Joe's Books of 2017: Part One (January - June)

Good morning and welcome to a new feature you may only see a couple of times a year from me. This is something old and something new for me, and if I only had something borrowed and something blue, I'd have the perfect article for a wedding. For years at my old blog (Adventures in Reading), I would have a monthly round up of what I've been reading (example) with some commentary on what I thought was the best, most disappointing, and a couple of other categories that might change from month to month. I've still been keeping up on logging my books, but I've had low motivation to write up those articles for the old blog and I haven't quite been ready to move that monthly series over here. One massive article, though? That I can do! Also, despite the paragraphs of my blather, this is ultimately a giant list and I'm a really big fan of list making.

I've read some standout novels thus far in 2017 and while I have no doubt that I'll read some superb novels over the next six months, I expect some of the these will be in contention for my Best of 2017. I adored John Scalzi's The Collapsing Empire, the first novel in a new series unrelated to his Old Man's War setting. I was so into it that I read the last chapter on a drive to the aiport just before I left for a week's vacation. I didn't want to bring a hardcover book with me, but I didn't want to not know how it ended. The Stars Are Legion might well be my favorite Kameron Hurley novel (my review) and might well be my straight up favorite novel of the year, though I can't not mention Robin Hobb's heart wrenching conclusion to FitzChivalry Farseer's story in Assassin's Fate. It's everything.

Speaking of conclusions, Robert Jackson Bennett also absolutely nails the landing with City of Miracles, the third and final book in his Divine Cities trilogy - each book a standout and each book better than the preceding volume. Also of note: Jeff VanderMeer's Borne, Amberlough from Lara Elena Donnelly, and the Guns Above from Robin Bennis.

So far I've only focused on books published in 2017, but Ninefox Gambit (Yoon Ha Lee), The Geek Feminist Revolution (Kameron Hurley again), and Certain Dark Things (Silvia Moreno-Garcia) are all notable books published last year.

There are some disappointments in my reading this year. As much as I hate when it happens, not every book I pick up is a winner. I don't want to spend all that much time on the stuff I didn't like, but I'll point out that Blood of Tyrants, the penultimate novel in Naomi Novik's long running and Hugo Award finalist for Best Series, was a bit of a bust. My biggest problem with the novel is Will Laurence's amnesia for most of the book. I thought that after all this time, Novik was in a holding pattern rather than pushing towards the final novel.

I wrote a little bit about This Census-Taker when I wrote about the Hugo Finalist novellas, and about Too Like the Lightning when I wrote about the Novels, so I won't repeat what I said there. The short version is that each of those books read to me as medicine I'm supposed to take because it's good for me, not a delicious treat I want to enjoy for their own sake.

I'm a sucker for a good novella published in book form. It's a tougher sell for me to read a novella on my computer, but when a novella is widely available from my public library and for an affordable price online, that's when I can get into it. Tor.com Publishing has built a reputation for high quality, and even though not every book is going to be a hit, I tend to enjoy their stuff more often that not. These more bite sized books are a treat and are allowing me to discover some authors I might not have encountered otherwise. As such, I've read 22 books from Tor.com Publishing this year so far.  I was disappointed by Agents of Dreamland (Kiernan) and Proof of Concept (Jones), but there were some pure standouts. Followers of this blog know of my love of Matt Wallace's Sin du Jour novella series and will not be surprised that Greedy Pigs is one of my favorite reads so far this year. Other novellas to be on the lookout for are: All Systems Red, the first Murderbot Diaries novella from Martha Wells, Impersonations from Walter Jon Williams, and Acadie from Dave Hutchinson.

Since this is a genre blog we seldom spend much time writing about the non-science fiction and fantasy novels we read. As such, I have not mentioned The Tournament of Books, a bit of literary bloodsport run by the good people at The Morning News (here's this year's final between The Underground Railroad and Homegoing). As much as we can, my wife and I try to read as much as we can from the short listed books each year. If we're lucky, we'll have read a couple during the year so we have left to push through in March. The Tournament of Books is a literary version of March Madness and it's delightful. I highly recommend Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing, by the way.

Speaking of non-genre books, here's three I'd like to highlight. First, reading Anna Kendrick's memoir Scrappy Little Nobody made me think that in a slightly different life I could have been good friends with Anna Kendrick. The personality that comes across is one of a person I'd like to have known in real life, which is not the case is with most celebrity memoirs. Maybe it was her wry sarcasm.

