LOTR: Two Towers: Book vs. Movie

Over on Hamlette's blog, The Edge of the Precipice, I wrote a guest post comparing the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers book to the film focusing on The One Ring, Faramir, and the events that take place on the Stairs of Cirith Ungol. To go read and comment on the post, you can click here. Please let me know what you think of it, and please check back tomorrow for my first reaction to a series named Log Horizon.

Also, Hamlette is hosting a giveaway over on her blog, which you can check out by clicking here.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 10 Novels: Part 2

Here is the continuation of my Top 10 Novels of all-time. Please remember that this is a list of my personal favorite novels and that the visual medium of film is more my forte than the written word. For a full explanation of my how I made my choices, you can click here to read the first part of the list, if you have not already.

At Number 7: Watchmen

Blasphemy you say!? How can a comic book make a list of best novels, you say!? Well, if Entertainment Weekly can include it at 13th their list of 50 Best Novels of the last 25 years, then I can surely include it on my favorite novels list, however no other graphic novels will be included. While the Watchmen film was a general disappoint in comparison to the novel, it did serve to spark my interest in the novel. Watchmen is an intelligent and though-provoking deconstruction of the superhero genre that ushered in an era of more mature storytelling in comic books. The story itself is rife with symbolism and metaphors, as well as strongly developed characters with understandable motivations. Too bad the movie could not have the same intriguing characters and thought-provoking themes thanks to Zack Sndyer's lifeless directing, however, he should be credited for bring the novel to life visually, albeit with an excessive amount of sexual content and profanity that is mostly not present in the novel.

At Number 6: Star Wars: Dark Force Rising

The second book in the Thrawn Trilogy, Dark Force Rising was not really The Empire Strikes of the trilogy, however, it was a nice followup that follows everyone's favorite Star Wars heroes. Too bad the trilogy can never be adapted into films, or at least live-action films, but please Disney, do not forget the years of these fantastic Expanded Universe stories in your upcoming films!

At Number 5: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

Considering that Luke, Han, and Leia are basically my three favorite characters ever, it should be no surprise that a continuation of the greatest story ever told is something I would enjoy. The books capture the great feel that made the Original Trilogy classic, while throwing in some political intrigue, espionage, and a deeper exploration of the characters makes for a story that surpasses the prequels for sure (which I like more than most). Also, Heir to the Empire was my first introduction into the Star Wars Expanded Universe books, and it is where I believe everyone should start if you love the Original Trilogy. Of course, the novel introduced the first iconic EU (Expanded Universe) character to make an impact on the Star Wars universe, Grand Admiral Thrawn.  

At Number 4: Star Wars: The Last Command

The Last Command concludes the Thrawn Trilogy perfectly with shocking revelations and a climax that completely satisfies. The interplay between Mara Jade, one of the best EU characters, and Luke Skywalker was a lot of fun, and so was reading more about Han and Leia. Even though some of the plot conflicts with the prequels, which were made several years afterwards, the story is fun with the classic Star Wars feel, and Timothy Zahn really knows how to capture these iconic characters on the page. As a whole, the Thrawn trilogy felt like a blast from the past that reminded me how much I miss these characters, and the unabridged audiobook by Marc Thompson is positively magnificent! 

At Number 3: The Fellowship of the Ring

If it was not obvious enough, the first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring takes one of the top three spots on the list. It is one of the best work of fiction ever written. Tolkien created a mythos that set the standard for all fantasy works to come. The difficult part about writing the Lord of the Rings trilogy is that everything can be said about the trilogy has already been said. 

At Number 2: The Two Towers

As enjoyable as the Fellowship of the Ring was, The Two Towers bested by the slightest of margins. Even though I might rank one Lord of the Rings book above another, they really are one giant story that was originally intended to be one book. You cannot read one without the other.

