Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 7

Patterson, James and NaRae Lee. Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 7. 2013. 208p. ISBN 9780759529731. Available in the graphic novels section of the library. 

In Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol 6, Fang posted on his blog the locations of all of the Itex facilities the Flock had discovered as they were chased around the world. Blog readers congregate to all of these facilities and violently protest Itex's evil plans. As the German facility come under attack, Max and the flock escape, taking Itex's head scientist in the air with her. The scientist, who claimed to be Max's mother, refuses to cooperate, and Max drops her, but her conscience does not allow her to let the woman die, so she saves her in the end.

Max and the rest of the flock returns to the UInited States to stay with Dr. Martinez. They participate in a meeting with the US government which turns sour, and a bomb in their hotel room reminds them that they are still hunted. As a result, Dr. Martinez secures a position on a research vessel heading to the Antarctic. There, the scientists, who are all young, hope that Max and the rest of them can help them study climate change. 

Though life on the ship comes with challenges, especially as Fang and a young scientist named Brigid Dwyer seem to be hitting off, upsetting Max who has mixed feelings towards Fang. Total also has difficulty connecting with the onboard ship dog. But as the flock settles into a routine and learn new powers and new skills, a villain somewhere else in the world is setting up an auction to purchase the flock members ...

The story continues in Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 8.

Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 6

Patterson, James and NaRae Lee. Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 6. 2012. 240p. ISBN 9780759529724. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Imprisoned at the school once again, Max's flock discovered that Angel had betrayed them in Maximum Ride, vol. 5. As they face execution at the hands of the mechanized Erasers, Angel reveals that she acted as a double agent and infiltrated Itex. She frees the flock, and they fly away after a brutal battle. Fang is not thrilled that Max allowed Ari to come with them. In the past, Ari has been their sworn enemy, and fought against them. But now saddled with an expiration date, Ari turns his coat and wishes to spend the little time that remains with friends, instead of with scientists.

The decision to let Ari come splits the flock in two. Gassy, Izzy and Fang head west to California, while Max, Nudge, Angel and Ari board a plane to England, hoping to take the battle directly to Itex headquarters. First, they need to track it down. However, while they are here, Max agrees to play tourists, and the flock spends time enjoying the sights in London, then Paris, before discovering that Itex's facility is in Germany.

On the West Coast, Izzy is desperate for Fang and Gassy to describe the scenery. Fang continues to post on his blog, warning people of Itex' plans for eliminating half of the human race. The messages are supportive, but when he receives a note from Max informing him of Itex's location in Germany, all three of them agree to rejoin Max, despite Ari's presence.

At the facility Max meets her mother, only to learn that she's mother only in sponsoring the program. Jeb and Dr. Martinez, whom Max met in Maximum Ride, vol. 1, are her real parents. Itex relentlessly pursues its program, and all of the remaining hybrids are to be eliminated, having been replaced by perfected models. Max thus finds herself in a competition with the newest Eraser model, with the loser being eliminated ...

The story continues in Maximum Ride, vol 7.

Middlewest: The Complete Tale

Young, Skottie. Illustrated by Jorge Corona, Jean-François Beaulieu, and Nate Piekos. Middlewest: The Complete Tale. 2021. 560p. ISBN 9781534324534.

Abel is a young boy who is grappling with anger issues. His mother left them when he was younger, and he finds it increasingly harder to experience his father's angry outbursts and his continual putdowns. Despite having a steady job, Abel's physically and emotionally abusive father, Dave, never seems to be pleased or happy with his son. When he gets caught for shoplifting, Abel faces the furious wrath of his father, who literally unleashes a storm.

Forced to flee his now destroyed home and neighborhood, Abel and his companion, a literal Fox, head into Middlewest, looking for his mother. Abel soon realizes he's infected with the same storm that has destroyed his father. Finding a cure becomes of immediate importance. Assisted by an old man, Abel makes his way to a traveling fair, where the man's sister, Maggie, possesses some of the ancient magical skills that may be able to help him. 

At the fair, Abel meets Bobby, a mechanic his age, and her robot Wrench. Welcomed into the fold, Abel learns new skills, but when Maggie finally attempts to discover the source of Abel's anger, she accidentally releases the storm inside him, and the fair is wrecked. With people hurt, Maggie banishes Abel from the fair. Ignoring Maggie's pleas, Bobby also departs the fair, hoping to find Abel before it's too late.

