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David McK (3623 KP) rated Star Wars: Tie Fighter in Books
May 7, 2020
During the mid to late 90s, there was a series of graphic novels company, all centring around the pilots of Rogue and (later) Wraith Squadron, and 'spun-off' from the immensely popular X-Wing and TIE fighter games by the now-defunct Lucasarts company.
That's all gone by the wayside (and recatogorised as Legends) ever since Disney bought out Lucasfilm.
I picked this one up when it was on sale for part of 2020s Comixology 'May the Fourth' (be with you) sale, having previously read the novel it leads into (that novel being Alphabet Squadron). As such, this story follows a group of Imperial pilots - rather than the more common point of view of Rebel pilots - flying various missions for the Empire, leading up to the battle of Endor and receiving word of their defeat.
Yes, the art is really rather good.
Yes, the story is really rather bland.
That's all gone by the wayside (and recatogorised as Legends) ever since Disney bought out Lucasfilm.
I picked this one up when it was on sale for part of 2020s Comixology 'May the Fourth' (be with you) sale, having previously read the novel it leads into (that novel being Alphabet Squadron). As such, this story follows a group of Imperial pilots - rather than the more common point of view of Rebel pilots - flying various missions for the Empire, leading up to the battle of Endor and receiving word of their defeat.
Yes, the art is really rather good.
Yes, the story is really rather bland.
Rapture
Book
Taking one single interlude – two bodies entwined on a bed at midday, lovers rekindling an old...
Sometimes a Great Notion
Book
The magnificent second novel from the legendary author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sailor...
Half a Life
Book
In Half a Life we are introduced to the compelling figure of Willie Chandran. Springing from the...
Lady Danger
7.0
Rate It
Book
*From USA Today bestselling author Glynnis Campbell...*A beautiful female warrior has never had...
historical romance indie novels books Scotland warriors heroines
David McK (3623 KP) rated Hero in the Shadows (Drenai 9; Waylander 3) in Books
Dec 5, 2021
Chronologically the third entry in David Gemmell's Drenia saga, published ninth in order, that completes the trilogy of Waylander the Slayer: a character first introduced in Waylander before being further expanded upon in Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf and which thus makes him of the very few characters that Gemmell returned to more than once in that series (indeed, the only other character I can think of is of Druss himself. Oh, and Skilgannon (who had two novels).
I've always found that there is an element of truth to the charge that the nations in his works reflect real-life counterparts (Nadir = Huns, Drenai = Greek), with those novel expanding to include the Kydor and the Chiatze, with the Men of Mud obviously reflecting the Terracotta army.
Oh, and the finale of the novel, in which Waylander finally finds peace?
*Chef's kiss*
I've always found that there is an element of truth to the charge that the nations in his works reflect real-life counterparts (Nadir = Huns, Drenai = Greek), with those novel expanding to include the Kydor and the Chiatze, with the Men of Mud obviously reflecting the Terracotta army.
Oh, and the finale of the novel, in which Waylander finally finds peace?
*Chef's kiss*
The Eisenhower Chronicles
Book
In 1938 he was a lieutenant colonel stationed in the Philippines; by 1945 the world proclaimed him...
Historical Fiction Historical Biography WWII Eisenhower
David McK (3623 KP) rated Star Wars X-Wing: The Krytos Trap (X-Wing #3) in Books
Oct 26, 2024 (Updated Oct 26, 2024)
Now considered part of 'Legends' rather than canon, this is the third in the 90s series of Star Wars: X Wing books by MMichael A Stackpole, back before the sequels and even before the prequels were a thing!
Here, this novel primarily deals with the fallout from the conquest of Coruscant (or Imperial Centre, as it was originally called in the films), with the main character of Corran Horn captured by Ysanne Isard and believed dead by his comrades.
Isard, meanwhile, has unleashed a deadly contagion upon the denizens of the city planet in a plan to stir up foment amongst the various species (and leaders) of the New Republic.
While the novel does show its age somewhat - Jedi had family, no Padawans (remember, written before the prequels!) - this is still an entertaining read that, I feel, stands up well amongst several of the 'newer' novels.
Here, this novel primarily deals with the fallout from the conquest of Coruscant (or Imperial Centre, as it was originally called in the films), with the main character of Corran Horn captured by Ysanne Isard and believed dead by his comrades.
Isard, meanwhile, has unleashed a deadly contagion upon the denizens of the city planet in a plan to stir up foment amongst the various species (and leaders) of the New Republic.
While the novel does show its age somewhat - Jedi had family, no Padawans (remember, written before the prequels!) - this is still an entertaining read that, I feel, stands up well amongst several of the 'newer' novels.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated NOS4A2 in Books
Mar 15, 2018
<i>I read this novel as my BookBum Club book for January! Check out <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/297482-the-bookbum-club">The BookBum Club on Goodreads!</a></i>
A darkly disturbing thrill ride of a book! I was expecting it to spook me out a little more than it did, but it was super enjoyable even still.
