Star Wars Book Club: Before the Awakening Review

I've never fully understood the notion of spring cleaning. Don't misunderstand, I get the need to clear out junk and filth but why wait until the weather turns beautiful? That's when you should be outdoors enjoying a stiff drink. For my money there's no better time to clean house than January. Usually it's dreadfully cold and it's always dark so why not spend the days catching up on all the shit that's almost certainly piled up over the hetic holiday months? That's how I look at it anyway, and not just for physical cleaning. I also take as much possible time during January to work through piled up entertainment which is why you're getting a second Star Wars book review this month.

Today's subject is the final entry from the Journey to the Force Awakens line of novels. More importantly this is thus far the only book to focus on the new trilogy heroes Rey, Finn, and Poe. Each one of them get's their own prequel tale here all written by Greg Rucka who previously gave us the entertaining if lightweight Smuggler's Run.

Due to the nature of this book being three separate stories I feel it's only best to cover them one at a time.

Finn

The book kicks off with Finn, though he's never called that within the story for reasons obvious to anyone who's seen the film already. Which if you haven't, what's the freakin' hold up? Anyway this is all about his time training to be a first order stormtrooper with his squad and under the strict supervision of Captain Phasma.

At first I had a hard time identifying with Finn as he's portrayed here. Some of that is my own perception while some is due to his presentation within the film itself. There he was a very nervous, hyperactive character who's greatest strength was his loyalty to friends. Phasma's attitude towards him combined with dialogue about him previously performing janitorial work lead me to believe that he was something of a runt when compared to his fellow troopers. Here we find him to actually be a shining cadet. Top tier in leadership skills, weapon proficiency, etc. That twitchy energy from the film is nowhere to be found as he's more focused and stoic here. The only thing that gets him in trouble is the aforementioned loyalty to his squad mates. As events progress he also finds himself to have more of a conscious than his fellow cadets, which is where worry and doubt start to seep in.

Those later scenes where he worries about his future in a military he doesn't agree with is where the guy I saw on screen starts to emerge. I like that guy and wanted to spend more time with him, which is probably why this story did so little for me. The full Finn barely makes an appearance in his own story, instead we're stuck with his stiff storm trooper persona. On the upside we get more of Captain Phasma within these pages than the entirety of The Force Awakens, so chalk that up to a small victory.

Rey

Rey's tale is a bit deeper though also a bit slower. Think of it as an extended example of her day to day existence on Jakku. By day she salvages whatever she can from dangerous wrecks which is then turned in for meager offerings of food. By night she entertains herself with a restored flight simulator and doing whatever she can to keep her mind off the past.

Eventually she comes across the find of a lifetime, a mostly intact ship revealed after a nasty sandstorm. Soon she sets about restoring it to optimal condition to ensure the absolute best payday which means hording more salvage, living with less food, and protecting her find. The situation grows more complicated when a brother and sister pair offer to help her finish the restoration for a portion of the profits.

More so than Finn's story, Rey's portion feels more accurate to the character as we know her from the film while expanding our understanding of her head space. Her life is not only one of hardship but also one that discourages trust and letting your guard down. On top of her strange family history these details help to flesh out her flighty, untrusting nature. I also appreciated learning how she'd gotten to be such a good pilot despite years of grounded living.

So yes, a step up from the first tale tough still a bit sluggish and not exactly revelatory.

Poe

Easily the biggest reason to pick up this book is the portion about Poe Dameron. No doubt the least developed of the new heroes as far as the movie was concerned, this story offers insight into who he is and what he's all about. Even a few tidbits about his upbringing on Yavin IV.

Initially, Poe is the leader of his own squad of pilots for the new republic. On what should have been a routine patrol, he loses one of his squad mates in a skirmish against the First Order. It seems as if those enemies are planing something bigger but the new republic consider them to be a minor threat, more like a pack of crazed hillbillies than anything else.

Seeking to make his squad mates death count for something, Poe searches for answers about the first order's true motives. This action leads him to the resistance, a hidden group within the republic that fights against the order. From then on, the tale is largely about his first few missions for the resistance and his relationship with general Lea.

