The MedStar duology written by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry is one of my favorite Star Wars Prequel Era tales.  It's like M*A*S*H meets Star Wars!  ^_^

© 2004 Del Rey

Title: Star Wars: MedStar I: Battle Surgeons [Star Wars: MedStar Duology #1] 
Authors: Michael Reeves & Steve Perry
Published: 2004 by Del Rey

About the Book:

As civil war between the Republic and the Separatists rages across the galaxy, nowhere is the fighting more fierce than on the swamp world of Drongar, where a beleaguered mobile hospital unit wages a never-ending war of its own…

A surgeon who covers his despair with wisecracks; another who faces death and misery head-on, venting his emotions through beautiful music … A nurse with her heart in her work and her eye on a doctor … A Jedi Padawan on a healing mission without her Master … These are the core members of a tiny med unit serving the jungle world of Drongar, where battle is waged over the control of a priceless native plant, and an endless line of medlifters brings in the wounded and dying—mostly clone troopers, but also soldiers of all species.

While the healers work desperately to save lives, others plot secretly to profit from the war—either by dealing on the black market or by manipulating the events of the war itself. In the end, though, all will face individual tests, and only those of compassionate hearts and staunch spirits can hope to survive to fight another day.

The Artist Librarian's Reflection Review: 
I'm more of an "Original Trilogy and after" fan.  The things I liked most about the Prequel Trilogy and Clone Wars were the costumes, battle choreography, and special effects.  However, there were a few Star Wars characters I loved from this era and one of them was Bariss Offee (as depicted in novels like this, not the CGI Clone Wars series).  Despite this book now being branded as part of the "Star Wars Legends" continuity and no longer part of the official timeline since Disney acquired the franchise, I still look back on Battle Surgeons fondly.

If Michael A. Stackpole & Aaron Allston's X-Wing series is Top Gun meets Star Wars, Michael Reaves & Steve Perry's MedStar Duology is surely M*A*S*H meets Star Wars.  Like the X-Wing series that mostly followed original characters not seen in the films, Battle Surgeons follows the day to day life of these doctors, nurses, and staff that operate on the front lines of the Clone Wars.  I was surprised how quickly I grew attached to these characters.  There's scenes reminiscent of a medical drama, there's espionage, mystery, action, romance, humor --all with a Star Wars flair.  I won't spoil the ending except to say, I hope you have the second book, Jedi Healer, close at hand after you finish --believe me, you'll be glad you did!  This duology is easily one of my favorite Prequel era tales.

About the Authors:

Michael Reaves is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and screenwriter who has written, story edited, or produced nearly four hundred teleplays for various series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Twilight Zone, Sliders, and Monsters. He has published many books, including the New York Times bestseller Star Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. He's also written short fiction, comic books, and the dialogue for a Megadeth video. He lives in California.

Steve Perry has sold dozens of stories to magazines and anthologies and has also written a considerable number of novels, animated teleplays, nonfiction articles, reviews, and essays, along with a couple of unproduced movie scripts. He wrote for the television show Batman: The Animated Series and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing, and his novel Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire spent ten weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He also wrote the bestselling novelization of the blockbuster movie Men in Black, and all of his collaborative novels for Tom Clancy s Net Force series have made the New York Times bestseller list. He is a recipient of the Willamette Writers Lifetime Achievement Award.

Have you read any Star Wars novels?  Were they "Legends" (published before April 2014) or part of the current timeline?

With the 87th Academy Award winners  announced yesterday, I thought I'd go over the animated feature films nominated for the Oscars and other awards over the last quarter.  I meant to get this out before the Oscars were revealed, but long story short, I accidentally erased my blog post (note to self, always write up in a word processor first)! *facepalm*  So without further adieu ...

Oscars - Best Animated Feature Film:
Big Hero 6 - Walt Disney Animation Studio
--So, I admit, the Berkian (How to Train Your Dragon fan) in me was disappointed that Big Hero 6 took home the Oscar, but I am eager to get my hands on "BH6" (especially now that it won the Academy Award).  After checking out this interview with Disney Animation Studios Chief Technology Officer, Andy Hendrickson talking about new graphics technology developed for BH6, I'm curious to see how "this film is more complex than our [Disney's] last three films combined."
 

