Top Ten Tuesday – Books I read on Vacation

On October 12, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn List1 Comment

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants are required to list their top ten favourite books that they read of vacation. This is a rather unique topic that I was quite intrigued to try and implement. Like many fellow readers, I always enjoy a good book while on vacation, and I have managed to get into some cracking reads while away on holiday. As such, it was an interesting experience to dive back into my trips for the last few years and try to remember what I was reading. I ended up coming up with a pretty good list in the end, including a few honourable mentions. I might have stretched the definition of a book to include audiobooks and other productions, but I am overall pretty happy with how this turned out. Hopefully this following list will give you some reading ideas next time you are on vacation.

Honourable Mentions:

Asterix series – Foster/Tuncurry

I absolutely loved the Asterix comic strips when I was younger (still do to be honest) and I always remember bringing them with me to our regular coast trips as a kid. These proved to be very fun reads while away at the beach and I would have brought most of them with me at one point or another. The one I most distinctly associated with coast trips however is Asterix and the Banquet, as my parents got a rather good photo of me reading it, however all make pretty awesome and light reads while your away.

Cabin Pressure – Road Trip – Canberra to Coffs Harbour and Back

My editor/wife got me into British radio dramas during several road trips we did, so I thought I would include a couple here, even if they technically aren’t books. One of my favourites is the outstanding Cabin Pressure series, which she owns on CD. Made up of 27 episodes and featuring an exceptional British cast (including Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam, Benedict Cumberbatch, and John Finnemore), Cabin Pressure follows the chaotic crew of the world’s smallest airline. Intensely funny and utterly brilliant, the road flew away as we listened to this and it comes very highly recommended.

Inspector Steine – Tasmania

In that same vein as Cabin Pressure, I also must recommend Lynne Truss’s outstanding Inspector Steine series, which we listened to while driving around Tasmania. The Inspector Steine series is set in Brighton in the 1950s and follows an incompetent police station who fail to notice that their charlady is Brighton’s criminal mastermind. Slick, deeply amusing and well worth a listen, this was a hilarious series to enjoy on a fantastic trip.

Unleashed by Amy McCulloch – Nevada

The follow up to the cool young adult science fiction novel, Jinxed, Unleashed made for an excellent and compelling read while we were busing it around Nevada in 2019. I read most of it on the coach trip up to the Grand Canyon, and I managed to pass a lot of drive time getting through this awesome conclusion to a fantastic story.

Amazon Book Depository

Top Ten List:

World War Z by Max Brooks – Road Trip – Canberra to Gold Coast

Let us start this list off with one of the best road trip accompaniments I can recommend, World War Z by Max Brooks. This iconic and brilliant zombie novel really made a recent length road trip from Canberra all the way up the coast to Queensland really easy, as we got quite hooked on its exceptional audiobook format. Featuring an unparalleled voice cast and an exceedingly clever narrative, World War Z is a must read for all zombie fans, and this is honestly one of the better audiobooks I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Amazon Book Depository

Assassin’s Code by Jonathan Maberry – Sydney to San Francisco

Long flights are the bane of my existence as I never get any sleep on them. Luckily one lengthy flight I had between Sydney and San Francisco proved to be very entertaining as I was listening to one of Jonathan Maberry’s incredible Joe Ledger books, Assassin’s Codes. Featuring a highly thrilling narrative about modern vampires attempting to end the world, I powered through this audiobook on the flight and even managed to write and post a review for it (written in the airport during our stopover at Fiji). An amazing read for the best holiday ever.

Amazon Book Depository

Age of Assassins by R. J. Barker – Japan

I had a lot of fun getting to know one of my favourite new fantasy authors, R. J. Barker, when I was traversing Japan. While Japan is such an incredible country with so much to see, there were a lot of train rides involved, so I spent a bit of time getting into some great books. Easily the best was Age of Assassins by R. J. Barker, which was a particularly impressive debut. Following two assassins as they are tasked to save a life rather than take one in a cursed castle, Age of Assassins was an excellent read and one that made me a lifelong fan of Barker, who has written some amazing stuff since.

Amazon Book Depository

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman – Road Trip – Gold Coast to Kangaroo Valley

Another epic audiobook I enjoyed on my recent road trip was the full cast adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s iconic The Sandman comic. You can really get to grips with the complex and brilliant story contained in The Sandman comics when listening to it, and the exceptional voice cast really helped to bring everything to life. As such, the second leg of our road trip from Gold Coast to Kangaroo Valley was a lot of fun, especially once we got wrapped up in the powerful narrative. Another exceptional audiobook that is a very good option if you are looking for some entertainment on the road.

