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BOOK 21
STAR WARS: DARTH BANE: DYNASTY OF EVIL
by Drew Karpyshyn
Okay, this is where things get really interesting. Bane and Zannah are currently hiding in plain sight. While Zannah is sent on missions to help radical groups destabilise the republic, Bane is secretly looking for ways to defeat death. An ancient Sith lord supposedly discovered how to transport oneself into a younger body. In a sense, Bane wants to prolong his life this way in order to train a new apprentice now that he has satisfied himself that Zannah doesn’t completely share his views. But Zannah herself feels the time is right to follow the ‘Rule of Two’ closely; she must defeat Bane and train a successor of her own. It’s only a question of who will be ready for the duel first.
Drew Karpyshyn concludes his Darth Bane trilogy with a lot of electricity. Of course, there was never a mystery to how things would end. A life-or-death confrontation between Zannah and Bane became inevitable ever since Zannah was introduced in the second novel. But there’s still a lot of tension in this third chapter. Karpyshyn also focusses on interesting new characters. They serve as accidental catalysts in the outcome of the final fight. Furthermore, certain things were set up long ago, in the first novel, though it has only now become obvious that they were. I immensely enjoyed some of those revelations. The conflict between the two Sith was even mentioned in James Luceno’s highly acclaimed DARTH PLAGUEIS novel. I take that as a sign that others agree with me about the importance of the powerful climax of this book.
At first, I was sceptical about a trilogy of Star Wars books set in an era about a thousand years prior to the Battle of Yavin, but this Darth Bane trilogy has been a blast from start to finish. If I can throw in one very minor complaint, it may be that Karpyshyn’s prose is very dense and not always as well-paced as I’d have liked. But to be clear, that is never a big issue; to be immersed in this world is fun enough. Lest I oversell the trilogy to any Star Wars fan out there, it helps to be a fan of Star Wars EU and of tales of the Sith. This “dissertation” on the Rule of Two also helps to better understand elements in the prequel trilogy of films which, I must admit, have grown on me quite a bit thanks to the hard labour of authors like Karpyshyn and Luceno. Their EU efforts fill in many holes, right many wrongs, and above all, explain things the films were remiss to address. Suddenly, I find myself much more interested in the prequel trilogy era.
In summary, though this isn’t a story about Like, Han, Chewie and Leia, the DARTH BANE trilogy is an excellent journey into the Sith legacy and a reference point for other EU material. Though it’s not the best I’ve ever read, it’s still very good indeed.
8.5/10
DD's 2018 book ranking
1) Casino Royale - 10/10
2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 9.5/10
3) Moonraker - 9.5/10
4) From Russia With Love - 9/10
5) The Making Of Casino Royale (1967) - 9/10
6) Dr No - 8.5/10
7) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path Of Destruction - 8.5/10
8) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty Of Evil - 8.5/10
9) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule Of Two - 8.5/10
10) You Only Live Twice - 8/10
11) The Spy Who Loved Me - 8/10
12) Live And Let Die - 8/10
13) Diamonds Are Forever - 7.5/10
14) The Man With The Golden Gun - 7.5/10
15) Colonel Sun - 7.5/10
16) Goldfinger - 7/10
17) Octopussy And The Living Daylights - 7/10
18) For Your Eyes Only - 7/10
19) Thunderball - 6.5/10
20) James Bond The Secret World Of 007 - 4/10
21) So You Think You Know James Bond - 1.5/10
Probably best to start at the beginning; the first six or seven books are among the best.
The Alchemist’s Secret
The Mozart Conspiracy (personal fav)
The Doomsday Prophecy
The Heretic’s Treasure (very cinematic)
Etc etc . . .
1902-1903
BOOK 22
STAR WARS: DARTH PLAGUEIS
by James Luceno
It’s quite simple, really. Either you’re a fan of EPISODE I or you aren’t. If you are, you will love this book; if you’re not, you might actually love the film after reading this book. So my recommendation comes early but earnestly too: this is perhaps the best Star Wars ‘Legends’ novel I have read since Timothy Zahn’s THRAWN trilogy.
