I’ve finished Midnight Horizon, the latest High Republic YA novel by Daniel Jose Older, and although it didn’t wow me at first, it did get better and ended up being quite good. I’ll probably do a review of the book for next week’s High Republic Wednesday’s post, so stay tuned.
I’m now reading Mission to Disaster, the middle-grade novel by Justina Ireland in this third High Republic wave, and the end of Phase One. I’ve generally liked the middle-grade novels, and Ireland is particularly good at them; it also centers around Vernestra Rwoh, one of my favorite High Republic Padawans. I literally just started it, but I’m looking forward to getting into it.
Vernestra and Imri battling some gnarly looking space crocs.
In other Star Wars book news, it seems I have another to add to my pre-order list, lol. On August 16th of this year a book called The Princess and the Scoundrel will be released. It’s a book about Han and Leia’s wedding, if you can believe it. It’s by Beth Revis, who wrote the excellent YA novel Rebel Rising, about Jyn Erso, so I’m hoping good things come of it. At first, I thought, Um, really? but it actually sounds like it could be kind of neat. It will tell of their wedding on Endor, and then of their honeymoon on the Halcyon cruise ship. But while on board, they get involved in some kind of adventure, as it’s clear the Imperials are still around. Could be fun.
In other extremely exciting Star Wars news, there are reports that Jimmy Smits will be making an appearance in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. This comes with other rumored plot leaks that I won’t mention (so be careful online if you want to go into the show without spoilers), but I will say I’m so happy to know that my original favorite space dad, Bail Organa, will be showing up!
In Marvel, I watched Assembled: Eternals. I really like these Assembled episodes, which show the making of these wonderful shows and movies. And since I absolutely loved Eternals, this one was pretty special. I don’t think Eternals went over well with a lot of long-time Marvel fans, and I think it’s because it’s so different than what they’re used to seeing. But as a new Marvel fan (just in the past year), I’m not so entrenched in “what Marvel should look like.” So I think I’m more open to new things. That’s my theory anyway, lol.
In more Marvel news, the Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer dropped recently, and it was insane. I have no idea what the hell is going on here, lol, but it looks awesome! I can’t wait!
Speaking of trailers, there’s more: Moon Knight had a teaser trailer during the Super Bowl, and it looks just as crazy and incomprehensible. But cool, too.
This has been a week for trailers, as there was also one for The Rings of Power series that will premiere on Amazon Prime in September. I don’t know much about this series, but it’s something I’d love to watch. I probably won’t get Amazon Prime, though, so I’ll have to wait until it’s available in some other form.
That’s about it–mostly upcoming shows and books that I can’t wait for!
What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Now that Phase One of the High Republic has concluded (for the most part), it’s time to look forward to Phase Two (called Quest of the Jedi), which I believe will start releasing this fall. Starwars.com just released the titles of the first wave of books in Phase Two along with the authors:
Adult Novel
Young Adult Novel
Middle Grade Novel
Comic
Unfortunately, there are no covers yet available, but as soon as they are final I’ll post them here. Justina Ireland and Claudia Gray are the only two original authors writing for this first wave, but I imagine we’ll see more of Cavan Scott, Charles Soule, and Daniel Jose Older. I’m looking forward to reading these new authors and what they can bring to Star Wars!
I’m about halfway done with Midnight Horizon, the High Republic YA novel by Daniel Jose Older. It’s fine so far. I’m hoping it gets a bit more interesting. Older is not my favorite Star Wars writer–I couldn’t even get through Last Shot, a Han and Lando novel that I had been looking forward to. Race to Crashpoint Tower was fine, and this one is just fine, too. The YA novels can be tricky for me–I know they’re about young people, but young people can be, well, annoying, lol. If it’s done well, I really do enjoy them. This one takes place mostly on Corellia, and features Padawans Reath Silas and Ram Jamoram (and their Masters). The young Jedi are usually fine, but it’s the other young people that are thrown in that get on my nerves, lol. Anyway, I’ll probably do a review post when I finish it.
The Book of Boba Fett finished its first (and maybe only?) season this past week with Episode 7: In the Name of Honor. I enjoyed it, and posted my thoughts about it here, if you’re curious.
