Blog Archives - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Expanded Universe Round-Up #19

29/6/2023

Anakin to the Rescue
by Cecilia Venn

Okay, that was pretty cute. And the author obviously knew her audience very well, because it's structured perfectly for kids learning to read.

Queen in Disguise
by Monica Kulling

I had seen illustrations from this book pop up on the Internet over the years, so I'm happy to finally have a copy. Very cute. As a kid, I would have adored it.

Star Wars Insider: The Fiction Collection Vol 1

A solid collection of Legends tales, which I really enjoyed (mind you, I skipped over the Dawn of the Jedi one, since I'd read it recently in the associated novel - I recall it being decent, though). Great choice of authors. But I don't agree with the decision to add Disney-canon stories to the back of this book. They felt very out of place - and the Blade Squadron stories just weren't that interesting. Ignore those and you've got a great collection of stories here.

Star Wars Insider: The Fiction Collection Vol 2

I have the same issue with this volume that I did with the previous one - Legends and Disney canon stories should not be presented in the same collection. It really highlights how much better the older works are. This time, though, I did enjoy one of the newer pieces.

Game On

29/6/2023

Republic Commando: Hard Contact (Star Wars Legends)
by Karen Traviss

The Separatists are developing a nanovirus that will target clone troopers without... maybe... affecting civilian populations. Omega Squad, comprised of commandos who have outlived their former squads, are being sent to handle the problem, but this mission might be too much for four men and a self-doubting Jedi Padawan to handle. There's a good chance not all of them will make it off the planet.

This book's greatest strength could have easily been its greatest weakness - the plot is essentially one mission being carried out in enemy territory. And then it's over. But thanks to Traviss' obvious skill, it works. The pacing is on point, so there's not a dull moment to be had. Each commando is developed as an individual character and you can't help but care for them. It's certainly a much better book than I was expecting, though not so brilliant that I didn't notice the box-ticking mentions of weapons and assorted gear.

A Fistful of Drudgery

26/6/2023

A Fistful of Charms (The Hollows #4)
by Kim Harrison

When Jenks' son gets into trouble while working with Nick, Rachel drags herself out of Cincinnati and swims to the rescue. Her ex has stolen a dangerous item and it could spell disaster if it falls into the wrong hands. So this isn't your usual run. And of course Rachel is going to find a way to make things even more dangerous for herself, especially now that Ivy has joined the fun.

This was honestly one of the worst books I've ever read. The pacing was all over the place and the plot was both baffling and uninspired. Nick's character has been so poorly written and so annoyingly inconsistent that I'm glad he seems to be out of the picture again. As usual, Harrison managed to redeem herself slightly with the ending, but I won't be giving her a free pass this time. Especially since she gave us so many leery descriptions of Jenks, while continually reminding us that he's 18. So it's TOTALLY OKAY for Rachel to be constantly ogling him. Umm. No, it's really not. If he looks like a teenager, then that says a lot about Rachel - none of it good.

I think I'll have to avoid this series for a bit. Hate reading is not one of my hobbies.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #18

16/6/2023

Star Wars: Clone Wars (Republic series)

Vol 1 - The Defense of Kamino & Other Tales

There's some really good stuff here, especially the last story which featured Jedi who did not wish to involve themselves in the Clone Wars. And hey, I'm always happy to see Quinlan Vos. The Mon Calamari-centric story was by far the weakest inside this volume and it was so jarring since it was surrounded by markedly better comics.

Vol 2 - Victories and Sacrifices

An excellent volume with stories that really ramp up the pathos. I can't choose a favourite among them, as they are all so good. And I always enjoy seeing Quinlan Vos, obviously.

Vol 3 - Last Stand on Jabiim

Although I have yet to finish my re-read of this particular series, I can tell you that is the best volume - and that it contains the best stories ever released during the run of the Republic comics. They still blow me away. I find myself thinking about these pages at odd moments, even years later, so of course I was delighted when Jabiim appeared in the Disney Obi-Wan series. Well, it wasn't quiiiite the Jabiim I remembered. I remember rain and blood and despair. Anyway, I can't recommend this volume enough.

Vol 4 - Light and Dark

Sure, there have been other Legends comics about Jedi infiltrating the enemy and going a bit too far into the Dark Side, but this is a storyline that can be addictive if done well - and if Quinlan Vos is involved! Another great volume.

Vol 5 - The Best Blades

Obi-Wan's escape (with the assistance of Alpha) was entertaining and revealed much about his opponent and her backstory, but it dragged on a bit too long. As for the Yoda story, it was so average that it's entirely forgettable.

