Book #30 of 2023: The Afterward by E. K. Johnston I like the idea of following up with a band of adventurers after they’ve completed their quest to save the world, and all the more so that our focus is on a pair of young women who became romantically entwined on that adventure but are …
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Book #86 of 2021: Star Wars: Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston This Star Wars novel follows fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano on her first real solo adventure, helping to fill in the gap between her appearances on the animated shows The Clone Wars and Rebels. (And because this franchise’s release schedule is all out of chronological …
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Book #135 of 2020: Star Wars: Queen’s Peril by E. K. Johnston This Star Wars novel has a few neat moments — like handmaiden Sabé’s brief female love interest — but is overall far too disjointed to be effective. It’s a prelude to the first prequel movie followed by a retelling of that film’s events …
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Book #75 of 2019: Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston Despite my hopes, this YA novel doesn’t really live up to its potential as the first canonical Star Wars story to focus on Padmé Amidala and her handmaidens. Taking place roughly halfway between the prequel movies The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, …
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Book #31 of 2018: Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View edited by Elizabeth Schaefer In honor of the 40th anniversary of the first Star Wars movie, this book presents 40 short stories retelling the events of that film from the perspective of various minor characters — from Jawas to stormtroopers to the thing …
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Book #244 of 2017: Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E. K. Johnston Fiction about rape can easily turn maudlin, but E. K. Johnston has written a tightly-focused story of a high school cheerleader who refuses to consider herself a victim, even as she struggles to overcome the trauma. It’s a tricky balance, and sensitive …
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