Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising
For those of you who don’t know Thrawn is arguably one of the most cunning and interesting villains in all of Star Wars. He makes his on-screen debut in the Star Wars Rebels show and is one of the best parts about it. Thrawn also appears in the book Heir to the Empire which I haven’t read yet but I’ve heard good things. However, when I learned that he also had a solo book series I just had to read it. Initially, I was totally into It. My now three favorite parts of Star Wars lore include Mandalore, Darth Revan, and The Chiss (Thrawn’s species) so I was very excited to learn tons more about them. I would say the book dragged on a little bit in the middle with the political intrigue but I think this is mainly because I wasn’t expecting it not because it wasn’t good. Going into the second book I’m more familiar with the writing and content so I’m sure it will be stupid good. The most interesting thing to point out about the book is the fact that although the book is titled Thrawn none of it is actually from his point of view. All 383 pages are from the POVs of his comrades, enemies, and those surrounding him. While I wasn’t sure how I felt about it going in, it turned out awesome. Thrawn is seen throughout the book as this arrogant yet highly intelligent person and a lack of his POV creates a cold distance from the character that exasperates these qualities. I’m very excited to read the next two books and see how his character develops into the person we see in Rebels.
Murtagh
Murtagh is yet another lovely edition to the World of Eragon series by Christopher Paolini. The Eragon series has always been a favorite of mine in fact I’ve been reading/listening to it since I was in 1st grade so to get another book as an adult was very exciting. This time the story follows Murtagh a misunderstood hero and sometimes anti-hero from the original series. As I was reading I came to understand that this book was meant to set up events in future projects that Paolini has discussed online which can sometimes come across during the more slow portions of the book. However, I felt the book was on par with its predecessors. I was happy with the consistency of the characters and the new perspective I never thought I would get on Murtagh. I would say 3/4 of the book was really good and 1/4 was slow but still decent. I’m excited for Paolini’s next series and to see where he takes it.
The Fork, The Witch and The Worm
The Fork, The With and The Worm is yet another quality Christopher Paolini book however I felt that it lacked a certain spark to really drive this piece home. The overarching story of Eragon slowly rebuilding the riders is incredibly interesting and adds a lot of value to both the characters involved and the world. On top of that both The Fork and The Worm tales are very enjoyable. However, the three stories don’t add much as stand alone tales. In addition I felt the audiobook version was lack luster when compared with the inheritance cycle. Overall the book was worth the listen for Eragon and Sapphira’s development but in all else I’m not so sure.
World War Z
A surprising but welcomed addition to the audiobook collection. At first I thought the style in which the book was done was weird and didn’t lend itself to telling a full story, just individual micro stories. But as the book progressed I actually became very invested in the narrator, the characters he interviews and the new world he describes. I found the book interesting and unique in a way I did not expect going in.
Contact Harvest
Another slow beginning featuring Sargent Johnson. It’s hard to connect with this new perspective on the character but the book turns around when you meet Dabdab (R.I.P). The story sheds light on the intricate workings of the Covenant and how several characters rose to power. This was certainly a surprising book that I didn’t expect to get as good as it did.
Dragon Teeth
A slow beginning that ramps up into talking about uncomfortable subject matters regarding Indigenous peoples and concludes with gunfights. All set behind a quest for Fossils. All in all it felt mediocre for a Michael Crichton Book.
