THE FROST HAIRED VIXEN

DAW BOOKS, INC.

Written by John Zakour

Copyright 2005 by John Zakour
Cover art by Michael Koelsh.




In The Frost-Haired Vixen written by John Zakour, a Zachary Nixon Johnson book, Zach Nixon - the last private investigator in the world of 2061 - is hired by Santana Clausa, the beautiful CEO of the North Pole Organization. Santana wants Zach because two of her elves up at the North Pole have been murdered.  Now, Zach must find the killer before the Holiday is ruined.

Zach and his A.I. companion HARV - who is painfully hard wired into Zach's brain - are transported to the North Pole to secretly infiltrate a travel tour group that is visiting the "happiest, safest place on Earth." The tour group is composed of an interesting set of character suspects who might have killed the mutant elves.

The series is a funny pulp fiction series set in the future. The humor usually deals with the anachronisms and the politics of the future. The humor also comes with Zach having an off-the-wall crew of associates and an equally group of off-the-wall bad guys who are usually not as smart as Zach's people are. The things that are related to Santa Claus are all satirized in this book, which gives new meaning to "naughty or nice."

Zach always has beautiful, erotic, and powerful superhuman women around him as clients - which upsets his lady, the beautiful, smart, and talented Dr. Electra. Santana Clausa is no exception to his beautiful women clients. While the various women around Zach are sexy, I am very fond of Electra - who I think is hot.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - THE NEW JEDI ORDER - ENEMY LINES II - REBEL STAND

LUCAS BOOKS

Written by Aaron Allston

Copyright 2002 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.



In Rebel Stand, written by Aaron Allston, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Tahiri Veila, along with Wraith Squadron, find on Coruscant a genetically-engineered force sensitive masquerading as a legendary being called Lord Nyax - who is determined to open a Force nexus beneath the old Jedi Temple. Meanwhile, Han and Leia set up secret resistance cells on planets that are ready to join the alien enemy Yuuzhan Vong in New Republic space - when Han and Leia get captured. On Borleias, Wedge Antilles organizes defenses - with Rogue Squadron Jedi pilot Jaina Solo continuing as the Yuuzhan Vong's Trickster goddess while she is flying missions.

It is sad to see Tahiri still suffering the effects of being held a prisoner of the Yuuzhan Vong. I am hoping that Tahiri will someday come to terms with her captivity, as I missed her enthusiasm, especially when she was with Anakin. It was great to see Wraith Squadron again. Wraith Squadron was used as an intelligence unit in the book instead of as a fighter squadron. With Coruscant becoming terraformed by the Vong, the planet has become more of a city with jungle overgrowth since it's fall, instead of the megalopolis planet that it used to be as Wraith Squadron picks it's way throughout the city. It is interesting to see the fate of the traitorous Galactic Senator Viqi Shesh. I haven't liked her since I first met her, and to see the Yuuzhan Vong treat her like dirt was rather satisfying.

As a videographer, I totally sympathized with the holocam operator Tam Elgrin being an unwilling saboteur for the Yuuzhan Vong. I was wondering how I would react if I were him, and if I would be strong enough to fight off the influence of the Vong. It would devastate me if I were a traitor killing everybody.

I was sad to know the final fate of the Imperial Star Dreadnought Lusankya, considering the powerful mythology that was used behind the Lusankya. I still think of the Lusankya as the powerful mythological prison the Empire's intelligence chief Ysanne Isard used to interrogate and brainwash her prisoners to become sleeper agents.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.