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.

Waiting on Wednesday – Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell

On August 7, 2019August 7, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

Sword of Kings Cover.jpg

In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday I check out the latest books from one of my favourite authors, the master of English historical fiction novels, Bernard Cornwell. Cornwell is one of the leading authors of historical fiction in the world today, with over 55 novels to his name, including his massive Richard Sharpe series and his compelling Grail Quest novels. I have been a massive fan of Cornwell for years, having a huge number of his books, and he is an author whose works I will automatically grab as soon as they come out.

Sword of Kings, which is currently set for release in the next few months (Harper Collins Australia currently lists a release date of 24 September 2019), is the 12^th book in Cornwell’s impressive The Last Kingdom series. The Last Kingdom series of books has been Cornwell’s primary body of work for the last 15 years and is currently the focus of a major television series of the same name. The Last Kingdom books were among the first historical fiction books I ever read, and I am always excited to see how the series continues, especially after last year’s awesome addition to the series, War of the Wolf.

The Last Kingdom series is set in late ninth and early 10^th century England, which was in a state of constant warfare between the Christian Saxons and the pagan Danes who were invading England from Europe. The series follows the life of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon lord who is captured and raised by the Danes as a pagan. While happy to live as a pagan outside the rigid rules of the Christian Church, Uhtred is forced into the service of the Saxon kings of Wessex, and finds his loyalties constantly tested as he has to choose between the Danes who respect him and the Saxons who despise him. The series has so far followed 60 years of English history (roughly 866 to 924 AD) and Uhtred is now an older man, although he is still a feared and deadly warrior. The new book should be another cool addition to the series, and I like where the revealed plot synopsis for the book is going.

Harper Collins Plot Synopsis:

It is a time of political turmoil once more as the fading King Edward begins to lose control over his successors and their supporters. There are two potential heirs—possibly more—and doubt over whether the once separate states of Wessex and Mercia will hold together. Despite attempts at pulling him into the political fray, Uhtred of Bebbanburg cares solely about his beloved Northumbria and its continuing independence from southern control.

But an oath is a strong, almost sacred commitment and such a promise had been exchanged between Uhtred and Aethelstan, his onetime companion in arms and now a potential king. Uhtred was tempted to ignore the demands of the oath and stay in his northern fastness, leaving the quarrelling Anglo-Saxons to sort out their own issues. But an attack on him by a leading supporter of one of the candidates and an unexpected appeal for help from another, drives Uhtred with a small band of warriors south, into the battle for kingship—and England’s fate.

There are a lot of cool things that I like in that plot synopsis, especially as it sounds like Uhtred is once again going to war. One of the things that I like the most about this plot synopsis is that it looks like Cornwell is going to wrap up several storylines that have been featured in several of his previous books. Ever since Uhtred’s original Saxon benefactor, Alfred the Great, died in Death of Kings, Uhtred’s connection with Wessex has been disintegrating, especially as Uhtred does not have the same loyalty to Alfred’s son, King Edward. During the period since Alfred’s death, Uhtred has built up a number of enemies among the Wessex court, including Edward’s powerful in-laws, who hope to inherit the throne when Edward dies. However, Uhtred has maintained a close relationship with Edward’s first-born illegitimate son, Aethelstan, protecting him from several attempts to kill him and training him as a warrior.

With Edward fading even more, it looks like the battle for the throne is about to begin. It will be interesting to see Uhtred finally go into open conflict with the Wessex nobles who have been trying to kill him and Aethelstan for the last several books in the series. I also look forward to seeing the progression of Aethelstan’s character arc, as we have seen him advance from a small child to a brave leader of men, and now we may get to see him become king. All of this sounds pretty awesome, and I really look forward to seeing how Cornwell continues all the incredible storylines surrounding Uhtred.