An unexpected perk was the portrayal of an older Lea. She recruits Poe and serves as a mentor, finding good grounds the young man, possibly as a slave for the fractured relationship with her own son. Greg Rucka really knows how to capture the older Carrie Fisher on the page. All of her interactions, even the way he writes her expressions and body language, it all rings eerily true to life. The portrayal ranks alongside James Luceno's handling of Tarkin in that you can see and hear the actor without any issue while reading along.

While this final story is a little less focused than the two preceding it, there's an undeniable level of charm to the whole thing. Not to mention that this is so far one of the most important stories as far as wold building within the new expanded universe. I learned so much about the state of the universe before The Force Awakens, while also getting to know Poe as a character, something lacking within the film.

Raking this collection of stories is a little tough. The Finn section left me somewhat cold and disinterested. Rey's story picked the quality up a little while providing a few insights into her personality and skills. Poe's on the other hand was a blast, that could have easily been expanded into a full sized novel. The steady growth in quality combined with the strength of that final tale help to lift this one up a little higher than even some more consistent entries in the series. Let's check out the boards.

1. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

2. New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

3. Ashoka by E. K. Johnston

4. Tarkin by James Luceno

5. Moving Target by Cecil Castelluci and Jason Fry

6. Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka

7. Smuggler's Run by Greg Rucka

8. Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne

9. Aftermath by Chuck Wendig

10. The Weapon of a Jedi by Jason Fry

And that's all for now, kiddies. I've gotta hunker down and finish a new Dread Central article, and prep for my first dentist appointment in years. Should have another post up for you all before the week is out. Until then, the topic of discussion is how do you like too spend the dark early months of the year? Do you delve into projects like me? Or are you an old fashioned sleep until it's warm again type of person? Inquiring minds want to know.

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger Episodes 39-44

Hello again my lovelies. As you can probably guess from the updates schedule so far, we're firmly within the early year slow period. Truthfully it's not something I should feel bad about given that unlike so much of the internet I don't take a break during the holidays. Anyhow, after the far too busy transfer period between years, I'm finally back to an almost normal schedule and you better believe I'm catching up on everything and having a pretty fine time doing it. So far, 2017 hasn't been too bad but there is a big piece of leftover business from 2016. No, this isn't about anything political, it's about Zyuohger. We've entered the final stretch for this series, and things are definitely heating up. Let's see what's been going on.

First we've got a couple mostly stand alone affairs, the first of which is focused on Sela. Her episode is actually something of a special case offering some legit development for the most underused member of the team. She's won over by a ladies man who is actually a duplicate that Kubar made, utilizing the hand he stole from Bangley. That's the only real development to the larger plot but it was nice to see a story that allowed Sela to show off her more loving and naive characteristics.

Bangley's hand factored into another tale focused on Leo training a kid in the art of being a man. This one really wasn't important, not to mention it was a bit underwhelming considering it was about my favorite team member. There were a few nice moments but this was a pretty forgettable entry in the show's history.

It wouldn't be a proper recap without a creepy bondage situation.

Of course those stories were just base level experiments for Kubar as he got used to using his new hand so he could finally take his vengeance on master Genis. This involved a convoluted plot of kidnapping Naria in order to make a copy of Genis to kidnap Misao, forcing the Zyuohgers to enter combat alongside a small army of copied monsters against the actual Genis. Bit over the top ain't it? Bitch of it is, the plan didn't work. Way back during the story arc about cube whale, Naria had gathered a disc of data on the creature which makes it so Genis can absorb the power of Earth and kick everybody's ass.

Now let's pose a question. Suppose you are a cunning evil alien who sets out on a conspiracy to avenge your planet only to find yourself woefully outmatched. Do you

A. Sit in a bar and wait for death.

B. Team up with other powered beings in a continued attempt at bring down a collective foe.

C. Go buck wild and destroy everything in sight to regain your evil organizations good graces.

Yeah, the big headed freak got a little out of hand and tried to destroy the Earth to get back in with his boss. Who could have the power to stop such crazed destruction, why that emotional cripple Misao of course. During his earlier captivity the poor guy was injured, leading to a brief stay at a hospital until he realized the danger his friends faced and totally manned up. I think this makes the character a fine role model for the kids who watch this show. He may be an absolute screw-up in nearly every regard but he's grown considerably over the series into a respectable hero.

