STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES

LUCAS Books
A Del Rey Book

Written by R. A. Salvatore

Copyright 2002 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker is an older Padawan learner who becomes reunited with Senator Padme Amidala on the galactic capitol world of Coruscant. With an attempt on her life, Anakin is assigned to protect Padme as Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi goes on a quest through the Jedi Archives database to try to discover why on a hidden planet in space called Kamino, an army of clones is being created.

A lot has changed since The Phantom Menace. Padme has gone from being Queen of Naboo to being a Senator in the Galactic Republic. Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi is now a Jedi Knight and Anakin is now Kenobi's Padawan. You see more of Anakin's mother Shmi, and her new husband and adopted son Owen. While it was great to see Anakin returning home to the desert world of Tatooine to meet his step-brother Owen, you feel their pain when Shmi gets kidnapped by the Tuskin Raiders. With Anakin protecting Padme from Trade Federation assassins as the conflict with the Separatist movement increases, their relationship grows until Anakin and Padme finally wed in secret. Meanwhile, the Clone Wars begin....

Pancho
All people smile in the same langauge.

JAILBAIT ZOMBIE

EOS
An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Written by Mario Acevedo

Copyright 2009 by Mario Acevedo

In Jailbait Zombie, a Felix Gomez novel, a crow delivers a message from the Araneum to vampire private investigator Felix Gomez. Vampire Gomez is sent on a mission by the Araneum to search for who is creating an army of zombies before the zombies reveal the existence of the supernatural to humans. Along the way, Felix is forced to be accompanied by a clairvoyant teenage girl who demands that Felix make her a vampire.

Due to their decomposition, it is easier than one might think to locate zombies because of their smell - which turns off undead vampires like Felix. Since teenager Phaedra is related to organized gangsters, it is funny that Felix gets some reluctant help from the gangsters as part of their business - as the gangsters become unwitting victims of the zombies. Phaedra's terminal condition is rather sad and makes you understand why she wants Felix to make her a vampire. Felix is reluctant to turn her into a vampire, and all the curse that goes with it, but Phaedra's psychic clairvoyant powers make it hard to resist.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

A World of Difference

Del Rey Mass Market Edition

Written by Harry Turtledove

Copyright 1990 by Harry Turtledove

In A World of Difference, a Viking lander is destroyed on the planet Minerva just as it sends pictures of it's destroyer - an alien life form. The United States and the Soviet Union then launch a manned space mission to Minerva.

This novel takes place in an alternate universe where a life-bearing planet, Minerva, takes the place of the red planet Mars in our universe. Despite Minerva being a near neighbor of Earth, the aliens and humans have never met before. The aliens have two domains that are at war with each other but they are separated by a vast chasm. With the human's technology, one domain is able to cross the chasm and the deadly ice floes to invade the other domain - and the Americans and Soviets wind up on opposite sides of an alien war.

One of the major differences with the aliens, aside from the extra arms, are the fact that the females bleed to death when giving birth so the females are very child-like because they do not live long enough to mature.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - STARGAZER: OBLIVION

POCKET BOOKS

Written by Michael Jan Friedman

Copyright 2003 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

In Stargazer: Oblivion, USS Stargazer Captain Jean-Luc Picard is on an undercover operation to meet with a defector on a planet in Ubarrak space - when the meeting goes wrong and Picard is accused of terrorism. While in jail, Picard meets someone who will help him - Guinan.

This is the first time Picard meets Guinan. Picard appreciates her talents, like freeing them from jail, while Guinan keeps the secret of them meeting before - as well as holding in the pain she has from being released from the Nexus. The chief of security takes it personally when Picard and Guinan escape from jail and leads the manhunt for them. With the Cardassians searching for Picard and the defector, their running from the law leads them on quite a hunt.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.



















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ORPHAN'S ALLIANCE

Orbit

Written by Robert Buettner

Copyright 2008 by Robert Buettner

In Orphan's Alliance, with more humans now inhabiting the Outworlds in space, the army sends Jason Wander to act as an emissary to the Outworlds.

As an emissary, Jason tries to secure the resources of an alliance planet to help secretly build a moon as a forward operating base to defend their home  Earth against the Slugs. When an old friend arrives as part of a senate task force determined to find out about the use of the black funds they used to build the classified base, tensions mount as the Slugs find the base - and a major character dies.

It is interesting and rather frustrating to see soldier Jason to be an emissary as well as hiding the real reason for the use of the black funds, especially from his Congresswoman friend Munchkin - the mother of his Godson. With the misappropriating of government funds as a felony, Jason and his people scramble to hide the real reason of their use of the moon - as the government will not admit the base's existence. While there are loose controls over the use of black funds, suborning human rights violations is a felony and the congressmen investigate Jason's dealings with the planet's people.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STARGATE UNIVERSE - AIR

An original publication of Fandemonium Ltd, produced under license from MGM Consumer Products.

Written by James Swallow

Copyright 2009 by MGM Global Holdings Inc. STARGATE UNIVERSE is a trademark of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Photography and cover art: Copyright 2009 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In Air, a novelization of the TV show Stargate Universe, a group of scientists and soldiers accidentally travel through a Stargate onto an Ancient starship in deep space with no way home.

A spin off of the TV shows Stargate-SG1 and Stargate: Atlantis, this novelization is based on the 3-part pilot episodes for the show Stargate Universe. When they discover the secret to the ninth chevron on the Stargate created by the Ancients, the planet the scientists and soldiers are on get attacked and they are forced to evacuate through the Stargate without knowing where they are going. The Ancient starship they wind up on has limited resources and they desperately search for a planet to replenish themselves before they all die.

The driven scientist Rush has his own determined agenda of discovering everything about the starship of the Ancients - the people who built the Stargates - with no regard to the wishes of everyone else of trying to get back home to Earth. He even tries to take command of the entire mission despite the fact that he has no authority to do so. Dr. Rush's arrogance is very unlikeable and makes you want to have the soldiers frag him so they can all go home.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Del Rey Mass Market Edition

Written by James Rollins

Copyright 2008 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Rollins is a novelization of the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Archaeologist Indiana Jones is on the trail of a crystal skull, along with a young man and his mother, and is also chased by Soviet agents who are also after the skull - including a determined iron maiden of an agent in charge of the Soviets.

It is great to see Indiana again. Set during the 50's, the book also deals with the mature Indy's aging, but Indiana still is pretty much an action figure. It is nice to compare him to the young Mutt, who has a natural talent as an action figure, as they go through their adventures to find Mutt's academic mentor as well as to return the crystal skull home. It surprises me that the Soviets are interested in the mystical properties of the crystal skull, but it is in keeping with the spirit of the Indiana Jones series.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.