Tyler Thomas
Light of the Jedi is essentially a setup for this new era of Star Wars, The High Republic. As such it basically an impossible job.
I think my biggest criticism would be the number of characters introduced in the first part of this book. It seemed to jump to a new set of characters every chapter that when we went back to someone we already knew, I couldn't remember anything about them.
I think I would have preferred to only have one or two, maybe three, characters from the Republic (Loden Greatstorm, Lina Soh, and Avar Kriss maybe) and then the stuff with the Nihil.
I really enjoyed learning about the Nihil and I think those parts of the book are what carried me through to the end. The characters there were much more interesting and layered compared the the Republic characters.
Overall, I think it was a good first book to set up this new era and I hope the next books can be more focused on specific heroes and Jedi in the Republic.
Fun revenge story with lots of guns and killing. These stories always remind me that revenge is never something that can satisfy even when we get what we think we wanted out of the revenge. Acceptance, forgiveness, and justice is what satisfies but it isn't our job to exact that justice out ourselves. The blind pursuit of revenge will destroy us.
I am taking some time to think about this book after finishing it write something more thoughtful about it. For now, I will say the book is good but doesn't live up to my expectations mainly because of pacing during the beginning of Parts 2 and 3. In these sections, it felt like there wasn't much purpose to the plot.
Thought this was a great book to help me think about the various habits in life. How to analyze them and figure out ways to change them for the better. I loved the Appendix section in the back which gave a brief overview of the core concepts in the book which will help me apply what I learned directly.
Enjoyed rereading this book as an adult and it is just as good as I remember. The themes of government dictatorship, freedom, and liberty still ring true today, maybe even more so than they did in 2008. Highly recommend and I look forward to rereading the rest of the books in the series including the newly released prequel novel about the beginnings of President Snow.
I will plan to do a video review on my YouTube channel soon! - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq9v4MKGNcFNZaeVMtH3bjw
Great follow up book to Spygate from Dan Bongino that clearly outlines all of the bad faith actors involved in Special Counsel Meuller's Investigation and how they were ready just covering for the Obama Administration, the Clinton's, and others for doing what they accused Donal Trump of doing. The real collusion story is that of the Obama team and the Clinton's with Russia.
Full Review on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz1WuEg0lIo
Overall, a good book with some potential for a great series. The premise of the book is interesting but there was a little too much mystery for my taste. Had some pacing issues with the book feeling a bit sow in the middle and the climax of the book was mediocre. Character work was pretty good with Caeden being my favorite by far.
Loved the premise of this book as it has some Westworld themes about the creation of sentient robots. The series got cancelled after Issue #4 I believe so the ending to the book felt a little bit rushed which was unfortunate because I think this book had some good potential.
The art by Eduardo was a joy to look at as well. Hopefully Mat can revisit this world at a later time.
I thought this was a good book that emphasized conversation and asking good questions to evangelize the people around us instead of giving long monologues about why Christianity is true. The book started feel a little repetitive towards the ends but I think his main point is excellent. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for an introduction to having conversations about faith with your friends and family.
Amazing book and addition to The Stormlight Archive! I loved this book for giving us a lot of backstory and history of the world. There is also some really amazing character moments for the main protagonists.
I think the ending wasn't as climactic as the previous two books but it leaves the story in a good place for the final two books of the first 5-book arc of the series.
I felt that this book was too simplistic in it's desire to “rebirth Christianity” and it neglected the importance of the Gospel over things the author, Matthew Kelly, calls “Holy Moments.” Holy Moments are great and all but those won't change the mind of unbelievers. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can do that.
He seems more concerned about the actions each of us take and less concerned with what God does through us. Towards the end of the book, it turns into a self-help book talking about living your best life and doing things that create the best version of your self.
The books has some good points but it gets quite repetitive for a book that is only 100 or so pages.
An exceptional read!
With only 200 pages, Ben Shapiro summarizes the history of Western philosophy in a thrilling and exciting fashion that makes you want to keep reading. He masterfully boils down each philosopher to the root of their ideas, explains its impact in the culture at that time and how each new philosophy led into the the next step of history.
He makes a compelling case for what we have lost in culture and gives clear and concise steps for us to take action on that will move us as a society back to the Judeo-Christian values that brought us here.
I enjoyed the world building that added to the overall Stormlight Archive narrative but the rest was just meh. I don't particularly enjoy the character of Lift and didn't feel like she really developed or changed over the course of the book. I disliked her attempts at humor and her constant reuse of the “Wyndle is a Voidbringer” joke. It got very repetitive.
This is a must read if you are going through Stormlight Archive, but at least it is short enough to read in one day!