I honestly have no doubts that Sword of Kings will be another amazing entry in this outstanding historical fiction series. There is honestly nothing in this world that will stop me buying this book, as I have really enjoyed all of the previous novels in The Last Kingdom series. The plot synopsis for this 12^th book sounds pretty amazing, and I know that Cornwell will deliver another incredible piece of fiction. I cannot wait until this book in released and I look forward to enjoying this in a couple of months.

Waiting on Wednesday – Cyber Shogun Revolution by Peter Tieryas

On July 31, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Alternate Timeline, Science Fiction, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday10 Comments

Cyber Shogun Revolution.jpg

Now, this is an upcoming book that I know is going to have a cool concept and be filled with some epic action sequences. If you could not tell from the funky title or awesome-looking cover, Cyber Shogun Revolution is a very unique book, and one that I am very keen to read. Cyber Shogun Revolution follows on from author Peter Tieryas’ previous books, United States of Japan and Mecha Samurai Empire, all of which are set in the same universe. I had the great pleasure of reading Mecha Samurai Empire last year after seeing and falling in love with the plot and the cover in the bookshop. Mecha Samurai Empire was an extremely fun and compelling read, and I cannot wait to check out the latest book in the loosely connected United States of Japan series, which is quite rightly described as a cross between The Man in the High Castle and Pacific Rim.

The United States of Japan books are set in a clever alternate version of our world, where Japan and the Nazis won World War II instead of the allies. The war was mainly won thanks to Japan’s creation of the mecha, gigantic piloted military machines, which allowed the Japanese to soundly defeat the American forces. In the aftermath of the war, the former United States of America was split between Japan and Germany, with the western states becoming the United States of Japan, a territory of the Japanese Empire. American society has since been strongly influenced by Japanese culture and customs, world history has been re-written to paint Japan’s war conduct in a better light and the world is in a golden age of technology, with the mechas making Japan the main military superpower. However, ever since the end of the war, tensions between Japan and the Nazis have slowly been increasing, and Germany even attacked the United States of Japan with their biomorphs (organic mechas) during the last book.

Cyber Shogun Revolution, which is set 20 years after the events of Mecha Samurai Empire, will apparently follow a whole new group of characters in this inventive alternate history universe and has a really intriguing plot synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

NO ONE SURVIVES AN ALLIANCE WITH THE NAZIS. NOT WITHOUT USE OF FORCE.

California, 2020. After a severe injury, ace mecha designer and pilot Reiko Morikawa is recruited to a secret organization plotting a revolt against the corrupt governor (and Nazi sympathizer) of the United States of Japan. When their plan to save the USJ from itself goes awry, the mission is only saved from failure because the governor is killed by an assassin known as Bloody Mary. But the assassin isn’t satisfied with just the governor.

Bishop Wakana used to be a cop. Now he’s an agent of the Tokko, the secret police. Following the trail of a Nazi scientist, Bishop discovers a web of weapons smuggling, black market mecha parts–and a mysterious assassin. This killer once hunted Nazis but now seems to be targeting the USJ itself. As the leaders of the United States of Japan come to realize the devil’s bargain they made in their uneasy alliance with the Nazis, Bishop and Reiko are hot on the trail of Bloody Mary, trying to stop her before it’s too late.

I really like the sound of this plot synopsis and I am looking forward to checking out the latest book in this awesome series. This sounds like such a different adventure to the last one, which mainly focused on the training of the mecha pilots and their skills in battle. Instead, the synopsis indicates that Cyber Shogun Revolution will be a lot more like a spy thriller, and I am curious to see how such a book plays out in this inventive alternate universe setting.

From some of the comments that Peter Tieryas has written on Goodreads and Twitter, it looks like the book is going to spend a good amount of time looking at Bloody Mary, the assassin who is targeting high-ranking members of the United States of Japan government. I am extremely curious about this character and I hope we get to see a lot about her history and motivations. I am also pretty excited because Tieryas noted on his latest Goodreads post for Cyber Shogun Revolution that the machine featured on the outstanding cover of this book is called the Sygma, an anti-mecha machine. Based on its nifty blood-red covering, I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that it belongs to Bloody Mary. If that is the case, that offers some rather intriguing options for this book, and I am imagining some epic mecha fights between Rose and her targets or pursuers.

