Review: Honor Among Thieves (Spoiler Free)

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Bria

Grab your hat and hold on to your swears because Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion: Honor Among Thieves is out today! Written by the author duo James S. A. Corey, Honor Among Thieves turns the spotlight on Han Solo and Chewbacca as Princess Leia sends them on mission only a pair of scoundrels like them can successfully pull off.

Set before the previous Empire and Rebellion novel, Honor Among Thieves opens with Leia asking Han to go into the middle of Imperial space and retrieve one of their field agents. Scarlet Hark is a professional though so this should be a relatively simple mission. Too bad the bounty on Han’s head is about to catch up with him, adding in a slight complication. Oh. And not to mention that Scarlet doesn’t actually want to be retrieved quite yet. An Imperial astrocartographer is rumored to have made a discovery that could put him towards the top of the Emperor’s list of favorites and Scarlet wants to get her hands on it first with Han’s help. Nothing ever seems to stay simple for long when it comes to missions for the Republic.

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Hondo Caravan: Some Darn Good Television

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Bria

It’s an extra long post today as the Season Five discs are supersized. It’s even an supersized Hondo week as I attempt to watch the entire season before Season Six drops on Friday. Can I do it? Will the Hondo Caravan beat me? Place your bets now!

A War on Two Fronts
This is the episode where we finally get to visit Onderon and I could not be more excited. It’s one of the planets that I really loved visiting in the Knights of the Old Republic games. Getting to see it approximately 3000 years later is really neat especially since we get to see Iziz and the jungles and the giant winged beasts. The animation and the background sounds are amazing because it feels like it’s right out of the game albeit with better graphics.

The Jedi have finally come to Onderon because they see the rebels here as a good potential weapon against the Separatists as they can distract and force them to split their forces. That means Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex are there to teach the rebels better techniques to combat the droids and to make them a more effective fighting group. So yeah. It’s exactly like this:

(Except Anakin keeps his shirt on.)

Of course, their training comes to an end when the droids find their hidden base and attack. Instead of letting the Jedi cover their retreat, they take the lessons learned and fight back and even win! The Jedi should write a handbook: How To Train A Rebel Group In Seven Days.

There is also the obligatory subplot with the romance between Ahsoka and Lux. It’s… sweet in its own way but I’m not going to sit here and ship them. Actually, out of these characters, I’m way more interested in Steela and watching her kick butt with her blaster rifle.

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Go/No-Go: Honor Among Thieves

Posted on March 3, 2014 by admin

Time for another installment of Go/No-Go, our spoiler-free, mission control-style look at whether or not you should put your hard-earned money down for a newly released book, film, comic or what have you. On the launchpad today is Empire and Rebellion: Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Corey.

Bria’s take: SWEARHAT is an excellent successor to Razor’s Edge in that it keeps incredibly true to spirit of the Rebellion, the Original Trilogy, and (most importantly) the characters. And just like Razor’s Edge before it, Honor Among Thieves is fun. Like most of the books set between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, the need for a new Rebel base feeds into the plot. This book manages to take that plot line and weave it in and out of the book’s main plot, keeping readers guessing as to where it’s actually going to go. Not only did James S. A. Corey get Han and Leia dead on but they also created a new character, Scarlet Hark, who is an absolutely joy to read. I would love to see her incorporated into more Rebellion and early New Republic era stories. In short, this fast paced and well characterized story is a good addition to the Expanded Universe. SWEARHAT gets a definite Go from me.

Brian’s take: SWEARHAT (Best acronym or BEST acronym?) is an extremely fast-paced and enjoyable adventure and a solid follow-up to Razor’s Edge. For one reason or another, Han Solo has been a character that has been hard to get right on page, but James S.A. Corey has gotten it pitch perfect. You can’t help but read the lines in Han’s voice because every mannerism and spoken line is just so Han. Of course, you’ve always gotten my attention when a well-rounded and compelling female character is introduced, and Scarlet Hark fits the bill. Overall this book is a zippy and enjoyable read and is well worth the pickup. All I can say is that when the Expanded Universe gets sorted out, I hope Del Rey brings James S.A. Corey back, because the duo clearly gets the franchise and it would be wonderful to see more from them. This is a Go from me as well.