Amazon Book Depository

Warhammer: Broken Honour by Robert Earl – Gold Coast

The next entry on this list is a book I actually picked up while away on holiday. I managed to grab several great Warhammer novels while visiting a second-hand bookshop in the Blue Mountains and I ended up reading one while away on the same holiday. That book was Broken Honour, a great fantasy read about a group of prisoners pressed into service as a regiment of soldiers. Fun and action-packed, this was a great read for a holiday trip.

Amazon

Extinction Machine by Jonathan Maberry – San Francisco

On the same trip where I listened to Assassin’s Code, I also had fun with the next Joe Ledger book, Extinction Machine. Featuring a fantastic plot loaded with conspiracies about aliens, advanced aircraft and men in black, Extinction Machine was an amazing read, and one I had fun getting through on a couple of long coach rides between San Francisco and other great locations. It was very easy for me to just dive into this compelling audiobook amid the long trip and I had a fun time getting through it.

Amazon Book Depository

Redshirts by John Scalzi – Dubbo

Another excellent book for road trips is the hilarious Redshirts by the always clever John Scalzi. A very hilarious parody of Star Trek, Redshirts is a wonderful read and we had an outstanding time getting through it during a road trip to the town of Dubbo. We had so many amazing laughs during this trip and Redshirts is a great listen for a shorter road trip.

Amazon Book Depository

Timeless by R. A. Salvatore – Tasmania

Another book I started to read after buying it during a holiday was Timeless by R. A. Salvatore. I always love a great high fantasy adventure and Salvatore does some amazing work in this genre. As such, I made sure to grab a copy of Timeless while down in Tasmania during a fantastic trip and I ended up reading it while I was gone. An excellent and compelling fantasy adventure, Timeless leads into an awesome trilogy by Salvatore and is a must read for fantasy fans.

Amazon Book Depository

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson – Los Angeles (Disney World)

I always enjoy a good Star Wars read but one book I was enjoying during a recent trip to America proved to be quite a fortuitous read. That book was Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson, which, while a fun book, is also a tie-in to Disney World’s Galaxy’s Edge park. I ended up reading Black Spire while visiting Disney World back in 2019 and it was kind of fun to see the connections between the park and the book.

Amazon Book Depository

Mecha Samurai Empire by Peter Tieryas – Melbourne

The final entry on this list is Mecha Samurai Empire, which I picked up and read a few years ago while visiting Melbourne. I happened across this awesome book while visiting the city’s premier comic shop and I couldn’t walk past a book about mecha combat in an alternate history America. Mecha Samurai Empire was an outstanding read and I instantly got hooked on its brilliant and captivating story in between enjoying all the fun sights and shows of the beautiful city of Melbourne.

Amazon Book Depository

That’s the end of this list and as you can see, I have had the pleasure of reading/listening to some excellent books on some great trips over the years. All the above make for excellent vacation reading, and I had a blast with all of them. While I only had a good break a few months ago, I am already excited for whatever trip I have next and hopefully I can chuck in some more international travel now that the world is opening up again. In the meantime, let me know which books you enjoyed on your vacations in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books with Colours in the Title

On August 4, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn List15 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list their top ten favourite books that feature a colour in their title. This proved to be a particularly interesting topic to do, and I was rather curious to see just how many of the books that I have read had a colour in the title.

While I had a few titles in the top of my mind when I first saw what this topic was, I had to dive through the bibliographies of some of my favourite authors and through my blog archives to see what I could find. This worked out well, and I was able to come up with a final list that I am rather happy with. This list is filled with a great range of different books which includes a combination of recent novels I have read and reviewed, as well as some old favourites. I managed to eventually cull this down to my absolute favourites, as well as including a few special honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions:

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

When I first heard about this week’s topic this was the book that I initially thought of, even though technically it does not have a true colour in the title. Because of this technicality, I decided to include it as an honourable mention, rather than on the main list, but there was no way I could not mention this amazing first entry in Pratchett’s iconic Discworld series.

Gray Man books by Mark Greaney

This is another one that is technically ineligible for this list, as it is the series name which has the colour in it rather than the individual book titles. However, I have really enjoyed the two Gray Man novels that I have read (Mission Critical and One Minute Out), so I thought I would include it as an honourable mention.

