Podcast appearances and mentions of Timothy Zahn

We are wrapping up the week by catching up on how we have been enjoying Star Wars, discussing a new deluxe edition of Thrawn, and more.   In this fully armed and operational episode of Podcast Stardust, we discuss: What we have been doing related to Star Wars lately, A new deluxe edition of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn, An audio book that slipped through the cracks from Cavan Scott, A new gameplay trailer for Zero Company, Another trailer for Galactic Racer, Star Wars Celebration Los Angeles merch going back on sale, and RIP Marcia Lucas. Thanks for joining us for another episode! Subscribe to Podcast Stardust for all your Star Wars news, reviews, and discussion wherever you get your podcasts. And please leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts.   Find Jay and her cosplay adventures on J.Snips Cosplay on Instagram.   Follow us on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube. T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, masks, and posters are available on TeePublic. Find all episodes on RetroZap.com.

Thrawn, Expanding the Galaxy, and Building Worlds Beyond the Empire In this vintage conversation recorded at a 1990s convention, Tony and Ernest Lilley of SF Revu sit down with acclaimed author Timothy Zahn, whose groundbreaking Thrawn Trilogy helped revive global interest in Star Wars long before the prequels arrived. Zahn reflects on crafting new corners of the galaxy, developing one of the franchise's most iconic villains, and balancing tie‑in storytelling with his own original universes. SAVE 17% ON PLUS  

We're getting into a memorable yet nowadays still criminally underrated portion of STAR WARS history: The Dark Empire Comic Book Trilogy!   How do the official audio books compare?   Why couldn't Disney just make something else prior to writing these out of the Expanded Universe?   What ideas and other originality are strikingly memorable?   What famous comic book writers & illustrators assembled this stunning good vs. evil tale?   Plus, for the 2nd part of the episode, I get to breakdown all the issues for you in as epic a summary as possible!     GUESTS: Oreo Brewer   AUDIO INTRO: Mark Hamill Talks Dark Empire Trilogy and gives a message to Timothy Zahn (1996 Ad)   MUSIC USED: "The Destruction of Xizor's Palace" by Joel McNeely (Shadows of the Empire OST)

Today we begin the Tales from the New Republic short story collection, starting with Interlude at Darkknell, written by both Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole, their second collaboration together. Information about the Tarkin Project has leaked. Senator Garm Bel Iblis and Field Operative Ysanne Isard both travel to Darkknell to retrieve it. Meanwhile, inspector Hal Horn has chased Moranda Savich to Darkknell. Their lives all intersect when Moranda is the first one to find the datacards.

Today we have the pleasure of discussing the true sequels to the Original Star Wars films with the writer himself, Timothy Zahn! That's right, we're talking about the legendary Heir to the Empire trilogy. And not just that, but we're asking Zahn to confirm a few highly contested Star Wars theories! Find out if Thrawn is really just Sherlock Holmes in Space, and was the old Luke Skywalker we saw in the sequels actually just a clone named Luuke?! Do you like what we do? You can support us at Patreon and get access to exclusive behind the scenes outtakes: https://www.patreon.com/thepopcornisntreal

This is a unique book within the Honorverse. Mostly it's a companion to the stories we've read, but it also contains a novella written by David Weber. The first third of the book is essentially a biography of King Roger III told through a story, beginning with his time as a young officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy and running through his reign. The story is titled “I Will Build My House of Steel”, from which the name of the book is derived. The remaining two-thirds of the book is the detailed companion full of history, military information, political / governmental information, ship classes, and so much more. It's a must-read!While published in May 2013, we decided to cover it out of publication order and when we reached the end of discussing all the books that have already been published and available. While that sets the novella out of order, the book really is primarily a companion volume with a lot of reference and background information on a host of topics. In this episode we discussed the novella like we would any other story or novel, then each of us highlighted a favorite section from the companion. Of course, we'd love to hear from all of you with your thoughts on the novella and which section or sections of the companion were your favorites.Your hosts rated “House of Steel” with a trio of 4s (out of 5), resulting in an overall rating of 4.Back to what was mentioned above: there are currently no more already published books in the Honorverse, but don't fear! The next book is scheduled to be published in July 2026—just a few months from when this episode was recorded and hits the feed. We're going to cover that book, “A Call to Deception”, a month after it hits the streets. The book is titled “A Call to Deception”, written by David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope, and it's the fifth novel in the Manticore Ascendent series. We're excited to read it and hope you are, too!You can preorder “A Call to Deception” at the time this episode releases. As always, grab a copy, invite a friend, get to reading and join us again (after a short delay) on our continuing voyage through the Honorverse! Also, please stay tuned for an announcement about another project we're cooking up!You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at honorverse@tpenetwork.com. We look forward to hearing from you.Now, let's be about it!

The epic conclusion after Ben returns from getting that seltzer!Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

It's a double header! We wrap up the comics' adaptation of the first Timothy Zahn trilogy, “The Last Command,” and then hop into the first 2 episodes of the new Disney + series MAUL - SHADOW LORD. (spoiler warning for these episodes - you've been warned!)News from StarWarsNewsNet.com TV, Comics, Movie, Merch, Game news and more! THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU Final Trailer Drops, Tickets now on Sale! Drop us a line at secretfriendsunite@gmail.com and let us know what you're enjoying in the ‘world of nerd' and we might feature your comments on one of our shows! Find us online at secretfriendsunite.com for ALL of our episodes, additional content and bios of our SFU Network stars!Hit us up at Secret.Friends.Unite on Threads, BlueSky & Instagram and @TheCeeThree on Threads, BlueSky and Instagram.Secret Friends Unite LinktreePlease support Pancreatic Cancer Research at https://pancan.org/Join our Secret Friends Unite Discord for great geek discussions of all kinds! https://discord.gg/AX9qwErUWebsite: Chaotic Good Coffee, Comics, and GamesSubscribe to our YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/SecretFriendsUniteGet all your SECRET FRIENDS UNITE merch at our Redbubble store! Click here

Vuelve a rugir desde las sombras, La Fosa del Rancor. Seguimos el rastro de Maul en su nueva trayectoria  como señor del crimen, con los nuevos episodios de la serie de Star Wars en Disney+, Darth Maul: Shadow Lord, Señor de las Sombras. Pero la Fuerza ha querido que podamos disfrutar de más Star Wars y nos ha traído el último tráiler de The Mandalorian and Grogu. Por lo que este programa viene cargado de mucho Star Wars. Como no podía ser de otra manera, antes de meternos en harina, os traeremos las noticias más relevantes de nuestra galaxia favorita. En primer lugar, le dedicamos unos minutos a las recientes novedades de la próxima Star Wars Celebration de Los Angeles. A continuación, compartimos con vosotros una noticia relevante para los amantes del Universo Expandido. Según cuentan Claudia Gray y Timothy Zahn, en la MegaCon, Lucasfilm no permitirá que Mara Jade salga de nuestra isla del Universo Expandido al canon actual. Dave Filoni, mantendrá el criterio del Hacedor y al parecer el querido personaje no verá la luz en ninguna de las nuevas historias. Le dedicaremos unos minutos a comentar esta noticia. Nuestro compañero Kiko Cerro, también nos contará su experiencia en el Krunch! Festival de Alcalá de Henares y su encuentro con nuestro querido amigo, el gran Kenny Ruiz. No podemos dejar de recomendaros nuestro especial junto a este gran artista, dedicado a su última obra "Path of the lightsaber" y el recorrido que hicimos a toda la historia de los mangas de Star Wars. Por último recordaros que en unas semanas nos vamos a Alemania para asistir a la convención Power of the Force, en Colonia. Un equipo de Foseros viajeros se desplazará hasta allí para traeros todas las noticias y novedades que se produzcan en este encuentro fan. Y ahora sí, tras estas novedades, le dedicamos un buen análisis a los episodios 3 y 4 de Maul Shadow Lord. En estos capítulos seguimos el proceso de atracción de la padawan Devon hacia el Lado Oscuro. También el intento de Maul de vengarse de los demás señores del crimen. Y la complicada situación que se le está creando al responsable de la ley, Brander Lawson. La historia fluye hacia las sombras y la inevitable intervención del Imperio, cada vez está más cerca. Tras comentar estos capítulos, nos metemos de lleno en el último tráiler de The Mandalorian and Grogu. Dos minutos de pura magia de Star Wars, que darán para un nuevo análisis y teorías. Si bien este último tráiler no aporta muchas novedades a lo ya visto anteriormente, en la Fosa le dedicamos un buen repaso como marca la tradición Fosera. Como sabéis, podréis encontrar en nuestros análisis, todos los guiños, curiosidades, referencias a otras historias del canon, por supuesto al Universo Expandido y siempre con el humor que nos caracteriza. Aquí os dejamos un vídeo oficial que comentamos en nuestro análisis y que es una buena muestra del cariño que está poniendo el equipo de la película en esta historia. Pero cuidado, si no queréis saber demasiado de la película, porque puede ser muy relevante: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_MGZcXowTA Grabado en la noche del sábado 18 de abril, montado y editado por Paco Villa, para este programa reunimos a una mesa con auténtico poder en el reverso tenebroso. Rosa Campoy, Ferran Lloret, Kiko Cerro (desde @cineycomics Tik Tok) y Ángel de Jorge. Conducido por los acólitos de Maul: Paco Villa y Josemi. Esto no es un análisis cualquiera. Esto es La Fosa del Rancor hablando de Maul. Un podcast hecho por fans para fans. Que lo disfruéis No dejéis de soñar con galaxias lejanas y que la Fuerza os acompañe siempre. ♥¡Dale, Pacoto!♥ Comunidad Únete al canal de WhatsApp de La Fosa del Rancor para seguir todas nuestras novedades. En LaTostadora.com puedes llevarte nuestro merchandising oficial. Síguenos en redes:  Twitter: @lafosadelrancor  Facebook: Fosa del Rancor  Instagram: @lafosadelrancor  YouTube: La Fosa del Rancor TV Timeline: 00:00:00 Introducción y presentaciones. 00:08:30 Últimas noticias y novedades SW. 00:37:00 Análisis capítulos 3 y 4 Maul Shadow Lord. 01:34:45 Análisis trailer final The Mandalorian & Grogu.