Second, I've been a huge fan of Louise Erdrich's fiction since I first read Love Medicine in preparation for a college class and was haunted by the image of June Morrissey walking out into the snow. Her fiction is second to none, and LaRose is a stellar and exceptional novel. I'm excited for Future Home of the Living God, to be published later this year.

Third, I'm a sucker for photography books, so I highly recommend everyone and anyone to check out Earth and Space: Photographs from the Archives of NASA. It's stellar. You're welcome.


The final thing I'd like to talk about before getting to my reading list of joy is the idea of gender balance and reading. It's something I've been thinking about for a number of years and is something I've been actively working on since 2014. The point isn't that there is a specific artificial number that I need to hit in order to receive a plate of cookies, though if anyone is so inclined to provide cookies, I really like chewy oatmeal raisin.  The point is that I want to understand what it is that I'm reading and to think about why.  I can say that I don't consider the gender of the author when choosing a book, but then why was is that between 2009 and 2014 the percentage of books I read written by women was between 26% and 45% and it was only 2014 that my percentage was anywhere near that high? Why was it that when I wasn't actively considering the author that 70-75% of the books were written by men?

But if this isn't about "forcing" myself to hit some preordained number, what is this about?

As I wrote three years ago,

This isn't about everyone else.  This is about me.  Who am I reading and why have I made the choices I have?

Who am I missing today?  Who have I been missing for the last twenty years?

I don't believe it is about crossing an artificial line in the sand for who I should read or how many of books that fit a particular category.  What I do think this is all about is realizing and remembering that no matter what I think I like to read and what my favorite books are, there are all of these other books written by a diverse range of authors that offer so many difference perspectives that, hey, these books are awesome, too.  This isn't about denying one set of books at the expense of another.  This is about embracing as much as possible.  I read Katherine Kerr for the first time last year.  I am about to read Kate Elliott for the first time next month.  I've never read Martha Wells, Trudi Canavan, Diana Gabaldon, or Mary Gentle.  How many of these women have written some of my favorite books if only I take the time to read them?

Before I get to how I'm doing so far this year, here are my stats from the last three years:

2016: 56.21%
2015: 58.59%
2014: 45.92%

If my count is right, and I've been off by a book or two before, 42.5 of the 88 books I've read were written by women. That's 48.29% and is a little bit better than I thought I was doing this year. A strong February and June really helped.

So that's it. On to the list!

January
1. Standard Hollywood Depravity, by Adam Christopher
2. Order to Kill, by Kyle Mills
3. The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon
4. Agents of Dreamland, by Caitlin R. Kiernan
5. The Last Days of New Paris, by China Mieville
6. Scrappy Little Nobody, by Anna Kendrick
7. Grief is the Thing With Feathers, by Max Porter
8. The Warren, by Brian Evenson
9. Arcanum Unbounded, by Brandon Sanderson
10. Fool Moon, by Jim Butcher
11. Black Wave, by Michelle Tea
12. The Magicians, by Lev Grossman
13. Miniatures, by John Scalzi
14. A Time of Omens, by Katharine Kerr
15. Brother's Ruin, by Emma Newman
16. The Autumn Republic, by Brian McClellan

February
17. My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout
18. Lightning in the Blood, by Marie Brennan
19. Sweet Lamb of Heaven, by Lydia Millet
20. The Stars Are Legion, by Kameron Hurley
21. We Love You, Charlie Freeman, by Kaitlyn Greenidge
22. River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey
23. LaRose, by Louise Erdrich
24. Sudden Death, by Alvaro Enrique
25. Buffalo Soldier, by Maurice Broaddus
26. Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi
27. The Complete Peanuts: Vol 26, by Charles M. Schulz
28. Mister Monkey, by Francine Prose
29. The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill
30. The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, by Kij Johnson

March
31. Empire Games, by Charles Stross
32. Greedy Pigs, by Matt Wallace
33. The Sport of Kings, by C.E. Morgan
34. Killing Gravity, by Corey J. White
35. All Systems Red, by Martha Wells
36. Grantville Gazette: Volume II, by Eric Flint (editor)
37. Down Among the Sticks and Bones, by Seanan McGuire
38. Feedback, by Mira Grant
39. Earth and Space: Photographs from the Archives of NASA
40. Much Loved, by Mark Nixon
41. Impersonations, by Walter Jon Williams
42. Otherworlds: Visions of Our Solar System
43. Proof of Concept, by Gwyneth Jones
44. Amberlough, by Lara Elena Donnelly

