Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs

 Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs-304 pages

Cal Kestis and the rest of the crew of the Stinger Mantis are rebelling against the Empire and trying to take down the Haxion Brood. They meet Fret, an Imperial Technician/Engineer who supposedly wants to leave Imperial service, on a mission against the Haxion Brood. Fret says she has a prospective mission for them and they agree to go to Hosnian Prime and meet her contact, Qeris. He wants them to get the plans for the Shroud, which is a kind of cloaking device. They agree to take on the mission but things quickly unravel when they arrive to collect the Shroud. Cal and his Jedi mentor, Cere, end up fighting against the Fifth Brother, an Inquisitor. This was a decent read. I liked it, but not nearly as much as playing the video game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. This is set between that video game and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor which is being released next Friday. 

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, 416 p.

"On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before." --Goodreads blurb

I've read and enjoyed Zevin before, so I thought I'd give this new release a try. It was a beautifully written story of friendship, maturing, and the complexities of love, both romantic and platonic. I needed this good book after being disappointed in my last several books. 

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 3 by Tomo Hirokawa and Reki Kawahara

 Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 3 by Tomo Hirokawa and Reki Kawahara-160 pages

The adventures continue for Kirito, Asuna, and friends in Ainground. They continue to attempt to figure out just who Premiere really is and why she's a special NPC. They run into Kizmel the dark elf from Aincrad and they start a quest where they must defeat a demon lord. During this, Kizmel informs Kirito and friends that Premiere is a Priestess of the Sacred Stones and only she can help them defeat the demon lord. With Premiere's help they do indeed defeat the demon lord. Later, Lisbeth (one of their friends) buys and opens a Guild HQ. They also give Premiere a permanent place to stay since she doesn't have one like most NPCs do. This volume ends on something of a cliffhanger. There are three more volumes and I am eager to read them. 

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 2 by Reki Kawahara and Tomo Hirokawa

 Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 2 by Reki Kawahara and Tomo Hirokawa-160 pages

This is the second volume (of 5 so far) in this manga series. I am really starting to enjoy reading this. I mildly enjoyed the first volume, but there is more action in this one. I'm getting the hang of reading Japanese manga again, also. In this volume, Kirito, Asuna, and friends start to explore the Ground Quest that began at the end of the first volume. They want to see just where the quest leads and how Premiere fits into all of this. I plan to read the other 3 volumes of this series and to read plenty more manga (and graphic novels) for this month's challenge. 

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Volume 1 by Reki Kawahara and Tomo Hirokawa

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Volume 1 by Reki Kawahara and Tomo Hirokawa-160 pages

This is the first volume of a Manga series about teenagers in a virtual reality video game (vrmmo). It is based on video games by Bandai Namco. Kirito-Kun, Asuna, and their friends are playing the game together. The world of this game seems similar because it is. This is a Beta test of a new game called Ainground. The previous game was called Aincrad. Soon after starting the game Kirito, Asuna, and friends encounter an npc (non-player character) who they name Premiere-Chan. They go on a short quest and receive one col from Premiere for completing the quest. Premiere seems smarter than any npc from Aincrad and Kirito takes a liking to her and decides to try and protect her. Also, if a player attacks an npc or other players then he/she gets a blue or red (I think) cursor above his/her head. At the end of this volume, Premiere, Asuna, and Kirito go into a cave and inadvertently start a quest where they have to defeat a very difficult monster/enemy. 

Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb

Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb - 356 pages

Eve Dallas is up against one of her most confusing cases ever.  A video game developer was killed in a locked room with his head decapitated.  No one else was in the room.  How was he killed?  Did the killer somehow sneak in?  How did he get burns on his body?  Eve must work quickly to determine the killer before he strikes again.

This was a very interesting locked room mystery.  It was a little frustrating to watch the characters continually search for a way for the killer to enter the room when the readers were able to "see" the murder in the very first chapter knowing he was in the room alone.  Still, the eventual discovery of the method of killing was fascinating.  This was a great addition to the series.

Armada by Ernest Cline

Armada by Ernest Cline-349 pages

I enjoyed reading this, though not as much as Ready Player One, although it may be unfair to compare it to Ready Player One since it is really good. As with Ready Player One, I really enjoyed Cline's mentions of and allusions to other sci-fi films, video games, and novels. I also liked his inclusions of many popular/famous scientists and celebrities. Armada is filled with the same witty, readable prose as Ready Player One, but I connected with the plot of Ready Player One more. While I think it would be kind of cool to be thrust into a real-life scenario of one of my favorite video games, it could also be kind of creepy and terrible. Armada is based on a cool, yet freaky premise but I just can't help but compare it to Ready Player One (fair or not) and it falls short.

Star Wars: Revan, by Drew Karpyshyn

Star Wars: Revan, by Drew Karpyshyn, 368 pg.

The Star Wars universe is huge, like really huge.  With way to many books in the extended universe, I keep my self fairly limited when it comes to reading into it.  My personal preference is the Old Republic time frame, mostly because anything written will have less chance of messing up the continuity of the movies.  Star Wars: Revan continues where the Knights of the Old Republic video games left off.  The games are older, and very much worth playing if you're into that kinda thing.  I would recommend playing them before reading the book, mostly because they are worthwhile and the book would definitely ruin many a crucial plot point from the game.  So play the game first, then read this blog...

If you are still reading, then I can only assume you have increased interest towards the story.  Like I said before, the book fills in many gaps from the games that were left unanswered due to developers never releasing a third game.  The book was a quick read, and very much entertaining.  If I had any complaints about it, it would be the defined continuity from the games, as the games had multiple endings and several different ways to play your character, while the book defines one outcome for Revan and the Exile, but I can understand why they did it this way.