrives with the Apple of Eden and blames Altaïr for Kadar's death. Altaïr helps drive the Templars back, but Al Mualim strips Altaïr of his rank. Altaïr is sent to Damas (thought why Bowden doesn't just say Damascus, I have no idea) to assassinate Tamir. Altaïr collects enough information and reports to the Rafiq who grants him permission. Altaïr kills Tamir, who reveals his information to Altaïr. Altaïr, back at Masyaf, is sent to Acre to assassinate Garnier de Naplouse, and receives permission from Jabal once he's collected enough information (look, you get the idea, right? It's just the main game's plot being recycled here). Then he heads to Jerusalem, where Malik now serves and is still angry with Altaïr, to assassinate the slaver Talal. It's after this assassination that Altaïr begins to suspect that something binds these men together.

Back in the past, it's revealed that Ahmad, after having fled Masyaf years ago, returned and slit his throat in front of Altaïr, but Al Mualim forbids Altaïr from telling Abbas. Back in the main event of the story, Al Mualin tells Altaïr to set these thoughts aside. Altaïr travels back to Acre, Damascus, and Jerusalem to assassinate William de Montferrat, Abu'l Nuqoud, and Majd Addin, each of whom confesses to something about 'the new world'. Altaïr relates this to Al Mualim, who again tells Altaïr to ignore it and reveals what the Templars are after: the Apple. He relates certain historical figures and biblical figures to it and states that it has a great power to force men to do the users bidding. Next, Altaïr is sent to Sibrand and Jubair al Hakim.

Back in the past, Altaïr tells Abbas the truth, but Abbas refuses to believe him and beats Altaïr up, but Al Mualim intervenes. Back in the main story line, Altaïr, in Damascus, assassinates Jubair, then leaves for Acre to kill in insane Sibrand. After learning their reasons for doing what they did, Altaïr comes to the conclusion that the Templars seek the same thing as the Assassin's: peace. But Al Mualim states that their intentions are more harmful than helpful. Back in the past, Altaïr notes that Abbas refuses to do anything with him anymore. Back in the main story line, Altaïr is sent to kill Robert de Sable. He arrives in Jerusalem and reports to Malik. Altaïr apologizes to Malik for his former arrogance, but Malik refuses to accept, stating that Altaïr isn't the same person anymore. At the funeral of Majd, Altaïr is caught unaware as the Templars ambush him. He fights them and defeats the leader, who reveals herself to be Maria Thorpe, de Sable's most trusted assistant.

Altaïr spares her life and reports to Malik and tells him that de Sable plans to have King Richard the Lionheart and Salah Al'din join forces to wipe out the Assassins. Altaïr arrives and begs Richard to listen to reason, but Richard leaves it up to God, stating that who ever wins in a fight is the right one. Altaïr, after a duel with several Crusader Templars, kills de Sable. The truth is revealed that there are ten Templars, the last being Al Mualim, and King Richard decides to talk peace with Salah Al'din while Altaïr races back to Masyaf to confront the Mentor. Al Mualim uses the Apple to bring up ghost images of each of Altaïr's recent kills, but Altaïr easily beats them, then duels and kills Al Mualim.

Here, Niccolò speeds over events, and relates Altaïr's travels to Cyprus to kill the Templar Grand Master Armand Bouchart; Altaïr's accompanies by Maria, even though she attempts to betray him several times, but eventually, after killing many Templars and an Assassin who was converted, Altaïr and Maria succeed in killing Bouchart. During this, Altaïr wrote the Codex that Ezio would later find and read. Altaïr and Maria head to the east to stop the advance of Genghis Khan and the Mongols. After they come back with their eldest son Darim Ibn-La'Ahad, they learn that Sef Ibn-La'Ahad, their youngest son, was killed by Malik. Altaïr breaks Malik out of prison and learns that Abbas had his son killed, then Altaïr and Maria confront Abbas. Abbas still bears hatred for what Altaïr said years ago about his father killing himself, then reveals that he killed Malik. Altaïr, angered, attempts to kill Abbas, but ends up fleeing with Darim when Abbas' corrupt Assassins kill Maria. (Note: this differs heavily from Revelation, but Bowden rewrites it to Revelation's setting in the next book, proving that Bowden makes some of this up as he goes along.)