The Red Ribbon by H. B. Lyle

Greenlight by Benjamin Stevenson

Top Ten List (no particular order):

Demon in White by Christopher Ruocchio

The first book that I am featuring in this list is the Demon in White, which I only just finished reading today. This was a fantastic and epic read which serves as the third book in Ruocchio’s amazing Sun Eater series of science fiction novels. This book has a couple of different cover designs, but I decided to go with the one above, as not only is it really striking but it features so much of the titular colour in it.

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

There was no way that I could create a list about books with colours in their title without featuring this incredible book. I absolutely loved Red Seas Under Red Skies, which is the second book in Lynch’s iconic Gentleman Bastards fantasy series, especially as, in some ways, it is a better novel than the incredible first entry in the series, The Lies of Locke Lamora.

Red Metal by Mark Greaney and Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV

Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond E. Feist

I had to include at least one book from one of my favourite authors, Raymond E. Feist, and I actually found a couple of good options here. While I was tempted to use Feist’s second book, Silverthorn, I ended up going with Talon of the Silver Hawk. This is mainly because Talon of the Silver Hawk was the first of Feist’s books that I ever read and it started my life-long love for the author’s novels, as I immediately went back and checked out the rest of the books in the epic Riftwar Cycle after I finished reading it.

Black Leviathan by Bernd Perplies

Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 24: Return of the Black Soul by Stan Sakai

Readers of this blog will know that I am a major fan of the Usagi Yojimbo series of comics, so when I started working out what to include in this list I made sure to check out which collected edition had colours in their titles. I ended up being spoiled for choice here as three full volumes had titles that could be featured on this list, and while I could have included Grey Shadows or Red Scorpion, both of which are truly outstanding comics, I decided to use the 24^th volume of the series, Return of the Black Soul, for this list. Return of the Black Soul contains an amazing story that reveals the origins of the compelling and terrifying antagonists, Jei, and it is a major and impressive volume in the Usagi Yojimbo saga.

Star Wars: Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson

Streams of Silver by R. A. Salvatore

R. A. Salvatore has written a phenomenal number of fantasy novels in his 30+ year career but only one of them has had a colour in the title, his second novel, Streams of Silver. This was a particularly good book from Salvatore, which served as a really strong sequel to his awesome first novel, The Crystal Shard, and it is a wonderful example of classic fantasy fiction.

Red War by Kyle Mills (based on the series by Vince Flynn)

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Well that’s my Top Ten List for this week. I think it turned out rather well, and I liked the intriguing collection of different novels that I ended up featuring. Not only are all the above books really amazing reads, but each of them have impressive covers and there are some great colour centric titles in there. It looks like the colour red is very popular for book titles, although black and silver are both also used a lot. Make sure to let me know which of the above books you enjoyed, as well as which are your favourite books with colours in their titles.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson

On October 9, 2019August 17, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Star Wars, Tie-in Novel8 Comments

Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 3 September 2019)

Series: Star Wars

Length: 378 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon Book Depository

Man, it has been a good year for Star Wars tie-in fiction. So far in 2019 there have been a huge number of awesome books that cover some diverse periods of Star Wars history, from an intriguing look at a younger Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray to the electrifying third book in Timothy Zahn’s new Thrawn series, Treason. As the year draws to a close, the focus of the Star Wars extended universe starts to turn to the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As a result, the rest of the books coming out this year will set the scene of the Star Wars universe before the events of this upcoming film. This includes the focus of this review, Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson.

Black Spire is an interesting addition to this later year complement of Star Wars novels, and it is one that I have been looking forward to for a while. Dawson previously contributed to the Star Wars extended universe with 2017’s Phasma, and Black Spire is also part of the Galaxy’s Edge mini-series, which is connected with the Disneyland theme park area of the same name. As such, there are some intriguing elements to the book that make it worth checking out.

Following the events of The Last Jedi, the Resistance has been decimated, and only a few survivors remain. However, those survivors are still as determined as ever to fight the tyranny of the First Order, and need to find new recruits, allies and resources to continue this war. To that end, General Leia Organa has tasked her best spy, Vi Moradi, to find an isolated planet and set up a base to serve as a much-needed bolt hole for other surviving members of the Resistance. Still recovering from the trauma of her last adventure, Vi decides that the best location for this base is on the isolated planet of Batuu, which serves as the final stop between the known galaxy and the mysterious and unexplored expanses of Wild Space.