Oh and during that hospital stay, you wouldn't believe who the team bumped into. Yamato's father is a practicing physician at said hospital and boy howdy do the two of them not get along. Right here is where the potentially biggest dramatic theme of the series pops up. Mario tends this house full of orphans. In the case of the Zyuman, they're cut off from their home, but Yamato is unwilling to mend bridges with his family. After Kubar's defeat, our red ranger comments that Misao may actually be more mature than him. Harsh, dude.

Things brighten up for the holidays during an adventure where the team attempts to get Mario a Christmas present. During the weekly monster fight, the old man actually witnesses their transformation. That leads us to episode 44 we got the cardinal sin of television tropes with yet another clip show. These have always been a blight on the Sentai franchise, and I can't figure out why recent series have doubled down on the practice. At least I can say Zyuohger has done as good a job as one can expect from a clip show. This one even went so far as to mildly progress the main story line while driving home the point that Mario is the defender of these kids spirit, providing a happy home for them.

A sub-plot through this stream of episodes involved Bard, getting into a fight with Azald, which provided an interesting discovery. During his usual body reshaping process, Azald absorbed several animal cubes rather than the cubes of his own body. Likewise the big guy has no memory of his existence before serving under Genis. Larri the gorilla notes that he had suspicions of genis's ability to transfer Zyuman power when altering Misao, as if he had access to it in some form or fashion. The conclusion to this mystery has already been revealed through magazines, Azald is actually the original monster we witnessed that whale guy fighting way back during the Gokaiger team-up. Gotta hand it to this show, it hasn't faltered so far with seeding plot twists long in advance. Now to see if it adds up to anything worthwhile.

As it stands we're just a few weeks away from the conclusion of this series. Which means there will most likely be just one more post on the topic before I reformat this feature for the upcoming Kyuuranger. As usual I'm excited for the new show to begin, but more than with previous series I'm sad to see this crew go. During the past year, Zyuohger has been something of an old standby. It's not usually the most exciting or innovative thing to watch but there's a level of enthusiasm and clarity of vision that has kept it entertaining. Currently it still has a chance of making the jump from good to great if it's willing to go the extra mile with the ending. We'll find out in just a few weeks. For now I've got so many other items to discuss with you all. Stay tuned.

Star Wars Book Club: Moving Target Review

At the end of my last Star Wars book review I'd mentioned there was another book on the way. The plan was to continue working through the young adult Journey To the Force Awakens series with the Princess Lea installment, Moving Target. While waiting for it to be delivered something happened; Carrie Fisher sadly passed over the Christmas holiday soon followed by her mother Debbie Reynolds. It was yet another another loss of pop culture icons at a time when there are far too few caring or interesting people to fill their shoes. Suddenly what I was expecting to be a fairly light bit of reading turned into a mini memorial for someone who was on our television almost weekly during my childhood.

Let's face it, most of the appeal of Star Wars doesn't come from being well-developed so much as being fun personalities performed by likable individuals. What's Han Solo without the arrogant swagger of a good performer? or Lando without the balls out charm of Billy Dee? Carrie Fisher always seemed like a pretty honest and relatable person, which helped sell the idea that so many placed their trust in this grumpy princess. Carrie always reminded me of different relatives which is largely why I was never a fan of the metal bikini outfit, but that's another story.

Given Carrie Fisher's death, both today's Moving Target is unfairly burdened with the challenge of paying extra respect to this character as it is one of only two Lea focused novels within the new continuity thus far. I'm happy to report it's mostly successful in giving the princess a fine adventure away from the rest of her usual cohorts, though naturally it's not without a few missteps.

The setting is in-between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Recent events have left the rebel alliance in a rut when reports begin to pour in about the creation of yet another Death Star. Plans are in place to gather the remnants of the rebel fleet in order to take on this new threat only there are concerns of putting their eggs in one basket where the Empire could easily take them out in one fatal blow. Lea makes a plan to use herself as a decoy, taking a small team to the opposite end of the galaxy to set up communication buoys with insecure codes in the hopes of drawing the empire's attention away from the gathering rebel fleet.

Accompanying Lea on her mission are Nein Nunb, that little odd guy who co-piloted the Falcon with Lando. Apparently he was friends with Lea for quite some time which makes this book a nice glimpse into the character as something more than set dressing. Also along for the ride are bleeding heat imperial defector Kidi, nervous engineer Antrot, and battled hardened soldier Lokmarcha. As yo might expect given the brief page count, none of these new additions are very well developed but in true Star Wars fashion, each is broadly drawn enough to be fun additions.

