The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

 

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig - 400 pages

Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what.

Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something a mysterious staircase to nowhere.

One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears.

Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods. . . .

This was a little of a slow burn in the beginning, but it soon became unputdownable.   A creative idea and a bit creepy.  A great read for fans of horror.

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig

 

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig, 530 pages, ⭐⭐⭐1/2 

Long ago, Nathan lived in a house in the country with his abusive father—and has never told his family what happened there.

Long ago, Maddie was a little girl making dolls in her bedroom when she saw something she shouldn’t have—and is trying to remember that lost trauma by making haunting sculptures.

Long ago, something sinister, something hungry, walked in the tunnels and the mountains and the coal mines of their hometown in rural Pennsylvania.

Now, Nate and Maddie Graves are married, and they have moved back to their hometown with their son, Oliver.

And now what happened long ago is happening again . . . and it is happening to Oliver. He meets a strange boy who becomes his best friend, a boy with secrets of his own and a taste for dark magic.

This dark magic puts them at the heart of a battle of good versus evil and a fight for the soul of the family—and perhaps for all of the world. But the Graves family has a secret weapon in this battle: their love for one another.

I read this for my book club. This book surprised me! There were things I liked, and things I really didn't like. I think the other is very good at writing gross or squeamish scenes, but the dialogue felt very much like "hello fellow kids" and did not jive with me. I went into this expecting more of a paranormal horror novel, but what I got was more on the lines of horror fantasy. I didn't dislike it, but I think I would have enjoyed it more knowing that going in. I gave it a 3 and a half stars because I felt there were some plot points that didn't make sense near the end. 

Aftermath: Empire's End (Star Wars: Aftermath, #3) by Chuck Wendig

Aftermath: Empire's End (Star Wars: Aftermath, #3) by Chuck Wendig-423 pages

I liked this the best of the three. It is as good an ending as one could ask/hope for with what came before in the first two books of the trilogy. Overall, I thought the trilogy was okay and it did shed some light on the end of the Empire and beginning of the New Republic and even a hint of the start of the First Order, but it's not as good as Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (and I am excited for Thrawn, as an aside). I thought that Han, Leia, and many of the other original characters were much more "true to character" in this novel than in the previous one, also. Overall, I enjoyed reading Aftermath: Empire's End, as I do any Star Wars novel I read (at least any I've read thus far). 
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Life Debt (Star Wars: Aftermath #2) by Chuck Wendig

Life Debt (Star Wars: Aftermath #2) by Chuck Wendi-430 pages

I like this better than the first in the trilogy as the prose and plot are better, but still not great. The writing is not as choppy, but is still not top notch, by any means. I do enjoy that Han Solo, Leia, and Chewbacca are included in this story with the liberation of Kashyyk, but these characters are not quite what they are in the movies or in other books written about Star Wars. Overall, I enjoyed reading this second book in the series well enough to want to finish the series. The third book's anticipated release is sometime next year, so I look forward to that.

Aftermath-Star Wars: Aftermath #1 by Chuck Wendig

Aftermath-Star Wars: Aftermath #1 by Chuck Wendig-366 pages

I recently learned about the new Star Wars novels set in the years after Episode VI and before Episode VII and decided I want to read them. This is the first of those new novels and part of a trilogy. The story follows a group of New Republic "rebels," first individually, then working together as a group, albeit reluctantly and sort of accidentally. The "rebels" are on Akiva for various reasons and soon learn that the Empire is holding an important meeting on the planet and, in the end, decide to work together to take down the Imperials holding the meeting. Twists and turns occur throughout the story which makes for an intriguing, interesting read. I have mixed opinions about the Interludes littered throughout the story. On one hand, they show the "aftermath" of the Empire's defeat at Endor, while on the other they are merely a distraction. Overall, it was an easy, fun read, though the writing at times was choppy and improper grammar could be found throughout. Having read this, I am interested in reading the rest of the trilogy (which has yet to be published) and in reading Bloodline, which is another of the new Star Wars novels set between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.