Heading out for Batuu with a ship full of supplies, materials for a base and a rather snarky droid, Vi is joined by Archex, a former captain in the First Order turned ally who is now seeking redemption. However, their mission begins poorly when they are forced to crash land on the planet and scavengers steal all their supplies. With no help coming from the rest of the Resistance, Vi is forced to make other arrangements to secure her objectives. Finding work in the Black Spire Outpost, Vi will have to make deals with local gangsters and barter with various businesses if she is wants to build up her base of operations and attract new recruits.

However, most of Batuu’s populace want nothing to do with the Resistance and are content to live their lives on the outskirts of the current conflict. But when a force of First Order stormtroopers arrive on Batuu led by a fanatical officer determined to hunt down Vi, they begin to understand the true power and terror of the group beginning to dominate the galaxy. As Vi’s small group of Resistance recruits band together to fight back against the superior force arrayed against them, will they be able to save Batuu, or will another planet fall to the destructive tyranny of the First Order?

The first thing that needs to be addressed is that Black Spire is tied into the newest themed area at Disneyland in California, Galaxy’s Edge. I have to admit, when I first heard that this book was going to be strongly associated with a theme park attraction, the rather blatant commercialism was a little off-putting, so I can totally understand why some people may be reluctant to check it out. However, those readers who give it a chance will be in a for a treat, as Black Spire is an exciting and at times emotional book that proved to be quite enjoyable.

I really liked the storylines contained within this book, as the whole concept of two opposing factions trying to win over a town for their own ends was one that I found to be pretty cool. Watching Vi and her allies attempt to gain resources and followers in the Black Spire Outpost was very entertaining, especially as the author comes up with several compelling Resistance recruits to help Vi in their fight against the First Order. The backstories of each of these followers, who include a young farm boy from an isolated anti-tech society, a flamboyant smuggler and a small alien mechanic, are explored in some detail, and each of them gets their own captivating character arcs. The author also spends some time showing the perspective of Black Spire’s sadistic villain, which makes for a great alternate viewpoint and intriguing change of pace at times. In addition to the fun characters, there is also a ton of action and adventure, as the two opposing sides face off against each other, the locals of Batuu and dangers of the surrounding wilderness. Overall, this was a really fun read, and it is worth checking out.

As I mentioned above, Black Spire is set in the immediate aftermath of The Last Jedi and helps showcase the universe and the Resistance’s struggle between this movie and The Rise of Skywalker. This book is also a sequel to Dawson’s previous book, Phasma, as Vi was the Resistance spy who was narrating Phasma’s life story, while Archex is a reborn version of one of Phasma’s antagonists, Captain Cardinal. While readers do not need to have read Phasma to enjoy this book, those who have will appreciate the continuation of several of the stories and character arcs that were started in the first book. Archex’s character arc, for example, is particularly fascinating, as he is a former First Order commander who has been deprogrammed from the organisation’s brainwashing and propaganda. His perspectives on First Order tactics and methods are really cool and help showcase the First Order as a truly evil and ruthless group. The guilt and regret that Archex experiences, combined with Vi’s mental trauma and PTSD from the events of Phasma, make for a compelling emotional heart to the whole book, especially as the author explores the extent of their new working relationship.

I think it is also important to mention that this book has some cool connections to the Galaxy’s Edge theme park area. In a mostly unplanned coincidence, I was actually halfway through Black Spire while visiting Disneyland and the Galaxy’s Edge area just over a week ago. As a result, while I was walking around through Galaxy’s Edge and enjoying the cool atmosphere, I noticed that a number of the characters and locations featured in Black Spire were inspired by the shops within the park area. In addition, some of the performances from the Disneyland cast revolved around the First Order hunting a Resistance spy hiding in the Black Spire Outpost, which is a cool reference to the events of the book. Indeed, one of the performances I saw actually kind of spoiled an event that occurred at the end of this book, although it is a rather minor reveal. I personally found that reading this book around the same time as I visited the theme park not only helped enhance my experience of Galaxy’s Edge, but it also made me appreciate a number of the elements of Black Spire at the same time. As a result, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is visiting Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland, and it is truly interesting to see how the setting of the book is brought to life.

Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson is another excellent addition to the Star Wars expanded universe with some neat storylines and compelling characters. While its strong connections to the newest themed area of Disneyland may not be for everyone, I felt that there were a lot of cool features in this book that make it really worth checking out. I am excited to see what Star Wars stories Dawson tells in the future, as Black Spire turned out to be an incredibly enjoyable read.

