Category: Sci Fi/fantasy - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

The Name's Shan, Theron Shan

2/2/2023

Annihilation (Star Wars Legends)
by Drew Karpyshyn

Theron Shan is one of the best loose cannons working for the SIS and that makes him the best candidate for a daring mission into Sith territory in an attempt to destroy a deadly starship. His past and background will either help or hinder him - especially when decisions must be made by those in far more senior positions. Trust goes both ways...or it should!

Hmm. I did enjoy aspects of this book. Theron Shan is a great protagonist and he's Force blind despite his pedigree, which makes him very interesting. I appreciated that the story continued on from the comics and dealt with the outcome, but it was slow going at times and I felt jarred by the overly obvious 20th-century influences present in the novel. Including the less-than-stellar use of female characters (which was also a failing of Karpyshyn's other Old Republic entry, Revan).

Team-Up Time

26/1/2023

Fatal Alliance (Star Wars Legends)
by Sean Williams

A Hutt is keeping a prize of galactic importance in her digs and everyone wants a chance at buying - or stealing - it. Jedi, Sith, Republic, Imperial and even Mandalorian interests are all at play here, but in order to find the true prize they can't compete with each other. They'll have to play along and forge... a fatal alliance (ba dum tsh). No one will come out of this team-up unscathed.

Up until this point, the Old Republic novels have felt less like stories and more like...ghosts of stories. Attempts to carefully follow or avoid the games, attempts that have left me wanting. But this one finally yielded a decent adventure. I found that the more generous length worked in the book's favour - it drew me in and made the characters feel like old friends by the end. An excellent entry.

Star Wars: ZOMBIES!

22/1/2023

Red Harvest (Star Wars Legends)
by Joe Schreiber

Hestizo Trace has a gift with plants and so she works at the Agricultural Corps instead of in a Jedi Temple. When a special black orchid is stolen, she is taken along with it - and delivered straight to a Sith Master whose latest project involves Sith trainees who just won't seem to die. Escape is becoming more impossible by the second. Who will be left alive instead of undead?

This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. But I won't lie - I enjoyed the heck out of it. Sometimes you just need a silly, fun zombie romp involving lightsabers and Tauntauns. Oh and let's not forget the Taken reference. It's the kind of moment you either hate or cackle uncontrollably at. Obviously, I was in the latter camp. A trashy and terrible book, but damn I love it.

A Short & Sweet Sequel

21/1/2023

Mysteries of Thorn Manor (Sorcery of Thorns #1.5)
by Margaret Rogerson

I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Australia (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

After the excitement of Sorcery of Thorns, Elisabeth and Nathaniel are enjoying domesticity and their burgeoning courtship. But Thorn Manor is suddenly in chaos - of the magical kind - and if they don't discover what's wrong, they'll be locked inside for good.

I have very lukewarm feelings about the book which precedes this, because it was an underwhelming and samey YA fantasy tale in a market saturated with them. Oddly enough, I really quite liked this novella sequel. I'd say it's actually better, because the plot is simpler and we get to enjoy our time with the characters. And of course there's Silas, who always steals the show.

Darth Respirator the First

20/1/2023

Deceived (Star Wars Legends)
by Paul S. Kemp

A peace treaty is to be signed and the war ended - but first, the Sith will do the unthinkable with the Sacking of Coruscant. Jedi Aryn Leneer wants revenge. The footage of the being who killed her Master is on Coruscant, but the Empire is still there and she shouldn't be endangering the treaty. Her journey begins and ends with Darth Malgus. If she succeeds, then she will be betraying her Order and her soul.