Verdict: SWEARHAT is a go, so pick it up when it hits bookshelves tomorrow. Also stay tuned for a more full-length and spoiler-filled review.

Hondo Caravan: Assassinations and Resurrections

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Bria

It’s a bit of a mixed bag of plot lines as Season 4 wraps up. Obi-Wan’s undercover work from the last disc continues, Asajj Ventress returns, and… well… so does someone else. I bet you can guess who.

The Box
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
(I have no idea. I just wanted to ask that.)

Okay Kenobi: I’m seeing a small flaw in your plan of going to Serenno. Just a tiny one. It involves you being face to face with Count Dooku. You don’t think that he might, oh you know, recognize your Force presence?

“Wrong to deceive you, it was.” “A powerful Jedi you are yet unpredictable and dangerous you can be to both your friends and enemies.” Your turn, Yoda. CLEARLY you recognize that Anakin is not the most stable of Jedi AND YET YOU WENT THROUGH WITH THIS PLAN ANYWAYS?

I’m getting the feeling that Cad Bane was strongly influenced by Captain Barbossa given his obsession with getting the best/biggest hat.

Turns out that it’s not what in the box but rather ‘Who will make it out of the box?’ that’s the real question here. My bet was that it would be Obi-Wan and Cad Bane. This is the problem with the Dark Side: their quest to figure out who’s Top Dog basically involves killing everyone else. This is not the best way to encourage growth. Unsurprisingly, they both made it along with a few others.

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Laughter and Levity can Cut Through Darkness

Posted on February 28, 2014 by admin

It was just last night on the podcast Nanci and I were jokingly talking about how awesome it would be for Aaron Allston to write a second Starfighters of Adumar book in which Wedge, Tycho, Wes, and Hobbie run off to play diplomat again and mutter “we’re too old for this shit.” If anyone could have made that setup work, it would have been Aaron Allston. His ability to tap into the humor of Star Wars (and life in general, really) was unparalleled. If there was one lesson you could take away from his works, it was that there was always room for levity and laughter.

(Continue reading under the cut, warning for discussion of depression and suicide)

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Yub Yub, Aaron Allston

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Nanci

This is not a post any of us ever wanted to have to write. Aaron Allston, prolific Star Wars author and all-around awesome human being, passed away last night after apparent massive heart failure.

It’s safe to say that without Aaron, many of us wouldn’t be SWEU fans. It’s also safe to say that several of us wouldn’t have stayed SWEU fans without Aaron. No matter what he was writing, he had the ability to make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page, and then make you laugh through those tears. He created some of our most favorite characters, some of the SWEU’s best moments, and kept it fun through dark times. Several of us name Starfighters of Adumar as our favorite SWEU book of all time.

Aaron was a presence at many conventions, including Celebration and Dragon Con, where he ran writing workshops with Mike Stackpole. I participated in several of his seminars; not only was the man a great writer, but he was a great teacher, too. He always treated everyone like a friend, whether you’d known him for ages or had just approached him to ask him to sign one of your books. Aaron also contributed to several of my favorite panels at Dragon Con, where he had the audience in stitches. As Timothy Zahn said last night on Facebook, “The Aaron, Mike, and Tim show, as we called it, has come to a sad close.”

Brian and I had the honor of interviewing Aaron on the podcast, only our second interview (after Stackpole, fittingly), and were quite nervous to do so. He put us at ease and, needless to say, the interview ended up being informative and full of laughter. Probably my favorite interview we’ve ever done.

Star Wars will not be the same without Aaron Allston. Yub Yub, Commander. The Wraiths are flying in formation in your honor today.

edit: Brian posted his own thoughts here.

Tosche Station Radio #81: Rebels and Rumors

Posted on February 27, 2014 by admin

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, we’re joined by Brian from EUCantina to discuss Star Wars Rebels and diversity!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Emily reviewed Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #2. Bria reviewed Legacy #12. Bria also traveled further on the Hondo Caravan and learned that people like to put Anakin in bad situations. Bria reported on her weekend at Katsucon.