We finally got a premiere date for Obi-Wan Kenobi (May 25th) and a poster:
I’m soooooo excited for this!
May is going to be a huge Obi-Wan Kenobi month with the new show, a novel called Brotherhood (about Obi-Wan and Anakin), and a new Obi-Wan comic. My Obi-Wan dreams have come true! Can’t wait.
In Marvel, I watched Assembled: Hawkeye. I liked the show, but felt it was a little uneven. But watching the making-of documentary makes me want to watch it again, and I probably will. As with most things, I think I’ll enjoy it more the second time around.
Clint Barton, Kate Bishop and Pizza Dog.
With BoBF done, I’m show-less for a while. Moon Knight premieres on March 30, but until then I don’t think there’s anything new in Star Wars or Marvel. It might be time to catch up on some Marvel movies that have been waiting in the wings: the Andrew Garfield Spiderman films, a couple of Wolverine movies, Deadpool, that sort of thing.
That’s about it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
(There may be some spoilers for The Fallen Star in this post).
The Fallen Star, by Claudia Gray, is the third adult book in Phase One of The High Republic series, and it does a great job of wrapping up the “beginning of the end” of the the Jedi and The Republic at their very best.
This trilogy has shown the rise of the Nihil, a group of anarchist mauraders who take what they want, when they want, without regard to the lives of others. In Light of the Jedi, the Nihil cause the Great Disaster; in The Rising Storm, they attack the Republic Fair on Valo; and in this book, they insidiously attack the star of Chancellor Lina Soh’s Great Works, Starlight Beacon. Meant to be a light in the darkness of space across the Outer Rim, the state-of-the-art space station is home to a Jedi contingent, an advanced medical bay, and a place of refuge for people who need help.
Once again, the Republic and the Jedi believe the Nihil threat is nearly over, but they are wrong. They have no idea the Eye of the Nihil, their leader, is Marchion Ro, who has worked in the shadows, and who has sent a secret group of followers to the station to incapacitate it. They’ve also smuggled a creature onboard that somehow affects a Jedi’s connection to the Force. So when things start to go wrong, the Jedi are weakened.
Padawan Burryaga helps during the crisis.
Jedi Master Stellan Gios has stepped in as Marshall while Avar Kriss is on a mission to find Lourna Dee, who the Jedi believe is the Nihil leader. Elzar Mann, his good friend and fellow Jedi Master, has joined following a sabbatical after struggling with the dark side in the previous book. Elzar is accompanied by Orla Jareni, a Jedi who has become a Wayseeker, or one who explores the Force on their own, outside of the Order. Also on the station are Jedi Master Nib Assek and her Padawan, the Wookiee Burryaga, Jedi Master Indeera Stokes and her Padawan Bell Zettifar (along with his charhound, Ember, of course), and a Jedi we haven’t seen yet, Regald Coll (who happens to think he’s hilarious).
Also on board are pilots Affie Hollow, Leox Gyasi, and Geode from the Vessel (all were in Gray’s YA book Into the Dark); Nihil collaborators Chancey Yarrow and Nan, who were brought on board as prisoners; as well as several other pilots who happened to be on the station when things start to go wrong.
The Nihil saboteurs manage to sneak on board, cut communications, disable the escape pods and just about everything else; then blow up part of the station which causes them to move into the pull of the planet Eiram’s gravity (the station had been on a mission to help the planet after a devastating storm). So basically Starlight will eventually fall into the planet’s atmosphere and plummet to the surface, presumably killing all on board and a good portion of a coastal city on Eiram.
Orla Jareni and her white double lightsaber.
The Jedi begin a problem-solving mission, but their efforts are sabotaged by the mysterious creature that is roaming the station–one that instills crippling fear and paralysis in any Jedi who comes near, blocks their access to the Force, and that will literally suck the life out of them, reducing them to dry husks if they don’t get away. Several Jedi fall prey to this creature, whose description is deliberately vague, from the disoriented and terrified Jedi’s point of view.
The entire story takes place on the station (except for the few brief scenes with Marchion Ro on his ship), which leads to a kind of claustrophobic feeling, a feeling of urgency and anxiety.
