It was inevitable, I guess but...

...the Expanded Universe (EU) is now officially unoffical.

To EU fans this isn't exacly news, but it's certainly worth noting. The EU comprises a ton of video games, comic books and novels (so many in fact I've got a big fat 'Essential Guide' just of novel summaries!!) that are set anywhere ranging from 25,000 years before to around 140 years after the original trilogy - but all that is over with an official announcement from Lucasfilm.

Why? Simple and in a lot of ways, logical. The big question was always when is the movie going to be set and how will it tie in to the novels - well in the official report it is stated.

"In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe."

Which is fair enough and actually quite exciting, but a little part of me can't help but feel a little bitter. 

I mean this is my childhood, the novels I geeked out over, collected, borrowed from friends or read in bookshops before putting back on the shelf and planning on buying one day. All gone.

Well not entirely.

"While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s."

Hmmm. OK cool so some favourite characters of spaceships might turn up - but the fact that new writers have the freedom to steal and re-write elements from our beloved stories and turn them into something else isn't that much of a consolation.

So what does this mean now? - basically the movies and the Clone Wars TV series are the only official Star Wars media as of present. Next out will be Rebels another series from the same producers but set in between the movie trilogies.

At some point Marvel will let us know what they are going to do with Star Wars in comics, but for now we have four novels that comprise the entire off-screen retinue of 'canon' Star Wars.

A New Dawn

A Rebels tie-in was almost inevitable and it's certainly a safe place to start for the new continuity. But I do have to wonder about how an adult fiction novel prequelling a kids TV show will work. Having said that all the authors are accomplished writers (I'm a big fan of JJM's Knight Errant strip) and I'm sure they will write them well - but my criticisms are based on the impact of the Star Wars  universe.

Heir to the Jedi

A story written from Luke's perspective seems pretty cool, but it strikes me as, given that the post-Death Star storyline has been very much filled in in the EU, this is an opportunity for the Lucasfilm team to re-write some history in the build-up to the new movies.

Tarkin

 










This story is going to give Tarkin the Plagueis treatment according to the blurb. How does that work now that Plagueis is non-canon?? Ok, ok fine I get it, it's all new, but I do again have to see this as re-writing history a little bit. I mean, will he be as involved in the creation of the Death Star, what about Daala, is she no longer in the picture. I know he's had his fair amount of appearances in the Clone Wars so it's likely to pick up on that - and Luceno's output that I've read has been great so we'll see how this turns out.

Lords of the Sith

Hmm, another filler novel re-writing history and...ok, I seriously can't complain because this one looks like K'kruhk's hat. Darth Vader and Darth Sidious trapped and having to rely on each other to survive on a planet against an army of opposition, wow! This one has really peaked my interest - I mean just look at the cover for goodness sake!

So anyway, we'll see what comes for future Star Wars lore. Having a co-ordinated story from the get go sounds like a really good idea and I do hope for a bright future for Star Wars despite my grumbling.

Blogga's Wall - 2013 roundup

Here's a summary of what went up on my wall in the latter part of 2013.

1) The World Set Free

One of a collection of Wells' novels donated to me by a friend. I've found a lot of his work to be quite tedious and self-important (Star-begotten being enough to put me off him altogether were it not for having read the masterpiece that is War of the Worlds). This book starts off in the same vein with a lengthy monologue about man's grasp for power, however the books progress into elaborate political alliances collapsing into a global war devastating countries with nuclear weapons and resulting in a global government is an uncannily accurate vision of what became and what could have been which can't be denied.

2) Under the Dome

The series from Stephen Spielberg and Stephen King adapting King's own novel was exciting to watch, with a town suddenly and dramatically (they kept reminding us with the image of a cow split in half by the dome's mighty power at the recap of each episode) cutting them off from the outside world and changing the face of the town. The series was well paced with engaging characters, but I'm waiting to see if the sliffhanger at series 1's end is going to be resolved well in the next installment.

3) Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

I've already posted on this and expect a post in the near future so I won't say anything except it's good!

