The brand new Star Wars novel,
Catalyst: A Rogue One Story finally drops tomorrow! I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon so it would
arrive on the release date. It’s a
prequel story to the upcoming film,
Star
Wars: Rogue One. I’m unreasonably
excited to tear into it, after I'm done leading my next NW Wilderness hike on Thursday!
My world traveling posts, as well as trip reports from the
recent hikes and climbs I’ve led, will resume soon. And the mini-reviews below will also be
featured on
my Goodreads page at some point.
Translated from Polish, this crime melodrama centers on a
justice/rules obsessed prosecutor Teodor Szacki who is investigating a series
of grisly murders which may be targeting domestic abusers. The slow burning “rage” depicted in Szacki’s
characterization eventually pays off big time, more cleverly than I
expected. And there are at least two or
three truly memorable moments, including a chilling scene involving a mother and
infant in peril that haunted me for days (And I was on a Mexico mission trip!).
Other than those standout moments, this novel was a bit slow
paced for my taste. Also, some of the graphic
sexual depictions and gruesome CSI-type investigation details seemed a little
excessive.
After realizing that this is the final book of a trilogy, I
surmised that faithful readers of author Miloszewski would find the conclusion
of Szacki’s character arc to be quite dramatic indeed. The mystery elements of the plot are
interesting, yet this novel works best as a character study.
Note: This was a
pre-release book, but it’s now available.
I selected this title for free from Amazon’s Prime’s “Kindle First”
offerings of August 2016.
Verdict: *** ½
out of *****
Since I don’t have HBO, I can’t say how this book compares
to the latest season of the hugely popular Game
of Thrones. However, this book is a
slight improvement over A Feast for
Crows, the fourth and previous book in the Song of Ice and Fire high
fantasy book series. It’s set at the
same time period of Feast, which
means that the events take place immediately after A Storm of Swords, the third book.
The main characters whom were mostly neglected in Feast return to the spotlight here: Tyrion Lanister, Jon Snow,
Daenerys Targaryen, Bran Stark, Arya Stark, Theon Greyjoy/Reek, Stannis
Baratheon, and others.
Was it worth the wait?
Not particularly. We should have
been reading about these characters in the fourth book, which spent most of the
time in King’s Landing, the Iron Islands, and Dorne. But it was nice to finally return to the
characters at Castle Black, beyond the Wall, and Pentos and Slaver’s Bay across
the narrow sea.
Disturbingly misogynist sexual content, meandering prose,
and excessive length mar this book just as much as the previous books. And the wait for the long overdue Book 7, The Winds of Winter, has dragged out for
years. But how could we readers quit the
Song of Ice and Fire series now? We’re so invested in the characters. George R. R. Martin isn’t on the hook. We are.
Verdict: *** ½
out of *****
By Courtney Elizabeth Mauk
Listed under Kindle's “Literature” genre, I expected this
pre-release to be a substantive read about coping with grief. It wasn’t what I anticipated. However, this tale of a devastated family living
in the aftermath of a daughter’s disappearance is an acceptably brief diversion.
The storyline (which isn’t the focal point anyway) is
somewhat engaging, the characters draw sympathy, and theological matters are
occasionally addressed. The book’s most effective hook is illustrating how unbearable it would be to live through the
disappearance of a daughter/sister.
Note: This was a pre-release book, but it’s now
available. I selected this title for
free from Amazon’s Prime’s “Kindle First” offerings of September 2016.
Verdict: *** out
of *****
By Kieron Gillen, Salvador Larroca, Leinil Andrews, and
Kaare Andrews
Taking place between the films
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the dramatic continuity of the
previously
excellent Darth Vader graphic novel series makes no sense. No spoilers here, but did that thrilling,
revelatory moment with Boba Fett in Volume 1 never happen?
That’s a relevant gripe, making this feel more like a standalone
story than a continuation of Darth Vader’s character arc. His relationship with Grand Admiral Tagge
still provides dramatic tension, though, especially with the added conflict of
Dr. Cylo being assigned to make Vader look bad.
Unfortunately, as with previous volumes, Vader’s ludicrously sadistic
droid Triple Zero and blastomech BT-1 (the Tobey Maguire/Spiderman 3-esque bad-guy
versions of C-3PO and R2-D2) are too silly to bear. For that matter, MOST of the supporting
characters are drastically less intriguing than Vader himself.
As a fan of the new Star Wars canon, I’m reluctant to say
that I also noticed a potential contradiction between Vader #3’s account of the
remains of Leia’s home planet Aldaraan and the account given in the latest Star
Wars novel, Life Debt: Aftermath #2. But I REALLY want to believe that Disney’s
Story Group has a firm grasp on the continuity of the new Star Wars canon. Don’t let me down, guys!
On the bright side, Darth
Vader #3 is not boring. But let’s
hope that Vader doesn’t continue to be a co-star in his own Star Wars spin-off
comic series.
Verdict: *** (Out
of 5 stars) for Star Wars fans, ** for non-fans
