For you non-Canadians, a hat trick is scoring three goals in a single game.

Just had to say I really enjoyed the latest Leia novel. It's YA, so a bit tame, and a bit of a slow starter, but it really pulls together in the end. So that's 3 for 3 for Ms Gray, her earlier works, Lost Stars and Blood Lines, are as good.

One thing I really like is the subtlety of how she deals with the Force and foretelling. So much of the EU was in-your-face and usually over-the-top ridiculous. Now we're getting complex characters grappling with relatable issues. There are a couple of easter eggs, but the author doesn't try to beat it into you with a 2x4. Other than Lords of War and Tarkin (tellingly, written by some of the old EU people), the new crop of novels has been pretty consistently good.

Speaking of which, the Phasma book was also enjoyable, kind of a different, but welcome, narrative take. Conveniently it introduces two interesting protagonists, of whom I hope we get to see more.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through the Phasma audiobook right now. Not sure if I'll queue up Leia or something else next.

I wasn't as enamored with the Phasma book, but I'm just starting Leia and am finding it slow, glad to see it will get better. I liked Lost Stars and Blood Lines just fine.

Phasma certainly has my wheels spinning regarding Parnassos. It could prove to be an interesting setting for a session or two, either in the GCW timeframe or my new campaign, about 250 years later.

I'm going to have to start reading some of these novels. I was thoroughly burned by the EU stuff years ago, and swore off Star Wars novels, but I'm hearing a lot of positive feedback on the new generation of them.

Might be a while, though - I've just started reading Leviathan Wakes, the first of the novel series that spawned the series The Expanse, which as me pretty hooked at the moment!

I'll admit I actually consume these as audio books - definitely worth the subscription to Audible to have. I'm up to date, to my knowledge, with all the canon save young reader/young adult fiction and a handful of shorter works not yet available for tractor/shop-based consumption. They're worth the time to enjoy. They may not blow your mind, but it helps flesh out the characters we see on-screen.

I can't help but wonder... Am I the only one on the forums that Lost Stars wasn't very good? I originally read it based on the glowing recommendations on the forums...

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the original parts of the book (anything regarding the home planet and the characters relationship seemed decent) but it seemed like (at least) 50% of it was "shoehorn these people into x part of the original trilogy"

This TIE pilot was assigned to the Death Star, except he was conveniently sent on the long range scouting mission to Dantooine (the Death Star being the ONLY obvious operating base for such an operation, also, they sent a TIE pilot as a long term scout? (not in a TIE fighter??))

Later: This capital ship officer was assigned to the Executor at Endor, but she felt like taking a TIE interceptor on patrol (equivalent of a bridge officer joy-riding in an F-18 while serving on an aircraft carrier), so she definitely survived the battle of Endor???

I get it, it's YA, but still, did non of these trip anybody's "convenient storytelling" triggers? For no progression of the plot whatsoever? (the actual cardinal problem, IMHO)

I'm not saying it's terrible (like I said, definitely good parts!). I just wouldn't put it over the threshold to "Good"...

8 hours ago, oneeyedmatt87 said:

I'm not saying it's terrible (like I said, definitely good parts!). I just wouldn't put it over the threshold to "Good"...

Well..... I agree, I don't expect great things from the novels, I expect to be pandered to as a fan and to get tickled in my brain for putting 2+2 together. I don't expect to have my world view changed or a new way to live to be the outcome. They're candy for my brain to enjoy while the rest of me does some menial task that requires little to no brain power. If I come away with a few tricks I can bring to the gaming table, so much the better!

17 hours ago, Nytwyng said:

I'm about 2/3 of the way through the Phasma audiobook right now.

I'm 5 or 6 chapters into the Phasma book and it's a real chore for me. I just could give no **** for the character. The field in which I grow my ****, lay thine eyes upon it and thou shalt see that it is barren.

I'd rather read a book about Ice Cream Maker Guy over this forced "Look, isn't this Badass Character badassed?" wannabe.

1 hour ago, Desslok said:

I just could give no **** for the character.

I'm curious, for which character? Phasma isn't the protagonist.

20 hours ago, Nytwyng said:

Phasma certainly has my wheels spinning regarding Parnassos. It could prove to be an interesting setting for a session or two, either in the GCW timeframe or my new campaign, about 250 years later.

If you're familiar with WH40K, Parnassos is a fairly basic example of a feral world/death world.

It’s been about 20 years since I touched any 40K stuff.

3 hours ago, whafrog said:

I'm curious, for which character? Phasma isn't the protagonist.

It's the Rebel Spy and the Interrogator I'm liking the best. All the Phasma bits are "Look how Klingon I am!" (which admittedly I'm not very far into - they just had that big fight with that other native tribe over the baby when I knocked off for the night)

I'm seriously considering skipping the Klingon bits and just reading the modern bits.

You’ll be skipping a lot, then.

4 hours ago, Desslok said:

It's the Rebel Spy and the Interrogator I'm liking the best.

Yeah, likewise, but I think that's the point. Without spoilers...they're pretty much the main protagonists. I also like the in-story POV character, or rather she grew on me. Phasma herself isn't exactly multi-dimensional, but the story is more about how other people react to her. And there's some neat surprises. If that's as far as you are, I think I can safely say it gets better from there.

On 21.9.2017 at 1:55 AM, whafrog said:

One thing I really like is the subtlety of how she deals with the Force and foretelling. So much of the EU was in-your-face and usually over-the-top ridiculous. Now we're getting complex characters grappling with relatable issues. There are a couple of easter eggs, but the author doesn't try to beat it into you with a 2x4. Other than Lords of War and Tarkin (tellingly, written by some of the old EU people), the new crop of novels has been pretty consistently good.

Bloodline is only book from Gray, I have read, and it's also one of my favourite SW books. I probably should read rest of her books.

9 hours ago, Desslok said:

It's the Rebel Spy and the Interrogator I'm liking the best. All the Phasma bits are "Look how Klingon I am!" (which admittedly I'm not very far into - they just had that big fight with that other native tribe over the baby when I knocked off for the night)

I'm seriously considering skipping the Klingon bits and just reading the modern bits.

I had same problem with the Perfect Weapon, by Delilah Dawson. Protagonist of that book is Bazine Netal, and IMO Dawson tries too much to make Netal the toughest tough person. And the tool to make this happen is to group her with bumbling idiot savant. Redeeming quality of that book is slight hint of character growth in Netal, during events of book. But probably I'm not in the target group of that book anyway.

My favourite (canonical) SW books at the moment are Dark Disciple (I liked the story), Ahsoka (I'm Ahsoka Fan), Thrawn (Thrawn is Star Wars equivalent of Sherlock Holmes, and I love SH), and A New Dawn (I'm adapting it to campaign, as it seems fairly easy task). My least favourites are the Aftermath trilogy (I hated most of the main cast, and their illogical actions). But these are just my personal feelings towards those books.

This just in: R2-D2 really is an A-Hole!