Caught by a network of criminals who brings kidnapped children to a farm where they handle exploding fruits, Abel is reunited with Bobby. At the fair, meanwhile, Maggie marshals her friends to launch an assault against the farm. And in the background, ever getting closer, is the storm that is Dave, hoping to find Abel and present his excuses. 

Throughout this journey, Abel experiences a perilous landscape, where he must confront his inner demons and the legacy of his father's violence. He learns about his family history and struggles to define his own identity, ultimately seeking to break free from the cycle of abuse that has plagued his family for generations.

Middlewest tackles important themes and may resonate with readers who have experienced similar struggles. Readers who like graphic novel will find the illustrations intriguing and will enjoy this action-packed story.

The Ascendant Stars

Cobley, Michael. The Ascendant Stars. Book 3 of  Humanity's Fire. 2011. 467p. ISBN 9781841496351.

The forces in the galaxy are converging on Darien as the concluding chapter of Humanity's Fire reaches its climax. The Hegemony's battle fleet of over 2,000 ships is traveling toward the human planet, looking to inflict such a destructive lesson no one else will ever forget. A rag-tag alliance of representatives of the three lost human colonies with alien allies readies to defend the planet against overwhelming odds. Greg Cameron, the archeologist turned rebellion leader, successfully allies people with disparate interests as Catriona marshals Segrana and the Zyradin's vast resources to protect the planet and its inhabitants.

The Knight of the Legions of the Avatar has deployed his mechs and taken control of the warpwell on Giant's Shoulder, and the barriers preventing the rest of the Legions from escaping the deepest part of the hyperspace abyss have been removed. Meanwhile, the Construct and its myriad agents, among them Reski Emantes, work with the Earth Ambassador Robert Horst to defeat the Godhead, who set all of these plots in motion to gain ascension to a higher plane of existence. Talavares, the Godhead's agent, is ready to deploy 500 anti-dark matter missiles against 500 worlds, causing them to go supernova. Julia, like Catriona, an enhanced human, fractionalizes her mind and successfully escapes the prison her body has become. 

With all of these forces converging on Darien, the resulting confrontation threatens to destroy the galaxy!

Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 5

Patterson, James and NaRae Lee. Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 5. 2011. 240p. ISBN 9780759529700. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

The battle between the two Max that started in Maximum Ride, Vol. 4 ends with a decisive victory for the real Max, and she leads the flock away after Gassy and Iggy's bomb explodes and partially destroy the facility. Back on the run, Max and the rest find themselves in the forest. ITEX leadership activates their plan to halve the world's population, and the flock's termination is ordered, much to Jeb's chagrin. 

Traveling west, the flock reveals itself at a public event, confirming the rumors that have been circulating. The absence of Erasers is puzzling, however. Fissures emerge between Fang and Max, as Fang declares his need for a real home, instead of always running away. Max agrees to fly with  Fang to Ella, whom she met earlier, to see if the tracker can be removed from her arm. This should slow ITEX down.

Meanwhile, the rest of the flock is attacked by mechanical Erasers, and they are captured and reunited with Jeb. Angel seems to have a change of heart, and now wishes harm on her siblings. Max and Fang are also captured, and Jeb reveals they have been slated for destruction ...

The story continues in Maximum Rive, the Manga, Vol. 6.

Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 4

Patterson, James and NaRae Lee. Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 4. 2011. 240p. ISBN 9780759529700. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

The stability that the flock has gained since Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 3 as they've been living with Anne has been helpful. They've been eating regularly, getting exercise, and even learning at school. But Max is antsy. She feels like it's time to go and not stick around too much longer. Erasers know they're here, and Iggy and Gassy keep bringing explosives to school, getting themselves in trouble. Plus, they're still trying to find more information about their parents, and Nudge comes up with a possibility to break the code. Unfortunately that doesn't pan out, and they're back to square one.