The most interesting character arc in the book for me is Stellan’s–Stellan is a picture-perfect Jedi, the poster boy for the Jedi Order and the face of the Jedi for the Republic. Now, he’s cut off not only from the Order but from the Force itself, and Stellan is having an identity crisis. He doesn’t know who he is outside of the Order or without his connection to the Force, and it seriously affects his confidence. The very name of the book, in my opinion, not only refers to Starlight Beacon, but to Stellan himself. His friends, Elzar and Avar, had always referred to him as their “polestar,” a moral compass for them both. But now Stellan barely knows which way is up, lol.
Leox Gyasi of the Vessel.
Elzar, too, struggles in this story. When he is on retreat with Orla, he comes to realize his descent into dark-side emotions is a result of his denial of his feelings for Avar. Interestingly, I think Elzar is a foil to Anakin. Anakin struggles with similar emotions, and I think he would have done much better during the High Republic. First of all, when Elzar recognizes the dark side in his emotions and actions, he goes straight to his friends, confident that they will help him. And they do. He gets support, love, tears and hugs, special retreats. He’s taught to deal with these emotions, not bury them, not deny them. It’s a different situation, but I can’t help but think of Anakin’s mishandling when I read about Elzar.
Anyway, Elzar has decided to back off from the Force for awhile until he feels confident he’s dealt with these things properly, and as a result, doesn’t initially feel the disorientation the other Jedi feel on the station. This forces him to step up and become a leader when Stellan is out of commission, something he’s never felt comfortable with, and does a fine job. But Elzar isn’t completely out of the dark side woods yet.
Elzar Mann, reluctant leader.
I wish Avar were more a part of this story, but she’s been featured mostly in the comics, so even though she arrives on the station at some point, her part in this story is told in a comic. This frustrates me a bit–I want more of her, and of other characters that have been exclusively in the comics, like Keeve Trennis and Skkeer, but I can barely keep up with the books, never mind the comics (financially anyway, lol). I’m hoping for an omnibus of the High Republic comics soon, so I can get it all in one place, at once.
But that’s a minor complaint. It’s an excellent book, and ends this phase in a dramatic and foreboding way. I’m sad that we won’t see these characters again for awhile, as Phase Two is going even further back in time, to 150 years before this story. I’m disappointed about that, but have faith that the writers know what they’re doing. At least the next book in this wave is a YA book called Midnight Horizon by Daniel Jose Older, and focuses on Jedi I got to know in Gray’s Into the Dark, Master Cohmac Vitus and Padawan Reath Silas.
I would give The Fallen Star 4.5 out of 5 lightsabers.
Have you read The Fallen Star? What did you think? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
(There are some High Republic novel spoilers here, so beware).
Bell Zettifar is one of the many interesting Padawans in the High Republic universe, and one of the most prominent (at least in the novels), so I thought I’d profile him next.
Bell and Ember.
Bell trained with his master, Loden Greatstorm, at the Jedi Temple Outpost on the Outer Rim planet Elphrona, along with Masters Indeera Stokes and Porter Engle. Bell is a likable young man who has a great respect and love for his master, who pushes him to grow and learn about his Force abilities. Bell, like a lot of Jedi in the High Republic, sees the Force in a unique way–he sees it as fire or flames. Fittingly, Bell has become fast friends with a charhound from Elphrona he named Ember, who can breathe flames. The Jedi from Elphrona don’t chastise Bell for taking on a pet (an “attachment”), but others raise an eyebrow now and then (particularly Stellan Gios, who’s a stickler for rules; but everyone loves Ember anyway).
Bell and his master Loden Greatstorm.
In Light of the Jedi, Loden Greatstorm is presumed killed by the Nihil, but Bell has a difficult time letting him go. Many Jedi, including his new master, Indeera Stokes, advise him on his grief; they tell him it’s okay to grieve, but urge him to let go. But it’s hard for Bell to move on. Before he disappeared, Loden told Bell he was ready to become a Jedi Knight. After, however, Bell couldn’t bring himself to ascend to Jedi Knight without his beloved Master. In The Rising Storm, Bell discovers Loden was not killed by the Nihil but had been taken prisoner by Marchion Ro and tormented for his own nefarious purposes. He and Bell were briefly reunited, but Loden was indeed ultimately killed by an awful Nihil weapon, and Bell had to grieve all over again.
