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: 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. 

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: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire SPOILERS!

On May 1996, Steve Perry and Ballantine Spectra books published the novelization to the Nintendo 64 game Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It removes the entirety of the Hoth sequence in favor of starting with an introduction to the main villain, Prince Xizor. The events of the game and novel take place between Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Synopsis: It is a time of crisis. Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, is being taken to the vile ganster Jabba the Hutt. As Princess Leia mounts a rescue mission and Darth Vader scours the Galaxy for Luke Skywalker, another sinister figure emerges. Cunning and ruthless, leader of a powerful crime syndicate, he will pit himself against Vader for the favor of their mutual master . . . the dreaded Emperor. His name is Xizor, Underlord of a galaxywide criminal organization called Black Sun. He seeks to displace Darth Vader as Emperor Palpatine's right hand. To do so, he will hatch a brilliantly evil plan to discredit Vader in the Emperor's eyes. But in the meantime he will join the Dark Lord in an unholy alliance whose common target is the young Rebel hero, Luke Skywalker. While Vader and Xizor bait their trap for Luke, Han Solo is being held captive, flash-frozen in a carbonite slab. Mourning the loss of the man she loves, Princess Leia mounts a rescue mission to free Han. She enlists the aid of Luke, who is sharpening his skill in the Force at Ben Kenobi's home on the edge of Tatooine's Western Dune Sea. Skywalker organizes a crack fighting force, including Wedge Antilles and his famous X-wing squadron; Lando Calrissian; and the mercenary Dash Rendar. Yet the fierce battle that ensues to rescue Han will not go according to plan. For the Empire's spies are everywhere. What's worse, though he is cold and reptilian, Xizor has a certain predatory charisma that not even Leia can totally resist. Against the judgment of Chewbacca, who has promised Han to keep her from harm, Leia walks willingly into Xizor's lair in a dangerous play of passion and willpower to get the information she needs to defeat him. At the same time, Luke stands in the crosshairs of a conspiracy of assassins and bounty hunters recruited by Xizor's lieutenant, the beautiful but lethal Human replicant Guri. As the struggle between Xizor and Vader intensifies, Luke finds himself the potential prize of the two most evil entities in the galaxy — one who wants him alive, and one who wants him dead. In a final, explosive showdown, the Rebels must infiltrate Xizor's impregnable stronghold and fight the combined forces of Black Sun and the Empire in deep space. With death and betrayal looming on every side, Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewie must use every weapon and resource at their disposal, including the Rebel fleet and some intriguing new allies, if they are to prove victorious. In Shadows of the Empire, Steve Perry adds an exciting new chapter to the Star Wars saga and introduces important new characters and situations no Star Wars fan will want to miss.

The novel opens with Xizor witnessing Palpatine talking to Vader about Luke Skywalker during the events of The Empire Strikes Back and how Vader will turn his son to the dark side. On Tatooine, Leia has a nightmare about the day Han was frozen in carbonite, while Luke is off trying to keep up his Jedi training. Later, Lando arrives and informs Leia that an old friend named Dash Rendar says he's tracked Boba Fett to Gall, the moon of Zhar. The gang leaves and lands on Kile, the other moon, where Dash and Rogue Squadron's waiting for them. Together, Luke leads Rogue Squadron in a battle to keep the Imperials distracted while Dash, in his ship Outrider, takes Lando, Leia, and Chewbacca--on Millennium Falcon--to the surface of Gall. During the battle, an X-Wing pilot is killed and Dash bails when they approach the base. During the rendezvous back to the rebel base, Luke's attacked by Wes Janson's X-Wing--it's revealed that Wes' droid's been programmed to kill Luke. Luke disables Wes' ship and they land on the base, but Luke demands answers about why Dash left; Dash states that he was paid to lead them there, not stay and fight. In the hangar, Wedge and Luke are ambushed by a mechanic who killed the droid; they find out that he was working for someone, but unbeknownst to anyone, the hit came from Xizor. Prince Xizor's looking for a way to strike back at Vader for killing his family on Falleen many years ago.

The group splits up: Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, and C-3PO heading for Rodia to ask Black Sun for help while Luke goes back to Tatooine in case Fett shows up. Leia pays Dash to keep an eye on Luke. Luke's ambushed by bounty hunters and, after a chase through Beggar's Canyon, Dash arrives and saves Luke. They find a package waiting for Leia--it tells them about the Bothan's having recovered technical plans for a secret project the Emperor is overseeing. The two, plus R2-D2, head to Kothlis to find out. They arrive and join with the Bothans to prepare a fight, but it goes wrong and Dash's missile seemingly destroys the Bothan squadron. Devastated, Dash begins to lose faith in his abilities, despite the fact that they recovered the intel. Meanwhile, on Rodia, Guri arrives per Xizor's instructions and brings Leia and Chewbacca to Imperial City to meet with the Dark Prince. Once there, Xizor attempts to seduce Leia, but fails when Chewbacca interrupts. Chewbacca flees Xizor's palace while the Dark Prince holds her captive. Alone, Luke's captured by Barabel bounty hunters; they tell Vader, but before Vader can arrive, Lando and Chewbacca break him out. They head to Imperial City to rescue Leia. Vader's not pleased and angrily returns to Imperial City. While there, he senses Luke, but also Leia, though he doesn't realize it at the time. Luke, Lando, and Chewbacca run into Dash who agrees to help them.

