My December Entertainment Update

Hello friends! Time to talk about what’s been entertaining me lately.

Quest of the Jedi Book 1: The Way of the Apprentice, by Jude Watson. I needed an e-book to read, and after not finishing the series The Last of the Jedi, lol, I decided to try this one. It’s the first in a series chronicling the adventures of a young Anakin and Obi-Wan. Like the other series, these are short junior novels, quick, fun reads. This one has Obi-Wan and Anakin sent to a planet in trouble with two sets of other Padawan/Masters that includes Siri and Ferus Olin (I’ve finally gone back far enough to meet him as a Padawan). The planet has been devasted by some kind of bio-weapon disaster, and the Jedi are supposed to help the planet evacuate. Of course, the story becomes more complicated than that, and it’s essentially a story about Anakin learning (or not learning) how to work with other Padawans. I’ve started Book 2, but got distracted by If It Bleeds, by Stephen King. I’ll get back to it.

Ahsoka Rewatch. I decided to rewatch Ahsoka since a friend of mine at work said he was going to watch it, so we could discuss. But he’s been so obsessed with Loki, he hasn’t even gotten past Part 2. Sigh. Oh well, I enjoyed the rewatch, and like it even better on the second watch. It all seems to come together better when you can binge it rather than waiting a week between episodes, idk. Part 5, Shadow Warrior, remains my favorite episode, but I also just adore Ezra, too. And Baylan continues to intrigue. So many great moving parts to this series, though it comes off a little clunky as a whole.

Parable of the Talents, by Octavia E. Butler. In Progress. I’m about halfway done with this book, and I’m totally engrossed. The sequel to Parable of the Sower, it tells of Lauren Olamina and her Earthseed group finally finding safety and relative peace at Acorn, the community they build together in northern California. But disaster and tragedy strike when The Children of Christian America, a fanatical religious group, descends on the community, enslaves the adults, and steals their children. Very difficult part to read, but Lauren finally escapes and is trying to find her infant daughter. I’m eager to see how this one ends. Butler had planned on a third book but unfortunately she died of a stroke in 2005 before she could write it.

If It Bleeds, by Stephen King. In Progress. I was feeling in a bit of a King mood lately, so I thought I’d check this one out. I’ve always enjoyed his shorter fiction, sometimes more than his novels. I’ve only just started the first story, so not much to report on this one. More next month.

Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford. Saw this a few weeks ago and of course watched it. Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones are intrinsically linked, obviously, and this documentary was about both. I’ve always been an Indy fan but I have my favorites (Raiders and The Last Crusade). And I’ve followed Ford’s career but have by no means seen all his films. I also have favorites of those (Blade Runner, Witness and Regarding Henry are top notch). This doc follows Ford’s career, but particularly focuses on the evolution of the Indiana Jones franchise. I did like the interviews with Ford and I decided I like him a little bit better, as in the past few years he just seemed like an ungrateful jerk, lol. Perhaps just misunderstood, but in these interviews he really radiated a warmth concerning these films that redeemed him a bit for me.

New book announced: The Glass Abyss, by Stephen Barnes. I always get excited when new Star Wars canon books are announced, and this one is no exception. I’m really hopeful about this one, because, as you may know, I’ve never been a big Mace Windu fan. He’s just unlikable, lol. I want to like him, though, and in the past have tried to read the Legends Mace book, Shatterpoint, in the hopes of understanding why people love him so much. But I just couldn’t get into it at all. Maybe a canon book will do better for me, as I prefer canon to Legends. Anyway, this one comes out in August of 2024, so not for awhile. Steven Barnes wrote the Legends book The Cestus Deception, which I have on my shelf but haven’t read yet, lol.

Anyway, this is the plot summary:

The Jedi are reeling from Qui-Gon Jinn’s sudden death at the hands of a Sith. Jedi Master Mace Windu’s feelings about Qui-Gon have always been complicated, and have not been made any simpler in death. While they often disagreed, Mace valued Qui-Gon’s unique perspective, and their shared dedication to the Force made them allies. Without Qui-Gon and his unorthodox views, Mace feels out of balance.

While considering his fallen friend’s legacy, Mace is surprised to receive a final message from Qui-Gon, marked to be delivered to Mace on the event of Qui-Gon’s death. The message contains a last request: a plea to help the Outer Rim planet of Metagos.

Many years ago, a violent solar flare transformed the surface of the desert planet into a landscape of irradiated glass—as beautiful as it is dangerous. Now most of the surviving inhabitants live underground, where rival clans fight to control the planet’s limited resources. As a young Jedi, Qui-Gon protected the Sa’ad farming clan from the planet’s less scrupulous factions. The Sa’ad practice the art of dream-weaving, retaining their waking minds upon sleep in order to communicate and coexist with the wild creatures around them. Qui-Gon vowed to return if they ever required his aid, but now it falls to Mace to fulfill that promise. The Sa’ad’s leader, KinShan Nightbird, has begged for the Jedi’s help in freeing Metagos from the crime lords who threaten to eradicate her people’s way of life.

Intent on fulfilling Qui-Gon’s final wishes, Mace travels to Metagos and infiltrates the enemies of the Sa’ad. But as the Jedi Master investigates the intricate web of adversaries and allies, Mace finds himself pushed to the boundaries of the Jedi code, challenging his beliefs and his relationship to the Force itself.
Amazon

Sounds good to me.

So that’s it this month. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Update for November

Hello friends! As I was busy in November doing my NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) Challenge, I waited until the end of the month to post my Entertainment Update, instead of mid-month. There’s a few things to talk about, so I’ll be as brief and to the point as possible.

