Books: Star Wars: Before the Awakening By Greg Rucka (2015)

Back in September, three YA titles that came under the moniker “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, were released. Each short novel featured an adventure with one of the three main characters from the original trilogy. Each story (which I’ve yet to read, but will probably eventually get to) is set during those times, and each was supposed to have some tidbit that was going to tie into the new movie series. 

As noted before, one of the reasons Disney did away with the original Expanded Universe books was so they could create what they called a “unified canon” for novels released now and into the future, and would in some way tie-into the newest trilogy. Greg Rucka’s Star Wars: Before the Awakening (which was released on December 18^th to coincide with the films release) is designed to give us some background information on the three new main characters, Finn, Rey, and Poe. Information, however opaque, that would give viewers a better insight into these folks. And, I assumed, the reason it was released then was not to provide spoilers.

But I noticed two problems. If this book is considered canon –and that was the idea- then between the writing of this book and the release of the movie, some things were altered. Finn’s story, and the first one of the three in this volume, gives us a new dimension, a new fold to the film character. You see Finn as a leader, a man destined to rise above everyone else. But, as we see in the movie (and described vaguely here) Finn has a conscious, and is disturbed by what he’s being requested to do. We saw that unfold in The Force Awakens. But Captain Phasma (who is in serious need of a back story) seems to have doubts about Finn in this short story, issues she talked about with General Hux. But in the film, as both Hux and Phasma are reviewing Finn’s (or FN-2187) record, she seems to imply that Finn was an exemplary solider and nothing in his record seemed to indicate his eventual actions. 

I know that things change on film sets, that dialogue and action can be altered on the whim. This book, probably months in writing, is different. Plus, I’m guessing, Rucka was given certain criteria when writing these tales; another words, his wiggle room was probably very tight. 

The next discrepancy is in the second tale, the one focusing on Rey. In the movie, when she and Finn fly the Millennium Falcon, she seems shocked (as is Finn) that she’s able to do what she did. There is some subtle indication in the film that she is a pilot, but like many viewers of the film, we all questioned how she could maneuver the Falcon like she did. In her tale, however, there is some explanation. As we see in the film, Rey is living in a collapsed AT-AT. In the story by Rucka, Rey finds what amounts to video games within the walker; flight programs were she can learn how to pilot any ship in the universe. And because she is bored and has a lot of time on her hands, she’s eventually masters all the different spaceship programs. 

Again, things seemed to change in the film. They decided to make Rey’s background even more unclear, which is fine. But the whole point of this “unified canon” idea was to make the novels, well… canon, something the original Expanded Universe never was. 

The last story, focusing on Poe, gives us some idea about how the character became the best pilot in the Resistance. There is also a little bit of the allusion that the New Republic seems to tolerate and even covertly support the Resistance, as Poe and a few of his comrades were in the Republic military. It also sets up the opening of new film, where General Solo sends the pilot to Jakku in search of Lor San Tekka, who holds the partial key to finding the whereabouts of her brother, Luke Skywalker.

As a Young Adult tale, the book reads very fast. Again, while writing stories in a universe like Star Wars, a writer has strict guidelines as to what he or she can and not do. Rucka does a fine job here, but if Disney is going to make these books fit snugly with the new film series, tying them into the new canon, then someone better keep a better eye on what is being printed on paper and what unfolds on the silver screen. 

I’m onto the novelization next, so it will be interesting to see if there are any contradictions in Alan Dean Fosters tale when set next to Greg Rucka’s.

Books: Star Wars: Aftermath By Chuck Wendig (2015)

I have some trepidation about returning to the new Star Wars Expanded Universe. When Bantam began the original EU back in 1991, Heir to the Empire was only the second Star Wars novel set outside the original trilogy. The first, of course, was 1978’s Splinter in the Mind’s Eye, which was –more or less- story ideas cobbled together from George Lucas’ notes on a potential sequel to his original movie (and compensation, I guess, for writer Alan Dean Foster whom ghostwrote the novelization of Star Wars). And a lot of things that happened in that book, certain ideas and what not, would be eventually be contradicted by both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. So in many ways, Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy could be considered the first real novel in what would eventually be called the Expanded Universe.

 I began reading these Star War novels, enjoying some, and disliking others. And as much as I like Star Wars, much like the Star Trek novels, so many came out so fast and furious, I was quickly falling behind in other books I wanted to read. And while I know some people who just read exclusively every Star Wars novel that came out between 1991 and 2012, I could not devote my time to just one genre, to just one series. So I gave up. Not sure when exactly, but it was probably around 1995-96 that I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to part ways with the EU. And that restriction continued, even as the prequel trilogy began. 

When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 and began work on this newest trilogy of films, they also made the decision to abandon the twenty-one year old EU book line. Though the books would remain in print, they would be labeled “Legend”, and none of the stories, characters, and other aspects would be considered canon in this new universe (but they never were to begin with). Then again, no novel in the Star Trek universe was ever considered canon, either. Still, with Disney tossing those novels aside, many long-time fans felt this was a bad idea. Yes, there were certain books that could be forgotten, but the EU did have some cohesiveness to them, that they appeared well planned out and that all the books were connected by some massive continuity. 