I didn't want to like this, but it slowly won me over until I realised that I'd suddenly run out of pages to read. Setting this over three days was a good idea. Due to this, the pace of the story never flagged and there wasn't any time to get bored or focus on the flaws (and yes, there are flaws!). I'm not sure why, but I found Kemp's writing style slightly off-putting. But the story itself was excellent.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #3

17/1/2023

Blood of the Empire (The Old Republic Vol 1)

I'll start with the usual "I haven't played any of the games" disclaimer. I found this to be a pretty decent if unremarkable tale that offered no real surprises, because it features Sith being...well, Sith. Teneb Kel is the standard copy-and-paste Sith. I was happy to see him succeed, however.

Threat of Peace (The Old Republic Vol 2)

What a mess! Disjointed to the point of being confusing... never lingering long enough in one place for me to connect to any of the characters (or give a damn about them)... I really wish I could claw back the time I lost while reading this TPB and it wasn't even that long!

Also, why the heck did the artist literally draw the Sydney Harbour Bridge into the background of one panel? It was horribly jarring.

The Lost Suns (The Old Republic Vol 3)

This is the first TPB of the series that actually gave me a real sense of the setting used in the video games - and the first competently executed story (the previous TPBs...yikes). I became quite fond of Theron Shan and his companions while reading these pages. I'm not sad that I finished a lacklustre series, but at least it ended on a strong note.

Meh Gap Filler

16/1/2023

Revan (Star Wars Legends)
by Drew Karpyshyn

Revan was a villain until a handy mindwipe turned him back into a hero, but his journey isn't over - he is haunted by dreams of a world covered in storms and senses that it is the hiding place of a great threat to the Republic. Chasing this threat may cost him everything, but it must be done. It is, however, something he cannot face alone.

I tried several times to make the summary sound more exciting. I failed. It's not my fault, though! The book itself doesn't really offer much in the way of plot or characterisation - it serves more as a bridge between video games and that really hurts it. Various characters... I just didn't care about them, because I haven't played the games and nor were they properly developed here. I also understand that some Revan fans weren't terribly pleased with the book.

A forgettable gap filler that doesn't really seem necessary.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #2

14/1/2023

Commencement (KOTOR Vol 1)

One of my favourite comic book series of all time - and my love for it has never waned. This is a fantastic start. A fantastic volume. The pacing is perfection, the emotional stakes are present from very early on, the hero is immediately likeable and you just want to slay the Masters who put him in this terrible position. Gryph and Zayne play off each other so well - and I totally shouldn't like Gryph, but I do.

Flashpoint (KOTOR Vol 2)

A cracking continuation that doesn't disappoint. I'd forgotten some of this and I have to say, the stories collected in this TPB are incredibly well paced and characters are introduced at exactly the right moments. I really love this series.

Days of Fear, Nights of Anger (KOTOR Vol 3)

Another very strong TPB. Zayne and Gryph are still my faves (and always will be) and I have no complaints about their side of things. However, much as I liked finding more about the mysterious Camper and those who were looking for him, I found this portion much weaker and the momentum of previous stories all but disappeared. But I will give it the benefit of the doubt until I crack open the next TPB.

Daze of Hate, Knights of Suffering
(KOTOR Vol 4)

Now that we're past the space slug story, the series returns to his previous excellence. Zayne returns home to Taris, a long-awaited moment, and Raana meets her (very satisfying) end. I couldn't love this TPB any more if I tried. Let's see if the Vector crossover causes the series to have another dip in quality, as already seen in volume 3.

Vector Vol 1/KOTOR Vol 5/Dark Times Vol 3

Storywise, this does not disappoint. Or rather, it exceeds expectations - because crossovers are generally cringey and place profit over quality (heck, they even admit to the blatant cash grab in a brief editorial at the start of the TPB). But Vector, so far, is engaging and does great things with the characters. But...artwise, I was very disappointed while reading Knights of the Old Republic segment. Terrible choice of artistic style. It does not gel with the series or the general tone of Star Wars comics. So I've deducted a star for that.

