Continuing our informal “If you liked, you should read…” series, I’m taking a look at the Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig. I’ve made no secret that these are my favorite novels of the canon literature relaunch, largely because these books remind me so much of some of the best Legends novels I’ve enjoyed over the years. So without further ado, if you enjoyed the Aftermath trilogy, you should read these Legends novels. To the jump!
Tag Archives: Scoundrels
Tosche Station Radio #74: 2013 in the Expanded Universe
Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria started her new blog project, the Hondo Caravan. She also reviewed 2013 in the Expanded Universe…which we’ll get back to shortly. Brian and Nanci did a Go/No-go for Ender’s Game. Brian reviewed the The Haynes Death Star Owner’s Technical Manual by Ryder Windham, Chris Reif, and Chris Trevas. Bria reviewed The Star Wars #3.
In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s been busy reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. She’s knee-deep in NaNo, but still found time to watch Ender’s Game. Both Brian and Nanci watched Thor in preparation for The Dark World. Bria. Bria’s kept herself busy with duolingo. She also attended a Pretty Deadly signing and met awesome person Kelly Sue DeConnick
There’s not a whole lot in Deak’s Dirt this time. UK Casting Call for Episode VII? Also a US call? Dennis Barbie tweets that Episode VII will be coming “end 2015,” but he backtracked later in the day. In comics news, the new Ms. Marvel is a Muslim shapeshifting teenager! Awesome!
On Camie’s Concerns, staff writer Bria joins the hosts to take a look back at the year that was in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. What books stood out? What books fell flat? Which book got everyone angry ranting and which book had everyone gushing? Wrapping things up, everyone discusses the trends noticed in 2013 and what we hope to see in 2014.
Finally, the hosts field questions in Ask Us Anything.
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.
2013 in the Star Wars Expanded Universe
It’s the vogue thing to do right now so I couldn’t help but sit down and take a retrospective look at this year’s Expanded Universe books and then rank them in my order of preference. (Because hey! All the cool kids are doing it!)
Overall, 2013 was a solidly enjoyable year for Expanded Universe releases. After all, what else could it be when we literally started 2013 with Scoundrels? I can promise you that I paid no attention to the ball dropping in Time’s Square and was instead impatiently waiting for Scoundrels to finish downloading to my Nook instead. As those who followed the Waru Express are probably well aware, I’ve had my fair share of problems with a number of the Expanded Universe releases in the past five years or so. 2013 has, for the most part, been a giant breath of fresh air.
We’ll start with my basic rankings and then I’ll go a bit more into detail because this list is going to look deceptive. My reviews for each of these books are linked.
That’s the simplified version of the rankings. If you really want a better sense of how I felt about these books, it’ll look something more like this.
- Kenobi
- Razor’s Edge OR Scoundrels
- Into the Void.
9. The Last Jedi
87. Crucible
Let’s start with the good. (And a few spoilers that will be said in passing.)
Tosche Station Radio #43: Heist
The hosts are joined by Bria and Emily this week to discuss the latest Episode VII news and have a spoiler-filled discussion of Timothy Zahn’s Scoundrels!
Kicking off the show, Nanci highlights what’s new on the blog. Emily talked about why J.J. Abrams will be good for Star Wars. Meanwhile, Bria continued on with the Waru Express with two post-Endor books.
In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci has kept herself busy by reading through I’ve Got Your Number and starting Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. Brian FINALLY finished reading Scoundrels and found the time to read through the latest issues ofAvengers Assemble, Captain Marvel, and Hawkeye. Bria, meanwhile, has been reading all of the Mageworlds novels and working on costuming for Katsucon. Somehow she’s also found time to do work for her geek fashion blog White Hot Room. Emily has also joined the Mageworlds circle and read through the first three books. She also found the time to read Batgirl #16.
Fandom appeared to explode and this week’s Deak’s Dirt attempts to make sense of it. Her Universe released a new set of quote tees just in time for Valentine’s Day. Book of the Sith by Dan Wallace is getting the trade paperback treatment on May 4th.The surprise Star Wars novel? Darth Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber. Over on the film side, the 3D treatments for the remaining Prequel Trilogy have been indefinitely postponed. The big news, however, is that Episode VII finally has a director. Lucasfilm announced late last week that Star Trek andSuper 8 director J.J. Abrams will be taking the lead for the first installment of the Sequel Trilogy. The hosts, Bria, and Emily break down their thoughts on Abrams and what this means for Star Wars.
Camie’s Concerns this week is a roundtable discussion looking at Timothy Zahn’s Scoundrels. Did the somewhat radical departure from typical Expanded Universe conventions and tropes work? Listen in to see what everyone thought of Zahn’s latest addition to the world of Star Wars literature.
Finally, the hosts wrap up the show with their Ask Us Anything segment.
Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of the Solo Sound network. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store or the Xbox Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook, Google+, 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.
Tosche Station Radio #41: Gender Stereotyping
This week on Tosche Station Radio, Nanci and Brian take issue with gender stereotyping in fandom and science fiction.
Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s new on the blogside. Nanci explained why she likes sci-fi even though she’s a woman. She also pontificated about why she doesn’t like long books. Meanwhile, Brian reviewed the new Star Wars #1. The hosts take a few minutes to discuss the new comic before moving into …
Fixer’s Flash, where this week, Nanci’s kept busy reading Scoundrels and waiting to hear back from publishers. Both she and Brian enjoyed the return of Once Upon a Time and went down memory lane to re-watch the X-Files pilot episode.
