FDL Reads: Star Wars: Choices of One
Star Wars: Choices of One by Timothy Zahn
Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Reference Assistant
Genre: Science Fiction
Suggested Age: Teens, Adults
What is This Book About? This is a Star War book set eight months after the Battle of Yavin which was showcased in the very first Star Wars movie Star Wars: A New Hope. The rebels are searching for a new base as the Empire has discovered the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance in the Yavin Star System. Meanwhile, an imperial governor in the Poln System is losing faith in the Empire’s ability to protect his citizenry as a rising warlord looms just beyond their sight. This is seen as an opportunity for the rebels to locate a new base in exchange for protection against the mysterious warlord, Nuso Esva. This phantom menace is attempting to sow seeds of anarchy within the known galaxy so that he may come to rule over both the Empire and rebels alike. Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca will evaluate the situation in the Poln System and see if this rebel-sympathetic sector can truly be trusted. But all is not safe in the Outer Rim, as the sith-esque Emperor’s Hand, Mara Jade, is tasked to investigate corruption in the Poln System and to smoke out traitors by any means necessary.
My Review: This is a great novel that involves Star Wars characters totally original from the movies, while also involving the same cast of characters we’ve grown to know and love. We get some interesting stories in between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Hoth as we follow Luke, Han, Chewbacca, and Leia tactically tango with Mara Jade and her band of rogue stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgement. Together, these rivals will inadvertently help each other take down Nuso Esva as the galaxy’s greater threat. What I liked about this book is that it provides unique detail about Mara Jade’s status as the Emperor’s Hand as she struggles with law and order in a complicated galaxy. We also get an inside look at a band of vigilante stormtroopers (The Hand of Judgement) who find themselves under Mara Jade’s leadership for the exact same reasons. And of course, everyone’s favorite red-eyed, blue-skinned officer, Admiral Thrawn makes appearances to counsel the Emperor and Darth Vader as they hunt the rebels and attempt to bring everlasting order to the galaxy. The book has a plethora of perspectives, a lot of action, and we learn just how the rebels go from a fighter squadron to a cold weather fortress. This book has everything when it comes to love for the Star Wars movies to original story-telling in a galaxy far, far, away.
Three Words that Describe this Book: adventure, action, space opera
Give This A Try if You Like… Star Wars: Thrawn series, Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, The Expanse series
Rating: 4/5
Find it at the library!
#FDL: Star Wars Backstories and Bookmark Giveaway
Sometimes, new Star Wars characters arrive on the scene (in a movie or TV show) that we don’t get to learn much about before they are thrust into middle of the struggle between Light and Dark. Luckily, we can read more about these characters’ backstories in Star Wars novels.
If you’re a fan of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, you might want to know more about Jyn Erso and her parents, Galen and Lyra. There are two novels that can fill in the gaps regarding the Erso family: Star Wars Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno and Star Wars: Rebel Rising by Beth Revis
Star Wars Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel
From the publisher: As a member of Chancellor Palpatine’s top secret Death Star project, Orson Krennic is determined to develop a superweapon before their enemies can. And an old friend of Krennic’s, the brilliant scientist Galen Erso, could be the key.
Galen’s energy-focused research has captured the attention of both Krennic and his foes, making the scientist a crucial pawn in the galactic conflict. But after Krennic rescues Galen, his wife, Lyra, and their young daughter, Jyn, from Separatist kidnappers, the Erso family is deeply in Krennic’s debt. Krennic then offers Galen an extraordinary opportunity: to continue his scientific studies with every resource put utterly at his disposal. While Galen and Lyra believe that his energy research will be used purely in altruistic ways, Krennic has other plans that will finally make the Death Star a reality. Trapped in their benefactor’s tightening grasp, the Ersos must untangle Krennic’s web of deception to save themselves and the galaxy itself.
Star Wars: Rebel Rising
From the publisher: When Jyn Erso is eight years old, her mother is murdered and her father taken from her to serve the Empire. But despite the loss of her parents, she is not completely alone. Saw Gerrera, a man willing to go to any extremes necessary to resist Imperial tyranny, takes her in as his own daughter and gives her not only a home but all the abilities and resources she needs to become a rebel.
Jyn dedicates herself to the cause—and the man. But fighting alongside Saw and his people brings with it danger and the question of just how far Jyn is willing to go as one of Saw’s soldiers. When she faces an unthinkable betrayal that shatters her world, Jyn will have to pull the pieces of herself back together and figure out what she truly believes in . . . and whom she can really trust.
If you have questions about Ahsoka and Admiral Thrawn, you can find out more about these characters, too. If you were first introduced to them by watching The Mandalorian, you might want to start all the way back at the movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), then watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars (seasons 1-5). If you are all caught up with those, the books with more backstory are Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston and Thrawn by Timothy Zahn.
