C. J. Daley
Honestly I was originally really excited to read this one because I read a review on goodreads that said that Poirot solved the case without even leaving his armchair. Unfortunately that just is not the case, he certainly does leave it, and he does a deal of traveling and lunching while solving this case as well. The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge is a story where Poirot is sick and solves a case from home while Hastings is on scene, so maybe they confused them?
Regardless, this is a short, fun, run-of-the-mill Poirot short.
“Rather the case of the cart without the horse, you being here without him, isn't it?” Japp dishes out the perfect summary for us. Captain Hastings finally gets an outing all on his own while Poirot is in bed with influenza. Once I saw that Poirot required him to contact him with details daily I realized he was done for. I was a little more surprised that Japp was also entirely wrong, but here we are again with Hercule Poirot being the smartest while half-dead with sick.
The Rise of the Empire is honestly a great deal for the price. Keep in mind though that it's around the size of a comic book volume (a big paperback) and 700 pages long.
Mercy Mission short: 4An entertaining story and not at all a bad introduction to Hera leading into A New Dawn. Tarkin: 4
As opposed to some people I've seen, I am a huge fan of the detail and stylized writing of James Luceno. His stories are some of my favorite in the universe. I love seeing the ideas and experiences behind the mind that led to Tarkin becoming the Grand Moff.
Bottleneck short: 5The idea of having Tarkin and Vidian face off was a great one. This could have been flushed out into an even longer story and I would have been on board. However, it still did itself justice as a short. The twist with the poisoning at the end is just another reason why Tarkin is the mastermind. Another tidbit of information on Rae Sloane before her official first appearance in A New Dawn as well. A New Dawn: 4
Not my favorite novel as I had read it prior to seeing anything about rebels. Even though it's a prequel to rebels I just didn't have any connection or reference to those characters. With that being said, it's a pretty enjoyable first team up for Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla. An even deeper extension to the Bottleneck short would be how imposing and honestly creepy Count Vidian is. He was a great creation for an antagonist. As always for me, especially with this being the first official appearance, Rae Sloane is continuously badass.
The Levers of Power short: 5*
Now ADMIRAL Rae Sloane leading her ISD during the battle of Endor. I love seeing the amount of stories that can be pieced together just from things already seen in the universe. Also the reference to the B-Wing fighters from the Blade Squadron shorts? what a nice little reference. The ending with her shooting the officer and preparing for what will come in Aftermath? what a badass, again.
The end of this compilation also includes excerpts from: Battlefront: Twilight Company and SW Aftermath, just another reason why this is totally worth the price. If you haven't read these novels or short stories (I couldn't find these three online) it's honestly unbeatable.