4) Thor: The Dark World

With a somewhat ambiguous title I wasn't sure about this film but it totally delivered. The Marvel studios blend of engaging action and humour worked again with the relationship between Thor and Loki making for some great moments. The cinematic battle on Asgard as well as the wider conflicts were well realised and Chris Eccleston's Malekith was a believable and menacing villain.

5) Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

Again a review of this is long overdue so I won't say much other than that this totally delivered too!!

6) The Food of the Gods

Another Wells novel, this time dealing with a discovered substance that produces incredible growth in this who ingest it. As the produce spreads to local wildlife as well as a few humans grown to gigantic proportions the impact on human society is enormous.

7) Chronicle

A very powerful take on the superhuman power story with three friends discovering an alien artifact the gives them tghe ability to move objects with their minds and move themselves through the sky. What begins as an opporunity to have fun soons turns dark as they start to see the full extent of what they can do if no one can stop them.

Blogga's Wall - June-July '13

Wow it's been a long time since I did one of these, and the last one was a catchup too! Anyway here's what I was into over the summer break.

1) Man of Steel

I really enjoyed the Superman reboot. Not having read any Superman comics I didn't have any hangups going in and I thought the artifical birth/ trying to create Krypton on Earth was a good valid reason for Zod to fight Superman rather than simply wanting to conquer. The fights were suitably epic and the story held together well.

2) Gone

 

A teen Sci-Fi series, I was attracted by the plot of all adults (in fact everyone over 15) disappearing, which reminded me of The Tribe TV series, but the book stands on it's own. Some of the kids develop superpowers, some of the animals mutate and something worse is hidden in the darkness, not to mention the struggle for control. A force field traps all the kids in, similar to Under the Dome, but Stephen King endorses these books so I don't think the similarity is a problem for him!!

Blogga's Wall - February - April 2013

So a bit of a catchup post again - here's what went up on the wall over the past few months.

1) Star Wars: The Essential Reader's Companion

An avid collector of the Essential Guides this was high on my birthday list and it didn't dissapoint. A chronological summarisation of Star Wars literature with editor's notes and fantastic illustrations highlighting the key moments in the stories. For me it's great to show my wife where Star Wars stuff we're reading fits into the big picture, check out the timeline placement of certain stories and also read succinct summaries of all the prequel-era stuff I never bothered to read!!! If you want to quickly refresh your knowledge or introduce friends to the EU then this is the book for you!!

2) Star Wars Legacy: Prisoner of the Floating World #1

The return of Legacy is awesome!! The comic book series set 100 years after even the latest novels is what got me into Star Wars comics in the first place and a chance to continue that story is well worth jumping on board. I have to be honest in admitting I miss the old series and style but I'm certainly willing to give Ania Solo and her friends a chance and spent more time in this era. You'll have a review when the story arc finishes in a few month's time so I won't say more at this stage.

3) Chocky

One of a large pile of John Wyndham novels given to me by my pastor when he left for France, I enjoyed this novel about a boy with a not-so-imaginary friend. I didn't find it as enjoyable as 'Triffids' or some of the other books I've read and I don't know if the father's hapless attitude was symptomatic of the time (smoking in front of kids and ignoring serious psychological disorders - very pre-health and safety!!) or just annoying writing but it was fun to the end.

4) Assassin's Creed III

With the fourth installment due later in the year I thought I'd better lay my hands and this game as soon as the price came down a bit and thankfully it did. I'm still plodding my way through Halo's Spartan Ops but I've had a few forrays into this game and found it just as gripping as the rest of the series even in it's early chapters.

Thanks for reading - up next: Doctor Who!

Blogga's Wall - November/December 2012

A Happy New Year to you all - I hope you have a wonderful 2013 with good times as well as cool movies, games and comic on the horizon!

Here's what went up on my wall in the last few weeks of 2012

1) Red Dwarf X

 Thanks to  the mostly re-run based channel 'Dave' we now have a brand new series of Red Dwarf. The long running BBC series came to an end a while ago much to the dismay of fans of the classic space comedy. Dave experimented with a min-series 'Back to Earth' a while ago which was quite fun but it was really exzciting to hear of a full series and it really hasn't missed a beat - there are some great moments, such as Rimmer meeting his brother and Lister dealing with parenting when his son is actuaslly himself!!!