The Boxtrolls - Focus Features/Laika
--I just saw The Boxtrolls (the first stop-motioned animated film I've seen in recent memory) last week and I ended up enjoying it much more than I thought I would!  I was particularly intrigued by their combination of traditional techniques and new technology (e.g. lasercutting, using 3D printing to create the puppets, using CGI animation with stop-motion, etc.) Note: the DVD version contains roughly 45 minutes of behind the scenes extras and featurettes --much better than other bigger studios have provided on their DVDs *cough*Disney'sFrozen*cough*DreamWork'sTheCroods*cough* Check out one of the featurettes on the costume design below:


How to Train Your Dragon 2 - DreamWorks Animation SKG
--For me, HTTYD2 definitely lived up to the hype: --dramatic, emotional, more mature storyline, raised stakes, a shocking twist, amazing animation (I think the snow and ice environments rivaled or were better than Frozen's), beautiful lighting, wonderful voice acting ...
Of course it wasn't perfect: there were a couple plot threads that I feel could have gotten expanded upon if they had more time.  They tried to do a lot (maybe too much?) and perhaps that's where Big Hero 6 topped them ... As with Disney Animation and BH6, DreamWorks Animation also developed new animation technology and HTTYD2 was their first film to be completely created with it. Called Apollo, it received the juried Ub Iwerks Award from the International Animated Film Society this January "for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art or industry of animation."


Song of the Sea - GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
--An Irish animated film by Tomm Moore, co-founder of Cartoon Saloon.  His previous work, The Secret of the Kells, also was nominated for best animated feature.  I never really paid attention to international animation until now, so this was new to me.  It looks very beautiful, almost like the illustrations from a picture book.  I'm glad that there are still animation companies creating feature films that have that traditional, 2D style ... Check out the trailer below:
 

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - GKIDS/Studio Ghibli
Kaguya-hime no Monogatari or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a Japanese animated film by Isao Takahata.  He is known as the co-founder of Studio Ghibli (with the famed Hayao Miyazaki). Based on the 10th century Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, I was stuck by the lovely pen and ink strokes that evoke Asian brush paintings.  Truly looks like a work of art and I can't wait to see it.  See the official English dubbed trailer below:


72nd Golden Globes - Best Animated Feature Film
--Along with Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 (which won the award), the Golden Globes also nominated these two animated films:

The Book of Life - Reel FX Animation Studios/Twentieth Century Fox
--Produced by Guillermo del Toro (best known to me for the slightly dark, fairy tale inspired film Pan's Labyrinth).  Like The Boxtrolls, the quirky, stylized art makes it stand out from the other animated films this year.  It's very unique and distinctive, though it seems to be aiming at the kids audience by being comedic.  Another film I've yet to check out.


The Lego Movie - Warner Bros. Pictures--So I was a bit surprised at people saying The LEGO Movie was snubbed by not being nominated for the Oscars.  I had previously dismissed this film as one aimed at kids by using juvenile humor and ... well, it's LEGO.  Obviously this was just a hour and a half long commercial for their toys, right?  (Just kidding.)  However, I've found that quite a few adults and film critics enjoyed this film.  Also, the animation is supposed to be pretty good as well, so ... I'll be giving it a shot when I have the time.


Do you have any favorite animated films from 2014?  Have you watched any of the animated films mentioned here?  Any of the movies here catch your eye?  Why?

[Edited for formatting, Golden Globes info]

According to goodreads, I read 60 books in 2014, surpassing my goal of 50 books! (Not counting comics and graphic novels I need to add.)

For my first Top Tuesday of 2015, I thought I'd do a little recap of some of my favorite reads I encountered in 2014.  Several of my friends have already done so, such as Fernweh's Call. I'd love to know some of your best reads you encountered last year, so be sure to post them in the comments below!

Best "New-to-Me" series of 2014:
It's a tie between The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

(c.) MarissaMeyer.com

The Lunar Chronicles: As I previously blogged about, fairy tale adaptations with a sci-fi twist.  So far Meyer has done Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel.  The Evil Queen and Snow White are coming up: the former in Fairest, arriving later this month on the 27th, and the latter in Winter, coming in late 2015.

The Hunger Games: It's a combination of the books and the movies that made me a fan of the series.  But I have to give credit to Aubrey Hansen for getting me to read the books in the first place through her January Dystopian Reading Challenge on Goodreads!  I haven't been able to bring myself to write a complete review yet, but I wrote a brief reflection of my thoughts in my "Ten Books That Have Stayed with You" post.