They suborn a Black Sun member who leads them through the sewers into Xizor's Palace. He attempts to kill them, but Dash kills him. Once inside, they rescue Leia. Xizor, annoyed by the fight taking place, heads them off, but Lando drops a thermal detonator down a chute to the bottom of the palace. Xizor flees to his skyhook in orbit while the others race to the top. Luke fights and defeats Guri--she flees--and board the Falcon, piloted by C-3PO and R2-D2. They manage to escape, but Xizor sends his fleet to fight them; even with the arrival of Rogue Squadron, they can't hold off much longer. Earlier in the novel, Vader warned Xizor multiple times to stay away from Skywalker and his friends, and having found out what's going on and why Xizor bears a grudge against him, arrives. Vader demands that Xizor stand down, but the Dark Prince refuses. Vader orders the crew of the Executor to open fire on the skyhook. Xizor's killed, and the rebels manage to escape, but not before Dash, now on his ship, is seemingly killed. In the end, back on Tatooine, Luke finishes his recording to Jabba Desilijic Tiure and installs his lightsaber into R2-D2's dome. He and Leia get word from the Bothans that Dash is considered a hero and to let him know that he didn't kill the Bothans, it was the Imperials who fired a shot at the same moment Dash's missile impacted. The novel closes, setting up for Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

All in all, a well crafted and paced novel. Steve Perry gracefully cuts away the dried action of the game and replaces it with a sense of epicness that the game sorely lacks. The cut level of the Battle of Hoth is referred to, but not shown since it has no bearing on the novel or the game itself. Xizor is also given some missing cunning and evilness that the game doesn't have. It utilized the Original Trilogy heroes and villains well. A must read for all Star Wars fans.

Up next: Assassin's Creed: Renaissance by Oliver Bowden, the first novelization of any Assassin's Creed game. Yes, this means I'm going to do them in the order they were published.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleahsed II SPOILERS!

In 2010, W. Haden Blackman returned to LucasArts with another shitty script for a four-hour game called The Force Unleashed II. Galen's not dead, he's been cloned trillions of times, and he seeks Juno. Synopsis: The dark side could not seduce him (like it even tried), the Empire could not control him (like they even tried), death could not defeat him (which is BS, by the way). And now, nothing can stop him from seizing his destiny (what, to have the worse cliffhanger in the history of cliffhangers? There's not even going to be  a TFU3). As ruthless apprentice to Darth Vader, Starkiller was mercilessly schooled in the ways of the dark side, commanded to exterminate the last of the purged Jedi Order, and groomed for the ultimate Sith power play: assassination of the Emperor. He served without question, killed without remorse, and lost his heart without warning to beautiful Imperial fighter pilot Juno Eclipse, never suspecting that he was just a tool in the schemes of his masters—until it was too late to escape their lethal betrayal. Juno mourned Starkiller as dead . . . but now he is back, purged of all memories and programmed to kill. And as fate brings Juno and Starkiller closer to reuniting, with Darth Vader determined not to lose his assassin a second time, they will both have to make a stand. The prize is freedom. The punishment for failing will be eternal enslavement to the dark side of the Force . . . .

The novel opens with Juno Eclipse, now part of the Rebellion, on Salvation, watching as the raid over Cato Neimoidia happens, and she warns Rahm Kota to stay out of trouble and that the Rebellion can't officially sanction his actions. Juno helps Bail, Leia, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis by agreeing to lead a team to help take Dac from the Empire. This goes well, even with Ackbar appearing, but Imperial forces manage to chase them off. (By the way, this all takes place two months before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.) Starkiller, the insane clone of Galen Marek, awakens to a training room, but he doesn't know who he is and destroys the cloning facility on Kamino to cover his escape. He ends up on Cato Neimoidia where he frees Kota from captivity and they flee in the Rogue Shadow. PROXY is there as well, having been retrieved and repaired since the events on Corellia. Kota tells him that the Rebellion needs him, but Starkiller doesn't agree. Meanwhile, Juno's trying to get back to the fleet, and finally manages to succeed in some of the best Rebellion scenes in the book, or would be if she didn't keep harping about how great and holy and noble Galen is. Starkiller has a ridiculously stupid meeting with Yoda on Dagobah. Starkiller, Kota, and PROXY arrive at the main fleet to find it under attack in the Itani Nebula. He also notes that his family's symbol is everywhere. Boba Fett leads the Imperial Forces and they manage to steal Juno before Starkiller can get them. Starkiller leads the Rebellion to Kamino to destroy the cloning facility there. Once there, the Rebellion bombards the facility while Starkiller fights his way to Vader and finds Juno dead. Starkiller defeats Vader, then revives Juno spares Vader's life and the Rebellion takes him hostage, but Boba Fett follows the Rogue Shadow in the Slave I.

