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Shadow of the Sith
Shadow of the Sith
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Disney-era Star Wars extended universe novel, set in the period between the end of 'Return of the Jedi' and the start of 'The Force Awakens'.

So same period as covered in TVs 'The Mandalorian', of which this makes no mention.

The novel also double-downs on the big (and not-at-all-well-received due to some extreme clunkiness) twist introduced in 'The Rise of Skywalker', with Luke Skywalker - here, before his hermit days - and Lando Calrissian both being drawn into the protection of a family (who they never meet in person) that is being hunted by the Sith: a family that includes a very young Rey.

I actually found this to be not that bad a read that at least attempted to fix some of the problems in The Rise of Skywalker, although I do have to say that it started from an almost impossible position and chose probably one of the least-liked aspects of that film (and character from the sequel trilogy) to concentrate on/be built around!
  
 Fall of Kings (Troy #3)
Fall of Kings (Troy #3)
Stella Gemmell, David Gemmell | 2007 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The final part in David Gemmell's 'Troy' trilogy, this was also the final book he ever wrote, as he passed away (in 2006) before it was finished by his wife Stella Gemmell and published in 2007.

As evidenced by the title, this particular volume deals with events leading up to and the actual fall of the city of Troy itself, with the Trojan Horse largely responsible (still) for this fall, but having a more mundane explanation than in the legend.

The same characters appear in this version: Agamemnon, Odysseus and Hektor chief among them, with supporting work by Cassandra and both Andromache (Hektor's wife) and Helikaon proving to be more prominent than I remember from that legend (both of whom were also prominent in the first two entries in this series i.e. 'Lord of the Silver Bow' and 'Shield of Thunder'). There's also room for some of the cast of those earlier novels (such as Banokles or Gershom), but this particular entry, I felt, was not so much about them as about the 'power players' (if you will) of Hektor, Achilles and Odysseus.
  
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3 Minutes to Midnight ( Midnight Trilogy 1)
By L.M. Hatchell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A small Dublin pub …

… holds the key to humanity’s survival.

Who will learn its secret?


Half vampire, half fae, Phoenix is an abomination in the eyes of the supernatural community. Screw them! She’s more than happy to play human in the cosy Irish pub she calls home.

At least until an annoying werewolf comes knocking.

Because Phoenix may be done with the supernatural world, but it’s not quite done with her.

Her birth has triggered a prophecy, and now the clock is ticking. Humanity will be the first to suffer for her existence.

Everything, and everyone, she loves is in danger, and as the body count rises Phoenix must learn to embrace the darkest parts of herself.

Or lose it all.


I wasn’t sure about this at first but I ended up really enjoying it. Definitely a lighter fun read that flowed really well. The story and characters were good, full of all the supernatural creatures we’ve come to love.
  
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Suzanne Collins | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
5
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read the original Hunger Games trilogy back in the early to mid 2010s, before I saw any of the movies.

I watched the movie of this one first, before reading the book.

And, I have to say, that a prequel for President Snow - as portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the movies - was not my first thought on how Suzanne Collins could expand her world.

But that's pretty much who this centres on, with one whole section of the 3-part novel also set during the 10th annual Hunger Games which, here, are still relatively new and with large parts of the novel concerning how said Games could be made more 'entertaining' for the viewers in the Capitol.

Note I said 'for viewers in the Capitol', as their children are never selected in The Reaping to take place in said Games ...

Personally, I found Cornelius Snow (and Lucy Gray Baird, who he is chosen to mentor) to not be as strong or engaging a protagonist as Katniss Everdeen was. YMMV, of course.