In The Fallen Star, which I’m almost done with, Bell plays a prominent part in trying to save Starlight Beacon, and has become good friends with another Padawan, Burryaga the Wookiee.
You can’t talk about Bell without Ember, who is his constant companion, the best girl, so here are a few renditions of the pair:
High Republic Adventures Annual 2021 variant cover by Jon Lam.
The only artist info I could find on this was “bel on Twitter.”
I just love the idea of a Jedi having an animal companion. Ember is more than a pet; she’s a comrade who’s saved Bell’s life on several occasions, she’s part of the Jedi family, and she’s a good friend.
I’m really enjoying The High Republic stories I’ve been reading in the new novels, and wanted to do a weekly post on some aspect of them every Wednesday if I can. I don’t read the comics at the moment, in which a lot of the stories take place, but I will focus on the adult and young adult novels, and perhaps middle-grade books if I get to them. (And maybe someday I’ll check out the comics).
For my first post, I’d like to focus on Jedi Master Stellan Gios.
Stellan in his Temple robes. The HR Jedi are a little fancier than the prequel Jedi, and have formal attire for official functions, ceremonies, etc.
Stellan features prominently in the High Republic adult novelThe Rising Storm, in which he leads the Jedi in defending the Republic Fair against an attack from the Nihil. His strength is put to the test as he attempts to protect Republic Chancellor Lina Soh and fends off Nihil attackers like the brutal Lourna Dee.
Stellan in his mission robes. Even these are a little fancier than the bathrobes we see the prequel Jedi in.
Stellan is a described as easy on the eyes, a little in love with the sound of his own voice, and one who enjoys being in the limelight. The truth is, he simply loves to teach about the Jedi and the Force, and is always ready to enlighten people. He’s recently become a member of the Jedi High Council, and often feels he isn’t ready to take on the responsibility such a position entails. Like many of the High Republic Jedi, he perceives the Force in a unique way; Stellan sees the force as the firmament, all the stars in the sky (his name is a clue, lol).
Stellan’s unique lightsaber, with its laser crossguard and retracting quillons.
Stellan is friends with fellow Jedi Masters Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann. The three grew up together as Padawans, and have a deep bond. He wasn’t present too much in the first book, The Light ofthe Jedi (Avar and Elzar starred in that one) but in The Rising Storm, it’s Stellan and Elzar’s relationship that is explored. Elzar is a bit of a loose canon, and Stellan often feels he needs to keep an eye on him, in the best possible way. Their friendship is deep, and they rely on each other for support and advice.
A variant cover of The High Republic comic by Mike Mayhew.
Early on in The Rising Storm, a news reporter named Rhil Dairo has just met Stellan. Here are her thoughts on him:
Rhil liked Stellan. He was a bit stiff, sure…a bit earnest and, on days when she wasn’t feeling generous, a little too keen on the sound of his own voice, but she could tell that his heart was definitely in the right place. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was a handsome son-of-a-blaster. Oh no, not at all. That chiseled jaw beneath the dashing beard, those blue eyes. And the smile. That smile! That was the real killer, right there. No wonder the Council had decided to make him their poster boy. (p. 55)
Later in the book, after the battle and Stellan is carrying the injured Lina Soh in his arms, these are his thoughts:
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Stellan knew the galaxy was watching. He could hear the whine of the cam droids, almost feel their lenses closing in, picking up every scrap of dirt on his robes, the injuries on his face, the tears in his eyes.
Jedi weren’t supposed to cry. They were supposed to keep their emotions in check. But weren’t they also supposed to feel compassion for those in pain?
For light and life.
For light and…
Stellan heard a whimper, but didn’t realize it was his own.
There was no avoiding the suffering of those whose lives had been torn apart, no avoiding their pain. If he could, if the anguish and the misery didn’t cut him to the quick, then what kind of Jedi would he be? (p. 339)
These two passages really show the two faces of Stellan, the public and the private. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him at the beginning of the book, but by the end, I loved him. Right now I’m finding Elzar Mann a little more interesting (more on him in a future post), but there’s no denying Stellan is a stellar Jedi.