Best Out-of-Print Finds:
The Art of Anastasia - Ever since I watched Anastasia, the 1997 animated film, for the first time last year, I've loved this "not Disney!" princess movie. In my local public library system, there was only one copy of this book available to view only in-library, so though I was able to skim through the book once, I was thrilled to find a copy of this out-of-print hardcover at my local thrift store (and yes, I did squeal when I saw it and celebrated with a passerby shopper as well). =)




Mulan: Special Collector's Edition - Found for $7 USD from my favorite used books store!  Since I haven't gotten my own copy of "The Art of Mulan" yet, this is a nice placeholder for my collection.  I've yet to read it through completely, but it appears to be sort of a cross between Disney storybook and a mini "Art of" book, with behind the scenes vignettes on the creation of the film and concept art.





Best "Wittiest-Banter-Ever" In a Novel:

The bell sounded again.

I coughed. "Aren't you going to get that?"

Mr. Trimble started. "Get what?"

"The door. It's something I used to do that I'm not to do anymore."

"Surely getting the door won't interfere with your finding a husband."

"It might. I've never sought a husband before, so I'm sure I don't know."

Like a Flower in Bloom - Siri Mitchell

OMGoodness, I was too late to request a physical review copy from Bethany House Publishers, so I dusted off the metaphorical cobwebs off of my NetGalley account to snag an ebook advanced reader's copy and boy, I am so glad I did!  I had a feeling it would be great from the synopsis alone (see below), but the dialogue throughout the novel between the protagonist and her "rival" made me smile so much. (I decided to save my favorite "back-and-forth" for my review.  Definitely one to I have on my list to buy --my review will be coming soon!

"He Stole the Work She Loved.
Will She Let Him Steal Her Heart as Well?

It's all her uncle's fault. For years Charlotte Withersby has been free to pursue her love of plants and flowers by assisting her botanist father. But now that she's reached the old age of twenty-two, an intrusive uncle has convinced her father that Charlotte's future--the only proper future for a woman--is to be a wife and mother, not a scholar.

Her father is so dependent on her assistance that Charlotte believes he'll soon change his mind...and then Edward Trimble shows up. A long-time botany correspondent in the South Pacific, Trimble arrives ready to step in as assistant so that Charlotte can step out into proper society--a world that baffles her with its unwritten rules, inexplicable expectations, and confounding fashion.

Things aren't perfectly smooth between Trimble and her father, so Charlotte hatches a last gasp plan. She'll pretend such an interest in marriage that the thought of losing her will make her father welcome her back. Only things go quickly awry, and she realizes that the one man who recognizes her intelligence is also the person she's most angry with: Edward Trimble, her supposed rival. Suddenly juggling more suitors than she knows what to do with, Charlotte is caught in a trap of her own making. Will she have no choice but to leave her beloved flowers behind?"

Best Manga:
A Bride's Story, written and illustrated by Kaoru Mori

One of the titles on the reading list of my "Special Topics in Librarianship" class this past semester, A Bride's Story (or Otoyomegatari as it's known in Japan) is a gorgeously illustrated manga (Japanese comic book/graphic novel) set in Central Asia in the late 1800s.  Mori's intricate penwork brings the world of new bride Amir to life with lush, historical details.  There are currently 6 volumes in the series, all which have been translated into English.  If you love historical fiction like I do, you might be interested in checking this one out!

*Content warning: Some language [e.g. bas--rd] and artistically nude/topless images, but most of the situations come across as more innocent rather than hyper-sexualized*

Best Non-Fiction Read:
A tie between The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air edited by Daniell Cornell
and The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2 by Linda Sunshine.

Ruth Asawa became one of my favorite artists my last year in art school.  Besides her incredible life story, her wire sculptures used a novel technique not seen in American fine art during the mid 20th century and she followed her dream of being an artist while raising five children!  I'm hoping to see some of her work in real life this year, but this book does have wonderful photographs of her art taken during a retrospective at the Fine Arts Museum of San Fransisco and a collection of essays written about her life and work. 

Meanwhile, I'm sure you can guess How to Train Your Dragon 2 was my favorite movie I saw in 2014!  *Sheepish smile* I usually read my "Art of [insert film title here]" books through my local public library system ... However, for HTTYD2, I decided to just purchase it since the libraries haven't gotten it yet. (Off topic: I'm currently seriously considering buying The Art of Frozen soon for the same reason.)  Of course, the Berkian (HTTYD fan) in me wishes there was more, but it was a nice mix of behind the scenes snippets of info from artists that worked on the film, concept art, character designs, background scenes, etc.