In Deak’s Dirt, things kick off with word that there’s a new Star Wars EU book coming. Zahn talks Scoundrels on the Official Blog. There’s also a new audiobook clip, if that’s your thing. Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that theSequel Trilogy might feature a female lead.The Oscar nominations are out. How did our favorite genre entertainment fare? (Spoilers: not very well)
This week’s Camie’s Concerns looks into an article Nanci wrote earlier this week looking at gender stereotypes (and why they suck). Nanci responds to a Damon Lindelof (Star Trek 2009) quote and the hosts delve into why assuming women aren’t into science fiction is condescending. The hosts also discuss what really can be done to draw a bigger female audience without coming off as disparaging and out-of-touch.
Finally, the hosts wrap up the show by fielding questions from listeners in our Ask Us Anything segment.
Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of the Solo Sound network. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store or the Xbox Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook, Google+, 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.
Zahn talks Scoundrels on the Official Blog
Author Timothy Zahn stopped by the Official Blog to talk about his love for (and trouble solving) jigsaw puzzles and his latest Expanded Universe release, heist caper Scoundrels.
I’ve never been very good at jigsaw puzzles.
It’s a skill I’ve just been unable to master. I can’t see where a given piece fits into the picture on the box; sky and cloud pieces completely baffle me; and the red blob that has to be on the piece I’m looking for (because it extends from the red blob on this piece) is always smaller and more inconspicuous than I expect it to be. Generally, once any pieces with words had been connected (I’m pretty good with the word pieces), my job at family jigsaw parties was cheerleading for the others and making sure there were plenty of snacks.
But I do like jigsaw puzzles. So if I can’t put them together, maybe I could try creating one.
For more, head over to the Official Blog and have a read.
‘Scoundrels’ Audiobook Clip
Curious about the Scoundrels audiobook? Random House has released a preview for your listening pleasure.
Jabba the Hutt has placed a bounty on Han Solo’s head. Not a great situation for the gruff captain of the Millenium Falcon to be in, especially just after he was integral in the blowing up the Death Star, and he needs help. Sure, his heroics earned him some credits but those are long gone and now he needs help. Luckily, a mysterious stranger approaches Han with a less-than-legal way to pay off his debt. Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian and seven other rogues join together to attempt to infiltrate the ultra-fortified stronghold of a Black Sun crime syndicate underboss and crack the galaxy’s most notoriously impregnable safe. Written by Timothy Zahn, a fan-favorite writer of Star Wars novels, and read by Marc Thompson, this Ocean’s Eleven-type tale is sure to adventure worth taking.
To listen, click the media button below! Head to the Random House page if you’d like to purchase a copy.
‘Scoundrels’ Reviews from Around the Blogosphere
Around the web the reviews for Scoundrels are coming in. Some of the highlights:
- Staff writer Bria blasted through the book on release day, giving it a 5/5.
- Over at Jedi News, Mark praised the characters and smaller scope.
- Author Bryan Young was also high on the book, awarding it 5/5 stars.
- Our friends at EUCantina were generally positive on the book, scoring it a 4/5.
- Roqoo Depot also seemed to enjoy the plot and characters to the tune of a 4/5 score.
The early reviews definitely have trended towards positive and indicate that Scoundrels is a novel well worth your time. Another bit of consensus seems to be that this is a great entry point for those unfamiliar with the Expanded Universe, so if you’ve got a friend that needs a place to start, this may be a great novel to consider.
The rest of the staff here will be chiming in with late reviews as we read through the book. In addition, we’re planning a roundtable discussion on the podcast, so stay tuned!
Star Wars: Scoundrels Review (Mild Spoilers)
First things first, if you’ve managed to stay mostly spoiler free for this book, I highly suggest you continue to do so because wow will it be worth it. This review will contain mild spoilers so read at your own risk.
Timothy Zahn Talks ‘Scoundrels’ and Episode VII with Hollywood.com
Hollywood.com put up a great interview with Expanded Universe author Timothy Zahn today as part of the promotional blitz for his upcoming novel Scoundrels. One question posed to Zahn was how best to deal with the daunting size of the EU and what authors and editors can do to address that problem:
HW: It’s a departure for you as well, because it feels more like a one-off, standalone adventure. It doesn’t feature some of the characters that recur in your work like Thrawn or Mara Jade.
TZ: Actually, that was part of the goal with this. Shelly Shapiro, the Del Rey editor, and Sue Rostoni, who was handling these things for Lucas Licensing at the time, were looking for a story that could appeal to Star Wars fans who weren’t necessarily Star Wars readers. There are 150+ Star Wars novels out there and for someone who isn’t already familiar with them the whole thing can look a little intimidating. So my goal was to do a story that could draw in fans who don’t know anything about the Expanded Universe. What kind of story could do that? That story is Scoundrels. If you’ve seen the Original Trilogy, you’re good to go.
And of course, what are Zahn’s thoughts on Episode VII?
HW: What do you, as a Star Wars fan par excellence, want to see from the new trilogy?
TZ: You got a couple of hours here? First of all, I think they need to skip a generation and have either Luke, Han, and Leia’s kids, or even grandkids, and have the Original Trilogy characters be the older, wiser mentor types. But one of the things I’d really like to see, and this would fit very nicely with Disney, as far as I can remember we’ve never seen a really good family relationship in Star Wars. We’ve had neurotic relationships and even outright antagonism with Luke and Vader. But I’d like to see Luke and his son or grandson have a true bond, a functional family relationship. And of course I want a really good storyline and space battles. I’d like to see something different than a Skywalker turning to the Dark Side. The Star Wars universe is so rich with storytelling possibilities that you don’t need to repeat the “turning to the Dark Side” concept of the previous films. I don’t want to see the same stuff over and over.
There’s other great questions and answers in there as well tackling everything from continuity to whether or not major characters should die in future books and movies. For more, head to the link above and read the three-page interview.