I’ve never read a Joe Hill book before this one, but now I know I want to read more of his work. I don’t think there’s any denying that his writing style really sucks you into the story and he’s a genius as describing things. How can one man come up with so many different Christmas similes? I also loved how this book was set up, where sometimes the end of sentence in a paragraph wouldn’t end because the title of the next paragraph completed the sentence. I thought this was a really unique aspect of the novel, as well as several illustrations dotted throughout.
One thing I really loved about this novel was the characters. I’ve seen some less that glowing reviews whinging about Vic, and while I can understand some people’s frustration at how frustrating she was, I think the whole point of her character to be frustrating. I personally found her troubled but sweet. Lou was equally sweet, a nice human being through-and-through, but at the end of the day, I don’t think he brought an awful lot to the story.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, of course, was Charlie Manx. What a genuinely terrifying character. I’ve read through several books with horrifying characters (Annie Wilkes springs to mind immediately) and Charlie Manx is definitely up there with the worst of them. What made him so chilling, for me, was how I imagined his voice. Every sentence of his speech was lifted at the end by an exclamation mark! He was always so cheery! Always so sinister! And then, of course, we have Bing Partridge who may just be the most repulsive character I’ve ever read about.
I loved the story of this novel, but I’m not going to explain what happened because this novel needs to be experienced, not told, in order to reach its full potential. My only issue was I though maybe 700 pages was a bit long. Chapter after chapter was a new dip and dive in this roller-coaster of a story, but sometimes it just felt like stalling time.
Another thing that disappointed me about this book, and this is what brought it down to 4 stars, is that I was expecting this to be scarier than it turned out to be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s seriously sinister and has some really creepy moments, but I wanted to get to “I can’t sleep” scared. Though saying that, when I was driving home in the dark one day, an old classic black British car (we have a lot of old car conventions around where I live) pulled up behind me and followed me nearly all the way home and I did get the heebie-geebies (don’t worry, I didn’t break the speed limit though).
Overall, this novel is well worth the read if you’re into dark, sinister novels filled with the really weird and the really wonderful. I’m so happy I’ve finally read this novel and have been opened up to the world of Joe Hill’s writing. I will definitely be reading more of his stuff.
A darkly disturbing thrill ride of a book! I was expecting it to spook me out a little more than it did, but it was super enjoyable even still.
I’ve never read a Joe Hill book before this one, but now I know I want to read more of his work. I don’t think there’s any denying that his writing style really sucks you into the story and he’s a genius as describing things. How can one man come up with so many different Christmas similes? I also loved how this book was set up, where sometimes the end of sentence in a paragraph wouldn’t end because the title of the next paragraph completed the sentence. I thought this was a really unique aspect of the novel, as well as several illustrations dotted throughout.
One thing I really loved about this novel was the characters. I’ve seen some less that glowing reviews whinging about Vic, and while I can understand some people’s frustration at how frustrating she was, I think the whole point of her character to be frustrating. I personally found her troubled but sweet. Lou was equally sweet, a nice human being through-and-through, but at the end of the day, I don’t think he brought an awful lot to the story.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, of course, was Charlie Manx. What a genuinely terrifying character. I’ve read through several books with horrifying characters (Annie Wilkes springs to mind immediately) and Charlie Manx is definitely up there with the worst of them. What made him so chilling, for me, was how I imagined his voice. Every sentence of his speech was lifted at the end by an exclamation mark! He was always so cheery! Always so sinister! And then, of course, we have Bing Partridge who may just be the most repulsive character I’ve ever read about.
I loved the story of this novel, but I’m not going to explain what happened because this novel needs to be experienced, not told, in order to reach its full potential. My only issue was I though maybe 700 pages was a bit long. Chapter after chapter was a new dip and dive in this roller-coaster of a story, but sometimes it just felt like stalling time.
Another thing that disappointed me about this book, and this is what brought it down to 4 stars, is that I was expecting this to be scarier than it turned out to be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s seriously sinister and has some really creepy moments, but I wanted to get to “I can’t sleep” scared. Though saying that, when I was driving home in the dark one day, an old classic black British car (we have a lot of old car conventions around where I live) pulled up behind me and followed me nearly all the way home and I did get the heebie-geebies (don’t worry, I didn’t break the speed limit though).