What were your favorite reads of 2014?

First Throwback Thursday of October!  Elements from this reflection review were first posted on goodreads in Dec. 2010 & Jan. 2014.

(c.) Bantam Spectra

Title: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire
Author: Timothy Zahn
Published: 2011 by Del Ray; original 1991 by Bantam Spectra

Reflections and Thoughts: 20th Anniversary Edition - I absolutely love it when authors and publishers decide to re-release books with annotations or other extras.  For me, this commemorative edition was a wonderful addition to my Star Wars collection, perhaps because I previously had a used paperback copy, so I didn't mind "upgrading" to a better copy.  I found the annotations a neat "behind the scenes" look into the writing and publishing of the novel and wish that they annotated the rest of the trilogy ... I believe they didn't continue because of poor sales, which is understandable but still a shame.

I actually read this book last out of the Thrawn Trilogy and I remember thinking "I like the order I read it in better." I guess after reading books 2 and 3, I was expecting more from the beginning (e.g. I didn't expect Luke and Mara to meet up like that), but I still enjoy the trilogy as a whole and it does have the distinction of being the books that jump-started Star Wars expanded universe publishing and gave us the introduction of one of the most beloved Expanded Universe Characters, the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade.

(c.) Del Ray

About the Book (from the 20th Anniversary Edition):

"Here is a special 20th anniversary edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel that reignited the entire Star Wars publishing phenomenon—featuring an Introduction and annotations from award-winning author Timothy Zahn, exclusive commentary from Lucasfilm and Del Rey Books, and a brand-new novella starring the ever-popular Grand Admiral Thrawn. The biggest event in the history of Star Wars books, Heir to the Empire follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia after they led the Rebel Alliance to victory in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

Five years after the Death Star was destroyed and Darth Vader and the Emperor were defeated, the galaxy is struggling to heal the wounds of war, Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting twins, and Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of new Jedi Knights.

But thousands of light-years away, the last of the Emperor’s warlords—the brilliant and deadly Grand Admiral Thrawn—has taken command of the shattered Imperial fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the New Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to create.

The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale—in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars."

*Disclaimer: I am a member of the Del Rey's SWAT Team (Star Wars Action Team) through Fancorps.  I may earn points through their rewards program for completing missions such as posting book reviews or promoting new books but they are required to be my own opinion (whether positive or negative).  I am disclosing this connection according to FTC guidelines.*

There's a status post going around Facebook recently that goes something like this: 

"List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way.  Don't take more than a few minutes and do not think too hard.  They do not have to be the 'right' books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way.  Tag 10 friends and me so I can see your list." 

Books (c.) by their respective authors and publishers

So, besides the obvious (i.e. the Bible), here is my list (in order of when I thought of them, not importance).  I decided to do a blog post because I wanted to ... kind of annotate my choices.  Have you done this challenge?  Post your list below in the comments! 

1.  The Chronicles of Narnia - or anything by C.S. Lewis:  My first foray into Christian Fantasy and though I haven't gotten to much of Lewis' other works, what I have read is so ... thought provoking.  IMHO, the best Narnia book is The Horse and His Boy (because Shasta and Aravis are my favorites)!

2.  The Hunger Games trilogy - Suzanne Collins:  I'm not a huge fan, but it makes the list because of that ending!  The bittersweetness, the small bit of hope despite everything that happened --that barely made the tragedies worth it.  The ending was "realistic" and giving the characters some magical happy amnesia or "fix" would be a slap in the face to everything that had happened.  The realness of the consequences and the effect the Games had on the characters ... I don't always see that in the books I read.

3.  The DragonKeeper Chronicles - Donita K. Paul:  If C.S. Lewis made me a fan of Christian fantasy; she made me realize there were authors writing it today.  I totally related to Kale, the main character (I still do, actually) and the books made me love dragons.  LOL, they also may have given me my first fictional crush, a certain squire who will remain unnamed.  =P

4.  Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility - or anything by Jane Austen:  I admit, it's a combination both Jane Austen's wit and the recent films/BBC miniseries that made me love these books.  When I first began reading them as a teen, the books were hard for me to follow at times, so I started watching the BBC adaptations as I read and it really helped me to keep track of the different characters.  I don't know what it is about this time period that I love: the clothes, the manners, maybe just because it's British?  But it quickly became one of my favorite eras to read about.