Vol 6 - On the Fields of Battle

I was a little worried after the last volume, but this one is just as epic as earlier instalments. So many twists and turns, so much dazzling action - this series really was peak Legends.

Vol 7 - When They Were Brothers

Much as I enjoy Obi-Wan becoming a bit unhinged in his hunt for Asajj Ventress, it is so irritating when a villain just won't die. One fake death - okay, maybe I can accept that. But two? Seriously lazy writing.

Vol 8 - The Last Siege, the Final Truth

Good grief, I'm tired of Quinlan Vos and his ever-revolving carousel of loyalties. Why did they have to drag this out so much? Just let the dude do his job. This series is beginning to lose my interest, but at least there's not much left.

Vol 9 - Endgame

Quinlan's story ends here in... a semi-satisfactory manner. He enjoyed certain protections from The Flannelled One and let's be honest - he's simply too cool to die (heck, in the Disney canon he's apparently still roaming the galaxy during the Kenobi series). Quinlan's survival I'm okay with, especially given the official Lucas seal of approval, but why the other two? Tholme and T'ra Saa aren't even that interesting. This volume ends with the first of the Purge one-shots, which doesn't feel like it belongs in these pages.

Star Wars: General Grievous

Not sure why this exists, since it offers nothing - not even a decent plot.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #17

16/6/2023

Star Wars: Clone Wars (TV adaptation)

I needed a quick refresher of the first Clone Wars series, so I was quite happy to see that this was next on my EU read-through list. But that's all it's good for. The images are horribly pixelated at times, since they are screen grabs from the actual show, and you spend the whole book wishing you were watching the episodes instead.

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures

Vol 1

Perfectly captures the spirit and style of the first Clone Wars series - I'd even go so far as to say that the three tales included here might even be better than some of the episodes. But if it's a story arc you're after, this is not the TPB you're looking for.

Vol 2

The sass is strong with this one - and so is the Force, obviously. These three one-shots were amazing.

Vol 3

More action-packed fun. The highlights here include Yoda saving a town without speaking a word and the Asajj & Durge vs General Grievous fight.

Vol 4

Not as good as the previous three TPBs, mostly because the attempts at humour fell flat for me.

Vol 5

Four somewhat average tales in this one. I do wish they'd put all of the Order 66 stories towards the end of the series, but I guess they were aiming for variety. Not always a bad thing.

Vol 6

Only one good story in this bunch, which is disappointing. Have all the best stories in this series already been used up?

Vol 7

Not all of these stories were terrible, but the Padmé one felt like a personal insult to my intelligence.

Vol 8

Heck yeah, that's more like it. I loved every story in this TPB and I liked that most of them featured epic women doing epic shit.

Vol 9

How can such a brilliant volume be followed by such an average one? Oh well, it was still entertaining. Mace Windu is no doubt sick of these mothereffing zombies on this mothereffing planet.

Vol 10

I'm relieved that this is the last volume, because by this point the series had well and truly outstayed its welcome.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #16

16/6/2023

Star Wars: Boba Fett

#1 - The Fight to Survive
by Terry Bisson

Ooof this was not good. Most of it is a retelling of Attack of the Clones, from Boba's point of view, but it really wasn't necessary. The real story doesn't start for some time and it mostly consists of Boba being irritatingly (and uncharacteristically) gullible. There's also a random, inexplicable cameo by Siri Tachi. She didn't actually do anything, much to my disappointment.

#2 - Crossfire
by Terry Bisson

This instalment delivered an actual plot, though not a brilliant one - and Count Dooku, who could have been a great villain, was severely under-utilised. But I'm impressed that a kids' book from 2002 managed to include a non-binary (if alien) character. Boba also made sure to confirm his new friend's gender. A nice surprise.

#3 - Maze of Deception
by Elizabeth Hand

A frustrating read, because Boba was still written as a gullible kid (so gullible, in fact, that my 10-year-old self would have despised him in this book!). At least he had a couple of good moments this time. There seems to be no real difference in writing style, despite another author taking over the series.

#4 - Hunted
by Elizabeth Hand

What a relief this was. The best of the series so far (and by far!). The creepy eye things, Boba vs Durge, Boba handling Jabba for the first time - a solid story and not too much cringing on my part, for once.

#5 - A New Threat
by Elizabeth Hand

A standard adventure that doesn't offer anything new, but it contains enough excitement to keep the pages turning. It's also good to see Boba actually being competent.