April
45. Behind Her Eyes, by Sarah Pinborough
46. The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi
47. Chalk, by Paul Cornell
48. The Ghost Line, by Andrew Neil Gray and J.S. Herbison
49. Certain Dark Things, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
50. Mapping the Interior, by Stephen Graham Jones
51. Final Girls, by Mira Grant
52. Blood of Tyrants, by Naomi Novik
53. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, by Tamora Pierce
54. All That Outer Space Allows, by Ian Sales
55. The Harrowing of Gwynedd, by Katherine Kurtz
56. Madness in Solidar, by LE. Modesitt, Jr
57. Bridging Infinity, by Jonathan Strahan (editor)
58. The Photo Ark, by Joel Sartore
59. The Nix, by Nathan Hill
60. The Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel
61. This Census-Taker, by China Mieville
62. Recluce Tales, by L.E. Modesitt, Jr

May
63. The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion, by Margaret Killjoy
64. Version Control, by Dexter Palmer
65. Ill Will, by Dan Chaon
66. Penric and the Shaman, by Lois McMaster Bujold
67. A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers
68. The Princess Diarist, by Carrie Fisher
69. Two Serpents Rise, by Max Gladstone
70. Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer
71. City of Miracles, by Robert Jackson Bennett
72. Starfire: A Red Peace, by Spencer Ellsworth
73. Death's End, by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu)
74. Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid
75. The Geek Feminist Revolution, by Kameron Hurley
76. Brothers in Arms, by Lois McMaster Bujold
77. Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee

June
78. Midnight Riot, by Ben Aaronovitch
79. Dreamweaver's Dilemna, by Lois McMaster Bujold
80. American War, by Omar El-Akkad
81. A Song for Quiet, by Cassandra Khaw
82. The Book of Joan, by Lydia Yuknavitch
83. Assassin's Fate, by Robin Hobb
84. Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer
85. Null States, by Malka Older
86. Acadie, by Dave Hutchinson
87. Full Fathom Five, by Max Gladstone
88. The Guns Above, by Robyn Bennis


POSTED BY: Joe Sherry - Co-editor of Nerds of a Feather, 2017 Hugo Award Finalist for Best Fanzine. Writer / Editor of the mostly defunct Adventures in Reading since 2004. Minnesotan. 

6 Books with Yoon Ha Lee

Yoon Ha Lee's first novel NINEFOX GAMBIT was shortlisted for the Nebula, Hugo, and Clarke awards. He lives in Louisiana with his family and an extremely lazy cat, and has not yet been eaten by gators.  

Today he shares his 6 books with us...

1. What book are you currently reading? 

I'm rereading John Wick's PLAY DIRTY 2, which is by a game designer and features a collection of tips for tabletop roleplaying and game masters. I find a lot of the narrative tricks and discussions really useful for thinking about how to construct a narrative even in a non-game format. I don't always agree with Wick, but he's thought-provoking, intelligent, and interesting.

2. What upcoming book you are really excited about? 

Ann Leckie's PROVENANCE, which is due out this October--it's apparently set in the same universe as her fantastic Imperial Radch trilogy, but features all-new characters. I can't wait to meet them.





 

3. Is there a book you're currently itching to re-read? 

Mercedes Lackey's ARROWS OF THE QUEEN. I discovered Lackey's Valdemar series in high school and retain a soft spot for them, although I think I am like a dozen books behind on the current state of the series (I don't read fast). Talia's one of my favorites!

4. How about a book you've changed your mind about over time--either positively or negatively? 

I haven't tried to revisit anything by Robert Heinlein because I suspect he would infuriate me now. As a high schooler, I really enjoyed STARSHIP TROOPERS, THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, and SPACE CADET, although I had to laugh at the bit in (I think) SPACE CADET where Heinlein lectures the reader about the supreme importance of knowing how to use a slide rule.

5. What's one book, which you read as a child or young adult, that has had a lasting influence on your writing? 

Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S GAME, which I read as a teen. It was the book that convinced me that I wanted to write about military sf and ethics; before that, I had wanted to write pretty standard Eurofantasy. To this day I'm convinced that Ender's adult instructors should have been court-martialed.



