Phil Lemons
I have to say I have mixed feelings about this book. I really loved the first 2/3rds. I flew through it. I was unprepared for the reality of the last third. It should be clear that I am not off the persuasion that the last third was bad or poorly written. Once I came to terms with the reality, it picked back up for me. The writing has a good place and it flows well. It's fun sci-fi that doesn't try to explain how it works. Similar to Star Trek. I do want to read more of the books from this universe that Clines has written.
Imagine stormtroopers who believed in the mission to bring order to the Empire and to fight for the rights of its citizens. These stormtroopers despise the corruption of senior officials and long to turn the wrongs right. This is their story.
This story takes place during the time between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, so Luke hasn't formally trained with Yoda and Han and Leia are at each other like we see at the beginning of Empire Strikes Back. It should be noted that this story is part of what is now referred to as a Legends novel, so no longer considered canon. Zahn continues to be my favorite Star Wars author and this selection is a great example of why he is a fan favorite.
I truly didn't know what to expect going into this book. What I found was an enjoyable story with a character who aspires to make friends of enemies without compromising to evil. The characters in the book are strong and unique. Their interactions are often amusing. This story kept the third grader plugged in for evening story time for the entire 300+ pages. While Narnia continues to reign as my favorite children's story world, Redwall is a great addition to our story times together.
Did you find yourself watching the credits at the end of The Mandalorian episodes to see the fantastic art? This a book full of that art, along with commentary from artists and creators involved in dreaming up and creating the world of The Mandalorian. Reading this book was like perusing a museum dedicated to The Mandalorian printed in a book. The large format of the book lends itself to showing off the art and making the whole experience one to savor and enjoy.
Picard is a quality story through the whole season. One thing I always wanted was to hear more of Laris and Zhabon's backstory. The story feels like it belongs with the story arc of Picard Season 1 and Picard: Last Best Hope. The art appeals to me. I especially like that they don't do photorealistic faces like Star Wars comics have been doing.
This was a hard one to start. The reality of slavery is not a pleasant one. As I went along, the characters came to life and took hold of me. The characters feel so real with their individual views and flaws.
Slavery. Racism. It's not unique to white people, but we held that power in my country of the USA. It is a sin I feel we can never fully make right. Reading about these topics hurts. I say this book is very much worth reading. Especially if it hurts to see someone that looks like you as the antagonist. I say it's worth taking time to contemplate why this hurts. Then look for ways to bring healing.
Freedom isn't just about being allowed to go and do as we please. It's a state of mind. The cruelest taskmaster of all is hate. The mind that hates is never free, especially when it thinks it is the master.
This is the Sword & Laser pick for January 2021. You can find the podcast and the Goodreads group if you like SciFi and Fantasy. Now, back to the review. I'm not sure I would have chosen this on my own. However, the audio was available on Libby through my library, so it was a good excuse to check it out.
The description makes it sound more dystopian in some ways than it is. However, if you're a part of the group that is being hunted and abused, does it matter if the rest of the world is falling apart or not? The book doesn't focus on the greater world as much as it focuses on the characters and their stories. Thinking about other books kinda like this one, The Hunger Games is the first thing that comes to mind, although I wouldn't say, “If you liked The Hunger Games, read this.” I preferred this to The Hunger Games. The story feels more organic. The relationships feel more grounded in reality.
I like that this book makes me think about society at large and how to handle injustices. I am fortunate not to be part of a group that is targeted by bigotry because of my heritage or because of the family I am a part of, as this book illustrates. It does encourage me to not be afraid or ashamed of who I am inside and fear about whether people will like that or not. It doesn't mean it won't hurt when people do attack and shame those realities. I pray that this will sink down into my soul so that I do not attack or shame people for who they are. Especially for those traits that they cannot choose for themselves.
The idea of the mirror universe is interesting, but it's too easy to be one dimensional in the story telling. In this case, I think the story goes in an interesting direction and makes a good point.
More than the mirror universe story, I liked the back story of Stamets and the discovery of the mycelial network.
Overall, these were stories that had some depth and I thought the art was great.
Who is this book for?
- I like a parable that provides concepts for living life.
- I am looking for an ideology that will help me find balance and peace in my life.
- I enjoy philosophies and hearing how others view the world. Especially people from other cultures than mine.
Who is this book not for?
- I hate allegories, parables, or any other method of making a certain point in story form rather than coming out and saying it clearly.
- I don't like self improvement books or people telling me how to live my life.
