Welcome back, Lanzothians!
If you live in Southern California, you know it’s been hot hot hot – and it’s not even Spring yet! Been trying to escape this heat and slip indoors to read more books! I’m nearly at 30 books and counting for the year. I will admit, this has been taking up a lot of my writing time, but I just can’t step away. I really should find a better balance between reading and writing. Below are the reviews of the two finished reads from this week – keep in mind that I’m reading other books too, which I’ve mentioned beneath the reviews.
Of Writing
So, uh.. about that…
Of Reading
#28 Star Wars: The Last Command (reread) by Timothy Zahn
Ah, another Thrawn book finished, again. Like I mentioned last week, I’ve been rereading the Heir to the Empire trilogy as that is technically where I’m at in the Star Wars Legends chronology. Although, there are quite a few books that come before that I haven’t yet read, but don’t worry I’m getting to them!
This book continues the adventures set in motion by Thrawn, Luke, Han, Leia, and Mara Jade, among others. A variety of things happen to conclude this stellar series: the Battle at Bilbringi against Thrawn and the New Republic, Mara Jade seemingly coming to terms with not actually wanting to kill Luke, though she continues to claim she will, but is becoming more and more hesitate, and either Luke nor Leia believe she’ll actually pull through, so they just brush it off every time. Leia gives birth to twins Jacen and Jaina, and crazed clone Jedi Master Joruus C’Baoth attempts to steal them from her and Han. They team discover the Emperor’s cloning facility on Weyland that Thrawn is using to pump out troops, and Luke, Mara, Han, and Lando hurry over, followed closely by Leia and Talon Karrde. Then something crazy happens. Luke battles himself. His clone self.
That’s all I’ll say about the story, so that I don’t spoil anything for those who want to read it. I always enjoy reading a good Timothy Zahn book, especially when Thrawn is involved. He always makes the story more exciting with his devious little plans and his Sherlock-esque manners. I have a rating of 8.4/10 for this book.
#29 Typhoon by Joseph Conrad
Oh, this little book was so good. In Typhoon by Joseph Conrad, published in 1902, we take a brief voyage with Captain MacWhirr on the Nan-Shan as he sails across the Pacific with his small crew to deliver 200 Chinese “coolies” home to Fu-Chau. MacWhirr and his first mate, Jukes, could not be more different. While MacWhirr is a steadfast leader, stoic in his duties, Jukes’ sardonic nature clashes with the former. Taking us through the deep waters of the Pacific, MacWhirr and crew prepare as the barometer descends further and further, indicates the coming onslaught of a fierce storm. The Captain decides to brace the typhoon head-on, rather than go around it. Through the storm, the Nan-Shan is violently beaten and thrashed about, and its human cargo below deck are tossed all around. MacWhirr orders Jukes to go below deck and get everything under control, while he handles the upper deck as the ship faces the storm.
This is the first book I’ve read from Jospeh Conrad, and I had no idea how vivid his writing was. I was completely immersed into the story. I could see and the waves and feel the battering of the ship. I could see the characters and watch their conversations. I could almost smell the salty air. These are things I hope to achieve in my own stories, particularly in Mortimer. Some prominent themes here were of leadership demonstrated by both MacWhirr and Jukes, with seeing an increased confidence in Jukes later on in the story. The second mate is also relieved of duty after he fails to step up to the task during the storm. And then the typhoon itself could also be viewed as a metaphor for the trials that we humans face on a daily basis and about how to overcome them.
This was a solid read, and I’d rate it 9.1/10. This was yet another of my sea-faring novels that I’m reading as research for Mortimer.
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I’m currently reading several books: The Library: A Fragile History; Star Wars: Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon (nearly done); The Turn of the Screw; The Illustrated Man; 1984; Crown of Midnight; and The Count of Monte Cristo (600 pages in – I’ll finish this week).
If you’d like to read any of my reviews from this year so far, I have them all linked below:
Science Fiction: Saturn’s Monsters; The Time Machine; Starship Troopers; The Martian Chronicles; Project Hail Mary; A Meeting with Medusa
Dystopian: Anthem
Fantasy: Prince Caspian; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (full-cast production); Throne of Glass; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (full-cast production)
Star Wars: The Mask of Fear; X-Wing: Wraith Squadron; X-Wing: Iron Fist; Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter; X-Wing: Solo Command; The Courtship of Princess Leia; Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost; Star Wars: Heir to the Empire; The Jaws of Jakku; Dark Force Rising; The Last Command
Contemporary: They Both Die at the End
Literary Classic: The Metamorphosis; Moby-Dick; Wuthering Heights; Treasure Island; Notes from Underground; Typhoon
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Thank you for reading along. My hope is to inspire more and more readers across various genres. Farewell, and see you again next weekend!
T.P. Lanzarotto
15 March 2026
T.P. Lanzarotto 
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