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Book: Star Wars: Invincible

Posted on June 16th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Books, Star Wars.

NO SPOILERS: This basically means I can’t say anything, but at this point, it seems the appropriate policy to continue following.  I’ll just spoil the whole series in a different post later.

Title: Invincible
.       (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, book 9)
Author: Troy Denning
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Anna’s Rating: 5/5 (I was on the fence between giving this a 4 and a 5, but the imagery and emotions are still with me two months later, so I think that earns a 5.  Great ending to a good series.)

What CAN I say?  It was well-written.  It ended as I expected.  I was OK with things as they ended.  Really, how can you talk at all about the final novel in a nine-book series without spoiling everything?  I can only say that reading The Legacy of the Force has, from start to finish, been enjoyable, and I’d recommend it to all my fellow Star Wars geeks.

And with that, I give you the quotes:

Jaina: “Of all the things I learned training with Boba Fett, the most important were these two: he isn’t a good guy, and he’ll never be our friend.”
Han: “I always said you were our smart one.”
- Han Solo, in response to Jaina Solo, p. 29 (hardcover)

“…sticks out like a Gamorrean at a state banquet.”
- p. 63

Jaina: “Shoot straight and run fast. … What?  Don’t tell me that’s something Mandalorians only say to women.”
Vatok: “Only to assassins.  To commandos, you say, Die proud.”
- Our daily dose on Mandolorian culture, brought to you by Jaina and Vatok on p. 111 (hardcover)

“Eventually, we all betray something…  It’s what we stay true to that counts.”
- Ben Skywalker, p. 150 (hardcover)

“No one you love really ever has to die — not if you don’t want them to…All you have to do is hold a place in your heart for them.”
- Author’s narration, p. 281 (hardcover)

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Trooping: Troy Denning Book Signing

Posted on June 14th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog.

[Woot!  Got my copy of Invincible signed by author Troy Denning!]

As we all know, I’ve been waiting impatiently for the final Star Wars: Legacy of the Force books to come out.  The last one came out on Tuesday, May 13th.  I immediately rushed to the Park Slope Barnes & Noble, picked up my copy, and stated reading it on the train ride home.

[Random: I was starving and went to Dunkin’ Donuts in full stormtrooper armor.]

Conveniently the Empire City Garrison was doing a troop at the author’s book signing out on Long Island this past Sunday.  So, I schlepped on out to the LIRR’s Huntington Station - Merin, where were you??? - and joined my garrison at a neat local book shop, Book Revue.

[TK7888 reading Invincible.  Yes, stormtroopers can read!  More impressive, they can almost sit, too!]

It was fun to get out in an area where folks are surprised by the site of stormtroopers.  As we pulled up, the taxi driver looked out the window and stared: “Now, there’s something you don’t see every day…”  But, it depends on who you are…I do see that every day.

[Group picture: Empire City Garrison with Troy Denning and his honorary 501st Legion membership plaque, which we presented to him that day]

The event got a good mix of people.  I was impressed to find that at least half the audience was female…are there more fan girls out there than I realize, or does Legacy of the Force, with it’s strong female character development, just appeal more to women?

[Sometimes putting a plastic bucket over your head impedes communication:
TK7888: “Man!  Where did people get those posters…?”
Employee: “We had them up from at the desk.”
TK7888: eyes light up
Employee: “Did you want one?”
TK7888: gives her more enthusiastic smile
Employee: “I said, do you want one?”
TK7888: “Oh, you can’t see me grinning maniacly…  Yes, I’d really like to have one.”]

And on a random note, I have officially declared Troy Denning to be The Man.  I asked a woman hovering around him if she was from DelRay, the publisher.  When she said no, Mr. Denning asked me why I was asking.  I explained that I had just been hoping to get a coy of the picture that DelRay took of me with Terry Brooks at New York Comic Con, which apparently never made the DelRay monthly newsletter cut.  It wasn’t a big deal - we’d work with DelRay again, and I’d find someone.

That was when Mr. Denning pulled out his personal notepad and a pen and asked me to put down my name e-mail, and some information about the picture.  I was so shocked that he was going out of his way to help a stranger (though I admit I help pay his salary.)  I put my info down, hoping that maybe, someday, I might hear from someone…if anyone cared enough…  Grateful though I was, my hopes were none too high.

So I was rather shocked when, the next afternoon, I recieved an e-mail from DelRay with pictures forwarded on from Terry Brooks himself.  I couldn’t believe it.  I had two bestselling authors, and the good people at DelRay, going out of their way to make one fan’s day better.  So, yea though they may never see it, many thanks to Troy Denning, Terry Brooks, and to all the hands this passed through at DelRay…you really made my day, and you inspire me to go the extra mile to help others.

[Myself/TK-7888 with Star Wars author Troy Denning]

Troy Denning books that I’ve read (or plan to read):

1. Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Inferno
2. Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Tempest
3. Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Invincible
4. Star Wars: Dark Nest: The Joiner King
5. Star Wars: Dark Nest: The Unseen Queen
6. Star Wars: Dark Nest: The Swarm War

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New York Comic Con: Terry Brooks

Posted on June 11th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog.

A little bit of history…

I first read Tolkien back in 6th or 7th grade.  I was excited.  I wanted to read more fantasy.  I had no idea what to read.  So, at some point on an evening in 7th grade I was at my local Barnes & Noble staring at the Sci-fi/Fantasy section when some random 20-something stranger asked if I was looking for something in particular.  This seems strange, in retrospect, but stay with me.

I explained my situation and the man bent over and pulled a red book off the shelf: The Sword of Shannara.  If I had liked Tolkien, he told me, I would enjoy this, too.  I decided to risk it and took the 700-page volume home.  I loved it, and I’ve reread it enough times that I think the cover is falling off my first copy…

So you can imagine my excitement when I found out Terry Brooks would be at New York Comic Con.  I wished I had that original copy of The Sword of Shannara with me for him to sign, but I settled for purchasing his new manga and asking him to sign that instead.

When I got up to the table, the DelRay rep took one look at me, standing in stormtrooper armor with a copy of Terry Brooks’ latest work, and exclaimed that between Star Wars and Terry Brooks, my interests summed up DelRay itself in one image.  Then they asked if I would mind terribly taking a photo with Mr. Brooks for their monthly newsletter…as you can imagine, I didn’t put up much of a fuss…

[Left to right, it’s Robert Napton, myself, and Terry Brooks; photo by Judine Brooks]

Since this event, I’ve also helped one of my 11-year-old students purchase a copy of The Sword of Shannara - he asked me to pick out a fantasy book, so…spread the joy, right?

(The story of how I eventually got this picture will be posted HERE shortly.)

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