- I am looking for good fiction of a master archer in Asia from years past.
My thoughts.
- Coelho lays out what I believe are great principles for navigating life using this analogy of archery. I especially appreciate an emphasis on accepting that mistakes are part of learning.
- I rather liked the simplicity of the presentation. He could have created a whole plot line to draw out these concepts over two or three hundred pages. That might be a C fun book, too. In this case, I think Coelho communicates good ideas clearly without details of a novel getting in the way of the message.
- This is a book that I would absorb more from by reading it rather than listening to the audio. A number of the concepts deserve time thinking on them and the audio moves on, ready or not. I find myself backing up a few times
Overall, I think this book has good, practical advice. Definitely worth thinking though and understanding the basis these concepts developed from. A great library borrow.
Who is this book for?
- I am a Star Wars fan who is determined to devour every Star Wars story one can get their hands on, regardless of how good or bad it is. Especially after watching The Mandalorian and having the love of Star Wars rekindled to a brighly burning blaze.
- I am scouring the internet trying to find where to submit their application to the Grand Admiral Thrawn Academy. I think Timothy Zahn has brought a classic view of Thrawn to this novel.
- I am a person who enjoys a space opera with a space Sherlock Holmes. A Sherlock Holmes with blue skin and red eyes from another planet.
Who is this book not for?
- I hate Star Wars. It's a waste of time and I mock everyone who spends anytime watching, reading, or thinking about it. In fact, I hate it so much, I read Star Wars novel reviews to help me remember how much I hate Star Wars.
- I loved the Star Wars I saw when I was a kid and all the others are garbage that should be wiped from the face of the earth. In fact, if you have a few hours, I have worked through what Star Wars should be. Actually, maybe this book is for me, so I can add to my list of where new Star Wars has ruined my childhood fantasy and not given me what I wanted over the years.
- I think space is a great place, I just prefer to stay here on Earth.
This is the Thrawn book I was looking for.
Thrawn is back in his element of grand master chess player in the Imperial fleet. Set in the era of Rogue One, we see the bias against Thrawn in the Empire as a non-human. I thought Zahn was clever in building Zahn's story in such a way that continues his legacy during the time of the original trilogy by creating a narrative as to why we would never meet him in movie episodes IV-VI. It is a really big universe, after all. I find it refreshing that we aren't bumping into the same handful of characters in every corner of the universe.
I borrowed the audiobook read by Marc Thompson. Thompson does an amazing job reading these novels, bringing the characters to life with his impersonations and accents, which is a known factor after listening to him read a number of SW novels.
I am enjoying the story more with each issue. The thing I applaud the most is the final issue in this collection. They used artist renderings of the characters rather than photorealistic images for their faces.
Overall, I still find these stories as entertaining while reading, but ultimately, I don't remember the stories in the long run. A fun, quick read when one isn't in a place to do a deep dive into a highly detailed novel.
Thrawn has been a favorite character of mine sine Zahn's Heir of the Empire series way back when. Add to that the top quality reader and production value of Star Wars audiobooks and it's an instant winner.
However, I struggled with this book. Perhaps I've had too much on my mind while listening to this book. I backed up several times to find a place where I recognized what was going on.
I did like the interaction between Thrawn and Darth Vader. I would like to come back and read this one in print and see if a more focused attention would be more enjoyable as I would follow the story better.
Han and Lando together on a heist! That's all I needed to be on board. That being said, I enjoyed the other characters that join the caper. I enjoyed the strategy, planning, and execution of it all. Listening to the audiobook was a fun experience with a reader who brings the characters to life, even pulling off believable impressions of Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams. Add in the Star Wars music and sound effects and the package is a smartly polished and easy to become absorbed in.
It's a Star Wars story, so there is going to be a bit of predictability here, but Zahn manages to get me with a couple of good surprises. I see myself coming back to this one in the future.
At first, I was not sure what to make of the stories here, and it ended up riding the shelf for some time before I returned to it. Bradbury's writing has a beautiful quality while still being quite accessible. I like that this is a collection of stories. While they have a shared narrative, each has its own personality, allowing us to see from many different perspectives.
Like C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, The Martian Chronicles are not scientifically accurate. In fact, the book is less about the science of space as it is about people. Each story tells about human nature from a different perspective. In the end, our fallen nature will bring us to be the ruin of ourselves.