What's more important, given her being the main character, is whether the authors effectively captured Lea's voice. I'd say they succeeded about 75% of the time. There were scenes where she seemed a little too weak to be the proud leader we've watched for years. That being said, there are still plenty of moments where you understand how this girl can gather so many people to her cause, and in those moments, the book really shines.

More so than most books we've covered so far, this one actually does a good job of staying on point. It doesn't take terribly long for Lea to set her mission in motion and traveling around to get the empire's attention allows for changes in setting without ruining the pacing.

Beyond that I was also surprised by how dark this one got despite being part of a young-adult series. The other two entries we've covered from this line mostly kept things pretty clean whereas this includes a bit more death and destruction. The emerging theme throughout the story is Lea regretting her plan as she learns to balance her responsibility towards the alliance with her duty towards friends and comrades. Part of that lesson involves losing a few friends along the way which I didn't see coming in novel geared towards such a young audience.

Of course it's not all good stuff here. Similar to the other books in this line, the villains are a bit flat. A bigger problem however is there are multiple sequences where the writing just isn't gripping enough to keep you engaged. Generally this happens during the action beats which lead to me blanking out on a few scenes and having to reread portions. It's less of a problem later on when the stakes get a little higher, but action honestly the strong suite for this writing duo.

One issue is the brief appearance of Luke. Early in the book he still hasn't separated from the rebels in order to continue his Jedi training or create his new green lightsaber. Lea's mission doesn't take very long and by the end of the story she's ready to head to Jabba's palace. I guess that means Luke took maybe one week to become a light and dark side using bad ass with a fresh lightsaber. Truthfully, this isn't these authors fault so much as something the story group should have planed for in advance.

Moving on to the rankings, I think this one will just edge out Smuggler's Run. There's an added level of depth on display here that helps it outrank the straightforward fun of that Han Solo adventure.

1. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

2. New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

3. Ashoka by E. K. Johnston

4. Tarkin by James Luceno

5. Moving Targer by Cecil Castelluci and Jason Fry

6. Smuggler's Run by Greg Rucka

7. Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne

8. Aftermath by Chruck Wendig

9. The Weapon of a Jedi by Jason Fry

While Carrie Fisher may be gone, it's good to see there are writers out there with the ability to translate her presence from the screen to the page, insuring a sort of immortality. Currently I'm halfway through what will be the tenth book in this article series, after that I may turn to Bloodline, the other Lea focused tale penned by Claudia Gray, a woman who's sat comfortably atop the rankings for quite some time now. Will she knock another one outta the park? Stay tuned to find out.

Marvel Collector Corps December 2016 X-Men Unboxing

Welcome to the new year, folks. Wish I could say it's been nothing but relaxation and umbrella drinks so far but the truth is I'm in the middle of an extended work schedule. I guess on some karmic level it's probably good to begin the year so gainfully employed but wouldn't ya know it's interfering with my blogging. In fact, this post has been sitting around half-written for over a week now. Late or not, I wanted to finish it as this post marks the one year anniversary of my Marvel Collector Corps subscription and most likely my last box from this service for the foreseeable future. Don't think of that as a judgment on what's included in the box, it's actually good, we'll get to the reasons for leaving in just a bit.

Last year when I first subscribed to Marvel collector Corps, I was treated to the divisive Guardians of the Galaxy holiday box complete with ornaments. Despite how many people complained about those items, I loved it. Over the following months the Deadpool and Civil War boxes were fantastic, then the Women of Marvel and Spider-Man installments were sorta blah only to have Dr. Strange show up to improve things a little. Having arrived into December yet again I was a little hopeful for more Christmas goodies but apparently Funko retreated and just offered a regular box, albeit a solid one.

Alright; first up are the usual patch and pin that I always struggle to find ways of writing about. Better than average pin, lesser patch, make of that what you will. I understand that these items are bread and butter for subscription boxes but that doesn't make it any easier to get excited for another patch cluttering up my odds & ends drawer.