#6 - Pursuit
by Elizabeth Hand

Well, I'm not exactly sure what that was, but I know it wasn't good. Boba Fett abandons a bounty for a personal vendetta, then fails at that too. Who is this guy? In fact, I didn't recognise any of the characters in this disaster, even though they were wearing very familiar names. A terrible ending to a meh series.

Attack of the Bore

16/6/2023

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (film novelisation)
by R. A. Salvatore

There have been attempts made on Senator Padmé Amidala's life and this hints at something far greater, and far more sinister, going on in the background. Obi-Wan Kenobi begins his investigation into who could be targeting her. Meanwhile, his impetuous Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, must escort Padmé home to Naboo, where she will be safe. But two hearts in particular are not safe at all.

Attack of the Clones, in my opinion, is the weakest of the six core films. So it's not surprising that this adaptation is also very weak. Salvatore was given an unenviable task here, but it doesn't help that he completely lacks Terry Brooks' skill in smoothing things over. The "romantic" dialogue was obviously going to be terrible, given the source, so I won't hold Salvatore to account for that. However, I was disappointed in his prose because it did little to improve the problematic scenes... at times it actually seemed to make them worse. Padmé is also handled poorly as a character - any of her introspection on the page is just...flat.

The Returning Author

16/6/2023

The Approaching Storm (Star Wars Legends)
by Alan Dean Foster

The Republic is in danger of losing many worlds to a secession movement and Anion may be the next to fall. Seemingly unimportant in the galactic scheme of things, this backwater planet of city dwellers and nomads is a vital piece in a discreet game. But it is not so discreet that the Jedi will overlook or ignore it. Two teams of Jedi have been dispatched. Hopefully, it will be enough.

Alan Dean Foster has the distinction of writing the first ever Legends novel, back in the late 1970s. If A New Hope had failed, his attempt would have been the only sequel. Hard to imagine that possibility now! His second Legends book - this one - came 24 years later and needed to follow MUCH stricter guidelines. Foster doesn't seem to have had any trouble doing that at all. But what he did have trouble doing was creating a story that felt in any way necessary. Sure, it hints at the Separatist stuff, but there's not much going on here except a journey across an unremarkable planet that tosses up the occasional obstacle. There are some great characters moments... but then there are more of them. And still more. I would have gladly taken more plot over those.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #15

16/6/2023

Honour and Duty

Characters need to be likeable or at least interesting. Neither of these crucial elements was present in this TPB. I wasn't that keen on the plot either - or the rushed, too-convenient ending that capped things off.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
(comic adaptation)

I didn't mind this adaptation too much, since it was competently done (unlike the previous film's adaptation) and I liked the subtle changes in illustration which occurred in certain scenes. But the script relies too much on narration in order to fit important details in.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #14

16/6/2023

Star Wars Adventures (Star Wars Legends)
by Ryder Windham

#1 - Hunt the Sun Runner

A decent enough adventure with an intriguing premise, which is surprising given the book's short length. Not brilliant by any means, but also not terrible.

PS: How fortunate that a secondhand copy of this book arrived in my letterbox about 90 minutes before I'd planned to read it!

#2 - The Cavern of Screaming Skulls

This continuation is much the same as the first book - not brilliant but good fun, aided by moments of humour that aren't forced or too cringey. Obi-Wan's predicament at the end made me chuckle out loud.

#3 - The Hostage Princess

So far, these books have been consistently okay and this one is no exception. An amusing romp with a side order of young romance. Alas, I had to read it on a dodgy website, since a year of futile searching has not yielded a secondhand copy anywhere (if you have one, please let me know!).

#4 - Jango Fett vs. the Razor Eaters

Another solid instalment - it also marks the beginning the second part of the series story arc, this time focusing on the "baddies" instead. Jango and Cradossk are both very entertaining, especially when sharing scenes.

#5 - The Shape-Shifter Strikes

Zam Wesell has entered the chat. Attack of the Clones did her so dirty, but happily there are some Legends books and comics that give her many moments to shine. And she deserves all of them. Additionally, Bossk provides some great comic relief in this instalment.

#6 - The Warlords of Balmorra

Wow, that was one seriously weird book - and nowhere near as fun as the previous five in the series. I found myself hoping that "it ain't over til the Hutt sings" was a real saying instead of a desperate wish and that it was applicable here, but alas no. It was not over. Windham decided to inflict more horrible lyrics on us for several pages. *shudder*

I won't be reading the rest of the series as those books reprint earlier Adventure books.