Outbound Flight

Book: Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn

Description: It began as the ultimate voyage of discovery--only to become the stuff of lost Republic legend... and a dark chapter in Jedi history. Now, at last, acclaimed author Timothy Zahn returns to tell the whole extraordinary story of the remarkable--and doomed--Outbound Flight Project.

The Clone Wars have yet to erupt when Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth petitions the Senate for support of a singularly ambitious undertaking. Six Jedi Masters, twelve Jedi Knights, and fifty thousand men, women, and children will embark--aboard a gargantuan vessel, equipped for years of travel--on a mission to contact intelligent life and colonize undiscovered worlds beyond the known galaxy. The government bureaucracy threatens to scuttle the expedition before it can even start--until Master C'baoth foils a murderous conspiracy plot, winning him the political capital he needs to set in motion the dream of Outbound Flight.
Or so it would seem. For unknown to the famed Jedi Master, the successful launch of the mission is secretly being orchestrated by an unlikely ally: the evil Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, who has his own reasons for wanting Outbound Flight to move forward... and, ultimately, to fail.
Yet Darth Sidious is not the mission's most dangerous challenge. Once under way, the starship crosses paths at the edge of Unknown Space with the forces of the alien Chiss Ascendency and the brilliant mastermind best known as "Thrawn." Even Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, aboard Outbound Flight with his young Padawan student, Anakin Skywalker, cannot help avert disaster. Thus what begins as a peaceful Jedi mission is violently transformed into an all-out war for survival against staggering odds--and the most diabolical of adversaries.
Timothy Zahn's unique mix of espionage, political gamesmanship, and deadly interstellar combat breathes electrifying life into a Star Wars legend. (book jacket)

My Thoughts: Well... I wouldn't go so far as "breathes electrifying life."

I enjoyed reading about certain characters' stories. Thrawn is always SO much fun to read about. I love watching him figure things out and make brilliant tactical decisions (and yes, I very much enjoy the confusion of everyone around him as well!). He was much more of a free agent here than he was later. Watching Palpatine's/Sidious' machinations was also great fun. I especially enjoyed the fact that one character was working for both Palpatine and Sidious... ah, the irony!

And the ending was a perfect, perfect Star Wars ending. It epitomized why I love Star Wars so much!! *very minor spoiler* It involved amazing self-sacrifice and beating ridiculous odds. What's not to love? *end of spoiler*

Unfortunately I had to read the rest of the book to get to the ending. A huge part of my problem with this book (actually all Star Wars novels set just before and during the Clone Wars) is that I know what's going to happen--maybe not at the end of the book (although this time I did--come on, the book flap tells you that Outbound Flight is doomed!), but certainly in a few years. Somehow, the Emperor will make whatever happens work to his advantage, even when the Jedi feel all accomplished because they've saved something or someone. It's very frustrating!!

But I was curious what happened to Outbound Flight, so I decided to check this out when I saw it at the library. (Maybe from now on I should just read the Wookieepedia page?).

My main problem with Outbound Flight was the characters. ALL of them were stupid and/or annoying!! There was one character that I liked (C'baoth's student, Lorana Jinzler), probably because she actually experienced character development, but everyone else was just frustratingly unintelligent. Obi-Wan was still an awful teacher at this point, and not a very good Jedi; Jorus C'baoth was just incredibly arrogant; the smugglers Qennto, Ferasi, and Car'das seem oddly content to be captured by Thrawn for months on end. I think I would have thrown my copy of this book multiple times if it hadn't been a library book--and I have to be very frustrated to want to throw a book!! Most characters fell flat, which made it very very hard to become invested in the story.

So I clearly didn't enjoy Outbound Flight all that much. It was meant as a light read, and that's what it was (and not a very well-done one, at that). Fans of Zahn's earlier Thrawn trilogy will probably enjoy it; many of the same players are brought in and explored further, but I didn't much enjoy that trilogy and enjoyed Outbound Flight even less.