Vector Vol 2/Rebellion Vol 4/Legacy Vol 6

Wow. What a significant upgrade from the first half of the tale (and I actually liked that half!). The art is as awesome as the storyline and the conclusion in the Legacy era is everything a fan could want. I haven't read the Rebellion comics in a long time, but I do remember being slightly miffed that Able's death was so unworthy of him. It is a very minor quibble. Some crossovers really are as epic as they seem.

Vindication (KOTOR Vol 6)

I had to sit on my thoughts about this for a minute, because most of them contained expletives (in a good way!). Because this TPB really was amazing. Zayne has gone through so much and the conclusion to this particular arc was incredibly satisfying - and it was easily some of the best content the EU had to offer. Zayne is my favourite character from the ancient past of the Republic. No contest.

Duelling Ambitions (KOTOR Vol 7)

Given how mind-blowingly brilliant Zayne's exoneration arc was, I admit to feeling a little trepidatious about what was coming next. Obviously, this new phase of the KOTOR comics will never be as brilliant as what came before it, but so far it seems it will be enjoyable in its own right. This is largely due to how likeable the characters are.

Destroyer (KOTOR Vol 8)

This TPB is quite good, though it is let down somewhat by an ending that I felt was out of character for Zayne. This darker storyline - strange to think the series could get darker after the original arc! - is engaging, so I am looking forward to reading more of it. I think it will be worth it. Either way, I can cross off more titles in my epic EU re-read.

Demon (KOTOR Vol 9)

There is always some concern when you pick up a TPB that is noticeably shorter than the rest. That concern proved to be something of a premonition. This is a very rushed ending to an arc that would have benefited from more pages, more care and more... just more. But I still enjoyed this adventure, largely due to my ship finally paying off! Zayne/Jarael 4eva.

War (KOTOR Vol 10)

Extremely disappointing and has nothing that previously made the series great. I think I'm going to pretend this TPB doesn't exist. The series, in my mind, ended with volume 9.

Quest for a Better MG Novel

7/1/2023

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.

Expanded Universe Round-Up

30/12/2022

Force Storm (Dawn of the Jedi Vol 1)

There was a little too much going on in this TPB, with a few too many characters mixed in amongst the chaos. That said, it was a very solid start that drew me in immediately. Great potential in this series, I sense.

Prisoner of Bogan (Dawn of the Jedi Vol 2)

There were parts of this second TPB that were quite good and the momentum from the first TPB was maintained, but Daegen Lok is...not an interesting character. And it's kind of annoying how easily he was able to get where he wanted to go.

Force War (Dawn of the Jedi Vol 3)

Whoa, what happened here? The series wasn't great but it wasn't terrible - until suddenly we hit the third TPB. What a mess! In fact, this is so messy it almost reached the point of being unreadable. I really liked the Xesh/Shae stuff, but they were a tiny eye in the middle of a craptastic storm. This arc feels horribly rushed.

Tales of the Jedi (Vol 1)

This collection is nothing short of epic. Naga Sadow, Nomi Sunrider and Ulic Qel-Droma all appear in these pages, characters that were like real legends to me as a child - especially since I was not able to get my hands on the comics until adulthood. Myths threading their way through the prose books until I finally found the source. The Tales of the Jedi comics were - still are - so iconic. They will always represent the Republic's ancient history to me, even now in the Disney era.

Tales of the Jedi (Vol 2)

Reaching the end of the Tales of the Jedi run is like saying goodbye to old, cherished friends. I wouldn't say it doesn't have it flaws (particularly in this second collection), but the stories therein truly deserve the label of "saga". I could definitely have kept reading - if there had been more to read. Unmissable, formative, outstanding, and a treasured relic of the 1990s.

Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories

I remember being rather disinterested with this book the first time I read it, but perhaps those memories were tainted with how tired I was with the EU in general by that point. But on my second reading of it, many years later, I really enjoyed myself. John Jackson Miller made the Lost Tribe far more fascinating than they appeared to be in the Fate of the Jedi books. The novella is the weakest story of the bunch. I'd have appreciated more stories in and after that timeframe...but all in all? A great collection.