Moving on we have a t-shirt which may be my favorite from collector corps so far. It's something that stands on its own as a nerdy shirt without having a deformed pop character on it, plus the colored neck is a nice touch. This one will see plenty of wear time, especially since I often use these as undershirts at work. They're comfy and it's always nice to know I can rip off a uniform Hulk Hogan style and be fully draped in nerdery.

Next up is this month's comic, Champions #1 which despite what the cover may tell you only has Cyclops in it for a single panel. This was a seriously weird choice for the box as it has almost nothing to do with X-Men or even mutants in general. Instead the Champions is a team comprised of many of the new teenage superheroes like Miles Morales/Spider-Man, Amadeus Cho/Hulk, and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. The group is fed up with the normal operations of their super elders and decides to become a social conscious group that reaches out to the populace with hashtags and the like.

Right up front I should point out I am a fan of Chris Bachalo's art. While I've seen many people complain about his odd proportions and cartoonish style I think it plays well to a book centered around teenagers. Plus it's excellent to see these kids depicted in a way where they're realistically fit while still gangly and awkward.

What concerns me however is that this book seems to be biting off way more than it can chew. There's already and odd tone that arises from a group of kids as written by a 50 some year old man. I'm not saying the Mark Waid, can't pull it off, but within this first issue there are bits that seem really artificial such as Ms. Marvel's speech or Hulk's bizarre murderous tantrum that gets sort of glossed over. More than that is how this team is supposed to handle more “real” issues. Here they end up going out to stop a sex-trafficking ring run by a clown. It's the sort of subject matter you'd expect from Punisher or Daredevil yet colorful and wacky like a cartoon which makes for some awkward reading.

The toys this month are some interesting offerings. The side item this time around is part of the Rock Candy line. The line consists of these stylized versions of popular female characters. Sort of doll like in style though shorter and thicker than what you'd expect from a barbie. I'm not a huge mystique fan though I am very pleased they went with her classic look rather than say her scaley movie version.

The big ticket item this month is the first Pop Ride to appear in any Funko box. Most people on Funko forums had guessed it would probably be Logan's motorcycle due to shipping logistics. I ain't complaining though. Predictable as it may be, the bike is still bad ass, more so with the graying Logan holding out his claws to shred anything in his path. Wish I could pop some claws while riding my moped.

While this was a nice box featuring a great shirt and cool ride it suffers like many boxes have by failing to utilize it's theme. I mean X-Men is a massive franchise with so many characters and concepts to chose from yet we get toys featuring prominent personalities, and a comic that just barely includes a mutant within it's pages.

More so I think now may be the time to jump ship when it comes to Collector Corps. Overall I've loved my year with the service but there are other boxes I want to try, such as Funko's Smuggler's Bounty box which I've already signed up for thanks to this month's deluxe pop. Likewise I'm not very interested in the theme for February's Superhero Showdowns box. Beyond that are many other boxes I'd love to try and I have to keep an eye on funds a little more as things are changing at one of my jobs. Still, it's been a fun ride with collector corps and I recommend folks give it a try if they see a theme that interests them.

I'd love to stay and chat but there's still a few more days of work to attend too. With luck and the wind at my back there could be another post this week. Until then, lemme know if there are any subscription services you'd like me to cover this year? Speaking of which, how's the year treating you all so far?

Christmas Fallout 2016

Yet another Holiday season has come and mostly gone, we still have New Years after all. It's been one astoundingly odd year so it's only fitting that my family Christmas was also a bizarre take on classic traditions. Here's the thing, I was one of several family members who had to work a security post this weekend. That meant Friday had to be something of a makeshift Christmas Eve complete with fine eats. Saturday was work and yuletide horror flicks, Sunday was more work accompanied by the antenna TV holiday marathon. And finally Monday served as our proper Christmas with gifts and eggnog.

Oh, and before we get away from the topic of traditions, I finally followed through on something I've wanted to do for a few years. We were watching the Santa Clause Conquers the Martians episode of Mystery Science Theater which is well known for the Patrick Swayze Christmas song. They mention decorating a bar stool and I remembered that I still had one set of lights and some gold pearls on hand. A few minutes work and behold my new Saturday night err (sorry bout the Road House lingo) Christmas thing. Certainly it would've been easier to wrap the chair in lights just like a tree but I decided to do some sort of draping action. Definitely going to keep this up for years to come.