Remember Darth Plagueis The Wise? Palpatine makes a big deal about him in REVENGE OF THE SITH, but only during one pivotal scene. I was always been quite intrigued to find out more about this Sith lord. James Luceno’s 2012 novel tells us everything we always wanted to know, and more. Luceno, a seasoned Star Wars EU author, spends as much time on Plagueis as he does on Palpatine’s rise to power and pretty much everything else leading up to EPISODE I. The third part of the book takes place mostly during and immediately after EPISODE I but alters our perspective completely. Several scenes from EPISODE I are re-experienced, but through the eyes of a different beholder, at a distance, brooding and planning. Watching the film shall henceforth never be the same experience again. In many ways, this is the story that THE PHANTOM MENACE should have told. We learn a ton of stuff about Maul, Syfo-Dyas, Dooku, Nute Gunray and so on. Wherever Lucas left an information vacuum in his prequel trilogy, Luceno neatly ties all the loose ends together. This book is a companion piece to the prequels, THE CLONE WARS television series and more.
What’s more, “clumsy” concepts like the midi-chlorians, the Gungans, the Trade Federation, the Naboo blockade, and so on, are expertly explained, set-up and used by Luceno, almost to the point where they finally feel earned. I wish I could have read this book in 1999. Luceno stuffs his chapters with words, but reading his prose is a delight. Suddenly, an entire framework for the prequel trilogy is offered, righting many of those films’ wrongs. I don’t hate Lucas; it’s just that he can write very “big” but struggles with writing “small”. That latter part is where Luceno’s talents become obvious. Great dialogues, “cool” Sith moments and a short but unbelievably powerful climax which is just a whole bag of superfun for the Star Wars geek.
In many ways, this book reads like the New Canon book LOST STARS, a story experienced through new eyes but set during the original trilogy. STAR WARS: DARTH PLAGUEIS does the same, but with characters much more important in the Star Wars mythos and focusing on EPISODE I. I shouldn’t have needed this book to suddenly get a tighter grip on what the hell that scroll in EPISODE I is going on about, but I’m glad I’ve read it. This truly is one of the best Star Wars EU books, written by one of the best EU authors we currently have, a writer who knows his stuff. This book is dense and requires a lot of focus. Some pre-awareness of characters, species and so one, definitely helps. Even Bane, Zannah and other “ancient Sith” are referenced. Jorus C’Baoth is mentioned; the Nightsisters are mentioned, … I could go on like this. This is one piece of a much bigger puzzle but it most certainly is one of the biggest pieces of them all. Combining EU with the films, the book improves on the continuity that was already there; and much like ROGUE ONE managed to “correct” at least two mistakes the original trilogy made, this book corrects many mistakes the prequels made and, most of all, fills in a lot of blanks. Elusive characters are suddenly well-understood. Therapy for the disgruntled Star Wars fan, a joyride for the Star Wars geek that I am. This is a winner!
9.5/10
DD's 2018 book ranking
1) Casino Royale - 10/10
2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 9.5/10
3) Moonraker - 9.5/10
4) Star Wars: Darth Plagueis - 9.5/10
5) From Russia With Love - 9/10
6) The Making Of Casino Royale (1967) - 9/10
7) Dr No - 8.5/10
8) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path Of Destruction - 8.5/10
9) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty Of Evil - 8.5/10
10) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule Of Two - 8.5/10
11) You Only Live Twice - 8/10
12) The Spy Who Loved Me - 8/10
13) Live And Let Die - 8/10
14) Diamonds Are Forever - 7.5/10
15) The Man With The Golden Gun - 7.5/10
16) Colonel Sun - 7.5/10
17) Goldfinger - 7/10
18) Octopussy And The Living Daylights - 7/10
19) For Your Eyes Only - 7/10
20) Thunderball - 6.5/10
21) James Bond The Secret World Of 007 - 4/10
22) So You Think You Know James Bond - 1.5/10
Thanks for the tip.
BOOK 23
STAR WARS: MAUL: LOCKDOWN
by Joe Schreiber
Told simultaneously with James Luceno’s STAR WARS: DARTH PLAGUEIS, this book sends fan favourite Darth Maul on a most peculiar mission, ordered by a very demanding Darth Sidious. In a space prison full of heavies, Maul must track down a mysterious weapon maker to supply him with a nuclear device. Yeah, they have those in the Star Wars universe too... I'm a trifle disappointed, to be honest. Anyway, those who have read DARTH PLAGUEIS know exactly why Sidious wants a nuke. But obtaining the device won’t be easy. The prison warden organizes fights between prisoners and only one is supposed to survive each time. Mad Maul beyond the Thunderdome? The alleged weapon maker may not even exist. And on top of that, Sidious forbids Maul to use his Force powers…
Author Joe Schreiber appears to be known for writing horror fiction; he certainly brought some horror into this Star Wars novel. The prison feels like the labyrinthine complex of ALIEN³ but then infested with even weirder and more horrifying creatures than Giger's xenomorph. There are quite a few bloody and yucky moments in this book, the intensity of which I find to be relatively unique for a Star Wars story. The horror vibes of this book have, in fact, unsettled some fans as I have come to grasp, judging by their online reviews.
