From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View: Book 2 of 2
Multiple Authors and Narrators
Publisher: Del Rey | Random House Audio
Release date: November 11, 2020

Just in time for the 40th anniversary of the greatest science fiction film ever made (sure, that’s arguable, but I’ll gladly argue it) and the greatest sequel ever made (again, arguable, but I’ll still argue it), The Empire Strikes Back, comes a collection of stories of those characters who either never saw any screen time, saw so little that few remember them, or, as you’ll see in this book and review, couldn’t communicate their stories in Earth-bound languages until now. That book? From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars), the companion book to that which was written with the same purpose for the previous film.

Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town
Stranger Things Book 2
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Adam Christopher
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: May 28, 2019

I freaking love the Stranger Things franchise! The nostalgia, the horror, the Dungeons & Dragons references, I just love it all. So I jumped when this tie-in book to the television series came up for review. Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town is the second official novel to be released and it is probably destined to be a fan favorite since it is all about Jim Hopper. In fact, this dives head first into his time as a New York detective. Curious? So was I!

The year was 1977 and New York City was suffering as it was one hot summer. Add to that the ongoing danger that was Son of Sam and you can only begin to imagine the fog of terror that surrounded all those living within. The reader is given the chance to see Hopper and his family, at relative peace with the world, struggling like any young couple with a small child would. The story starts off quite mundane and relatable. In fact, Hopper is only a fraction as intense and anxious as he will one day become. I have no doubt the events in this story helped elevate his issues.

The Women’s War
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Jenna Glass
Publisher: Del Rey, an imprint of Random House Books
Release Date: March 6, 2019

To say that this book is a work of feminist fantasy is a lot like saying the ocean is wet. The Women’s War is a definitive work of raising women up in a patriarchal society, of that there can be no question. However, there is so much more to the story that it defies simplistic characterizations. This tale strives, and often succeeds, to ring the bell of resistance in an otherwise bleak world devoid of equality.

The best part of this novel is, hands down, the depth of character that author Jenna Glass brings to her work. So much time and paper is devoted to all of the characters that the setting seems to suffer quite often. As the reader connects quickly and strongly with the protagonist Alysoon, so do they empathetically bond with the women who are subjugated at every turn. This is a man’s world and not many are apt to forget it; even the magic of this world is divided. But it is through this division that something new has arisen. Something that will not just equalize but enable the women to turn the tables on any who would oppress them.

Dragon’s Code
Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Gigi McCaffrey
Publisher: Del Rey | Random House
Release Date: October 2, 2018

Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books were, beyond a doubt, extremely influential to me and others as a source of world building and empathetic writing. My first foray into the world of Pern was The White Dragon, the pivotal third book that resonated deeply with me. I will not claim to have read everything in the series, but I consumed them year after year as they released, with few exceptions. Therefore, I was elated when I discovered Gigi McCaffrey, daughter of the legendary wordsmith herself, was writing a new book. In fact, Dragon’s Code, as it was titled, was to be a new expansion on this previously massive universe of man, dragon, and threat. A new generation of readers could potentially experience what I did!

Star Wars: Thrawn
Series: Star Wars
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Written by Timothy Zahn
Audiobook narrated by Marc Thompson
Publisher: Del Rey | Random House Audio
Release Date: April 11, 2017

With the teaser trailer for the new Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, having just been released (you can see it here), it seems only fitting that we get to introduce you to another Star Wars story to keep that excitement going. And being the lifelong fan of the franchise that I am, I am ecstatic that I get to tell you a bit about the new book Star Wars: Thrawn!