At Number 1: The Return of the King

How could I choose any other book for the number one spot? It's the Return of the King, the epic conclusion of one of the greatest stories ever told. The Lord of the Rings trilogy are undeniable classics, and there is almost nothing that can be said that has not already been said. Sure, Tolkien can be a little wordy and the books are not light readings, but he crafted a brilliantly realized world that has few rivals in terms of scale and detail. It is essentially perfect. If you have never experienced the Lord of the Rings, go watch the movies and read the books, like right now!

What did you think of my list? Please comment below and check back soon for my review of on Friday for my review of "Spice and Wolf" and a couple of guest posts on Wednesday and Thursday.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 10 Novels: Part 1

You voted for it, so here it is, my Top 10 Favorite Novels.

Before we had movies to tell us epic quests to save the world or whodunit murder mysteries, there were books and novels. While not the earliest form of storytelling, literature, particularly fiction, has captivated the masses for centuries. Novels are not really my area of expertise. Even though my ability to decipher an author's meaning and better analyze literature from a critical perspective has certainly improved since taking English 2 in college, which I received an A in, I am not particularly experienced when it comes to literature. While I am no expert on movies, having seen around 800 movies and having written well over 100 reviews, my knowledge of what defines a "good" movie is most definitely higher than my knowledge of books. Why am I telling you this you may ask? Unlike my list of favorite movies, this list of my favorite novels is heavily based on my personal preference and the fact that I am a fan of certain franchises, however the top three on my list are undeniable classics. Also, unlike movies, reading highly recommended books is not an easy task. Reading a book takes a lot of time that I simply do not have. Ever since I started college, all of my book reading has been relegated to the Bible and the tons of textbooks. If I wanted to read more books, I would have to stop writing this blog and stop reading your blogs, and that is not something I would ever want to do. I know a lot of avid book readers follow my blog and basically all of my friends are aspiring authors (online and real life), so I do not have anything against reading books in the slightest. That being said, I much rather watch 6 movies than read one book because reviewing movies and other visual media is my passion. One last thing to keep in mind while reading my list, I am a massive Star Wars fan, and even though some of the Star Wars books are not necessarily "great" books, they are the ones that I typically enjoy more because they are about some of my favorite characters in all of fiction. I have read a few "classics" but few have interested me to a great degree. If most of your favorite novels are "classics" that is great, but they are not my favorites. Keeping all of that in mind, here is my list.

At Number 10: Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet

"A Study in Scarlet" is currently the only Sherlock Holmes story I have read to completion in recent years. Despite the odd side story with the Latter-day Saints and the lack of clues given to the reader to solve the mystery, "A Study in Scarlet" is a fun origin story of sorts for the iconic detective. Reading how Sherlock and Watson got started is fun, which, as a fan of multiple adaptations, is a lot of fun to read.

Note: I did not read the graphic novel of A Study in Scarlet, but I could not find a good cover picture for the book.

At Number 9: Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan

Being a massive fan of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game, which I still hold as the second greatest story ever told in video games, "The Old Republic: Revan" continues the story of the game and it provides a satisfyingly bittersweet conclusion to the character. The novel is far from a masterpiece, but fans of the video game and Star Wars will sure find something to enjoy. *Massive spoilers for the video game* Since you, the player, are literally Revan in the game, although you do not know it through most of the game, reading about what you basically did was a unique reading experience. That is particularly emphasized by the fact that I unknowingly made choices that fall in line with the cannon version of Revan's story, which made the connection even greater for me. *End Spoilers* 

At Number 8: Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

In Revenge of the Sith, Emperor Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Death Plagueis, a Sith Lord that had supposedly discover how to prevent death itself. The novel essentially tells this story in great detail. Darth Plagueis is an intriguing character with a lot of depth that could be explored in a film, if Disney so chooses. Since many of the events of the book affect the events of the Phantom Menace, reading the novel makes the Phantom Menace a better movie in retrospect since it fills in most of the plot holes from the film. Throughout the book, there are references to The Clone Wars and other Star Wars expanded universe works, which fans of the franchise will surely enjoy. 