Crimson Climb, by E.K. Johnston. At the beginning of the movie Solo, a young Han Solo attempts to escape the White Worm gang on Corellia with Qi’ra. He succeeds; she doesn’t. She gets dragged back to the White Worm lair and faces the consequences. This book covers the first year after her failed escape attempt: Lady Proxima punishes her and sells her to a violent criminal; she’s then plucked from him by an associate of Dryden Vos, and becomes a member of Crimson Dawn. The book tells of her rise in that criminal organization to Vos’ lieutenant, the Qi’ra we see later in Solo when Han meets up with her again. I enjoyed the book, though it wasn’t a page-turner for me. I get the feeling we’re going to get a Qi’ra trilogy from Johnston, in the same way we got a Padme trilogy from her. I do like this idea. I wouldn’t say I like Qi’ra; she’s done some pretty bad stuff. But I do admire her smarts and her drive to survive. I was going to do a post on other Qi’ra-related content (comics and books, etc) but got side-tracked by the Chat Pack, so maybe I’ll do that next.

The Eye of Darkness, by George Mann. The long-awaited first book of Phase 3 of the High Republic released this month, and I tore through it pretty quickly. After a detour into the past with Phase 2, we now go back to the Phase 1 characters we know and love: Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann, Bell Zettifar and Burryaga. I was particularly happy to see Avar Kriss as a main protagonist; after meeting and really liking the character in Light of the Jedi, the first High Republic novel, she then retreated mostly to the comics for the rest of the saga so far. I loved seeing her in action again in a novel. Another character I haven’t seen in a novel since LOTJ and whose been in the comics is Porter Engle, who is also one of the main characters here. Both he and Avar are trapped behind the Stormwall, an impenetrable barrier put up by Marchion Ro, leader of the Nihil. Ro has claimed a large portion of the galaxy, calling it the Occlusion Zone, and the people who live within it are at his mercy. Boiling it down, Avar and Porter are trying to find a way out, while Elzar Mann, and Bell and Burryaga, are trying to find a way in, but of course it’s much more than that. This book really deserves its own post, because it’s fantastic and I loved every minute of it.

Star Wars Myths and Fables, by George Mann. I downloaded this to my Kindle because I needed something to read there, and it was free through Prime, lol. And I’d just read George Mann’s High Republic novel and loved it, so why not read him again? This was very different from that, of course, as it’s set up as a telling of, well, myths and fables. These stories are straight exposition, as if told around a campfire or as a bedtime story. They’re fairly entertaining, and Mann does a good job here, but not my favorite type of story. Just something to read between the major Star Wars reads. I love the cover and wouldn’t mind having the hardcover on my shelf, though.

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E. Butler. This is a dystopian novel published in 1993, but remains relevant and frighteningly prescient, considering the events of the book take place in 2024-2027. Lauren Olamina is a precocious 15 year old who lives with her family in a walled community in the suburbs of Los Angeles. It’s walled to keep out the thieves, beggars, homeless, drug addicts, and other desperate people who are willing to kill to survive. It’s not easy living within the walls, but it’s a death sentence outside them. Society has broken down to a point where there aren’t many jobs that pay decent money, or money at all, for that matter; some work for food and board. Some flee to corporate-owned towns and cities and basically become slaves to the corporations. Lauren’s father is a preacher, and teaches at the local college (who he’s teaching, I have no idea; illiteracy is running rampant), though it’s precarious travelling to and from work. One day he just doesn’t come home. That’s after her 14 year old brother runs away and decides to try to make it outside the walls; he’s found dead later, horribly mutilated. The police and fire fighters charge fees for their services, which most people can’t afford. Their community is destroyed by “pyro” addicts, who smash through the gate and set fire to the houses, killing people and stealing their things. Lauren, whose remaining family is killed, is set on her journey north on foot, with a few survivors, to try to find a new, safer life. She’s been preparing for this, and has ideas about a new way of living, a kind of new religion called Earthseed, in which “God is Change.” Life on the road is dangerous and heartbreaking, but she meets people willing to join the group and protect each other. I found this book engrossing and terrifying, mostly because it has elements that we already see in our society, but on a larger scale. I can totally see it happening if we’re not careful, if we don’t pay attention and take action. Anyway, there’s a sequel called Parable of the Talents, which I want to read, but I don’t know how much more human suffering and tragedy I can take right now, lol.

Loki Season 2. I’m going to be honest and say I didn’t enjoy this season as much as I did Season One. I started out with “I’m so happy to see these characters again!” to “I have no idea what’s going on” to “This is okay but not great” to “All right, this is pretty good” to “I have no idea what’s going on” again, to “This is really good but now I’m sad.” In other words, it was uneven for me. However, I loved the character arc that Loki went on during the entirety of Seasons One and Two. He’s come full circle, from his arrogant proclamation of “I am burdened with glorious purpose,” to his acceptance of the actual burden of his glorious purpose. In finding that purpose, he had to understand himself, find his heart, make some friends, and realize he needed to give up the people he loved in order to save them. To see him transform like that was very satisfying; I love a good redemption arc. But I was kind of hoping he was going to lead the TVA, not have to sit on that throne all by himself for eternity. But he’s doing what gods do, I guess. Or what they’re supposed to do. At any rate, I have mixed emotions: I’m glad he’s found his glorious purpose, but I’m sad by how lonely it must be. Will this be the last we see of Loki? It seems that way, but I wouldn’t count on it. I also watched Assembled: The Making of Loki S2, which I always enjoy watching.

Snowpiercer. I’ve had this in my Amazon Prime queue for a while now, and decided to finally watch it at the beginning of the month. The premise is this: the world has frozen solid from some last-ditch experiment of launching something into the sky that presumably would “fix” climate change. Instead, it turned the world to ice. The last fragments of humanity are travelling around this ice globe on a train that never stops, circling the world on an endless track for years and years. The problem is, the train is divided into the haves and have-nots. At the front of the train are the haves, I’m guessing the people who originally paid for a spot on the train at the beginning; while the end of the train is for the have-nots, who I’m guessing were desperate people who fought their way onto the train when things went south (or should I say north?). These poor souls are locked in the back cars, cramped and nearly starving, at the mercy of the will of the creator of the train, Wilford. Chris Evans is great as Curtis, who decides to lead a rebellion and bust his way through the train cars to the very front, where Wilford, and the engine, are. It’s quite a journey, and very violent, which I suppose makes sense. Interesting premise, and entertaining.

