Lando's Luck by Justina Ireland
Lando's Luck written by Justina Ireland, illustrated by Annie Wu
Well, my review copy never came so I apologize for the long wait on this one. I ended up having to go ahead and purchase it. But it was well worth that purchase!
This was a fabulous middle-grade novel about an adventure with Lando and L3-37 taking place after Most Wanted and before the Lando: Double or Nothing comic series. There is so much intriguing world-building in this novel that I felt they were in this case justified in bringing us to three entirely new planets! We explore Hynestia, Neral's moon, and Livno III (briefly mentioned in Tales from Vandor as a planet where Lando was it's savior, a story that plays out in this novel!). Lando's Luck is also part of the "Flight of the Falcon" publishing program which journeys with the famous ship across time and space as she encounters a number of different adventures in both books and comics. I just finished Choose Your Destiny: A Luke and Leia Adventure which is another stop along the path. I am loving this program so far and can't wait to see what it brings next.
There are some wonderful semi-colored photos (they contain mostly muted blues) throughout that help the reader visualize a couple of new sentient species making an appearance, including Lynna and whatever Ne'eda is, both described and pictured below.
The story is framed by Bazine Netal from The Force Awakens (of all people) digging around for information about the Millennium Falcon. She comes across an informant on Vixnix (a small planet on the edge of Wild Space) willing to tell her a tale of the ship's exploits in the past. As you read the story, you come to realize who this informant really is and it's a pretty cool connection. My one gripe with this book is the use of Bazine as she is an informant for The First Order and the book doesn't make it clear when her part of the story takes place--before or after Starkiller Base? As far as we know it could take place after The Last Jedi and she could be on the hunt for the Millennium Falcon for Kylo Ren the new Supreme Leader. I really wish we'd gotten more information on why she was hunting for information about the ship (especially old irrelevant information) and when her hunt was taking place in time.
But the true story is the one told by the informant--it's presented as if the tale is unfolding in real time. A Hynestian princess named Rinetta wishes to help her Lynna tutor, Zel, return the Solstice Globe back to its rightful home on Livno III. Apparently Livno III has been experiencing unspeakable climatic horrors ever since the globe disappeared from its rightful place in a machine designed by The Architects. Lando and L3 get caught up in the mission and make several detours along the way.
There are a number of twists and turns in this tale that constantly kept me guessing. You really had no idea how things were going to work out for the better because things kept going terribly wrong. At one point I thought for sure the story was over and there would be no saving to be had. But then the story turned itself on it's head and Rinetta's sneakiness and smarts conquered the day. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants more Lando--although he's honestly not as Lando-y as in some stories since this is of course a middle-grade book. But his personality traits still come out and his good side filters through, making him even more loveable than before. The real hero of the story is Princess Rinetta though, and I have to say, she is a strong female character who anybody could look up to! A perfect story for young girls who are looking for a new intelligent, independent, and strong-willed Star Wars female character to love.
So on to our new planets:
Hynestia is a very cold planet covered in snowy tundra but also is home to a special lichen that grows luscious pelts called gherlian furs. These furs come in several colors and grow in great domes built across the frozen landscape. The Empire has put a quota on gherlian fur production that Hynestia must meet or pay the consequences. Another interesting cultural tidbit is the Gran Kovali, a giant reptilian beast (the oldest living kova) that devours criminals who are sentenced to death. Forsythia Jin is the Queen of Hynestia, also known as the Assassin Queen for the stories told of how she rid the planet of her brothers and sisters...it is Hynestian tradition to fight to the death among siblings for the throne. Even the dungeons of Hynestia get a delightfully vivid description as warmed by hot springs running through the caverns.
Neral's moon is "the premier entertainment hub in the Corellian sector." One can find podracing, Unta fish juggling, Sabacc, and many other ways to have a good time. There are canals of bioluminescent fish called klinnet from which you can see the glow in space! They talk to each other based on the colors they are radiating. Ne'eda (see to the left) is a giant fish-like creature who runs the moon and has a pack of Stalwarts who enforce her reign. Ne'eda is bright purple, "has two arms and a powerful tail lined with vicious-looking spikes," has large gills on either side of her neck, and has fan-shaped fins protruding from her head in place of ears. She eats those who disappoint her and can climb out of her tank to do so.
