Tag: Last of the Jedi series

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!

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!