2) The Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia

I was really excited to get my hands on this, ordered from UbiWorkshop earlier in the year the re-print of their exclusive encyclopedia details all the characters, events and locations of the exciting franchise including Assassin's Creed III. As I've yet to play the latest game it's a book full of spoilers but there are plenty of 'safe' articles I've enjoyed reading.

3) Halo 4

 










You'll be hearing plenty about this in the near future - a Christmas present I've thoroughly enjoyed starting this game. The campaign feels very true to the original games and while I do miss Firefight the co-op missions in Spartan Ops are well worth playing, though be warned it is set a few months after the campaign so you may be due some spoilers. When I eventually catch up on Mass Effect 3 you'll be hearing more about this game!!

Blogga's Wall catchup

So a bit of a catchup here, covering the latter half of the summer to a very cold British winter here in November. i must admit my new job hasn't left me weith much time to dedicate to this blog or to enjoy as much sci-fi as I usually like to so even with the backlog this won't be a big post.

First of all a massive thanks to all you who read this as Blogga the Hutt has now reached 100,000 pageviews!!! I never would have dreamed it!! Thanks for your interest and your patience with my scattered and random postings.

1) Star Wars: Red Harvest

A prequel to the author's previous Star Wars horror 'Deathtroopers' this novel was set in the era of the videogame The Old Repoublic based on a Sith Academy where the leader Darth Scabrous creates a formula aimed at guaranteeing immortality, but instead unleashes an army of undead Sith students across the frozen planet. Equally as creepy as the first installment it had the advantage of not having characters who we knew would live such as Han Solo who featured in the first book.

2) Star Wars The Old Republic: Revan

Not nearly good enough for missing out on Knights of the Old Republic III for the MMO but it was still exciting to find out what happened next to the hero of the awesome Bioware game. Revan takes a journey deep into Sith space to take on the dreaded Sith Emperor who had ruled for centuries and will give everything to stop him from reaching the Republic. A very exciting read for fans of the game.

3) Halo: Glasslands

I'm actually still reading this one even thoiugh I put it on the wall in October, like I said my time for enjoying Sci-Fi is more limited than it once was. Sort of carrying on from 'Ghosts of Onyx' the story takes us into post-war Halo, with the Sangheili struggling to find a purpose without the Prophet's rule and ONI taking steps to divide the splintering ranks among their former enemies even at the risk of destabilizing the peace talks between Admiral Hood and the Arbiter. With trouble brewing with insurrectionist colonies peace may not be all it's cracked up to be...

That's it - I was going to do a movies post, but there's nothing Sci-Fi in November by the looks of it so it'll be another Mass Effect post next!!

Star Wars: Shadow Games

 

I don't often do book reviews as I'm terrible at them (usually by the time I've finished my first paragraph I've spoiled the whole thing!!) but I didn't put this on my wall and thought I'd better share it with you. 

I bought this book at an airport as I wanted a quick read and Star Wars books are always exciting and fast paced and a very good way to kill a plane journey!! While I picked it up largely due to the lack of other options and because it wasn't tied into another series I really did enjoy this stand-alone book. 

This is what I tend to refer to as a 'small' Star Wars story, that is to say it doesn't drive the main characters forward or plunge the galaxy into war but is a more personal story set in the universe we love but not putting a major dint in the big picture. I wasn't, therefore, expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. I should have expected more from Michael Reaves, author of the excellent 'small' stories in the Coruscant Nights series, which I've really enjoyed as well as Star Wars newcomer Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff. 

The story features loveable rogue Dash Rendar, who broke and temporarily unable to use the Outrider, in need of essential repairs, takes on the job of private security for Javul Charn a galaxy-famous holostar, who sings and performs to billions across the galaxy. But there is more to this job than meets the eye as one after another a jealous ex-boyfriend, Black Sun's Prince Xixor and the Empire all come hunting for Charn and Dash must bury through her secrets and earn her trust if he can really help her. 

