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21 years after the destruction of the Death Star II in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the New Republic (free and democratic successor of the corrupt and authoritarian Empire) faces a new and fearsome threat - invasion of a species alien to the galaxy. Set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, The New Jedi Order is a series of 27 books detailing this crisis and the events that unfold after the invasion.

After the collapse of the Empire with the death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the Death Star II, the New Republic was born. This democratic and free society of planetary systems was headed by the heroes of the Rebel Alliance, like Leia Organa. Luke Skywalker then strived to rebuild the Jedi Order, basing a temple on the moon of planet Yavin. After years of hard work, the New Republic prospered and enjoyed peace, safeguarded by the growing ranks of new Jedi Knights. However, this peace was shattered with the discovery of a sudden invasion of this galaxy by an alien warrior race from another galaxy called the Yuuzhan Vong.

This was the first adversity that called upon the new order of Jedi Knights, however, during the first few waves of skirmishes the Jedi Knights were slaughtered. It soon dawned that the Yuuzhan Vong was devoid of the ‘Force’, an energy field that binds all living organisms in the galaxy, a source of the Jedi Knights’ power. The Yuuzhan Vong were formidable foes - their entire society is made up of numerous warrior clans and they see death in battle as honour to their clans. Planet after planet fell to the onslaught, with populations wiped out. Heroes from the old Rebel Alliance like Han Solo, Chewbacca and Wedge Antilles took to arms again and seek to repel the attacks. New heroes were introduced, namely Anakin, Jacen and Jaina Solo (the children of Leia and Han); and Ganner Rhysode, a Jedi Knight.

During the course of the stories, several key characters were killed in battle. Chewbacca, a prolific character from the original six episodes and Han Solo’s loyal companion, was killed in battle early in the stages of the invasion. Anakin Solo was also killed in combat; he single-handedly fought off thousands of Yuuzhan Vong warriors to aid the escape of his siblings and friends, and was later consumed by the Force. Ganner Rhysode also martyred himself in battle, holding back wave after wave of enemies to allow the captured Jacen Solo to flee.

This New Jedi Order series of novels was eagerly anticipated by Star Wars fans as it continued the Star Wars saga after the original sexology of movies. Fans gleefully waited to see how the newly-rebuilt Jedi Order would withstand against malicious threats like the Yuuzhan Vong. Each of the books features one, if not numerous, epic battle scenes. You can expect large scale battles for planetary control between the two warring factions - expect starfighter battles, Jedi melee combat and even ground assaults. The battle scenes are described to the usual fantastic Star Wars detail and never fail to leave Star Wars fans like myself craving for more. In particular, the scene which Anakin Solo martyred himself was outstanding.

Despite the abruptness of an out-of-the-blue invasion of an alien species, the plot was intriguing. The Yuuzhan Vong made use various methods of subversion, espionage and brute military might to cripple the New Republic. I respect the authors for taking the time to brainstorm, coming up with such intricate and meticulous details. War was not fought only on the military front with issues like internal conflict and unrest, and this gave a realistic feel of warfare in the series. Towards the end of the series, the novels left me with very uplifting spirits, seeing how the Jedi Knights and other heroes bonded and worked together to repel the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong.

It was a huge pity that key characters of the Star Wars franchise had to die, but still, this added to the ‘dark’ nature of The New Jedi Order series and this is the very fact that makes this series of novels a very compelling read.

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P.S. I Love You is a book that has drawn a variety of comments. This debut novel by Cecelia Ahern has won over many sentimental readers, drawing rave reviews; it has also drawn flak from critics who think that her work is amateurish.

The story revolves around a couple Holly and Gerry living in Ireland. They lead a happily married life and were madly in love with each other, treasuring each other’s companionship. They always joked that Holly would not be able to cope if Gerry departed first, Holly being so dependent on Gerry. The solution was to come up with a ‘List’ of instructions to teach Holly what exactly to do in the event of that. However, neither of them expected to part so prematurely, when Gerry was diagnosed with brain cancer and shortly passed on.

In the months that followed Gerry’s demise, Holly became self-absorbed, brooding at home. She became a depressed wreck, unable to cope with the massive loss of her beloved spouse. Despite her family’s and friends’ best attempts to console and cheer her up, she remained despondent. It is at this juncture that Holly’s mother mentions to her about a parcel addressed to Holly with the word ‘List’ on it. Reluctantly, Holly agrees to take a look at the parcel and finds a letter from Gerry together with 10 sets of envelopes. It dawned onto her that Gerry, acutely aware of his impending demise, forced himself to pen a whole series of written instructions for her, to help her cope with his departure.

