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. 

Book Review: Kelly's Reef SPOILERS!

On October 30th, 2013, James R. Burke--a fellow writer and colleague of mine--published his first novel Kelly's Reef. Though by no means a sci-fi story, it does have some rather great sci-fi plots and plenty of action to satisfy the reader. Synopsis: On a medical rescue mission to Djibouti, North Africa, Dr. Jake Matthews, TJ, a supply officer, and Charlie, a master chief who “fixes” things for the government, encounter a plot to use Blue Death as a bio-weapon. Kelly, the resident CIA station chief, sends them on a daring mission to save a local terrorist who has the answers. Back home on Guam, Jake discovers women are becoming pregnant at an alarming rate-and all pregnancies are abnormal. Somebody thinks it’s related to blue globes Jake found while scuba diving on a local reef. That somebody is after the globes, and is killing everyone involved. What is it about Blue Death and the blue globes Jake discovered that is damaging pregnancies? What is in the water that is wreaking all the havoc? What does the government knows and isn’t revealing? From Djibouti, to Guam, to Cozumel, Jake searches for answers. Loosely based on adventures aboard the USS Carl Vinson and while stationed on Guam, the author brings to the reader the possibility and plausibility of using the natural human reproductive system as a bio-threat to mankind.

Part 1 Djibouti:
Commander Jake Matthews is a navy physician stationed on the USS Carl Vinson. He and Lieutenant Commander Thelonious Justis (TJ) receive orders for a secret medical mission off the coast of Somalia. In route, they rescue Master Chief Charlie Albright, wounded by a Somali warlord. Charlie is a "fixer" for the government. Aboard the UNNS Swordfish, a navy "research" vessel spying on Somalia, Jake discovers there are two female crewmembers that became pregnant and spontaneously aborted. What is concerning is that one is a lesbian and had no male contact and the other had a tubal ligation years prior. Jake also sees mysterious blue globes loaded into a metal camera case. Jake repairs Charlie's gunshot wound and them meets Kelly. Kelly is the local CIA station chief, who also runs a house of ill repute to gain Intel on the local terrorist cells. It's revealed that Jake's real mission in Djibouti is to treat a local terrorist who has Blue Death, a potential bio-weapon. Kelly's World Famous Bar and Grill blows up and the group has a gun battle in the streets of Djibouti before escaping. Jake transports the case of blue globes and Alzera back to the aircraft carrier, but Alzera dies in route, before revealing his secret.

Part 2 Guam:
Hanna Sanders is a nurse who works with Jake. She is also the twin sister of Emily, Jake's wife. She, Jake, and Charlie are scuba diving at night to visit Auraka, a two-headed green eel known to Jack and Charlie. An earthquake and a tsunami hit. Jake and Charlie rescue Hanna, trapped underwater. During the rescue, Jake discovers more of the blue globes similar to what he saw in Djibouti. Some have ruptured and released a blue substance into the ocean. Over the next several weeks, Jake learns that women are becoming pregnant at an alarming rate and most are abnormal. Jake, Charlie, and TJ have an unexpected reunion aboard the Swordfish where they learn that everyone involved with the Djibouti mission is missing or dead, and that Blue Death causes abnormal human reproduction. The original samples Jake was transporting have disappeared. Hanna is pregnant, but she can't be. She has quadruplets--all abnormal. She undergoes surgery to repair the problem. Charlie, who plans to marry Hanna, receives orders for a mission to Cozumel. Jake has the globes analyzed and finds they contain an extraterrestrial virus, based on a faulty DNA translation table. Someone else knows and threatens his family, but before he can get everyone safe stateside, his wife Emily finds she is pregnant as the result of exposure to the alien virus. Commander Birdina Hawke (Hawknose), an antagonist with a personal grudge, hates Jake. He suspects her of being the letter writer and after Blue Death. Someone kills her, and Jake becomes the prime suspect. Jake and TJ find evidence that she was selling Blue Death to a biotech company. An emergency calls Jake back to labor and delivery late one evening. While gone, someone attacks his wife and mistakenly kidnaps Hanna, the twin sister. Investigators discover her body. Jake suspects Hawknose, but her death occurred a week before the attack. The murder weapon is the same one that killed Hawknose, and belongs to Jake. Jake and Emily escape the solitude of an island resort hotel only to have Kelly reappear. She tells Jake that she and Charlie know who killed Hanna and Hawknose. She also explains that Blue Death is part of a UFO event in 1947 (Roswell). That object broke into four pieces. The government has known about Blue Death since then, but when Alzera found it, they were able to backtrack the other two chunks to Guam and Cozumel. Charlie, currently in Cozumel, has located the final source of Blue Death. Kelly and Jake hatch a plot to trap the killer and destroy Blue Death. The next day, Jake's house is broken into. The military police accuse him of the deaths of Hawknose, Hanna, and a civilian guard. Jake makes a run for it and the military police shoot him.

Part 3 Cozumel:
This section opens with Kelly and an unidentified person describing how Charlie found the last site and plans to dive on it. TJ knows, and plans to join the dive. Last scene is on a dive boat on the reef of Cozumel. Charlie and TJ find the site, which is a fake site made up to look like part of a UFO. Back onboard, Charlie accuses TJ of being Hanna's killer, wanting the fame and glory of proving extraterrestrial life Jake reappears from below decks to accuse TJ of the kidnapping and explains that he faked his own death to trap TJ. They explain that the dive tank TJ used had a carbon monoxide mixture and he is going to die. TJ is sick, vomiting, and thinks he has the bends. TJ pulls a gun as Kelly also comes up from below deck. Jake emptied TJ's gun while they were underwater. Kelly's operative, who is acting as a boat hand, shoots TJ in the leg and they throw him overboard. Kelly congratulates them on successfully uncovering TJ and asks for the last of the globes. Jake turns the table on her. There are no other globes, the site was a fake, TJ took Ipecac to fake having the bends, and that Kelly has been behind this all along. Jake realized she was lying to him because of a poker tell and a mistake she made during the reunion. She confesses and orders her associate to shoot Jake. He shoots her instead, because of loyalty for Jake saving his wife's life in surgery earlier in the book.

Throughout the story, there are subplots: why Hawknose hates Jake, the threats from the letter writer, and the building suspicion that Jake is responsible. The reader also learn about the evolutionary biolgoy of DNA replication and taht a translation table difference cannot occur on this planet. Action scenes include a chase through Somalia, a bombing in Djibouti, a medical emergency on a small airplane in a storm, the undersea rescue following the earthquake, and an emergency cesarean section. A cast of quirky characters and Jake's sense of dark humor enliven the story.