I was scrolling through Twitter the other day (which I don’t actually do that often) and came across a post in which a guy was talking about how he was trying to explain Star Wars to his father, but it was hard because there was so much to it. He said that fans these days had to pick a “major” (like in college) and focus on that aspect of it.
And it kind of made sense. Not many fans know everything about every aspect of the franchise (although there may be a few, lol). There’s just too much, with a lot of moving parts. Here’s just a short list of certain aspects of Star Wars one could focus on, depending on one’s interests:
The Skywalker Saga (kind of like Star Wars 101; it’s required for all of the others)
The Old Republic
Mandalorian history and culture
The criminal underworld (bounty hunters, gangsters, crime syndicates, etc.)
The Jedi (of any particular period, or all of them)
The Sith
The Force
The High Republic
The Comics (any number of the zillions out there)
Legends books
Canon books
Gaming
Thrawn, or any other particular character
You get the idea.
For myself, beyond the Skywalker Saga, I choose to focus on the Jedi, canon books, and the High Republic. Those are the areas I have the most interest in (one might even say an obsession with, lol). Others love the Sith, or bounty hunters, or ships, or learn Aurabesh. It’s been around for so long, and has been added to and enriched with so many shows, books, and comics, that one could make a study of it for a lifetime. It really is extraordinary. The only other fandom I can think of that compares in depth is Tolkien, as far as history, culture, and having a mythic quality to it.
It’s what I love about Star Wars–even if they stopped making new content (which is clearly not happening), I’d have plenty of areas to explore for a very long time. If I get tired of one area, I can try another area and see what I can learn and how it all ties together.
Here’s a few other other things you could make a study of:
Symbols By Era (I didn’t know Yoda had a crest!)
Clone troopers and their regiments
Droids
Aliens, Planets and Systems, Weapons, the list goes on and on…
So, if there was a “Star Wars University” out there, what would be your major? How many minors or concentrations? Or are you going for the PhD and learning all of it? (Kudos to you!)
Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Hello my friends, and happy weekend. I hope you all had a great holiday this year.
So I finally finished Kenobi, by John Jackson Miller, and Smuggler’s Run by Greg Rucka. Kenobi is a wonderful Legends book about Obi-Wan when he first arrives on Tatooine to watch over Luke. Smuggler’s Run is a short middle grade adventure featuring Han Solo and Chewbacca, and it was a fun, quick read and one that adds to my “Journey to the Force Awakens” collection. They include The Weapon of a Jedi (about Luke), Moving Target (Leia) and now Smuggler’s Run (Han). They’re all set up with someone during the time just before The Force Awakens telling someone else a story about these characters back in the day and their adventures. It’s a neat little set-up.
So now I’ve picked up The Rising Storm, by Cavan Scott, to re-read before The Fallen Star comes out in a few weeks. I want to refresh my memory of the events in that book before I start the new High Republic adventure.
These scenes right here.
I followed up my viewing of “The Essential Clone Wars” on D+ with Seasons 6 & 7, although I skipped a few arcs of S6 (mostly the ones with Padme and Clovis). The arc with Fives finding out about the inhibitor chips is vital for S7, and then Yoda’s journey to learn about becoming a Force ghost and facing trials is interesting. I watched all of S7, beginning with the Bad Batch arc, Ahsoka’s adventures with the Martez sisters (I thought about skipping this arc, but the sisters have kind of grown on me), and of course, the last four episodes of Ahsoka facing Maul and then she and Rex during Order 66. Amazing, brilliant Star Wars in these last few episodes. It knocks me off my feet every time.
Nice suits.
In Marvel, I watched the finale of Hawkeye, and it satisfied. It wrapped things up rather quickly, and that’s fine. Kate dealt with Kingpin, Maya dealt with her cousin, and then also Kingpin, and Clint dealt with Yelena. I actually came to like Jack in a weird way, and how the Larpers tried to recruit him to their group. I’m still not sure what the deal is with the watch and how it ties to Clint’s wife–I’m a Marvel newbie, so I had to look it up. Apparently, it refers to the comics where Clint’s wife Bobbi was SHIELD Agent 19, and then left to become a superhero named Mocking bird. Just a little wink wink to those who are familiar with the comics (which is not me, lol).