And that's how it ends. Seriously. No afterthought or mention of how Vader gets free, or what happens to Starkiller, Juno, PROXY, Kota, and the storyline. It just ends badly. Oh, and throughout it all, both Juno and Starkiller declare their love for each other, which is still weird considering they only knew each other for a month and aren't together until the end in this bit. And that stupid placing of this book almost before A New Hope. How does that make sense? When Luke goes around, looking for Jedi training between ANH and ESB, why does no one remember Kota or Starkiller? Were they embarrassments to the Rebellion? See, these are the sort of questions W. Haden Blackman and Sean Williams ignored in favor of a crap story, like Troy Denning in the post NJO section of the Expanded Universe. Anyway, rant over. 

Up next, Mass Effect: Revelation by Drew Karpyshyn, which isn't a revelation at all, more like a bland one-dimensional story with one-dimensional characters.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed SPOILERS!

In 2008, LucasArts released a game taht most fans claim is the penultimate of garbage, an eight hour game called The Force Unleashed, which really doesn't allow the player to use every aspect of the magical Force, but rather limits the Force powers to about eight or ten. Synopsis: "The Sith always betray one another....I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough." The overthrow of the Republic is complete. The Separatist forces have been smashed, the Jedi Council nearly decimated, and the rest of the Order all but destroyed. Now absolute power rests in the iron fist of Darth Sidious–the cunning Sith Lord better known as the former Senator, now Emperor, Palpatine. But more remains to be done. Pockets of resistance in the galaxy must still be defeated and missing Jedi accounted for...and dealt with. These crucial tasks fall to the Emperor’s ruthless enforcer, Darth Vader. In turn, the Dark Lord has groomed a lethal apprentice entrusted with a top-secret mission: to comb the galaxy and dispatch the last of his masters’ enemies, thereby punctuating the dark side’s victory with the Jedi’s doom. Since childhood, Vader's nameless agent has known only the cold, mercenary creed of the Sith. His past is a void; his present, the carrying out of his deadly orders. But his future beckons like a glistening black jewel with the ultimate promise: to stand beside the only father he has ever known, with the galaxy at their feet. It is a destiny he can realize only by rising to the greatest challenge of his discipleship: destroying Emperor Palpatine. The apprentice’s journeys will take him across the far reaches of the galaxy, from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk to the junkyard planet of Raxus Prime. On these missions, the young Sith Acolyte will forge an unlikely alliance with a ruined Jedi Master seeking redemption and wrestle with forbidden feelings for his beautiful comrade, Juno Eclipse. And he will be tested as never before–by shattering revelations that strike at the very heart of all he believes and stir within him long-forgotten hopes of reclaiming his name...and changing his destiny.

This is by far the worst novelization of any game I've ever ready. Sean Williams can't write properly and just copies down what happens on the screen for the first act before he decides to try and do anything to enhance the story, but by then it's too little too late. 

The novel opens with Darth Vader ordering the Secret Apprentice/Starkiller/Galen Marek to kill former Jedi General and Jedi Master Rahm Kota, but once Starkiller gets to the orbital station above Nar Shaddaa, Kota has already set traps for him. Starkiller and Kota duel briefly, and Kota, damaged and blind, tells him that Vader will kill him and that he (Kota) will be part of Starkiller's future. Starkiller shoves Kota out of the station and brings his lightsaber back to Vader as proof that he killed the renegade Jedi. Vader then tasks Starkiller with killing insane two-bit Jedi Kazdan Paratus on the junkyard world of Raxus Prime, which Starkiller does, but this time actually killing his target. Another mission pits him against Jedi Master "Shaak Ti" on Felucia. (I say that because most fans like to believe this character is really Ahsoka Tano from the shitty Star Wars: The Clone Wars kiddy show around that time.) "Shaak Ti" has an apprentice named Maris Brood, who escapes before Starkiller kills "Shaak Ti," but "Shaak Ti" kills herself after telling Starkiller that both Vader and the Emperor will kill him and that there's no hope for him. It's during these missions that we're introduced to Juno Eclipse, Starkiller's pilot and obvious love interest--this this bit still comes out of nowhere in both novel, comic, and game formats, like they're not even trying. She spends the majority of the book brooding over being ordered to bomb her own homeworld by Vader. Once Starkiller rejoins with Vader, Palpatine shows up and orders Vader to kill him. Vader does so, then retrieves the body and orders Starkiller's crazy droid PROXY to have Starkiller found a rebellion to help him overthrow the Empire.