But like the rebooted Star Trek franchise, it was this continuity that was holding the new Star Wars movie series back. To re-launch with the The Force Awakens meant throwing away hundreds of novels and comic books released (really) since 1983 and create a new one, what they call a “unified canon”, specifically set NOT to contradict anything that would come up in this new film series and anything that will come after Episode IX in 2019. 

So now we get this New Expand Universe, which will lead to The Force Awakens. Currently (in 2016), it begins with The Clone War TV series, which became the first canon based animated show. The novel Dark Disciple is next  followed by Revenge of the Sith (I will note that there may yet be novels in the future set between Episode II and III, but this is the current  list) and then the novels Lords of the Sith, Tarkin, A New Dawn, and Rebels animated TV series. All of which then leads into A New Hope, then the novels Heir to the Jedi and Battlefront: Twilight Company. As of now, there is no new novels set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, though I expect we’ll see some in the next few years. Also note that there are some Young Adult titles, like Lost Stars, that is part of this new unified canon, but while they should be counted, most will not be read by me or (even) casual readers. Maybe the hardcore fans will?

This, of course, leads us to Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars: Aftermath, the first novel in the NEU that is set months after the events of ROJ. Much like Zahn’s Thrawn series, while the Emperor and Darth Vader, along with the second Death Star are gone, the galaxy is not as free from the grip of the Empire as some would believe. A vacuum has been created and many, both Empire loyalist and criminals, are seeking to fill that void:

“As the Empire reels from its critical defeats at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance- now a fledging New Republic- presses its advantage by hunting down the enemy's scattered forces before they can regroup and retaliate. But above the remote planet Akiva, an ominous show of the enemy's strength is unfolding. Out on a lone reconnaissance mission, Wedge Antilles watches Imperial Star Destroyers gather like birds of prey circling for a kill, but is taken captive before he can report back to the New Republic leaders. Meanwhile, on the planet's surface, former Rebel fighter Norra Wexely has returned to her native world—war weary, ready to reunite with her estranged son, and eager to build a new life in some distant place. But when Norra intercepts Wedge Antilles's urgent distress call, she realizes her time as a freedom fighter is not yet over. What she doesn't know is just how close the enemy is—or how decisive and dangerous her new mission will be. Determined to preserve the Empire's power, the surviving Imperial elite are converging on Akiva for a top-secret emergency summit—to consolidate their forces and rally for a counterstrike. But they haven't reckoned on Norra and her newfound allies—her technical genius son, a bounty hunter, and a reprobate Imperial defector—who are prepared to do whatever they must to end the Empire's oppressive reign once and for all.”

Much like Stars Lost, this book is also subtitled with “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and because its “canon” everything revealed here is essentially background information on the new film series. We get glimpses of Han Solo and Chewbacca, whom seem still unable to take orders, and decides to divert their ordered trip to Dasoor when contacted by an old friend who claims the Chewie’s home planet of Kashyyyk is about to fall after the Empire’s rule and she could use his help. I’m guessing this is a set up for a novel down the line and another reason why Han and Leia go their separate ways (beyond other reasons) we see in the new film. We also get glimpses into the idea that most people, especially those in the Outer Rim, think both the Sith and the Jedi are myths –hell, even most of the commanders in the Empire believe this as well. This idea, as we saw, was continued in The Force Awakens. And, of course, we visit Jakku, which appears to be the ass end of the Outer Rim and makes Tattoine seem like busy Coruscant. Reading this here, explains a lot.

But while we get all of this, the book itself is a bit of a let-down, somewhat. There has been much criticism thrown at him for his writing style, and it is something that can be distracting –it is very different and will not be every ones cup of tea. Good or bad, though, Wendig is given a lot of story to set up here, and maybe his urgency style is perfect for this new trilogy. Much like the old EU, these new ones will not always focus on our main characters, and beyond Han and Cheiwe, the only other known character to appear in this book is Wedge, yet he’s regulated to merely a side role. What disappoints me is that none of the main roles in the book are that interesting, except maybe the villainous Sloane (who was introduced in Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller), Sinjir, the former Loyalty Officer of the Empire (and one of two gay characters in the book), and the bounty hunter Jas. Norra and her son teen son Temmin, who appears to grow up and be played by Greg Grunberg in The Force Awakens, are tropes. Yes, Temmin takes one of the silliest and easiest to defeat droids from the prequel series, the B1 Battle Droid, and turns it into a lethal bodyguard, but beyond that, they’re stock figures, with stock problems that will eventually be tied up by novels end. So no surprises there.

Perhaps I should not look at this book as novel, per se, but more of a bunch of new ideas that will be filled out in other novels and, perhaps, just added background information for the hardcore fans of Star Wars movies. This new unified canon may have irked the fan of the original Expanded Universe, but it’s very clear that at least this time, most of the novels will be forthcoming will all be connected –however tenuously- to The Force Awakens, Episode VIII, and Episode IX.

Books: Career of Evil By Robert Galbraith (2015)

“When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality. With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time running out for the two of them.”