I am actually really looking forward to this book. I had such a good time reading Mecha Samurai Empire last year that I have been eagerly keeping an eye out for any news of a potential sequel. The details of this third book in the United States of Japan series sound very encouraging, and at this point Cyber Shogun Revolution is extremely high on the list of books I want to read next year, especially if it contains more of the amazing mecha action that was such an awesome feature of Mecha Samurai Empire. Cyber Shogun Revolution is set to be released in March 2020, and I could not be any more excited for it.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Man That Got Away by Lynne Truss

On July 24, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Comedy/Satire, Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, Tie-in Novel, Waiting on Wednesday2 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 review 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.

The Man That Got Away Cover.jpg

For this Waiting on Wednesday I will be looking at a book that I have no doubt will be one of the funniest novels of this year, The Man That Got Away, by Lynne Truss. The Man That Got Away is the second book in the Constable Twitten series, which follows on from last year’s comedic tour-de-force, A Shot in the Dark.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Constable Twitten series is that it is an adaption of Truss’s comedic Inspector Steine radio series. The Inspector Steine series is set in Brighton in the 1950s and follows the misadventures of Brighton police force members Inspector Steine, Sergeant Brunswick and Constable Twitten. Brighton in both the radio and book series is filled with as much crime as the infamous film Brighton Rock portrays; however, this goes completely unnoticed by the head of Brighton’s police force, Inspector Steine, who is convinced that his famous role in allowing a massacre of rival gangs to occur has wiped out all crime in the city. Since the massacre, his biggest problem has been the badgering of his second-in-command, Sergeant Brunswick who is obsessed with going undercover despite the fact every criminal in the city knows who he is and can easily see through his disguises, and usually ends up shooting him. What Steine and Brunswick don’t realise is that their amiable cockney charlady, Mrs Groynes, is actually a criminal mastermind who runs all the crime in the city while using her position within the station to keep the police as ineffectual as possible (not that it requires much work).

However, the entire status quo of the Brighton police is upset when the young and keen Constable Twitten is assigned to them. Twitten is an unrepentant know-it-all who is determined to sniff out criminal activity in the city, despite Steine’s insistence that none exists. Twitten is quickly able to uncover Mrs Groynes’s true identity as Brighton’s criminal mastermind (to be honest she isn’t working that hard to hide it). Unfortunately for Twitten, neither Steine nor Brunswick will believe him, especially after Mrs Groynes convinces them that Twitten’s claims of her criminal actions are the result of an unfortunate hypnosis accident. Thus, Twitten must try to uncover Mrs Groynes while also dealing with the other myriad crimes being committed in Brighton.

I only just found out that there was an upcoming sequel to A Shot in the Dark and I immediately started writing a Waiting on Wednesday for it. When I randomly received A Shot in the Dark last year from the publisher, I had not heard about the Inspector Stein radio series before, and only decided to make time to read because I was in the mood for a historical crime book. I am extremely glad that I decided to check out A Shot in the Dark in the end, as I found that it contained an incredibly funny story that got an easy five stars from me, and I couldn’t stop laughing as I read it. Since then, my future wife (and, more importantly, the person who edits all my posts), Alex, introduced me to the radio series, which I absolutely loved and has deepened my appreciation of the humour and storylines within the Constable Twitten novels. It was also intriguing to see how Truss utilised the various storylines from the radio show in the book, as A Shot in the Dark featured plot points from several different episodes, in addition to some new content, to create a fresh iteration of the story.

As a result, I am very much looking forward to the second book in the series, The Man That Got Away. I should note that this book is actually already out in some formats as of 11 July 2019. However, as the physical copies of the book will not be available in Australia until mid-September, I decided to feature it in a Waiting on Wednesday post. I have no doubt that The Man That Got Away is going to be another humorous read, especially as it has an intriguing plot synopsis.