Hunting through the school, they discover that it has only be recently converted into a school, and it seems set up to trick them into a sense of normalcy. Another confrontation with  Ari forces Max's hand, and she tells the flock they have to move. But all of them want to stay, so they can enjoy their first Thanksgiving. A report on television reveal Iggy's parents, who reported he was kidnapped 14 years ago. Iggy is finally reunited with them, only to find out his parents see him as their ticket to wealth.

When the school turns out to be part of the experiment for Max and the rest of the flock, she's not surprised, but when Jeb informs her that Anne is the lead on the project, Max feels betrayed. Fleeing, the flock heads towards Florida, but Max is captured, and a copy replaces her, leading the flock into another trap ...

The story continues in Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 5.

Orphaned Worlds

Cobley, Michael. Orphaned Worlds. Book 2 of the Humanity's Fire series. 2010. 480p. ISBN 9781841496337. 

The deployment of Brolturan troops on Darien in Seeds of Earth was followed by a stiffening resistance as the humans on the planet sought to defend their home against a ruthless invader. Greg Cameron finds himself the unlikely leader of the resistance defending against mech attacks and assaults from Brotulran troops. A Knight of the Legion of Avatars, an ancient sentient race that long ago merged with machines to transcend the bounds of flesh, reaches Darian and diverts control of a Sendrukan mech factory for its own nefarious purposes. Ambassador Robert Horst, who traveled through hyperspace to meet with the Construct and then on to request the Godhead's help, seeks to transport the Zyradin, an ancient ally of the Forerunners, back to Darien to shore up the defenses of the forest entity that protects the planet and its moon.

When religious fanatics destroy the Brotulran's flagship and land troops on Darien and its moon, the human warship is forced to withdraw. Meanwhile, a group of humans known as the Enhanced have been captured by another human, who serves the Spiral but has devious plans of her own in place. As AI takes control of the Brolturan positions and battle strategy, the Sendrukan ambassador is isolated in a shifting political situation. With forces gathering on Darien, the Legion's ancient evil seeks to escape from its prison deep in hyperspace. Will Catriona's transformation into Guardian thanks to the Zyradin help shift the balance of power?

Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 3

Patterson, James and NaRae Lee. Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 3. 2009. 246p. ISBN 9780759529694. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

While in New York following their travel in Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 2, Max and the flock run into flying Erasers, human/wolf hybrids who, like Max, have wings. Unlike the flock, however, they are stronger but they are clumsy flyers. In the battle, Fang is injured, and when he drops out of the sky, Max has no choice to go to the hospital for an emergency operation, and their status as winged humans is revealed.

There Max meets Anne Walker, an FBI agent in charge of investigating Jeb Batchelder, the geneticist who created Max and her siblings. Worried about being captured by Erasers, the family agrees to move in with Anne, who claims she can protect them on her farm. Things change again when Anne makes them go to school. For the first time, they find human connections and can pretend to be normal, even if some disciplinary issues arise due to their improved abilities. 

While there, Fang tells Max that perhaps the numbers they discovered in their files back in New York are map coordinates. Exploring them, they discover only dead ends. At school, Fang hits it off with a girl, and Max feels the pangs of jealousy, even though she has always thought of Fang as her brother. 

The Erasers are not done, however, and as they continue to track Max and the flock, Ari is working on a plan ...

The story continues in Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 4.

The Seeds of Earth

Cobley, Michael. The Seeds of Earth. Book 1 of the Humanity's Fire series. 2009. 400p. ISBN 9781841496320.

When Earth was attacked, three colony ships managed to escape. One of them crashed on a world the humans called Darien. Populated by Uvovo, a race of small furry scholarly humanoids who live in a symbiotic relationship with what remains of the large forest which once covered the entire planet and its moon. The humans crash landed on the planet after their ship AI took over controls of the colony ship. Over the last 150 years, this ragtag band of humans established cities on one of the continent, and developed a vibrant culture, incorporating Uvovo influence. The two races have been learning from each other, and the humans have been helping the Uvovo conduct archeological research on significant sites, including on Giant's Shoulder, in what appears to be an ancient temple.

Greg Cameron is one of these archeologists, and he works closely with Chel, one of the Uvovo scholars. They discover that Giant's Shoulder shelters a warpwell, an ancient device built by the Forerunners in their battle against the Legion of Avatars. This revelation coincides with the arrival in orbit of an Earth ship. Earth survived the insectoid assault and has allied itself with the Sendrukan Hegemony, a large star empire. The Earth ship transports a Sendrukan ambassador, who lands on Darien and soon assumes control. The Sendrukans call on their allies, the Brolturans, to provision troops and warships for the new planet. The Sendrukans are hoping to access the warpwell so they can dominate the galaxy.