I, for one, had a really good time with the book though. Action packed and cut up into many short chapters, the book never slows down and can easily be read in one take. The prose is simple but adequate. Furthermore, Maul presents an interesting case of a protagonist we’re really not supposed to like all that much. And yet, it’s easy enough to experience him as a pretty cool guy, relying on raw strength rather than the Force. In fact, with almost no lightsaber action or Force reaching, STAR WARS: MAUL: LOCKDOWN is a bit of a curious narrative experiment in what is now branded the Legends series: here’s a Sith who won’t be doing all that many “Sithy” things.
Whether people have a problem with the “horror” or not, Schreiber turned this adventure into a decent enough Star Wars side story. Unfortunately, though, we learn little about Maul himself, so when I watch EPISODE I the next time, I won’t have this book on my mind. But I nevertheless had a lot of fun reading it. So take it or leave it; MAUL: LOCKDOWN adds little to the Star Wars mythology but is an interesting, dark prison adventure with our pal, Darth Maul.
8.5/10
DD's 2018 book ranking
1) Casino Royale - 10/10
2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 9.5/10
3) Moonraker - 9.5/10
4) Star Wars: Darth Plagueis - 9.5/10
5) From Russia With Love - 9/10
6) The Making Of Casino Royale (1967) - 9/10
7) Dr No - 8.5/10
8) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path Of Destruction - 8.5/10
9) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty Of Evil - 8.5/10
10) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule Of Two - 8.5/10
11) Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown - 8.5/10
12) You Only Live Twice - 8/10
13) The Spy Who Loved Me - 8/10
14) Live And Let Die - 8/10
15) Diamonds Are Forever - 7.5/10
16) The Man With The Golden Gun - 7.5/10
17) Colonel Sun - 7.5/10
18) Goldfinger - 7/10
19) Octopussy And The Living Daylights - 7/10
20) For Your Eyes Only - 7/10
21) Thunderball - 6.5/10
22) James Bond The Secret World Of 007 - 4/10
23) So You Think You Know James Bond - 1.5/10
BOOK 24
STAR WARS: CLOAK OF DECEPTION
by James Luceno
Written by seasoned Star Wars EU author James Luceno, CLOAK OF DECEPTION is another instalment in the relatively long list of THE PHANTOM MENACE book prequels. While DARTH PLAGUEIS and MAUL: LOCKDOWN focus mostly on the Sith as they carefully step out of their thousand year hideout, CLOAK OF DECEPTION will try to make some sense of all that fuss about the Trade Federation’s blockade of Naboo that preludes Lucas’ controversial prequel trilogy. Many who?, what?, why? questions are finally answered by Luceno, who I can only imagine must have been working very hard to tie these many loose knots together. At least coherence and clarity, two things THE PHANTOM MENACE was lacking the most, can be found in this book.
But do we want to read a Star Wars book about the political machinations surrounding Chancellor Valorum and the many seeds of distrust in the republic being sowed by outside forces who eventually turn out—surprise, surprise—to be working for Darth Sidious? Do we want a convoluted, political plot of which we already know the outcome? If the fun parts of Star Wars are like a very cheesy pizza, why should we care about the drawings on the pizza box?
I guess that in order not to overstep the boundaries of starwarsian joy, Luceno includes many familiar characters in this story and gives them a lot of interesting things to do. We spend a huge amount of time with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, Yoda and at least a good half dozen other Jedi you may recognize from the movies but may not know by name. There’s also Palpatine, Tarkin, the Viceroy, Valorum and those awkward creatures you have seen flanking Palpatine and Valorum in their offices and in the Senate but may not necessarily know by name either. And then we have another dozen or so new characters, brought in as catalysts for the smaller subplots Luceno developed especially for this book. An overload of characters? Well, minus the names we are perfectly familiar with, there are the ones we suddenly have to memorize and the ones whom we’ve never even met before. These dozens of characters furthermore take us many places, several of which are new to us as well. And meanwhile, all the cogwheels in this intricate political machine are being rotated in this and that direction, by so and so, setting yet another collection of traps for the republic as seen in the prequel films but amounting to very little action in this particular book. I was about to whip some paper and pencils out to start drawing flowcharts in order to keep track of who's doing what.