Hopefully you have enjoyed the list thus far, even if almost no would rank these books so highly on their lists. Also, since I had such a long opening, I have decided to only three entries of the list on this post and have the rest on the next one so that the word count is even. 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Two Towers: Book Vs Movie Part 2.

 Here is part two of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Book Vs Movie analysis. Although I found many changes from the book to movie in the Fellowship of the Ring unnecessary, many of the changes in the Two Towers I found to almost be better in the movie or just not really negative. This part is mostly about the Battle of Helm's Deep and obviously has complete spoilers for the movie.

Helm's Deep

I found the chapter "Helm's Deep" to be a little difficult to follow, not exactly sure why, however for this post I revisited the chapter to grasp a better understanding of it. There are many changes from the book to movie in this chapter, however most of the changes really did not have a negative effect on the story and some changes actually improved it. Because there were a good deal of changes I have made some sub-categories to talk about.

 

 

Rohirrim Arrive Before Orcs

In the book, Saruman's army are hot-on-the-heels of the Rohirrim heading into Helm's Deep. However, the Rohirrim arrive well before the Orcs, which serves to give a build-up to the big fight. This is another good change because it gives weight to the battle and builds anticipation.

 

 

 

 

Elves at Helm's Deep

Before the battle of Helm's Deep an army of Elven archers from Lothlórien arrives to help the Rohirrim in the movie. Conversely there were no Elves at Helm's Deep, or at least there were no more than three including Legolas but not a small army. I have to admit it was a very cool scene in the movie when the Elves arrived to help Rohirrim and the way they were used in the battle was inventive. However, there might be a slight geographical problem of the Elves actually making the journey to Helms Deep in time. Since I am no expert in Middle Earth geoaphy I am not certin if this is the case.

 

 

 

 

You'll Have to Toss Me



 Although some might dislike this scene because nothing that resembles it in the book, I really do not care. It was awesome scene! "You'll have to toss me", "I cannot jump the distance you'll have to toss me." It was a brilliant use of comic relief, probably the best change made by Peter Jackson.

 

  

 

Erkenbrand Not Eomer Arrives

In a way this also relates to the previous chapter "The King of the Golden Hall" in that Eomer was arrested not banished. Since Eomer is more of an important character than Erkenbrand, and he had basically nothing to do at the Battle of Helm's Deep in the book, it does make sense why he replaced Erkenbrand so that the audience would know who the person with Gandalf was other than some random Rohirrim soldier.

Orc Shot First

One of the Rohirrim shot first at the battle in the movie, while the Orcs shot fight first in the book. Surprised there have not been "Orc Shot First" shirts like the "Han Shot First" ones. (this was just a joke).

 

  

 

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Two Towers: Book Vs Movie Part 1.

Now I have finally written the first part of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Book Vs Movie. Sorry everyone for the delay it took longer than expected to get enough inspiration and ideas to actually write it. This is only part one of the long analysis comparing the book of The Two Towers to the film adaption. Because I watched the movie almost ten years before reading the book, I am a more neutral to any changes than completely roasting Peter Jackson for changing the book. Also I view many of the changes as a film maker, thus some changes are made to work better in the visual mediun of film, opposed to a book.

These are only a few of the changes from the book to movie. There will be another part most likely posted in the near future. For the changes to Faramir, Treebeard, and Shelob's Lair, which I consider the most significant, I am trying a more formal essay format and it is taking far longer than I originally expected. Also be sure to check back here Monday for my review of Back to the Future!

King of the Golden Hall

In the movie Theoden's mind and apparently body is basically possessed by Saruman. Gandalf essentially exorcised Theodan from Saruman's hold on Theoden's mind. However, in the book Theoden is I suppose decevied by Wormtongue not possessed by Saruman. I actually like this change because film is a visual medium were things need to be shown not told. It also gives Gandalf a chance to use his new powers in the form of Gandalf the White.

