Rereading:
Captain Nemo by Kevin J. Anderson
This tale celebrates and pays homage to the work of Jules Verne. The conceit is that Verne based a lot of his stories on the exploits and adventures of his friend Andre Nemo. This allows for use of those concepts without having to keep all of the details exactly alike since the books were only "based on a true story."
Star Trek: Brinkmanship by Una McCormack
Una does character, culture, and wordcraft as well or better than any author out there, and this is on fully display in her Typhon Pact entry. I'm at the end of the third chapter, and I can just imagine the fun and satisfaction she had in showcasing Picard's finely honed diplomatic skills.
Reading:
Mars by Ben Bova
I've been fascinated by the concept of the Grand Tour series for a long time, but book length and slightly lower rating averages have kept me away until now. I like the mixture of planetary exploration with understandable human relationships and politics in Mars quite a lot, enough to want to read other works in the series. There is more focus on people's sex lives in this story than I was expecting. It's not enough to be off-putting, but it is something to be aware of when considering reading it.
Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Chris Kempshall
I'm reading this one or two chapters at a time because it is pretty dense material. It is well written and has obvious applicability to our own lives. Some of the sentences, even though they are sometimes very long, have been fragments. I am not sure if this is from intentional stylistic decision or if they were not caught in editing.
One of the joys in reading new Star Wars reference books is seeing how they incorporate new material, especially since so much of the older material is now in a "pick and choose" status. Some obvious stuff that is making an impact in this new book is Andor, Rebels, and the sequel trilogy.
Overall, I'm enjoying all four books in progress and excited for my future 2025 reading.