The Host

Book: The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Description: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human. (from Amazon.com)
My Thoughts: I know, I know... Stephanie Meyer? I'm not a huge fan, but the premise of The Host is intriguing, and I wanted a mindless book to read after finishing up with school.

Perhaps because I approached the novel with such low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the characters were interesting, and the world Meyer created was fascinating. Wanderer knows a great deal about other alien species and the habits of her own species, and her descriptions of them were  very interesting and unique. Although Meyer did make many of the aliens a bit too earth-like for my tastes (but then, almost everyone does), they were also not at all human. Each species had a very different way of seeing and interacting with the world around them, and I enjoyed these descriptions.

I didn't know what to think of the invading alien species, the 'souls'. They were perfect in almost any way--they abhor violence, hunger, environmental degradation, lies, and so on. They have a society where no one goes hungry because everything is made available to anyone who wants it, and everyone cares enough to take up useful work. At the same time, however, this is a species that exists by stealing the bodies of others and destroying the true soul inside it, something they do simply for the experiences of the host. Every society has its problems and sins, even if no one at the time sees them as such. I was glad Meyer dealt with the paradox.

Wanderer was a really great character to read about. She was hard to care about at first, what with the fact that she's a body-stealing alien and the fact that she just really comes across as a wimp at the beginning due to her ridiculous fear of even the slightest hint of violence; however, both of these aspects of her were dealt with well, and in a way that makes her much more interesting and understandable. She was also highly principled, and truly lived by those principles. Perhaps my greatest disappointment with The Host was that she was *spoiler alert* cheated out of dying for her principles. Wanderer wanted to die rather than continue to live by stealing the body of a sentient being, but others kept her alive against her will. And then, completely out of character, she decided she was all right with that because at least she could be with her boy. Point: Perhaps this book would have been better if I'd skipped the last twenty or thirty pages. *end spoilers* Uncle Jeb and Ian are both awesome as well.

I will admit, the writing in The Host wasn't great. It got in the way of the story for a bit, but after a few hundred pages I was so absorbed by the story that I stopped noticing it.

I'm glad to be able to report that the words "love triangle" should never actually be applied to this book. There are actually four persons/entities involved, and there was really no doubt, ever, as to who would end up with whom. There was the slightest possibility of a love triangle developing for perhaps three pages; thankfully, it didn't.

I was actually pretty impressed with the relationships in The Host. The love of family and friends was portrayed as just as important, and just as strong, as the love in a romantic relationship. All the relationships developed in a reasonable manner, rather than just magically springing into being, fully formed, because the plot required it.

Overall surprisingly good, although not great. A good read for those times when you don't want to think too much, although with some problems, so proceed carefully.

Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Book: Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover

Description: The turning point for the entire Star Wars saga is at hand. . . .

As combat escalates across the galaxy, the stage is set for an explosive endgame: Obi-Wan undertakes a perilous mission to destroy the dreaded Separatist military leader, General Grievous. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine continues to strip away constitutional liberties in the name of security while influencing public opinion to turn against the Jedi. And a conflicted Anakin fears that his secret love, Senator Padmé Amidala, will die. Tormented by unspeakable visions, Anakin edges closer to the brink of a galaxy-shaping decision. It remains only for Darth Sidious to strike the final staggering blow against the Republic–and to ordain a fearsome new Sith Lord: Darth Vader.

Based on the screenplay of the final film in George Lucas’s epic saga, bestselling Star Wars author Matthew Stover’s novel crackles with action, captures the iconic characters in all their complexity, and brings a space opera masterpiece full circle in stunning style. (from Amazon.com)

My Thoughts: I will not lie, Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith is one of my favorite novels of all time.

I'm sure you're skeptical. It is, after all, a Star Wars novel, and the novelization of a movie to boot. However, Stover is a truly masterful writer, and his novelization is a significant improvement to the movie by the same title.

