Category: Space Opera - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

The Honeymoon's Not Over

15/9/2022

Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel
by Beth Revis

The Rebellion has triumphed at Endor and though the war should be done and dusted, there's still so much more for our heroes, Han and Leia, to do. Like get married and go on a honeymoon that totally isn't a PR stunt and totally won't be derailed by any impromptu ambassadorial missions or opportunistic stowaways.

Ahhh, this was so lovely. The wedding was everything I wanted in Legends and never got. And bonus? No kidnapping! Look, The Courtship of Princess Leia is a classic but it's very much a product of its time lol.

I was happy to bask in the slower pace of The Princess and the Scoundrel, though the action introduced towards the end was obviously very welcome. I'm not even mad about the thinly veiled advertisement for the Disney World Resort. A starship is a much less noticeable thing to shoehorn in than, say, a random far-flung outpost (I will always be annoyed by the Black Spire books).

This is not a perfect book, but it was exactly what I wanted it to be.

The Force is Not Strong with This One

14/9/2022

Star Wars: Padawan by Kiersten White

Obi-Wan Kenobi feels like he's failing his Master, the Order and himself at nearly every turn. When Qui-Gon fails to show up in time for a mission, Obi-Wan impulsively leaves on his own, chasing a planet that seems to have been lost in the days of the High Republic. He will either find his way - or become even more hopelessly lost if he doesn't centre himself.

My main gripes with this book are pretty much the same gripes I have with the other titles in the Disney canon. Not everything needs to have connection to the High Republic! Geez! I mean, yeah, I liked Orla but they did her so dirty and this book just reawakened my anger. I'm also getting very tired of standalone titles that terminate without much growth or anything new said. Could we perhaps have more serieses? To allow the characters and plots some breathing room?

Full disclosure: I'm a diehard fan of the old Jedi Apprentice series and yes the bookmark I used while reading Padawanwas carefully excavated from my copy of The Mark of the Crown back in 1999. So... this book was never going to match up to the Legends canon for me. Which is fine. Padawan even managed to catch an echo of what I enjoyed about JA every now and then... but Obi-Wan acted like a tween instead of a teenager, I started twitching every time he "laughed" (WAY too many times and often on the same page - was the editor really tired or something?), and there was none of that breathing room I was talking about.

And then there was that weird freaking moment. You know the one. Before it happened, I was quite pleased by the inclusion of a non-binary character who felt like an organic part of the the story. In contrast, the exploration of Obi-Wan's possible sexuality was not organic in the slightest. It was so awkwardly done and didn't feel true to his character.

Ahem. That all said, I'm still going to think of this book fondly because I'm just jazzed to have some Obi-Wan content. And that's a great cover. And the pages smell nice. I'm grasping here, aren't I?

Oh No Never Again

13/8/2022

Vows of Empire (The Bloodright Trilogy #3)
by Emily Skrutskie

Separated, the heirs of opposing blood lines, Gal and Ettian would rather this whole galactic war thing went away so they could be together without A) weakening someone or B) killing several someones. But what they want won't be possible...without a heck of a lot of manoeuvring and a buttload of shenanigans.

...oh dear. Vows of Empire never stood a chance with me. I really hate these kinds of "hehehe we're unfolding a big damn plot that we've kept hidden from the reader/viewer" storylines. I find them sloppy and boring. This was no exception to the rule. Where was the momentum of the previous two books? Where was the delicious pining? We didn't get a real ending...just a cop out. I wish I'd never bothered with this trilogy in the first place.

In the Shadow of the Old Canon

28/5/2022

Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen

Cato Neimoidia has declared itself neutral in the Clone Wars, but a devastating attack has laid waste to one of its cities and now they are demanding an investigation. Obi-Wan is sent in the Republic's place, newly alone without his former Padawan, and finds that Neimoidians have many more nuances than he realised. And he is more in need of Anakin's help than ever.