Starkiller retrieves PROXY and Juno and sets about to complete his mission. He goes to Cloud City, Bespin and gets Kota to side with him, despite Kota's protests. Then they head to Kashyyyk, where Starkiller runs into Leia and R2-D2, before setting the Wookiees free and destroying the shipyards. It's there that Starkiller learns of his parents being killed by Vader during the Occupation of Kashyyyk and that his dad was a Jedi Master named Kento Marek. He also learns that his name is Galen Marek. They head back to Felucia and Galen defeats Maris and saves Bail Organa. Organa wants proof that Galen is a Jedi and that he can defeat the Emperor and Vader; Vader suggests via PROXY that Galen should hit the shipyards above Raxus Prime. Back they go and Galen kills many Imperials just to destroy the orbital docks. PROXY tries to fulfill his mission to kill Galen, but Galen defeats him. Then everyone heads to Corellia where Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Leia, and Garm Bel Iblis agree to start a rebellion and to make war, but they're interrupted by Vader and the 501st. Vader and Galen duel, but Vader wins and almost kills Galen when PROXY intervenes as Obi-Wan Kenobi and they fight. Vader kills PROXY and watches Galen fall to his death. Miraculously, Galen survives and, with Juno, tracks Vader to the Horuz system, to the planet of Despayre, to the Death Star. Galen leaves, but not before Juno delcairs her love for him (which comes out of nowhere) and Galen slaughters his way through the Death Star, frees Bail, Mon, Garm, and Kota, then duels Vader. Vader wins, but Galen destroys the room they're in and kills himself. Palpatine and Vader take his body while, on Corellia, Bail, Mon, Leia, Kota, and Juno form the Alliance to Restore the Republic using the Marek family crest as their symbol.

The ending fight on the Death Star, in the Horuz system completely and utterly contradicts previously established cannon by both George Lucas and the Expanded Universe, where the Rebellion remained ignorant of the Death Star and where it was, and had to formulate a plan, called Operation Skyhook, to find its location after hearing numerous rumors about such a thing. This is why W. Haden Blackman and Sean Williams' story have become so hated. It wasn't just the 8hrs of gameplay, nor the shitty script, nor the out-of-left-field romance, but also the complete and utter disregard for previously established cannon. This book/game/comic deserves the reputation of trash and should never be spoken of again. But I still have that annoying sequel to review.

Up next, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II by Sean Williams, based on a story by W. Haden Blackman.

Book Review: Star Wars: Dark Forces: Jedi Knight SPOILERS!

On 14 October 1998, the third and final volume in the Dark Forces trilogy of novellas written by William C. Dietz was published. It was originally released by Dark Horse Comics and Boulevard. Both the hardcover and trade paperback include twenty-five full-color illustrations by Dave Dorman. This time, the fate of the Valley of the Jedi comes to a conclusion, and only Kyle Katarn can determine its fate. Synopsis: Kyle Katarn, Rebel agent and novice Jedi, has just returned from his covert operation to find the location of the Valley of the Jedi. But he knows that the evil Jerec, a dark Jedi with designs on the Empire's throne, knows where the Valley is too. Upon returning to the Alliance, and with the support of Luke Skywalker himself, Kyle offers to find the Valley and stop the oncoming Imperial invasion—and, at last, fulfill his destiny as a Jedi. Based on the popular Star Wars: DARK FORCES and Star Wars: JEDI KNIGHT interactive games, Jedi Knight is part three of a trilogy written by acclaimed author William C. Dietz (Steelheart) and illustrated by award-winning Star Wars cover artist Dave Dorman.

The novella opens on Ruusan with settler Grif Grawley being ambushed by an Imperial Probe Droid. He manages to escape and gets back to Fort Nowhere and tries to warn Mayor Byron Devo III about the Empire coming, but no one listens. Grif and his wife Carole flee into the badlands. Sariss, Yun, and Boc Aseca arrive and subdues the population after they learn that the settlers and smugglers no nothing of the Valley. During the Second Battle of Milargo, in which General Han Solo and Chewbacca lead Medpac Squadron, Luke Skywalker shows up with Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors in the Moldy Crow. After a short duel between New Hope and a damaged Star Destroyer, the Imperials surrender. On New Hope, Kyle and Luke relate to what they've learned about Ruusan and its location; Kyle proposes going to Ruusan to confront Jerec, but Mon Mothma remains convinced that Kyle will fall--she even voices this out loud--but Jan and Luke reassure Mon Mothma that her fears may not come to pass. Han volunteers to aide Kyle, but Leia Organa talks him out of it. (Possibly because Dietz realized that a Kyle-and-Han team up would be too awesome, or because Han was never in the game, but that doesn't sound as cool, does it?) The plan consists of giving Jerec's Imperials proton torpedoes that they can detonate and destroy Vengeance with. Mon Mothma, reluctantly, agrees to the plan.