Sad as it may seem, it took me two whole paragraphs to get to the point of this post. I'm actually here to show off all the goodies I received for Christmas. Maybe this is somehow in bad taste given all the need felt in the world today, but if you were looking for socially conscious articles you wouldn't be visiting cosmicsparky to begin with. Honestly, I usually donate some good toys to the various drives, but every time I shopped around this year yielded lame toys at bad prices. For someone who likes to maximize their spending to giving ratio, it didn't work out. Suppose I'll be making some New Years cash donations instead. Alright, let's get on with the gifts.

Probably the most prominent gift as far as future use is concerned came from my sister. She's gotten hooked on Society 6 this year and didn't miss the opportunity to utilize the site for her gift giving. She got me this trow blanket of space sharks with laser eyes. Admittedly this is a pretty fine representation of what's going on in my head most nights but what about the blanket itself? Being winter I'm usually crazy cold going to bed which results in too many sheets and being a sweaty mess in the morning. I was actually able to stay warm and dry using just this one piece of cover, huge win there.

A few days before Christmas I got package in my name, which is never a surprise for me, except this wasn't something I'd ordered. My brother and Sister-in-law got the full line-up of Cowboy Bebop Funko Pops for me. It was a little expected as Funko is something of a shared hobby between him and I. Still; these were the only Pops I got this Christmas so it's a good thing they're fine pieces.

Onto a few smaller goodies. My oldest sister and niece both went with arts and crafts as their gifts. That's where the Unbreakable quote picture frame and Christmas tree dice plate came from. Most of the family doesn't work on crafts for other people so it's a rare occurrence to receive presants like this. It's pretty cool to show off some items entirely unique to my Christmas, so you'll understand if I blow a large raspberry in your direction. Should note the tree plate is also painted on the other side so it can be hung as a decoration.

Got one Star Wars novel, look for that review sometime next month as I have another one to work on first. Also got a new wallet which is probably for the best as my old one was getting funky. This one has a zipper and while I appreciate the approach towards security, the added noise is gonna drive people nuts whenever I obsessively check the contents of my wallet.

More on the entertainment front we have Rise of the Tomb Raider thanks to my other brother. Really looking forward to playing this but I've gotta wrap up Final Fantasy XV first. Guess that makes for some extra incentive to get my butt in gear. Also got the first season of Agent Carter, and Death Wish on blu-ray because no celebration is complete without Bronson.

Lastly there's always one hobby that takes the taco. Last year it was a comical amount of Funko products. This year everybody doubled down on giving me board games. It's a little odd since so few of them like to play with me but who am I to complain? My sister and brother in law gave King of New York, while my mother is responsible for Kanagawa and Android: Mainframe. Those three titles would be enough new gaming goodness to hold me over for a while but there's more. I also participated in the boardgamegeek secret Santa exchange again this year where I actually had a good Santa who gave me Elysium and Arkham Horror: The Card Game. Beyond that, I also picked up a stack of clearance priced expansions from Amazon while doing my Christmas shopping. I'm practically drowning in cardboard chits by this point.

Numbers wise, I didn't receive as much stuff as last year but I'd say there's a healthy spread of practical and impractical gifts in this years haul. No duds or socks so that's a major plus. What I find odd is the utter lack of horror based items. Can't say it's a problem however since I've already got something like 25 movies to cover over the coming Saturdays.

So that was my haul, how about yours? Anything surprising, or maybe even terrible? I always enjoy hearing about the wealth of gifts out there. As for the site, you should see at least one more post before the new year, and then we'll most likely start 2017 with Sentai and Star Wars. I made some pretty good progress this year on multiple fronts despite all the circus antics and dying icons. I have big plans moving forward and I wish you all the best luck in turning 2017 into something worthwhile.

Star Wars Book Club: Smuggler's Run

Boy howdy was it ever a great weekend to be a fan of Star Wars. I'm sure you all know of the massive opening for Rogue One. Even though that film is the hot topic at the moment, and I would really love to talk about it, I don't want to be the guy who drives a topic into the dirt, that's what the rest of the internet is for. Instead I spent my time after the film to finally wrap up the second season of The Clone Wars as well as finish yet another novel. This time we're returning to the Journey to The Force Awakens line that previously brought us the abysmal Weapon of a Jedi. Will this installment fair any better? Let's find out.