I didn't have an expectation for this book, however, I was surprised by the depth I found. Much like Star Trek episodes that are entertaining, but end up having a message that I see so clearly as I got older. I am glad to have read this, and may find myself coming back to it in a few years when I have more time for pondering the stories and what they have to say.
I must admit that I would never have thought I would be reading a story about a world wide pandemic based in Nebraska while living through a world wide pandemic in Nebraska. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
More than the story of the pandemic, it's the story of the protagonist Wynter Roth who is having to learn how to live life in a new normal. The forces of our inner voices that whisper fear and doubts, the external voices that tell us who we should be, the realities that threaten to take away that which we treasure. Being able to see past these to who we really are, the treasure of the people in our lives. Fear enslaves us while love frees us. These are the messages that spoke to me and have enriched my mind during this real life pandemic.
Listening to this book rather than reading it myself was a great choice on this one. The narrator of the book is fabulous. She brought the story to life and gave each character a voice that I easily identified. This is a five star audio production.
The writing is well crafted. I would describe the plot as being intricately woven by a master hand. I found myself caught up in the mystery, wanting to see how all the pieces fit together. As the story moves along, I saw bits and pieces and I found the timing of the reveal to be right on the verge of my understanding and it sheds light on the whole story.
There is a deep dive showing the nature of a multitude of relationships between people. How we feel about each other and navigate these relationships. It's not always pretty and it isn't always honorable.
This story has a trigger for me with graphic sex. I believe it is mainly in one place in the book, may have one other scene that pops up. It's not that I avoid books with sex scenes, I just don't enjoy eavesdropping on that level of detail. I almost didn't continue when after the graphic sex. Had it come up another time, I likely would have walked away. That was a powerful scene that was written so well that it created a lasting image in my mind. Sex by nature does have such emotion to lend power to these images. Had this been a non sexual scene, it would have still been powerful, but would likely not have stayed with the reader like a sexual one does. I salute Brissett for masterful writing, although it was a scene that I felt was not for me to see, if you will.
Overall, this is a mind-bending tale that kept me engaged all the way through. I found myself thinking about the book for awhile afterward, thinking through a number of implications. I really like that this book made me think. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a good sci-fi dystopian story who has no qualms with a graphic sex scene. The weight of the graphic sex influences my rating in this case, for right or wrong.
Mr Venden takes on a topic that has long been debated in the Seventh-day Adventist church. Indeed, in the Protestant church, as well. The SdA church does have a view of Jesus' work in saving His people that are unique to the SdA church. It is our only unique theology. Depending on who you talk to, depends on how this theology is interpreted and represented.
What I appreciate about Mr Venden's explanation is the emphasis that all the work of salvation is done by Jesus and none of it is done by us, except that we accept His work on our behalf and continue to allow Him to do the work of salvation for us and in us. It seems to me that the difference between focusing on staying in relationship with God versus focusing on following rules and creeds is a blurry line that is hard for some to delineate. Venden works to illustrate the differences, and how practicing the presence of God in our lives changes our hearts to be more like His and less like our old sinful hearts. It feels like balancing on a knife's edge, stray but a little and one get's cut, either by relying on our own good behavior to convince God we're worth saving or by falling into thinking that salvation is a matter of finding immortality without consideration for spending eternity with the one who saves us.
I would recommend this book for those who wrestle with how we receive righteousness. Not because it gives an easy answer. Sometimes Venden says things that caused me to wrestle harder rather than feeling I had received an answer. I would also recommend this book to those who are curious about the Seventh-day Adventist theology sometimes called investigative judgment. As always, don't read the book expecting the author to answer all the questions. Be like the Bereans and read it to understand, then examine to see what holds up to God's teaching. Salvation isn't just forgiveness from sin. It is a return to the relationship we humans had before the fall. That is true paradise.
I debated reading this after the first installment, and am glad I did. The story gains strength and depth in this second half of Magician, in my opinion.
I really liked getting to know the Tsuranni. The contrast of the two cultures appeals to me. There is a deeper look into Pug's magical power, but it remains mysterious. It's like having a quick glimpse of a Christmas present that must wait to be revealed.
Overall, I like the characters and how they play out in the story. I look forward to more adventures in the Kingdom.
I know, I know. Is this really a 5 star book? It's adapted from a classic movie for a young reader. Typically, I save 5 star ratings for books that move me, that inspire me in some way. However, Star Wars has been a big influence in my life from before my memory begins. Return of the Jedi was my favorite of the trilogy, so in a way, this book has inspired me from before it was written. I guess I should change directions before this starts sounding like a Star Trek book review...