In Fixer’s Flash, the hosts have kept busy by going to Disney Parks (naturally) and reading Honor Among Thieves.

Deak’s Dirt is light this week. Netflix released a trailer for The Clone Wars: Lost Missions. Star Wars Weekends gets biggest, James Arnold Taylor confirmed as host.

New on the podcast is an all new feature we like to call Biggs’ Bull$#!^. Variety reports that Adam Driver will play the villain. Lucasfilm.com relaunched and teased some Episode VII concept art including the Millennium Falcon. MarketSaw claims an exclusive source tells them all sorts of stuff and things.

Camie’s Concerns this week looks at all the Rebels news and looks at the marketing of the upcoming show. Required reading for this discussion: Amy Ratcliffe’s article about marketing and female characters from The Mary Sue, Dunc’s article about female action figures from Club Jade, and Mia Moretti’s article about why owning diversity is important from Eleven-ThirtyEight.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of Majestic Giraffe Productions. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Review: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #2

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Emily

Running out of money. Running out of time. They’re running out of places to hide, and they ran out of friends a long time ago. And now, Malcolm Reynolds and crew are finding themselves not only between the proverbial rock and hard place–but between the hard place and the vacuum of space.

On the heels of Leaves on the Wind #1, things are just getting worse for Serenity‘s crew, and now Mal’s having to make decisions that will leave readers shocked–and that’s not even the worst part. Old enemies have returned.

If possible, the writing has gotten even better in this issue, and Zack Whedon has a plot that will keep you hooked on every issue moving forward. I’m still not a fan of the art, but there are panels that look much better than in the first issue, so it’s also improving. But while I’m not a fan of the art, the writing Whedon is doing is amazing enough that I would pick this up even if it was drawn with stick figures.

Review: Star Wars: Legacy #12

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Bria

Ania’s been kidnapped by someone she thought was a friend! Issue #12 of Star Wars: Legacy by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman is out today and now almost everyone in the galaxy is looking for one Ania Solo. (Honestly, can this woman’s life get any worse?)

Betrayed by her friend Ramid, Ania Solo finds herself stuffed unceremoniously into a storage locker with no comlink and therefore no way for her real friends to track her. Ramid, on the other hand, is holding a grudge against her for leaving him for dead outside a prison camp and he’s happy to hand her over to the Triumvirate in exchange for a sizable bounty. Across the galaxy, Master Val learns that he’s not in nearly as much trouble as he expected for his actions on Dac and that the Imperial Knights have a new mission he doesn’t quite agree with. Meanwhile, Jao, Sauk, and AG-37 are doing everything they can to find Ania and get her back but they aren’t the only ones in pursuit.

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Hondo Caravan: Let’s Put Anakin In Bad Situations

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Bria

I feel like I should say this right off the bat: this is a disc of episodes in which people make really stupid decisions. Like… really stupid. But it’s okay. Our heroes survive. More or less. We pick up with the story arc from the last episode of the previous disc which means… slavers.

Slaves of the Republic
I love this episode purely because it’s the reason why we get to hear Obi-Wan use the words ‘High Class Scum’ and also because Ahsoka got to throw some subtle shade at Anakin about him not being very convincing as a Master.

I would “never” question the wisdom or the judgment of the Jedi Council in all their… uhh… wisdom but could they really not find anyone better to send on this mission than Anakin Skywalker? Why on earth would you put a former slave on a mission to a planet full of slavers? Anakin is far from being the calmest Jedi out there and putting him into an emotionally charged situation like this is just plain stupid.

And while I’m on the subject on ranting, why did it have to be Ahsoka who was put into the slave girl role? More specifically: why does it have to be the show’s lone female lead who is put into a slave girl outfit? So help me, this had best not happen in Rebels too.

At least we got a fun parallel to Return of the Jedi with Artoo tossing lightsabers to the Jedi on command. At least.

Other things happened in this episode such as the plan failing miserably but I’m honestly too off put by Ahsoka being dressed up as a slave girl and the Jedi Council putting Anakin into a situation like this to have really took notice.

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