Canto Bight, Part II

     The two remaining novellas serve even more to take us deeper into what Canto Bight really is and how it functions as a city. Fascinating insights and stories are revealed.
     The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary and Ultimate Sticker Collection both put names to faces for many of the species mentioned in these two novellas--refer to links below.

"Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing" by Rae Carson
     This was a heartfelt tale about a father and his adoptive daughter...and a gangster. Big Sturg Ganna wants an inside man at Zord's Spa and Bathhouse and Lexo Sooger is the man for the job--a lowly masseuse who only wants to hear nothing and see nothing...so that he has nothing to say. Roping him into a situation where Lexo has no choice but to say yes, Ganna kidnaps Lexo's human daughter Lula and the story begins in earnest.
     Lexo is a Dor Namethian--a species for which I really couldn't picture, not having gotten much information on descriptives except that they are tall. This particular story could have done with a bit more description of species. The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary provides a picture that was definitely not what I imagined Lexo looked like. Interesting.
     Big Sturg Ganna is of an unnamed species from a swampy world. They are covered in blubber to keep warm and have ticklish tails.

     I truly enjoyed this story and was delighted with the final outcome. There were many twists and turns throughout and you never knew what was coming next, always rooting for the best for Lexo. 

     We get a better idea of what the working class people of Canto Bight must endure and it is not pretty. I love that the author painted a clearer picture for us of the depth of Canto Bight rather than just leaving us with the haughty exterior.

"The Ride" by John Jackson Miller
     Oh my goodness what a story!! This one had me feeling all sorts of emotions, from despair to uneasiness to sheer joy! I couldn't get enough of it...of course John Jackson Miller is one of my favorite authors, so that didn't hurt matters.
     I will admit though that a lot of the gambling lingo threw me way off and I had no idea what was being referred to. But the story carried enough on its own merit plot-wise such that not understanding the gambling bits didn't hurt my understanding of and enjoyment in the story itself.
     Kaljach Sonmi is a Heptooinian (jet black hair, sky-blue eyes, noseless, eyebrowless, with a constant look of amiability) proposition player at the Canto Bight Casino. This means he is paid a salary by the casino to keep players playing and keep games going. Unfortunately his luck has run out and he is left penniless and without a job...not to mention a death threat on his head. Luckily, he runs into three crazy Suerton brothers (a short, reptilian species--I envisioned miniature Trandoshans) who take him on the ride of his life! And what a ride it is--goodness these brothers left me feeling uncomfortable and sorry for Kal. Other times, they left me feeling joyful and excited for what would come next. Absolutely a roller coaster of emotions, this story had me by the throat.
     As uneasy as I was in the beginning, I was relieved and joyful by the end. A wonderful note on which to end this amazing collection of novellas.

     I absolutely recommend this collection as it paints a much more detailed picture of Canto Bight and its residents and tourists. The city becomes a living, breathing thing rather than just a one-dimensional location on which to catapult a story forward... Definitely worth the read!