The casting of black actress Noma Dumezweni as Hermione in J.K. Rowling’s new “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” stage play – set a couple decades after the books/movies – has opened up a minefield (or treasure […]
“Star by Star” (2001), the ninth book in the “New Jedi Order” series and the first “Star Wars” novel by Troy Denning, is a rough one. I had put off my “NJO” re-read for a long […]
After his first book, “Edge of Victory I: Conquest,” spent most of its time on Yavin 4 – one of the “home worlds” of “Star Wars” – Greg Keyes’ sequel, “Edge of Victory II: Rebirth” (2001), flies […]
The stories of Jaina, Jacen, Lowbacca and other “next generation” characters’ youthful days were explored in the “Young Jedi Knights” series, written for young adults. But that series doesn’t account for all the next-gen characters. […]
In Kathy Tyers’ “Balance Point” (2000), the “New Jedi Order” saga continues to do a remarkable job of previewing George Lucas’ prequel themes and plot points a few years before they emerged on screen. I noted in […]
The loss of 37 years’ worth of “Star Wars” Expanded Universe continuity gets talked about a lot as the saddest element of Disney’s takeover for us old-school fans of the galaxy far, far away. But […]
“Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial” was James Luceno’s salute to Brian Daley, packed with old-school Han Solo adventuring. “Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse” (2000) – the fifth book in the “New Jedi Order” series – […]
James Luceno seemed like a “Star Wars” author before he actually was a “Star Wars” author, due to his friendship with Brian Daley (with whom he wrote the “Robotech” series). But even with that goodwill […]
On page 217 of “Dark Tide II: Ruin” (2000), Chiss Empire pilot Jag Fel outlines for Rogue Squadron pilot Jaina Solo the differences between them: It’s not that she’s not strong or skilled or smart, it’s that […]
Before its cancellation in 2014, the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe (now called Legends) was a treasure trove of interconnected stories, creative retcons, and – admittedly – a fair number of unanswered questions and plot holes […]