As the situation degenerates on Darien, humanity's two other lost colonies are also brought into the galatic battle. A large cast of characters creates a proper space opera spanning the galaxy as ancient enemies seek to escape the bonds that keep them subdued in the lowest tiers of hyperspace to once again wreck destruction and impose their will on a suffering galaxy!

The story continues in Orphaned Worlds. 

Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 2

Patterson, James and NaRae Lee. Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 2. 2009. 262p. ISBN 9780759529687. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Shocked to discover in Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 1 that their father-like figure Jeb is not only still alive but is in fact still working for the School, Max finds herself a captive along with Angel, and witnesses that many others have been experimented on at the School with various animal DNA genetic manipulations. When Jeb tells her that her entire existence is designed to save the world, Max is not only dubious, she really doesn't care. 

Brought outside by Ari, chief of the Erasers, a childhood companion and Jeb's own son, Max and Angel escape with help provided by their friends Nudge, Fang, Iggy and Gassy. Armed with new information on the location of a secret facility in New York City that possesses their demographics, including the family they came from, and spurred on by Nudge, who really wants to meet her birth family, the flock heads east. In New York, Max starts receiving messages in her head that cripple her. A voice is providing her with details and locations, but there's no way she can trust everything it says. 

Several encounters with Erasers lead to the presumed death of Ari, but Max and the flock successfully exfiltrate information about their birth. Noting that all of their families were from northern Virginia, Max decides they should next head to Washington D.C....

The story continues in Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol 3.

Alive

Sigler, Scott. Alive. Book 1 of the Generations Trilogy. 2015. 345p. ISBN 9780553393101.

M. wakes up in a coffin. Terrorized, the twelve-year-old manages to break out of the confine of her wooden box, only to discover that there are 11 other wooden boxes in the room. Muffled sounds from another box indicates that someone else is trapped, so M. grabs a bar laying nearby and breaks the cover. Inside is another girl, about 15 or sixteen, who is relieved to be free, but who claims to also be 12, and that today is her birthday. Looking at herself, M. realizes she also has the body of a teenager. She doesn't remember much about her life, only having snippets of information. She can't even remember her own name, nor can she recall the faces of her parents.

In the room, they discover four more kids who are alive, and six who died in the coffins. All of the survivors are confused and scared, but M. takes control, and soon the group is roaming the hallway, looking for an exit. The hallway is straight and is inclined upward, indicating they must be buried deep within some sort of structure. When they come across another larger group of kids, M. contests their leader's command, and Bishop, who led the group, reluctantly yields to her. At heart, all of them are still 12, with predictable childish reactions.

As they search for food and water, the combined group encounters a feral pig, and soon come across a room filled with farmland, vegetables, fruits, and pigs. But just as they hunt the pig, the pigs are hunting them, and some of their comrades fall victims to the pigs' voracious appetite.

When one of M.'s new friend is kidnapped by strange monsters in the farmland, they escape back to the hallway, only to return to their point of origin. Suddenly it dawns on them that they are prisoners on a gigantic starship. And the monsters that hunt them are themselves, only adult and deformed by radiation and years spent in isolation in space. Will M and her group discover a way to escape this hell?

Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 1

Patterson, James and NaRae Lee. Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 1. 2009. 264p. ISBN 978-1-4242-6500-8. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Max has been genetically engineered with avian DNA. She's able to deploy wings that she can use to soar in the skies and fly like a bird. There are five others like her, and they escaped the School, the lab where they were confined. At fourteen, Max is their leader, and she will do anything to protect her flock. For three years they lived in a remote area of the country, but Erasers, individuals engineered with wolf DNA, have finally found them and seek to capture them to return Max and the rest of them to the School. During a battle near their home, Angel, the youngest one, is captured.