Amazon Book Depository

Book Haul – 2 September 2019

On September 2, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Book HaulLeave a comment

Its been a little quiet on the new book front lately, but I have managed to obtain a few amazing sounding novels over the last couple of weeks. This is a combination of top books I got from some Australian publishers, and a few more books I bought on my Kindle in preparation for an upcoming trip.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

This is an intriguing debut book from a new author that I have been looking forward to for a while. I have actually already finished this book off, and my review for it will be up in a few minutes.

The Man That Got Away by Lynne Truss

The Man That Got Away is another book that I have been looking forward to for a while. I loved the previous book in the series, A Shot in the Dark, and I reckon this is going to be one of the funniest reads of 2019.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire
by Delilah S. Dawson

The first of several awesome sounding Star Wars books that are coming out in the second half of 2019. This should be an interesting read and I am keen to check it out.

The Cruel Stars by John Birmingham

This is a cool new science fiction epic that recently caught me eye. It sounds like it could be pretty amazing and I am sure it is going to be an exciting read.

The Brink by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth

The sequel to Murray and Wearmouth’s first collaboration, Awakened, The Brink promises to be another fun and exciting horror thriller.

Unleashed by Amy McCulloch

The first book in this series, Jinxed, was one of my favourite young adult books from last year, so I am keen to check out the sequel.
Another successful book haul that I am pretty happy with. Which of these books are you keen for me to review?

WWW Wednesday – 28 August 2019

On August 28, 2019August 28, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday1 Comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading?

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (Hardcover)

This is a fun science fiction novel, and features lesbian necromancers in space. I have been looking forward to this one for a while and so far it is pretty good.

The Possession by Michael Rutger (Audiobook)

The follow up to last years awesome novel, The Anomaly, The Possession is another cool book that has a pretty intriguing horror storyline. I had hoped to finish this book off today, but my phone crashed for a bit. I should get it knocked off tomorrow and will hopefully get a review up for it soon.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier (Trade Paperback)

Red Metal by Mark Greaney and Lt. Col. H. Ripley Rawlings IV. USMC (Audiobook)

What do you think you’ll read next?

Ok, I will admit it, these are a couple of nerdy choices, but both sound really cool and I am looking forward to checking them out.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson (Trade Paperback)

The latest Star Wars novel for 2019. I am curious to see how a book whose release is mainly thanks to a theme park ride turns out, but I reckon it should be a fantastic read.

Star Trek: The Original Series – The Antares Maelstrom by Greg Cox (Audiobook)

I have been really getting into Star Trek fiction lately, especially the audiobook formats which are particularly good. The Antares Maelstrom has an interesting sounding plot, and I have previously enjoyed the audiobook narrator’s work in Available Light and The Captain’s Oath. I should start listening to this book tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to power through it fairly quickly.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Waiting on Wednesday – Upcoming Star Wars Books August-December 2019

On August 14, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Comics/Manga, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Star Wars, Tie-in Novel, Waiting on Wednesday13 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.

It has come to my attention that I might have recently developed a slight addiction to Star Wars expanded fiction. Why else would I go out of my way to read and review four of the Star Wars books that have been released so far this year, as well as collect a huge number of Star Wars comics? The obvious answer is that Star Wars is awesome and all the tie-in media I have read are freakin’ spectacular, with some fantastic stories that feature so many of the franchise’s iconic characters. So far this year I have reviewed the 2019 releases Queen’s Shadow, Master and Apprentice, Alphabet Squadron and Thrawn: Treason, as well as several Star Wars books and comics that were released in previous years. Of these, Thrawn: Treason was probably my favourite; however, the year is far from over, and there are still a number of awesome Star Wars novels and comics set to be released.

For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I am looking at some of the top upcoming Star Wars tie-in media releases coming out later this year. Many of these books are tied into the upcoming Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker, and I am curious about what sort of plot hints or tie-in elements will be included as a result. Each of these upcoming releases sound pretty amazing and I will be reading and reviewing all of them in the coming months, no matter what.

Vader: Dark Visions by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum (Issues released between 6 March and 12 June 2019, trade paperback out 27 August 2019)

This is a pretty cool one to start the article off with. Honestly, I will be grabbing this comic just for the cover alone; Vader looks so awesome as a dark knight on it. I just love it.