Whew! It seems like a lot, but I’ve been reading and watching these things since mid-October. What’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Upcoming High Republic Books I’m Excited For

The time is upon us, dear readers, when Phase 3 of the High Republic is near. And I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited! Here’s what we’ve got coming up:

Eye of Darkness, by George Mann, November 14th, 2023. Wave 1 of Phase 3 starts with the adult book The Eye of Darkness by George Mann. After the fall of Starlight Beacon, Marchion Ro has erected a Stormwall around a portion of the Outer Rim, called the Occlusion Zone, which he rules. All worlds within that section are subject to the whims of the Nihil leader. Those Jedi caught behind the Stormwall, like Avar Kriss, must fight to protect these worlds. Outside the Wall, Jedi like Elzar Mann and Bell Zettifar must find a way to tear down the wall and free those behind it from Ro’s reign of terror; all the while enduring the threat of the Nameless, creatures that feed off of Force-users and drain the very life from them.

Escape from Valo, by Daniel Jose Older and Alyssa Wong, January 30th 2024. This is the middle-grade book that focuses on Padawan Ram Jamoram and others, trapped behind the Stormwall in NIhil-controlled space.

Defy the Storm, by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland, March 5th, 2024. This young adult novel focuses on Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and her scientist friend Avon Starros. They work to find a way through the Stormwall to save those trapped on the other side.

I’m looking forward to getting back to these Phase 1 characters after backtracking a hundred or so years in Phase 2.

And now for something completely different….there’s a pre-Phantom Menace novel coming out by John Jackson Miller in April of next year:

The Living Force, by John Jackson Miller, April 9th 2024. This one sounds really interesting; I’m just going to copy and paste Amazon’s blurb about it:

“In the year before The Phantom Menace, Yoda, Mace Windu, and the entire Jedi Council confront a galaxy on the brink of change.

The Jedi have always traveled the stars, defending peace and justice across the galaxy. But the galaxy is changing, and the Jedi Order along with it. More and more, the Order finds itself focused on the future of the Republic, secluded on Coruscant, where the twelve members of the Jedi Council weigh crises on a galactic scale.

As yet another Jedi Outpost left over from the Republic’s golden age is set to be decommissioned on the planet Kwenn, Qui-Gon Jinn challenges the Council about the Order’s increasing isolation. Mace Windu suggests a bold response: All twelve Jedi Masters will embark on a goodwill mission to help the planet and to remind the people of the galaxy that the Jedi remain as stalwart and present as they have been across the ages.

But the arrival of the Jedi leadership is not seen by all as a cause for celebration. In the increasing absence of the Jedi, warring pirate factions have infested the sector. To maintain their dominance, the pirates unite, intent on assassinating the Council members. And they are willing to destroy countless innocent lives to secure their power.

Cut off from Coruscant, the Jedi Masters must reckon with an unwelcome truth: While no one thinks more about the future than the Jedi Council, nobody needs their help more than those living in the present.”

As always, some great-sounding canon books coming up in the months ahead, and I’m totally there for it.

Are you planning on reading any of these books? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Liked Ahsoka? (Or need more context?) Try these.

Star Wars is an intricately connected universe, for the most part. There’s just no getting around it. There’s so much canon content out there (not to mention a gargantuan Legends collection), it can be downright intimidating or confusing. If you’re just getting into Star Wars, or just watch the movies and live-action shows, there may be some gaps that leave you scratching your head a little bit. The Ahsoka series was supposed to be “non-Rebels fan-friendly,” but let’s be honest: it’s a much richer experience if you know a little bit about these characters. Or a lot. Here’s some content you may want to explore for further enrichment:

Ahsoka, by E.K. Johnston. This book came out a few years ago and details what Ahsoka did in the year after Order 66. Basically, she tried to keep a low profile (duh), worked on a farm planet and met two sisters and their friends who get mixed up in some Imperial trouble, and of course tries to help them. She also confronts an Inquisitor, and meets up with Bail Organa, who convinces her to help in the early formation of the Rebellion. It also shows how she got her two white lightsabers. An abbreviated version of these events happen in the animated series Tales of the Jedi (see below).

Tales of the Jedi. This animated series came out this past year and focuses on two characters: Ahsoka and Count Dooku. Each character gets three short stories (about ten minutes each) dedicated to them at crucial points in their lives. The Count Dooku episodes are great, and since we don’t see much of him (besides the audio drama Dooku: Lost, and as a baddie in Clone Wars), it’s worth watching just for those. But the Ahsoka shorts are pretty good, too. The first one is about baby Ahsoka and how her family found out she was Force-sensitive; the second is the abbreviated version of the Ahsoka book I mentioned above; and the third is how Anakin (inadvertently) trained her, along with Captain Rex’s help, to survive Order 66. Pretty good stuff.

Rebels. Okay, so the Ahsoka series has been described as “Rebels Season 5” and I can’t argue with that. If you want to know more about not just Ahsoka (who really only appears in a handful of episodes here) but Sabine, Hera, Ezra, and Thrawn (as well as Kanan Jarrus, Jacen Syndulla’s Jedi father), this is the series to watch. It takes place in the years before A New Hope and chronicles a Rebel cell consisting of the Ghost crew. As I’ve mentioned before in talking about Rebels, the first season is the hardest to get through–as most of these animated shows are, they’re targeted, at least initially, to younger viewers, and the first season attests to that. But they’re also designed to grow with its audience, getting more mature, complex, and a bit darker as it goes on. It truly has some of the best Star Wars out there. The finale shows how Ezra and Thrawn got stranded on Peridea in the first place.

Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka meet the Daughter

Clone Wars, specifically the Mortis and Dathomir arcs (but almost all of it is worth watching). This one’s kind of a monster, because it’s seven seasons with 15-22 episodes each. It took me longer to get into this one, as again, it starts out kind of kiddie, but does grow with its audience. By the last four episodes of season seven, it’s outstanding. But for Ahsoka-series purposes, if you want more on the Nightsisters, or need more context for the Mortis gods, check out these episodes:

For Dathomir and the Nightsisters:

Season 3 Episodes 12-14: Nightsisters, Monster, and Witches of the Mist

Season 4 Episode 19: Massacre

(The witches also make an appearance in Rebels–Season 3 Episode 11: Visions and Voices)

For Mortis and the Father, Son and Daughter: Season 3 Episodes 15-17: Overlords, Alter of Mortis, and Ghosts of Mortis.

Ahoska herself is in a lot of the episodes, obviously, as she is Anakin’s padawan, so if you want to get to know her better and her relationship with her master, this is the one to watch.

A New Dawn, by John Jackson Miller. This is a little further afield, but if you’re interested in early rebel Hera and how she met Kanan, this book tells that story. It’s a good book about Kanan and Hera working together and with others against an Imperial villain named Vidian, but they hadn’t met the rest of the ghost crew yet, so I was a little disappointed in that. But overall, a good read.

Any number of Thrawn books by Timothy Zahn. I think there’s well over a dozen Thrawn books, counting canon and Legends. Of course, there’s the original Legends books Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, as well as Outbound Flight and Spectre of the Past. I read the Legends trilogy ages ago when they first came out, but they didn’t particularly wow me and I never much got into Legends. I tried reading the first canon novel (pictured above) but could only get halfway through it, lol. I don’t know, I just can’t get into “book Thrawn.” It’s very Sherlock Holmesy, with Thrawn lecturing his underlings about how he understand his enemies and why he’s doing what he’s doing. I just don’t care for it. But plenty of people adore the books and how Thrawn is portrayed in them. There are currently two trilogies: Thrawn, Alliances, and Treason; and then a prequel trilogy comprised of Chaos Rising, Greater Good, and Ascendency. I haven’t read any of the books, but from what I understand, Thrawn joined the Empire to help his people, the Chiss, fend off an invasive alien species called the Grysk. Some people see Thrawn as a hero for this; and while I understand that as a protagonist, he needs to have some redeeming qualities, he still does evil things in the name of his goal. He’s still a bad guy, and that’s okay, because at least he’s an interesting one. I prefer the Rebels version of Thrawn, but you might enjoy getting to know him better in these books.

Marvel Kanan comic. Kanan is not even in Ahsoka, so this is another reach, but if you’ve watched Rebels and you’re interested in Kanan, there’s a comic that shows him as a Padawan (with his original name, Caleb Dume) with his Master, Depa Billaba, during Order 66. The first episode of The Bad Batch begins with them on the planet Kaller when the order comes through, like in the comic, but it does change it a little bit, from what I understand. I’m not a comics person, and I haven’t read it, but it’s another connection you might be interested in.

Speaking of The Bad Batch, we also meet a young Hera in Season 1 Episodes 11 and12; her father is Cham Syndulla, the freedom fighter on Ryloth, who we meet in the Clone Wars. If you’re a completionist, here you go, lol.

There’s one other small thing I’d like to mention, and that’s concerning Senator Hamatsu Xiono. You know, that slimeball Senator that Hera trades barbs with, and who seems to be a secret Imperial sympathizer (and may well be). He’s the father of Kazuda Xiono, the young Resistance pilot in the animated series Resistance. The Senator himself only makes a brief appearance, and the show truly is targeted to younger viewers (I watched and liked it, anyway), so it may not be for you. Just one other connection I wanted to mention.

That’s about all I can think of, and that’s plenty to chew on if you decide to investigate. Some people don’t like having to watch other things or read books to understand a show or movie in Star Wars, and I get that, but it’s kind of what I love about it: the interconnectedness. Anyway, hope this list is helpful to you if you want more out of Ahsoka.

Entertainment Update for October

Hello friends! Here’s an update on what’s been entertaining me lately.

Ahsoka. The Ahsoka series finished up a couple weeks ago to mixed reviews, from what I could see. I enjoyed it, but it certainly wasn’t perfect. I put forth my thoughts on it in my last post, which you can check out here.

Loki S2. After two long years, we finally got Season Two of Loki, and I was super-excited. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next, after Sylvie pushed Loki through the time door and back to the TVA, only for him to find it changed–with Mobius not recognizing him and a Kang statue where the Timekeepers used to be.

The first episode “Ouroboros” was pretty good, with Loki running around time-slipping (something I didn’t completely understand, but okay); the introduction of Ouroboros, who is weird and adorable and a nice new addition; and the Time Council, who we hadn’t seen before, and who are dead set on finding Sylvie, who is now living happily in 1982 Oklahoma working at McDonald’s and doesn’t want to be bothered, thank you very much. A lot happened in this episode but I felt hopeful it was going to be a good season.

Episode Two, “Breaking Brad” kind of erased that, with Loki and Mobius finding and interrogating an AWOL TVA operative named Brad, who was living his best life being a famous actor and promoting his new movie “Zaniac.” They’re trying to find Sylvie, too, but Brad is being uncooperative and just generally a jerk, because….I don’t know why, really. But they find Sylvie, and she’s not happy and not willing to help with….something, I don’t know, I was really confused with this episode. Turns out the Time Council is trying to destroy the rogue time branches that have been popping up since Sylvie killed He Who Remains, and Loki, Mobius and Sylvie manage to stop them but not before they blow up quite a few. Anyway, Loki and Sylvie are, not exactly enemies again, but definitely not on the same page.