Of course Han Solo turns up, as he does in all thesse types of stories, but for once I didn't mind it - the rivalry between him and Dash was good and allowed for plenty of humour and it was good to see their relationship in their younger days. 

All in all it was a worthy read, with plenty of twists and an insight into the tightening of the Empire's grip and the early days of the Rebellion as well as life for 'ordinary' citizens of the Empire be they smugglers or superstars!! 

More soon!

Blogga's Wall - May '12

 

Spectacularly out of date as always, but here's what went up on my wall in the month of May!

1) Mass Effect: Homeworlds #1

 

A new series from Dark Horse comics set in the Mass Effect universe. This series focuses on individuals within the continuity and fleshes our some of their backgrowund and other details to set the scene for Mass Effect 3. This issue focuses on the new character James Vega and his getaway from a life on the edge of the law to serving with the Alliance military, nice to put a bit of flesh on the bones for this character and I look forward to getting to know him better in game. 

2) The Hunger Games

  Worth seeing for the haircuts alone!! A very well realised sci-fi world complete with sci-fi haircuts in a range of colours. The setting of a televised death match between children in the different 'districts' was very well realised and an exciting watch. 

3) Avengers Assemble

 Now THIS is a movie!!! It was great to see all the new Marvel stars in action in this action-packed movie pitting the rough around the edges Avengers against Loki and an invading army of Chitauri. With a fantastic balance of action and humour (Hulk absolutely stole the show!) and great comic book fanservice (Helicarriers!) it was a visual delight and a worthy comic book adaptation. 

4) Heir to the Empire: 20th Anniversary edition

 

 I was given this book as a wedding present and it has been fun to re-read the definitive Star Wars book wioth my wife and finally having an actual purpose for all those Essential Guides I bought!! Annotations by the author make it fun to re-read with his perspective on certain parts and the challenge of establishing a new Star Wars story. 

More soon!!

Halo Stuff

Well this is just q quick post to share with you some Halo news and some of what I've been up to Halo wise as well.

You may well have seen the new revealed box art for the game above me. It's exciting to see a more official cover for the game, which in some ways still doesn't seem real. Well I've gleaned a few snippets of new things featured in this game, which are...

Spartan Ops - A replacement for Firefight mode these are co-operative missions which will be released as free DLC with new cutscenes following the lives of the Spartan IVs (above) who dwell on the new ship UNSC Infinity. I don't know much more than that but it looks like this game definitely packs vaslue for money and is linking story more with co-op as the standard multiplayer fits in with the battle training regimes of the new generation of Spartans

Forward Unto Dawn

This announcement is very exciting, a new live-action series for Halo, intending to bring new fans into the genre, this follows the life of a young UNSC cadet, his meetings with the Master Chief and his career through the human-covenant war up to the new era of Halo. Looks good

Oh and there's a new animated web series on Halo Waypoint at the moment but I haven't had time to check it out properly - anyway, more about what I've been up to now.

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx

I bought this as it links in with 'Glasslands' a current Halo book, which is a pre-cursor to Halo 4. The book details the recruitment of the Spartan-IIIs, now famous due to Noble Team's exploits on Reach and the abduction of Kurt-051 to train them. It also details the final days of the Covenant as the Elites and Brutes fall on each other, which made it confusing for me as the Elites are still attacking the humans!! The Spartans while training on the hidden world of Onyx encounter a dangerous Foreruner threat that gets Dr Halsey, acting out of selfish interest to protect 'her' Spartans and uncover more data, and a horde of Covenant running to a foe capable of destroying them both!

Well worth a read, especially as it leads into the new game via Glasslands.

Halo: Cryptum

I bought this, well because it's cool! Details on the Forerunners have been scarce until these books detailing their final days have come out and I could not resist getting my hands on them. I initially found the Forerunner society and history bewildering but got sucked into a compelling story of betrayals and intrigue. Most interesting to me was that humans were once almost as powerful as the Forerunners and were allied with the San'Shyuum (prophets), more than that they were able to defeat the Flood on their own. With the help of two humans a young rebellious Forerunner awakens the Didact a powerful warrior, who causes a shift in the power of the Forerunners, but it may be too late - the Flood is returning...