Goodreads Synopsis:

1957: In the beach town of Brighton, music is playing and guests are sunning themselves, when a young man is found dead, dripping blood, in a deck chair.

Constable Twitten of the Brighton Police Force has a hunch that the fiendish murder may be connected to a notorious nightspot, but his captain and his colleagues are—as ever—busy with other more important issues. Inspector Steine is being conned into paying for the honour of being featured at the Museum of Wax, and Sergeant Brunswick is trying (and failing) to get the attention of the distraught Brighton Belles who found the body. As the case twists and turns, Constable Twitten must find the murderer and convince his colleagues that there’s an evil mastermind behind Brighton’s climbing crime rate.

Our incomparable team of detectives are back for another outing in the second instalment of Lynne Truss’s joyfully quirky crime series.

This sounds like it is going to be another fantastically fun story, and I cannot wait to check it out. I will be extremely curious to see which Inspector Steine episodes The Man That Got Away will draw inspiration from, and I look forward to enjoying a good laugh through the course of this book.

The Man That Got Away Cover 2.jpg

Waiting on Wednesday – Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

On July 17, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday, Young Adult5 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. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. I have been doing Waiting on Wednesday for a while now, but I have decided to start linking this up with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.

For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday I take a closer look at one of the books that recently featured on my Top Ten Most Anticipated July – December 2019 Releases list, Starsight by Brandon Sanderson.

Starsight Cover

Starsight is the second book in the young adult science fiction Skyward series from one of the best fantasy/science fiction authors in the world today. I absolutely loved the first book in the series, Skyward, which was one of the top books I read last year, and I have been eagerly waiting for this second book ever since I finished reading Skyward.

In Skyward, Sanderson introduced the reader to a story set far in humanity’s future. Years before, a fleet of human ships fled the mysterious aliens, the Krell, and crash-landed on a desolate planet. Forced to hide beneath the surface for generations to avoid attacks from Krell fighters, the humans were able to eventually fight back using their own space-fighters, resulting in a protracted battle for resources and survival. The first book focused on the character of Spensa Nightshade, a young woman who dreamed of becoming a pilot and fighting back against the Krell, but whose path for success was blocked by her father’s legacy as a deserter. Through determination and ability, Spensa was able to become a successful pilot, joining a crack squad of rookie pilots, finding an advanced sentient spaceship, totally not falling in love with her arrogant squad leader and saving the remnants of humanity from a massive Krell attack. However, while she was able to succeed, Spensa learnt two terrible truths: that her father truly was a traitor and that the planet they are living on is actually an alien prison, and the jailers are considering killing off the inmates.

This was a really cool piece of young adult science fiction, and I feel deeply in love with the captivating plot and well-written story. There are a lot of cool places that this series can now explore, and I am extremely curious to see what plot developments Sanderson comes up with next. A short plot synopsis for Starsight has already been released, although it is a bit thin on details at the moment.

Goodreads Synopsis:

All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she’s a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing. The rumors of his cowardice are true–he deserted his flight during battle against the Krell. Worse, though, he turned against his team and attacked them.

Spensa is sure there’s more to the story. And she’s sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars–and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself–and she’ll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.

There are not a lot of plot hints in this synopsis, but I am sure that Sanderson will do some fantastic things with the new story. I personally hope we’ll find out some more about humanity’s history and the reasons why all the alien races turned against them and attempted to contain them. The note about Spensa travelling to the end of the galaxy is interesting as it implies that the protagonist will head off-planet and attempt to discover some lost secrets or revelations. It also means that Spensa might get a lot of scenes with M-Bot, Spensa’s sentient spaceship, out in space. That sounds pretty good to me, as M-Bot was one of the best characters from the original book, despite spending most of the story trapped in a cave. I am also really hoping for a ton of epic space battles like we saw in the first book, which were just so amazing to read.