5.  The Blood of Kings trilogy - Jill Williamson:  This Christian Fantasy series showed me that the genre was growing.  Christian Fantasy isn't just for kids and teens.  Aimed at older teens and adults, this more mature series is not without faults, however, I never wanted them to end.  It also showed me not to write off "smaller presses" such as Marcher Lord Press just because they weren't well known names such as Bethany, Zondervan, or Thomas Nelson.

6.  The Sushi Series - or anything by Camy Tang:  Contemporary Christian fiction, normally featuring Asian American characters.  I never really cared about the ethnic heritage of fictional characters (the writing and story is more important, right?) but I have to admit, there's a part of me that really loves seeing Asian Americans in Christian fiction.  Even though the novels are set on the Mainland and not Hawaii, there were a lot of Asian cultural things I could relate to.   She's definitely one of my favorite authors.

7.  Redwall - or anything by Brian Jacques:  Where to start with this author?  He was one of my favorites as a teen.  He helped me solidify my love of medieval-styled fantasy worlds and was a brilliant writer.  The riddles, songs, stories, quests ... and the descriptive details in his prose ... Plus, he wasn't afraid to show real consequences of battles and war (yes, some characters do die).  It's not just a story about mice, hares, moles, or badgers!  It's classic good vs. evil, with "old school" values of honor, bravery, duty, friendship, and love.  I dearly hope you rest in peace, Mr. Jacques.  Definitely one of the series I can't wait for any future children of mine to be old enough to read.  Oh, and if you aren't a huge reader, try borrowing the audiobooks from the library: read/acted/sang by a full cast and narrated by the late Mr. Jacques, it's like a radio theater production!

8.  A Wrinkle in Time; A Wind in the Door; A Swiftly Tilting Planet - Madeleine L'Engle:  I first read these three in middle school (thanks, Auntie Jayne).  It came at just the right time in my life: when I felt ugly, awkward, and stupid like the protagonist Meg Murry did.  I could totally relate to Meg: the eldest daughter, the precociously brilliant baby brother, that weird phase of life where you feel so ... wrong (sometimes I think I'm still in it, LOL).  In the end, through her love for her family, Meg learned to be a hero herself and seeing her grow up gave me hope that those awkward days would pass ... though I'm still trying to find my own "Calvin O'Keefe."  (Just kidding).  =P

9.  Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights or any Star Wars EU books: The Expanded Universe books have now been rebranded Star Wars: Legends since the Disney acquisition.  However, they're what really made me a fan of Star Wars, especially the post-Return of the Jedi novels.  I picked the "YJK" books to feature here, not because they're amazing writing (they're average for a kids' series), but because of the characters: how they stuck with me and how they became some of my favorite characters in the franchise as a whole ...

10.  Julie Lessman:  I might get called out for this, but anything by Julie Lessman.  She's definitely on the "spicy" side of sweet for Christian historical (I'll say it, romance!) authors and the CBA market in general, but compared to some other Christian authors of that genre, the spiritual aspect is strong (but not over the top "preachy").  For me, her books brought to life the passionate love God has for us, and they made me realize it's something I never want to compromise on.  Just make sure you read her books in order if you can!  There's always something that will keep you guessing 'til the end ...

Honorable mention (because the Little Women girls' retreat was on my mind): Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott:  She's known for the Little Women series, but this book was my favorite of hers.  Similar to L'Engle's books, I think I was at the right age to appreciate this:  Rose Campbell was trying to find who she was as a person and where she fit in the world.  Even though it was written nearly 100 years ago, she faced a lot of things girls everywhere do when growing up.  I could relate with "the good girl" in many aspects ... and there was just a touch of romance that I was beginning to discover I really liked to read about...

So what's on your list?  Feel free to share it below in the comments.  Remember, it should only take several minutes to come up with the list: pick the first books that come to mind.  (Then if you're like me, you take hours annotating it.)  =P 

(Edited for formatting)

Some of my friends did the challenge on their blog as well --check them out!

holtfan @ Fernweh's Call

LoveLeigh @ Secretly Love Leigh

(c.) 2000 by Del Rey

I'm going to call these "reflection reviews" ... not formal book reviews per se, because of the time between since I last read them, but more like the thoughts and impressions I remember. This entry was originally written December 2013. Book first read in October 2005, and re-read 5+ times since. 

