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I'm sure I'll end up watching the movie, but damn Dune was a dull book.

Star Trek: Picard The Last Best Hope – Una McCormack
what can I say? I am a sucker for tie-in novels. Opinions seem divided on the latest Star Trek series there were things I really liked about it and others I was less keen on. This book may be the best thing about it, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. It expands the back story glimpsed in the show between the ending of the next-generation movies and the start of the pilot. Following Picard as he led the mission to evacuate the Romulan Empire. The amount of space politics leaves it feeling more like “Babylon 5” than traditional Star Trek even borrowing the other series moniker for the title. This is no bad thing and it really expands both the Star Trek universe and the new Picard series both in the way a good tie-in novel should but also perhaps some think we should have seen in the episodes proper.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Becky Chambers
This is one of those books that gets mentioned a lot recently and I was put off picking it up by the comparisons to firefly. I love firefly, but every third advert on my Facebook timeline is an e-book comparing itself to firefly and I don’t want any more second-rate knockoffs. I enjoyed the characters and world here although the book is rather episodic and never really feels like it’s telling a larger story, it was nice to read a more uplifting positive sci-fi tale without everything being horrifically “twee”.

Second foundation – Isaac Asimov
I actually took an extra couple of days before starting this book whilst I looked for the third entry mistakenly assuming this had been the second. I really enjoyed the first book and everything it set up, so was really disappointed when none of it really seemed to be paid off. I can’t really fault Asimov for the concept he used that have become cliché in the many decades since but this didn’t particularly grab me. I would have liked to have seen the establishment of the second Empire that the books had been alluding to the whole time, perhaps this is something that happens in one of the many, many sequels he continued to write but I’m not sure I’ll stick around for them. That Nolan brother that does “Westworld” is apparently developing this for television, I’ve no idea how that will work but good luck to him!

The last Emperox – John Scalzi
I’ve been a fan of Scalzi ever since “old man’s War” and have read almost all his books, this interdependency series has been one of his strongest and I found it to be a very tight trilogy it is closer to “Game of thrones” in space then “the expanse” series although very much its own thing. It has overtones of “Dune” with its clashing noble families but without the tedious boredom. The sarcastic style and ample swearing really works for it. It is definitely one of those series that I would both love to see on film, yet no they would never get the tone quite right.

Surely you mean "Fizzle" !

aka Baldrick

I've just read Gideon The Ninth on Boter's recommendation. I enjoyed it but did feel it went on a bit long. I'm not sure I'll be rushing to read the sequel but I didn't hate. I really enjoyed the snarky narrative style which at times reminded me of Terry Pratchett. I certainly didn't pick it up and say "Oh no, not another space lesbian necromancer novel, I am so tired of these."

I was French for a bit as well. But I got better.

I didn't hate "Rise Of Skywalker" as a movie it began, middle and ended better than some of the prequels. You will note that I say some of the prequels which is already pretty damning. (Sorry Owen) I should mention that I have only seen the film the once and with the previous few films my opinion shifted after a second watch.

When the sequels were announced my biggest concern was that the significance to Vader's sacrifice in return of the Jedi would be diminished. By having the Emperor return it rather is, however I must admit to being quite positive to the reveal in the trailer that he would be back as Ian McDiarmid is just fun to watch on screen. He is by far the biggest highlight of “Revenge of the Sith”. Which makes it such a shame that Rise Of Skywalker made such little use of him. Frankly his character could have been any Tom, Dick or Exar Kun.

I never had a problem with the characterisations of “The Last Jedi” and it is a crying shame to see some of the most interesting choices made in Star Wars in recent years completely walked back. The supposed it revelations made about Rey raise more questions than they answer and whilst the decision to make her a descendant of the Emperor works better than her being the daughter of either Han or Luke it still does not make for as interesting a story than if the force can simply come to anyone.

A lot has been said about the supposedly fan service in the film, what I think people mean is a service to people who aren't fans and complained bitterly that they didn't like what had been done and surrendering an interesting narrative for the sake of a vocal minority completely leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

So what did I like about it?

That little dude who reprogram C3P0 was pretty cool, I like that C3 PO had some decent screen time this time around after he and R2 were underused in the previous two instalments, I miss the idea from the OT that they were the narrators. Bringing Lando back to just stand around seemed like a cynical attempt at pleasing the crowd, but I can't help it it was pleasing.

It didn't make the decisions that I would have, and whilst some of those detract from previous instalments overall it was a fun movie even though it didn't reach its potential and whilst it will not be my first choice to revisit I also won't be entirely striking from the record.

It's like poetry!

I love this guy!

But if you shoot at 30 fps. You're a monster.

Boter your photos look awesome on the shop display!

Is that by that big bridge?

I didn't think it could get any worse, then James Corden showed up...