The first two episodes were entertaining, but not grabbing me the way the first season did. Season One was much more streamlined, with a clear story arc; this season seemed all over the place. I was feeling a little disappointed.

But Episode Three “1893” restored hope. Loki and Mobius are trying to fix the Temporal Loom, and for that they need Miss Minutes, who they assume is with Ravonna Renslayer. They find Renslayer in 1893 Chicago at the World’s Fair. She herself is trying to find a variant of He Who Remains, following the advice of Miss Minutes, who claims she knows his grand plans. They all find him in Victor Timely, a Kang variant who is displaying some time technology at the Fair (after receiving the TVA Guidebook as a kid from Renslayer anonymously at Miss Minute’s direction). The guy is just as strange as He Who Remains, a man with big dreams but without the technology needed to bring them to life. Basically he’s a con artist, but he does believe in his work. I feel kind of bad for this guy, with all these weirdos from the future showing up and wanting him for something or other. He seems innocent, but there are clues that his ambition will always come first, as seen when he throws Renslayer off the boat because he doesn’t do partnerships. Anyway, Loki and Sylvie are at odds again, fighting over the life of this variant; they all find him at his workshop and go at it again. This is after that wily Miss Minutes gets all creepy on him and declares her love for him. Sylvie nearly kills him, but Victor begs for his life (something He Who Remains didn’t do), and she decides to spare him. She tells Loki “Don’t make me regret this.” And oh, I think that’s where we’re headed. Victor goes with Loki and Mobius to the TVA to help with the Temporal Loom, and I think something Bad is going to happen, lol.

Anyway, faith restored in the series, and looking forward to the next episode.

Crimson Climb. I’ve been reading Crimson Climb by E.K. Johnston, a book about Qi’ra and how she became enmeshed in Crimson Dawn. In the movie Solo, we get Han’s story about what happened to him after they were caught in the spaceport, where he escaped and she didn’t. In this book we pick up there and see what happened to Qi’ra as she’s led back to the White Worms. It’s not pretty, and we see how she becomes the person we see later in the movie. She relies on no one anymore except herself, never trusting anyone, and always does what is best for her. Sounds like an awful person, but it’s what she needs to do to survive. She’s also very, very smart, and we see that in this book: how she rises in the ranks of Crimson Dawn. I’m not finished with the book, and it’s kind of stalled for me in the middle, but I’ll get back to it. I’ll give my thoughts on it, in a post I have planned outlining other Qi’ra-related content.

Octavia Butler books. I found these books at a favorite used bookstore the other day and decided to give them a go. Octavia Butler is a kind of pioneer in “Afrofuturism,” a popular genre of fantasy/science fiction written mostly by black women. I was first introduced to it in the book “Who Fears Death?” by Nnedi Okorafor, which knocked me off my feet. I then discovered N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy, which really opened my eyes to what fantasy/science fiction can be, as well as getting a different perspective other than white male/medieval-based fantasy, or even white female/goddess stuff, which was getting a bit boring, to be honest.

Here’s a summary of Parable of the Sower from Amazon:

When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others’ emotions.
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.

Parable of the Talents is the sequel; I haven’t started reading them yet, but I’m going to try to get the first one in after Crimson Dawn and before The Eye of Darkness, the first High Republic novel of Phase 3 (I have a post planned for those books, too).

I’ve been on vacation this week and had some extra time, so I have several posts planned for the next week or so. Stay tuned.

What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Update For September

Hello friends! Here’s my now-monthly check in with all the things that have been entertaining me.

Ahsoka. I’m going to wait until the end of the series to give my thoughts on this as a whole, but here at the midpoint, all I can say is WOW! It took its time to get going, bring us up to speed on characters and where they are now, and introducing new villains (and can I add that I NEED MORE BAYLAN SKOLL RIGHT NOW, lol). But each successive episode just got better and better, until we got the truly epic Episode 5. It was just so wonderful to see Hayden Christensen back as Anakin Skywalker in a truly satisfying way, and in a way that further develops Ahsoka’s character. Now we’re off to a distant galaxy via Purgill (awesome!) to hopefully find Ezra. And oh, yeah, Thrawn, whatever, lol. Jumping out of my seat in anticipation!

Last of the Jedi Book 4 (Death on Naboo) and 5 (A Tangled Web), by Jude Watson. I’ve finished Book 4 and am working on Book 5. Four had Ferus Olin following Inquisitor Malorum to Naboo, who is investigating Padme’s death. Ferus, at the behest of Obi-Wan, must keep Malorum from finding out Padme’s secret, without knowing himself just what the secret is. Five has Ferus summoned to Coruscant by Palpatine himself to figure out a systems breakdown on the planet Sath; if he doesn’t comply, his friends Roan and Dona will suffer the consequences. These little books are always fun to read; I really like the character of Ferus Olin, who had left the Jedi Order as a Padawan (and I believe that story is told in the junior novel series Jedi Quest, also by Jude Watson, which I’ll probably read after this series).

Tales of Light and Life, by various High Republic authors. In the lead-up to Phase 3 of the High Republic, this short story collection was recently released on September 5th. There are several stories with characters from Phase 2, but most are from Phase 1, with some serving to set us up for Phase 3. I enjoyed most of these stories; the one I was least impressed with was the one by Daniel Jose Older, whose writing I don’t particularly enjoy. It was a sweet story about Padawan Ram Jamoram, but its sin was being extremely boring. The best out of the bunch was the Phase 2 story about Marda Ro by Tessa Gratton (A Closed Fist Has No Claws). It shows what happens to her after the events of Phase 2, how she has changed, and how she plants the seeds of the Nihil, the villains of Phase 1. If you like the High Republic, I highly recommend reading this collection.