Warg Battle

In the book there is no Warg battle on the journey to Helms Deep and the journey its self feels rather short in the book compared to the movie. On the other hand, the Rohirrim are attacked by a company of Warg riders. After which Aragorn falls off a cliff and has a vision of Arwen. This serves to add an Arwen scene, which was probably the best way it could have added one without feeling out of place. Although I have yet to see anyone else mention this, the Warg battle in the Fellow of the Ring was removed and this could be the reasoning behind adding the battle to the Two Towers. Similar to how "Old Willow Man" was placed in Fangorn Forrest because Tom Bombadil was removed. Plus it was an awesome action and I definitely cannot complain about that.

 



  

Dialogue

As with most adaptations from book to film the dialogue is drastically altered to make it more suitable for film. However, there are a few lines of dialogue that are nearly the same from the book or a different character delivers the line. Although most dialogue works well in the book, it often sounds awkward if actually said and other lines of dialogue used are out dated and the words mean something entirely different today.

 

 



Do you agree or disagree? There is no real "right" answer to any of these questions so please comment below with your thoughts. 

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Book Review: Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

The votes from the Reader's Choice were in and you voted for Darth Plagueis.

Thoughts: I have heard many great things about this Darth Plagueis book, and it did not disappoint. The book is basically a prequel to The Phantom Menace. It explains just about everything leading up to Episode I. Since the book is relatively new, the story tie into some of the story arcs form The Clone Wars. Also it contains many references to other Star Wars continuity, my favorite being, references The Old Republic. For those of you who hate The Phantom Menace and Midichlorians read Darth Plagueis, it explains things much better and makes it an even better movie. The books relies on the reader's knowledge of the Star Was Universe to some degree, therefore for someone new to the Star Wars universe could become lost in some areas of the book but that was not really a problem for me. The book's plot plays out like a history book from Palpatine's and Plagueis' point of view. The audio book I listened to was better than most audio books but it was not as high quality as Heir to the Empire or The Old Republic Revan (more about the audio book below). There were many cameos by different characters from the prequel era, which were great to see. Some of Darth Maul's origin was explained and Count Dooku's path to the Dark Side was explored briefly. Palpatine's character is developed and I have more interest in him now than I did previously. Darth Plagueis is also one of my favorite Expanded Universe characters now and I hope the next season of The Clone Wars will make a few references to Darth Plagueis and this book. It also possibly explains the birth of Anakin Skywalker. The book starts in the year 67 BBY and ends at the end of Episode I in 32 BBY.
Darth Plagueis also explains the Sith's plan and why they started the war.

Author: James Luceno
Genre: Sci-Fi, Star Wars,
Release Date: January 10, 2012
Audiobook Running Time: 14 hrs and 49 mins

Plot: The novel begins just after Darth Sidious kills his Sith Master Darth Plagueis. The Sith Lord experiences a moment where he feels a dramatic shift in the Force, which promises him that its dark side will use him as a tool just as he will use it as a tool for his own purposes. This moment in the Force is what promises Sidious that he will have a great impact on the galaxy in the future.

The book then cuts back 35 years, as Darth Plagueis and his Master Darth Tenebrous arrive on the world of Bal'demnic to examine its cortosis supply, which is being mined unbeknownst to either the Republic or the Jedi Order. Tenebrous plans to take advantage of the cortosis' natural resistance to lightsaber blades for his future attempts to overthrow the Jedi and replace the Republic with an empire ruled by the Sith. During the examination, the mining probe droid begins digging at a pocket of explosive lethane next to a cortosis deposit against orders, leading Tenebrous and Plagueis to rush back to their ship and escape the resulting explosion. The explosion occurs before they make it back to their ship, though Tenebrous was able to use the Force to contain the explosion so it doesn't kill him or his apprentice, while Plagueis makes sure that their ship isn't destroyed by the impact of the blast. In the process, Tenebrous is severely wearied, and Plagueis finds himself with the opportunity to end his Master's life and take on the role of Sith Master. He uses the Force to hurl falling debris on top of his Master and inflict a mortal wound, attempting to make it look natural as he rushes to his master's side. However, he cannot resist revealing to Tenebrous how he died, and what it means for the future of the Sith. The Muun tells his Bith Master that he will put an end to the old order of the Rule of Two before breaking Tenebrous's neck and observing his dying body through the Force in an attempt to manipulate midi-chlorians. However, Tenebrous dies before Plagueis is even able to at least prolong his Master's life for the sake of his experimentation. Read the book to know what happens next.

