All of you who read this zine know that I am a really big Star Wars nerd. I love all fantasy and sf, but the first and foremost love is Star Wars since I first saw The Empire Strikes Back in a crowded cinema here in my hometown when I was just a little boy. Now, I am almost 40 years old, but the love for Star Wars just grows and grows inside me and never lets go. I read a lot of expanded universe novels, some better, some worse, here is the new batch that I read recently.

STAR WARS:A NEW HOPE-classic episode four movie turned into novel. Everyone saw the movie so there is no need to re-tell the classic tale about how Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia and others met and desperately fought Moff Tarkin and Vader in their Death Star. What I loved about this book is more in depth description of teenage Luke and his feelings and wishes, some side characters like Biggs get bigger description in this book. So, if you are interested you should read this one to see the episode four movie in bigger picture.

STAR WARS:BATTLEFRONT-TWILIGHT COMPANY-This one is a part of so called new canon, meaning SW books now that the franchise changed ownership and everything started anew. Those books are not so good as the old ones, they are like superficially done and Twilight Company is no exception. This is a war novel, about the company of Rebel Army in battle with the Empire. The one thing that I hated about this novel is that since when the Rebels had the army and frontlines and stuff? They always made partisan hit and run warfare against the Empire, not trenchlike and organised warfare. The thing that I liked is the battle for Hoth from Empire Strikes Back painted from the eye of a little soldiers that fought and died there. Not a good one, unfortunately.

STAR WARS:JEDI TWILIGHT and PATTERNS OF FORCE-Those two are part of Coruscant Nights trilogy but can be read separately because the stories in each of the books are separate only the main characters are the same. This is interesting SW idea, because the books are about Jax Pavan, the former Jedi who survived the purge, but is living on Coruscant in constant danger trying to avoid Imperial police and agents, but who is also a private detective, so the novels are done in crime noir manner which was very refreshing idea in SW universe. Not a lot of battles and action, but good storylines for crime novel fans.

STAR WARS:LORDS OF THE SITH-one more from the so called new canon of books. I had great expectations about this one, because the story seemed great, but the realization was not so good. The story is about Darth Vader and Darth Sidious(Emperor Palpatine) being stranded on the planet and trying to escape and survive chased by the group of Rebel assassins. As I said, the idea was excellent but the realization was almost childish, the fight scenes are to superficial and the characters are not deep enough to feel sympathy for any of them. I am sorry but all of the so called new canon books I have read up to now sucked. Keep the old ones and read those!