This week Nate reads and discusses another Thrawn book. This is for us. Also Ben's brain leaves his skull like Homer Simpson listening to Flanders' talk about cider and juice.Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

In today's Daily Fix:Fan-favorite Star Wars character Mara Jade is apparently stuck in the non-canon Legends universe, as Lucasfilm apparently isn't ready—or doesn't want—to bring her back. Veteran Star Wars authors Claudia Grey and Timothy Zahn (who created Mara Jade in the 90s), have repeatedly asked Lucasfilm about finding a way to bring her into the new Disney-era canon, but they've been turned down. In other news, Karl Urban is having another banner year, with the highly-anticipated final season of The Boys set to premiere on Amazon, and a starring role as Johnny Cage in the Mortal Kombat sequel. But there's another adaptation he's ready to tackle: Red Dead Redemption. And finally, Ralph Fienness won't be returning as Lord Voldemort in the HBO Harry Potter series, but he does have a suggestion as to who should take up the noseless role, and it's a pretty good one.

It's the beginning of the end of more of the beginning in the post-Marvel STAR WARS comicsverse with the first three issues of Dark Horse Comics' adaptation of the famous Timothy Zahn novel “The Last Command.”Drop us a line at secretfriendsunite@gmail.com and let us know what you're enjoying in the ‘world of nerd' and we might feature your comments on one of our shows! Find us online at secretfriendsunite.com for ALL of our episodes, additional content and bios of our SFU Network stars!Hit us up at Secret.Friends.Unite on Threads, BlueSky & Instagram and @TheCeeThree on Threads, BlueSky and Instagram.Secret Friends Unite LinktreePlease support Pancreatic Cancer Research at https://pancan.org/Join our Secret Friends Unite Discord for great geek discussions of all kinds! https://discord.gg/AX9qwErUWebsite: Chaotic Good Coffee, Comics, and GamesSubscribe to our YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/SecretFriendsUniteGet all your SECRET FRIENDS UNITE merch at our Redbubble store! Click here

Today we discuss Side Trip, the final short story in Tales from the Empire, and the first Star Wars collaboration between Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole. Grand Admiral Thrawn has commandeered a civilian ship to make a delivery to Corellia. He accompanies the ship disguised as the bounty hunter Jodo Kast. On Corellia, they run into a pair of CorSec agents, Hal and Corran Horn. The Horns and Thrawn team up to take on the Corellian Black Sun contingent.

We wrap up our Thrawn-ing (the middle part) about the comicsverse with the last three issues of Dark Horse Comics' adaptation of the famous Timothy Zahn novel “Dark Force Rising.”Drop us a line at secretfriendsunite@gmail.com and let us know what you're enjoying in the ‘world of nerd' and we might feature your comments on one of our shows! Find us online at secretfriendsunite.com for ALL of our episodes, additional content and bios of our SFU Network stars!Hit us up at Secret.Friends.Unite on Threads, BlueSky & Instagram and @TheCeeThree on Threads, BlueSky and Instagram.Secret Friends Unite LinktreePlease support Pancreatic Cancer Research at https://pancan.org/Join our Secret Friends Unite Discord for great geek discussions of all kinds! https://discord.gg/AX9qwErUWebsite: Chaotic Good Coffee, Comics, and GamesSubscribe to our YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/SecretFriendsUniteGet all your SECRET FRIENDS UNITE merch at our Redbubble store! Click here

We wrap up our Thrawn-ing about the comicsverse with the last three issues of Dark Horse Comics' adaptation of the famous Timothy Zahn novel “Heir to the Empire.”Drop us a line at secretfriendsunite@gmail.com and let us know what you're enjoying in the ‘world of nerd' and we might feature your comments on one of our shows! News from StarWarsNewsNet.comTime to Get MAULED! Drop us a line at secretfriendsunite@gmail.com and let us know what you're enjoying in the ‘world of nerd' and we might feature your comments on one of our showsFind us online at secretfriendsunite.com for ALL of our episodes, additional content and bios of our SFU Network stars!Hit us up at Secret.Friends.Unite on Threads, BlueSky & Instagram and @TheCeeThree on Threads, BlueSky and Instagram. Let us know what you're enjoying in the STAR WARS world!Secret Friends Unite LinktreePlease support Pancreatic Cancer Research at https://pancan.org/Join our Secret Friends Unite Discord for great geek discussions of all kinds! https://discord.gg/AX9qwErUWebsite: Chaotic Good Coffee, Comics, and GamesSubscribe to our YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/SecretFriendsUniteGet all your SECRET FRIENDS UNITE merch at our Redbubble store! Click here

We take a turn into the 90s and our first comic review in a long while, talking about the first three issues of Dark Horse Comics' adaptation of the famous Timothy Zahn novel “Heir to the Empire.”News from StarWarsNewsNet.com TV, Comics, Movie, Merch, Game news and more! Star Wars directed by - Tom Cruise? The Changing of the Guard At Long LastDrop us a line at secretfriendsunite@gmail.com and let us know what you're enjoying in the ‘world of nerd' and we might feature your comments on one of our showsFind us online at secretfriendsunite.com for ALL of our episodes, additional content and bios of our SFU Network stars!Hit us up at Secret.Friends.Unite on Threads, BlueSky & Instagram and @TheCeeThree on Threads, BlueSky and Instagram. Let us know what you're enjoying in the STAR WARS world!Secret Friends Unite LinktreePlease support Pancreatic Cancer Research at https://pancan.org/Join our Secret Friends Unite Discord for great geek discussions of all kinds! https://discord.gg/AX9qwErUWebsite: Chaotic Good Coffee, Comics, and GamesSubscribe to our YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/SecretFriendsUniteGet all your SECRET FRIENDS UNITE merch at our Redbubble store! Click here

We know we've been enjoying this Honorverse adventure for a while when we realize the book we're discussing this time wasn't published when we began the podcast. David Weber keeps writing and we're happy to have more content to read, enjoy, and discuss with you, our co-adventurers! What Price Victory is the seventh book in the Worlds of Honor anthology and brings us five short stories written by six authors: Timothy Zahn, Thomas Pope, Jane Lindskold, Jan Kotouč, Joelle Presby and David Weber. We have some familiar faces and a few new folks, too.What Price Victory is 320 pages (hardcover), published in February 2023. The first story in the book is Traitor, by Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope.It takes place sometime around 1528 PD and focuses on events surrounding a significant challenge to Andermani Emperor Gustav. What initially appears to be quiet and professional concern that Gustav may not be fit to lead the Empire, as the concerned parties assemble, it becomes clear that the real intent is to stage a coup. Things get wild!Your hosts gave this story three ‘thumbs-up”. The second story, Deception of Gryphon was written by Jane Lindskoldt. The last book we discussed was A New Clan which featured Stephanie Harrington and her friends. This short story brings us back to Stephanie and Karl shortly after the events in A New Clan, but now these two heroes are on Gryphon with Stephanie's parents. While there, they find themselves involved in what initially looked like a suicide, but quickly questions surface about whether or not it may have been a murder. As a credentialed law enforcement officer, Karl gets involved along with Probationary Ranger Harrington and the story unfolds.We gave this story three “thumbs-ups”, as well. The Silesian Command was the third story, written by Jan Kotouč. Now we find ourselves early in the days of what is usually called the Second Manticoran-Havenite War, probably in 1919 or 1920 PD. The Star Kingdom of Manticore is growing and we're seeing some of the struggles of the war spilling over into Manticore's efforts to manage new territory gained when the Silesian Confederacy was split between the Star Kingdom and the Andermani Empire. There's intrigue, nuclear weapons, a rogue People's Republic of Haven State Security officer, and pirates!Your hosts scored this one with two “thumbs-up”, and a “neutral” vote. If Wishes Were Space Cutters, written by Joelle Presby, was our fourth story.Joelle takes us back to Grayson and a character named Noah Bedlam. This young man dreams of bigger things in the future, then finds himself with a new job helping to build a space station. He takes the job and leaves his mom (who he lives with) behind—hopefully the new work will pay him enough to improve both his and her standard of living. High drama ensues when space debris hits the ship (a cutter) he's stationed on, causing critical damage. With the help of a new acquaintance, he works to stem the unfolding catastrophe and save many lives. As a result, he's recommended to attend pilot training.We struggled with this one, scoring it with a “neutral” vote and two “thumbs-down”. The fifth and final story is written by the man himself, Mr. David Weber, titled First Victory.The events in the story unfold across a significant period of time between March 1846 and December 1877 PD. Most of the story is at the front end of this window culminating with Honor's birth, then there's a leap forward to when she's 17.Lots of tension and love in this story. Tension that is the relationship between Jennifer (Allison's mom) and Allison (Honor's mom)...

