Book Wars Pod, Episode 160: Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect 200 Credits

Join us for the second part of our discussion of Sarah Kuhn’s audio drama Doctor Aphra, an adaptation of Kieron Gillen’s first run of the Darth Vader comics. We talk about the nature of Aphra’s relationship with Vader, Aphra’s queer identity, and the story’s cross-media connections.

The cause we’re highlighting for this episode is the #BooksSaveLives campaign at We Need Diverse Books. Books Save Lives employs a three-pronged strategy to directly address book bans and champion diverse titles. We will raise awareness, provide resources, and create positive change, all while supporting the educators, authors, and children most affected by the bans. Donate here.

For a list of black-owned bookstores to order from, now and always, click here.

To download this episode, click here.

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for episode updates! Hosted by Chris SedorKate Sedor, Rana LaPine, and Miranda Eldon. Audio and production by Kristen McDonell. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

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Review: Doctor Aphra by Sarah Kuhn

There’s a line in Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca’s original run on Darth Vader that has stayed with me ever since I read it. It’s Aphra looking up at Vader as she agrees to work with him. “But you’re my next mission, aren’t you?” she says. “And the next. And the next. You’re what I’ve been looking for all my life.” It’s a line that also appears in the audio drama and one that rang through my mind as I heard Darth Freaking Vader say “Doctor Aphra” for the first time because apparently that’s what I’ve been waiting for all my life.

I won’t pretend to approach Doctor Aphra, a Star Wars audiobook original by Sarah Kuhn, from an unbiased point of view. If you’ve ever seen any of my tweets or any of the relevant reviews here at Tosche Station, you’re likely aware of how much I love Aphra. Not only do I adore her as a character but she also means a ton to me as a half-Asian queer woman. She was one of the first times I can recall feeling truly represented within the Star Wars universe. So while I was predisposed to appreciate this story because I love the main character, my expectations were also absurdly high. Sarah Kuhn not only met those expectations but soared over them with an audio drama that’s fun and engaging and does everyone’s favorite rogue archaeologist justice. Continue reading

Review: Dooku: Jedi Lost

Something Star Wars, something new! It’s always a good day when we get to experience a new story set in the Star Wars universe and Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott is something likely familiar to fans of a certain science fiction franchise across the pond but brand new to Star Wars. It’s an audio drama with a full cast in addition to all the excellent production value we’ve come to expect from Random House Audio. Jedi Lost takes us through much of the life of Dooku before we ever meet him, pulling back the curtain on one of the most charismatic and enigmatic characters in the galaxy far, far away.

Set at some point during the Clone Wars, Asajj Ventress has been given a mission by her master Count Dooku: find his sister Jenza. To help, he gives her some of the correspondence that had passed between the siblings dating all of the way back to Dooku’s time as an initiate at the Jedi Temple. Ventress being Ventress though, she pokes around and finds out more than the Sith Lord probably would have preferred and gains a deeper understanding of Dooku than perhaps anyone left living. Continue reading