Supported by her friends Fang, Nudge, Iggy and Gasman, Max leads the flock to Death Valley so they can break into the School and rescue Angel. Along the way, Max saves a girl named Ella from assault but is hurt in the process. Ella takes Max home, where her veterinarian mother patches her up as best she can, before giving her money to help her. Max also learns she has a tracker implanted in her arm bone, which might be how the Erasers knew where they were. She tells Max that she can always return here if she needs a place to hide.

Unfortunately, the Erasers track the flock to a local fast-food restaurant, and Max is captured. Brought into the School, Max is reunited with Angel, and is shocked to learn that Jeb, the scientist who helped them escape all those years ago and who was presumed dead, is not only very much alive, but he's still working with the school! 

The story continues in Maximum Ride, the Manga, Vol. 2.

Fractured Tide

Lutz, Leslie. Fractured Tide. 2020. 336p. ISBN 9780310770107.

Like a fish in water, Sia loves to dive and explore shipwrecks. Running a charter boat with her mother and younger brother, Sia takes passengers out into the Florida Keys, where they can explore ships that sank years ago. Homeschooled on the boat, there's nowhere else Sia would rather be. And her life would be perfect, if only her dad wasn't in prison following a violent assault.

A dive at an old World War II wreck that starts just like the others, filled with the odd tourist, ends terribly when one of the divers Sia was charged with drowns. At first, Sia can't explain what happened to her mother, who is devastated. Sia can't or won't comprehend the huge grey shape with wiggling tentacles that seized the man and killed him. When their boat stops working, they are rescued by another charter boat, this one captained by a jerk named Phil and carrying students who are conducting a science expedition. Among these students are people Sia knows. Ben, a boy she kind of likes, and Stephanie, a girl she got in trouble and who happens to be Ben's ex-girlfriend.

When that ship is attacked by the monster and sunk, Sia washes ashore on a seemingly deserted island with her younger brother Felix, Ben, and Stephanie. Sia is confronted by another shipwrecked guy, who has a gun, but he disappears in the jungle. Without food or water, the teens must survive on the island, but they soon notice that everything seems to repeat over and over. And Sia has visions of things that have happened before, giving her hints as to actions she has taken in previous iterations of the loop they are caught in. 

With a monster still lurking in the water, with an island filled with secrets, and with a lunatic man who thinks he's a sailor from the sunken World War II wreck, Sia will need all of her survival and diving skills to keep her friends alive one more day ...

A great science fiction story reminiscent of the movie Ground Hog Day and the series Lost, the protagonists are caught in a perpetual loop that they must escape. Sia's feelings, experiences, and emotions are raw as she struggles with her current reality. Told in the form of diary entries, Fractured Tide captures the angst and agony of being caught with no way to escape.

Supernova

Meyer, Marissa. Supernova. Book 3 of the Renegades series. 2019. 549p. ISBN 9781250078384. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Having infiltrated the Renegades, Nova discovered in Archenemies where Ace Anarchy's helmet was being kept. Working with the Anarchists, she came up with a plan to rescue the helmet and deliver it to her uncle Ace, so he could regain his power. The helmet amplifies any prodigy power. This way, Nova hopes, the Renegades will be brought down once and for all. Unfortunately, the plan that she get close to Adrian, son of two of the Renegades Council Members, has worked too well, and Nova is feeling like she is falling for Adrian. Conflicted, she's not sure what is right and what is wrong anymore. The Renegades did not save her family, but most of the ones she met are good people who want to see the best for their city. As Nightmare, she wants to destroy them, but as Insomnia, she's made fast friends with many of them.

For Adrian, his prodigy power as Sketch are eclipsed by those he tattooed on himself, allowing him to become the Sentinel, a rogue prodigy that is wanted by the Council and hated by Nightmare. He too is falling in love with Nova, but doesn't know how to deal with this complicating situation. 

With the development of Agent N, which neutralizes prodigy powers, the world has become a much more dangerous place. Nightmare and the Sentinel are on a collision course as both sides get ready for the most epic battle yet, while Nova and Adrian are getting closer to each other. Can both of these realities exist at the same time?

A satisfying conclusion to the Renegade trilogy, Supernova will still leave fans craving for more!

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. 2004. 324p. ISBN 9780743487580. 

