The Novel at a Glance: The Cold War escalates when Western forces discover that the Reds may be using time travel to access alien technology from artifacts located in the indeterminate past. Ross Murdock is a criminal with a special skill set, captured and volunteered for a trip back in time in the hopes of finding the location of the Red base and with it the source of this alien technology.

Pros: Minimal dated elements; heroic protagonist shows moments of frailty; descriptive passages place the reader very firmly in this primitive age.

Cons: Ending sequence drags in places; the occasional ‘convenient’ escape from trouble.

My Experience: This is time travel in its purest adventure form with the focus on the destination, not the technology used to get the character there and back again. Despite his criminal background Ross Murdock is a likeable protagonist that I enjoyed journeying with through the early nomad tribal period of history. The novel delivered descriptions of the primitive society that made me feel like I was there. While I feel that my first Norton experience, Star Born, was a better book, The Time Traders delivers a fun, nostalgic, accessible adventure.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Continue reading The Time Traders ~Andre Norton →

The Novel at a Glance: The celebration was short-lived. Han Solo had played a key role in the destruction of the Death Star and was rewarded handsomely, only to have that reward unceremoniously stolen before he could settle his debt to Jabba the Hutt. Fond of being alive, Han has to track down a paying job quick and when that job arrives in the form of a request to reacquire a stolen fortune in credits, Fate seems to be smiling down on him and his Wookie companion, Chewbacca. But this job is beyond Han’s skill set and will require the assemblage of a team of specialized individuals to get the job done. In a word: scoundrels. Fate is a fickle mistress and you can be assured that when Han Solo is involved, nothing will go according to plan.

Pluses: Story takes place during original trilogy timeline; respectful to film canon; engaging non-film characters; strikes a good balance between action and dialogue scenes; great integration into film story lines; a grin-inducing reference to the Han/Greedo controversy.

Minuses: Knowledge of the original film trilogy decreases tension in regards to main cast of characters; several Deus Ex…Luck moments; high suspension of disbelief required; brief story element that caters to gender stereotypes; large cast means less “screen time” with Han and Chewie.

My Experience: A return to the Star Wars universe of my youth–that contained within the framework of the original film trilogy–was a refreshing way to begin the new year. For over two decades Timothy Zahn has been fleshing out the history of George Lucas’ creations while adding new characters to the universe that have become iconic to Star Wars fandom. Zahn returns here with an Ocean’s Eleven style caper filled with a varied cast of characters lead by one of the most loveable rogues in the galaxy. Fun is an overused adjective yet it applies here.

My rating: 7.5/10

Continue reading Star Wars: Scoundrels ~Timothy Zahn →