 

6. And speaking of that, what's *your* latest book, and why is it awesome? 

My latest book is RAVEN STRATAGEM, which is a sequel to NINEFOX GAMBIT. It's a space opera that picks up where the previous book ended, with an untrustworthy undead general possessing an unlucky captain and claiming he wants to bring down an oppressive government, and the loyal soldier who is trying to stop him. There are big space battles, space politics, and space knitting.




POSTED BY: Joe Sherry - Co-editor of Nerds of a Feather, 2017 Hugo Award Finalist for Best Fanzine. Writer / Editor of the mostly defunct Adventures in Reading since 2004. Minnesotan.

Microreview [video game]: Mass Effect: Andromeda by Bioware

A Distant Star

Regardless of how well or poorly you personally received the ending of the original Mass Effect trilogy, following those games with a non-reboot, non-sequel game in the same universe is going to be a tall order for anyone. Mass Effect: Andromeda (as reported by Kotaku) had a difficult development, and it shows. But the biggest factor for whether or not you'll get some enjoyment out of this game can be boiled down to a single question: what did you think of Dragon Age: Inquisition?

In the non-reboot, non-sequel Mass Effect: Andromeda, you're a pilgrim, a passenger onboard the human ark sent to colonize the distant Andromeda galaxy. The trip takes 600 years of cryo-sleep, and everything goes wrong when you finally wake up. A coral-like space growth called The Scourge inhibits space travel and wrecks ships. The Nexus, a space station sent ahead of the arks, is barely functional and none of the other species' arks have arrived. Worst of all, none of the "golden worlds" surveyed in advance of the voyage are suitable for colonization. Something horrible happened over the 600 year trip. 

The Mass Effect and Dragon Age series are linked by more than just having a common developer. They were largely developed in parallel, and borrowed gameplay mechanics from each other on numerous occasions. When Dragon Age 2 came out and it felt like Dragon Age shoehorned into Mass Effect, with a greater focus on a smaller scoped story and action over tactical combat, it was a disappointment to me but the problems I had with that game were mechanical. Enemies warped in from thin air (with no particular in-game reason), and it overly reused game environments. 

Mass Effect: Andromeda feels like Mass Effect shoehorned into Dragon Age: Inquisition. This time around, I'm not that mad about it. I loved Dragon Age: Inquisition despite the game having too many collect-a-thon quests, and too many fetch quests that added nothing to the game. This one suffers from the same problems, but the gameplay loop itself is enjoyable. The combat in the Mass Effect series has continued to build upon itself and become more fluid over the stop-and-pop Gears of War-esque combat of the original Mass Effect. Planetary exploration is done with the Nomad, a six-wheeled vehicle that's far more fun to drive than the Mako. Here's a piece of advice that carries over from Dragon Age: Inquisition: if something isn't a core quest, or a companion quest, and it doesn't interest you from the start, don't bother doing it. There are tons of quests that are meaningless. Do what seems like fun, unless you're a completionist and a masochist.

What hurts Andromeda is that it doesn't take the conceit of being a different galaxy 600 years into the future far enough. It adds a couple of new Andromedan species of sentient aliens, but their designs aren't exactly inspired, and it brings with it the core species from the original series, and none of the cool edge species. Of course, there are going to be Salarians, Turians, and Asari, but we've gone to a different galaxy. There should be more than two sentient species here when the Milky Way had handfuls of aliens. It even leans too hard on an ancient, technologically advanced species that influences the present. 

Playing this game months after release has turned out to be the best way to experience it. Early reviews noted a plague of technical issues within the game. I saw none of that. The chief complaint was that faces were poorly or weirdly animated. I never noticed anything particularly out of place. 

Over the course of 53 hours, I enjoyed my time with Mass Effect: Andromeda. While I'm not inclined to buy DLC, I would look forward to a second game in this series. Mass Effect: Andromeda has more in common with the first game of the original trilogy than the other two, and that was my personal favorite of the three. It's a more optimistic game, even if it suffers from borrowing too heavily from the original trilogy and Dragon Age: Inquisition. It's hard for me to say whether or not a newcomer to this series of games would enjoy Andromeda more without playing the original trilogy, but it's at least a competent game.