Plot: 9.5/10- The plot is excellent and it spans several years. Plagueis' and Palpatine's story is very interesting and their relationship is unique compared to other Sith, although the politics might bore some readers. However, I rarely felt the “Edge of my seat” suspense that other books like The Thrawn trilogy had.

Audiobook: 8.9/10- While the audio book is much better than most of the other ones I have listened briefly it was not near as good as The Heir to the Empire or The Old Republic audio books. The narrator did not imitate the original character's voice very well compared to Heir to the Empire but Palpatine was really the only character that was in the movie that had a lot of dialogue in the book. The use of music to highlight important parts was perfect, For example when Darth Maul was first introduced the music was perfect and added bone chilling effect.

Overall: 9.5/10- Although one would have to be a Star Wars fan to truly appreciate Darth Plagueis, it is one of the best Star Wars book I have read thus far. 

Closing comments: Darth Plagueis is highly recommend for any Star Wars fan of the prequel era.

 

Recommended for: Star Wars fans, Prequel haters, Sci-Fi fans,

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Book Review: Star Wars Heir to the Empire Audiobook Review Part 2: The Characters

If you haven't seen part 1 of this review please click on the link below to go to it and please comment.

 Book Review: Star Wars Heir to the Empire Audiobook Review Part 1: The Book Review

And if you yet to vote on if you would want me to make a Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Beginnings Guide please let me know.

This part of the review will be about the characters in the book. Mostly the new characters in created for the book including Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Joruus C'baoth, Talon Karrde, and Captain Gilad Pellaeon.

Mara Jade

Mara Jade is arguably the most well know Star Wars EU (Expanded Universe) character. Although most Star Wars fans already know what will happen to her the next books, I will spoil anything if you have not. Mara is fascinating character and her past is shrouded in mystery. She has a deep hate for Luke Skywalker for ruining her life. While most of her past is revealed in the latter half of the book there is still mystery to the character. I am very interested to how her character will progress in the book.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Grand Admiral Thrawn is another famous Star Wars EU, who is also known by most Star Wars fans even if they have not read the book. Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of my new favorite Star Wars characters. He would easily make a Top 20 Star Wars Characters List. He stood out as the most interesting and complex character in the book. Thrawn is not an "Evil" type of villain, he is a professional soldier and never intentionally harms civilians and he is not arrogant like most Commanders in his position. Thrawn is not the kind of "Bad guy" that is pure evil like The Emperor. But he is not the tragic villain like Vader; he is just doing his job to persevere The Empire. The Grand Admiral is a very unique character and probably become even better as the series of books goes on. I really hope he makes an appearance in The Clone Wars at some point.

Captain Gilad Pellaeon



 Captain Gilad Pellaeon is second in command to Grand Admiral Thrawn on the Imperial Flag Ship Chimaera. Pellaeon is a battle harden soldier and while he does not play a major part in the book he is an interesting character. I hope he grows even more as a character in the next.

Talon Karrde

Talon Karrde basically took over Jabba the Hutt's operation but is much more discrete. He runs the largest smuggling operation at the time of the "Heir to the Empire" and is Mara Jade's boss. It is hard to say more about the character without spoiling the plot of the book.

Joruus C'baoth

Joruus C'baoth is a Warning Minor Spoiler but right after you meet the character in the book this is revealed so it isn't much of a spoiler: He is a clone of a Clone Wars era Jedi Jorus C'baoth, (notice the second "U" is his first name, it is the only difference in their name), And due to the failed Cloning process he has been driven insane and turned to the dark side. He is another great introduced in is probably my third favorite new character from "Heir to the Empire (Favorite being Thrawn 1st and Mara 2nd). It is interesting that Yoda said that Luke was the last of the Jedi but C'baoth was still alive. Maybe it because he is a Dark Jedi and not a true Jedi or that he is a Clone and Yoda believed that the real C'baoth to have died during The Clone Wars.