Again, well worth reading!


So that's it for now - if I get any more Halo books I'll be sure to let you know about them!

Blogga's Wall Catchup

Well it's gonna be catch up central on this blog for a while I'm afraid!! Get ready for a few comic series reviews and old video game content while I'm at it.

I hope you'll let this blogger off as the delay in content is due to HIS WEDDING!!!! So obviously the preparation for said event and changes afterward have caused a bit of a delay but I hope to be posting more regularly soon. It was a lovely day by the way!!!

So here are a few things that went up on my wall during this busy time.

1) Halo: Ghosts of Onyx

 I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the sort-of sequel 'Glasslands' which is apparently going to tie in to the upcoming Halo 4 (release date in November has been announced by the way!!!). The story of the Spartan IIIs was very well done as well as their battle with Foreruner forces on Onyx. I did find the Covenant side of the story very confusing as it was hard to place within the context of the games, it seemed to be around the time of the Covenant civil war, yet the Elites are still warring against the humans - it does make sense but it was a bit hard to follow for my muddled brain - I might do a more in-depth review of this book at a later date so I'll stop here.

2) Star Wars: Agent of the Empire # 1

 A nice new series from Dark Horse and Legacy writer John Ostrander, sort-of James Bond meets Star Wars. This first run of the series 'Iron Eclipse' has come to and end so I'll be posting a full review up soon, so I won't say more on that either!

3) Assassin's Creed: Revelations

 The latest  game in the series lets you play as both Ezio and Altair as Desmond tries to puzzle his way out of a coma in the Animus. Fun additions are the opportunity to play some of Desmonds memories (in a weird 3D puzzle mode) and the Multiplayer which now has more of a story to it, you're still a Templay fighting other Termplars in the Animus but you can now unlock Abstergo files and there are even cutscenes as you progress - a good game so far!

4) Star Wars: Episode 1 3D

I enjoyed this loads more than I actually expected - even as a die-hard Star Wars fan. I love watching the movie in the big screen and the added scenes were fun, especially the extended Podrace sequence and extra details on Coruscant were a delight - worth another trip to the cinema for me!!

5) Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #0

This is a very exciting new series by the Legacy team chronicling the origins of the Jedi Order. This was a very handy guidebook to the series, which I am reading with my wife as it is perfect for new Star Wars readers as almost all the story content is new and the guidebook helpfully explains the stuff that isnn't such as the Sith species and the Rakata, which might otherwise confuse a new reader - this is a great new era to explore.

And that's it - movies next I think!!

Blogga's Wall - November '11

Well it's been a while but here's what I stuck up on my wall in the month of November this year.

1) Arkham City












Well I'm posting about this in my video game diary with more to come soon (one of these days I will blog about a video gams AS I play it, hasn't happened yet though!) This game is fantastically varied and the side quests have much more meaning to them this time, giving access to secrets of Arkham City and helping Batman save the victims of the Riddler as well as take down villains liks Zsasz and Deadshot - anyway, more on that later. A great game!

2) The Sounds of Star Wars












I don't much go for 'behind the scenes' stuff with Sci-Fi, I prefer to live in the fantasy rather than know about how it's made, but this book I just had to go for. I've always been fascinated by the rich array of sounds in Star Wars and to know how they are made is just fascinating. I'm still amaxed, reading through the pages as to how they created the iconic sounds we hear, and how so many of them came by Ben Burtt just accidentally creating a sound and recording it. Even better this book has an audio feature meaning you can listen to the sounds that you see described. Best book I've bought in a while!

3) Star Wars: Choices of One












It's great to see Tim Zahn back on form (not that he was ever off-form, just he's still doing...you know what I mean!) with a new Star Wars novel. Set between Episodes 4 and 5 it sees the Rebels hunting for a new base of operations and striking a deal with a remote Imperial world only to be drawn into a plot controlled by a rogue warlord from the Unknown regions. Featuring key roles from Mara Jade, Thrawn, Pellaeon and the Hand of Judgement (featured in his last book 'Allegiance') this is a gripping read and is a key insight into the transition of the Rebellion after A New Hope.

And that's me, more soon!