Star Wars novels and comics review thread

A thread for reviews of new or old Star Wars books and comics, whether they be interesting ones you’ve found online or your own thoughts. There are always plenty of stories in Star Wars publishing to keep track of so I thought it would be good to have a place where it’s easy enough to find what you might be interested in and what people are saying about them!

I partly made this thread because I was about to share this review of Shadow of the Sith - which releases in two weeks - before realising I didn’t know where to post it. Anyway, here it is.

https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2022/06/review-hope-pierces-through-in-adam-christophers-star-wars-shadow-of-the-sith.html

Review: Hope Pierces Through in Adam Christopher’s ‘Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith’

“Holding absolutely nothing back in his Star Wars novel debut, Adam Christopher brings a bold new adventure to the galaxy … a power-punching novel filled with bold storytelling.”

Have any of you ever read the comic adaptations of the Prequel Trilogy? If so, how are they? And what changes they have in regard to the movies? I’m talking about the 1999-2005 adaptations, not the new ones.

I just finished reading Kenobi by John Jackson Miller. I thought it was really good. A really well crafted Western that featured Obi-Wan as not the protagonist, but as a pivotal character who comes into the protagonist’s life. All of the chapters are from the POVs of other characters, not Obi-Wan himself, and the only glimpses we get into his mind are the “meditation” passages of him communing with Qui-Gon and reflecting on his experiences. It’s a brilliant choice, because it creates this aura of mystery around Obi-Wan in the eyes of the other characters, while still showing us his emotional state after all that’s happened.

I decided to read it as a sort of “prologue” before I read the ANH novelization. After that, I’ll read ESB, then Shadows of the Empire, then RotJ, then Truce at Bakura, then Luke Skywalker & the Shadows of Mindor. That way, I’ll be following a sort of linear, continuous story starting from Luke’s infancy.

Just finished a back-to-back read of Allegiance and Choices of One, both by Timothy Zahn. The two books form a sort of loose duology, telling the story of a group of rogue stormtroopers who become vigilantes against corruption in the Empire and later end up doing missions with Mara Jade.

As much as I liked the premise, I was kind of underwhelmed by these books. They’re not Timothy Zahn’s best work. I like that we get to see a more morally complex side to the Empire, and that the Imperials aren’t all cartoonishly evil, but I think these books go almost too far in making the Imperials heroic. Mara and the stormtroopers go around rescuing people and stopping bad guys and kicking ass in the name of the Empire, while the Rebellion is just sort of there, trying to survive, not doing much to actually help people. It makes the Empire look much more appealing than it should.

Honestly, the Rebel POVs with Luke, Han, and Leia could have easily been cut altogether. They make up about 40% of the books, I think, but they’re really not necessary, and could have been removed to streamline the plot. The books are already primarily an Empire story, anyway, so it probably would have been better to fully commit to that idea.

Also, this is more of a nitpick than anything, but it felt really contrived how Mara Jade and Thrawn became interwoven into the story without Luke/Han/Leia ever meeting them or becoming aware of them. Zahn goes out of his way to make sure they don’t interact with each other, so as not to break continuity, but there’s a scene where Luke and Mara are in the same room together, and they basically “meet” each other without actually meeting each other. I thought that was pushing it a little bit.

All in all, not among my favorite EU books. They were alright, but definitely not as good as the other Zahn books I’ve read.

Before I decided to give up the EU altogether, I considered reading Survivor’s Quest, Allegiance, and Scoundrels first. Reading the Thrawn trilogy for the first time in 2008 reignited my interest in SW after the PT, NJO, and Legacy junk had quashed it; I figured it was fitting I also end with Zahn. But Allegiance failed to capture my interest after reading the first few chapters, and I heard over the grapevine that Survivor’s Quest was fairly liberal with prequel references, so I never bothered picking that one up. I haven’t touched a SW novel since.

So after 2 years of off and on reading I’ve finally finished Battlefront: Twilight Company! Light Spoilers

For a video game tie-in, it really does stand on its own with brand new characters and situations. Because of this, the story is actually able to delve into these character’s lives, their relationships and dynamics with each other, and isn’t reliant on any big named characters. If you liked Andor and season one of Mando, you may want to check this novel out.

Namir is not your typical Rebel soldier. He doesn’t fully believe in the cause, but war is all he’s ever known so he fights anyway. He has to learn what it takes to be a leader and a rebel. Chalis is a senior Imperial logistics officer who wants to prove herself to others, particularly her former colleagues in the Imperial ruling class. She helps the Rebellion not for their cause, but for her own goals.

The story feels out there. Most of the book takes place on planets we’ve never heard of, and it really throws you into the mess that is ground combat.

