Category: US - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Quinlan Vos: Jedi of Awesome

9/6/2023

Quinlan Vos: Jedi in Darkness (Star Wars Legends/Dark Horse Omnibus)

Some years ago, I started collecting the EU (now Legends) comics and was so frustrated to discover how difficult it was to piece together Quinlan Vos' adventures. Then I saw the Dark Horse omnibus collections begin to appear. I waited. I bided my time. And finally they delivered - this was certainly worth the wait! How excited I was to read these stories for the first time. None of that excitement has faded, even now.

The Quinlan Vos omnibus contains some of the best storytelling in the entire Legends canon. I do not say this lightly. It is no surprise that Vos was ported over to the Disney canon, such is his popularity - and such is the quality of the comics that gave us his story. I wasn't even put off by Villie's comedic "point of view" being included in this collection. In fact, I actually quite enjoyed it!

One-Shots Revealed & Reprinted

9/6/2023

Menace Revealed (Star Wars Legends/Dark Horse Omnibus)

This omnibus was more of a mixed bag, including small one-shots that vary from orphaned content to promotional material designed to sell toys. These didn't contain enough pages or plot to make them memorable. Some of the longer one-shots weren't too great either.

That said, the Jango and Zam duology contained lots of sassy fun (though the storyline itself was hardly brilliant). The Jedi Quest adaptation had a good script but was let down by hideous art (was that really supposed to be Obi-Wan!?). The only standouts here were the Aurra Sing comics. For Aurra's sake, I could overlook my dislike of the Dark Woman.

Excellence & Disappointment

8/6/2023

Emissaries & Assassins (Star Wars Legends/Dark Horse Omnibus)

Whew. There was a lot of content in this omnibus. To start with, there were some Episode I-specific tales that I enjoyed, much to my surprise, especially given that one was a summary of events by Obi-Wan.

The bulk of this collection - making the middle section quite beefy - were stories involving the Jedi Council. This is where you'll get introduced to Legends icons A'Sharad Hett and Quinlan Vos (what a boss - and in my opinion, his retconned "appearance" in The Phantom Menace doesn't count as an intro). Unfortunately, while these stories were interesting, they weren't particularly compelling. Ki-Adi-Mundi... I've never seen that poor dude written well in any comic. As for the Dark Woman, I can't say I'm impressed. Maybe I'd actually like her if she was given more of a personality? Something beyond "my training methods are dark but totallllllyyy don't create Dark Jedi and Sith Lords"? lol

The good news is that the omnibus finished on a very strong note; the Jango Fett comic was exceptional and may be one the greatest visual stories I've ever encountered in the Legends canon. So if you were wondering, this is why my rating is still so high.

Rogue Plotline

8/6/2023

Rogue Planet (Star Wars Legends)
by Greg Bear

Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, are despatched to Zonama Sekot to see what has become of missing Jedi Knight Vergere. What they find is a world of secrets, of hints at what is to come in the galaxy's future. Meanwhile, their mission is endangered by the machinations of a young Wilhuff Tarkin, who intends on climbing the ladder of the new power he senses on the horizon.

This book started really well, backed up by an excellent writing style, but as I progressed through its pages the plot became progressively weaker. To me, it seemed that Bear really struggled to make this unusual story fit neatly into the Star Wars universe and it didn't help that he had to clumsily connect it to the Yuuzhan Vong novels of the time. Great potential... and a great letdown.

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.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #11

8/6/2023

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.

20/80 Vision

7/6/2023

Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows #3)
by Kim Harrison

Rachel is being stalked by a demon who has made her his familiar, her boyfriend (also her familiar) has skipped town, she's pissed off one of her partners, and now she has to protect Trent (aka Not A Good Guy). She's also struggling to balance her feelings for a vampire with the dodgy stuff he's done in his life. She might come out of this mess in one piece, but will her soul remain untouched?

I really wasn't impressed with this book until the last 20%, which was brutal and epic and everything a climax should be. But I'm not sure it makes up for the crappy 80% that preceded it. The plot, if there was one, rambled aimlessly in unnecessary directions and the only person (the previous love interest) in Rachel's life who understands consent and boundaries just up and left. Still, that last 20%...

And no, this book isn't getting my "LGBTQIA+ representation" tag because it's so badly done.

Train Wreck Central

5/6/2023

Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

June Hayward has spent years watching Athena Liu become publishing's brightest star. Now it's finally June's turn to shine. Never mind that she stole the manuscript from Athena's apartment after her so-called friend choked to death on pancakes. Never mind that June has to use a racially ambiguous name for marketing purposes. She's definitely earned all of this success, hasn't she?

I ripped through this book at a breakneck pace, thanks to the fascinating subject matter (i.e. the publishing world) and Kuang's masterful writing. June is the most amazing train wreck of a character and I couldn't - didn't want to! - look away. Never have I met such an unreliable and fantastically awful narrator. June is like a much darker version of myself, if I'd taken a hundred wrong turns lol. Unfortunately, Yellowface suffers from recurring heavy-handedness and a lacklustre finale... but gosh it was fun while it lasted.

Beowulfed

3/6/2023

Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs

An earthquake robbed Fryda of her dream to become a shield maiden, but she has secretly been training for years - which is fortunate, because a dragon is stirring nearby in a cave of treasure and King Beowulf's presence in her home will invite human-shaped enemies to attack her people. Complicating matters if Fryda's love for Theow, a slave who she will never be permitted to marry.

Is my luck so bad that I somehow keep picking up books that are in dire need of a structural edit? Shield Maiden is beautifully written and wonderfully detailed, but my attention wandered countless times before the plot truly began - some time after page 150(!). I guess I was expecting more shield maiden, less family drama. Or perhaps a better balance of these two aspects.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #10

31/5/2023

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
(comic adaptation)

An obviously rushed adaptation that excluded some things that should have been kept, while including other things that could have been dropped. I also found the clumsy (and at times completely missing) scene transitions quite jarring.

Star Wars Episode I: The Queen's Amulet

This is a very well-presented book, including an "amulet". But it's really quite pointless - and a missed opportunity, since it could have been a nice story about friendship.

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Anakin Skywalker

I own several books that are different versions of The Phantom Menace and this is just one of them. Wow, they sure crapped these things out! I actually like this one, because it really does read as though a 9-year-old boy wrote it. I was 10 when I first picked up this book. It was incredibly influential on my writing at the time. So while the story isn't original, I think it does have something to offer.

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala

So in the previous review I said that the Anakin journal was hugely influential on my writing at the time. Well, that had nothing on this! Jude Watson is my favourite of the YA Legends authors and she was certainly in fine form here. I feel like she reallyunderstood Padmé. Or perhaps I just prefer her characterisation of Padme over everyone else's! Journal books can be hit and miss... this one was a massive hit for me when I was a kid. It's still a hit for me now, to be honest.

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Darth Maul

I did not enjoy this "journal" as much. It doesn't read like an actual journal, though it does still have the Jude Watson shine. Additional scenes aren't just there to add pages - they actually add to Maul's characterisation. I will also admit to being disappointed that the pages are normal paper, not the pretty ones seen in the previous journals.