Livno III is home to the Lynna (see Zel pictured to the left along with Princess Rinetta), a very large species with tufted ears, three tails, and fur that shifts color based on mood (and I mean anywhere from gray to green to pink!). Their world is only able to be hospitable because of the three globes that fit into the machine created by the Architects. There's the Breeze Globe that causes gentle winds to circulate, the Rain Globe that causes "gentle rains to saturate the plains and grasslands," and the Solstice Globe that lights the sky. Without these globes, Livno III is too far away from its mother sun to obtain the kind of weather it needs to thrive.
Once again, the world-building is truly phenomenal and I could vividly envision all three of these planets. This was such a welcome surprise since it seems to be common practice to introduce new planets briefly in mentions without actually delving into their history and culture, making them real and 3-D. I was certainly immersed in both the story telling and place setting of this tale and honestly couldn't put the book down. You should definitely check this one out for yourself!
This was a fabulous middle-grade novel about an adventure with Lando and L3-37 taking place after Most Wanted and before the Lando: Double or Nothing comic series. There is so much intriguing world-building in this novel that I felt they were in this case justified in bringing us to three entirely new planets! We explore Hynestia, Neral's moon, and Livno III (briefly mentioned in Tales from Vandor as a planet where Lando was it's savior, a story that plays out in this novel!). Lando's Luck is also part of the "Flight of the Falcon" publishing program which journeys with the famous ship across time and space as she encounters a number of different adventures in both books and comics. I just finished Choose Your Destiny: A Luke and Leia Adventure which is another stop along the path. I am loving this program so far and can't wait to see what it brings next.
There are some wonderful semi-colored photos (they contain mostly muted blues) throughout that help the reader visualize a couple of new sentient species making an appearance, including Lynna and whatever Ne'eda is, both described and pictured below.
The story is framed by Bazine Netal from The Force Awakens (of all people) digging around for information about the Millennium Falcon. She comes across an informant on Vixnix (a small planet on the edge of Wild Space) willing to tell her a tale of the ship's exploits in the past. As you read the story, you come to realize who this informant really is and it's a pretty cool connection. My one gripe with this book is the use of Bazine as she is an informant for The First Order and the book doesn't make it clear when her part of the story takes place--before or after Starkiller Base? As far as we know it could take place after The Last Jedi and she could be on the hunt for the Millennium Falcon for Kylo Ren the new Supreme Leader. I really wish we'd gotten more information on why she was hunting for information about the ship (especially old irrelevant information) and when her hunt was taking place in time.
But the true story is the one told by the informant--it's presented as if the tale is unfolding in real time. A Hynestian princess named Rinetta wishes to help her Lynna tutor, Zel, return the Solstice Globe back to its rightful home on Livno III. Apparently Livno III has been experiencing unspeakable climatic horrors ever since the globe disappeared from its rightful place in a machine designed by The Architects. Lando and L3 get caught up in the mission and make several detours along the way.
There are a number of twists and turns in this tale that constantly kept me guessing. You really had no idea how things were going to work out for the better because things kept going terribly wrong. At one point I thought for sure the story was over and there would be no saving to be had. But then the story turned itself on it's head and Rinetta's sneakiness and smarts conquered the day. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants more Lando--although he's honestly not as Lando-y as in some stories since this is of course a middle-grade book. But his personality traits still come out and his good side filters through, making him even more loveable than before. The real hero of the story is Princess Rinetta though, and I have to say, she is a strong female character who anybody could look up to! A perfect story for young girls who are looking for a new intelligent, independent, and strong-willed Star Wars female character to love.
So on to our new planets:
Hynestia is a very cold planet covered in snowy tundra but also is home to a special lichen that grows luscious pelts called gherlian furs. These furs come in several colors and grow in great domes built across the frozen landscape. The Empire has put a quota on gherlian fur production that Hynestia must meet or pay the consequences. Another interesting cultural tidbit is the Gran Kovali, a giant reptilian beast (the oldest living kova) that devours criminals who are sentenced to death. Forsythia Jin is the Queen of Hynestia, also known as the Assassin Queen for the stories told of how she rid the planet of her brothers and sisters...it is Hynestian tradition to fight to the death among siblings for the throne. Even the dungeons of Hynestia get a delightfully vivid description as warmed by hot springs running through the caverns.
Once again, the world-building is truly phenomenal and I could vividly envision all three of these planets. This was such a welcome surprise since it seems to be common practice to introduce new planets briefly in mentions without actually delving into their history and culture, making them real and 3-D. I was certainly immersed in both the story telling and place setting of this tale and honestly couldn't put the book down. You should definitely check this one out for yourself!
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