The story of Frankenstein is a familiar one to most, even if the details are hazy. Everyone is familiar with the monster that Dr. Frankenstein created, but what if the real monster was the good doctor? In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is a dedicated man of science who is intrigued in the possibility of conquering death, and devises experiments to discover how to prevent people from dying. But to really stop dying, one must first figure out how life begins. Stealing body parts from corpses or murdering people to obtain them. Victor builds a man stitched together, and uses electricity to bring it to life. Unfortunately, he is immediately stricken with how hideous and horrific his creation truly is, and he renounces his newborn.

Left to rot and fend for himself, Frankenstein's monster loses what little innocence he had at the beginning, and he vows revenge on Victor and those he loves to punish him for his hubris. Chased by a relentless monster he cannot bring himself to destroy, Victor must flee to the end of the Earth, hoping against hope that he will find a salvation that will never come.

Written by Mary Shelley when she was only 18 years old, Frankestein inaugurated both the science fiction and the gothic genres, and explored what it means to be truly human. Frankestein is a must-read for fans of gothic horror, and in the modern age of genetic manipulations and science that pushes back the limit of what is possible, the questions that Frankenstein raise remain important.

Archenemies

Meyer, Marissa. Archenemies. Book 2 of the Renegades series. 2018. 471p. ISBN 9781250078308. Available at FIC MEY on the library shelves.

As an Anarchist named Nightmare, Nova was feared for her ability to put people to sleep just by touching them. In Renegades, Nova wanted to wreck revenge on those she holds responsible for her parents and her sister's deaths. With her fellow Anarchists, she developed a plan that involved entering into Renegade service. After successfully completing trials, Nova took the name Insomnia and she joined the ranks of the law-enforcing Renegades, a group of prodigies who possess super powers. Her plan was simple. She would discover where they keep the helmet of Ace Anarchy, the super villain that almost destroyed Gatlon City, who happens to be her uncle. 

As Insomnia, Nova was assigned to Adrian's squad. Adopted by Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden, Adrian is known as Sketch, as his drawings come to life, and he is both respected and loved. Nova was tasked with making Adrian fall in love with her, so that she could gain access to secrets and inside information. 

But both Nova and Adrian have secrets. As Nightmare, she wants to destroy the Renegades. Adrian, for his part, is the Sentinel, a prodigy who's wanted by the very Renegades that he leads. When they both learn that the Renegades have developed Agent N, a neutralizer that removes a prodigy's powers, they both realize that the dangerous game they have been playing has just turned deadly. With the line between good and evil never clearer, both Adrian and Nova must make choices that will change their lives and their feelings for each other forever ...

The story concludes in Supernova.

The Last Command

Zahn, Timothy. The Last Command. Book 3 of the Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy. 1993. 467p. ISBN 9780553091861.

In Dark Force Rising, Grand Admiral Thrawn displayed masterly tactical skills, employing his dark Jedi to facilitate the destruction of the New Republic. Having gathered to him what was left of the Imperial forces. and having recovered the technology to once again clone soldiers, Thrawn is making a bid to restore the Empire. With Princess Leia pregnant with twins and barely holding the Alliance together, Hans and Luke are tasked to once again reverse a hopeless situation.

While Hans gathers smugglers and criminals, with the plan of making one last stand against Thrawn, Luke leads a small team inside the cloning facility with the aim of destroying it and cutting the flow of Imperial soldiers. But with the Emperor's assassin still on the loose, and a dark Jedi to contend with, Skywalker might finally have met his match!

A vivid conclusion to what should have been the trilogy that followed Return of the Jedi, The Last Command delivers fantastic action, plenty of space battles, and a satisfying conclusion. Fans of Star Wars will love this book!

Dark Force Rising

Zahn, Timothy. Dark Force Rising. Book 2 of the Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy. 1992. 439p. ISBN 9780553085747.

With the destruction of the Empire and the rise of the New Republic, imperial forces have regrouped following the events of Heir to the Empire. Under the leadership of Grand Admiral Thrawn, imperial forces have concocted a plan to restore the Empire. Employing a former Jedi to coordinate attacks, Thrawn has taken no chances and has surrounded himself with loyal bodyguards who are immune to mind control, as well as plants that prevent the former Jedi from manipulating him. Using information fed from the New Republic senate, his forces are on the move, looking to strike at the New Republic and probe its defenses.