On Milagro, Kyle and Jan hire rebel soldier Alfonso Luiz Obota to pretend to be the surviving ranking officer of a badly damaged Imperial Star Destroyer. The plan goes off without a hitch: Obota cons the Imperials into taking it, gets Kyle and Jan permission to land on Ruusan. In the skies, Kyle and Jan note the ruins of Fort Nowhere. The two of them happen upon Grif, Carole, Lasko, Kimber, Luther Pardy, and Portia and Kyle retells Morgan's fate and how he became a Jedi-in-training, and ended up on Ruusan. The survivors suggest Kyle meet with the bouncers. When they go to meet the bouncers, they find Imperials trying to slaughter the helpless creatures. Kyle and the survivors interfere, at the cost of every survivor except Grif. The bouncers agree to help Kyle, Jan, Grif, and WeeGee get to the Valley. Meanwhile, Yun has nightmares of killing Nij Por Ral. Maw wakes Yun up and brings him to Jerec; the Dark Jedi informs Yun that they're going to the surface of Ruusan, to the Valley of the Jedi. In the catacombs, Yun receives training from the Force ghost of Qu Rahn; Yun ends up saving the life of a stormtrooper, something Sariss notes, but doesn't understand. Yun is then sent out to track down Kyle Katarn, but having sensed Kyle in the badlands, decides to repay Kyle for sparing his life and looks the other way. Kyle, Grif, Jan, WeeGee, and Floater the bouncer sneak by and almost arrive at the Valley, when Grif sacrifices himself to kill a probe droid.

Kyle leaves Jan, WeeGee, and the bouncer behind, but Jan gets captured, the bouncer killed, and WeeGee deactivated and the Moldy Crow impounded. Kyle infiltrates the Imperial Base and receives warning from Rahn about Maw. Maw ambushes Kyle and they fight. Kyle defeats the Boltrunian Dark Jedi and Maw taunts Kyle by admitting that he was the one who placed Morgan's head on a spike in Barons Hed; Kyle gives in to his darkness and beheads Maw. Jerec applauds and reveals that he captured Jan and demands the Kyle surrender to the dark side, but Kyle refuses. Jerec uses Destruction to destroy the landing pad and Kyle barely makes it to the Moldy Crow, but he shock wave hits and Kyle crashes in the Valley floor. Kyle's knocked unconscious and witnesses the final moments of the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, becomes Jedi Master Tal who tries to voice his concern about confronting the Brotherhood of Darkness in the Valley, but Lord Hoth ignores this; becomes Sith Lord LaTor who helps Sith Lord Skere Kaan prepare the thought bomb; witnesses Lord Hoth confront Kaan and how Kaan detonated the bomb, and how it backfired and captured the 100 Jedi  volunteers of the Army of Light and 100 Sith spirits and imprisoned them in the Valley of the Jedi.

Kyle wakes up and finds Boc, Sariss, and Yun standing over him. Boc destroys Rahn's lightsaber. Sariss orders Boc to leave and tell Jerec that she killed Kyle. Yun, in a moment of pity for Kyle, blocks his mothers strike; Sariss kills her son, and, angered at Kyle, tries her best to kill him, but Kyle picked up a couple of expert sword fighting techniques from Tal and LaTor. He takes Yun's lightsaber and kills Sariss, then heads into the Valley to find Jerec. Kyle frees Jan, but Boc attacks with his two lightsabers. Kyle fights Boc and manages to kill him using a dark side technique called Spear of Midnight Black. Jerec applauds Kyle for once more giving into the dark side, but Kyle remains skeptical that the dark side has any claim on him. He duels Jerec with his new techniques and Force skills, but Jerec retreats when his hold on the Valley weakens. Kyle senses this and cocoons Jerec from the dark side. Jerec collapses as he's confronted with just the light side of the Force. Jerec reminds Kyle that he killed Morgan, but Kyle tosses Jerec's lightsaber back at the fallen Miraluka. Jerec charges Kyle, but the Jedi kills Jerec. The Valley erupts and the spirits go free. Kyle carves a memorial of Rahn and Morgan in a rock, then leaves with Jan and WeeGee.

All in all, the best damn conclusion to the Dark Forces trilogy and an epic way to set up the legend that would later become Kyle Katarn, as every game since (Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy) references the Valley of the Jedi incident. William C. Dietz created one hell of a story in this trilogy and I'm proud to have gotten the entire novella trilogy and read it several times over, amazed each time it ends.

Up next, possibly the most hated game tie-ins to ever grace the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the novelization of the eight hour video game that's generally disliked by everyone: The Force Unleashed by Sean Williams, based on a game by Haden Blackman.

Book Review: Star Wars: Dark Forces: Rebel Agent SPOILERS!

On March 11, 1998, William C. Deitz returned to the Star Wars Expanded Universe to compose the second novella of the Dark Forces trilogy, Star Wars Dark Forces: Rebel Agent, part one of two of a story about the hit Kyle Katarn game Star Wars: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. Published by Dark Horse Comics and Boulevard. This time, Dietz takes us to the opening of the game to finding the coordinates for a lost planet of the Jedi, in a race against time and several Dark Jedi to determine the fate of the fabled Valley of the Jedi. Synopsis: Secret Rebel Agent Kyle Katarn will do anything to avenge his father's untimely death at the hands of the Empire. When Kyle is threatened by 8t88 in a Nar Shaddaa bar, he tracks down the droid and secures a mysterious disk that could put him on the path to learning why his father was killed. Kyle soon finds that the disk contains information about a map to the Valley of the Jedi, a place his father had stumbled upon and kept secret. Now it's a race between Kyle and the Empire to see who can get to the map—and the Valley—first. Based on the popular Star Wars: DARK FORCES and Star Wars: JEDI KNIGHT interactive games, Rebel Agent is part two of a trilogy written by acclaimed author William C. Dietz (The Final Battle) and illustrated by the award-winning artist Ezra Tucker (the Adventures of Little Nettie Windship children's book series).