There are times when CLOAK OF DECEPTION really does feel like homework. Given that I’m one of those people who prefer to read books like they watch movies and not like they study quantum physics, I appreciate a sufficiently fast pace. I don’t mind a few pauses or some moments of exposition, but overall I expect my Star Wars EU stories to move like an X-Wing in attack mode. Admittedly, Luceno’s strengths lie in other departments, and what he does best, he does in this book too. The man knows and understands the Star Wars universe like the back of his hand. Character moments with several of the key players from the trilogy are interesting, exciting and even insightful. In my case, they’re quite helpful in making me enjoy the prequel films a whole lot more. That said, after hundreds of pages of DARTH PLAGUEIS already covering many of these topics albeit from a different perspective, another 344 pages of the same thing in CLOAK OF DECEPTION may seem like too much of the good stuff. Dense prose, providing copious descriptions of creatures, places and objects, doesn’t exactly help to secure an high narrative flow.
But is the book boring? Let’s get to the crux of the matter. Well, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you understand whom the book was written for, namely people willing to invest in the political backstory on which THE PHANTOM MENACE was built, then you can decide if you’re part of the book’s target demographic. If you’re looking for exciting star fighter battles, lightsaber duels and tales of the Skywalker family, then by all means you should avoid this book. Of course, there’s a third group of people: the completists. I’m a part of that group, and sometimes that’s more a curse than a blessing. I want to absorb as many details as I can, even if I’m having little fun doing so. CLOAK OF DECEPTION, I must admit, explains a lot and gives a lot, but the pleasure comes only in very small doses for me. Luceno is a talented writer and I admire his efforts; it’s not an easy task filling out the many holes Lucas’ scripts had willingly or unwillingly left behind in EPISODE I. But now that I’ve read this book, I’m not sure I’ll be experiencing the film any differently. CLOAK OF DECEPTION, I'm saddened to say, feels like hard labour with very little payoff.
4.5/10
DD's 2018 book ranking
1) Casino Royale - 10/10
2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 9.5/10
3) Moonraker - 9.5/10
4) Star Wars: Darth Plagueis - 9.5/10
5) From Russia With Love - 9/10
6) The Making Of Casino Royale (1967) - 9/10
7) Dr No - 8.5/10
8) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path Of Destruction - 8.5/10
9) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty Of Evil - 8.5/10
10) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule Of Two - 8.5/10
11) Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown - 8.5/10
12) You Only Live Twice - 8/10
13) The Spy Who Loved Me - 8/10
14) Live And Let Die - 8/10
15) Diamonds Are Forever - 7.5/10
16) The Man With The Golden Gun - 7.5/10
17) Colonel Sun - 7.5/10
18) Goldfinger - 7/10
19) Octopussy And The Living Daylights - 7/10
20) For Your Eyes Only - 7/10
21) Thunderball - 6.5/10
22) Star Wars: Cloak Of Deception - 4.5/10
23) James Bond The Secret World Of 007 - 4/10
24) So You Think You Know James Bond - 1.5/10
Fixed that for ya. Better than nothing, I suppose.
You're right! I'm betting movie Bond would like any kind of cigarette by now.
Now it's time to go with American Psycho, been wanting to read this one for many, many years and never got around to it.
Jordan B. Peterson - 12 Rules for Life
Fyodor Dostoevsky -The House of the Dead
Jerome David Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye (comfy rereading before Christmas)
BOOK 25
STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL: SHADOW HUNTER
by James Luceno
Taking place right after (or possibly at the same time as) James Luceno’s CLOAK OF DECEPTION, Michael Reaves’ DARTH MAUL: SHADOW HUNTER once again focuses on fan-favourite Dathomirian Zabrak Maul. When Sidious spots a weak element among his Neimoidian contacts in the Trade Federation, he sends Maul to track down said element and the information he’s eager to sell to the highest bidder. Meanwhile, a Corellian con man named Lorn Pavan and a Jedi Padawan named Darsha Assant reluctantly team up to execute their own private missions. Little do they know that in the darkest bowels of Coruscant, a dangerous and homicidal Sith apprentice awaits them.