Out of the Shadows, by Justina Ireland. Also in preparation for Phase 3 (coming in November), I’m rereading a few Phase 1 novels. The first reread was The Fallen Star, the adult novel by Claudia Gray; and now I’m rereading this YA installment by Justina Ireland. When I first read it, I wasn’t too impressed and thought it was a little boring. But on this reread, I’ve done a total 180 and think it’s not only interesting, but super important for going into Phase 3. From what I understand, in Phase 3 the Nihil have separated a whole sector of the galaxy for themselves called The Occlusion Zone, like a big wall they put up in space. Part of how they did that, I presume, is through a contraption called the Gravity’s Heart, which is the brainchild of and built by Chancey Yarrow in this book. It’s got a lot of Vernestra Rwoh in it, too, a favorite Jedi of mine in this period (I’ve got a lot of favorite High Republic Jedi, though, lol). Anyway, I’m enjoying this second reading.

So as always I’ve been busy reading and watching Star Wars, but I’ve also been working on something else I’d like to tell you about. I’ve been creating a new blog that will have some fiction by me, including original fiction and some Star Wars fan fiction. I’m actually quite terrified of sharing my stories, which simply means that I have to do it, lol. (Do what terrifies you, all the self-help books say). I’m maybe a week or two away from launching it, but I’ll mention it here when I do in case any of you are interested.

That’s about it this time around. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Entertainment Update For August

Hello friends! I’ve been busy with reading, as usual, and looking forward to a few upcoming shows. Here’s the deets:

Rise of the Red Blade. This is the latest Star Wars canon novel, by Delilah S. Dawson, and it is a great read. It chronicles Jedi Padawan Iskat Akaris during her time at the Jedi Temple, and the events that influenced her turn to the dark side and led to her becoming an Inquisitor. Iskat is the only one of her species in the Temple, and she feels out of place most of the time. She had caused an accident that injured another Padawan; she’s not very good at meditating, and she discovers at the Battle of Geonosis what she’s truly good at: killing. When she tries to discover more about her species and/or family, she gets the distinct feeling that the Masters are hiding something (they are). We spend about two thirds of the book with Iskat as a Jedi, and only the last third as an Inquisitor; this is the story of her lead-up to turning, voluntarily, to the dark side. And Dawson does a fantastic job of it, making Iskat a sympathetic character, while not shying away from her violent, dark side tendencies and her misguided choices.

Last of the Jedi book 2: Dark Warning. My continuation of the junior novel series that features Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ferus Olin. Obi-Wan discovers that an Inquisitor (and I find the Inquisitors in Legends rather lame, lol) is investigating something at Polis Massa, where Padme gave birth to Luke and Leia, so he goes there to protect that secret. Ferus must go to Ilum to find a surviving Jedi and while he’s at it, find a crystal for a new lightsaber. They also discover a livable asteroid in a cosmic storm that Ferus wants to turn into a refuge for any surviving Jedi. This idea of a safe haven for Jedi survivors reminds me of Tanalorr in the Jedi: Survivor game, which is a haven for the Hidden Path. I love how Star Wars canon is frequently borrowing ideas from Legends.

The Fallen Star Reread. With Phase 3 beginning in the fall, I thought I’d reread the last adult book of Phase 1, as Phase 3 will return to these characters after a trip back in time in Phase 2 with new characters. The Fallen Star tells how the Nihil, specifically its leader, Marchion Ro, orchestrated the destruction of the Jedi space station, Starlight Beacon, ending the phase at a very low point for the Jedi. I’m eager to see where these characters are and how they’ll respond to the Eye of the Nihil in this last phase. (There will be a book of High Republic short stories, Tales of Light and Life, coming out on September 5th, that will be a sort of preview of Phase 3, and I’ll be reading that, as well).

The Echo of Old Books. This is the latest book we’re reading in the book club I’m part of. It begins with Ashlyn in 1984, who has psychometry, the ability to sense emotions from objects, primarily books (I only knew the word from Star Wars as a rare Force ability, lol–like Quinlan Vos, Cal Kestis, and Karr from the book Force Collector). She owns a used book shop, and finds a self-published book from which she feels intense emotions. She begins to read it, and finds it’s a memoir-like tragic love story between a Brit and a New York socialite in 1941,written by the Brit, Hemi. She’s intrigued, but it gets more interesting as she find another self-published book written by the socialite, Belle, as a written answer to his book. Ashlyn becomes determined (and perhaps a bit obsessed) to find out who these people actually were and how their story ends. A kind of tragic love story literary mystery sort of thing, with psychometry thrown in. An interesting and absorbing read.

Countdown to Ahsoka. Of course, I’m hyped about Ahsoka, which premieres next week on August 23rd. I haven’t done a lot of prep, as in rewatching Rebels in its entirety (I’ve already watched it through 2 or 3 times in the last few years), but I have cherry-picked a few episodes and arcs the past few weeks. Namely, the finales of the four seasons, as well as the Twilight of the Apprentice arc and the Lost Commanders arc. It’s all great, though. Can’t wait to see these characters in live action! Seeing Thrawn will be cool, but I’m most interested in Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati, the two dark force users with orange lightsabers. Bring it on!

Loki Season 2 Trailer. I am soooo excited for this! I’ve been waiting two long years for season two of Loki, and it will finally be here on October 6th. I’ll admit, I haven’t been as faithful to Marvel lately, just catching the movies that interest me (Dr. Strange 2, Thor 4, and Guardians of the Galaxy 3) and skipping a lot of the shows (Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Secret Invasion). But I will ALWAYS be here for Loki, lol. Can’t wait to see what shenanigans Loki gets into with Mobius and Sylvie in this multiverse madness.

