Star Wars, Vol. 8: Mutiny at Mon Cala by Kieron Gillen

Star Wars, Vol. 8: Mutiny at Mon Cala by Kieron Gillen-144 pages

I really enjoyed reading this comic/graphic novel. Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewie, R2-D2, and C-3PO set out on a mission to rescue the King of Mon Cala from an Imperial high security prison. The goal is to get him to authorize the Mon Cala fleet to aid the Rebellion since the regent (who is in the King's place) won't. They will have to kidnap the Moff of the Mon Cala region and replace him with a being who can replicate him. First, they have to rescue said being from a prison. Will Leia and the gang succeed? Will Mon Cala's fleet aid the Rebellion or not?

Resistance Reborn (Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) by Rebecca Roanhorse

Resistance Reborn (Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) by Rebecca Roanhorse-295 pages

I started reading this before seeing The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX) in theaters. Obviously, I didn't finish it before going to the film, but I wanted to finish Resistance Reborn anyway. It gives some much needed story about what happened between The Last Jedi (Episode VIII) and The Rise of Skywalker. I enjoyed the fleshing out of some secondary characters, especially ones that are from video games and tv shows or are related to those characters (Zay Versio is one that comes to mind). I also enjoyed the locations visited, such as Bracca, which are from recent Star Wars video games, movies, and other media. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book (as much or more as the movie...). I would recommend reading this to anyone who is an avid Star Wars fan. On a side note, I simply enjoy anything Star Wars, if you haven't noticed by my blog posts.

Star Wars: Crucible by Troy Denning

Star Wars: Crucible by Troy Denning, 336 p.

This is a a brand new adventure post Fate of the Jedi featuring Han and Leia primarily.  It's not a requirement for readers to have read all of the previous Fate of the Jedi series because the major plot points are mentioned in this book.  However, there are references to the Mortis episodes in the Clone Wars tv series that would be useful to have watched for things to make total sense.

I have very much enjoyed the post Return of the Jedi books that extend out what happens in the Star Wars universe.  Crucible is nice because it focuses on an emotional journey for Han Solo and we get to be privy to more of the thought processes going on in his head in emotional situations instead of him just being portrayed as the wisecracking sidekick.  It's also nice that Denning acknowledges that the characters are aging and not forever young.  I'm not 100% on board with the metaphysical elements of the Force that have been introduced in the past few books but I'm reserving judgement until I see how it all plays out.