Suddenly we're here to talk about the fourth novel in the Manticore Ascendant story arc: A Call to Insurrection.As before, this novel is co-written with Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope and published by Baen in January 2022. We're back in the fight with Travis Long, his wife Lisa and on an adventure following a recent attack on the young Star Kingdom. What rests behind the recent attack is the speculation that the small and insignificant Star Empire might be sitting on something extremely valuable in the context of trade and commerce. With the potential for a significant increase in economic power, someone is trying to ensure that increase is theirs and not Manticore's. However, Queen Elizabeth I and her government aren't completely ignorant of what might be behind the attacks. If they're right, there is a real threat to the Kingdom looming, and therefore a real need for a stronger and more capable navy. Enter the well-timed diplomatic contact by the Andermani Empire, and quickly we find Travis, Lisa and our other friends on what could be a well-timed adventure. Or possibly a disaster. There's drama, tension, a bunch of mercenaries, and definitely some combat! As always, your hosts share their thoughts about the book, and in this case the story arc we know as “Manticore Ascendant”. We even refer back to things David Weber shared with us about what may lie ahead for this part of the Honorverse (could there be more?), and a few thoughts and hopes of our own as the overarching Honorverse adventure continues. Our ratings for A Call to Insurrection were a 4.5, 5 and 4.5 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 4.7 from your hosts.As always, thank you for taking this journey with us, listening, liking and commenting on the episodes, and sharing this podcast with other like-minded adventurers. We always love your feedback and thoughts. Like the three of us, every one of you is a part of the crew! Next time we're shifting back to the Star Kingdom arc and looking at the fourth book there: A New Clan. If you like seeing the development of the treecat-human partnership, the early years on Sphinx for humans, and the further adventures of Stephanie Harrington, don't miss this one! Grab your copy, invite a friend, and please join us again next time. You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at honorverse@tpenetwork.com. We look forward to hearing from you.Now, let's be about it!

Here we are, finishing the Crown of Slaves series with the fourth book: To End in Fire, once again co-authored by David Weber and Eric Flint.Consistent with the title, this story arc ends with a lot of fire. For the Babylon 5 fans who are also here with us, we can say there's lot's of BOOM. It's another hefty book, coming in at 704 pages if you read the print version, so there's definitely room for a lot of fire (or boom), and a lot of action overall. The focus of the story is tied to the continued dealing with the Mesan Alignment, with action taking place in several locations including Mesa and Earth. Lots of threads from previous books are pulled together, and we get to watch the workings of the defeated Solarian League's Constitutional Convention. We also see the establishment of significant governmental reform on Mesa, with some pretty cool time and attention paid to several of our former Ballroom members, including Saburo X.We continue to see Honor in action as combat ops have ended (paused?) and follow-on operations occur. Oh, and Honor's mother Alison (one of our favorite characters) gives birth to twins. For those who read it, you know this is only a summary and there's SO much more going on as well.Your hosts rated “To End in Fire” with a 4, a 4 and a 4.5 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 4.17 from your hosts.We hope you never get tired of hearing it because we don't get tired of saying it: thank you for listening and especially to those of you who take the time to interact with us, like and follow us on social media, and share this podcast with others.Next, we're back in the Manticore Ascendant series, looking at the fourth and final book: A Call to Insurrection co-authored by David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope. As with the others in this series/arc, we're making a final trip back to the early years of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. As we wrap this series up, be sure to grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time.You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at honorverse@tpenetwork.com. We look forward to hearing from you.Now, let's be about it!

Fan favorite writer Timothy Zahn is a Star Wars legend! As the author of the original Thrawn trilogy in the early 90s (and numerous subsequent Star Wars novels), Zahn helped keep the Star Wars flame lit during the franchise's post-Return of the Jedi slumber. And at GalaxyCon San Jose, I had the honor of moderating the Spotlight on Timothy Zahn panel, where he shared stories about the creation of Grand Admiral Thrawn and other characters, how he first got the chance to write for Star Wars, what he thinks of his Extended Universe novels becoming Star Wars Legends, and much, much more! And now you get a chance to hear the conversation for yourself! Enjoy! To see when you can attend a GalaxyCon for yourself, visit the GalaxyCon website at: ⁠https://galaxycon.com You can also subscribe to the Geekscape podcast on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3H27uMH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/3BVrnkW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryan Young was on hand at Dragon Con to bring you one of our favorite treats every year: the authors of Star Wars. The panel this year consisted of authors Timothy Zahn, Delilah Dawson, and Jonathan Jackson Miller, and they talked about their time in the Star Wars trenches, what they have coming up, and new anecdotes about a galaxy far, far away. Also jizz wailing.

Send us a textThis Week on the show author David Boop stops by the show to discuss, writing, editing, Star Wars & Star Trek and much more. *******David Boop is a Denver-based speculative fiction author & editor. He's also an award-winning essayist, and screenwriter. Before turning to fiction, David worked as a DJ, film critic, journalist, and actor. David's novels run the gamut, such as the sci-fi/noir She Murdered Me with Science and the Weird Western, The Drowned Horse Chronicle. David edited the bestselling and award-nominated Weird Western anthology series beginning with Straight Outta Tombstone, followed by a trio of Space Western anthologies starting with Gunfight on Europa Station. He's edited several pulp anthologies, including Gentlemen Prefer Domino Lady, Domino Patrick: Daughter of the Domino Lady, and Green Hornet & Kato: Detroit Noir. Most recently, he edited the Jack L. Chalker's Well World tribute mosaic novel, Permutations. David is prolific in short fiction, writing across many genres including sci-fi, fantasy, horror, weird western, and superhero. Some of his shorts include media tie-ins for Predator (nominated for the 2018 Scribe Award), Kolchak the Night Stalker, The Green Hornet, and Veronica Mars. He's a Summa Cum Laude Graduate from UC-Denver in the Creative Writing program. He tutors and teaches Creative Writing, collects Funko Pops, and is a believer. You can find out more at Longshot-Productions.net.********If you would like to contact the show about being a guest, please email us at Dauna@bettertopodcast.comUpcoming guests can be found: https://dmneedom.com/upcoming-guest Follow us on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_d.m.needom/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bettertopodcastwithdmneedomIntro and Outro music compliments of Fast Suzi©2025 Better To...Podcast with D. M. NeedomSupport the show