Title: Balance Point (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order #6)

Author: Kathy Tyers

Publisher: 2000 by Del Rey 

Thoughts and Reflections:
This was my first "New Jedi Order" [NJO] book . . . I loved that the Solo kids were fairly prominent in it, but it was a switch from the Young Jedi Knights [YJK] and the other "Bantam Publishing era" Star Wars books. =) First impressions of the Yuuzhan Vong were that they kind of reminded me of the Wraith from Stargate: Atlantis [SGA] tv show which I was watching at the time. However, it'd be more accurate to say that the Wraith remind me of Yuuzhan Vong since the NJO series began in 2000, several years before SGA. Though while they were both into organic "living technology" and were both quite violent, I was still a bit stunned by the pure brutality of the Yuuzhan Vong. As it has been mentioned before, the NJO series marked a new point in the Star Wars EU. The Yuuzhan Vong were the enemy no one (readers or characters) had faced or seen before in that galaxy far, far away and on that account they succeed mightily. 
In the "Bantam era," the Solo children were delegated to minor roles (minus the children's books which featured them) so seeing them here with more developed personalities and storylines was exciting. I understand why Jacen's personality switch from the YJK series is off putting to some readers ... for now, I kind of buy the in-world explanation. Jaina seems to have the most consistent personality from YJK and I can see how she could have a strained relationship with her mother (though the YJK series never indicated that). I especially liked Anakin and Mara's sidestory. Considering that the prequel movies were being made during this time, it's interesting to see how Anakin Solo was dealing with similar pressures and the expectations of a prodigy that his namesake did. 

The Artist Librarian notes:  Interestingly, I've found out that Kathy Tyers work, Firebird, originally published in the 1980s, was rewritten by Tyers in the late 1990s as Christian Sci-Fi.  She's published sequels since then and it's currently  known as the Firebird Trilogy.  I may have to get my hands those ... I can't say I've ever read Christian Sci-Fi other than C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy.
For those who might want to know, I'd recommend NJO for older teens to adults (just based on the "darker" tone of the series).  However, my youngest brother read the majority of the series when he was thirteen or so ... As always parents/guardians, you know your children best.

Book Summary (via goodreads):  

"Poisoned by centuries of technological excess, the planet Duro is an unlivable hell, long abandoned by its own inhabitants, who dwell above their polluted world in orbital habitats. But there is no place else to channel the flood of refugees fleeing the murderous Yuuzhan Vong. So a deal is struck: In exchange for a new home, the refugees will work to restore the planet to health, under the watchful eye of Leia Organa Solo. 

As tempers begin to flare between the Duros and the New Republic, and between groups of refugees, Han Solo, his son, Jacen, and the Ryn called Droma arrive to keep the peace. They are unaware that Leia is on Duro . . . and that Luke, Mara, and Anakin are on their way, searching for a missing Jedi apprentice. And none realize that the Yuuzhan Vong have chosen this embattled planet as the next target in their brutal coreward thrust. 

The unrest only strengthens Jacen Solo's growing belief that a true Jedi should not fight, but should lead others to peace through a deeper understanding of the Force. Now, as the fragile stability on Duro threatens to collapse into violence, Jacen Solo must face his greatest dilemma: At what point does the use of power become aggression? Whatever he decides, his next step could tip the galaxy's destiny toward the light or toward darkness with the life of someone he loves hanging in the balance."

*Disclaimer: I am a member of the Del Rey's SWAT Team (Star Wars Action Team) through Fancorps.  I may earn points through their rewards program for completing missions such as posting book reviews or promoting new books but they are required to be my own opinion (whether positive or negative).  I am disclosing this connection according to FTC guidelines.*

[Updated labels Jan. 4, 2015]

Question: Fairy Tales + Sci-Fi = ?

Answer: A series you don't want to miss!

     I first came across Marissa Meyer’s books when researching sci-fi Little Red Riding Hood adaptations (it's a long story).  One of the only stories that came up in my online searches was book two, Scarlet.  When my professor said the novel was too long for the purposes of our English Literature class assignment, I put it aside and promised myself I would read it this summer.  When I finally borrowed the first two books in the series, I quickly devoured them, staying up late into the night to finish them.

(c.) Macmillan Publishers

 Book 1: Cinder

(c.) Macmillan Publishers