Ashoka
From the publisher: Fans have long wondered what happened to Ahsoka after she left the Jedi Order near the end of the Clone Wars, and before she re-appeared as the mysterious Rebel operative Fulcrum in Rebels. Finally, her story will begin to be told. Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance…
Thrawn
From the publisher: One of the most cunning and ruthless warriors in the history of the Galactic Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn is also one of the most captivating characters in the Star Wars universe… But Thrawn’s origins and the story of his rise in the Imperial ranks have remained mysterious. Now, in Star Wars: Thrawn, Timothy Zahn chronicles the fateful events that launched the blue-skinned, red-eyed master of military strategy and lethal warfare into the highest realms of power—and infamy.
Then fill in the gaps before The Mandalorian with Star Wars: Rebels (seasons 1-4).
–Post by Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist
Giveaway
Enter your name here for a chance to win a pair of laser-engraved, wooden lightsaber hilt bookmarks designed like Ahsoka’s original lightsaber hilts, complete with green tassels: example seen at right.
One entry per person. Drawing to be held approximately 7 days after this post.
#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria.
We’re Hiring!
The library currently is seeking a part-time Reference Assistant. Please visit fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/jobs for more information, including job description and qualifications.
FDL Reads: Master and Apprentice
Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray
Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager
Genre: Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? Set several years before Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Master and Apprentice gives a look into the early relationship between Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi as they help to navigate a political dispute on the planet of Pijal amidst the upcoming signing of a treaty that will open a hyperspace corridor. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have deep respect for each other but have consistently failed to work as a team because they do not understand each other. When Qui-Gon is given an opportunity within the Jedi Order and then is visited by a vision of things to come on Pijal, the relationship between Master and Apprentice is tested as it never had been before.
My Review: This book is a must-read for any Star Wars fan – the background that is woven in with the present-day story gives so much context for what we know from the movies will come to pass, but the present story of the political unrest on Pijal is compelling. Claudia Gray’s understanding of the Star Wars universe and ability to pull small somewhat obscure details from other canon is sure to please.
Three Words that Describe this Book: Fast-paced, Prophetic, Entertaining
Give this a try if you like… Bloodline by Claudia Gray, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
Rating: 5/5
FDL Reads: How the Word is Passed
How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist
Genre: Contemporary Nonfiction
Suggested Age: Adult
What Is The Book About? Author Clint Smith details his exploration of how several monuments and landmarks connected to America’s chattel slavery past portray and communicate (or fail to communicate) an authentic depiction of what slavery was like, and how it shaped this country into what we see around us today. This is a thoroughly researched and clear-eyed examination of places such as historic plantations, a Confederate cemetery, a maximum-security prison, the Statue of Liberty, the House of Slaves on an island off the coast of Senegal, and more. Examining our existing monuments can reveal unexpected things about what they are actually saying about our country’s past.
My Review: I listened to the audiobook on CD read by the author and was thoroughly impressed with not only the in-depth research, but also the author’s keen insight into how our current society has been influenced by slavery’s deep imprint on our country. His detailed descriptions of people he talked to and the placed he visited were vivid and dramatic. Many of the places Smith visited are ones that I had not realized were in existence. That saddens me, because I know I’m not the only one who is unaware. This is a must-read for anyone who is looking to understand why slavery is still a topic of discussion more than 150 years after the Civil War. Whether you grew up with textbooks that called it the “War of Northern Aggression” or not, so much of what we know about our country’s past has been obscured by time and the by people who were allowed to tell the story. I feel that broadening the depth to which each American comes to terms with our past, can help us make informed decisions about tomorrow.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Perceptive, Astute, Thought-Provoking
Give This a Try if You Like… Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers
Rating: 5/5
Flash Fiction Writing Contest
This spring, Fondulac District Library is holding a Flash Fiction Writing Contest for adults! With our wonderful panel of judges, the submissions will be narrowed to three winning authors. All entries must be 1,000 words (or less) and a work of original fiction. All entries must be emailed to jeremy@fondulaclibrary.org by May 31.
Prizes
First Place – $50 Gift Card
Second Place – $30 Gift Card
Third Place – Swag Bag
Submission Guidelines
- Only original material may be entered.
- All entries must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
- If emailing, please write in the subject area: “SPRING FLASH FICTION CONTEST” and include your name and phone number in the message section. Attach the manuscript’s file to the email.
- Entries must be in good taste and refrain from profanity.
- On the last page of your story, below the ending write: “THE END”
- Limited one entry per person.
- Submissions are open from now, until the deadline on May 31.
Writing Prompts (You don’t have to use them, but they might be fun!)
- Write a story that takes place at the library.
- Write a story about the greatest April Fool’s joke.
- Write about two lovebirds who can only see each other in Spring.