Cephalopod Coffeehouse: February 2017

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the works they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.  If you wish to add your own review to the conversation, please sign on to the link list at the end of my post.

Title: Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka
Author: L. Neil Smith

via Wookieepedia

This is the third and last of The Lando Calrissian Adventures, first published in 1983 after the theatrical release of Return of the Jedi.  As I've written in my previous posts about this trilogy, these books by L. Neil Smith don't really offer much in the way of character development for Lando but they are reasonably fun in their own right.

Starcave, in particular, plays with a highly intriguing science fiction concept: the possibility of life - intelligent life, even - thriving in the vacuum of deep space.  Lando and Vuffi Raa, his droid sidekick, befriend the Oswaft: enormous, space-dwelling sting ray beings.  Unfortunately for the Oswaft, Lando and Vuffi Raa have enemies and their association has put the Oswaft in danger as well.

While there are gambling tales in each of the three books, I'd have loved it if that aspect of Lando had been more of the focus: The Sting or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels among the stars.  At the end of the story, Lando does come into enormous riches, suggesting a potential path towards the role we know he will have as administrator of Cloud City on Bespin.  Lando is a likeable character in the books, though lacking in dimension.  The Vuffi Raa story is actually more interesting and all of the questions surrounding him are answered in the third book.  Raa calls Lando "Master" throughout the books, much to the gambler's annoyance.  It is the trilogy's slightly annoying running gag but it actually turns out to have narrative relevance in the end.

Vuffi Raa Image via Wookieepedia

I doubt I'll pursue the Star Wars novels any further.  They're fun to a point but there are too many other good books I'd rather read.  I have learned this much in my exploration of science fiction over the past few years: Star Wars is best at the movie theater; Star Trek is best on television.  The other material for both is fun but it's not the main event.

Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month.  This month's link list is below.  I'll keep it open until the end of the day.  I'll post March's tomorrow.  Meetings are the last Friday of each month.  Next gathering is March 31st.