Despite the lack of solid plot descriptions, Starsight is pretty much at the top of my list of must-read books for this year, mainly because of how awesome Skyward was. If Sanderson continues with the same form he had for Skyward, and Sanderson is a pretty consistent writer with his series, then Starsight will probably be one of, if not the best young adult book of 2019. I am unsure whether I will get a physical copy of this book or whether I will try to get the audiobook format of Starsight instead. I had a lot of fun listening to Skyward last year, and Sophie Aldred did an excellent job narrating the first book, so I might just go with that again. Bottom line: Starsight has a lot of potential and I am going to have a hard time waiting until late November to get my hands on a copy.

Waiting on Wednesday – Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan

On July 10, 2019July 10, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday4 Comments

For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday entry, I am going to look at a very special book that is coming out in a few months, Warrior of the Altaii, a previously unpublished piece of fantasy fiction by the late, great Robert Jordan.

Warrior of the Altaii Cover.png

Robert Jordan has to be considered one the greatest fantasy authors of all time, due to his creation of the legendary high fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. The Wheel of Time was a massive fantasy series, made up of 15 books (14 main novels and a prequel), which followed an epic battle between good and evil in a unique fantasy world. Jordan unfortunately passed away before he was able to conclude his series, however, fellow fantasy author Brandon Sanderson was brought in to complete the last three books in the series.

The Wheel of Time novels are an amazing example of the fantasy genre, and features complex heroes, terrible villains, magic, battles, intrigue and all manner of adventure. The series is one of the bestselling fantasy series of all times and has a substantial popular following. Unsurprisingly, a live action adaption for these books is in the works, as Sony and Amazon are currently developing a The Wheel of Time television series right now with Rosamund Pike cast as the lead, no doubt trying the fill the post Game of Thrones void. The Wheel of Time books were one of the first fantasy series I really got into, although it has been quite a few years since I have had the opportunity to read any books. I am hoping to do a big re-read all of The Wheel of Time books at some point in the future, although that is a pretty substantial time commitment with 15 separate books.

As you can imagine with such a popular fantasy author, there is always a clamouring to see more of their writing material. That is why I was so excited when I learned that Warrior of the Altaii was coming out. Not only is an opportunity to see some of Jordan’s earlier work, as he actually wrote this novel before he started on The Wheel of Time books, but it is also likely to be the last piece of fiction written by Robert Jordan’s that is ever published.

Warrior of the Altaii is set to be released on 9 October 2019 and should be a pretty interesting read. I believe that it is set in a different world to The Wheel of Time books and will, due to circumstances, be a standalone novel. A plot summary of the book has been released, and it definitely sounds like this will be an intriguing novel:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Draw near and listen, or else time is at an end.

The watering holes of the Plain are drying up, the fearsome fanghorn grow more numerous, and bad omens abound. Wulfgar, a leader of the Altaii people, must contend with twin queens, warlords, prophets and magic in hopes of protecting his people and securing their future. Elspeth, a visitor from another world, holds the answers, but first Wulfgar must learn to ask the right questions.

But what if the knowledge that saves the Altaii will also destroy them?

This is a pretty cool plot synopsis and there are several intriguing elements within it that could lead to an amazing story. I will be interested to see the new setting that Jordan has created for this book, and it sounds like the story will be filled with a good combination of conflict, magic and politics.

Overall, I am really looking forward to Warrior of the Altaii. I honestly would have grabbed this book no matter what as I am extremely curious to see how Jordan’s earlier work compares to The Wheel of Time books. However, I do like the sound of the plot synopsis above and I will be keen to explore one of the first fantasy worlds that Jordan ever created. I imagine a lot of fantasy fans will be in the same boat as me, and I look forward to not only checking out this book, but seeing what other reviewers think about it.

Waiting on Wednesday – #MurderFunding by Gretchen McNeil

On July 3, 2019July 3, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday, Young Adult6 Comments

For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I check out an upcoming thriller that is probably going to be one of the most entertaining and bloody young adult books of 2019, #MurderFunding by Gretchen McNeil.