Overall, this novel is well worth the read if you’re into dark, sinister novels filled with the really weird and the really wonderful. I’m so happy I’ve finally read this novel and have been opened up to the world of Joe Hill’s writing. I will definitely be reading more of his stuff.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Rosemary's Baby (Rosemary's Baby, #1) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
<b><i>This is no dream, she thought. This is real, this is happening.</i></b>
<b>Note to self and others:</b> beware of overly friendly neighbours.
This is amazing. At just over 200 pages, this novel takes you on a hell (excuse the pun) of a journey that you wont forget anytime soon. Levin has managed to make a novel so witty, and at the same time, so terrifying. In a way, the tone of this book is reminiscent of American Psycho (or rather American Psycho is reminiscent of this as it came out afterwards), but rather than in-your-face vulgar gore, this is far more psychologically disturbing. Never has such a mundane life, as Rosemarys and Guys, ever been so horrifying.
Id already watched the movie when I picked this up, so I knew what this novel was about and what happened, and I think, maybe, that made me enjoy this <i>more.</i> When you know how the story plays out, the tension in this really grips you and you find yourself angry and empathetic towards Rosemarys naivety. I think if I went into this novel not knowing, Rosemary would have simply pissed me off, shes that sort of weak and dependant woman I oh-so hate in books, but it was a different experience for me, knowing what I know. Thats not to say you wont like this going into it blind, Im sure the tension and horror of this will affect you just the same way <i>and</i>_ you'll get the pleasure of the pure shock of the discovery, something I didn't.
Ive said previously that I find it hard to really <i>hate</i> a character in a book, as I often find things to like about them, despite all their bad ways, but thats not the case in this one. Lets just say there is one specific character in this I hate more than anyone (in any other book ever, so far) for their betrayal, all for their own selfish gain.
The ending of this novel is one of the hardest, if not <i>the</i> hardest to swallow. Its <i>so</i> distressing and <i>so</i> upsetting. I cant say anything more than that, but its truly awful.
Im really trying not to give too much away with this review, its hard not to say so many things, but I think its OK to mention the fact this book is about devilry (its written on the book as a quote from Capote so it cant exactly be ignored)! This is a truly terrifying novel, and if you had qualms about having children before, youll definitely have more after reading this book.
This is a one-sitting read for me and Im actually excited to re-read it sometime in the future. This work is a masterpiece. Levin is an incredible writer and Im now aiming to read the rest of his work by the end of the year (yes, even <i>Son of Rosemary</i>, even though it has the worst ratings ever).
P.S. Even if you dont like horror, youll most likely enjoy this book as its not openly trying to freak you out. Its far more a suspense novel that gets in your head.
<b>Note to self and others:</b> beware of overly friendly neighbours.
This is amazing. At just over 200 pages, this novel takes you on a hell (excuse the pun) of a journey that you wont forget anytime soon. Levin has managed to make a novel so witty, and at the same time, so terrifying. In a way, the tone of this book is reminiscent of American Psycho (or rather American Psycho is reminiscent of this as it came out afterwards), but rather than in-your-face vulgar gore, this is far more psychologically disturbing. Never has such a mundane life, as Rosemarys and Guys, ever been so horrifying.
Id already watched the movie when I picked this up, so I knew what this novel was about and what happened, and I think, maybe, that made me enjoy this <i>more.</i> When you know how the story plays out, the tension in this really grips you and you find yourself angry and empathetic towards Rosemarys naivety. I think if I went into this novel not knowing, Rosemary would have simply pissed me off, shes that sort of weak and dependant woman I oh-so hate in books, but it was a different experience for me, knowing what I know. Thats not to say you wont like this going into it blind, Im sure the tension and horror of this will affect you just the same way <i>and</i>_ you'll get the pleasure of the pure shock of the discovery, something I didn't.
Ive said previously that I find it hard to really <i>hate</i> a character in a book, as I often find things to like about them, despite all their bad ways, but thats not the case in this one. Lets just say there is one specific character in this I hate more than anyone (in any other book ever, so far) for their betrayal, all for their own selfish gain.
The ending of this novel is one of the hardest, if not <i>the</i> hardest to swallow. Its <i>so</i> distressing and <i>so</i> upsetting. I cant say anything more than that, but its truly awful.
Im really trying not to give too much away with this review, its hard not to say so many things, but I think its OK to mention the fact this book is about devilry (its written on the book as a quote from Capote so it cant exactly be ignored)! This is a truly terrifying novel, and if you had qualms about having children before, youll definitely have more after reading this book.
This is a one-sitting read for me and Im actually excited to re-read it sometime in the future. This work is a masterpiece. Levin is an incredible writer and Im now aiming to read the rest of his work by the end of the year (yes, even <i>Son of Rosemary</i>, even though it has the worst ratings ever).
P.S. Even if you dont like horror, youll most likely enjoy this book as its not openly trying to freak you out. Its far more a suspense novel that gets in your head.