Years later, and elderly Altaïr returns to Masyaf and gathers the poorly trained Assassin's together to confront Abbas and stop him from his power-hungry quest, but Abbas is surrounded by his loayal Assassins. Altaïr uses his newly fashioned hidden gun to kill Abbas, then Altaïr takes over the Assassins. This is where the events catch up to Niccolò and Maffeo as Altaïr gives them certain disks and the Codex to hide. They flee Masyaf as the Mongols attack and Altaïr rallies his Assassins to defend the city. The Polos lose the Codex, but still held on to the artifacts. They decide to hide them in Constantinople for an Assassin of the future to find. They also spread word of the Creed and set up an Assassins guild there, in Constantinople. At the end, Ezio closes the book and looks over the cityscape of Constantinople as the ship he's on pulls into the harbor.


All in all, a wel-paced novel that captures the spirit of the original game, even with the liberties to cut off the information gathering that the game replies upon. Recommended for every Assassin's Creed fan.

Up next, and last for November, Assassin's Creed: Revelation by Oliver Bowden.

Book Review: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood SPOILERS!

On 30 November 2010, Oliver Bowden wrote and published another lame edition to the Assassin's Creed series, this time badly adapting the events of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Synopsis: "I will journey to the black heart of a corrupt Empire to root out my foes. But Rome wasn't built in a day and it won't be restored by a lone assassin. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. This is my brotherhood." ―Ezio Auditore. Rome, once mighty, lies in ruins. The city swarms with suffering and degradation, her citizens living in the shadow of the ruthless Borgia family. Only one man can free the people from the Borgia tyranny - Ezio Auditore, the Master Assassin. Ezio's quest will test him to his limits. Cesare Borgia, a man more villainous and dangerous than his father the Pope, will not rest until he has conquered Italy. And in such treacherous times, conspiracy is everywhere, even within the ranks of the brotherhood itself . . . 

The novel opens briefly recapping the opening to Brotherhood as Ezio and Mario flee Rome for Monteriggioni. Once there, Ezio calls a war council together and tells them what happened, but Niccolò Machiavelli is displeased that Ezio spared Rodrigo's life. Later that day, Caterina Sforza and Ezio have sex to form an alliance. The following day, Cesare Borgia―son of Rodrigo―along with his sister and lover Lucrezia, banker and Cardinal Juan Borgia, French general  Octavian de Valois, and Micheletto Corella, storm Monteriggioni and kill Mario Auditore, steal the Apple, then severely wound Ezio. Ezio wakes up to help Claudia (his sister) and Maria (his mother) escape, then rides off. He faints due to his wounds and wakes up in Rome. He meets Machiavelli and the two plan to take down the Borgia―though Ezio would rather use the courtesans, thieves, and mercenaries to help him while Machiavelli believes they should strike now. He helps Bartolomeo d'Alviano secure his small fortress from further attacks by Cesare's guards, helps La Volpe establish a better thieves guild in Rome, then, with anger, helps Claudia set up a better brothel for the courtesans to work in. While he does this, he frees certain parts of the city from Borgia control. La Volpe, however, believes Machiavelli to be a traitor to the Brotherhood and voices his suspicions to Ezio. Learning that his former lover, Caterina, is being held by the Borgia, Ezio sets off to rescue her, but he's told by Machiavelli to make sure that Rodrigo and Cesare die first.

