Episode 73 - 9.17 Inferno Squad and Duck Tales

Cover art links to iTunes.
Cover art by @JimmyinGA.

In the 73rd episode of the Random City Podcast, in random chatter, I briefly discuss how I recently discussed the marketing guru Gary Vee and the Disney streaming service, and during the random selection I discuss the newest Star Wars novel Battlefront II Inferno Squad by Christie Golden and the Duck Tales reboot.  The first episode is currently free on Amazon.

Want to listen to the latest Star Wars novel for free?  If you're new to Audible, you can sign-up for a free trial of Audible, at http://audible.randomcitypodcast.com, to get TWO FREE audio books!  The two free audio books are yours to keep, even if you cancel your membership during or after your free trail of the service.

The episode is available now, in Google Play, iTunes, Stitcher, and the Satchel Player.  I would greatly appreciate your ratings and reviews, on any of those platforms.

You can also subscribe to the channel and like the videos, or watch now, with the video embedded below.
Thanks for listening,
Jimmy in GA

Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad Out Now!

The new Star Wars novel was released today! Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden features a new addition to Star Wars canon, Iden Versio.  The novel is a prequel to the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront II video game.

The official description:

Set in the aftermath of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this action-packed prequel to the hotly anticipated videogame Battlefront II introduces the Empire’s elite force: Inferno Squad.

After the humiliating theft of the Death Star plans and the destruction of the battle station, the Empire is on the defensive. But not for long. In retaliation, the elite Imperial soldiers of Inferno Squad have been called in for the crucial mission of infiltrating and eliminating the Partisans—the rebel faction once led by notorious Republic freedom fighter Saw Gerrera.

Following the death of their leader, the Partisans have carried on his extremist legacy, determined to thwart the Empire—no matter the cost. Now Inferno Squad must prove its status as the best of the best and take down the Partisans from within. But the growing threat of being discovered in their enemy’s midst turns an already dangerous operation into a do-or-die acid test they dare not fail. To protect and preserve the Empire, to what lengths will Inferno Squad go . . . and how far beyond them?

The Rebellion may have heroes like Jyn Erso and Luke Skywalker. But the Empire has Inferno Squad.

If you're new to Audible, sign-up today for a free trial of Audible, at http://audible.randomcitypodcast.com, to get two free audio books!  The two free audio books are yours to keep, even if you cancel your membership during or after your free trail of the service.

Star Wars Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel

This was my favorite Star Wars novel, since Dark Disciple.  James Luceno did a fantastic job, as always.  He authored one of my favorite Star Wars Legends novels, Star Wars: Darth Plagueis.

I was pleasantly surprised that this story began during the Clone Wars.  The story of Galen Erso and Orson Krennic was interesting, and there were definitely a few surprising along the way.  After listening to this novel, I am more confident that Rogue One will be a great film.

I also think I may try to listen to Tarkin again,  I listened to it, when it was released in November of 2014, and I think a refresher might be in order, before Rogue One to comes to a theater near me

If you're new to Audible, you can sign-up for a free trail that includes two free audio books.  A great choice for the second free audio book is Tarkin.  Sign-up today.

The Scorch Trials - Random Movie Review

Once again, director, Wes Ball, brings the action-packed dystopian teen future of The Maze Runner to the big screen, with a $30.3 million opening weekend.  This total is slightly down from the opening weekend of The Maze Runner which earned $32.5 million, last year.

In "The Scorch Trials" Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), Minho (Ki Hong Lee), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) have escaped their maze.  However, as the audience knows from the ending of the first film, they are still entangled in the web of WCKD (World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department).

The Gladers, from first film, encounter new friends and new enemies in the sequel.  With the help of some of their new friends, they seek additional help to fight against WCKD.  One aspect of the movie that may be a surprise some moviegoers, unfamiliar with the books, are the Cranks.  This is a creepy addition to The Scorch Trials.

This second installment in the series has a lot of action, jump scares and some horrific elements.  In comparison to other dystopian teen future films sophomore releases, The Scorch Trials is superior to the Divergent Series, Insurgent, and to the Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

T.S. Nowlin wrote the screenplay adapation of James Dashner's second novel of The Maze Runner series.  He was also one of three co-writers of the first movie, in the series.

If you have not read the novels, you can listen to two Maze Runner novels for free.  If you're new to Audible, you can sign-up for a free trial that includes two free audio books, which could be The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trails.  Sign-up today to start listening.

StarWars Aftermath

StarWars Aftermath by Chuck Wendig was released on 09/04/15.  Star Wars fans have had very high expectations for this title.  Many may not realize that this is the first book of a trilogy of books, which does make a difference.

As far as the novel goes, the first third of the book was slow. The second third was better and the final third was good.  The Empire's Rae Sloane who previously appeared in the novel "A New Dawn," was a bright spot in the novel.

The interludes showing glimpses of the Galaxy were more interesting than a lot of the main story.  There was a heavy focus on new characters made this book just little bit less accessible.

Overall, I give the story 3.5 Stars out of 5, and the performance by Marc Thompson 5 Stars our of 5.  He is fantastic in all of the audio books that I have listened to.

You can listen to this new Star Wars novel for free.  If you're new to Audible, you can sign-up for a free trial that includes two free audio books.  I would also recommend Dark Disciple or Lords of the Sith.  Sign-up today.

Untimely Random Book Reviews: Star Wars Death Troopers

Star Wars Death Troopers written by Joe Schreiber was released on October 13, 2009, and almost five years later, I recently finished reading this entertaining Star Wars horror novel.

I had heard about this book several years ago, and I thought that it sounded interesting.  I also remember walking into the local Books-A-Million, and seeing the cover the first time, I thought that it looked awesome with bloody storm trooper helmet and chains (pictured left).  Even though it sounded and looked good, I did not rush out and pick up a copy of this title.

A few months ago, I saw the hard cover at a local bookstore at a discounted price, and I couldn't pass it up.  The first half of the novel is a lot of introductions to the characters and the settings, and then almost everyone dies from a mysterious illness, and the fun begins.

I read the second half of the novel very quickly, and I really enjoyed the action and suspense.  There one thing that I will not mention, so as not to spoil anything, but there are two characters in the novel that I was unaware of as I started reading, and they were an interesting turn in the story.

If you like Star Wars and you like zombies, this was a fun read in the galaxy far far away.