Han Solo and Lando Calrissian have been tasked by Princess Leia to find out where the vital information that is being fed to Thrawn is coming from. Someone, or a small group of people, have infiltrated the New Republic and are leaking its most important secrets. Looking for evidence, Han and Lando cross the galaxy, only to discover that a large fleet warships has been assembled, ready to deliver doom to the nascent New Republic.

Meanwhile, Thrawn's former Jedi serves the Grand Admiral for his own reasons, hoping to corrupt Luke Skywalker the way Darth Vader was unable to do. And at the same time, the Emperor's assassin, who survived the collapse of the Empire, seeks Skywalker herself, so that she can avenge the death of her Emperor and fulfill her last mission. 

As Thrawn moves his forces throughout the galaxy, the leaders of the New Republic are in a race for their own survival!

The story concludes in The Last Command.

Infinitum

 Fielder, Tim. Infinitum. 2021. 288p. ISBN 9780062964083.

The political marriage between King AjA Oba and of Queen Lewa resulted in the most powerful state on the African continent. United together, Oba's military skills and his physical strength, coupled with Lewa's political savviness, led to an era of prosperity and relative peace, and their names were known throughout the ancient world, from the Olmec in Central America to the Babylonians in the east. Unfortunately, the two of them were not able to conceive, so with Lewa's permission, Oba turned to Obinrin, a powerful witch, and together they had a child. When the child aged, Oba came to collect him, but Obinrin refused to turn him over. Oba kidnapped his own son and had Obinrin killed, but she cursed him that he would survive past the death of his loved ones.

Oba and Lewa lived a long time, watching their son grow and become a powerful ruler. Whereas Lewa and everyone around him grew old, Oba remained ageless, and soon saw the death of both his wife and his son. Oba's heart was crushed and he grieved for ages as his empire slowly crumbled around him. When his kingdom finally fell, Oba realized the extent of Obinrin's curse. He would live forever, and he could not be killed. 

Oba became a pilgrim, traveling the world and lending his strength where it was needed. He assaulted Rome with Hannibal, fought imperial wars in Africa, was enslaved and went to the United States, freed slaves, fought in the civil war, went back to Europe during the First World War and the Second World War, fought in Vietnam, and in Desert Storm. Throughout all of it he met people he loved, only to watch them die. Numbed to violence, Oba turned to the stock market and became rich, playing the long game. When faster-than-light travel was discovered, Oba turned his prodigious financial resources to building a new society on a faraway planet. Unfortunately, conflicts with aliens caused more destruction, and Oba once again found himself fighting, this time for humanity's very survival.

Dune

Herbert, Frank. Dune. Book 1 of the Dune series. 1990. 535p. ISBN 978-0-329-05537-0. Available at FIC HER on the library shelves.

Duke Leto Atreides represents an ascending House in the Imperium, and his strong military is perceived as a menace by the Emperor. Hatching a plan to get rid of this troublesome House, Duke Atreides is given command of the planet Arrakis, once controlled by House Harkonnen. Arrakis is important because this is where spice is harvested. Spice enables space navigators to travel the stars, and he who controls the spice trade sits on a colossal fortune. Following the transition of power, Harkonnen troops, assisted by imperial elite units, will attack Arrakis, eliminate Atreides, and allow the Emperor to avoid the appearance of choosing sides.

Sensing a trap, Duke Leto nonetheless accepts the command, as he hopes to strike an alliance with the Fremen, the fanatical inhabitants of Arrakis. He moves to Arrakis with his concubine, Jessica, and their son, Paul. Accompanied with military experts, they take control of the planet and foil several Harkonnen assassination attempts. Undermined from within, Duke Leto succumbs during a surprise attack, and the Atreides are defeated at the hands of Baron Harkonnen. Paul and Jessica escape into the desert, and soon join forces with the Fremen. 

Acclaimed as the savior, Paul soon takes control of the Fremen, and leads them into an assault on the Harkonnens and the imperial troops. 

One of the best science fiction adventures, Dune is part political treatise, part philosophy, part religious allegory, and a whole lot of adventure. Fans of gritty space stories will appreciate Paul's drive to survive and defeat his enemies while understanding his struggle to accept his destiny as savior.