Entering Castel Sant'Angelo, Ezio learns that Cesare has left for the battlefield while Rodrigo is locked in a meeting with the Cardinals. Ezio, after capturing Lucrezia, gets Caterina free, then they escape. During this, Caterina declares that she only slept with him so he would send the Assassins to help defend Forlì, but soon after she's healed, she leaves. Ezio, heartbroken, resumes his work. He meets Leonardo da Vinci―also "working" for the Borgia―and gets back many of his damaged equipment (and some of the stuff only available in game if the player completes the four Leonardo missions). From Claudia, Ezio learns that a certain senator owes the mysterious Banker money and helps him. Ezio, during a party―which Bowden describes somewhat differently than the game, with orgies instead of occurring outdoors―kills the Banker, who is none other than Juan, Cesare's uncle. Ezio then helps Bartolomeo rescue Pantasilea Baglioni, his wife, from Octavian's clutches; Ezio kills Octavian. Later that week, Ezio tails Micheletto―Cesare's right hand man―and steals costumes for his Assassin's to use during a play. At the play, Ezio prevents Micheletto from killing Lucrezia's boy toy, then notices a thief that supposedly died during the Battle of Monteriggioni. Ezio captures him, but the Borgia thief declares that the Borgia will kill the Assassins and impales himself of Ezio's hidden blade. Ezio takes a letter off the dead man and knows that it was the deceased thief, not Machiavelli, who sold out the Brotherhood.

He stops La Volpe from killing Machiavelli and the men reunite. Ezio arrives back at the brothel and finds several guards killed. Fearing for his family's safety, Ezio storms in, only to find more dead guards surrounding Claudia; he inducts her into the Italian Assassin Brotherhood. Machiavelli proclaims that Ezio is the true Mentor and allows Ezio to take over the reigns since Mario's death. Together, the Brotherhood decides to fully up their game and openly take back Rome. Ezio learns that Cesare has returned and storms Castel Sant'Angelo again, then watches as Cesare, infuriated at the loss of his funds and troops, bickers with Rodrigo. Rodrigo, however, has poisoned Cesare, and demands that his son needs to die because he brought the Assassin's down on them because of his (Cesare's) stupidity. Lucrezia informs her brother that their father has poisoned him and Cesare kills Rodrigo, then storms off to find the Apple. Ezio learns from Lucrezia what Cesare intends to do and races to find the Apple. Ezio steals it and for the next couple of days, deprives Cesare of all support, eventually leading to Cesare's arrest. Ezio, Machiavelli, and Leonardo learn that he's been freed by Micheletto in Spain and they race to stop him, but Leonardo becomes ill and he and Machiavelli depart, leaving Ezio to finish the task. Ezio watches as Cesare kills his right hand man, then departs for Viana. During the Siege of Viana, Ezio kills Cesare, then takes the second Apple and hides both away.

All in all, a mediocre book that pales next to its game counterpart. The only good thing Bowden does is explain that it took a month to rebuild Rosa in Fiore, Bartolomeo's hideout, and The Sleeping Fox Inn each. But unlike Renaissance, Bowden refuses to use the down-load content (DLC) The Da Vinci Disappearance. Though, once more, Bowden refuses to acknowledge the existence of Desmond and the gang or the real time events. All the Courtesan, Thief, and Leonardo missions are said to have been performed by Ezio's recruits. Definitely not worth reading for fans of the game.

Up next: Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade by Oliver Bowden.

Book Review: Assassin's Creed: Renaissance SPOILERS!

In March 2010, Oliver Bowden published the first novel in the Assassin's Creed set of novels. It's a tie-in to the events of the game Assassin's Creed II, stars Ezio Auditore da Firenze as he takes up the responsibilities of being an Assassin in Renaissance Italy, taking us from Firenze (Florence) to Monteriggioni to San Gimignano to Venice to Forli as Ezio hunts down those responsible for killing his family. Synopsis: "I will seek vengeance upon those who betrayed my family. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I am an Assassin . . ." Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honor, he will learn the art of the Assassins. Along the way, Ezio will call upon the wisdom of such great minds as Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli--knowing that survival is bound to the skills by which he must live. To his allies, he will become a force for change--fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat dedicated to the destruction of the tyrants abusing the people of Italy. So begins an epic story of power, revenge, and conspiracy. Truth Will Be Written In Blood.

First, let it be noted that Bowden has taken extreme liberties with the game. Unlike the game, certain things don't happen at all, such as Ezio sending money back to rebuild Monteriggioni, taking away Ezio's eagle vision to spot targets, rewriting the ending. But he does include the down-load content such as the Battle of Forli and the Bonfire of the Vanities, as well as adding in the Cristina flashbacks. Note: he does change Cristina's last name from Vespucci to Calfucci, changes Dante Moro's ex-wife's name from Carlotta to Gloria, got rid of the Sword and Armor of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, and had all the codex pages limited to being found on the Templars. No mention is made of Minerva's message to Desmond Miles--instead, Bowden treats it as if it doesn't happen.

