The Edwards Edition

Television Review: The Book of Boba Fett (Season 1)

Good, not great, but good. Treats the main character as a character, against the obvious direction such a show might take.

Film Review | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Producers: Marvel Studios Runtime: 132 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 EE Critic Score: 7/10 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It tells the story of the son of a powerful and secretive Chinese warlord, who must return home from

Film & Television

Film Review | Black Widow

Black Widow succeeds in showcasing the title character while telling its own compelling story. It's not the best MCU film, but it's exciting and never collapses under the weight of detailing a known character's backstory.

Games

How to play Bismarck Whist

I'm posting this in the interest of cultural preservation. Bismarck is a type of whist played by three independent players, rather than two paired teams as regular whist is. I found it described in the 1987 edition of The Penguin Book of Card Games, but I haven't found the game

Games

A Proposal for the International Olympic Committee

Imagine, for a start, that the two goals in a football are placed not at either end of an open field, but instead at either end of a region more like a golf course.

Books & Writing

Book Review | Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good

This book works well as the middle chapter. It follows from the previous volume smoothly, it points toward an interesting third book, and the story of Thrawn, et al, racing to prevent a civil war between the Chiss is more than enough to justify Greater Good in it’s own right.

Star Wars

Thirty Years of Thrawn

Heir to the Empire, the first appearance of Thrawn, was published thirty years ago today. Since then, he's been in books, comics, and animation. Thrawn isn't heroic, he isn't even terribly ethical, but he is a weirdly selfless evil that makes him respectable, where the Emperor was contemptible.

Books & Writing

Book Review | Star Wars: Victory's Price

This book, and this trilogy, is the best thing to come out of Star Wars in some time. You should read it. It's well worth your time, even if you aren't much of a Star Wars fan.

Books & Writing

Book Review | Star Wars: Into the Dark

A well-told story about the Jedi at their peak, which is what the High Republic era promises. I'd recommend it even if you haven't read the earlier books.

Books & Writing

Book Review | Star Wars: Light of the Jedi

While I read this without ever feeling like I should quit mid-way through, I have no real desire to read it ever again. Its strength, and its purpose, really, is in its world-building. By itself, that's not enough to make a good book.

Film & Television

Television Review | The Mandalorian (Season 2)

This season The Mandalorian really took the mantle of being the current flagship Star Wars property. Season 2 was a solid improvement over Season 1, and both were great television.

Film & Television

Television Review | The Mandalorian (Season 1)

Poster | Photo Credit: StarWars.comProducers: Lucasfilm, The Walt Disney Company Aired: released weekly to Disney+ Episodes: eight MPAA Rating: TV-14 EE Critic Score: 10/10 The Mandalorian is the first of several planned television series set in the Star Wars universe and released on Disney+. It is the first live-action

Books & Writing

Book Review | Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising

If you’re a fan of Thrawn, you’ll probably appreciate this book. If you aren’t a Thrawn fan, I’d probably recommend you read some other books ahead of this one.

Books & Writing

Book Review | Shadow Fall

If you read Alphabet Squadron and liked it, go ahead and read this one too. It builds from the same themes as that last book, and goes in some interesting directions, setting up the next book to be, hopefully, something pretty good as well.

Games

Game Review | Warframe

I don’t play much in the way of video games; I just play Warframe.

Books & Writing

Book Review | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Expanded Edition)

Author: Rae Carson Publisher: Del Rey Length: 247 pages EE Critic Score: 6/10

Books & Writing

Book Review | The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition

Author: Jason Fry Publisher: Del Rey Length: 304 pages EE Critic Score: 9/10

Books & Writing

Book Review | The Force Awakens novelization

A passable product to fill bookstore shelves and give the studio an opportunity at another market space. Unless you’re really interested in Starkiller Base, just watch the film.

Science

How to Make a Free Throw

Illustrated, with figures and elementary kinematic modeling

Film & Television

Film Review | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

This whole film seems incredibly trimmed down, I’d say to bare bones in many points, but that’s not enough. This film is partial skeletal remains, whose presence points to the one-time existence of some magnificent creature, much of the full nature of which can only be guessed at.

Books & Writing

Book Review | Alphabet Squadron

Author: Alexander Freed Publisher: Del Rey Length: 320 pages EE Critic Score: 10/10

Film & Television

What is the First Order?

An overview of the history and motivations of the reigning Star Wars villains

Books & Writing

Book Review | Thrawn: Alliances & Thrawn: Treason

Author: Timothy Zahn Publisher: Del Rey Length: 342, 334 pages EE Critic Score: 8/10 The two sequels to Thrawn continue to tell the story of everyone’s favorite Imperial Grand Admiral.

Film & Television

Film Review | Avengers: Endgame

Producers: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures Runtime: 181 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 EE Critic Score: 8/10 Avengers: Endgame is the twenty-second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fourth film in the Avengers franchise, and the finale of what I’ve seen lately called “The Infinity Saga”, which comprises

Film & Television

Film Review | Captain Marvel

Producers: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures Runtime: 130 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 EE Critic Score: 8/10 Captain Marvel is the twentieth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Set in the 1990s, it is a prequel to all other installments besides Captain America: The First Avenger. It focuses on an

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