As I read Career of Evil, the latest thriller from Robert Galbraith –J.K. Rowling- I can further sense why fans of Harry Potter may not be interested in reading this series. The characters in these books are mean, including the heroes, and the tales are lurid and extremely unpleasant. Even though the Harry Potter books did show a dark part of life, that death was always just around the corner and people where ignorant, racist, and evil, but in the genre of fantasy, readers don’t notice the disquieting undercurrent so much. This can be why fantasy and science fiction work so well, insofar that while the writers do balance out their fantastical worlds with real human issues; the fantastical worlds are just that –a fantasy. 

But with these Cormoran Strike books (and even her Casual Vacancy novel), the author fully puts the mean streets of England on display, using course words and with darkness hiding very openly in the light. So, I could see why fans of Rowling, whom so adore her Hogwarts world, would see these books in conflict with how they perceive the magical world of Harry Potter. 

There is an interesting dichotomy here. I mean, one does not picture a person like Rowling (which maybe why she originally tried using the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith) associating or even knowing about the people she writes about in these thrillers. You sort of picture her as this high society woman who had nothing once and now is one of the richest people in England. And maybe that’s the point, that maybe before her huge success with those HP novels, she swam and spent time with folks whom have questionable morals. 

I do like that Robin and Cormoran continue to grown in their partnership. There are ups and downs to them (I’m still irritated by Robin’s fiancé, a character I don’t particularly like), and it’s interesting to note that while they genuinely like each other, they’ve not fully yet developed their whole Nick and Nora personas that readers may think they should’ve been by now. I think this slow relationship building feels more real and not designed to placate readers brought up on a diet of detective novels where everyone is getting along by the second book.

Books: My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry By Fredrick Backman (2015)

"Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal."

When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

Fredriks Backman’s My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry is really about female empowerment (Elsa does not comprehend why she can’t like Spider-Man), about embracing all your oddities, and being the individual you were meant to be (there is irony that I finishing this book when world broke that David Bowie had passed). She’s precocious, wise (as all kids are in TV dramas and sitcoms, and in Roald Dahl books) beyond her years. But the book is also about loss and how we deal with it. Much like A Man Called Ove, this book goes with the idea that we hide our true selves behind masks, never letting out true selves out. Elsa needs to deal with the loss of her grandmother, but is surrounded by people –including her divorced parents- whom don’t know the first thing about taking care of their emotional life, let alone the emotional life of a seven (almost eight) year-old girl. But since a lot of parents are not honest with their children, Elsa decides the only way she can move on from her grandmother’s death, is to go on this journey and take, the mostly obtuse adults, along with her.

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry it a bit more serious than A Man Called Ove, but the darker themes remain. It’s a striking fairy tale that lives in the same neighborhood, as I said as Dahl, with a dash of Neil Gaiman to make it modern.  

Books: Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein (2015)

In many ways, John Sandford and Ctein’s novel Saturn Run is a throwback to the golden age of science fiction written by the likes of Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and many others. It takes us on a space journey full of hope and fears, where a group of Americans (think Andromeda Strain) travel to Saturn where it seems aliens of some sort have created something there. Sandford, known mostly for his mystery/thriller Prey series and Ctein (apparently his real name), an expert in photographic printing with degrees in English and psychics from Caltech, have created a believable novel about First Contact. By using real science, real technology that is –as noted in afterword- extrapolated as realistically as possible by setting some five decades into our future, we get a taught thriller, political agendas, and a wide, diverse group of people.

“The year is 2066. A Caltech intern inadvertently notices an anomaly from a space telescope—something is approaching Saturn, and decelerating. Space objects don’t decelerate. Spaceships do. A flurry of top-level government meetings produces the inescapable conclusion: Whatever built that ship is at least one hundred years ahead in hard and soft technology, and whoever can get their hands on it exclusively and bring it back will have an advantage so large, no other nation can compete. A conclusion the Chinese definitely agree with when they find out. The race is on, and a remarkable adventure begins.”

Of course, back in that golden age of science fiction, most of the villains were Russian. Here in Saturn Run, they’re the Chinese. Yet they’re not the mustache villains of old, though Sandford and Ctein still manage to make them a bit of a stereotype. I mean the book is directed at the U.S. market (and to fans of Sandford), so it’s not a huge surprise they did this. As a matter of fact, if a movie is made of this (which seems to be probable) I could see the Chinese changing the ending (just like there are two endings to the classic Godzilla vs King Kong). Also, there is no military on the Richard M. Nixon (a very clever joke), so we don’t get any crazy soldiers dictating U.S. military policy –which is rather refreshing. 

In many ways, this book also reminded me of The Martian, which was a how-to-novel about how a man could survive on Mars before he’s rescued. Saturn Run, with Sandford’s gift of pacing and Ctein’s science knowledge, does the same here, except on how a manned mission to Saturn can be accomplished in a short period of time. Neither Sandford or Ctein have Andy Weir’s knack for boiling the complex math and science needed down into everyday, non-science geek speak (it gets a bit prosaic at times), but there is a grand, epic adventure here, one that (in the right hands) could become a great movie –or at least, a 10 episode TV series.