I did not read this in one go for numerous reasons and I came back to it several times over the past few years. I wanted to say the book’s pacing is pretty slow, but I can’t accurately judge that factor because of how I read it. It’s also important to note that this is Alexander Freed’s first full length novel, so I do cut him some slack.

That being said, I thought it was good and worth a read. (7/10 - 10 being the best SW book ever)

Updated the thread to include comics as well as books. Not that I have any comics to review at the moment - I’ve stepped away from buying them for a while, although I might have to get the trade paperback for Charles Soule’s Hidden Empire miniseries when it releases. I’ve heard good things about it.

Mocata said:

Anyway I might find a few online copies of Dark Empire or the Thrawn trilogy.

to paraphrase Yoda , " If into Dark Empire 2 and Empire’s End you go , only pain will you find . "

screams in the void said:

Mocata said:

Anyway I might find a few online copies of Dark Empire or the Thrawn trilogy.

to paraphrase Yoda , " If into Dark Empire 2 and Empire’s End you go , only pain will you find . "

Well, that and nice art.

Superweapon VII said:

screams in the void said:

Mocata said:

Anyway I might find a few online copies of Dark Empire or the Thrawn trilogy.

to paraphrase Yoda , " If into Dark Empire 2 and Empire’s End you go , only pain will you find . "

Well, that and nice art.

^ sure , if you don’t mind Cam Kennedy being switched out for a different artist, in a tonally different style on Empire’s End and the rush job that was done on it , wrapping the whole thing up in just 2 issues

screams in the void said:

Superweapon VII said:

screams in the void said:

Mocata said:

Anyway I might find a few online copies of Dark Empire or the Thrawn trilogy.

to paraphrase Yoda , " If into Dark Empire 2 and Empire’s End you go , only pain will you find . "

Well, that and nice art.

^ sure , if you don’t mind Cam Kennedy being switched out for a different artist, in a tonally different style on Empire’s End and the rush job that was done on it , wrapping the whole thing up in just 2 issues

Eh, I think Jim Baikie was a fine replacement, though I certainly don’t prefer him over Kennedy. And the story was a rushed hack job; I don’t disagree.

Just reread Kenobi. Fantastic book! I know servii already reviewed it here and I don’t want to sound derivative so I’ll keep this short.

This novel has such great banter and relationships between the characters. The action is fun and the world has that rough, lived-in feel that the OT does. The story is nothing grand and galaxy-changing, but its certainly got high stakes for the new characters who you’ll come to love and care about.

John Jackson Miller may be the best EU author in my opinion because both Kenobi and his KOTOR comic are great. He can write fantastic characters with compelling stories and lots of good drama. He also captures the OT feel so well in my opinion- and not just on a surface level either. I strongly urge everyone here to check out these stories.

Edit: Also I wanted to ask, has any one here read Honor Among Thieves? If so I’d love to hear your thoughts because I’m tempted to pick it up.

 
Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy. By JW Rinzler, in 2014. (RIP)
 

Description: ‘For the first time, Lucasfilm has opened its archives to present the complete storyboards for the original Star Wars trilogy A New Hope and its operatic sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi–as well as never-before-published art from cut and deleted scenes. From the opening chase above Tatooine in A New Hope to the Battle of Endor in Jedi, this book presents the visual inspiration behind now-iconic moments. Readers can finally see a full set of storyboards by legendary artist Joe Johnston, as well as early boards for Episode IV by Alex Tavoularis and Ivor Beddoes, rarely seen Episode IV boards by Roy Carnon and Ralph McQuarrie’s art for Episode V.’
 

Review: I adore this book. Although it is in hardback I’ve already thumbed it a LOT. It provides great insight into some early creative development by the very talented people involved in the OT. Along with some of the original concepts that gave Star Wars the look and feel we have come to know and love, and some contrasts between ‘what could have been’ and what became Star Wars.

Most images are quite large and the detail in them is well presented, so you don’t have to squint or get the magnifying glass out to vie or appreciate the love that went into drawing these. There are 15 artists total, with the likes of Joe Johnston, Ralph McQuarrie, Nilo Rodis-Jamero, Roy Carnon. Paper quality is good, and will should last many years. The space and creature scenes are the highlight for me, but there are many other great scenes and sequences covered as well. It really is a visually appealing and fun read, when engrossed you’ll be forgiven for thinking it is an audio book too, although that is probably just me making the sound effects myself reading along.

My only nitpick is that while there are some notes and text on how the artists came to these visual concepts, it would have been nice to have more. And if the book had featured the scripts for the 3 OT films, it would be near perfect.

Overall, it was a fast enjoyable read for anyone who wants to relive that feeling that the OT gives us, just like when we saw the films for that first time (and times after!) If you see this book on sale, or at a good price, go get it.

 
a 2 minute video highlighting the book contents: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1YsYutN08c