There are also a few more very minor characters introducted in the book but they are not important enough to note in this review.

Also most of the characters from the Original Star Wars Trilgoy are the main characters in the book but if you have watched the movies you who they are but is the list.

Han Solo

Luke Skywalker

Leia Solo

R2-D2

C-3PO

Chewbacca

Lando Calrissian

All of the characters were very true to the original depiction of them in the movies.

That is it for my review of Heir to the Empire. If you want us to review more books please comment and let us know.

Book Review: Star Wars Heir to the Empire Audiobook Review Part 1: The Book Review

If you haven't seen my Top Top Star Wars Parodies. Please Click Here to check them out. And please vote in the comments and let us know if you want to see a Star Wars Knights if the Old Republic Beginners Guide?


Disclaimer: I have not read a lot of books so my opinion on books may not be as accurate compared to my opinion on movie, which I have seen many movies. And you have to be at least like Star Wars to like the book. If you haven't seen Star Wars stop what you are doing and go watch Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope right now!



Also if like our review please let us know if you want to see more book reviews.



Note: Although I listened to the audiobook I will say that I "read" the book in the review because it just sounds weird saying that I listened to it. And I am going to review with very few spoilers, only the few chapters if that much.



Please tell us if what you think of the review and tell us if you want more book reviews.



We are splitting up the review into two parts.

Part 1: Is this one about the book and a general review.

Part 2: Is about the character especially the new ones like Thrawn and Mara Jade.





Okay now on to the review: First off I just want to say WOW!!! This is first book I actually enjoyed. I have read some books but none of them I enjoyed reading and actually cared about what happened in it. But Heir to the Empire changed that! It was fantastic! I had high hopes going in since this is considered one of, if not the best Star Wars book. The reason I decided to go with the audiobook was that it adds another dimension and I listen to it when I doing things like driving, exercising, ect. I was very surprised by how entertaining listening to it. I listened to the 20th Anniversary Edition by Marc Thompson and I have to say that his impressions of some of the characters were very close to the characters from the movies but more on that later. The story blew me away, one of the best stories of anything Star Wars maybe even better than some of the prequels. If there was an Episode VI (7) this would be it. And the new characters like Thrawn and Mara Jade were fantastic. Now I understand why Thrawn is considered one of the best EU (expanded universe) characters. His brilliant military strategies, which gave him the rank of Grand Admiral, using the knowledge of a culture's art he forms a strategy that almost always succeeds. And Mara Jade is a very interesting character. But knowing her ultimate relationship with Luke kind of spoiled the surprise in the next two books. Although most Star Wars fans know who Mara Jade is I will not give away any spoilers about the character. More about the characters in Part 2.




Author: Timothy Zahn
Genre: Sci-Fi, Star Wars,
Release Date: 1 May 1991
Audiobook Running Time: Around 18 hours




If you want to listen to the audiobook Click Here to check out the playlist but there has only been 6 chapters uploaded out of the 32 in the book.


Here is the first part of audiobook.




Plot: The following plot summery is copied from Wikipedia.com.
Gilad Pellaeon, captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera, receives word that an information raid on the Obroa-skai system was successful. A retaliatory strike by an Obroa-skai task force is easily defeated by Pellaeon's superior, Grand Admiral Thrawn. On Coruscant, Obi-Wan Kenobi approaches Luke Skywalker in his sleep to say farewell, sending Luke into depression. Leia Organa Solo, three months pregnant with twins, senses Luke's depression and sends C-3PO to speak with him. On Tatooine, Han Solo and Chewbacca offer legal work to Dravis and his smuggler allies in an attempt to solve the New Republic's shortage on cargo ships; Borsk Fey'lya, a New Republic council member and native Bothan, dismisses this gesture as futile.
On Myrkr, smuggler Talon Karrde and his subordinate, Mara Jade, help Thrawn and Pellaeon obtain several creatures called ysalamiri. Afterward, the Chimaera travels to the Emperor's storehouse on Wayland. On the planet, Thrawn and Pellaeon encounter Joruus C'Baoth, the guardian of the storehouse. The ysalamiri that Thrawn brought with him prevents C'Baoth from using the Force within a short radius; with little choice, C'Baoth offers his services in exchange for two prospective students: Luke and Leia. Thrawn sends a group of Noghri to capture Luke and Leia on Bimmisaari, but the attempt fails. Read the book to know what happens next.