Revenge of the Sith is probably one of the best-written novels I have ever read. Stover uses words and sentence and paragraph structure incredibly well to convey ideas and feelings. Reading this book, I always know that Stover crafted his use of words very carefully.

This book is essentially a tragedy: it is, after all, *spoiler* the story of the downfall of the Jedi Order and the Republic, as well as the story of Anakin's final steps into the Dark Side. It is not all darkness, however; it is also the story of brave Jedi knights, striving to do what is right in a world that seems full of wrong, and of how the Empire is ultimately defeated. *end spoiler* I think that this aspect of the Star Wars universe--the good vs. evil aspect, the fact that people fight against evil despite impossible odds and still win--is why I love Star Wars so much.

Each section begins with creepy but thought-provoking statements about darkness and light (not entirely Biblical). Stover clearly makes this story about both the individuals and the broader struggle of evil vs. good, making the book feel truly epic. He tries to help us understand each major character, and I found it well-done; it even made me almost like, or at least understand, Anakin, who is probably one of my least favorite characters of all time (precisely because he normally comes across as so flat, irritating, and whiny).

Revenge of the Sith is also a huge improvement over the movie of the same title (in fact, every time I read this book I have a strong desire afterwards to watch the movie. Every time that I do, I am very disappointed). Part of this is simply because Stover had more room to work with, since he was writing a novel, and it is easier to explain and create sympathy with characters when you can portray their thoughts and feelings through words rather than through conversations and close-ups. Stover also, however, added scenes (approved by George Lucas) that helped make many characters' actions much more understandable as well as that created both a mood and an environment that the action was taking place in. Anakin's turn to the dark side becomes more understandable, for instance, even as it also becomes clear that his reasons were all wrong. He spent some well-used words creating the mood of the Republic at the time: exhausted by the war, struggling to deal with the horrors, unsure of what it meant for them or how they should live their lives. It strengthened the story quite a bit. Finally, Stover expanded on the character of Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, making him a thoroughly creepy and in-control villain. He shows how Palpatine has been planning for this moment for years and years, and he comes across as incredibly painstaking, intelligent, manipulative, and all-across evil.

If anyone is wondering or concerned, the Force isn't a huge aspect of this book. There are some descriptions of how individual Jedis interact differently with the Force (which are fascinating for any Star Wars people), but the Force is otherwise little mentioned, and does not come across as something anti-Christian. The focus of the book is the characters and their struggle against evil. BUT this is the only Stover book set in the Star Wars universe that I can whole-heartedly recommend, from a Christian viewpoint.

Highly recommended!

Dark Apprentice and Champions of the Force

There will be two book reviews today, finishing up Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi Academy Trilogy.

Book: Dark Apprentice by Kevin J. Anderson

Book II of the Jedi Academy Trilogy

Description: As the New Republic takes devastating losses in  the ongoingwar with the scattered remnants of the  Empire, the galaxy's future depends on three small  children -- among them the Jedi twins -- born to  incredible powers and perils, as an extraordinary new saga unfolds...

While the New  Republic struggles to decide what to do with the deadly  Sun Crusher -- a new doomsday weapon stolen from  the Empire by Han Solo -- the renegade Imperial  Admiral Daala uses her fleet of Star Destroyers to  conduct guerrilla warfare on peaceful planets.  And now she threatens the watery homeworld of  Admiral Ackbar. But as the battle for a planet rages,  an even greater danger emerges at Luke  Skywalker's Jedi academy. A brilliant student delves  dangerously into the dark side of the Force and  unleashes the spirit of an ancient master of the evil  order that warped Darth Vader himself. Working  together, they may become an enemy greater than the  New Republic has ever fought... more powerful than  even a Jedi Master can face. (from Amazon.com)

This book was much better than the first book in the series, Jedi Search. The plot was much more together and felt much more focused. There is a strong theme of good vs. evil, with the Jedi as good and the Sith as evil. There is no ultimate reasoning, however, for why Jedi are good and Sith are evil. Jedi philosophy leads to inner peace and a "better" galaxy? One of the weaknesses of more secular books featuring good and evil.