In this week's episode, I take a look back at the challenges of finishing my STEALTH & SPELLS ONLINE LitRPG trilogy. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobooks in the Malison series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store: MALISONSUMMER50 The coupon code is valid through August 18, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook this summer, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 262 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is August 1, 2025, and today we are looking at how I finished my LitRPG trilogy at long last. Before we get into that, we will have Coupon of the Week, a progress update on my current writing and audiobook projects, and Question of the Week. First up is Coupon of the Week. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobooks in the Malison series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store: MALISONSUMMER50. And as always, we will include the coupon code and the link to my Payhip store in the show notes. And this coupon code is valid through August 18th, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook this summer, we have got you covered. Now let's take a look at where I'm at with my current writing projects. As I mentioned in previous episodes, Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest, the final book in the Stealth and Spells Online trilogy, is finished. You can get that at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. It is doing slightly better than the previous two in the trilogy, which makes it the bestselling book in the trilogy so far. So thank you all for that. My next main project is Ghost in the Siege, which will be the sixth and final book in the Ghost Armor series. I am 53,000 words into that as of this recording, which puts me about halfway through, give or take. I'm also 6,000 words into Blade of Flames, which will be the first book in my new epic fantasy series that I will begin once Ghost in the Siege is out. In audiobook news, Shield of Power--recording for it is underway. That will be excellently narrated by Brad Wills and hopefully that will be out in probably towards the end of September sometime, if all goes well. 00:01:49 Question of the Week Now let's move on to Question of the Week, which is designed to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics. This week's question: what is your favorite book you've read in 2025 so far? No wrong answers, obviously. The inspiration for this question was that June 30th was the halfway point of the year, which naturally inspires both reflection and some mandatory bookkeeping. Mary says: Witch Hat Atelier Volume 13 by Kamome Shirahama (which I probably mispronounced). After having read the rest of the series, of course. Juana says: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts. Jonathan T. says: The Genesis Enigma: Why the Bible is Scientifically Accurate. This book is like my favorite nonfiction book so far of the year, while my favorite in the fiction category is likely Hardy Boys Casefiles: Dead On Target. Roger says: Just finished the latest in the Magelands Series, The Lost Ascendant. Really good, but a long series-even longer than yours, Jonathan. Gary says: It wasn't published in 2025 (I'm tragically behind the times) but Murtaugh by Christopher Paolini. Lynda says: Sunset by Sharon Sala. Denny says: Not sure if Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives: Wind and Truth counts. It was released in December of 2024, but it's the newest book I've read. John K. says: My favorite book so far is by new indie author, J.L. Odom, By Blood By Salt. It's in line with apparently my favorite genre of MC called (I can't tell if this is disparaging or not) “competency porn” where the main character is well, uber competent. For myself, I think my favorite book of the year so far for 2025 would be The Icarus Coda by Timothy Zahn, which wraps up his excellent Icarus sci-fi mystery series after 25 years. So I definitely recommend you check out the Icarus series if you get a chance and if you're looking for other interesting things to read, apparently we have a few recommendations for you as well. 00:03:29 Main Topic: How I Finally Finished the Stealth and Spells Online Trilogy Now let's move on to our main topic this week. How I finally finished the Stealth and Spells Online trilogy with the last book, Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest. I'm very grateful to everyone who read the trilogy and enjoyed it. All told, it took about 10 months to write Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest, from September of 2024 to July 2025, when I finally published it. So that's a lot longer than it takes for me to usually write a book. So what took so long? Well, a lot of things went wrong. Let's look back. Towards the end of 2022, I decided I wanted to try something a little different, so I settled on LitRPG, which seemed promising because it's pretty popular. For the story, I had an idea of a software developer who was fired from a virtual reality MMORPG once he realized it was dangerous and how he starts playing the game to uncover the proof he needs of the corporation's evil plans. I also had why I thought would be a clever idea. The game would be based on my Frostborn books. Like, it's set 700 years in the future and some interstellar scout discovered the Frostborn books on a wrecked colony ship, and then the evil corporation built the game around them. I decided the game would be called Sevenfold Sword Online, which meant it was the logical name for the series. So I wrote Sevenfold Sword Online: Creation and published it in February of 2023. And alas, it didn't do particularly well. A couple of problems became immediately apparent. First, and perhaps foremost, the title was causing confusion. People assumed it was connected to my Sevenfold Sword series and was in some way a sequel to that series, which it wasn't. Second, people were confused and wondered if the Ridmark Arban and Calliande Arban NPCs in the game were the actual characters from the Frostborn, Sevenfold Sword, and Dragontiarna books. They weren't. But in comedy, there's a saying that if you have to explain the joke you've already lost. I suppose a parallel conclusion would be that if you have to explain the characters are NPCs in the game world based on your books 700 years in the future, then the concept of the book is probably a bit too abstract. Second, the book didn't really appeal to a majority of my regular readers who prefer epic fantasy from me. Case in point- when I published Half-Elven Thief in December 2023, in its first month it did 66% of what Stealth and Spells Online: Creation has done in the entire three and a half years it has been available, and I'm recording this on August 1st, 2025. So in its first month, Half-Elven Thief did two thirds of what Creation did the entire three and a half years it's been published. In its lifetime, Half-Elven Thief has sold 250% more than Stealth and Spells Online: Creation, and it's been out for ten and a half fewer months than Creation. Clearly, the majority of my regular readers prefer epic fantasy over LitRPG. Despite these setbacks, I continued onward and published Sevenfold Sword Online: Leveling in February of 2024. It did slightly worse than Creation. So for the rest of 2024, I on and off tried a bunch of things to improve how the series fared. To avoid confusion, I changed the title from Sevenfold Sword Online to Stealth and Spells Online, which it currently is. I redid the cover art, I changed the description, all the usual things for improving a series, and none of it ever really worked. I could never quite turn a profit when advertising the book. During these experiments, I realized I had fundamentally misread the LitRPG market because the three most popular kinds of LitRPG are: 1. Portal fantasy, when the protagonist falls through a portal and ends up in another world that runs on MMORPG style rules for whatever reason. 2. Isekai. The character dies and is reborn in a world that runs on MMORPG style rules. You'll see this in books with titles like I Died and was Reborn as a Level One Healer, something like that. 3. System Apocalypse. The world ends and is recreated as a living MMORPG, usually overseen by an all powerful “game system” (hence the name). The system can be created by gods or incomprehensibly powerful space aliens and is often malevolent. Dungeon Crawler Carl, where Earth is destroyed and remade into an MMORPG system as part of a sadistic alien game show is probably the most well-known example of this particular subgenre. The problem is that Stealth and Spells Online fits into none of these popular subgenres. I joke that I tried to write a LitRPG, but it ended up as a sci-fi thriller. I mean “software developer fighting sinister corporation's evil plans” is a sci-fi cyberpunk story, not a LitRPG. So I was trying to tell a story ill-suited for that particular genre, like attempting to write a cozy contemporary mystery in the format of an epic Arthurian fantasy quest. Like that idea could potentially work, but it probably wouldn't. With that realization, I had three choices about how to proceed. 1. Leave Stealth and Spells Online unfinished and never speak of it again. 2. Unpublish Stealth and Spells Online and never speak of it again. 3. Find a way to finish Stealth and Spells Online in a satisfactory fashion with a single book because I didn't want to write a long series that sold poorly. I disliked Options One and Two, partly for reasons of professional pride and partly because it's bad to get a reputation in the fantasy genre for leaving series unfinished. You don't want to leave readers hanging longer than is necessary. The tricky part for Option Three was I had originally planned Stealth and Spells Online to be like seven or eight books, and I was only two books into what I had outlined for the story. An additional, potentially major real life problem was that the Stealth and Spells Online books sold badly enough to seriously tank book sales in the month they were released. Like both February 2023 and February 2024 were some of my weakest sales months in the past decade. So that meant I needed an outline for the final book that would discard all the planned subplots and focus entirely on the main plot. I also needed to write the book as a side project and not a main project because I knew it probably would not sell well. Ideally, it would come out in the same month as a much stronger seller like one of the Shield War books. So in October of 2024, I started chipping away at what would become Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest at 500 words a day. I would write 250 words before going to the gym in the morning and then 250 more words after dinner. During the normal workday, my main focus was on whatever book in the Shield War, Ghost Armor, Cloak Mage, and Half-Elven Thief series I was writing at the time. (As I've said before, having five unfinished series at the time is way too many, which is why I spent summer 2025 trying to get that number down.) But I did my 250 words in the morning and my 250 words after dinner almost every day. I just kept chipping away at it. Finally, in July of 2025, I was very nearly to the end of the book. After I published Shield of Power, I decided I was far enough along to make Final Quest my main project. Turns out I actually was pretty far along, since I only needed to write 3,000 more words to finish the book. Two rounds of editing and some new scenes later (I added a bunch of stuff since I thought the original ending was incomplete) and I published the book in July of 2025. It turned out reasonably well. People seemed to like the ending and find it satisfactory (at least those who read it). Final Quest sold slightly better than its predecessors. But to be honest, Shield of Power has generated sales in its first three days equal to what Final Quest did in its first two weeks. So I'm grateful for everyone who read the trilogy or listened to the two audiobooks. I'm really grateful that you read it or listened to it and enjoyed it. But in all honesty, I'm glad to be done with the trilogy. I've always been kind of sad when I finished my other series, especially the big ones, but with Stealth and Spells Online, I'm just relieved to be done and that I don't have to think about it very much anymore. It's easier to promote a finished trilogy than an unfinished series. Probably I'm going to make the first book free every three months, run some ads to it while it's free, and that will be that. I just signed up with C.J. McAllister a few days ago to do the audiobook version of Final Quest (and he did a very good job on the first two books in the trilogy), so eventually we'll probably have a Stealth and Spells Online: The Complete Trilogy audiobook, since audiobook bundles always do well and I expect a complete trilogy audiobook bundle would likewise do well. Amusingly, I realized that to finish this book, I essentially followed my own advice that I've been giving for years. I always say on this podcast and my blog that you can finish a novel if you just keep chipping away at it and small efforts add up over time. Final Quest turned out to be about 117,000 words, and I mostly got there 500 words at a time. Do I regret writing Stealth and Spells Online? No. But obviously if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely do some things differently. Will I ever return to writing in the LitRPG genre? Probably not. I listed all the popular subgenres of LitRPG earlier, and while I don't have anything against any of those subgenres, I just don't have any particular interest in writing a story that revolves around those tropes. For all that my books tend to be escapist, I always need to have at least a touchstone of reality in them so they make sense to me. Characters like Wire, Admiral Winterholt, and Alexander Maskell could definitely have their real-life (even contemporary) equivalents. LitRPG story tropes in general seem to be about a flight from reality. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it's not something I'm really interested in writing. I mean, I designed the Andomhaim setting in Frostborn around people who traveled from Sub-Roman Britain in the 500s A.D. to a world where magic is real, so that way I could make real-world historical references. I think if pressed, I could write a pretty good novel in the genres of epic fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller, and romance. But I'm not at all sure I could write a good book in the LitRPG subgenres I listed. Honestly, maybe I'm just too old for it. I don't think I encountered an MMORPG for the first time until I was, I think 24 or 25 years old, and I've never actually seriously played one, so it definitely wasn't a formative experience for me the way it was for many LitRPG authors. In fact, if I'm remembering it right, my first serious encounter with an MMORPG was in fact at work when I got an IT support ticket about network throttling, complaining about how long a World of Warcraft update was taking to download. So that is how I finally finished the Stealth and Spells Online trilogy. And once again, thank you to everyone who read and listened to these Stealth and Spells Online trilogy. I hope you found it enjoyable. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.

Welcome to the most karabast filled episode Star Wars Reactions to date!This week, hosts Aaron “Karabast” Harris and David Modders sit down and discuss each other's picks as they share their top 5 Disney era books. These are books they consider must reads for Star Wars fans that have been released since the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm. From A New Dawn through Trials of the Jedi, their picks cover novels from The High Republic to the Prequel era, to the Sequel era. Which ones have you read? Plus, Aaron makes what could be a record setting amount of karabast moments, can you count them all?As always, we end this episode with Aaron's all new Star Wars Dad Joke of the Week!Talking Points:Episode 218 IntroTop 5 Disney Era Books#5#4#3#2Honorable Mentions#1ClosingStar Wars Dad Joke of the WeekStar Wars Reactions: Elegant discussions for a more civilized age!Click here to leave us a voicemail via SpeakPipe!Email us here!Follow us on X!Follow us on Facebook!Follow us on Instagram!Follow us on  TikTok!Follow us on Threads!Follow us on Bluesky!Follow us on Pinterest!Subscribe on YouTube!Follow Aaron and David on X!Follow Aaron and David on Instagram!

