The Glorious Cause: A Novel of the American Revolution
by Jeff Shaara, Jeffrey Shaara

Search for ISBN: HCL RCL MPL SPPL MnLINK

Search for title: HCL RCL MPL SPPL MnLINK

This concludes Shaara's two volumes on the American Revolution. A nice retelling of the history - I listened to the abridged audio (from Audible), but I expect I'll eventually read the full volumes - there is something inspiring about this era in history - gives us hope for our own era. I've been through McCullough's 1776 more than once, and these are a good companion.

Star Wars Legacy of the Force Tempest
by Troy Denning

Search for ISBN: HCL RCL MPL SPPL MnLINK

Search for title: HCL RCL MPL SPPL MnLINK

Forty years after the Battle of Yavin, a dangerous new era in the Star Wars® epic begins--the revelations are shocking, the stakes desperate, the enemy everywhere.

As civil war threatens the unity of the Galactic Alliance, Han and Leia Solo have enraged their families and the Jedi by joining the Corellian insurgents. But the Solos draw the line when they discover the rebels' plot to make the Hapan Consortium an ally--which rests upon Hapan nobles murdering their pro-Alliance queen and her daughter.

Yet the Solos' selfless determination to save the queen cannot dispel the inescapable consequences of their actions that will pit mother against son and brother against sister in the battles ahead. For as Jacen Solo's dark powers grow stronger under the Dark Jedi Lumiya, and his influence over Ben Skywalker becomes more insidious, Luke's concern for his nephew forces him into a life-and-death struggle against his fiercest foe, and Han and Leia Solo find themselves at the mercy of their deadliest enemy . . . their son.

Star Wars apparently doesn't do "light and happy." At least this Legacy of the Force - or "how Jacen Solo becomes a Sith" - certainly is dark. Full of war, betrayal, double crosses and more, there aren't too many happy moments - but it's a good read, if you can follow all that is going on (And that HAS gone on before). Thank the maker for the CUSWE.org site - I'd have no chance of tracking the convoluted dealings in the EU if I didn't have it.

Now I have to wait.... till February 27th to see the next installment, and find how Han and Leia deal with exile......

Star Trek Crucible: Spock: The Fire and the Rose
by David R. George

Search for ISBN: HCL RCL MPL SPPL MnLINK

Search for title: HCL RCL MPL SPPL MnLINK

This series is a nice run through Trek history, using the big three (Kirk, Spock and McCoy) as the focus of each book. (The Kirk book comes out next month). George does a good job, and this book fits well in with the first. He mixes lots of details - happily including things from the animated series as well as the movies and original series.

I don't like the fact he contradicts a number of the earlier books (Sarek, for one and the death of Amanda). I'm not overly troubled - the books are never absolute canon.