Tag: Timothy Zahn

Star Wars: Choices of One

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511blgb5tpl._sx106_Choices of One
Star Wars
by Timothy Zahn
Ebook, 384 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Zahn brings some much needed polished writing to the Star Wars universe. I actually put the book down when I got tired so that I would be able to understand what he was writing.[and yes, that is a good thing]

I had fun reading this, a bit more than I had reading Star Wars Allegiance, not sure why though. Seemed to have more action than I remember in Allegiance.

Glad I bought this one…

Domino Pattern

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Domino Pattern
Quadrail #4
Timothy Zahn
SF
4 Stars
epub, 229 pages

this confirms it. Zahn is officially trying his hand at the mystery genre while staying in Scifi. Overall, it reminded me of the Asimov book Caves of Steel. It was well written, interesting, kept moving along without getting hung up on inconsequential details and ended well while at the same time setting up BIG things for the future.

So now Compton and friends are in league with a modhri. And it looks like the big bad aliens who ruled for a millennium or more a long time ago are coming back.

Zahn ratchets up the threat level in each book. I have to wonder if he is contracted to write “x” number of books in this series? I just hope it ends well. This is a good solid addition to a Zahn library. I enjoyed it more than Third Lynx or Odd Girl Out.

DRAGON AND LIBERATOR

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DRAGON AND LIBERATOR
Dragonback #6
Timothy Zahn
YA SF
4 Stars
364 Pages, paperbook

The finale to the DragonBack series.

Jack and Draycos, along with others, save the fleet of immigrants and in the process figure out that a Human/K’da pairing are immune to the Death ray. All the badguys get defeated after much daring-do and Jack ends up as the Ambassador to the new colonists, who have been given a world by the rich guy, who turns out to be Alison’s grandfather.

This was a good YA series. Fantastic Zahn.

Odd Girl Out

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Odd Girl Out
Quadrail #3
Timothy Zahn
SF
3 stars
379 pages

Compton and Bayta help a girl who is part of a group. This group is in symbiosis with a variant of the Mhodri, in an attempt for the Chahwyn to create an army of their own to fight back against the Mhodri.

This was so filled with “I know that they know that I know that I will do this to…” that it was just confusing. Read the first 2 or 3 chapters, read the last 3 chapters, and your have the story in a nutshell. I enjoyed this only because I enjoyed the previous 2 books in the series. Pretty blase work though. I really hope Zahn ups his game in any forthcoming Quadrail books or I’m afraid they just won’t be worth reading.

The Third Lynx

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The Third Lynx
Quadrail #2
Timothy Zahn
sf
3 stars
350 pages

Sequel to Night Train to Rigel. Going to be a series, that is for sure. The Modhri tries to get its ‘limbs’ on some sort of weapon. Compton and Bayta draw a little closer. Ends with Compton realizing that there is a whole world of hidden spaceships and weapons for the Modhri, and he has to keep it secret.

The whole flavor is very light and almost fluff. I am looking for a little bit more depth and substance from Zahn. This universe has a lot to offer, I hope that Zahn utilizes it appropriately.

Dragon and Judge

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Dragon and Judge
Dragonback #5
Timothy Zahn
ya sf
4 stars
318 pages

Jack goes to the planet where his parents died. Finds out that they were Judge-Paladins and that someone from Braxton Universi engineered it. Drayco and Jack are discovering even more abilities, telepathy. Alison and Taneem go off to another planet and are kidnapped by Neverlin to work on cracking the safes that tell where the rendezvous point for the incoming K’da fleet is. She succeeds. Jack also rescues a Starforce pilot who then begins to infiltrate Neverlin right at the end of the book. Enjoyable.

Dragon and Herdsman

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Dragon and Herdsman
Dragonback #4
Timothy Zahn
YA SF
4 stars
299 pages

The best of the Dragonback novels so far. Alison comes back into the story, Jack and Drayco find a “colony” of K’da, who seem to have reverted back to animalism, and one of them bonds with Alison and becomes intelligent again. Right at the end there are “leads” that point to Alison working for Neverlin. Personally, I think she is working for Braxton. The plot starts to be less simplistic and more “Zahn’y” ;-). I really am liking this series, the more it goes on, the better!

Dragon and Soldier

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Dragon and Soldier
Dragonback #2
Timothy Zahn
SF ya
4 stars
293 pages

Jack and Draycos continue their search for the ships that destroyed Draycos’ scouts. Introduces a female character who is setup so that she will obviously be in later books, investigating Jack and Draycos. I enjoyed this very much.

Dragon and Thief

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Dragon and Thief
Dragonback #1
Timothy Zahn
YA sf
4 stars
248 pages

A young former thief, on the run for a crime he actually didn’t commit, hooks up, literally, with a dragon who is the sole survivor of an ambush. Their enemies are linked, so they help each other out. This was meant for teens, and it shows, but it isn’t a bad thing. I’d introduce Zahn to a preteen with this series[Dragonback series] and then lead them on from there 🙂