Are you looking forward to Ahsoka and Loki? What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Latest Entertainment Update

Hello, friends! I haven’t posted for a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading and viewing. There’s a lot here, so I’m going to be brief. Here’s the latest:

Rebel Force: Trapped (Book 5), by Alex Wheeler. I’ve been enjoying this junior novel series, and I think Trapped is my favorite. It deals with X-7 trying to figure out who he used to be before he was brainwashed to become an Imperial assassin. We never find out who he really was, which is a disappointment, but over all this one was good.

Star Wars Rebel Force: Uprising (Book 6), by Alex Wheeler. This is the final book in the Rebel Force series, bringing the story to a fairly satisfying conclusion. Luke is drawn to a cold desert moon by the Imperial who brainwashed X-7 (under a project that is called Project Omega, btw). Luke is caught, of course, and begins to undergo the same sort of brainwashing X-7 did (in other words, torture), but because he has the Force or something, it didn’t quite work. His friends hatch a plan to rescue him, and it works, but we lose Ferus Olin and Lune Divinian, which made me sad.

The Last of the Jedi Book One: The Desperate Mission, by Jude Watson. After reading the Rebel Force series, I wanted to learn more about Ferus Olin, Lune Divinian, and Trever Flume, characters that I first met in that series; turns out these characters are also in The Last of the Jedi series, by Jude Watson, which takes place twenty years beforehand. I also get the feeling Ferus is also in the Jedi Quest series that comes before that series, so the character has a long history in Legends. This first book has us meet him as a young man, who has been taken prisoner by the Imperials on the planet Bellarasus for leading a rebel group called The Eleven. Obi-Wan Kenobi gets wind of this, and decides he must go help Ferus, who he remembers as a feisty young Padawan who left the Order. A young Boba Fett makes an appearance here, hired by the Imperials to find Obi-Wan and Ferus.

The Six, by Anni Taylor. Off and on, I’m part of a book club that includes me, my sister, her husband, and their daughter. We decided to start back up again, and picked this book to read. It’s a thriller, and a fairly gruesome one, at that. Evie, who has a gambling problem and has racked up a ton of debt, is desperate and agrees to go to a monastery on a Greek island for a chance to compete in six challenges, the winner of which will win money–enough to pay off her debt. But she can’t tell her husband or two small children where she’s going, and Evie has no idea that what she’s signed up for is a game of horror. Not my usual fare, but it did draw me into its mystery, and had plenty of surprising twists at the end.

Disney Gallery: Mandalorian S3. I’m going to say it: Season 3 of Mando is not my favorite. I really liked the dynamic and relationship between Din and Grogu in the first two seasons, and maybe I wanted more of that. But the first two seasons obviously were building up to something more, something broader than just these two characters. Mainly, the Mandalorians, and Bo-Katan’s role in uniting them to retake Mandalore. Fine. But I’ve only watched it once through, and haven’t had any desire to rewatch, which is a big indicator of how much I love a show. At any rate, it’s still interesting to watch these making-of specials, and they never fail to make me appreciate the story more. After watching this one, I thought, eh, it wasn’t so bad.

Emily. I’ve seen plenty of movies about the Bronte sisters, or about Charlotte alone, but I’ve never seen one about Emily specifically, and this one was pretty entertaining. Since we can’t possibly know everything about her personal life, there’s quite a bit of creative license taken here, but it’s not completely outside the bounds of belief. Things like Emily partaking in opium with her beloved brother Branwell; and more particularly, having an affair with the local curate, William. These things are suggested as having an influence on Emily’s outlook and personality, and how she came to write such a strange, passionate tale like Wuthering Heights. Emily has always been characterized as the “strange” Bronte sister, content to spend time alone and not go out into the world; but still, how could a “proper” Victorian lady, the daughter of a clergyman, sheltered and shy, write such a thing? By taking drugs and falling in love and having sex, of course! Oh, and getting a tattoo on her arm that says, “Freedom of Thought.” Who knows? Maybe it’s true, but at any rate, I enjoyed the movie.

That’s what I’ve been up to lately, in between writing some fan fiction, which I’m having a blast with. Feels good to get the pen moving and making characters speak again.

What have you been up to, Star Wars or otherwise? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Star Wars Update: Some Reading, Some Writing

As always, the Star Wars reading continues. Here are the books I’ve been diving into:

Star Wars Rebel Force Book 4: Firefight, by Alex Wheeler. This is a continuation of the junior novel series I started a while ago and which has been surprisingly entertaining. This outing takes us to Kamino, which I thought was really neat, considering all the Bad Batch I’ve been rewatching. So we know what happens to Kamino in Canon, but this is a Legends series, and here Kamino hasn’t been destroyed by the Empire, but simply abandoned. Luke, Han, Chewie and Artoo are sent there to investigate why the Empire abandoned it and any weapons that may have been created there; but are ambushed in orbit by a group of assassins hired by X-7 to kill Luke. Han, Luke and Chewie crash land, as well as a few of the assassins, but only one named Div survives. They end up having to help each other to get out of the creepy, abandoned city that is overrun by mutant sea creatures the Kaminoans created. A lone Kaminoan scientist, who has gone insane by this time, still runs his “experiments” and calls in the Imperials to take care of the intruders. Turns out Div is a former Jedi, but after Order 66 turned to mercenary work. After working together to escape Kamino, Luke and Han consider him a friend, but want him to tell them who hired him to kill Luke (although they already suspect it’s X-7) and where to find him, but Div refuses to divulge that information, presumably because it’s “bad for business.” I can’t decide if I like Div or not, lol. They reluctantly keep him prisoner on Yavin 4 at the end of the story, hoping he’ll spill the beans. This was a fun read, with sea monsters that can swallow you whole and then regurgitate you back up to eat later; and flying dinosaur birds that our characters get to ride over the stormy Kaminoan ocean. Cool!

Star Wars Rebel Forces Book 5: Trapped, by Alex Wheeler. The fifth installment of the series that I just started and am currently reading. Div escapes Yavin 4, and our characters set out after him. Stay tuned.

