Expanded Universe Round-Up #26

​​Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina

​Some of these stories I didn't connect with and others were alright, but the only really brilliant one was the tale about the moisture farmer. The sticker on the back suggests that I bought my copy a few years after my obession with the Galaxy of Fear series and I vaguely remember being pleased to discover more about Momaw Nadon and Dannik Jerriko. The story I recall most from two decades ago, when I last read this anthology, is the Barbara Hambly one, which is interesting because I'm really getting into her non-Star Wars work at the moment.
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​The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi
by Ryder Windham

Ryder Windham is a very average author and I rarely love his Star Wars books, but I think he did an excellent job here - and he definitely did Obi-Wan justice. The A'Sharad Hett scenes were also very welcome, since they bridged together two very different eras of the Legends canon. I'm unsure if my fondness for Obi-Wan is skewing my opinion... whatever the case, I really enjoyed reading this point of view. ;)
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​Star Wars Journal: Captive to  Evil
by Jude Watson

As a kid, I probably would have adored this book and its sassy voice. As an adult, I didn't find the recording device plausible (especially in the Death Star scenes). This feels like a prototype. And that's how I'll view it from now on - as a trial run for Jude Watson's much better Episode I journals.
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​Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice
by John Peel

This was a stronger "journal" than the previous one and Peel did a good job of recreating Luke's voice (I'd say it was done passably instead of perfectly, but that's only because this book was aimed at younger readers - and I think it would be received well by is target audience).
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Star Wars Journal: Hero for Hire
by Donna Tauscher

This is the most creative entry in the journal series and easily the best of the ones based on A New Hope. Han Solo is not a record-keeping kind of guy. Tauscher got around this by opting for an interview style and it really paid off. She also masterfully wove in details about Bria Tharen, connecting that part of Han's Legends history to his reluctance to join the Rebel cause.
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