Michael Reaves understands that no Darth Maul story should be wasted on endless conversations or political slow-burners. Instead, he takes us on an action-driven, exciting and at times even scary adventure. We visit places that are easy to understand, experience conflicts that are easy to understand and get to know characters that are easy to understand. At the same time, the book avoids pedestrian or insultingly simplistic writing, so Reaves keeps things in perfect balance. Especially after sitting through CLOAK OF DECEPTION, I find it refreshing to read a book that delivers good content at a fluid pace. This story could easily have served as the basis for three or four exciting “flashback” episodes of THE CLONE WARS animation series. Reaves furthermore exploits the various possibilities Coruscant has to offer for settings: from the beautiful, dreamy constructions above the clouds all the way down to the toxic fogs and underground sewer tunnels where dangerous species and malicious characters dwell. For once, we don’t necessarily have to go planet hopping for a change of scenery. The various vertical layers of Coruscant provide ample variation.
Rather than constantly having to familiarize myself with new elements in the Star Wars universe, I primarily enjoy to stay with stuff I already know and expand on that. I already knew Coruscant; now I know it better. I already knew Maul; now I know him a little better. The few new characters, introduced in this book, are exactly that: few. Unlike in most of James Luceno’s books, where tons of characters are confusingly piled up until there’s no telling anymore who is doing what now, DARTH MAUL: SHADOW HUNTER limits its share of protagonists, antagonists and side characters in comfortable proportions. Lest I be mistaken for someone who advocates thin, artless or unimaginative writing, let me emphasize that this book really does bring all the goods. The only difference with some of the other Star Wars EU books I’ve read is that this one understands that too much of a good thing can be a very bad thing indeed, and effectively avoids going there. Familiar characters make cameo appearances but aren’t at all integral to this plot. The story is cleaner that way.
As if my enthusiasm isn’t clear enough at this point, allow me to give the book one more compliment. The final chapters reach an unexpected climax, but one that made me go “Oooh, yeah!”. You see, the book is called “MAUL”, and while we mostly follow friendly characters, one a Han Solo type and the other a crossover between Anakin Skywalker and Asoka Tano, Darth Maul is our de factor titular character. But we generally don’t like Maul since he stabbed Qui-gon to death in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Many Star Wars fans, therefore, have a weird relationship with Maul, as they also have with Vader. We know the man is dangerous and evil to boot, and yet we admire how awesome he is. But can we root for Maul? Can we hope that evil wins in this book and that two perfectly pleasant characters lose? By the same token, can we hope that the awesome bad loses? Won’t that weaken our fear of him? Well, let me just say that Reaves has managed to deliver a very adequate ending, satisfying all fans, even the ones who may be more on the Dark than on the Light Side.
DARTH MAUL: SHADOW HUNTER is a legitimate Star Wars story, serving as a microprequel to THE PHANTOM MENACE while still enough its own thing to be enjoyed no matter how one feels about that film. I had a great time with it.
8.5/10
DD's 2018 book ranking
1) Casino Royale - 10/10
2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 9.5/10
3) Moonraker - 9.5/10
4) Star Wars: Darth Plagueis - 9.5/10
5) From Russia With Love - 9/10
6) The Making Of Casino Royale (1967) - 9/10
7) Dr No - 8.5/10
8) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path Of Destruction - 8.5/10
9) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty Of Evil - 8.5/10
10) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule Of Two - 8.5/10
11) Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown - 8.5/10
12) Star Wars: Maul: Shadow Hunter - 8.5/10
13) You Only Live Twice - 8/10
14) The Spy Who Loved Me - 8/10
15) Live And Let Die - 8/10
16) Diamonds Are Forever - 7.5/10
17) The Man With The Golden Gun - 7.5/10
18) Colonel Sun - 7.5/10
19) Goldfinger - 7/10
20) Octopussy And The Living Daylights - 7/10
21) For Your Eyes Only - 7/10
22) Thunderball - 6.5/10
23) Star Wars: Cloak Of Deception - 4.5/10
24) James Bond The Secret World Of 007 - 4/10
25) So You Think You Know James Bond - 1.5/10
I do comfort rereading for Christmas too! Soon it will be time for my annual read of Dodie Smith's The Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Have you read anything else by PKD?
Sadly not, that was the first work of his I've read. He's got a few others I wouldn't mind picking up and checking out though, short stories included.
I can recommend the other book of his that is usually easy to come by-THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. An alternative history drama, that also deals with themes of reality and identity.
Got it in my library. Was thinking of reading it at some point in the new year.
Excellent, I'd love to read it; I've seen a trailer once or twice for the TV adaptation of that. It's a very interesting concept but the show itself didn't look all that good.
Funny thing that you are replying to someone who lives in Dalmatia.
Agreed. Haven t seen it, but go for the book.
:D I visited the Dalmatian coast a few years ago but it was sadly lacking in spotty dogs!