While I liked the idea of this book, I felt that it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Too much meandering and too little engagement - an impression not doubt spurred on the prose constantly getting bogged down in lengthy self reflection by the characters. I find myself missing the Clone Wars books of the old canon. They had to follow similar rigid rules, I imagine, but still managed to be exciting and convey a feeling of danger.

This all said, Brotherhood is an easy, undemanding read, just not especially memorable.

This is How the Trilogy Dies

15/4/2022

Queen's Hope (Padmé Trilogy #3)
by E. K. Johnston

Padmé usually shares everything that she is with the galaxy, especially her handmaidens - but now she has a secret. Something that is hers and hers alone. But the Clone War has begun and stealing moments with her new husband is difficult, especially when she must depart on a clandestine mission and leave loyal Sabé in her place on Coruscant.

I absolutely LOVED the other two books, so this was a little bit of a letdown. I do enjoy how Johnston gives the women of Star Wars a voice, though Queen's Hope contained too many voices and seemed to include some characters just 'cause. Padmé's mission didn't really add much to the plot either. But Johnston did finally make me like Anakin/Padmé together - something I never thought was possible. Ha!

More Theme Park Advertising

31/3/2022

Star Wars: A Crash of Fate (Galaxy's Edge)
by Zoraida Córdova

Izzy left Batuu - and her best friend, Jules - behind years ago and had no intention of ever returning. But when her crew and and her boyfriend ditch her, she takes on a job that sends her back to Batuu. Jules has been waiting for Izzy to return for most of his life, even if he won't admit it. He never thought he'd see her again...much less be punched in the face by her!

Very cute. The plot wasn't particularly engaging, but the teen romance between Izzy and Jules kept me hanging on. And then the epilogue killed the small amount of enjoyment I'd got from reading this, because here we go - yet another Galaxy's Edge book that ends just as something interesting finally happens. It's probably my fault for picking up a title that ties into a freaking theme park.

Nothing Lesser About This One

12/3/2022

Star Wars: Lesser Evil (Thrawn Ascendancy #3)
by Timothy Zahn

Forces continue to move against the Chiss Ascendancy - and they are not always the same forces that are moving against Thrawn. He will defend the Ascendancy at any cost, make any sacrifice, but he is not the only one who will face consequences. In the end, the Chiss Ascendancy will either be broken or saved by its many secrets.

Whoa. I'm still sitting here, still somewhat shocked. The trilogy is over - and it was so artistically done (no, I will never stop using that quote in these reviews, fight me). Lesser Evil is a superb conclusion that feel more targeted and less aimless than the previous two books, possibly because everything comes to a head - possibly because it just is that much better. This is everything I wanted in a conclusion to the prequels about Thrawn's origins. In the past, I would have said that sci-fi novels that are heavy on politics and military aspects are not my thing...but maybe it's because they didn't have Thrawn (and now I also have a soft spot for that Geary guy - I digress).

Well worth the read. One of the best books in the current canon.

Fun in the Time of Disaster

5/3/2022

Star Wars: Midnight Horizon (The High Republic)
by Daniel José Older

A group of Jedi head to Coronet City to investigate a Nihil sighting and find themselves following very different paths on their mission. Meanwhile, Corellian local Crash (who runs a protection company) needs to find the real murderer of one of her employees or she'll face the consequences. It's incredibly lucky that she stumbles across two Padawans, isn't it?

I am not a fan of Older's books in this universe. That said, I appreciated the - dare I say it - balance he used here, adding much-needed levity around the main devastating event in the adult novel. But my usual gripes remain. This read too young to be a YA novel at most times (just like Race to Crashpoint Tower felt more Junior Reader than MG) and the scenes were too disjointed for my liking. Reath was also unrecognisable from his previous appearances. However, a little bit of fun is required at this point in the series, so my overall impression is more favourable than it ought to be.

The BEST Kind of MG Adventure

2/3/2022

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.

A Less Enjoyable MG Adventure

2/3/2022

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.