The novel opens in Firenze (Florence) with Ezio, preparing his men for a fight with Vieri de' Pazzi and his men, is hit in the forehead with a rock by Vieri (note: in the game, Ezio got hit in the upper lip). After a very brief fight, Ezio's brother, Federico, appears and has Ezio loot the bodies of Vieri's men, then takes him to a doctor to heal his wound; it's during this that Ezio recalls the first time he met Cristina and how he fought Vieri because the young Pazzi was harassing her. Ezio sneaks into the "Calfucci" house and sleeps with Cristina. In the morning, after being chased off by her father, Ezio returns to the Auditore house, where he's sent on a number of quests--beating up Duccio, Claudia's cheating fiance; collecting feathers for Petruccio, the youngest Auditore; and delivering letters to Lorenzo de' Medici, warning him of a conspiracy against the Duke of Milan (note: the game has it as a plot against Lorenzo)--before helping his mother bring over a painting done by Leonardo da Vinci. Later, Ezio delivers letter to three people--a mercenary, a thief and his courtesan companion--then retrieve a letter warning Giovanni--Ezio's father--about the Pazzi family moving that night. Ezio returns home to send Claudia and Maria to the housemaid's sister. Once that's done, he goes and sees his father, but is warned off and told to find a chest in Giovanni's office. Ezio finds the Italian Assassin robes and a broken hidden blade. He runs to Uberto Alberti for help, but the man betrays him and has his father and brothers hanged, while Rodrigo Borgia watches on; Ezio attempts to fight, but ends up running for his life. He finds Cristina and tells her what's happened; she agrees to help Ezio burn his father and brothers bodies, then asks her to go with him, but she refuses. Returning to find Anneta, she takes him to her sister Paola who teaches him how to blend in with the crowd. Then, she sends him to Leonardo to have the gifted man repair the broken blade. Once that's done, and the Codex page inside it deciphered, Ezio hunts down Uberto and slits his throat, then declares that the Auditore family isn't dead. He's promptly chased off and goes back to Paola's courtesan house where they make their escape to Monteriggioni.

Vieri's waiting for them and tries to attack, but Mario Auditore--Ezio's uncle--drives him off. Ezio sends Claudia and Maria to a nunnery (in the game, Mario welcomes them into Monteriggioni), then trains with Mario. Ezio wants to travel farther, but ends up helping Mario invade San Gimignano to kill Vieri, who's a Templar working for Rodrigo Borgia; Ezio kills Vieri and retrieves another Codex. He learns about the history of the Templars and Assassins from Mario, then takes the Codex pages to Leonardo, who tells Ezio that there are new ways to assassinate people. Ezio then tracks down La Volpe (in the book, he's called Gilberto) and finds out where the Pazzi are hiding, then learns that there's a conspiracy to take over the Republic of Florence by the Pazzi, supplied by the Barbarigo family in Venice, and supported by others, and led by Rodrigo. They plan on killing Lorenzo de' Medici during church, but Ezio foils their plans. Ezio helps Lorenzo get to his safehouse, then find and kills Vieri's father, Francesco, and hangs him as a warning to the elder Pazzi, Jacopo. Jacopo and his allies (Bernardo Baroncelli, Stefano da Bagnone, Francesco Salviati, and Antonio Maffei) flee to San Gimignano where Ezio spends a few years hunting and killing them all, except for Jacopo. Jacopo meets with Rodrigo and Emilio Barbarigo and both promptly severely wound Jacopo. Ezio delivers the killing blow after kissing Jacopo on the forehead. Ezio then goes back to Florence and finds out that Cristina's engaged to a man who gambles, but Ezio sets him straight. Then, he tells Lorenzo that the Pazzi are dead, then goes to see Leonardo, but finds that he's leaving for Venice. Ezio rides with Leonardo's convoy (in the game, it was just the two of them), and then fights guards who are after Ezio. Ezio meets Leonardo in Forli, and rescues Caterina Sforza, who ensures that Ezio has proper passage to travel to Venice; Ezio is struck with how beautiful she is. Once in Venice, Ezio helps a wounded Rosa get back to the thieves hideout, where he meets Antonio de Magianis. Antonio and Rosa help Ezio find and kill Emilio, then spends more time tracking the rest of the Templars. He learns that Carlo Grimaldi, a government official and member of the Council of Ten, was close to Giovanni Mocenigo, the Doge of Venice, and hoped to turn him to the Templar cause.

