Rating: Summary: A wonderfully diverse offering Review: "Tales from the New Republic" is the latest in a series of short-story anthologies featuring original and little-seen pieces from both "name" authors and otherwise. These books offer fans an opportunity to see what goes on in the *rest* of the galaxy and meet entirely new characters, and they also introduce readers to lesser-known authors, bringing much-needed fresh talent to the franchise. "New Republic" is no exception. Perennial fan favourites Timothy Zahn ("Jade Solitaire") and Michael A. Stackpole are present here, along with previous anthology author Patricia Jackson, and they do not disappoint. And the newcomers, including Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl ("Simple Tricks"/"Hutt and Seek"), uphold the high standards of their peers. Overall, the collaboration creates a wonderful web of stories which shed some light on the more neglected corners of the literary Galaxy, from the secretive Hutt crime syndicates to the elusive adventures of Mara Jade. The marvellous diversity of offerings ensures that even the most discerning reader will find something -- or, most likely, several somethings -- to suit her taste. A terrific read, and I can hardly wait for the next one!
Rating: Summary: Decent Book, but still a must buy. Review: As a big fan of star wars (go on...ask me anything), and especially the short story anthologies, I found this book worth buying. The stories aren't as good as in the Tales from the Empire collection, but Paul Danner's Boba Fett tale makes the book worth buying regardless. Two major dissapointments were Patricia A. Jackson's stories: Longest Fall and Uhl Earl Kohn (or some such nonsense). Longest Fall is about an Imperial getting choked to death by a dark jedi...nothing else...weird. The second is a sequal to her Brandl story in Tales from the Empire. The first Brandl installment was better, but both are really an aquired taste. The third can't even be aquired (And that's coming from an unconditional star wars fan). If you can instead get a couple of copies of the original Star Wars Adventure Journal, that would be better.
Rating: Summary: Decent Book, but still a must buy. Review: As a big fan of star wars (go on...ask me anything), and especially the short story anthologies, I found this book worth buying. The stories aren't as good as in the Tales from the Empire collection, but Paul Danner's Boba Fett tale makes the book worth buying regardless. Two major dissapointments were Patricia A. Jackson's stories: Longest Fall and Uhl Earl Kohn (or some such nonsense). Longest Fall is about an Imperial getting choked to death by a dark jedi...nothing else...weird. The second is a sequal to her Brandl story in Tales from the Empire. The first Brandl installment was better, but both are really an aquired taste. The third can't even be aquired (And that's coming from an unconditional star wars fan). If you can instead get a couple of copies of the original Star Wars Adventure Journal, that would be better.
Rating: Summary: Kind of like little Star Wars nuggets of truth . . . Review: Combining a collection of never-printed short stories from the now-vaporized Star Wars Adventure Journal with a new novella between Timothy Zahn and Michael Stackpole, Tales of the New Republic scores. While most readers will probably give Zahn and Stackpole's novella as their favorite story, I would have to go with "No Disintegrations, Please" by Paul Danner. It is just a great little action piece starring Boba Fett, and with his moves, the whole slapstick-"death" scene in Return of the Jedi just looks the more ridiculous. Oh well, Lucas had no idea the character would create a mythos all its own. Anyway, all in all, this is a great time-killer and an easy introduction into the Star Wars world (although some references might be lost to new readers).
Rating: Summary: Good, But A Few Stories Were Really Strange Review: Don't get me wrong- I liked most of the tales in this book. However, I thought that "The Longest Fall" was just too weird for words. I think it was just written to bring about realization of the nastiness of dark Jedi. Still, many stories were masterful additions to the anthology. I particularly enjoyed the Boba Fett and Bel Iblis stories because of the alternative views and great details they presented. I thought the addition of Hal Horn and Ysanne Isard to the story about Iblis was a particularly good touch. All in all, I gave this book four stars because most of the stories were good, but others(my earlier example and the tale about the two dark Jedi in mind)were just outright unusual and disappointingly strange.
Rating: Summary: Good, But A Few Stories Were Really Strange Review: Don't get me wrong- I liked most of the tales in this book. However, I thought that "The Longest Fall" was just too weird for words. I think it was just written to bring about realization of the nastiness of dark Jedi. Still, many stories were masterful additions to the anthology. I particularly enjoyed the Boba Fett and Bel Iblis stories because of the alternative views and great details they presented. I thought the addition of Hal Horn and Ysanne Isard to the story about Iblis was a particularly good touch. All in all, I gave this book four stars because most of the stories were good, but others(my earlier example and the tale about the two dark Jedi in mind)were just outright unusual and disappointingly strange.
Rating: Summary: Good little collection Review: I like short stories. I like Star Wars shorties. I did not particular like Tales From Jabba's Palace, but I did the others. And I really like half of this collection. Now what I don't like. Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl have created two annoying characters who unfortunately get two stories in this collection. Neither are worth much, except as space fillers. Too many stories concern Dark Jedi, and yet another forgotten Jedi MAster that Vader somehow missed. But despite this their are some gems. The short novel by Zahn and Stackpole, the amusing Boba Fett tale written by an author with a wink and a smile. A treasure hunt/romance, and some wonderful conversations between two prisoners. These stories make the collection worth while, and provide interesting expansions of the universe. What needs to be put out though, is a collection of their best stories, exorcising the works of mediocore authors like Cassidy and Pahl and celebrating those whose works amaze and delight us, without ever previously hearing their names.
Rating: Summary: Overestimated Review: I must say, I was disappoined in this book. First, the short stories were too long and packed unpleasantly with unnecessary detail. Fancy wording took up too much space. Terminology was a bit 'off.' Isn't a Jedi one who has undergone training to become one? Also, if one wants to write a novel, write one, don't try to squeeze it doen to a short story.
Rating: Summary: Newest SW anthology a great read Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the newest SW anthology. Being an avid SW fan, it always does my heart good to see that stories featuring new characters can keep the GFFA alive and vibrant. Mike Stackpole and Timothy Zahn's "Interlude at Darknell" were masterfully told, as usual and I greatly enjoyed Zahn's "Jade Solitaire" as well. I also loved the co-writing team of Tish Pahl and Chris Cassidy, who have created two very strong female SW characters oozing with personality. Likewise, I adored Patricia Jackson's "Final Exit" - which tied classic literature by Ambrose Bierce into a GFFA setting (I must admit to confusion to negative reviews on the latter - my only assumption must be that these individuals must not be well read in the classics <shrug>). Overall, a wonderful and enjoyable read. I'd highly recommend it to any SW fan!
Rating: Summary: The Good, The Bad, And Tales From The New Republic Review: I've always enjoyed the Tales' books. I love reading Star Wars books, and just can't find the time to read a whole novel without starting something else. All of the Tales' books give you a good enough dose of Star Wars stories to keep making you want to learn more about other books and authors. That is one more wonderful thing about Tales' books. You can figure out which author is too your liking, and which ones are too advanced in the Star Wars lingo that you have no idea what they're talking about in their stories. In a few books, I can read the first paragraph and say to myself, 'What the heck is this story about? Whats this guy talking about? Whats that word mean?'. I myself have found Paul Danner to be great for new readers of Star Wars books. I really got caught up in both of his stories in Tales From The New Republic. He writes exactly how I would want to, and you know exactly what this author is saying in his stories. If you're new to Star Wars books, and want to get an idea of what the authors are like, check out Tales From The new Republic as well as other great Tales' books. I know many people have said bad things about this book, but there is nothing I can find wrong with it. it may not be one of the greatest, but is one worth checking out.
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