as over at the local bookshop, getting ready for (of all things) a Zen class (long story). Of course, the danger of loitering in a bookstore is you end up buying books. I always nose the scifi section and found this three-book set, The Alien Chronicles. Now, my internal alarms went off – it’s produced by Lucasfilms back in 1998. Now, people who know me know I’ve soured on the whole StarWars thing. “Rebels been rebels, since I don’t know when,” as Don said. That whole franchised has been milked until its udders have fallen off. It’s a Disney thing now, and is about as far from pure storytelling as you can get (more like sausage-making, to be truthful).

However…

The Alien Chronicles take place in a stand-alone space empire, a decaying one ruled by the Viis. Their young princess, in an outing in the marketplace, comes across a small Aaroun, a newly-born cat-like creature recently ripped from its mother by slavers and for sale. The princess adores the small furry creature and has it purchased. Now in the palace and named Ampris, the poor creature is a slave to the pampered rulers, existing only to please and agree.

The other character in this book is a Kelth, a dog-like creature, young and independent, who has just left his struggling mother and dead-beat dad to become a criminal (and a very unsuccessful one at that).

Interestingly, neither character meets the other until the very end of the first book, where terrible circumstances throw them together. And sorry, StarWars fan, outside of noting that there is a Viisian space empire, there are no Jedis or humans or TIE fighters or any of that stuff. This book is as stand-alone as you can get.

And I like that.

So, more reviews to come eventually as I plow through my stacks.

>>>AND, OF COURSE, MY OWN BOOKS HERE<<<