The novella opens with Morgan Katarn taking a few citizens and farmers to a smuggler's haven on the remote and forgotten planet of Ruusan, home to telepathic beings called bouncers. Morgan, after helping oversee the settlers settle in "Fort Nowhere", Morgan heads for the badlands, where he encounters a couple of bouncers. They tell him about the Poem of Ages: "A Knight shall come, a battle will be fought, and the Prisoners will go free." Despite his misgivings, the bouncers believe he is the one who will free the trapped Jedi and Sith spirits. Morgan, after seeing the Valley, flees in terror. Back on Sulon, Morgan tells Jedi Master Qu Rahn about the Valley, but Rahn refuses to be told the location and that Morgan should leave the coordinates for Kyle. The book then references Morgan being killed by Jerec a few months later. Five years later, Rahn, pilot Duno Dree, professor Nij Por Ral, technologist Rolanda Gron, and weapons expert Cee Norley are hunted on Dorlo by Dark Jedi Sariss, her son and friend Yun, and Maw--a former Jedi Knight. The Dark Jedi trio manage to kill Norley and Boc Aseca manages to capture the others. On the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Vengeance, Gorc and Picaroon C. Boodle--a.k.a. Pic--kill Rolanda, Yun kills Nij Por Ral, Boc kills Duno Dree (this is the part where the games starts, with Bock killing Duno Dree). Rahn, after Jerec pries the location of the coordinates from his mind, slices Maw in half, but Maw survives, and Jerec kills Rahn.

On Nar Shaddaa--the Smuggler's Moon/Vertical City--8t88 attempts to hire Boba Fett to shake information out of Kyle, but Fett, having had a prior experience with Kyle, declines. Kyle meets with 8t88; the droid reveals Morgan's disk, but Kyle refuses to help '88. 8t88 orders his goons to kill Kyle, but he gets the drop on them and chases 8t88 through the streets and finally corners him, blowing off an arm with the disk, but the droid escapes on a shuttle. Meanwhile, Jan, having arrived, blows a TIE/sa bomber about to kill Kyle. Kyle tells Jan that the disk has fallen to the undercity and goes racing off after it. After a fight through the lower levels of Nar Shaddaa, Kyle manages to retrieve the disc before he becomes badly wounded. Jan finishes off the rest of the scum and hauls Kyle back onto the Moldy Crow. On the hospital ship Mercy, Jan steals Kyle's disc and shows the information to Mon Mothma, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker, but Luke, despite Mon Mothma's assurance that Kyle might fall, knows this is part of Kyle's journey. He also states that Yoda related the Seven Battles of Ruusan during the New Sith Wars years ago. Jan puts the disk back, and Kyle, when he wakes up, leaves for the Katarn homestead on Sulon. It turns out that Boc, Sariss, and Yun have already arrived and taken a few stone slabs and left for Barons Hed. Kyle sneaks his way into the house and finds the family droid WeeGee. he reactivates him and plays the disk. Morgan appears and states that he embedded the coordinates for Ruusan in the ceiling of the work room--where WeeGee is and where the stone slabs came from--and left Rahn's lightsaber behind for Kyle to use for good.

Kyle and WeeGee escape the farm, but end up chased by a band of Tusken Raiders; WeeGee pulls Kyle to safety into the Moldy Crow while the Tuskens fall off a cliff. In the Governor's House, in Barons Hed, 8t88 kills a majordomo for being rude, and uploads the coordinates to Jerec. Kyle arrives, and so does Yun; 8t88 escapes with his Hornagaunt pet while Yun and Kyle duel. Kyle defeats Yun and spares him, then escapes as stormtroopers enter the room. Kyle tracks 8t88 to Fuel City and Jan drops him off. Kyle sneaks aboard the Sulon Star and finds 8t88, but the droid is dead, killed by Gorc and Pic. Dimwitted Gorc leaps out at Kyle and the Jedi shoots him in the head (very different from the game), then knocks Pic unconscious. Kyle kills the Hornagaunt--which has eaten 8t88's head--and retrieves the droid's head, figuring out that the coordinates are stored in them, but Pic wakes up. Kyle bashes Pic with 8t88's head, then flees the Star. A firefight ensues and Fuel City is destroyed, but a couple of TIE/LN fighters chase Jan and Kyle through the Nefra Canyons where one impacts with a cliff face, and the other is shot down by Kyle's Bryar blaster pistol. Back at the Katarn estate, Jan hooks 8t88's head into WeeGee, and all three of them see the coordinates for Ruusan. Luke arrives, and Kyle finds out that Jan told Luke, Leia, and Mon Mothma about his trip, but Luke talks him into a temporary apprenticeship. The four of them leave for the Valley.