Book: Champions of the Force by Kevin J. Anderson
Book III of the Jedi Academy Trilogy

Description: Suspended helplessly between life and death, Luke Skywalker lies in state at the Jedi academy. But on the spirit plane, Luke fights desperately for survival, reaching out physically to the Jedi twins. At the same time, Leia is on a life-and-death mission of her own, a race against Imperial agents hoping to destroy a third Jedi child -- Leia and Han's baby Anakin -- hidden on the planet Anoth. Meanwhile, Luke's former protÚgÚ Kyp Durron has pirated the deadly Sun Crusher on an apocalyptic mission of mass destruction, convinced he is fighting for a just cause. Hunting down the rogue warrior, Han must persuade Kyp to renounce his dark crusade and regain his lost honor. To do it, Kyp must take the Sun Crusher on a suicide mission against the awesome Death Star prototype -- a battle Han knows they may be unable to win... even with Luke Skywalker at their side! (From Amazon.com)

This was by far the best book of the trilogy. The plot was again much better than that of Jedi Search, and the ending was very good.  




The strongest aspect of this book, and the trilogy in general (although I noticed it most in this book), was all the minor characters that were portrayed. They were described in such a way that I grew attached to many of them, especially Qwi Xux, Winter, Terafen, and Cilghal. There was a downside to this--especially at the Jedi Academy, there were so many people being described that I found it hard to become attached to any single character. 

My favorite single scene was when a bunch of scientists were put in charge of a smaller, less functional Death-Star-like ship and then forced to go into battle. Anderson has obviously known some scientists in his time--the portrayal was spot-on and hilarious.

This book has a strong element of repentance throughout, a theme that I enjoyed. Some characters' turn-arounds felt a bit forced, however.

Star Wars!!

I think first I'll start off with an explanation. I think there are plenty of Christians out there who would hesitate to read any Star Wars novels because of the clear element of mysticism in the books, and that is definitely a valid concern. However, I think there are some equally good reasons to read them, as well. I find them acceptable for several reasons:

1) Most Star Wars books include characters that have a strong sense of right and wrong. In my reading of non-Christian fiction, I've found that this can be difficult to find. Characters will do things knowing full well that even though it's the right thing to do, they will probably get in serious trouble and/or die because of it. And then they do it anyway. This is a valuable thing to read about, even if the motivation isn't a desire to please God.
2) Star Wars books often grapple with questions that any Christian or human being needs to think about, including friendship and love, power, evil and good, and humanity (in a broad sense--there's a lot of aliens).
3) Most Star Wars books do not include description of violence, blood, intimate moments, or anything else that a reader could object to. As someone who does object to most of those things, I really appreciate it. There is also no swearing (although they do use swear phrases of the Star Wars universe).

Qualifier: The Star Wars universe, and the books, comic books, movies, and video games that describe it, have been written and created by a wide variety of people. Almost all of the books I've read were completely unobjectionable (with the exception of Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover. However, this book was based on Heart of Darkness, so it wasn't particularly surprising). However, I have almost only read books set after the fall of the Empire but before Han and Leia's children begin to train to become Jedi, and these were some of the earliest books written about the Star Wars universe. Later books may have changed. I also have no experience with any of the video games, which are probably less unobjectionable.

And now, without further ado... a book review!

Book: Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson
Book 1 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy

Description: While Luke Skywalker takes the first step toward setting up an academy to train a new order of Jedi Knights, Han Solo and Chewbacca are taken prisoner on the planet Kessel and forced to work in the fathomless depths of a spice mine. After Solo and Chewbacca escape, they flee desperately to a secret Imperial research laboratory surrounded by a cluster of black holes-and go from one danger to a far greater one. (from wikipedia.com)

OK, this probably wasn't the best book to choose for my first Star Wars book review. I wasn't particularly impressed. I must say, the plot felt to me like a string of basically unconnected events. Most of the events were pretty improbable and slightly silly, even taking place in the Star Wars universe, and felt as if Anderson thought something like, "I've always wanted Luke Skywalker to use the Force to walk across a pit of boiling lava while almost being eaten by a cool worm-dragon that lives in lava. How can I make that happen?" 

