I love one (1) sassy, socially awkward, serial-obsessed rogue Murderbot.

Murderbot and ART’s dynamic was such a joy to read, oh my goodness. It really elevated this novella from the last, and the character development is great thus far. I audibly aww’ed when one of the humans at the end asked to hug Murderbot! It’s just so cute to see how Murderbot treasures its humans :’) even if it is too shy to engage.

Maybe we’ll see the rogue sex bot soon again? Very interested to see where this all goes, especially with some more information being revealed about Murderbot’s backstory. I’m really liking the episodic, “diary” feel of this series.

I absolutely loved this. Finally, a plot that I care about! I love Murderbot and its dynamics with the Preservation crew so much :’)

“Confession time: that moment, when the humans or augmented humans realize that you’re here to help them. I don’t hate that moment.”

I love ART and Murderbot so much. One thing this author does amazingly is character development; they all feel so fleshed out and real, and the ability to do that within the short time of meeting new characters is impressive. I can’t wait to see if Three and Murderbot become friends and more Murderbot adventures with the Perihelion crew. Watching Murderbot become more in tune with its feelings and what it wants makes me so warm inside.

Another fun side-quest-esque novella for Murderbot!

Loved the minor interacts we did get between Murderbot and Preservation crew (I especially love it with Gurathin…it’s just a funny enemies to colleagues to begrudging friends arc that I enjoy). Spent quite a bit of this getting really annoyed with all these fucking humans treating Murderbot like shit.

Very much whodunnit vibes.

“The loss of the pearl was a punishment visited on those who tried to leave their station. And the Father made it clear that each man and woman is like a soldier sent by God to guard some part of the castle of the Universe. And some are in the ramparts and some far deep in the darkness of the walls. But each one must remain faithful to his post and must not go running about else the castle is in danger from the assaults of Hell.”

I absolutely love Steinbeck’s writing. The way he describes environments and the human condition that which resides within those settings is amazing. A story of the have-nots versus the haves, of the descent humanity endeavors in the face of greed and hope. An all too realistic depiction of it, I would say, that has held up very well from the 1940s til now.

”He had said, ‘I am a man,’ and that meant certain things to Juana. It meant that he was half insane and half god. It meant that Kino would drive his strength against a mountain and plunge his strength against the sea. Juana, in her woman's soul, knew that the mountain would stand while the man broke himself; that the sea would surge while the man drowned in it. And yet it was this thing that made him a man, half insane and half god.”

”Vader rumbled something under his
breath. ‘Mokivj.’

‘Indeed, my lord,’ Thrawn said. ‘More specifically, the Separatist factory on Mokivj that we once assaulted.’

Vader straightened to his full height. ‘That you once assaulted,’ he corrected. ‘No one else aboard the Chimaera was ever there.’

‘Of course,’ Thrawn said, inclining his head. ‘I misspoke.’”

3.75? Rounding up to 4 stars regardless, but first instinct is that it’s a little less than 4.

I love Thrawn so much. I think that needs to be said. He is fantastic all the time. I did miss Eli, but I loved seeing Thrawn’s dynamic with both Anakin and Vader. Especially with Thrawn casually dropping bombs that he knows Vader is Anakin, and Vader trying so hard to deny it. It’s just comedy gold, y’all.

I loved how the past and present storylines fit together so well. Like George Lucas says: it’s like poetry—it rhymes. I feel that’s what Zahn does so well: he gave us fantastic foreshadowing and parallelism in almost every chapter of book one, and he continues to deliver in this sequel.

Compared to the calm, collected, calculating Thrawn, Anakin’s whiny tendencies, hotheadedness, and brash behavior that we all associate with him were fully apparent. I preferred Thrawn with Vader, and honestly the two would be besties if Vader would just get over the whole sole loyalty to the Empire thing, pft.

I think what puts this below the previous book for me is that the change of focus from mainly Thrawn and Thrawn’s aide, to Thrawn and someone so attention-grabbing as Vader took away a bit more of the Thrawn I wanted to see. Plus, the change in pacing from several missions that showcased Thrawn’s skillset to a single mission of the present connected with a separate one of the past made this one feel a bit slow.

Eli: I’m feeling lost about my place in the Ascendency. Maybe seeing Thrawn and receiving his praise will help bring some clarity!
Thrawn, barely acknowledging Eli’s presence after not seeing him for over a year: Good day, Lieutenant.
Eli: (eye twitch).

I did not get enough Eli content, but I certainly loved having him in the book at least (cough, Alliances, cough). I love Thrawn so much. I cannot say it enough.

Commodore Faro has become a character I enjoy a lot, and it warms my heart just reading about the unwavering loyalty the Chimaera crew shows Thrawn in the face of all the shit he receives at every turn from those questioning his dedication to the Empire and looking down on him for being an alien.

The way Zahn tied this book so well with current canon was amazing. I rewatched Rogue One when I was about 3/4s of the way through, and it was just so cool to see how all the pieces fit together and align in the universe, with Director Krennic, with Project Stardust, with Vader overseeing it—it’s just a job well done. Star Wars is at its best when everything is in symbiosis, when the story of this enhances the story of that, and vice versa.

”’Life is a mystery. But listen. Why did I turn up in your life in the first place? Do you believe in fate? Was your fate controlled by me, or was being controlled by me your fate? But in the end, aren't they just two sides of the same coin?’”

Not many thoughts, honestly. My experience with Japanese literature thus far has been that it tends to focus on exploring some aspect of the human condition through character-centric stories rather than plot-driven, action-packed tales meant to keep the reader hooked from beginning to end. There is something to enjoy about that approach, I feel.

That which was the thief’s ruination was also his salvation. Or was it? We are left to imagine whether or not such is the case. The paths that we are shaped by our environment into taking can lead us astray from the life most meaningful to us. Sometimes, even if we do everything right, we may still face suffering, for many things are simply out of our control. This is what it means to move about the world amongst one’s fellow man.

Very much enjoyed reading the child/adult dynamics throughout this book. As someone in her late teens, I could actually relate to a lot of what Gaiman was trying to say about childhood vs adulthood and how children view adults. But besides that, this was a fun, quick story! So far, I've liked both of the Gaiman works I've read (The Graveyard Book being the other one), and I'm interested to see how he writes with an adult as the narrator!