All in all, a well crafted novella that perfectly captures the first half of the game, but Deitz's changes are great: Boba Fett's appearance, Morgan and the Ruusan scenes, a different trek through Nar Shaddaa than the game, a longer version of the hospital ship scene, faster action getting into and out of the Katarn estate, a different look at Barons Hed, a chase through the Nefra canyons, and Luke teaming up with Kyle and Jan to hunt for the Valley of the Jedi. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Next time, Star Wars: Dark Forces: Jedi Knight by William C. Deitz, with art by famed artist Dave Dorman, in the epic conclusion to the novella trilogy and the second half of the game.

Book Review: Star Wars: Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire SPOILERS!

In 1997, just when Star Wars: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight the game had come out, a trilogy of novellas by William C. Dietz was authorized by LucasArts and Dark Horse Comics to bridge the gap between Dark Forces and Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. Set around the rebel agent and mercenary Kyle Katarn, Soldier for the Empire tells how Katarn graduated the Imperial Academy and eventually joined the Rebel Alliance. Synopsis:  is a decorated graduate from the Imperial Military Academy who would forfeit his very life for the Empire. But he wouldn't forfeit his father's life, and that's what the Empire has taken. Kyle is willing to do anything to avenge his father's death which is what the Rebel Alliance is counting on. Join Kyle Katarn in this brand-new, fast-paced tale of adventure and suspense. Based on the popular Star Wars: DARK FORCES and Star Wars: JEDI KNIGHT interactive games, this novella-length prose-story is written by acclaimed author William C. Deitz (The Final Battle) and illustrated by award-winning artist Dean Williams (Tarzan: The Lost Adventure).


The novel opens with the farmer Morgan Katarn (Kyle's father) leaving the Katarn estate to fix a relay pump that failed. Incidentally, the Empire launches a campaign to take Sulon (the moon of Sullust), lock down their geo-thermal tap power, and let the SoroSuub Corporation roll in and bankrupt the planet. This is overseen by the Dark Jedi Jerec (once a Jedi Knight) and Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo (a.k.a. Thrawn). Morgan escapes the initial assault, but when the Sulon Resistance goes to defend the G-Tap, the Empire--disguised as the Rebel Alliance--destroys them. Morgan is taken captive, and, after refusing to answer Jerec's questions, is executed, his head placed on a spike in Barons Hed--Sulon's capitol. Meanwhile, during an graduation mission on Asteroid AX-456, cadet Kyle Katarn and his team of stormtroopers hold out against the Rebel Alliance. The Rebels manage to evacuate the asteroid, but Katarn notices something about their leader, Jan Ors. During the fight, Kyle's knocked out.

Days later, back on Carida, Katarn attends his graduation ceremony with his friend Meck Odum and the sniveling brat, Nathan Donor III (son of Governor Dol Donor II of Derra IV). At the ceremony, Jerec awards Katarn the Imperial Medal of Valor, while General Rom Mohc presides over the graduation ceremony; Jerec tells Kyle that he (Kyle) has a very special future and should he wish to take it, Jerec will be there. Later, Kyle learns that the rebellion killed his father. Kyle, angry, leaves for Sulon, but is waylaid by Nathan on the Haj Shipping Line vessel Star of the Empire. Kyle meets Governor Donor II, and Kyle tells Donor II why he's heading home and that he's looking for payback against the Rebels; Donor II lets slip about a "special something" the Empire has planned for the Rebels. During a game of sabacc between the governor and Lando Calrissian, spots Jan. He tails her, but her associates Rosco Ross and Ris Waller. They want to kill Kyle, but Jan orders them not to, stating that there's something different about Kyle.

Jan and Kyle end up talking about their different views on the Rebels, and she introduces him to a holorecording droid named A-Cee; she shows him unedited, real footage of the Battle of the Sulon G-Tap. Kyle notes how organized the Rebels are and learns that the Empire killed his father. Kyle rips off the Medal of Valor. He asks Jan to take him to the Rebels because he wants to avenge his father by killing the Empire, to which Jan agrees. This conversation is overseen by bounty hunter Slyder who informs Donor II. Donor II wants blood, but Nathan suspects that Kyle might've simply fallen for Jan. A fight ensues and during the escape, A-Cee is captured by Donor II and his party. Kyle, Jan, Waller, and Rosco flee the Star of the Empire, but not before Governor Donor II's ship blows up, killing the governor, Slyder, and Nathan because they tried to tamper with A-Cee's programming. At the Rebel Fleet, Kyle meets Mon Mothma, the political leader of the Rebellion.