The language and flow of this book worked really well for me. I felt that it kept the spirit of the film and translated it well for a young reader. Since I listened to the audio, I would add that the narrator reads the book it's passion and spirit so as to be a solid performance. The soundtrack added to the background and the sound effects make it feel like listening to the movie.
The book is longer than the movie. Part of that is that the book takes time to describe things the movie can show quickly. However, there are some added elements. Discussion that happens off screen between scenes. Thoughts inside character”s heads that are not voiced in the movie. Some will disagree with the direction some of these take. Or love them. Depends on who you are. I would say the most controversial parts would be Luke's inner dialogue in certain parts of the book. In the end, I found it easier to accept than some of the edits to the original films.
This book brought out the feels and thrills I get from the movie. Further, it illuminated a part in a way I hadn't looked at it before that I thought was cool. I like this well enough that I may track down a copy for my personal collection, since this was a library borrow.
Maise Dobbs is a character I like. She's smart, but not arrogant. She goes against the flow but doesn't have a chip on her shoulder. She seems a very real abs relatable character to me.
I enjoyed the way the author unfolded this story. It is not a fast paced story, but because I enjoyed the characters, I bought into wanting to know how it turned out. There are some intense sections of the story where things pick up and move, but this really is one that I simply enjoyed the telling of the story.
Ultimately, this book is all about what the boy likes, and the boy likes this one. In reading this one, I found a number of occasions where I had to read sentences over a second or third time before I understood what was being said. In one way I complain about that, but as a parent reading to a boy who is learning, it gives the chance for him to see that grownups have to read things over sometimes to understand.
The boy loves the mouse riding the motorcycle along with the idea of animals and boys being able to talk to each other. I like the depiction of an adult who is understanding of children and treats them with respect. The next one in the series is up in the near future.
One never quite knows what to expect when returning to a universe a few years removed. Additionally, writing about someone we know in a fashion is a special challenge. In my opinion, Collins rises to the task.
I was guessing throughout the book, enjoying the new directions the story goes. It feels strange to have any positive or empathetic feelings the known protagonist in the future, which is a complement to the storytelling.
The forces and influences that push and pull at us work to shape our views and the choices we make, steering our direction. Sometimes people find themselves envious of what another has while the other wishes for the life of the other. The wrestling match in our souls as we struggle to find our ways in this life are quite dramatic. I see this played out in this book. Knowing the reality of this struggle helps us see and understand those influences.
I liked this surprisingly well. This has the feel of one of the “Tales of the...” books from 20-25 years ago. I would say these stories are better, though. I get that the casino city of Canto Bight is controversial among fans, but I think it was still better than the attempts at political intrigue in the prequels. But, I digress....
Four short stories in one volume. ThIs took a little for me to get into initially. I didn't like the protagonist in the first story, but he grew on me. I wasn't fond of him in the end, but I enjoyed the story.
The second story was in some ways the hardest to get through, but I liked it better than the first in the end. It took a while to build the backstory and the world. Once it got to the heart of the story, it got interesting.
The third story was likely my favorite. I was rooting for the protagonist and I think it felt familiar as a Star Wars story. This is one that didn't feel like it tried to have a twist I looked for, and I'm okay with that.
The final story is one that I imagine could No problem be frustrating. In fact, I sympathized with the protagonist with the number of annoyances he goes through. I found I moved along with the character as he grows through the story. The ending sounds spectacular and unlikely to happen in real life, but I think the author uses it to make a good point in the end.
I may be one of the three people who didn't hate The Last Jedi. That might lead me to liking this book better. However, I think if one is able to set expectations aside and just read this as stories in the Star Wars universe, I think one can enjoy four fun short stories
This book is well written and is fun to read aloud. There are a number of clever bits, especially with (fictional) product placement throughout the book. The characters are somewhat the usual suspects for middle school, with a couple of moments of vulnerability and honesty sprinkled in.
This was a little bit of a reach for my boy entering 3rd grade—especially the teasing of romance. However, he enjoyed the jokes and all the antics that show up throughout the book.
I liked that the book has a good takeaway in the end, pointing the reader to look past the exterior and to realize that we are all real people with struggles and pains in different ways. We also get to see what becomes of keeping secrets.
Overall, the writing is great. I still don't miss middle school. The boy would probably say he really liked it. I'd wait to see if he chooses to come back to it before I would call it a favorite