Plot: 10/10- Overall the plot was excellent! Heir to the Empire had new characters, plot twists, suspense, fantastic dialogue, and everything a Star Wars fan would want. I was so infested in the story and characters I didn't want to be over. It was also unpredictable I had no idea what was going to happen next and way the book ties all of the characters fates together was perfect. It also answered a few questions from the Original Trilogy and added a vast universe to expand upon. Heir to the Empire ended with a cliff hanger and I am very excited to know what is going to happen next! Unfortunately the Unabridged 20th Anniversary is the only one of the new Thrawn Trilogy to get a re-mastered audiobook but they coming in June with the other two books read by Marc Thompson, who read this one. As much as it I want to go ahead listen to the old audiobook with not near as good quality of audio and on sound effect or music I am going to hold off and wait for the new. I know if I go with the older one I will kick myself later for not waiting and listening to the better version. The only thing I can say bad about it was the first conversation between Leia and Winter just didn't seem right but other than that the dialogue was perfect.

Audiobook: 10/10- This part of the review is about the audiobook its self. Although this is the first audiobook I have listened from beginning to end. I have listened to parts of other audiobooks and this is one of the best with sound effects, John Williams music, and reading by Marc Thompson. I read a few reviews saying that it was a very good audiobook so I am not the only one who likes it. The sound effects of the blasters, lightsabers, spaceships and the ambient noise of the surroundings really made a mental picture of what would look like just with sounds. You could hear the hum of Luke's lightsaber as he slices through an enemy dispatches a few others. And the Marc Thompson's impression of Han Solo was very good and it sounded very similar to what he really sound likes. His voice for Luke also sounded good. And surprisingly his voice for Lando sounded similar. The only ones that didn't sound right were the female characters. But isn't a real problem since it is a guy narrating the book so I got use to it after a while. The thing that impressed me the most was Thrawn's voice. If he is in The Clone Wars or any movie it will hard to think of him without Marc Thompson's epic voice. He sounded just like you would expect someone like him to sound. The sound in general sucks you into the world and places in the book, especially if you already some about the planets. And John Williams' beyond amazing score added a lot to the overall audiobook. At time it was bone chilling.


Overall: 10/10- I have to give it a perfect Ten. It is the best book I have ever read and the first book I have enjoyed. If you are a Star Wars fan you have to read this or listen to the audiobook but I highly recommend the audiobook. This should be made into a movie or TV series but that is unlikely to happen but it should.


Closing comments: If you are a die heart Star Wars fan you must read (or listen to) this.


Recommended for: Star Wars fans, Sci-Fi fans,


Check back tomorrow for Part 2.

Click here to check out more of our movie reviews.

Top 5 Favorite Books.

This post is in responds to JT/King Valun at The Window on the West challenge.

This is my Top 5 Favorite Books I have read. I have not read The Lord of the Rings books or The Hobbit but I will after I watch the Hobbit in 2012. I also haven't read any Star Wars books yet because I do not live near a library.

Disclamer: I am a Baseball fan.

At Number 5: Gulliver's Travels

At Number 4: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

At Number 3: Sherlock Holmes (any of them)

I just started reading the Sherlock Holmes stories but so far they are some of my favorites.

At Number 2: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

At Number 1: Baseball Between the Numbers

This my favorite book of all time.