Category: MG

Expanded Universe Round-Up #12

8/6/2023

Star Wars Episode I: Adventures

#7 - Capture Arawynne

Not as good as the previous two entries - the book is mostly taken up with kids trying to evade adults in a killer garden. Silly would be an understatement. But it's still well written, for the intended audience that is.

#8 - Trouble on Tatooine

A very strong conclusion to the Tatooine arc. I didn't expect such an emotional finale or that I'd ever feel so attached to Kitster, a character I only had a passing interest in before now.

#9 - Rescue in the Core

Oh my God. How am I going to survive three more of these? I vowed to read all of the Legends books and comics that I own... I'm regretting that decision now. Jar Jar is okay(ish) in small doses, but this entire book is full of Gungans talking the same way as him. It was so painful to read.

#10 - Festival of Warriors

A slightly more coherent plot in this one, but the dialogue still makes me want to stab my eyes out. I remember being pleased to find secondhand copies of these books that looked completely unread. I envy the previous owners their blissful ignorance.

#11 - Pirates From Beyond the Sea

The Gungan dialogue is still unbearable. And what's worse... the words "romance" and "Tarpals" appear together in the same paragraph and I can never unsee that.

#12 - The Bongo Rally

Hurray! The ghastly arc is over - and I don't think we ever needed to see Jar Jar and Tarpals in a love triangle. I don't own any of the other books in the series, because I have enough versions of The Phantom Menace, thank you very much.

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Expanded Universe Round-Up #11

8/6/2023

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Star Wars Episode I: Adventures

#1 - Search for the Lost Jedi

This wasn't too bad - much to my surprise, since I am very aware that this entire series is a cash grab - though it's obviously a bit simplistic for an adult reader. I didn't appreciate the unresolved ending, but I do understand why it's there (ka-ching!).

#2 - The Bartokk Assassins

A much more entertaining instalment, possibly because it was able to jump straight into the action without any preamble. I'm impressed that Windham could cram so much into such a short book and make it work. So I'll overlook that ridiculous mental image of Rune Haako and Daultay Dofine disguised as Duros lol

#3 - The Fury of Darth Maul

A decent enough Darth Maul adventure, though the plot developments are a bit silly and Qui-Gon is suddenly not very good at making mission-critical decisions.

#4 - Jedi Emergency

Yoda was the hero of this book and I think that was a good choice, because 1999!Yoda didn't look like he could do very much. This particular arc of the series is over, much to my relief. Any longer and it would have outstayed its welcome.

#5 - The Ghostling Children

Well, I'm shocked. This book was really quite good, especially given that it's only part of the story. The extra handful of pages (it was slightly longer than Windham's contributions to the series) might have helped with the pacing. Wolverton is also a much better writer (which isn't a slight against Windham - Wolverton is just brilliant).

#6 - The Hunt for Anakin Skywalker

Another thrilling instalment from Wolverton. I'm quite enjoying the adventures of Anakin and his friends and I suspect I'll be sad when this arc finishes.

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Quest for a Better MG Novel

7/1/2023

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Quest for the Hidden City (Star Wars: The High Republic)
by George Mann

Rooper Nitani is a Jedi Padawan on the frontier and now she must investigate the disappearance of another Pathfinder team with her Master. Her journey will lead her to Gloam, a planet of creatures that came out at night and who carry a secret that will affect an entire civilisation. But only if the truth becomes known. And only if Rooper and her companions survive.

This was a pretty basic MG adventure that managed to be fun at times and I appreciated the horror vibe. But the writing...alas, not that great. I also didn't feel like Rok was a real character at all - he was very two dimensional and I really couldn't care less if he lived or died. This all said, the book will no doubt be enjoyed by its target market, despite its deficiencies.

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The BEST Kind of MG Adventure

2/3/2022

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Star Wars: Mission to Disaster (The High Republic)
by Justina Ireland

Jedi Knight Vernestra and her Padawan Imri are back with another adventure. After Avon is abducted by Nihil and put to work by them, Vernestra and Imri must investigate other disappearances before they can make any progress towards rescuing their friend. It would be nice if people seemed more willing to help them!

Jedi and seismic activity in the same book? Kid!me would have loved the heck out of this. Who am I kidding? Adult!me also loved it. Ireland is one of two authors who makes reading the High Republic worthwhile. The excitement that her previous MG novel lacked is here in spades - along with great pacing and superb handling of characters I care about a lot.

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A Less Enjoyable MG Adventure

2/3/2022

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Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower (The High Republic)
by Daniel José Older

Ram is a Jedi Padawan who would rather tinker with machines than deal with other beings, but he needs to get out an urgent message about the Nihil on Valo - before it's too late! Meanwhile, Zeen and Lula (an unaffiliated Force sensitive and another Padawan respectively) are racing to Valo to help out. What can they do together that they can't do apart?

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I didn't like this - I already disliked the first volume of The High Republic Adventures, which introduced Zeen and Lula - but I am a completist, alas. As for Ram, his POV was too chaotic and I didn't really get a sense of him as a character, so it was hard for me to feel anything about him being in danger. The Drengir, usually my preferred villains, were used poorly. At least the next MG novel in the series is by Justina Ireland. Whew.

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Book Reviews

Expanded Universe Round-Up #12

Star Wars Episode I: Adventures

Expanded Universe Round-Up #11

Star Wars Episode I: Adventures

Quest for a Better MG Novel

Quest for the Hidden City (Star Wars: The High Republic)
by George Mann

The BEST Kind of MG Adventure

Star Wars: Mission to Disaster (The High Republic)
by Justina Ireland

A Less Enjoyable MG Adventure

Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower (The High Republic)
by Daniel José Older

About

Archives

Categories

Book Reviews

Expanded Universe Round-Up #12

Star Wars Episode I: Adventures

Expanded Universe Round-Up #11

Star Wars Episode I: Adventures

Quest for a Better MG Novel

​Quest for the Hidden City (Star Wars: The High Republic)​by George Mann

The BEST Kind of MG Adventure

Star Wars: Mission to Disaster (The High Republic)by Justina Ireland

A Less Enjoyable MG Adventure

Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower (The High Republic)by Daniel José Older

About

Archives

Categories

Quest for the Hidden City (Star Wars: The High Republic)
by George Mann

Star Wars: Mission to Disaster (The High Republic)
by Justina Ireland

Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower (The High Republic)
by Daniel José Older