#MurderFunding Cover.jpg

#MurderFunding is the sequel to last year’s crazy young adult hit, #MurderTrending, which featured a pretty awesome and over-the-top plot. #MurderTrending followed a Breakfast Club styled group of teens fighting for survival on a reality television show broadcasting their state-sanctioned executions by a gallery of eccentric killers. #MurderTrending was an exciting action-packed novel that was really enjoyable and featured quite a distinctive and addictive story. This sequel is set to be released in just a few weeks and I am loving some of the details that have already been released. Not only is #MurderFunding keeping the cool cover design that was first utilised in #MurderTrending but the plot synopsis also sounds incredibly intriguing.

Goodreads Synopsis:

WELCOME TO WHO WANTS TO BE A PANIAC?, the latest reality TV show on the hunt for the next big-hit serial killer. But don’t worry—no one is actually going to murder anyone, as real as the fake gore and pretend murder may appear . . . uh, right?

Seventeen-year-old Becca Martinello is about to find out. When her perfectly normal soccer mom dies in a car crash, a strange girl named Stef appears to let Becca know that her deceased mom was none other than one of Alcatraz 2.0’s most popular serial killers—Molly Mauler. Soon, Becca ends up on Who Wants to Be a Painiac? to learn the truth about her mom’s connection to Molly Mauler, but things turn sinister when people are murdered IRL. Will Becca uncover dark secrets and make it out of the deadly reality show alive? Or will she get cut?

Based on the plot synopsis, I think #MurderFunding is going to be an excellent sequel to the first book. Not only has McNeil come up with another dark television show to focus the story on but it looks like she has chosen an interesting way to tie this book into #MurderTrending, by focusing on the daughter of one of the original book’s villains. I am also assuming, from the name of the book, that the author will continue to examine the dark side of social media in this book. Having the story punctuated by social media posts analysing and revelling in the carnage of the reality television show was a memorable part of the first book, and I really hope that McNeil continues to utilise it in #MurderFunding.

I had a lot of fun reading the first book in this series and I have no doubt that the sequel will be just as entertaining and over-the-top as the #MurderTrending. It sounds like McNeil has come up with a cool new story for #MurderFunding, and I look forward to seeing how she parodies our fascination with reality television once again.

Waiting on Wednesday – Firefly: Generations by Tim Lebbon

On June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

As a massive fan of Firefly I have been absolutely enjoying the recent spate of fiction that has been based on this awesome television show in the last year. I have already read and reviewed the first two books in this new series of Firefly novels, Big Damn Hero and The Magnificent Nine, and I also recently picked up the first volume of the Firefly comic book series, The Unification War: Part One, which I intend to review soon. I have loved all these recent pieces of Firefly fiction, which is why I am so eager for the subject of this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, Firefly: Generations by Tim Lebbon.

Firefly Generations

I recently featured Firefly: Generations on my Top Ten Most Anticipated July-December 2019 Releases list, but I have decided to go into a little more detail about it in this post. Generations will be the third book in Titan Books’ new series of Firefly books and is set for release on 15 October 2019. A plot synopsis of Generations has already been released, and it sounds pretty epic.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Mal wins an old map in a card game. Ancient and written in impenetrable symbols, the former owner insists it’s worthless. Yet River Tam can read it, and says it leads to one of the Arks, legendary ships that brought humans from Earth-that-was to the ‘Verse. The salvage potential alone is staggering. But the closer they get to the ancient ship, the more agitated River becomes. She says something is waiting inside, something powerful, and very angry…

There are some really cool details in the synopsis above that make me extremely keen for this book, including the character that is likely to be at the centre of the plot. While the first two books in the series focused on Mal and Jayne respectfully, it looks like Generations is going to focus on River Tam. River was one of the most intriguing characters in the Firefly television show, as she was a young prodigy who was turned by an evil government into a half-crazed psychic assassin. Hunted by the government because of the secrets she holds in her head, River spends her time on Serenity suffering intense mental breakdowns, making physic examinations of the people she meets, and acting as the ship’s ultimate killing machine, saving the crew on multiple occasions with her lethal skills. While River is likely to be a hard character to capture in book form, I am really looking forward to a story that focuses on her, and it will be interesting to see how far into her fractured psyche the author delves.

