It was inevitable that my recent immersion in the Star Wars Extended Universe/Legends media would lead me to Michael Stackpole's "X-Wing" series. Given the interconnected nature of the works, the references to events from it in Timothy Zahn's Hand of Thrawn duology left me wanting to read the characters and events mentioned. And the first book, Rogue Squadron was enjoyable enough as an inaugural volume that introduced some appealing characters while laying the groundwork for future volumes.

By contrast, Wedge's Gamble is something of a ominous letdown. With the New Republic preparing to take the strategically important planet of Coruscant, the pilots of Rogue Squadron are infiltrated onto it as part of an intelligence-gathering mission. This was the first warning sign for me, for while I get the need to keep the story focused on the main characters, the need for pilots to serve as covert operatives seemed more than a stretch. Yet this was a minor complain when set against the plan hatched by Ysanne Isard, the former head of Imperial Intelligence and the main antagonist of the series. Her scheme to spread a virus designed to sicken and kill missions of non-humans was far too mustache-twirling for my taste. For a series known for its complex and nuanced villains, having one engaged in such an overly-complicated effort to commit genocide while sowing political discord over medical supplies is something of a letdown. Though I'm hoping that the later volumes move past this, the fact that the fourth one is entitled The Bacta War suggests that the rest of Stackpole's series are going to be grounded in it, which is why I'm having trouble finding the motivation to pick up the next book in it.

Its free, so if you really love Star Wars you might want to check it out.  The best thing about it, however, is the cover.  It is a standard hero stranded on strange world, kid falls for droid tale that we have seen how many times  before.  The second story is another classic droid story.

Book source ~ Tour. My review is voluntary and honest.

When 13-year-old Tonmerion Hark’s father, Prime Lord Hark, is murdered on their front steps Merion is sent to live with his last living relative, his aunt Lilain. The problem for Merion is that she doesn’t live in London. Or even in the Empire of Britannia. She lives across the Iron Ocean in the wilds of America, the New Kingdom. But not in one of the bustling cities. Oh, no. Poor privileged Merion has to trek all the way out to Wyoming and live in Fell Falls, the latest settlement at the current end of the Serped Railroad Company’s railroad line. But at least he wouldn’t be going alone. Traveling with him is his best friend, Rhin. Except no one knows about Rhin, being that he’s a faerie and all. Let the adventure begin!

Ben Galley has created one hell of a world in Bloodrush! This is fantasy at its finest. The writing flows so easily and the world is so creative! I mean, who would think that Wild West meets Fantasy would be such an interesting combination? I love everything about this tale. Except Merion. Okay, okay, I know he’s a 13-yr-old boy who is used to a life of privilege, but the way he reacts to everything and his attitude in general still gets on my last nerve quite a lot. But really, that’s just me. I can step back and tell you that he acts just right for his setting. But he still pisses me off and I can’t help it. To make any book a delicious meal for this reader, I need to at least like a main character (more than I do Merion - way more). But this is told from several POVs so it’s not like I’m stuck in Merion’s head all the time. There are other great characters to hop around in. And there’s the mystery of Prime Lord Hark’s murder. Not to mention the dangers way out there in Wyoming. And don’t get me started on the Hark family secret. Oh, boy! It’s a damn good one and nothing I’ve read about in any book, which is saying something. There is one hell of a good story here, make no mistake. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good yarn.

*sigh* This book had such potential, but was weak limp noodle of a story. I shouldn't have been so excited to read a historical romance by two contemporary romance authors, but SPACE RACE ROMANCE was just something I couldn't resist. I didn't like the heroine and felt neutral about the hero and their chemistry just wasn't there but hey they had great sex so of course he fell in love. I think the heroine was tired of being a divorcee and having to work to support herself and the kids, so she was willing to marry again so quickly. She was also a judgmental scold with everyone she met, especially other women. The world building could've used more period pieces to make you feel you are in the time period; instead, it felt like a contemporary heroine wearing vintage clothing and having a contemporary romance. It just failed for me and I am bowing out on reading the rest of the series.