And that wonderful, cheesy performance of Rogers: The Musical at the end was great. I was kind of hoping Clint went back to finish watching it and appreciating the homage, but oh well. So not the best Marvel series, but not the worst, either. My ranking is Loki, Wandavision, Hawkeye, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I love Sam and Bucky, but sorry guys, it just didn’t do it for me, lol.
Okay, so I saw Spiderman: No Way Home, and I have to say it was AWESOME!
SPOILER WARNING FOR NO WAY HOME, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT AND PLAN TO, STOP RIGHT HERE!!!!!
I don’t even know where to begin with this movie, because it was just so perfect in every way. First of all, I love Dr. Strange, he’s my favorite Marvel character next to Loki, so seeing him here was just wonderful. Tom Holland is always a great Spidey, just so sweet and vulnerable and with the biggest heart. Seeing all the past villains was cool (even though I didn’t know the ones from the Andrew Garfield movies since I haven’t seen them–yet), but seeing all three Spideys in one movie was just beyond all my expectations. I loved Toby Maguire as Spiderman, and when I saw Andrew Garfield show up, I thought, ooh, can it be? Will we see Toby too? And then there he was, an older and wiser Peter Parker stepping through the portal, and my heart just soared. All three of them learned something from the others here, and it was great to see. There’s plenty of tragedy, too, and it broke my heart: May’s death, and Peter’s friends not remembering him. That poor kid. 😦 Anyway, it was a great movie and ranks right up there with Shang Chi, my other favorite new Marvel movie.
Who’s the best Spidey? Answer: all of them.
Sooo–I finally got my Star Wars tattoo! Here it is:
For light and life.
I absolutely love it! It’s my first tattoo (at 50!) and it was a fun, interesting, and slightly painful experience, lol. Not bad at all, though, and well worth it. What do you think of it?
That’s the scoop for this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
As a booklover and a Star Wars fan, there’s a lot to be excited about for 2022. There’s a ton of Star Wars books coming out, and I’ve pre-ordered nearly all of them. Looks like I’ll be a very busy reading bee next year! Here’s a run-down of what’s coming up:
The High Republic:
The Fallen Star, by Claudia Gray. January 4th. Adult. The second wave of the High Republic stories is kicked off by this adult novel which continues the Jedi’s struggles against the Nihil. I love Claudia Gray’s novels, so I have very high expectations for this one.
Midnight Horizon, by Daniel Jose Older. Feb. 1st. YA. The young adult entries in the High Republic have been hit or miss with me, but this one concerns Reath Silas, a Jedi Padawan that I’m particularly fond of. So I have high hopes.
There’s also:
Queen’s Hope, by E.K. Johnston. April 5th. YA. I’ve enjoyed the previous two entries of the Padme series (a character who’s often gotten short shrift, in my opinion), and this third in the trilogy promises to be the best of the bunch. It concerns Padme’s marriage to Anakin during the Clone Wars, and I’m eager to see her side of the story.
And then there’s also a new batch of canon Star Wars:
Brotherhood, by Mike Chen. May 10th. (Adult? I think so.) This book centers on Obi-Wan and Anakin on a mission to Cato Neimoidia during the Clone Wars, and maybe we’ll get an answer to Obi-Wan’s cryptic reference to “that business” of Anakin saving him that “doesn’t count.” At any rate, it’s an Obi-Wan and Anakin adventure, and I’m so here for it. Maybe it will coincide with the Obi-Wan series on Disney+?
Stories of Jedi and Sith. June 7th. Middle-grade short stories. This one isn’t as high on my list, but I’m sure I’ll check it out at some point. I recognize a few of the authors and they’re quite good, so I’m betting these stories have a lot to offer.