"When you understand a species' art, you understand that species."And now for something completely different. We talked about Timothy Zahn's HEIR TO THE EMPIRE! Years after RETURN OF THE JEDI there was no TV shows, no movies, no nada. That all changed with this book babyyyyy!Support the 70mm Patreon to join our VHS Village Discord and access exclusive episodes in the 70mm Vault like the 1990s Batman movies, Harry Potter, The Matrix, SHIN Godzilla, and over 70 others. Signing up for the Patreon also get your own membership card, member-only discounts on merch, and the ability to vote on future episodes!Don't forget you can visit our website to shop our storefront to buy prints and merch, follow us on Letterboxd, email the show, and much more.70mm is a ⁠TAPEDECK⁠ podcast, along with our friends at ⁠BAT & SPIDER⁠,  ⁠The Letterboxd Show⁠, Austin Danger Pod, ⁠Escape Hatch⁠, ⁠Will Run For...⁠, ⁠Lost Light⁠, ⁠The Movie Mixtape⁠, and ⁠Twin Vipers⁠.(Gone but not forgotten; ⁠Cinenauts⁠ + ⁠FILM HAGS⁠.) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

It's time for the third novel in the Manticore Ascendant story arc: A Call to Vengeance.Co-written with Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope and published by Baen in March 2018, this is another of David Weber's lengthier novels, but with good reason. We're watching a more mature Travis Long (and colleagues, including Lisa Donnelly) participate in operations of the maturing Royal Manticoran Navy. The Manticoran government continues to struggle with the roles, relationships and funding competition between the RMN and MPARS. In a subplot we see the establishment of the Special Intelligence Service (known quietly but openly as Delphi) and an associated struggle in terms of roles, responsibilities and authorities between the Office of Naval Intelligence and Delphi. As those pots simmer (or boil), Elisabeth works through a potentially significant political fight that manifests as a “Constitutional crisis”. This all sounds serious, right? It is, but there are definitely a few very funny events that occur within the pages within both plot lines.Our ratings for A Call to Vengeance were a 5, 5 and 5 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 5.As always, thank you for taking this journey with us, listening, liking and commenting on the episodes, and sharing this podcast with others. Don't forget, it's never too late to comment on previous episodes either. We love your feedback and thoughts. Like the three of us, every one of you is a part of the crew!Next time we're stepping back into the main story arc as we dive into Uncompromising Honor as things get very heated between Manticore and Mesa. As always, be sure to grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time.You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at honorverse@tpenetwork.com. We look forward to hearing from you.Now, let's be about it!

Star Wars Summer begins after the original trilogy with “Heir to the Empire”, a graphic novel adaption of Timothy Zahn's celebrated novel series.

This time, we dive right into the final book in the Saganami Island series: Shadow of Victory.This chunky novel weighs in at 756 pages and hit the streets in November 2016. The story covers a date range from February 1921 PD through October 1022 PD. For those tracking dates, you'll realize this is one of those times when David covers events we've already seen, but from a different perspective. There's also some new info in here, too.The major things that happen reflect the continuing exposure of, or for some, the revelation of, the Mesan Alignment. These include the sneak attack on Manticore itself, destroying a significant segment of their economy and military infrastructure. We also see Operation Janus, the Alignment's effort to discredit Manticore by making false promises of military support to oppressed segments of other start nations if they decide to rebel. Then there's the horrific Operation Houdini. These plans are diabolical, especially when taken together. The false promises might embolden revolutions, causing the division and downfall of many when Manticore never shows up with the “promised” support. It would also drain resources from the governments experiencing those revolutions. Additionally, when Manticore appears to renege on promised support (that they never made), it paints them in a light that they can't be trusted to keep their word internationally. Finally, in the context of the hostilities between Manticore and the Solarian League (actually provoked by the Alignment!), Manticore looks like they're acting consistent with the propaganda that paints them as improperly seeking to expand their empire by force, employing their military to engage the Solarians directly and indirectly. There's certainly a lot going on here. We'll warn you now: your hosts didn't particularly enjoy this book. Tune in to find out why and let us know if you agree or not. We rated Shadow of Victory with a 2.5, a 2 and a 3 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 2.5.As always, thank you for listening. Special thanks to those of you who take the time to like and follow us on social media, share this podcast with others, and to even comment on our posts.Next time, we're excited to discuss A Call to Vengeance, book three in the Manticore Ascendant story arc. That's right: we're going to see what happens next with Travis Long, Lisa Donnelly and others as the young Royal Manticoran Navy continues to struggle against emerging mercenary threats to the Star Kingdom while the government struggles with how well to fund the Navy in light of possibly decreasing funds for the navy while increasing funds for the Manticoran Patrol and Rescue Service. Yes, we're about to enjoy some more great storytelling from the dynamic trio of David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Tom Pope! As always, be sure to grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time.

Today we discuss Survivor's Quest. The Chiss have found the remains of Outbound Flight. The Skywalkers journey to the Unknown Regions to see its remains and are joined by the Chiss, a New Republic ambassador who isn't, and a species who owe their survival to Outbound Flight. But none of them are prepared for what they find within the wreckage of the ship.

May the Fortnite Drop with you fanoners! A long time ago in a discontinued timeline, Luke, han and Leia find themselves embroiled in a fight against the Empire's best tatictian.This is our review of Heir to The Empire by Timothy Zahn.

Today we discuss Fool's Bargain, a novella prequel to Survivor's Quest. The Empire of the Hand has come to Kariek to capure the Warlord, but some of the soldiers wonder why they are trying to capture him and not just destroy the fortress he's hiding in.

One of the most dangerous threats from Star Wars' Legends has had an interesting history after his initial introduction in Timothy Zahn's trilogy/. From the page to animation to live action, the Chiss known as Grand Admiral Member-Berries... errr... THRAWN has had a lasting impact on fans young and old.Join the WOTS crew as we dive into our Character Counts discussion focused on the only Imperial commander to ever say no to both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader and walk away unscathed..