She tells him about the Death Star plans being located on Danuta, and to prove his allegiance, he must steal them. Kyle sees footage of Meck Odum on Danuta, but when Mon Mothma inquires, he passes it off as just needing more intel. Mon Mothma knows he's lying, and after he leaves, assigns Jan to kill Kyle should Kyle be an Imperial Agent sent to destroy the Rebellion. Kyle is issued Moldy Crow for his ship. Jan follows Kyle to Danuta, notes him meeting with Meck Odum, and draws the conclusion that he still serves the Empire. Kyle, during his meeting with Meck Odum, asks his friend for help in getting into the facility to steal the plans. Meck agrees because his religious beliefs are against that of the Empire's. The first opening level of Star Wars: Dark Forces is written out, only faster paced because Deitz has run out of time. Kyle infiltrates the facility while Jan distracts the Imperial forces. Kyle fights his way inside, and, at one point, notes how slow the stormtroopers are (this is because Kyle has the Force) and punches Meck Odum, and both hope that footage looks good enough for to keep the Empire from executing Meck. Kyle steals the Death Star plans and joins Jan as they escape Danuta in Moldy Crow.

All in all, despite its 127 pages, a few of which are depicted in art, William C. Deitz creates one heck of a backstory for Kyle Katarn that lines up neatly with both games. The first of a trilogy of novellas surrounding the Dark Forces games, the other two being Dark Forces: Rebel Agent and Dark Forces: Jedi Knight both of which tell the tale of Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight just split into two stories. This novella captures the greatness of Star Wars while creating new and exciting characters, using old ones to their best degree, and is better written than most other game tie-ins like the Force Unleashed novels and the Old Republic ones. If you can find a copy of this, and not the audio book version, I'd recommend it.

Up next: Star Wars: Dark Forces: Rebel Agent by William C. Deitz, with art by Ezra Tucker.

Book Review: Star Wars: Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine SPOILERS!

In January 2004, a tie-in to the then-popular Star Wars MMORPG--Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided--was penned by author Voronica Whitney-Robinson with Haden Blackman. Though the book was supposed to be the start of an MMO line of tie-in books, it failed simply because it couldn't catch with the bigger connoisseurs of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Synopsis: Enter the explosive universe of the exciting online game--Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided! It is a time of great turmoil. The oppressive Empire is close to seizing complete control of the galaxy. The ragtag guerrilla army of the Rebel Alliance fights on, striking wherever it can, but now something has come to light that could spell certain doom. Hidden in the Jedi ruins of Dantooine is a Holocron containing a list of high-level Rebel sympathizers. If that list were to fall into the hands of Darth Vader, the Rebel Alliance would lose its most valued support, and possibly the war itself. As an Imperial bio-engineer who frequently visits other worlds, Dusque Mistflier is the perfect cover for a Rebel who needs to travel far and wide without arousing suspicion. And so she agrees to help Rebel spy Finn Darktrin in his quest to recover the crucial Holocron. Despite help from Han, Luke, and Leia, the mission is fraught with peril. And as their journey takes them into the fiery belly of the beast that is galactic civil war, Dusque and Finn will learn that the hardest part of all is figuring out whose side are you're on-and how far you're willing to go to win....

The novel opens with Imperial Inquisitor Loam Redge, in Emperor Palpatine's Retreat on Naboo, telling Darth Vader that his mission to retrieve a holocron from Dantooine's ruins is going as planned. Meanwhile, Leia expresses her concern about retrieving the holocron to Luke. Both Redge and Leia, it seems, have sent their best agent out to retrieve it. In orbit above Naboo, Imperial bioengineer Dusque Mistflier and professor Tendau Nandon arrive at a space station for a casino opening, but Tendau is killed and rebel spy Finn Darktrin rescues Dusque from trouble. They steal a shuttle and head for Lok; there they meet Nym who gives them a ship to reach Corellia, where the current Rebel Alliance headquarters is located. They are escorted there by Han and Chewie. There, they meet with Leia and Luke. They tell them about the holocron with the list of Rebel allies and spies being on Dantooine. Dusque and Finn agree to retrieve it. Once on Dantooine, they bypass an Imperial outpost using Dusque's status as an Imperial bioengineer and head for the ruins of the Rebel base, then to the Jedi enclave--possibly the one seen in KOTOR and KOTOR2TSL. Inside, they find and holocron and flee the planet. Finn, while Dusque rests, transmits the information to the Imperials following them. Dusque confronts him and he reveals that there is no Imperial agent following them: he is the Imperial agent. He reveals that he was the one who ordered Tendau killed and a Mon Calamari pilot during the trip to Corellia, how he'd warned the Imperials too late. Dusque tries to get him to stop, but Finn won't have it. Finn stuns Dusque and leaves her for dead on the shuttle, but Luke Skywalker arrives and saves Dusque and the holocron. Finn reports to Darth Vader, and Vader decides to spare his life, believing that Finn killed Dusque. The novel ends with Dusque pledging herself to the Rebellion.

All in all, a very poor book that is generally regarded as trash by the EU fans. In its attempt to show how large the galaxy is, both authors bring in Lando, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, C-3PO, R2-D2, Wedge, and Vader, proving once and for all just how small-minded the authors and publishers are: that every novel must contain the Big Three--Han, Luke, Leia--from the Original Trilogy, as well as their sidekicks--Lando, C-3PO, R-2D2 Wedge, Chewie--and villains--Darth Vader.

Up next is Star Wars: Dark Forces: Soldier of the Empire by William C. Deitz, a prose novella with art by Dean Williams.