While the potential focus on River is going to be cool, I also really like the sound of the rest of the plot synopsis. A story set around a dangerous salvage in wild space has so much potential, and I am pretty darn curious to find out what is lying in wait for them aboard that ancient generation ship. I’m hoping that some Reavers show up in this book, although I doubt that the characters aboard Serenity share my sentiments there. I am also keen to learn more about the early days of the universe that Firefly is set in, especially about the generation ships that took humanity away from Earth.

I have not read any of Tim Lebbon’s books before, but it appears he has some significant experience writing media tie-in novels. In addition to his original series, some of Lebbon’s previous works include the Hellboy books Unnatural Selection and The Fire, two 30 Days of Night novelisations, Alien: Out of the Shadows, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – Into the Void and the Kong: Skull Island novelisation. Firefly: Generations will actually not be the first piece of Joss Whedon’s work that Lebbon has adapted into a book before, as he previously did a novelisation of The Cabin in the Woods back in 2011. I think that this novel is in safe hands and I am looking forward to seeing what Lebbon can do with the Firefly universe.

To be honest, I was always going to grab this upcoming Firefly book when it came out, but I am actually really intrigued by the cool-sounding story and the focus on the character of River Tam. Firefly: Generations sounds incredibly awesome, and I know I am really going to love it. What will the crew of Serenity find in the generation ship? I am going to have a hard time waiting till October to find out.

Waiting on Wednesday – Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw

On June 19, 2019June 19, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Horror, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

For my latest Waiting on Wednesday segment, I look at a book that promises to be quite entertaining and features an incredibly eye-catching cover, Grave Importance by Vivan Shaw.

Grave Importance Cover.jpg

For the last two years I have had the pleasure of enjoying Vivian Shaw’s debut series, the Dr. Greta Helsing series: Strange Practice in 2017 and Dreadful Company in 2018. This has been a fun and intriguing series that combines intriguing mysteries and supernatural adventures with fascinating monster medicine. The titular series protagonist, Dr. Greta Helsing, is a London doctor whose unique practice caters to the city’s hidden creatures who go bump in the night, including vampires, mummies, ghouls and demons. Helsing and her monster companions also find themselves wrapped up in a series of magical or demonic incidences which require their intervention.

I have really enjoyed the first two books in the series and have been keeping an eye out for the third book, Grave Importance, for a few months now. I am quite excited by this third book, as it has an awesome-sounding synopsis and I think that it has a lot of promise.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A charmingly witty fantasy adventure in the world of Strange Practice, starring Dr. Greta Helsing, doctor to the undead, who must solve a dangerous medical mystery at a secret French spa for mummies.

Oasis Natrun: a private, exclusive, highly secret luxury health spa for mummies, high in the hills above Marseille, equipped with the very latest in therapeutic innovations both magical and medical. To Dr. Greta Helsing, London’s de facto mummy specialist, it sounds like paradise. But when Greta is invited to spend four months there as the interim clinical director, it isn’t long before she finds herself faced with a medical mystery that will take all her diagnostic skill to solve.

A peculiar complaint is spreading among her mummy patients, one she’s never seen before. With help from her friends and colleagues — including Dr. Faust (yes, that Dr. Faust), remedial psychopomps, a sleepy scribe-god, witches, demons, a British Museum curator, and the inimitable vampyre Sir Francis Varney — Greta must put a stop to this mysterious illness before anybody else crumbles to irreparable dust…

…and before the fabric of reality itself can undergo any more structural damage.