Force Collector, by Kevin Shinick. This is a reread between the latest canon releases (waiting for Rise of the Red Blade in July). I really enjoyed it when I read it a couple of years ago, and thought it would be fun to read again. It takes place in the sequel era, just before The Force Awakens, and is about a teenage boy named Karr who has a strange ability: psychometry, which is a Force ability wherein you touch an object and get flashes of things and people and events that object has “seen.” This is an ability that the Jedi Quinlan Voss and Cal Kestis possess. At this point in history, not much is known about the Jedi, and most people don’t even believe they existed. But Karr’s grandmother insists that Karr has the Force, and though she doesn’t possess the Force herself, she takes it upon herself to teach Karr what she knows, which admittedly is very little. But Karr is determined to use his ability to find out more about the Jedi and how to become one himself. With the help of his new friend, Maize (the daughter of a First Order officer), they traverse the galaxy in her father’s shuttle, following clues and piecing together the story of the Jedi. It’s not a real deep story, but it’s super fun seeing the Jedi through the eyes of a young person who knows very little about them but wants to penetrate the myth.

Shatterpoint, by Mathew Stover. This is a Legends book about Mace Windu that I was hoping to get into and see Mace in a new light. I never really liked him in the films, but in books you get a chance to see more of a character’s personality, and I wanted to give him another chance, lol. But I only got about 40 pages in and got bored. It’s not that I don’t think it’s a good story, I just don’t think I was in the right frame of mind to read it. I put it on my “Hopefully I’ll get back to reading this one day” pile, which includes Tarkin, Thrawn, Ronin, and Revan.

Other than reading, I’ve been writing some Star Wars fan fiction, this time about The Bad Batch. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit obsessed with this show and these characters, and I wasn’t ready to let them go yet. So it’s been really fun spending more time with them in my own story. Not sure if I’m going to share it, either here or on a fan fiction site; I might just be writing it for myself. But if you see fewer blog posts from me, it’s because I’m spending more time with Clone Force 99, lol.

So that’s what I’ve been up to. What Star Warsy things have you been doing? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Upcoming Star Wars Content I’m Looking Forward To

It’s been a pretty busy first half of 2023 for Star Wars fans, what with The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch episodes, the Jedi: Survivor game, and the High Republic book releases, all the way up through May. June is a quiet month (unless you’re a comics reader), but starting in July, we’ll have at least one Star Wars project I’m looking forward to each month to the end of the year.

July: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade, by Delilah S. Dawson. July 18. Inquisitors are compelling characters–fallen Jedi, often younglings or Padawans who were captured and turned to the dark side rather than killed during Order 66. The young ones are easier to influence, obviously. Iskat Akaris is one such Jedi, and this is her story. There’s something both fascinating and horrifying about watching a formerly innocent young Jedi turn from a good-hearted soul to an evil one. For Reva, from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, her motivation was revenge. I’m interested to see how Iskat’s story unfolds. I’ve really enjoyed Dawson’s Star Wars books, like Phasma and Black Spire, so I’m guessing this is going to be a great read. Here’s an excerpt:

https://www.starwars.com/news/inquisitor-rise-of-the-red-blade-excerpt

August: Ahsoka series. Woo-hoo! This is the series we’re all looking forward to right now, and I can’t wait to see it. Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano is pretty awesome, and based on the teaser trailer we got from Celebration this year, I have so many questions! Are Ahsoka and Sabine already looking for Ezra, or will that come to be in the show? Will we see Ezra this season (apart from a hologram)? Who are the dark Force-users with the orange lightsabers (and I’m so sad to hear of Ray Stevenson’s death; watching his performance will be bittersweet)? And will Thrawn be a big part of it? There’s no specific release date, only that it will premier in August. Here’s a link to the teaser trailer:

September: Tales of Light and Life, by various authors. I’ve seen release dates of July 25th and Sept. 5th, and I’m not sure which one is right, so I’ll just put it in September for now. Four High Republic authors–Zoraida Cordova, Justina Ireland, Lydia Kang and Tessa Gratton–offer some High Republic short fiction that adds to the already ambitious storyline. I’ve been loving the High Republic books and I can’t wait to see what this collection brings to the table.

October: Crimson Climb, by E.K. Johnston. Oct. 10. This is the story of Qi’ra that we don’t get to see in Solo: A Star Wars Story: when Han escapes Corellia and she doesn’t. Dragged back to the White Worm Gang, she is eventually bought by Dryden Vos of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. This book will go into detail of what she had to do to earn Vos’ trust and rise in the ranks to become who we see in the movie. Johnston wrote the Padme trilogy of books, as well as the Ahsoka book, all of which I enjoyed, so I’m guessing I’ll like this one, too.

November: High Republic Phase 3 The Eye of Darkness. Nov. 14. There’s not much information on Phase 3 of the High Republic yet, or even a cover for its first book, but we do know that it will be returning to the era and characters of Phase 1. Phase 2 was great, but I’m eager to get back to Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann, Bell Zettifar, and the many others that I came to know and love. I don’t know if this will be the adult or YA novel of Wave 1, but no matter. They’re all good! George Mann wrote a middle grade book in Phase 2, so this could be either/or. Excited for this!

December: Skeleton Crew series? This is a guesser for me, because we still don’t have a release date for Skeleton Crew besides “sometime in 2023,” and late 2023 seems logical. And it could perhaps be pushed back further due to the writer’s strike still going on (which I very much support, btw). But this story of a group of kids who rattle around the galaxy with a Force-sensitive pilot played by Jude Law sounds like it could be fun. I really don’t know much else about it, but I do hope we see it sooner rather than later.

So mostly books, and a couple of shows, and that makes me really happy. What are you looking forward to in Star Wars for the rest of the year? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!