A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I said with the previous book, there probably isn’t too much that’s new to say about this book given its age and the popularity of the TV show.

I think I once read that ASOIAF was originally meant to be a trilogy and this book definitely has a feel of expanding the narrative without resolving much. A lot is set up and I’m definitely ready for book 3, but if I’d been reading this when it first came out, I wonder if it would’ve contained enough forward momentum on the plot to keep me engaged in the series.

Star Wars: Dark Empire by Tom Veitch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As I said in one of my status updates, this is no longer canon as Disney erased the Extended Universe canon when they took over the franchise. I’m not bothered - we comic book fans are used to canon being changed and alternate universes. I can still enjoy the story.

What’s interesting is that this is a radio play based on a comic book. If I remember correctly, it’s by the same people who did the NPR radio play of the original trilogy. The voice acting is a little wooden, but Billy Dee Williams stops in to do Lando and his acting is great.

Return of the Jedi Radio Drama by Brian Daley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This radio play reminded me that Return of the Jedi is the Star Wars movie I like the least. The plot isn’t all that interesting and the parts that are supposed to resonate most with Vader and Luke just don’t do it for me. I think the first two are much better. This is also the first of the radio plays that doesn’t have Mark Hammil as Luke. Overall it’s a good radioplay, it’s just that the source material wasn’t as good.

The Empire Strikes Back: The Original Radio Drama by Brian Daley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great voice acting all around. Not as much extra supplementary material compared to A New Hope, but still some fun extra scenes and exposition because it’s a radio play and they have to describe stuff that’s happening.

As before, I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys Star Wars.

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama by National Public Radio

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a lot of fun. Instead of an audiobook, it’s basically a radio play. The movie balloons from 2ish hours to 4 hours, but it adds in a lot of backstory that gives some of the characters, especially Leia, a lot more complexity. I definitely recommend it!

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A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What can I truly say? This book is about 20 years old and obviously it was exciting enough to make in into the HBO show. For a long time I resisted reading because I’d heard there were a lot of departures from the show (like characters getting combined) and I didn’t want to get confused. I also didn’t want to start until all seven books were done. At his current rate, the series may not end before GRRM does.

Rogue by J.T. Vaydensen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I got this book free in exchange for a review

Rarely does my opinion of a book change so drastically from beginning to end (and throughout). When I started the book, I was wary of where it was going to go. It seemed a bit too nice and clean. Then, mid-way through I started thinking I’d give it maybe three stars. And at the end it ended up with 4. It’s not a perfect book by any means. But it won me over, by golly, and somehow I just ended up really liking it.

God Is Disappointed in You by Mark Russell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I was a kid I was a huge Bible nerd. I read The Picture Bible at least 5 times front to back (one of my first comics, now that I think about it). I’ve read MOST of the Bible a few times. (I usually skimmed Numbers and Deuteronomy). Back then I used to fantasize about someone writing the Bible in the regular vernacular. I’d mostly grown up with King James and NIV. NIV wasn’t bad, but it was still hard to get a perfect grip on things. After a while, I came across more translations and a few of those Bibles had good intros about how hard it is to make a good translation. Essentially you can either go for literal exactness or the spirit of the words. And those choices make a big deal when you’re talking about fundamentalists choosing whether or not to hate someone based on what the Bible says. So I gave up on my fantasy.