In this week's episode, we take a look at four different ebook formatting tools for indie authors. We also discuss the phenomenon of Star Wars day. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebook of Malison: The Complete Series at my Payhip store: MALISON25 The coupon code is valid through June 3, 2025. So if you need a new book for spring, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates   Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 251 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is May 9, 2025, and today we are looking at ebook formatting tools. Before we get into our main topic, we'll have Coupon of the Week, a progress update at my current writing and audiobook projects, and then Question of the Week. We'll also close out the show with a preview of my new audiobook Ghost in the Assembly (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy).   This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebook of Malison: The Complete Series at my Payhip store, and that is MALISON25. As always, we'll have the coupon code and the links in the show notes for this episode. This coupon code is valid through June the 3, 2025. So if you need a new ebook for spring, we have got you covered. Now here's where I'm at with my current writing projects. I am 87,000 words into Ghost in the Corruption and I'm hoping to hit 90,000 words by the end of today. So if all goes well, I will finish it up later this week and then begin editing. I am also 9,000 words into what my next project will be, which is Shield of Power, the final book in The Shield War series. I'm also 91,000 words into Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest, and that will be my main project after Shield of Power is finished. So my writing goals for the next couple months will be Ghost in the Corruption, Shield of Power, Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest, and then the final book in The Ghost Armor series (the title of which I should really decide since I'm getting close to being finished with the fifth book).   In audiobook news, recording of Ghost in the Assembly (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) is finished. That should be turning up on all the various audiobook stores before too much longer. Shield of Deception (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) is finished and available at all the audio stores: Audible, Apple, Google Play, Spotify, Chirp, and all the others. You can get that right now. Brad should be starting a recording of Shield of Battle sometime in the second half of May, if all goes well. So that is where I'm at with my current writing projects.   00:02:09 Question of the Week   And now let's move on to Question of the Week. Question of the Week is intended to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics. This week's question: what is your favorite Star Wars? The inspiration for this question is the fact that May the Fourth has become Star Wars Day (in a very tongue in cheek manner). And as you might expect, we had a variety of responses to this question. Justin says: I have not seen any Star Wars TV series, but your other choices are mine as well. I have the Trawn Trilogy in the box set and got a PC joystick just for playing TIE Fighter again. Jonathan D. says: Empire Strikes Back is still the best film. I cannot get into the Disney canon after they destroyed the Expanded Universe. I watched The Force Awakens and that killed any interest in watching Disney Star Wars for me. Books is either Heir to the Empire Trilogy or the Darth Bain trilogy. A well done film adaptation of the Darth Bain books would be the only thing that would make me want to watch any new films. Video games would have to be Knight of the Old Republic 1 or 2, with Jedi Academy coming in third. The original Battlefront games were also great.   John Paul says: Loved the Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett, especially when they had the characters from each other's show guest starring in them. I saw somewhere they aren't making another series, but [there] was talk about a TV movie to finish it off, but [they are] now showing Series 4 on IBMD with no date. I grew up with the original trilogy though some of the later films are good, especially the special effects, though Jar Jar Binks spoiled the first three movies. Maybe they should reedit the character out since Lucas has spent some money on adding new effects to the trilogy to bring in line with the new movies. Skeleton Crew made me think of the movie Flight of the Navigator with Star Wars added, so I enjoyed that even though it's mainly for kids. I have fond memories of Space Invaders with the sidekick from the original Fall Guy TV show. Again, made for kids though adults can enjoy if they watch tongue in cheek.   Andrew says: There are only three Star Wars movies, of which Empire Strikes Back is my favorite. I really enjoyed Mandalorian Season One. Now Star Wars is dead to me, except for lightsaber battle videos. I really like the Princess Bride Battles. I played TIE Fighter, Dark Forces, and Knights of the Old Republic.   Tom says: Favorite film, Rogue One. With you on Mandalorian Season Two as favorite TV show. Favorite game, Rogue Squadron.   Tracy says: My favorite was Return of the Jedi.   Jenny says: Thrawn Trilogy for sure! Dark Forces was my very first computer game, so it's always going to hold a special place in my heart.   William says: The unofficial remasters of the original trilogy from preserved reels are a godsend.   MG says: Knights of the Old Republic was quite good and Knights of the Old Republic 2.   John K. says: I'm a grim dark sort of guy. Really liked Rogue One but it's slightly edged out by the original Episode IV. I absolutely love Andor but honestly, have not hated anything. Enjoyed them all. I was a nut for the original X-Wing game. Got good enough to one shot TIE Fighters with one quad shot and rarely missed and learned how to solo Star Destroyers pretty easily, though it would take forever. Having played the game that John K. is talking about, I can agree with him that you could take down Star Destroyers in your X-Wing if you knew what you were doing, but it really would take forever.   Dave says: Book wise, I really enjoyed the Thrawn books by Timothy Zahn, also the X-Wing series by Michael A. Stackpole was a personal favorite.   And finally Michael says: I agree on Empire Strikes Back though as a kid, I disliked the lack of upbeat movie. Also really liked the Solo movie. I confess I found the Thrawn books underwhelming, though the original Star Wars novelization is pretty good. And finally, I got to agree on TIE Fighter, such great game. Also, I have a soft spot for Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2.   For myself, I would have to break it down into four categories because Star Wars media covers so many different formats now. For favorite movie, I would say Empire Strikes Back, with Return of the Jedi as the runner up. For the favorite TV series, Season 2 of The Mandalorian. For my favorite book, The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn, with Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover, Darth Plagueis by James Luceno, and The Darth Bane Trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn coming in as strong runners up. Seriously, if you're listening to this podcast, you probably enjoy reading books, so these five are definitely worth your time.   For my favorite video games, I would say TIE Fighter, with Knights of the Old Republic as a very close runner-up. But TIE Fighter was definitely my favorite. In the game, you play as an Imperial pilot, and the designers had the clever idea of making the Empire sympathetic by having the player spend most of the missions hunting ruthless pirates, suppressing alien civil wars, and fighting renegade Imperial warlords who are trying to overthrow the Emperor. In the last two expansion packs for the game, the player is flying as Grand Admiral Thrawn's elite pilot against the renegade Grand Admiral Zaarin, and finally defeating Zaarin after like forty missions was VERY satisfying.   So those are my favorite Star Wars media items. As we can see.  there is quite a range of opinion in the answer to that question.   00:06:54 Main Topic: Ebook Formatting Tools   Now let's move on to our main topic, which is ebook formatting tools. And this is an important thing for indie authors to discuss because if you do want to self-publish your books, it is one of those foundational skills you have to master. You need to know what kind of file format the platforms you're publishing to you take and how to produce it. Now this is something you can hire out but you really, really shouldn't in my opinion, especially because some ebook formatting services charge as much as $2,000 to turn a Word document into files ready to upload for ebook stores. Considering that it is something you can easily do yourself with free tools and a little bit of practice, spending any amount of money on it is probably a waste. I mean, there's a difference between the kind of intricate formatting you would need for say, a full color medical textbook with illustrations and a 60,000 word romance novel. Fortunately, all the major software programs are nowhere near as expensive as $2,000 a book and don't have as much of a learning curve as you might expect. Both video and written tutorials are plentiful for all of these options, making it easy to learn at your own pace. Today we're going to go over four software options for formatting ebooks and discuss their pros, cons, and the best uses for them. Although some of these products have word processing functionality and other features built in, today we'll focus on just the ebook formatting part of the software. #1: The first option we will look at is Atticus. Atticus is from the same company that makes Publisher Rocket, which is a software program I've spoken of very favorably of on the show over the years. The company has made an effort to understand the needs of authors over the years and added new features to Publisher Rocket consistently as time went on. The company Kindlepreneur has also made significant enhancements to Atticus since it launched. As of the time of this recording, it is a one-time purchase option that has free ongoing updates and the current cost is $147 (in United States dollars). Expensive, but the founder of the company Dave Chesson has said frequently he doesn't like software subscriptions. So hopefully this will continue to be a one-time fee and not become a subscription thing.   So here are the pros to using Atticus. It is less expensive than Vellum and has the same features. It works on operating systems other than Mac. In theory, since it has a web client, it can work on any platform. Reviewers say it is very pleasant to use and those who want a lot of customization options are generally happy with it and it has a nice tool for creating and reusing the template for things like author bios or link pages.   The con is that it does require an Internet connection to use and you have to have a computer connected to the Internet. Some people also prefer not to have their work stored in the cloud like Atticus does. Some users report slowness while opening or closing or when saving a file, especially if it's a book with a high word account. Because of the online requirement, there can be issues related to syncing. It does not support .mobi as a file export option. However, that's not a big deal anymore because Amazon is officially phasing out the .mobi file extension and is requiring people to use .epub. So this is not a major point and it's only for people who have a customer base with very old e-readers that can't handle .epub.   And finally, Atticus does not offer a free trial period if you just want to try it out, but does offer a refund within the first 30 days if you try it and decide that you don't like it. So what users would find Atticus the best? It's probably best for PC or Linux users who don't want a Mac and also want to have lots of fine control of your formatting or customizing your layout. Atticus is also heavily built around collaboration, where different people can work on the same file. So if you do work with a team (and many indie authors do) or are co-writing a book, then Atticus might be a good tool for you to use.   #2: The second program we're going to look at is called Vellum.  Vellum has been seen as the default option for ebook formatting for a lot of writers for a while now. As of the time of recording, there is a one-time purchase option that has free ongoing updates. The current cost is $199 for the ebook only version or $249 for the version that includes paperbacks. Vellum has gone on sale occasionally in the past, usually for Cyber Monday in November. The pros for Vellum are that many reviewers consider it the best option for ebook formatting and say it delivers professional results without too much work and a minimal learning curve. Vellum lets you try out the software for free, but you won't be able to export the files you're publishing until the software is purchased. Like Atticus, it offers a 30 day window for a refund.   Vellum is not cloud-based software and it can be used offline. So if you are, for instance, working on a laptop on the road with spotty internet connectivity, this can be a lifesaver. Now for the cons and the biggest con is a big one- that Vellum is Macintosh only. You need to have a Mac to use it and it is not currently available for Windows and Linux. The developers have said that presently they have no plans to port it to either Windows or Linux. It will also not work on iOS, so that means you can't run it on your iPad or your iPhone. You can in theory use it on a PC with a Mac OS virtual machine, but people have reported very mixed success with that. The other con is that it is the most expensive option. So the users this is best for I think would be if you already have a Mac or you are willing to buy a Mac for just one piece of software. #3: The third software program we're going to look at is called Jutoh. Jutoh is a labor of love, mainly created by two people in the UK and has been around for a long, long time. As of the time of this recording, there is a one-time purchase option that costs $45 (US dollars) and a Plus version for $90 that supports some additional features. It currently offers a free trial that you can download and install, but functionality is limited in the trial version. The pros of Jutoh is that it works on Windows, Mac, and most versions of Linux. It is not cloud-based software/is local to your computer. It does not need a constant Internet connection to function. Reviewers frequently praised how responsive their customer support is and of the paid options we are discussing, it will be the least expensive of all of them. The cons are the interface is a bit dated. It does kind of look like something from the early 2000s in terms of the buttons and where they are. Because of that, it can be more difficult for some users to use than Atticus or Vellum. It does not create PDFs or print ready files, so you would not be able to use it to format your files for print books, which is something both Atticus and Vellum offer. I think this is best used for users who want a less expensive option than Atticus or Vellum or a PC user who wants a non-cloud based option.   #4: The fourth and final program we're going to look at is called Kindle Create. And as of this recording, it is the only one of these four options that is free. It is a free download. This software is created and maintained by Amazon. The pro? It's free and you can use the .epubs it creates to upload your books onto other platforms. Just because you've made your ebook in Amazon Create, that doesn't mean you can't use the file for Barnes & Noble and Kobo and Apple and so forth. You can go ahead and do that. However, because it is free software, there are quite a few cons to it. The functionality is pretty limited and only a few fonts are available. It is not good with complex layouts and Amazon's own documentation recommends not using it for books with tables, footnotes, or complex text formatting.   The program doesn't handle edits well. There are people who write books in Vellum even though the developers don't exactly recommend that. And Atticus is designed to have books written in it. However, Kindle Create definitely cannot handle that very well. Windows and Mac are supported, but you can't install it on Linux. Kindle Create no longer supports .mobi as a file export option since Amazon is moving away from that option and most other vendors haven't used it ever. That is a minor point.   I think Kindle Create is best used by users who are just starting out and don't have much in the way of budget and have books that don't require a lot of complex formatting. Kindle Create is actually quite good for novels because novels in general don't have a lot of complex formatting and because it's free, it has a little bit of a steeper learning curve, but that can be advantageous as well.   So looking at those four options, what do I use and why? Well, for the first seven or so years I was self-publishing, I didn't use any of these. I used a program called Sigil, which is an .epub editor. And if Kindle Create has a high learning curve, Sigil's is much higher because you're essentially editing the raw guts of the .epub file.   I was content using that for a number of years, but what I needed was a program that would make uploading print books and formatting print books much easier because at the time I was using Create Space and Create Space required a specialized Word template that was just an enormous headache to use. And the reason that many of the Frostborn books have exactly 24 chapters is because I had a template that worked really well with 24 chapters for print books and I wasn't going to mess that up by trying to add a chapter or have one fewer chapter. So for some of the Frostborn books, I made sure there were 24 chapters.   Obviously this was not a tenable situation for the print books, even though I was happy using Sigil for the eBooks. So I eventually heard good things about Vellum. In 2018 (I believe) I got a used Mac and installed Vellum and started using that for print books. I was much happier with that.   Because the books looked so good in print, I eventually switched over to using Vellum for formatting my ebooks as well and I've been using that ever since. So my main ebook format writing program (as of May 9, 2025) is Vellum and I have a Mac specifically for that purpose. However, I also has high praise to say about Jutoh. I got started using Jutoh because for a while, Smashwords required you to upload a book using a specialized Word format. They didn't accept .epubs for the longest time and formatting a book in that proper Word format for Smashwords was a large headache, I have to admit. I never managed to get it automated quite right. And I had frequent problems with Smashwords rejecting the Word document I uploaded and so forth. Eventually, I discovered that Jutoh also had an export option for creating Smashwords-friendly Word documents. So I tried it out and that was just a godsend, I have to admit. It saved me so much time. So for about seven years as well, I used Jutoh for Smashwords formatting. However, in 2024 after Smashwords was acquired by Draft 2 Digital and the two companies became more and more merged, Smashwords changed and now accepts properly formatted .epubs. They don't do that specialized Word document thing anymore, which has made it much easier to upload files to Smashwords, I must say. But that also means that I've used Jutoh less and less in favor of Vellum because I no longer need those specially formatted Word documents. However, I do have nothing but positive things to say about Jutoh; it is a very good program. If you don't want to shell out the $249 for Vellum or if you don't have a Mac, I think Jutoh is an excellent option for you to use. I have never actually used Atticus, but it's popular enough that I wanted to talk about it on this show. I do know a lot of people who have used it to good effect. Just bear in mind the pros and cons we mentioned. And as for Kindle Create, there's nothing wrong with it. I think it's good starting point, especially if you're just starting out and want to format your book without paying a lot of money or having to pay $2,000 to someone on the Internet to do it. I do think it's a good starting point, even though it's very basic and for your first couple of books, it would be good. But as you get more experienced and want to branch into things like print books, you'll probably want a program with greater functionality like Jutoh, Vellum, or Atticus. So myself, I use mostly Vellum (with Jutoh occasionally), and that is what I use for ebook formatting.   So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.   00:19:53 Audiobook Excerpt   And now we'll close out the show with a short excerpt from Ghost In the Assembly, as narrated by Hollis McCarthy. [Remainder of podcast is audiobook except]

