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I get why some folks love this book but I did not

Revisado: 02-06-25

I've been ravenously consuming Timothy Zahn's Legends books and this is the first one I've tried by another author. I naturally expected this to be different but I was surprised by the imbalanced narrative in this story.

The Jedi (sub?)plot started out interesting as 3 previously unknown Jedi are forced to go on the run after escaping Order 66. However, not long after the inciting incident, I found their characters thin and dull, their backstories uninteresting, their actions and motivations illogical and opaque. Clearly, we are meant to empathize with them but the emotional beats of their story feel muffled due to a lack of inspired setup.

However, the Vader (main?) plot suffers few of these issues. There are moments of Vader alone with his thoughts which were so haunting, so compelling, and so brilliantly written that they made my jaw go slack. This characterization of Vader in his earliest and most uncertain days as a Sith is truly heart-wrenching and deepens the tragedy of his existence in ways I'd never considered before.

The other established SW characters who appear in this book are also handled very well. I wanted to love the book but, despite moments of titanic achievement concerning the inner life of Darth Vader, the Jedi plot line felt too much like it was tacked-on to drive the action. This is a shame because it has the skeleton of a compelling cat-and-mouse chase story - it's just that the meat of it failed to satisfy.

Sound quality: another reviewer mentioned volume issues and I can confirm the levels are at times wildly inconsistent. The narrator can hardly be at fault for that. His character voices are impressive, his narration of action injects much excitement, and his performance as Anakin is an emotional gut-punch which, for me, will probably define my concept of him from now on. Kudos to Luceno for writing it so beautifully, and kudos to Thompson for delivering it just as well.

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Truly remarkable

Revisado: 09-24-24

Being more accustomed to Watson's narration than dramatized depictions, it was a challenge in the beginning to get my bearings and know where we were and who was in the scene. Once all of the cast were easily distinguishable, this story took off like a rocket for me and culminated in a spectacularly explosive and emotionally satisfying ending.

The way these classic characters are used here is arresting in its elegance and cleverness. This feels like true Holmes and Watson. The story examines their relationship in such a way that gives the past a new context, casts their flaws in sharper relief, and achieves a sort of catharsis which I imagine ACD would shake his fist for not thinking of it first.

How wonderful it is to see the seeds of this story come from so many places in the original canon, seeds which then looked like stones, and see them sprout in such a way that it feels the obvious outcome in retrospect. I'm awed by it, much like Watson every single time that Holmes reveals his method.

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Thin but fun

Revisado: 09-22-24

As a fan of all of the original stories and their many adaptations, I enjoyed this quite a lot. The variety of cases was nice, the shift of perspective from Watson to Moran was delightful, and more time with the dark genius of Moriarty is welcome. The stories are too brief, however, and feel lacking in the sense of adventure of the original canon.

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Compelling plot, fun characters, excellent cast

Revisado: 08-01-24

A group of Martian colonists lose contact with Earth and learn that the entire human population vanished while they were in transit. Stranded on the red planet, their mission proceeds and eventually a new human civilization is born. Far into the future, this society launches a mission to Earth to finally answer the questions of what caused "The Vanishing" and, if humanity returned to Earth, could it happen again?

This fantastical and confident sci-fi mystery features excellent writing, acting, and sound design. Fans of Julian Simpson's previous work (The Lovecraft Investigations, Aldrich Kemp, and the myriad of radio plays constituting the foundation of his "Pleasant Green Universe") will be gleefully surprised by this series and the embarrassment of riches that is the cast.

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Weir's best yet

Revisado: 07-09-24

A clear and significant leap forward in storytelling for the author. More mature than Artemis and more thrilling than The Martian. I had a few issues with those two books but enjoyed them greatly. This book has few to none. What an emotional and profound experience this has been.

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Light and breezy, a fun pop sci-fi ride

Revisado: 07-03-24

Scalzi is one of the best sci-fi authors out there today and usually his material is quite a bit darker than this. I had to adjust my expectations a few times in the first 3rd or so but then was able to have an increasingly good time through to the end.

There were some moments which I found grating but I'm not sure whether that was an issue with the writing, the narration, or maybe just with me. Wil Wheaton is an exceptional narrator, it's just that the characters react with incredulity a LOT to start and it made me long for a more subdued portrayal.

Scalzi great. Wheaton great. Some minor annoyances. Terrific premise, fun and memorable characters, fantastic ending.

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I love it when a plan comes apart

Revisado: 06-27-24

it's got the moon, it's got capers, it's got an excellent actress narrating, there is so much to like

there were times when i found the protagonist grating and either too cavalier or petulant but this could be considered an intentional choice on the author's part instead of an oversight

the scientific aspects of the book are fascinating and do a lot to make the dangers feel real. the plot takes some thrilling turns and the ending was fantastic

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Utterly absurd, scarily believable

Revisado: 05-28-24

Terrific first entry in what has become one of my favorite series. Intense, cinematic action and suspense with a surprising intelligence to its high concentration of extremely lowbrow humor. The story drew me in so deeply that some of the many twists and hard turns caught me unaware even on my second time through.

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Keeps getting better and better

Revisado: 04-13-24

4 books in this series so far and the quality continues to improve appreciably. Each successive entry presents stronger plot, characterization, themes, and the pragmatic compassion underpinning the the horror and humor throughout. Behind the veneer of blood splatter and butt jokes is a sobering message about how victims of monsters can be turned into monsters themselves, including a grounded perspective on what we as individuals can do about it. This is by a wide margin the most emotionally complex entry in the series yet and I eagerly look forward to #5, if and when it is written.

A note on the audio: Books 1, 3, and 4 are read by the same actor and I have to say that he too has never done a better job than he has on this one. His portrayal of each recurring character grows deeper and more singular every time. His accent work is excellent and his Dr. Marconi is a consistent delight to listen to, but with other characters of similar cultural origin, you can hear subtle differences in how he shapes the words which does so much to make them uniquely identifiable. Incredible voice work on his part and I'm so glad he's sticking around. The narrator of book 2 was great and I don't mourn the inconstency but I am so relieved that Thorne continues to come back to this brutal, beautiful, butt-filled universe.

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Gleefully twisted horror comedy

Revisado: 04-10-24

This 3rd entry in the John and Dave series is a worthy follow-up to the excellent This Book Is Full of Spiders. The existential dread and body horror is dialed back a bit this time so the story can focus on more realistic and sobering threats - ones which come from within. And similarly to the horrors in this tale, the humor is based much more in the characters themselves. It is fascinating to read this series because the author demonstrates impressive advancements in writing technique, without changing the voice in which he writes, in each subsequent entry. Highly recommend.

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