Smuggler's Run by Greg Rucka is the tale of what Han Solo and Chewbacca do right after the events of A New Hope. Taken alongside Rogue One I was treated to the bread that makes a sandwhich out of the original film. I actually had a little more trust going into this as I've encountered Rucka's work before, and while not always to my style, he at least seems to know his craft.

Right outta the gate I have to give this book a massive compliment for it's pacing. A common complaint of mine towards these new expanded universe novels is how much time they waste getting to the point. Even some of the better paced installments will often take at least one odd detour that slows everything to a crawl. That's not the case at all here. In fact this book almost goes too fast. From beginning to end it stays on point and never wavers from the main plot.

Adding to the increased pace is a story line that almost matters in the larger shceme of things. Taking place immediately after A New Hope, we learn that Han didn't take the opportunity to leave and pay off his debt to Jabba the Hut as originally intended. Instead he's brow beaten into taking a desperate mission for the rebellion when one of their key members is in risk of being captured by the empire. In the process of this mission Han and Chewie are officially labeled as members of the rebel alliance, helping to explain why he's still with the group when Empire Strikes Back begins. I'm still not completely satisfied as to why Han never took a quick chance at paying Jabba and getting at least one monkey off his back. Maybe one day we'll be treated to a story of him failing in that regard.

Another nice element to this tale is it's service as something of a love letter to the Millennium Falcon. As one of the great vehicles in fiction it's comforting to read passages about the smuggler and wookie's love for their ride/home. It reminds me just a bit of the importance of Baby in Supernatural. It's more than just a means of transportation, it's a member of the family.

Something that doesn't work as well this time are the villains. During the mission, Han and Chewie are pursued by an unremarkable quartet of bounty hunters along with an Imperial Intelligence officer by the name of Beck. None of them are all that impressive. Beck has potential but the book is too short to allow for much growth on her part. There is a chance of her appearing again down the line so I guess there's always hope she'll be a proper threat someday.

Similarly to the villains, supporting characters are pretty flat. Whether it's traveling bar owner Delia, or the rebel Ematt whose name I had to look up, he made that much of an impression. Basically this is a straight up Han and Chewie tale with no room for anyone else to have much of a personality. If you're alright with that, the other characters shouldn't pose much of a problem.

Overall there's little holding this one back from being a decent read. It successfully captures the voices of it's leads and provides quick and fun entertainment. The only real issue is the lack of anything more meaningful to the tale. Recall that even the fairly weak Heir to the Jedi had moments of emotional insight for Luke, nothing like that here. None of these events shape the characters. It's just a straightforward adventure. Even so, with one crazy short book, Han Solo has knocked both Luke novels down a notch. Way to go you old pirate. Let's adjust the leader boards accordingly.

1. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

2. New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

3. Ashoka by E.K. Johnston

4. Tarkin by James Luceno

5. Smuggler's Run by Greg Rucka

6. Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne

7. Aftermath by Chuck Wendig

8. The Weapon of a Jedi by Jason Fry

I've already got another book on the way so expect another review shortly. In The meantime I'm really hoping to get some more articles out here and other avenues. I know it feels like I've been a bit absent recently but I just keep getting caught up in other projects. In fact, I recently completed a write up on my experience helping out the Freakshow Film Festival back around Halloween. Check it out if you'd be so kind. I should be back with something before Christmas, so keep your eyes pealed.

Dekalog Three, The Sadist Christmas Special Ever

Happy holidays, everybody. I'm finally back after what feel like why too long. Once again I found myself with positively too many things to take care of within any rational amount of time. Most of it is my own fault for taking on too many side projects. Plus there's some extra wasted time thanks the security job having the distinct disadvantage of making me physically ill these past two weeks. I believe it's a reaction to something in my guard shack which means I have to devote some of my down time to fending off illness and finding solutions to stop it from happening. Oh, and did I mention I'm deep in Final Fantasy XV...yeah, like usual I've gotten myself wrapped up in too much at once but I'm starting to get on top of it all.