As promised, in this episode we discuss the second novel in the Manticore Ascendant series: A Call to Arms. Written by David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Tom Pope, the story of Travis Long continues after he's completed his training to become a commissioned officer. We join him back in the fleet with a few years of commissioned time under his belt and wearing the bars of an ensign.In many ways Travis has grown and matured through the passage of time, the challenges of training, and more years under his belt as an officer. Even so, we can still see the core of his ethical framework visible through the way he wrestles with the problems that life presents to him in naval service. We also see his giftedness continue as someone who can think outside of his own personal boundaries. While we've seen this result in some very positive ideas that allowed his ships (current and past) to successfully navigate some pretty difficult situations, thankfully he hasn't become the one-man silver bullet that seems to be the magical solution to horrible problems. In this regard, we were happy that the authors kept the story believable. As this book ends, we found ourselves looking forward to the next book in this series.Our ratings for A Call to Arms were a 5, 5 and 4.5 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 4.8.As always, thank you for taking this journey with us, listening, liking and commenting on the episodes, and sharing this podcast with others. Don't forget, it's never too late to comment on previous episodes either. We love your feedback and thoughts. Like the three of us, every one of you is a part of the crew!Next time we're stepping away from the Manticore Ascendant series and returning to the Saganami Island series to read and discuss Shadow of Victory. If you've been missing seeing the dark and sinister ways of the Mesan Alignment—they're back! As always, be sure to grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time.You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at honorverse@tpenetwork.com. We look forward to hearing from you.Now, let's be about it!

We jump back in time and discuss Outboud Flight. Jorus C'baoth is determined to get Outbound Flight off the ground, while Palpatine plans to destroy it and all the Jedi on board. In the Unknown Regions, Jorj Car'das comes into contact with an unknown species, the Chiss. The group he meets is led by a young commander named Thrawn. And for some reason, Obi-Wan and Anakin are in this book for the first two-thirds of it.

Jeremy Comeaux interviews Timothy Zahn, on The Icarus Coda and the complete series of Icarus books; and One Jump Ahead by Mark L. Van Name, Part 8. View the podcast in video form at https://www.baen.com/podcastfiles/mp3/https://rumble.com/embed/v6pgvpl/?pub=1jib3s and the Baen YouTube Channel.

Today we start discussing Tales from the Empire with First Contact. Talon Karrde is investigating a safari on Varonat. The safari is run by Gamgalon, a Krish who Karrde knows is up to something. While there, he meets a young hyperdrive mechanic with red hair who instantly makes an impression on him.

When Marvel let their license to produce Star Wars comics lapse in 1986, Return of the Jedi was three years in the rear-view mirror and it seemed possible there would never be any further installments in the franchise. But Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy's 1991 miniseries Dark Empire would begin Dark Horse Comics' 23-year run of Star Wars comics and help launch the Expanded Universe. Set six years after the Battle of Endor, Dark Empire sees Luke Skywalker tempted to the Dark Side by the newly revived Emperor, Han Solo and Leia Organa fleeing bounty hunters, and a new Imperial doomsday weapon threatening the galaxy. We'll look at the long and rocky development of the series, how involved (or not) Lucasfilm was in the story, and how it compares to its prose sister project, Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. This is the only podcast where you can hear two grown men arguing (politely) about Star Wars!Support the podcast at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

Voicing Star Wars and Other Galaxies Long-time voice actor and book narrator Marc Thompson joins us to talk about his career voicing the Galaxy Far, Far Away and many other nerd universes as well. We talk about how he got his start with a MTV animated show called Daria, a spin off from Beavis and Butthead, and how that helped him spring into other work as well. Find out what Marc loves about Comic-Cons and why they are still so special to him. Find out what books in the Star Wars universe he just narrated and that you can soon listen to - oh, and don't miss his voicing Grand Admiral Thrawn in our episode - AMAZING! He discusses meeting Timothy Zahn and Lars Mikkelsen and tells us what Star Wars means to him and what his favorite Star Wars film is too. For more on Marc Thompson, please visit the following - Instagram - @captainehud_marcthompson_vo Facebook - Marc Thompson IMDb - Marc Thompson For more on our show partners - Bones Coffee - http://www.bonescoffee.com/FSFPOPCAST and use code FSFPOPCAST Idea Farm - www.ideafarm.store - use discount code FSF15 Level Up Sabers https://bit.ly/FSFLevelUpSabers Win free loot - sign up here - www.fsfpopcast.com/contact For more on our Show - Join our Patreon: https://patreon.com/fsfpopcast Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/cpry4fCDTq Visit our website: https://www.fsfpopcast.com FSF PopCast on BlueSky, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook - @fsfpopcast This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Lately there are times it seems we're getting close to the end of our adventure through the Honorverse and then a little reminder like this happens: we're discussing the first book in another four-book story arc! In this episode we're talking about A Call to Duty, kicking off the Manticore Ascendant series. This novel was authored by David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope.You'll remember a while back we read a story by Timothy Zahn that took place early in the life of the Star Kingdom of Manticore, revolving around an interesting character named Travis Long. In this series of books we finally get to read the rest of Travis' story, beginning right here. We also get a very interesting glimpse into the early and formative years of the RMN—essentially watching Travis and the Navy grow up together.Travis' military life begins, almost in desperation as a group of his friends use him as an unknowing wheel man while committing a crime. Travis realizes too late that he's going to be guilty by association and takes refuge in an RMN recruiting office. The recruiter sees goodness and promise in Travis, revealed by his conscience, and signs him up for an enlistment. As we follow him through training and his initial time in the operational fleet, his story reveals a lot about Travis' ethical code, which is both a strength and a potential weakness in terms of his service. The Navy causes Travis to realize and then begin to deal with the fact that while there may be moral absolutes and certain black and white issues, much of the world operates in a very gray space where problems are more complicated than he expected. While he's still immature, certain leaders in his chain of command realize he shows potential to become a commissioned officer and is selected to become a “Mustang”.Your hosts rated A Call to Duty with a 5, 5 and another 5 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 5 from your hosts.Once again, thank you for listening and to those of you who take the time to like and follow us on social media, share this podcast with others, and to even comment on our posts.Next, we're picking up the next book in this anthology set called A Call to Arms, where we get to see what happens next with Mr. Long. Without interruption, we get to continue to enjoy the masterful storytelling of David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Tom Pope. As always, be sure to grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time.You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at honorverse@tpenetwork.com. We look forward to hearing from you.Now, let's be about it!

