Journey to the Last Jedi: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson

Well...three words...I HATE Phasma. This book left me with an insanely bad taste in my mouth toward the villain. I usually like the villains, but Phasma it turns out is a despicable, lying, cheat and murderer. She looks out for no one but herself and has no loyalty to anyone but herself. There is absolutely nothing redeemable about this character. Ugh!! I'd hoped for so much more from her. I mean...a female stormtrooper captain?! That was such an awesome decision by the creators of Star Wars, but after this book, I can't stand the woman. I almost don't want to see her in the next movie or I at least hope her true personality comes through in the upcoming film.
     As for the book itself, if you like dystopian, post-apocalyptic fiction then this is right down your alley. In places it even felt sort of Planet of the Apesish which was cool. But as for it being a Star Wars book, only the portions that took place on the star destroyer Absolution felt like Star Wars. And those parts were amazing!! I fell in love with a new stormtrooper captain in The First Order named Cardinal (pictured below). What a fantastically developed character. I really hope we get to see him again! These parts of the book read so quickly and left me unable to put the book down.
     With that, I should probably explain the book's format as it's a little out of the ordinary. Most of the book unfolds as a story being told by a Resistance spy, Vi Moradi, to Cardinal, a story about Phasma 12 years previous on her home planet of Parnassos. Between snippets of this story is "present time" with Cardinal and Vi on the Absolution. The set up is a mostly enjoyable approach to story telling, but I always found myself hoping for more on the Absolution as that's where it felt like Star Wars.

     One thing that made this book a little difficult to read in parts was the repetition of certain phrases and the use of some really odd syntax. I'm not sure how these things passed editing, but they did, and they caused me to re-read some sentences several times. I'm wondering if Dawson's other book The Perfect Weapon has similar phrasing issues.
     If you're like me and are on a mission to read all of Star Wars canon, by all means you should read this book. It definitely gave me a more whole picture of Phasma and now I want to watch Force Awakens again knowing so much more about her - even though she's only in the movie for about 5 minutes. But if you're picky about what books to read, I would avoid this one. It doesn't feel like Star Wars for the majority of the narrative and left me hating a main character.
     With all that said, new planets! We are introduced to Parnassos, a planet destroyed by nuclear disaster...wait...nuclear? Isn't that an Earth thing? This also threw me off because I've never once heard the word nuclear used in reference to Star Wars. It felt far too Earthy to be in that universe. But I digress. Parnassos is filled with people who are scraping by to survive. They are descendants of members of the Con Star Mining Corporation who came to the planet to mine its resources. There are multiple stations all across the planet, each providing a different need for the employees of the company. How these play out in the story is quite intriguing and there are many surprises throughout.
     In regards to placement in Star Wars canon, Phasma takes place about 10 years after Phasma joins The First Order and falls after Bloodline which is about 20 years after the Battle of Jakku. This probably leaves Phasma occurring almost directly before Force Awakens. Which is intriguing in its own right as you'll see toward the end of the book.
      So in conclusion, I don't know - read at your own peril...I'm still pissed.