The "other" SW canonical fiction Thread

[DarkJedi5]

From about 3-4 years back, I found some Kohl's children's books: ABC-3PO (an alphabet book: check out Ackbar for the funniest one), OBI-1 2 3 (count up to 20), and 5-Minute SW Villain Stories (covers E I-EV II eras). Silly and funny, mostly.

ABC-3PO has been a long time favorite of my three and a half year old (I've got half of the poems memorized). I never saw OB-1 2 3 but I might have to keep an eye out for it.

I haven't seen the 5 Minute Villains book but we have two others from that series; 5 Minute Star Wars Stories (TPM-TFA) and 5 Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back (TPM-TLJ). Generally, the stories retell a particular scene with movie dialogue where appropriate and minimizing the frightening stuff. On the whole, they're pretty good but some stories are definitely stronger than others.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Upon reading 5MV, it directly copies all but one of them from previous 5M books; the one story that isn't "the same" has a different title and slightly different artwork as a TFA story from one. Not worth getting, unless you want another SW book on your shelf.

 

[DarkJedi5]

Upon reading 5MV, it directly copies all but one of them from previous 5M books; the one story that isn't "the same" has a different title and slightly different artwork as a TFA story from one. Not worth getting, unless you want another SW book on your shelf.

Good to know, thanks for the tip!

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Alex Segura's pre-TFA set Poe Dameron: Free Fall was overall an okay book. See the specifics below.

Poe's Shady Days

It was odd reading about "Zorii Wynn," but that was to hide her connection to the leader of the Spice Runners of Kijimi (other spoiler: her mom). Poe gets mortally wounded at least twice and survives fairly easily. The ending where Poe sees a program of Sen. Leia speaking was okay, but the lead-up to that point was weaker. A few names were thrown in (BoShek comes to mind), and Baba Frik was actually a good foil character here.

 

[DarkJedi5]

Alex Segura's pre-TFA set Poe Dameron: Free Fall was overall an okay book. See the specifics below.

Without having read the book, I'm still irked by this sudden change of direction with Poe's backstory. All of the prior media that I've seen talks about how Poe's parents were heroes of the Rebellion and that he was already an ace fighter pilot in the Republic Navy when Leia essentially quits the Republic to form the Resistance. This happened before Leia even knew about Ben’s fall to the dark side and before she and Han split up. This would suggest that Poe had been in the military for quite sometime before TFA.

The fact that they squeezed in this “shady past” felt forced when I saw TRS and I don’t feel any better about it all this time later. Even worse, is the fact that it feels like such an uncharacteristic move for the character. He grew up, basically an army brat, in a house with a force tree planted by Luke Skywalker, and surrounded by heroes of the Rebellion. He then, what, spends his late teens as a smuggler before joining the Republic Navy and becoming one of its best pilots in time to leave and help start the Resistance?

It’s all just hard to swallow.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I was slowly reading Cole Horton's (uh, I mean "Eloc Throno") Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu over the past couple weeks. The photos of the Disney park (uh, I mean Outer Rim planet locales) were great, and the backstory narration was pretty good, as well.

Apparently, the Target exclusives of Myths and Fables plus Dark Legends have extra stories in them; dang! (do I buy these versions just for the other tales in 'em?)

 

[DarkJedi5]

Apparently, the Target exclusives of Myths and Fables plus Dark Legends have extra stories in them; dang! (do I buy these versions just for the other tales in 'em?)

I'll probably snap them up when I see them at a Target, however, I've heard that there will also be exclusive editions coming to the Disney parks which will have the new stories plus three NEW stories per book each meaning that the completionist is going to likely want to pass on the Target editions for the park versions.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I'll probably snap them up when I see them at a Target, however, I've heard that there will also be exclusive editions coming to the Disney parks which will have the new stories plus three NEW stories per book each meaning that the completionist is going to likely want to pass on the Target editions for the park versions.

"Perhaps you feel you are being treated unfairly?" "This deal is getting worse all the time..."

[edit] I found Matthew Bortolin's The Zen of R2-D2 to be another interesting-but-came-up-a-bit-short SW philosophy book. The author is waiting in line for some SW Celebration panel to open, and two cosplayers as Threepio and Artoo engage him in his musings about Buddhism. It's humorous at times, uses apt analogies and tidbits from the films, and overall is decent.
And this vaults me over the 30,000th page read this year; a record that still will continue for almost 4 more months of 2020!

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark, with 11 tales of characters from specific episodes of the cartoon written by 11 different authors (several have penned SW books before, and Jennifer Heddle edited it all), was hit-or-miss. Some were great (the Obi-Wan and Satine story, plus the Ahsoka one told by a Jedi youngling) but most were okay (I can't think of any bad or boring ones). I read it over a couple weeks, so its pace worked for that (I think it's intended for bedtime reading for kids who know about the basic storylines and characters). Brought back memories of watching the show.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I recently learned that Cavan Scott's YA series had a "prequel" book, Adventures in Wild Space: The Escape, and that is was for an event called World Book Day. It is a British book (with "mum," "colour," and "realise" words), and starts this series. It was okay, just the same as the rest of the 6- now-7-book series of the siblings, their robot and Kowalkian [sp?] monkey lizard aboard their ship, trying to find mum and dad.

 

[The OC47150]

Apparently, the Target exclusives of Myths and Fables plus Dark Legends have extra stories in them; dang! (do I buy these versions just for the other tales in 'em?)

Reading Myths right now. Dark Legends was fun. I could see a Creepshow-type anthology show made fro the stories.

Also read Poe Dameron: Free Fall. I liked it. Nice background story for Poe.

 

[The OC47150]

My '20 Celebration Anaheim reading was going to be the Han Solo Adventures. The last time I read those was in '15, when I traveled to Anaheim the first time. A receipt from the nearby Denny's was my bookmark.

Always start with Stars' End. Finished HS's Revenge this morning.

Boy, I really enjoy revisiting these stories every few years. I'd love to see Disney do something with these.

 

[The OC47150]

The Empire edition of From a Certain Point of View is on my Christmas list.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

The Empire edition of From a Certain Point of View is on my Christmas list.

I am still "on Hoth," as far as chapters go (if you've read the first FACPOV book, you know that the vignettes follow the plot of the film). Some surprises, some similarities, all as good writing so far!

[edit] I will add Spoilers Below, 'cause I can't wait! Not as awesome as the first book, but excellent none the less.

I am RECKLESS like Luke!

So many creatures get their own stories: the wampa, multiple tauntauns (sad: Luke's was pregnant) , the exogorth.
As has been a new trend, there is more "earth slang" and profanity, plus the gender-neutral pronouns.
The Dagobah cave gets a little coverage, Boba Fett sounds more like Cad Bane to me, a stormtrooper witnesses the Vader/Luke duel, and Lando's warning on Cloud City was repeated in several stories.

 

[The OC47150]

Funny story. I normally pick up the new SW books a week or so after they're released. When they show up at WM or Target, to be exact. I thought I'd picked up Alphabet Squadron: Shadow Fall but it wasn't on my book shelf, and the forums were down for me to double-check.

So I put it on my Christmas list.

Guess what I found sitting in the book case when I was putting up Christmas decorations? Shadow Fall. I think it ot boxed up when we got new carpet back in the summer.

The wife wasn't too happy. That's one present that's going back to Amazon.

 

[The OC47150]

I have less than 10 pages remaining in Shadow Fall. I liked it better than the first Alphabet Squadron book. Felted like the storyline was better planned out. There were one or two parts that could've been omitted, IMO.