What A Piece of Junk Episode 162: Star Wars Nostalgia with the original Heir to the Empire trilogy!   Watch the video version on Fandom Podcast Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FandomPodcastNetwork Listen to the audio podcast version here: https://fpnet.podbean.com/category/what-a-piece-of-junk-a-star-wars-podcast Picture this - it's 1991 and Star Wars has been out of the cultural spotlight for quite some time as the fervor over Star Wars: Return of the Jedi has died down and even the cartoons like Star Wars: Droids and Ewoks have been consigned to the history books. Is it really over for the Galaxy Far, Far Away? Maybe not...there's always A New Hope - and in May of 1991 that new hope took the form of a series of novels by acclaimed military sci-fi author Timothy Zahn who had penned his masterwork, the Heir to the Empire trilogy. This series of books gave us the first looks at now legendary Star Wars characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade! Join the crew of the Drunken Gungan as they take a trip down memory lane to last century and the release of the books that saved Star Wars and still influence the stories of it today. What A Piece of Junk is THE podcast on the Fandom Podcast Network dedicated to covering everything Star Wars. From the original Star Wars trilogy movies, prequels, sequels, Legends canon, Disney's acquisition of Star Wars and its products, and all the fan favorite content out there, we have you covered. So please make sure to stop on over at your local cantina, grab a drink, cozy on up to your favorite alien (or droid), and get ready to talk Star Wars!   What A Piece Of Junk / Fandom Podcast Network Contact Information:   -What A Piece Of Junk a Star Wars Podcast audio podcast master feed: https://fpnet.podbean.com/category/what-a-piece-of-junk-a-star-wars-podcast… - What A Piece Of Junk a Star Wars Podcast Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WhatAPieceOfJunk/ - Email: whatapieceofjunkpod@gmail.com - Twitter: @WhatWars   Fandom Podcast Network Social Media links.   - Fandom Podcast Network Audio Master Feed: https://fpnet.podbean.com/ (The FPNet is on Podbean app) - Instagram: @FandomPodcastNetwork  - Twitter: @FanPodNetwork - Fandom Podcast Network is on all major podcast platforms. - Facebook: Fandom Podcast Network: https://www.facebook.com/Fandompodcastnetwork/   Fandom Podcast Network Tee Public Store: Please support  the What A Piece Of Junk podcast and the Fandom Podcast Network by visiting our TeePublic store, while wearing your favorite show logos with pride! Tee Public Store: https://www.teepublic.com/user/fandompodcastnetwork

Now it's time to dive right into the third book in the Crown of Slaves series: Cauldron of Ghosts, co-authored by David Weber and Eric Flint. It won't be a surprise to any of our regular listeners, but this book ties to the previous book we covered based on publication order. That said, this is a particularly tight coupling as this book is often considered a literal and direct continuation of the story in Shadow of Freedom.As a result, we're still seeing events occurring in 1922 PD, now featuring our two super-spies: Victor Cachat and Anton Zilwicki and dealing with what's next for (and with) the Mesan Alignment. Furthermore, we're seeing the reality of the post-war alliance between Manticore and Haven. The reality of this alliance seems to still be almost unbelievable to leadership within the Mesan Alignment as this wasn't a part of what they were trying to orchestrate. It sure seems one lesson in this regard we can apply to the real world is the “law of unintended consequences.” This becomes acute as the new Manticoran-Havenite alliance strives to bring the Alignment out of its comfortable place in the shadows. The overall storyline link here is that our heroes Cachat and Zilwicki are running around on Mesa, trying to help reveal the Alignment. The book is definitely action-packed!Your hosts rated Cauldron of Ghosts with a 5, a 5 and an unusual 4.75 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 4.92 from your hosts.Once again, thank you for listening and to those of you who take the time to like and follow us on social media, share this podcast with others, and to even comment on our posts.Next, we're turning our attention to the Manticore Ascendant series, diving into the first book, A Call to Duty co-authored by David Weber and Timothy Zahn. This book and the associated series take us back to the early years of the Star Kingdom of Manticore and a character we were previously introduced to named Travis Long. We've been looking forward to this series! As always, be sure to grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time.You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at honorverse@tpenetwork.com. We look forward to hearing from you.Now, let's be about it!

For the 220th episode of the WhoDatJedi podcast, your hosts -- Aaron Svoboda (@aaronsvoboda.bsky.social), Alfredo Narvaez (@nolafredo.bsky.social) and Dave Gladow (@davegladow.bsky.social) -- dig into the legacy and lore of the original Thrawn trilogy, also sometimes called the "Heir to the Empire" trilogy. Timothy Zahn's trilogy made a lasting impression on the Star Wars universe in a myriad of ways, despite its falling into the non-canon zone deemed "legends." What are the books' strengths? And why should anyone go back and read something that isn't "official?" Let's dive in! Listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Pandora, Tune In + Alexa, Amazon Music/Audible, iHeartRadio, and follow us on Bluesky, Twitter & Facebook!  If you like what you hear, be sure to click that follow button and leave us a positive review!  Read more of Fredo's musings here. Read more of Dave's musings here. Song credit: Far, Far Away (Star Wars Jazz), by the Swamp Donkeys Check them out on Apple Music! -- Related: Jon Watts & Chris Ford on 'Skeleton Crew' future

On today's episode, Chris shares his thoughts on an early interaction between Grand Admiral Thrawn and Joruus C'baoth in Heir to the Empire a novel by Timothy Zahn. Their conversation reveals much about their personalities, how they view power, and what it means to be sovereign.  Chris also dives into the reality of hybrid work and how it relates to Joruus C'baoth!   Want more energy and essential vitamins for your day but want to limit your caffeine intake? Get 45% off the Magic Mind bundle with our link: https://www.magicmind.com/swlcjan.  

For our New Years episode we have a special event that was Live at Twin Cities Con 2024 with John Jackson Miller and Timothy Zahn. The interview host is author Jeri Shepherd. We want to thank Twin Cities Con for having us. Be sure to check out Twin Cities Con and join them for their 2025 event at TwinCitiesCon.Com

This week, we crack the spine on the final book of Timothy Zahn's franchise-extending Thrawn trilogy, and wow, what a doozy it is. The Dark Force is no longer Rising, it's risen, and that means the pedal is down and the plot is going full speed. Talon Karrde is meeting with smugglers. Luke bounces all across the galaxy. Lando's walking city is in ruins. Han and Leia's kids are here, and they have visitors, invited and otherwise? And Mara Jade? Well, she's wide awake and getting ready to do the things she does best: Pout and kill people. Support the show by going to Patreon.com/civilized! Next Time: The Last Command Ch. 11-18 Follow us on Bluesky   Hosted by Rob Zacny (@RobZacny) Featuring Alicia Acampora (@ali_west), Austin Walker (@austin_walker), and Natalie Watson (@nataliewatson) Produced by Ricardo Contreras (@a_cado_appears) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Cover art by Xeecee (@xeeceevevo)      

We return on this... historic... day... to wrap up the second entry in Timothy Zahn's franchise redefining Thrawn Trilogy. And when you hit the final third of a Star Wars story, you know what that means: Revelations! Compelling heart-to-heart confrontations! And, of course, a giant space battle to put a button on everything.  Will Thrawn take another L, or have his ships finally come in? NEXT TIME: The Last Command Ch. 1 - 10 Show Notes   Hosted by Rob Zacny (@RobZacny) Featuring Alicia Acampora (@ali_west), Austin Walker (@austin_walker), and Natalie Watson (@nataliewatson) Produced by Ricardo Contreras (@a_cado_appears) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Cover art by Xeecee (@xeeceevevo)  

Bryan Young got to share the stage with Michael A. Stackpole, Timothy Zahn, Delilah S. Dawson, E.K. Johnston, and John Jackson Miller to talk about their history in the world of writing Star Wars and answering questions from the crowd. Recorded at Dragon Con 2024.

Our coverage continues on Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, deeper into Thrawn's devious web of manipulation and galactic dominance. How do our trio of heroes fare, divided across the galaxy, facing down their own unique conflicts? Well, uhhh unfortunately kinda sauceless! And don't even get us started on the dinner plans!! Or, well, we do get started and talk about it at length--that's podcasting, baby!! And for those at home who hoped we'd listen to the audio books for more context: you're in luck! Did we fix our pronounciation of names as a result? Sure didn't!! Oh, and we also chat a little bit about Star Wars: Outlaws!   NEXT TIME: Heir to the Empire Chapters 23-32 Hosted by Rob Zacny (@RobZacny) Featuring Alicia Acampora (@ali_west), Austin Walker (@austin_walker), and Natalie Watson (@nataliewatson) Produced by Ricardo Contreras (@a_cado_appears) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Cover art by Xeecee (@xeeceevevo) A More Civilized Age is an ad-free, listener supported podcast. If you like what we do, you can support us over at www.patreon.com/civilized to hear Q&As and more. Remember to send your questions into amorecivilizedage AT gmail DOT com.  

PIVOT! With Natalie on a short medical leave, the crew here at AMCA has made a decision. We've revisited your requests for what non-mainline content we could cover and decided to cover the second place candidate for what became our KOTOR series. That's right: It's THRAWN TIME baby! (That's his catchphrase, right?) So join us as we kick off our run through the Timothy Zahn trilogy that ushered in the old EU. First up: A depressed Luke, a galactic government that fits in a high school classroom, an Alien with a cat-lizard boa, and a new (well, old) take on the Clone Wars. NEXT TIME: Heir to the Empire Chapters 11-22 Show Notes Hosted by Rob Zacny (@RobZacny) Featuring Alicia Acampora (@ali_west), Austin Walker (@austin_walker), and Natalie Watson (@nataliewatson) Produced by Ricardo Contreras (@a_cado_appears) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Cover art by Xeecee (@xeeceevevo)