Tabletop Game Review: Risk: Star Wars Edition

Risk: Star Wars Edition

Number of Players: 2 or 4*

Recommended Age: 10+

A long time ago (1957), in a galaxy far, far away (France), Risk was invented! A classic game on par with chess, Risk has aged well. Its simple cards and dice mechanics combined with complex strategy have inspired numerous variations and countless clones, many of them official. With everything from Halo Risk to Plants vs. Zombies Risk (I'm not joking), I guess I really shouldn't be surprised that this game, which I received as a Christmas gift, is actually the 4th Star Wars version of Risk.

I have played tabletop and mobile Risk for years, but this is my first variant. I was pretty skeptical about just how different you can get with cards and dice, but after playing a few rounds with my family, I find my initial lack of faith (in Hasbro) disturbing.

Book Review: The Bands of Mourning

The Bands of Mourning, by Brandon Sanderson

Fantasy (with a dash of steampunk/sci-fi)

5 out of 5 stars

http://brandonsanderson.com/books/mistborn/the-bands-of-mourning/

I greatly admire contemporary fiction authors. Writing within the constraints they have has to be a challenging exercise at times. Writing sci-fi/fantasy, on the other hand, doesn't have many constraints, per se. The sci-fi/fantasy author has to be mindful of this freedom as it can affect the credibility of his story.

When a sci-fi/fantasy author has taken the time to thoughtfully and logically develop his world(s), his systems of technology and/or magic, and his characters, the result is something wonderful. Brandon Sanderson has done this (again) in book six of the Mistborn series, The Bands of Mourning.

Novella Review: The Emperor's Soul

The Emperor's Soul, by Brandon Sanderson

Fantasy

5 out of 5 stars

http://brandonsanderson.com/books/elantris/the-emperors-soul/

A short review for a short book.

So much good in so few words. Detailed and highly-developed magic, good characters doing bad, bad characters doing good, a gloriously messy and unique fantasy story that hits all the right notes.

The world is so much richer thanks to Brandon Sanderson's fiction, and this little gem is worth your time.

Book Review: Earth Awakens

Earth Awakens, by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston

Science Fiction, prequel to Ender's Game

4 out of 5 stars

http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Awakens-First-Formic-War/dp/0765367386/

The final book in the First Formic War trilogy, Earth Awakens continues the story of humanity's struggle against not only the Formics, but also against itself. "Earth Awakens" is a great read, but if you're looking for surprises, you won't find many. This is a problem with prequels in general: you know the most important outcomes already. On the one hand, this allows you to focus more on the whos, hows, whats, and whys of the story. On the other hand, you also know that the story has to come to a satisfying close before the trilogy ends.