I am also a massive fan of the character of Darth Vader (who isn’t?) There has been an amazing run of Darth Vader comics in the last couple of years, including the 2015 Darth Vader series (check out my review of Volume 1 here) and the Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith series (check out my review of Volume 2 and 3 as well), and this looks likes it is going to be another epic Vader story.

The series is being written by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum and will be his debut Star Wars series. I have read a bunch of Hopeless’s series before, including Avengers Arena, Cable and X-Force and Avengers Undercover, and I look forward to seeing how he takes on the character of Darth Vader. If the series synopsis is anything to judge by, it sounds like Hopeless has come up with a pretty cool story concept.

Goodreads Synopsis:

WHO IS DARTH VADER? He has been many things: a SITH warrior, a commander, a destroyer. DARTH VADER is to many throughout the GALACTIC EMPIRE a symbol of fear and mysterious, otherworldly power. But there are some who have seen the DARK LORD in a different light. There are some corners of the galaxy so dark and desperate that even Vader can be a knight in shining armor. The first issue of a new STAR WARS limited series, writer Dennis Hopeless (CLOAK AND DAGGER, JEAN GREY) sheds new light on the many sides of the galaxy’s greatest villain.

I really like the idea of a more complex look at Darth Vader’s character, and watching Vader go up against opponents so evil they make him look good is surely going to be epic. While I have not read any of the individual issues yet, the collected edition is out in around two weeks, and I fully intend to grab this as soon as it comes out.

Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson (release date – 3 September 2019)

Black Spire is the second book in Star War’s Galaxy’s Edge mini-series, which serves as a tie-in to the new Disneyland park of the same name (where I will be going to in a few weeks). Black Spire is written by intriguing author Delilah S. Dawson, who has previously written a couple of official Star Wars short stories, as well as 2017’s Phasma.

Goodreads Synopsis:

After devastating losses at the hands of the First Order, General Leia Organa has dispatched her agents across the galaxy in search of allies, sanctuary, and firepower—and her top spy, Vi Moradi, may have just found all three, on a secluded world at the galaxy’s edge.

A planet of lush forests, precarious mountains, and towering, petrified trees, Batuu is on the furthest possible frontier of the galactic map, the last settled world before the mysterious expanse of Wild Space. The rogues, smugglers, and adventurers who eke out a living on the largest settlement on the planet, Black Spire Outpost, are here to avoid prying eyes and unnecessary complications. Vi, a Resistance spy on the run from the First Order, is hardly a welcome guest. And when a shuttle full of stormtroopers lands in her wake, determined to root her out, she has no idea where to find help.

To survive, Vi will have to seek out the good-hearted heroes hiding in a world that redefines scum and villainy. With the help of a traitorous trooper and her acerbic droid, she begins to gather a colorful band of outcasts and misfits, and embarks on a mission to spark the fire of resistance on Batuu—before the First Order snuffs it out entirely.

I like the sound of this book’s plot. A small group of rogues and thieves battling against overwhelming odds is pretty classic Star Wars fare, and it looks like Dawson has an excellent setting and a cool collection of characters to for the story. Blatant commercialism aside, this does look like it is going to be a rather interesting read, and I am putting in an order for it as we speak.

Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse (release date – 12 November 2019)

This is probably the upcoming Star Wars book I am looking forward to the most, having previously mentioned it in my Top Ten Most Anticipated July – December 2019 Releases list. Resistance Reborn is the one of the first books in the loosely connected sub-series, Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and will be one of the many upcoming novels that explores the period between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker before the movie comes out in December. From what I understand, Resistance Reborn is probably going to be the novel that ties in the most with The Rise of Skywalker, and if there are any big reveals or plot hints, this is where we are mostly likely to find them.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novel, Poe Dameron, General Leia Organa, Rey, and Finn must struggle to rebuild the Resistance after their defeat at the hands of the First Order in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

While the above plot synopsis is a little light on detail, it does seem like this book will focus on the main protagonists from these latest movies as they attempt to rebuild from their major defeat in The Last Jedi. I imagine that the author will focus pretty heavily on the four characters mentioned in the synopsis and detail the various hardships and issues that they experience during this period. You also have to imagine that several other characters who featured in the movies, such as Rose or Chewbacca, will make some appearances, and I will interested to see what happens with them. It is unclear whether we will see much of Kylo Ren or other members of the First Order, but the book will need to have some form of antagonist. Personally, I hope that Benicio del Toro’s DJ fails to make an appearance (in either the book or future movies), but that’s just me. The idea of rebuilding a resistance from scratch sounds pretty cool, and I look forward to seeing how the author covers that. Overall, I think that this book will be a good combination of character development and intriguing story, and I look forward to checking it out.