Shadow of the Sith, by Adam Christopher. June 28th. Adult. No cover yet. This is the one people are frothing at the mouth for–it’s a post ROTJ Luke story (finally!) And it refers to events that will take place in the sequel trilogy: Luke and Lando are pursuing Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin tasked with kidnapping a young girl–Rey. This one comes out on my birthday, and it will make a splendid birthday present to myself, lol.
Padawan, by Kiersten White. July 26th. YA. No cover yet. This one is about Obi-Wan when he is newly apprenticed to Qui Gon Jinn, on a mission to a planet with Force-wielding kids and teens. This one sounds fun, and really, there can never be too much Obi-Wan Kenobi, right?
I’m looking forward to ALL of these books, and I’ll be in Star Wars book heaven for at least half the year.
Are you looking forward to any of these books? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
I haven’t gotten too far in books this past week; still dribbling through Kenobi and Smuggler’sRun. I’m not sure why–I think I’ve just been busy getting ready for Christmas. But it’s okay. I’ll be done with them by the time The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray comes out on January 4th. I’m super excited for this book, which is the adult novel in the next wave of High Republic books. And it kicks off almost an entire year of Star Wars publications I’ve already pre-ordered. I think I’ll do a separate post on those books sometime next week, so stay tuned.
Hawkeye Episode 6 was quite good. We got Yelena Romanov’s appearance, which was fun, but I thought the character kind of laid it on a little thick, if you know what I mean. The banter went on far too long, in my opinion. It’s one of the criticisms I have with the show, which is that I feel the writing could be a little tighter. It tends to meander on unnecessarily sometimes. Oh well. And I heard that Kingpin is probably the big bad in the story, which turned out to be true, but as a Marvel newbie, I have no idea who that is, lol. That’s okay, too. I’ll figure it out. And–surprise!–Kate’s Mom is involved somehow with the big guy. There’s only one show left, and I’m wondering how all of this is going to be played out and wrapped up.
I’m not crying, you’re crying. No, I’m crying.
I finished my viewing of Disney+’s “Essential Clone Wars,” which goes up to the last episode of season five with Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order (I’m guessing they consider all of seasons 6 and 7, which are much shorter, as essential viewing, and I agree with that assessment). There’s about twenty or so episodes that were plucked out of seasons 1-5, and they were pretty awesome indeed, especially the whole deal with Maul and Savage Opress, Death Watch and Mandalore, Satine’s death, and the Dark Saber. Ahsoka being accused of bombing the Jedi Temple and subsequently leaving the Order was great, too. That moment she walked away from the Council with Anakin running after her and their parting words had me in tears, I’m not kidding. I think I’ll watch seasons 6 and 7, which will probably get me up to the premier of The Book of Boba Fett on the 29th.
I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the death of Anne Rice, the author of The Vampire Chronicles, the Mayfair Witches, and many other books that I devoured back in the day (90’s to early 2000’s). Her books were passionate, fun, mesmerizing and thoughtful all at the same time. Sometimes they were a little outrageous, lol. But she wrote her passions and didn’t apologize for it, and inspired me to do the same at the time (I have several desk-drawer novels from this time, lol). I eventually donated my piles of Anne Rice books to libraries and bookstores, but I do still have the book that started it all: Interview With A Vampire. The story of the vampires Louis and Lestat will always be one of my favorites. She was 80 years old and died of complications from a stroke. Rest in peace, Anne. I hope all of your spiritual questions will now be answered.
I like this woman.
Last week I mentioned that I was in the process of getting a Jedi Order tattoo, and now I actually have an appointment date: Wednesday Dec. 22nd. I can’t wait! I’ll share a pic of it in my next update post.
Finally, Spiderman: No Way Home premieres this weekend, and I’m actually going to see it in the theater, probably Sunday. I can’t remember the last movie I saw in a theater, and I finally have some time (and a movie gift card from last Christmas I haven’t used yet, lol). I can’t wait to see Peter and Dr. Strange, and all those villains! It’s gonna be a blast.
That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Your source for everything Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is the companion blog to the @AllThingsKenobi Twitter. Because our love doesn't always fit into 280 characters.
![Star Wars: Brotherhood by [Mike Chen]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41vqX7GDf4L.jpg)
Star Wars and Other Obsessions 