Each of the 10 envelopes is to be opened on the first day of every month, and each letter tasks Holly to do something to help her regain her confidence and step out of the shadow of the tragedy. The types of tasks range from amusing to quirky to touching - Gerry instructs Holly to go on a much-needed vacation with her buddies, to buy a new dress for herself and start dolling up and so on. Holly follows the instructions to the letter, as a form of tribute to her late husband. Where her eccentric family members and best friends failed, Gerry manages to gradually help Holly out of her plight even when death claimed him. Amidst worries that the letters might cause Holly to cling on to the past and exacerbate the situation, Holly actually starts to find her life moving forward and slowly accepts her new lease of life.

This is a romantic tale of loss, hurt and learning to cope with it; it is a very heartwarming story. On one side, we can see how deeply Gerry cared for and understand Holly that he could predict what would happen to her in the event of his death. He forced himself through the draining task of writing the whole set of letters just to make sure that Holly would be alright. Holly is a largely naïve and slightly immature woman, who has a strong bond and dependency on her husband. Reading her struggle to put behind the love they shared and then the love that she lost certainly does pain me at times. Cecelia Ahern does manage to communicate the grief felt by Holly and the reluctance to let go of something so dear.

Critics found Cecelia Ahern’s style of writing amateurish, that she does not have sufficient experience to write about something as drastic and somber as death and rehabilitation of grief. I felt that this novel was conflicting as Cecelia Ahern seemed to be using light-hearted language and style which was not appropriate at times, especially during Gerry’s death. However, this does not fault the creativity in coming up with such a remarkable plot and storyline. It is a very captivating read; Cecelia Ahern makes you want to continue reading to find out what happens next in Holly’s rehabilitation process. At times, the story is absolutely heart-wrenching and embarrassed as I am to say this, but it is difficult to remain dry-eyed after this read.

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With the Harry Potter series at its end with the 7th book finally being published this year, I took some time to search for other books with roughly the same genre, teen fantasy. Through a friend, I stumbled upon the Artemis Fowl series, written by the Irish author Eoin Colfer which began in 2001. This series has been ongoing with roughly 5 books, with the last one projected to emerge in 2008. Although it lacked publicity compared to the Harry Potter series, it still made up by becoming quite successful, receiving a favourable response.

The setting is relatively simple to understand and intriguing at the same time. Artemis Fowl II is a child prodigy, a genius, at 12 years old, he has an IQ debatably one of the highest in the world. He is the sole heir to the affluent Fowl family line, a long line of infamous Irish criminals who reside in their traditional Fowl Manor. Accompanying him are his personal bodyguards and servants, Juliet and Butler.

The story begins with Artemis brooding over his family’s recent misfortune. His father, Artemis Fowl I was recently lost in the Arctic during a business transaction, driving his mother to insanity due to his absence. Normally, a 12-year-old kid might be stunned with not knowing what’s next to do, but not Artemis. Immediately, this classical “evil genius” tries to hatch a plot to reinstate the Fowl name as the wealthy family they were once were, by amassing another fortune, illegally. This leads to the main plot of the first stolen gold from fairies.

The stereotypical image of fairies are little “pixies”, small hand sized humanoids who fly around with their wings, accompanied by the Irish myths of leprechauns with their magical pots of gold. However, in Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer not only utilises this myth thoroughly, but pushes it beyond our wildest imaginations. In the story, fairies are a large colony of humanoids including pixies, dwarves, goblins, the usual mythical group. Centuries ago, they had war with us (humans) and after being defeated, they fled underground where they stayed hidden for centuries using their superior technology and fairy magic.

Artemis, through someway was able to come to the knowledge of their existence, and knowing their secret, plans to steal gold from them to help reinstate his family’s wealth. What we are given in the end is an interesting plot full of mythical twists and turns as we see this boy, not even a teenager, attempt to outwit the other races based on his cunning plans. Artemis, in this way, plays a lovable “evil genius”, whose plots for personal power and greed against the fairies form the basic plot line of the series.

As with the Harry Potter series, one thing I noticed was that as the series progressed, the themes of the books become more and more mature. Having read the entire series, I can safely say that the unique setting would draw the interests of both the young and old into the very possible scenario that we are not the smartest beings on this planet. I personally recommend getting hooked onto the series, which has its last book coming out some time in 2008, in addition to a movie in the works.

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Most of us would probably remember Lord Jeffrey Archer as a criminal, having spent time in jail for perjury. However, if one were to look behind such an ignominious history, you would have to agree that he has a knack for spinning a long tale, as seen by his earlier successes, specifically, Kane & Abel.

Having read most of his other books, I can easily describe to you the style of which he writes. He takes two characters which seem to have next to zero relationships with each other, and follows their trials and tribulations from birth to adulthood seperately. Then, in this period of time, the lives of these two characters who were thought were seperate would somehow be deeply entwined with each other, causing drama and tension for both characters who we have been following. It is no different in Kane & Abel.

William Lowell Kane is the son of a rich Boston millionaire, whilst on the other hand, Abel Rosnovski is a poor Polish immigrant. Both only have one thing in common, their birth dates. In the span of the book, which covers a life to death story spanning nearly sixty years, we see both of these men grow up in their respective homes and countries, before their goals bring them together as partners and eventually, enemies. We will learn about both their families, their loves and even their children, all brought up in juxtaposition to each other.

The story begins in World War I, where Abel is trapped in invaded Poland, while William Kane sits comfortably at home in Boston. Both their lives and difficulties are different from each other, one trying to survive in a dangerous situation that he is in, the other trying to survive in a different environment, his school, his business relationships. Only when Abel finally immigrates to the States, his goals change that of a monetary one, where now both of them now sharing the same goal, conflict each other.

Despite the interesting and long drawn out story given here, some might be simply disgusted at the sheer length of the story. Some readers would prefer to jump straight into the action, rather than go to through a long drawn out life story of both characters, no matter how interesting it is. Furthermore, Jeffrey Archer writing style of using Chekhov’s Gun where certain characters or events early in the story may seem unmeaningful and unnecessary, only to be brought up later in the story, causing the reader to flip back to investigate it’s meaning, having not paid proper attention to it just now. In addition to that, the story also lacks a major climax. Indeed, it has a number of tense moments at different parts of their lives, a childhood crisis, a teenage nemesis each character might face. This results in a fluctuating tension which does not climax well. In fact, come to think of it, I personally feel that some earlier events might have put me on the edge more so than the final ending of the story.

Kane & Abel, however, is still a decent read to avid readers who are looking for a good, moderate length work of fiction. If you do not mind a fully fleshed out story, perhaps Kane & Abel would be a good choice for you. Even if you are done with this book, the stories of these families actually continue in two seperate “sequels”, “The Prodigal Daughter”, as well as “Shall We Tell The President?”, further following into the lives of these two families in the near future.

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It’s a dangerous world in which we live in nowadays, what with so many terrorist threats popping up all over the place. Especially after September 11 2001 when the Twin Towers collapsed, it was then when the world, especially America, first started combating terrorism on such a large scale. However, such threats of terrorism existed long before 2001, and Geoffrey Archer is one of the many authors who decided to play around with this idea in several of his books, one of which would be Fire Hawk.

Published back in 1998, the story of Fire Hawk primarily revolves around the idea of biological warfare, specifically anthrax powder. It starts of when Sam Packer, a British spy and a recurring character in Archer’s future books, is undercover in Iraq and discovers that terrorists have gotten their hands on an anthrax bomb and intend to make use of it outside of Iraq. Considering how just a few grams of the powder could potentially kill a few thousand people in a busy subway station, it’s then a race against time for Packer and the other intelligence agencies, along with the UN, to uncover the entire plot and stop a terrorist attacks that would have unthinkable consequences.

I won’t go into any more details about the plot here, since it would just spoil the story for most. However, there are a fair amount of twists and turns throughout the book that will undoubtedly leave you wanting to keep on fliping to the next page. Archer somehow manages to keep the level of excitement pretty high throughout the entire book with so many things going on at once, yet everything is connected to one another in the end. However, the problem with this book for me is that the excitement level is constantly high, which means that there isn’t even really much of a climax, even though the plot calls for an action packed one. In the end, the climax is more or less just a few sentences long which is a let down. Still, that far from makes this a bad book, because one will undoubtedly enjoy reading through the entire book since it is constantly filled with lots of action all the time.

Fire Hawk is the first of Geoffrey Archer’s work that I’ve read thus far, and from the looks of it I’ll be trying to get my hands on his other books to read as well. In my opinion, he’s a pretty great thriller writer. His plots also fuse fact and fiction together to produce a really intriguing plot of what “if” this happened in real life. While many other authors attempt to do the same thing by mixing elements of fact and fiction into the same plot, not many are able to do it as well as Geoffrey Archer.

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