I am also excited in the choice of author. Rebecca Roanhorse has been on a real tear in the last couple of years with her Navajo inspired fantasy novels, including the books in her acclaimed The Sixth World series. While I have not had the pleasure of reading any of her books yet, I have heard good things from a number of reviewers and look forward to seeing what her first foray into Star Wars fiction is like.

Force Collector by Kevin Shinick (release date – 19 November 2019)

This is another book in the Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker range, and it is probably the novel that I know the least about. I do know that it is being marketed as a young adult novel, and I know that the author, Kevin Shinick, is an interesting choice. This will actually be Shinick’s first proper novel, as he is best known as a television show writer, having worked on shows such as Robot Chicken and Mad, as well as developing the current animated Spider-Man television show. Apart from writing several comic book series and the children’s book Chewie and the Porgs, Shinick has no experience writing a full novel, and it will be interesting to see what he comes up with.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker young adult novel set just before The Force Awakens, a restless teenager sets out to discover what connection his mysterious Force powers have to the fabled Jedi and what the Force has in store for him.

This is a pretty generic synopsis for Force Collector, and aside from the useful titbit that the book is set just before The Force Awakens, there really is not too much information there. The cover picture actually gives a lot more away, as it shows a young man, probably the titular Force Collector, on a desert planet. In his possession he has a number of items associated with the franchise and the Jedi, including a Storm Trooper helmet, a Tusken Raider weapon, one of those Jedi training spheres and a lightsaber. While it is cool to see all of these, this cover really raises more questions than it answers. Is this character collecting these items or has he just found them? Which planet is he on: Tatooine or Jakku (both associated with famous Jedi)? Why would he be on either planet before the events of The Force Awakens? And how will his story tie into The Rise of Skywalker as promised? I look forward to finding out more about this book in the future, and I am very curious to see what happens in it.

Star Wars: Allegiance by Ethan Sacks and Luke Ross (released between 9 October – 30 October 2019)

The final entry in this article is an upcoming four-issue comic book miniseries Star Wars: Allegiances. Allegiance is another series that ties into the upcoming The Rise of Skywalker movie, showing a different side to rebuilding of the Resistance.

Marvel Comics Synopsis:

BEFORE THE EXCITING EVENTS OF STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER! Hounded by the FIRST ORDER across the galaxy, the RESISTANCE is in dire need of ships, weapons and recruits to make a final stand against KYLO REN’S forces. Desperation drives a delegation led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA and REY to entreat the Rebel veteran’s one-time allies, THE MON CALAMARI, to join the fight — but decades after Imperial occupation enslaved their planet, there are those willing to stop at nothing to prevent another war from bloodying the waters of Mon Cala. A system away, POE DAMERON and FINN have their own mission: to hunt down a weapons cache on the remote moon of Avedot, unaware that they are being hunted by the most notorious criminal gang in the galaxy.

This sounds like a pretty cool comic, as not only are there several intriguing adventures in it, but it also looks at politics in the post The Last Jedi universe. I am particularly interested in seeing how the Mon Calamari plays into this, as recent Star Wars comics have done some fantastic storylines around this water planet. The third volume of the Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith series, The Burning Seas, featured the Empire’s initial invasion and conquest of Mon Cala and the devastation the caused taking the planet. The eighth volume of the 2015 Star Wars series, Mutiny at Mon Cala, which ran around the same time as The Burning Seas, shows how the Mon Calamari joined the Rebellion following the events of A New Hope. Both of these stories were extremely well written and showcased how much the people of Mon Cala suffered under the Empire. As a result, I am very keen to see what has happened to the planet after the fall of the Empire, and I am very curious to see what role they will play in fighting the First Order.

All four issues of this series are set to be released in October of this year, although I probably will not read it until it is released in its collected trade paperback (I really prefer collected editions to single issues). That means I probably will not be able to read it before The Rise of Skywalker comes out, but I am very eager to see how this series goes.

As you can see, there are some amazing sounding pieces of Star Wars extended fiction coming out in the few months. I want all of the ones I have listed above, and I fully intend to get them. What pieces of Star Wars fiction are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments.