I just finished reading a
Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novel
Force Collector by Kevin Shinick. I will do a quick review of my thoughts on this Star Wars novel, but just to start I will say that I really liked this book.
Early in the story, we learn that the main character, Karr, gets headaches to the level of passing out when he touches, what he believes to be Jedi artifacts. He believes that he may have a connection to the Force. His best friend, Maize, whose father works for the First Order, believes that the Jedi are legends and didn't really exist. They were evil wizards at best if they actually did exist, she believes. Her opinion of that changes over time. As the story progresses, Karr continues to collect items as he visits locations in the galaxy where he believes Jedi artifacts exist. He becomes more adept at controlling himself to the point where he begins seeing visions and hearing dialog that are connected to the memory of those items. He catches the name Kenobi and Skywalker in several visions. The story becomes less and less about him learning about the Jedi and more about him discovering the truth of the Force and learning his place in the galaxy.
As a reader of other books and comics of this time period, I have struggled idea that the general galactic opinion is the Jedi were either evil or a made-up legend. Author Kevin Shinick does a nice job explaining that with the character Maize as she explains her point of view through the stories that were passed down to her by her family. It becomes very clear that Palpatine's anti-Jedi propaganda of Order 66 and that of the Empire, basically erased the general feeling that the Jedi were the keepers of peace and justice. In fact, a discussion at the end of the book shows how that belief went much deeper than originally thought. These explanations made sense and were shared in an authentic non-argumentative way in the story which added emotional belief in the characters.
I have seen some criticism that Karr doesn't really face any challenges or major conflicts in the story. While I agree there is a lot of plot convenience (it is a young YA novel), Shinick makes up for it in plot and character discovery. As Karr travels the galaxy, he makes some amazing discoveries for himself that really capture us as readers! For example, we as the readers recognize many of his visions so we are able to make many connections as he tries to piece the puzzle of the Jedi together. He also comes across some very recognizable artifacts that are fun to see where they have landed.
For us as readers, the conclusion of the book is fresh. It opens some new doors for us as fans of the
Star Wars galaxy that make us think of the galaxy in a different way. It has a touching ending that I didn't see coming. It wasn't a twist or anything like that, but I was not expecting it to end this way it did. Let me just say, the ending is satisfying. I recommend the book as a story that develops what is happening in the galaxy at this time. It isn't a must-read for any particular storyline in the way that Ahsoka or Bloodline might be considered, but it definitely is a good read and it
helps paint a larger picture.
The story is about a girl, Selm, who is squire to a legendary hero. As they enter a swamp, Selm becomes tempted to power by a swamp hag. When Selm takes the bait to a fast rise to power, she discovers that sometimes choices like these, lead to a longer path. She goes on a fantastical but lonely journey and discovers who she has become.
Frankee White did not disappoint when he said there would be monsters! There are a lot of monsters both good and bad and some in between. The story moves along quickly while giving the necessary detail. The art and story match up well to make for a really solid fantasy read. This is a fun book that I recommend for any reader who enjoys a good adventure which includes monsters and pretty cool fantasy settings. And the last page (seen right) sets up what appears to be even more "fun" creatures. Broken Bear is told by Frankee White and Adam Markiewicz, colors by A.H.G. logo and design by DC Hopkins, cover by Adam Markiewicz with color assists by Melanie Darling. Broken Bear is published by Caliber Comics. 