There are a number of great plot elements contained within the synopsis above that have me excited for Grave Importance. In particular, the continued use of monster medicine and the inclusion of a great troupe of supporting characters should make for an awesome read.

The focus on monster medicine in the previous books was probably one of my favourite things about the Dr. Greta Helsing series. The plot synopsis seems to strongly indicate that this book will be featuring a lot more monster medicine, as Helsing is investigating a unique medical malady among the mummies she is tending. That sounds perfect to me, and I hope that Shaw spends quite a large part of the book examining this medical mystery.

It also sounds like Shaw will be featuring some cool characters in her latest book. The first two novels have both featured a fun group of supporting characters, most of whom are monstrous or magical in origin. The synopsis above features references to several of these existing characters, and I will be very happy to see them come back. It also looks like Shaw has created a few new characters for this third novel, and several of their descriptions make them sound like fun inclusions. I think that this combination of existing and new characters will add a lot to the story and should make for an entertaining read.

Grave Importance is shaping up to be another great entry in the enjoyable Dr. Greta Helsing series. It sounds like Shaw is stacking the plot with some excellent story elements, and it should prove to be a lot of fun. Grave Importance is coming out in late August 2019, and I look forward to reading and reviewing it.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

On June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn Drama, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday2 Comments

The Testaments Cover.jpg

For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I take a look at one of the biggest upcoming releases of 2019, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, the sequel to Atwood’s seminal work, The Handmaid’s Tale.

Released back in 1985, The Handmaid’s Tale told the story of Offred, a woman trapped in the oppressive military dictatorship, the Republic of Gilead. Due to her status as one of the few fertile women in Gilead, Offred has been forced into the life of a Handmaid, breeding stock for Gilead’s leaders. The Handmaid’s Tale highlighted the creation of this terrible nation and followed Offred’s attempts to survive in this harsh new reality. The Handmaid’s Tale has subsequently been adapted into a highly successful television series, with the third season starting just last week. Now, over 30 years after its original publication, Atwood has written a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale that continues its story and looks to the future of Gilead.

Set for release in September 2019, only a few plot details have been revealed so far, but it sounds like this could be quite an interesting read.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.

When the van door slammed on Offred’s future at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her—freedom, prison or death.

With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood’s sequel picks up the story fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

“Dear Readers: Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in.” —Margaret Atwood

I think that it is fair to say that The Testaments is going to be a book that a lot of people will be excited to read. The Handmaid’s Tale is massive at the moment. Not only is it a major piece of pop culture currently thanks to the television show but the political and social messages contained within the original book are just as relevant today as they were in 1985, if not more so.

There are quite a few interesting elements in the plot details that have so far been provided. For example, it looks like The Testaments will showcase how the world and Gilead have changed in the 15 years following the events of The Handmaid’s Tale. It also sounds like Atwood is going to explore the inner workings of Gilead, which is quite a fascinating and terrible society, and it will be intriguing to see how such a place could come into existence and remain in place. I imagine that a lot of fans of the book will be extremely interested to see if Atwood will reveal the fate of her original protagonist, Offred. When The Handmaid’s Tale novel ended, Offred had an uncertain future—she was either being rescued by Mayday or being arrested by the Eyes—and the reader is left to guess what actually happens to her. I hope that Atwood will tell the rest of Offred’s story and I wonder if Offred may be one of the female narrators giving testimony.

It is uncertain at this point what role the plot of the television show will have on The Testaments’ story. The events of the original book were all covered within the first season, and the show has since gone off on its own tangent. It will be interesting to see if The Testaments will reflect any of the events that occurred within the show’s second or third season. I am also curious to see whether any future seasons of the show will feature events contained within this sequel book. Either way, fans of the show will no doubt be very curious to check this book out.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood is set to be an amazing book for later in the year and I am very excited about reading it. It will very cool to check out a sequel this long in the making and I will be interested to dive into the world of Gilead and the dark stories no doubt contained within.