OK, the lava-living worm-dragon (officially known as a Fireworm) was pretty cool: 

Photo source

But still. 

I would recommend this book only to get to the next book in the series, because the series does get a lot better.

A Brave New World

Book: A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Published: 1931

Description: Aldous Huxley's tour de force, Brave New World is a darkly satiric vision of a "utopian" future—where humans are genetically bred and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively serve a ruling order. A powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations, it remains remarkably relevant to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying entertainment. (from Amazon.com)

Well, my overall impression of this book was that Huxley very much succeeded in creating a thoroughly creepy vision of the future (NOT "satisfying entertainment"). He created a world where everyone is so completely shaped by society that no one thinks for themselves. 

Huxley did a fantastic job building his future world. When I read this book, I felt like I was there, and none of the characters ever acted out of place in their society. I think he was also spot-on in depicting human weakness: if anything would convince us fallen humans that everything is absolutely all right, it would be constant pleasure.

That said, I didn't actually enjoy this book that much. Yes, it was very thought-provoking, and there were some interesting thoughts and discussions about the nature of religion. However, be warned that there is a fair amount of sexual activity (it was the time of Freud, after all--Huxley's society practically revolves around sex, along with consumerism). This was ultimately a book that revealed a possible future and current problems in society without proposing any sort of solution: ultimately, a very despairing book that I wouldn't recommend.

I, Robot

Book: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Description: The three laws of Robotics:

1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2) A robot must obey orders givein to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

With this, Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.

Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact & science fiction that became Asmiov's trademark. (from Amazon.com)

This was a really though-provoking book. Asimov trying, really, to create ideal men with his robots, something made rather clear as Dr. Calvin listed the three things humans should do--and they were in the opposite order as the 3 Laws of Robotics, ie what should be important to humans was actually important to robots. I must say that I rather objected to the fact that humans were capable of creating such perfect beings--as fallen creatures, I doubt that we have it in us. Also, of course, creating is God's job, not ours. But... although the robots felt very human, does having a bit of a personality make them human? It makes them appear human, but...

The overall feel of these stories was rather creepy, which was odd, because not sure it was meant to be creepy, and none of the other robots were. There was very much a sense of controlled danger with robots, considering that they had the power to get rid of humans. At the same time, there was also very much a sense of 'progress is always good.' The Fundamentalists, who who were against technology in general (including robots), were seen as essentially ostriches who were ignoring reality. So there was a really interesting interplay between those two  ideas.

Donovan and Powell were by far the most entertaining characters--their stories reminded me of something out of Star Wars, complete with the kindly scoundrels and the throwing around of technical terms and the large amount of dangerous situations. Most of the other characters were good--Dr. Calvin was awesome. Loved her! My big problem with the characters was that they were all too good--I know optimism was running high in the 50s, but I really can't see humans all binding together on a planetwide basis. It's just not in our fallen nature (and would we really want to? Asimov's imagination of a peaceful world was also an almost entirely homogenous world, and God loves our uniqueness, too). And almost everyone was ultimately good, a bit creepily so. Even the obnoxious company executives or whatever just seemed slightly misguided but ultimately well-meaning.

There was also some subtle hostility to religion: Like the robot who believed that a bigger robot was a god who had created him--he just looked silly. But actually a rather good metaphor for human existence in a way--we don't understand everything because of our limited human perspective, and therefore often can't see God and His hand and His truth, even when it's really obvious from a different perspective. 

This was a gripping, thought-provoking read that I enjoyed and would highly recommend.