I'll be watching the Jeremy Brett TV version later tonight--it's even more Christmas-themed than the original and has a lot of heart.
Planning to watch it online as well.
BOOK 26
STANLEY KUBRICK. THE COMPLETE FILMS
by Paul Duncan
Film historian Paul Duncan has already written several books for publisher Taschen, two of which reside in my home library. One of those, STANLEY KUBRICK. THE COMPLETE FILMS, is a book I bought several years ago while waiting in London’s St. Pancras International for a train ride back to Belgium. More concise than the average book on Kubrick, this one proved just long enough to get this proud Stanley Kubrick fan through the dead hours between arriving at St. Pancras and getting off the Eurostar in Brussels.
No book discussing the life and works of Stanley Kubrick can ever be too dense, however. One of the most brilliant filmmakers of all time, Kubrick was also one of the most interesting, versatile and unconventional artists of cinema. Though his body of work is, numerically speaking, a lot less copious than that of, say, Spielberg, Hitchcock or even Michael Bay, every single one of his films is a unique expression of cinematic genius and proves fertile ground for hours and hours of in-depth discussion. Production histories, analyses of the films, comments on their initial reception, modern debates about their meaning, significance, … there’s enough material in here to fill literary volumes of biblical dimensions. And yet, Taschen clearly aims for something else with STANLEY KUBRICK. THE COMPLETE FILMS, which explains why this book contains almost as much photographic material as text and is barely two hundred pages thick.
But even with fairly little text, author Paul Duncan has managed to include a remarkably large amount of interesting details, beginning with Kubrick’s earliest steps in photography and moving on to his short films, his pre-SPARTACUS feature length films and his most famous works starting with LOLITA. Whilst re-reading the book this time, I have also simultaneously re-watched all of Kubrick’s movies, including his short films DAY OF THE FIGHT, THE FLYING PADRE and THE SEAFEARERS. Reading a chapter of the book right before watching the films discussed in said chapter proved a very interesting and modestly educational experience.
Why modestly? Well, obviously, with less than 200 pages, this book isn’t nearly dense enough to offer the seasoned Kubrick student a lot of new information. I have, for example, read several other and much lengthier books on the subject 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY alone. Ergo, the 2001 section of Duncan’s book posed, at best, a brief summary of things I already knew. But then there are films I know a lot less about, like THE KILLING for example, and what Duncan has to say about those films helps in improving my “Kubrickian knowledge”. In fact, I have also watched a lengthy documentary about Kubrick’s films which has Spielberg, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Cruise and many more commenting on Kubrick, and though very rich in trivia, the documentary offered little else than what’s in Duncan’s book. So I am constantly surprised to find this nice page-turner comprising a lot more intel than I might at first have suspected.
Better, more voluminous and lengthier books have been written about the works of Stanley Kubrick, but Taschen’s STANLEY KUBRICK. THE COMPLETE FILMS is nevertheless a nice little companion book for people who prefer to enjoy Kubrick’s films rather than methodically study them, or for hardened fans who simply have a few hours to kill. It is a very well written book that says more than you’d expect and offers beautiful photographs, on and off set, of Kubrick, the man and his films. It’s not an academic book but rather a “travelogue” for when one is journeying through the world of Stanley Kubrick. And as such, it is a very good book indeed.
8/10
DD's 2018 book ranking
1) Casino Royale - 10/10
2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 9.5/10
3) Moonraker - 9.5/10
4) Star Wars: Darth Plagueis - 9.5/10
5) From Russia With Love - 9/10
6) The Making Of Casino Royale (1967) - 9/10
7) Dr No - 8.5/10
8) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path Of Destruction - 8.5/10
9) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty Of Evil - 8.5/10
10) Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule Of Two - 8.5/10
11) Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown - 8.5/10
12) Star Wars: Maul: Shadow Hunter - 8.5/10
13) You Only Live Twice - 8/10
14) The Spy Who Loved Me - 8/10
15) Live And Let Die - 8/10
16) Stanley Kubrick. The Complete Films - 8/10
17) Diamonds Are Forever - 7.5/10
18) The Man With The Golden Gun - 7.5/10
19) Colonel Sun - 7.5/10
20) Goldfinger - 7/10
21) Octopussy And The Living Daylights - 7/10
22) For Your Eyes Only - 7/10
23) Thunderball - 6.5/10
24) Star Wars: Cloak Of Deception - 4.5/10
25) James Bond The Secret World Of 007 - 4/10
26) So You Think You Know James Bond - 1.5/10