I suppose being overwhelmed is something of a holiday cliche by this point. Many folks tend to find themselves burred up to their eyeballs with excessive tasks, often impeding their enjoyment of the season. That's a recurring theme in plenty of holiday entertainment, but let's face it, that's usually just trivial stuff. What about when you're having a genuinely crappy holiday? Well that's a theme I want to tackle by talking about possibly the most depressing Christmas special of all time, Dekalog three.

Chances are there's a good many of you with crossed eyes at the moment, wondering what on Earth Dekalog is or how there manages to be multiple of them. Dekalog was a late 80's mini-series for Polish television from acclaimed director Krzysztof Kieslowski. It spanned ten episodes, each a morality tale based loosely on one of the ten commandments and focused on residents of one apartment complex. There's also a mystery man who appears in most episodes as an observer to major events. While most of the praise for this series is well earned, it's not without a few weak points, episode two in particular is something of an artsy fartsy misfire. When the series is on point though, it's stellar and they don't get much better than three. I've been revisiting/finishing the series recently thanks to a nice Blu-Ray release from Criterion, sadly I can't offer up any screen caps from it on my puny laptop. Let's not worry too much about eye candy and just focus on the story.

It's Christmas Eve in Warsaw. The largely catholic populace is in full swing celebration with visits from Santa, midnight mass, all that jazz. Rather fittingly the first line of dialogue is spoken by a drunken man who can't find his home. We're introduced to two seemingly unrelated individuals. Janusz is a family man doing his best to make this a proper holiday. Ewa is a lone woman who pays a melancholy visit to her dementia/Alzheimer suffering aunt. The two people make eye contact during midnight mass offering a big clue towards their shared history.

Turns out the two of them had an affair years ago, before a mystery call to her husband sent the whole thing belly-up. Tonight she claims that same husband has gone missing and she needs Janusz's help in tracking him down. Thus begins a whirlwind tour of a cold and quiet night through Warsaw, as the pair visits morgues, drunk tanks, and the like in search of her husband.

During the long search we get some not so subtle hints that there's something else going on. It seems Ewa wants to keep her ex-lover out all night, but for what purpose exactly? The answer to that is pretty damn brilliant but more important is the onslaught of emotional baggage the two of them huck at each other, especially when they play chicken with a tram car. I mean these people have a hell of a time shaking off that nasty break-up.

It all sounds petty depressing, doesn't it? Believe it or not this ends up as one of the more uplifting entries in the series. Things get dark, that's for certain but by the end it seems as though everyone's a little stronger for the ordeal. That's why I think it sits among some of the top tier Christmas entertainment. Much as we'd like our holidays to be nothing but merriment and joy, there's always a strong chance of things turning to shit. The best seasonal tales reflect that, whether it be a man tormented by spirits and regrets in A Christmas Carol, or a violent hostage situation in Die Hard. Overcoming great challenges either emotional or physical is such a more universal and touching theme than magic babies or flying livestock.

Did I just go way off topic? Yes? Ok, so what I'm getting at is how Dekalog Three may be the perfect Christmas special for anyone having a hard time. There's a harsh reality to the whole feature that's relatable to almost anyone yet the setting of post communism Poland makes for something alien which perks your interest. You can empathize with the flawed characters yet learn by judging their mistakes and foibles.

One of my favorite touches, after the pair has already visited so many grim locations, most recently a drunk tank manned by an abusive official, they end up at the train station where the plot twist will reveal itself. Before that happens they meet a station worker stuck with the shitty duty of working overnight into Christmas morning, but does the situation have her beat down? Heck no, she rides around on her skateboard to stay awake. The sight of a young upbeat individual interacting by two regretful people at the end of a long night really helps to illustrate different ways of coping with a bad holiday.

So yea, if you can manage it, check out at least this episode of the Dekalog, so far it's my favorite with one and five running closely behind, though I recommend those only if you wish to curl up in a ball for a while. It could be just the item to offset uplifting tales like Scrooged without resorting to the bevvy of killer Santa movies. Not that those are bad, mind you, I love me some killer Santa but it's always nice to have a high class alternative.

Well it seems like things are starting to run on schedule here again. I should have several updates up before Christmas morning and this isn't the only place you'll find me this month. Currently I'm putting the finishing touches on a post for Dread Central, and am writing up an article that will hopefully launch me on yet another site. Keep your eyes pealed. Until then, be good little boys and girls and don't play chicken with trams.