But this proved too much and instead Rodrigo ordered his death. Ezio fails to stop the assassination attempt, but does kill Carlo. Days later, Marco Barbarigo is named the new Doge and hosts a party during Carnevale, but Ezio--with Sister Teodora, another courtesan and ally of the Assassins'--plan to kill Marco. Ezio runs into Cristina and kisses her, but she gets angered when she finds out it was Ezio and tells him to leave her alone. Ezio then competes in several competitions and wins, only for a bribed judge to declare Dante Moro the winner. Ezio steals the grand prize, a golden mask which will allow the wearer to enter Marco's party undetected, and enters the party. He kills Marco with his hidden gun undercover of the fireworks, then flees back to Teodora's brothel. With his quest nearly complete, Ezio learns that Silvio Barbarigo and Dante are fleeing to Cyprus, for unknown reasons. Ezio enlists the help of Bartolomeo d'Alviano, who leads the Venetian mercenaries, and they storm the Venetian Arsenal. Ezio kills both Dante and Silvio, again retrieving more Codex pages. Two years later, and involved in a large love life with Rosa, Ezio finally learns that the Templar ship has arrived and is carrying a Piece of Eden. It's being delivered to the "prophet", but when Ezio arrives, he finds Rodrigo and they attempt to fight over who gets the Apple. La Volpe, Mario, Paola, Antonio, Teodora, and Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli arrive and help Ezio force Rodrigo into fleeing. They then induct him into the Assassin Brotherhood. Mario, Ezio, and Machiavelli take the Appel to Leonardo for examination, but they end up sending Ezio and Machiavelli to Forli to hide it with Caterina, another member of the Brotherhood. When they arrive, however, Forli comes under attack by the Orsi brothers, Checco and Ludovico. They've taken Caterina's two of her kids hostage, but Ezio frees them and kills Ludovico. He returns them to Caterina who informs him that she and Machiavelli were ambushed by Checco who stole the Apple. Ezio hunts Checco down and kills him, then succumbs to his wounds and the Mad Monk Girolamo Savonarola takes the Apple. Ezio heals and has a short but fun relationship with Caterina before he departs for Florence.

Ezio kills Savonarola and his allies in the Bonfire of the Vanities, and finds Manfredo--Cristina's husband--dying. Ezio asks him where Cristina is and Ezio chases after her, killing the men on her tail, but she dies in Ezio's arms, saying that she wished they'd had a second chance. Ezio, grieving, takes the Apple back to Monteriggioni where every Assassin met in the game is there. Ezio discovers that Lorenzo is dead and that Rodrigo is now Pope Alexander VI. The Codex pages contain a map that leads Ezio and company to Roma (Rome) where the Vault is hidden. Rodrigo plans to open it with the Staff of Eden, but Ezio interrupts. They fight and Ezio looses to Rodrigo, but Ezio, unwilling to give up, chases him down and defeats Rodrigo. Rodrigo declares that it was his destiny to open the Vault, but Ezio denies this to the old man and enters himself. He meets Minerva, who claims to be one of "Those Who Came Before, and she tells him that he's a cipher for someone else (though Bowden refuses to use Desmond's name). Ezio leaves and Rodrigo, having poisoned himself, asks to know what Ezio found, to which Ezio replies "Nothing." He leaves and rejoins his friends to rebuild the world. (Note: this never happened in either ACII or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the game.)

All in all, a decent novel that barely fleshes things out. Good enough for a non-gamer, but not good enough for fans of the series.

Up next: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood by Oliver Bowden.