The Math

Baseline Assessment: 6/10

Bonuses: +1 Eschews grimdark and dread for optimism and a brighter future

Penalties: -1 Feels too much like a Mass Effect side story

Nerd Coefficient: 6/10 (still enjoyable, but the flaws are hard to ignore)

***

POSTED BY: brian, sci-fi/fantasy/video game dork and contributor since 2014

Reference: Bioware. Mass Effect: Andromeda [EA, 2017] 

Thursday Morning Superhero

San Diego Comic Con is two weeks away and the panel schedule should be dropping tomorrow.  I am very excited about what will be announced and already have Gabriel Rodriguez's panel on Friday at 1pm penciled in for my schedule.  Rodriguez is best known for his incredible art on Locke and Key and is an absolute delight.  Can't wait to continue to fill out my schedule!

Pick of the Week:
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again #1 - Cullen Bunn is back penning a Merc with the Mouth story and it is going to be a bloody one.  The body count is off to a quick start as someone (Deadpool) has killed Gambit and a game of volleyball turned deadly for some of the Gods.  They had better get to the bottom of why Deadpool has taken this dark turn fast as he is one of the deadliest characters in the Marvel Universe.  I have always enjoyed Bunn's sense of humor and think it works well with Deadpool.  The first time Deadpool killed the Marvel Universe it was a lot of fun and this one is off to an extremely enjoyable start.  I just worry about some of my beloved characters.  Hopefully Squirrel Girl will be OK.

The Rest:
Baby Teeth #2 - I continue to enjoy this story about the birth of the Antichrist from Donny Cates.  Apparently it is even more difficult to raise the spawn of hell than a regular newborn, and being a sixteen year old to boot doesn't help.  In this issue we learn of a secret government organization that is tasked with killing said baby.  This requires discretion and the hiring of the "prairie wolf".  I am not looking forward to the antics of someone who is a child assassin, but found the R.E.M. soundtrack during this scene quite appropriate.  Cates has a knack for horror and I am really enjoying this series.



Daredevil #23 - Matt Murdock learns the hard way, although he probably expected it, that upsetting Kingpin has certain consequences.  Kingpin, upset with Daredevil testifying and establishing a precedent that Super Heroes can remain anonymous and testify, sends Tombstone to intervene.  Fortunately She-Hulk was nearby when Murdock was attacked and he was able to protect his identity as she chased off Tombstone.  Something is off with She-Hulk and it doesn't appear that Kingpin is going to be deterred.  Issue #24 should be quite eventful.

The Walking Dead #169 - Still dealing with the aftermath of the death of Andrea, Rick has to now say goodbye to Carl.  It is weird to watch a child grow up in a comic book, but Carl has developed into a strong character on his own and parted ways to chart his own path.  I look forward to his continued development and the next big arc that Robert Kirkman has in store.  A group is heading out to meet the group that they have been in contact with via the radio and Negan is a free man once again.  Curious to see if he really has changed for good or if we will see his nasty side again.  Rick has a lot of trust to rebuild and setting Negan free didn't help his cause.




POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Summer Reading List 2017: The G

It's summer again, and that means its time for beaches, barbecue and books, books, books! Well, it does for me at least. Always has, always will.

Since summer is my favorite season, it stands to reason that posting a summer reading list would become my favorite annual nerds of a feather tradition. Unfortunately, I haven't been terribly good at sticking to them. I only managed 3 of last year's list, the remainder falling prey to fickle tastes and me moving across the Pacific. This year I'm going to try to do all of them, perhaps even in the order I've listed them below. Somehow I doubt it will work out that way, but you never know...

The G's Summer Reading for 2017

1. Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten [Bantam, 1997]

My daughter is obsessed with dinosaurs and everything prehistoric at present, so I decided it might be fun to read another book about prehistoric creatures eating people. Since I'd already done the two Jurassic Park novels, this one--about monster sharks in the Mariana Trench who develop a taste for human blood--seemed like it would scratch that itch. It's as trashy and ridiculous as you'd expect from that description. But it's pretty fun too. Chomp chomp.

2. Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson [Tor, 1999]

This is a re-read for me. A few years ago I dipped my feet into Malazan, making it 3 books in. I really enjoyed it, and have meant to revisit the series. Playing Obsidian's excellent CRPG Tyranny, which is noticeably influenced by Erikson's books, gave me the urge to do just that. At the same time, I feel like I've forgotten a lot of important stuff, so the plan is to restart the whole series. Very much looking forward to this.

3. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty [Orbit, 2017]

Crime is my other genre of choice and this is a crime novel set on a spaceship. Where clones solve the mystery of their own murder. What's not to like about that?

4. Six Four by Hideo Yokohama [Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2017]

Speaking of crime, and books with the number six in the title, I recently picked this one up at the bookshop. In Japan, it's become one of those "sensation" novels, like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Gone Girl. It's meant to be quite good, if not exactly breaking with the style's conventions.

5. After Dark by Haruki Murakami [Knopf, 2007]

...and speaking of novels translated from Japanese, I've also decided to give Murakami another try--something I haven't dared attempt since enduring 1Q84. My opinions to date have been decidedly mixed. I love his prose, the way he explores pop culture and the general weirdness of his books; at the same time, it never really feels like he knows where he's going, which means the novels tend to fall apart to varying degrees. This one is short, so here's hoping that also means "well-edited."

6. The Trench by Steve Alten [Kensington, 1999]

Oh god, I'm going to read this one too, aren't I?

Stormtrooper Armor, Ranked

There are many fearsome aspects of the Empire in Star Wars: Their dedication to planet-destroying superweapons, their wrinkled leader who shoots lightning or the guy in futuristic samurai armor. But none of these holds a candle to that sheer unstoppable force that is the Imperial Marketing Department. They know good and well that the best thing for the Empire is getting more Stormtroopers, and selling Stormtrooper toys, and to that end, there are endless armor variants. There will be EVEN MORE in The Last Jedi! But which is the best?! Let's rank 'em (quick note: I am including the Republic Clone Troopers and First Order under the blanket of 'Empire'):

Magma
Did you know Magma Troopers were a thing? Yeah, me either. Should have gone the amusingly-ironic weapons route and given them a freeze gun or something. All they get is desert trooper armor with a breathing filter, which they should have already. This is triple-redundant armor.

you can't just do this

Space
There is literally no discernible difference between this and a regular Stormtrooper. Make it look spacey, Imperial Marketing Department! Scheech.

Are there actions figures? OF COURSE THERE ARE ACTION FIGURES

Storm (FO)
Pretty cool, and a good update to the look, except it looks like the back of that car. You know the one.

Snow (FO)
A meh update to the Empire's version. At least it doesn't look like a car trunk.

also: REALLY hard to see out of

Sandtrooper (OT)
Major point deduction for how redundant this is. You have a cooling backpack, or whatever? Good for you. It looks exactly the same. A little bit back because the old-school action figure came with the big gun and I played with it a ton. Personal nostalgia aside, this is about as lame as it gets.

cleaning this armor is a PAIN

TIE Pilot (OT)
I try to keep my own personal bias out of this, but holy crap, I love me some TIE Pilots. A) They fly TIE fighters, B) Shiny black armor, C) other things probably, I guess, they are awesome. What's with the doofy chest thing, though? It kills the whole look.

awesome in close up though

Shore
I'm sort of torn on this one, because there are plenty of environment-specific armors on this list, but at least this one doesn't just look like regular Stormtrooper armor with camo or whatever. So, points for looking cool and at least trying. Good for you, Shoretrooper.

Flametrooper
It is a stormtrooper. With a flamethrower. I'm not sure it needs a distinction, but I am not the one holding a flamethrower.

TIE Pilot (FO)
Thank you for fixing the doofy chest thing. The red stripe is, like, a million bad-ass points.

you wish you looked this good

Scout
The visor looks super sweet, but what purpose does it serve? They get to ride around on speeder bikes and shoot sniper rifles, but that visor just seems impractical. Call it a wash.

you REALLY wish you looked this good

Clone
The original, and the best. I mean, it's not the original in the real world, but it is in the Star Wars universe. In any case, it's fantastic. The basic troopers are simple and clean, and their variants and specialists have colorful differences. Major style points for the officers (and even rank and file troops) decorating their armor with personal touches. But they're clones, so how personal can it be?

also Fives is the best

Snow (OT)
This is probably the best environment-specific variant. It looks different, and seems practical. And the robe-y (it's a technical term) look adds a air of mystery and intimidation.

Storm (OT)
What is there even to say? It's classic, it's a clean look, and looks so good, you forget they can't hit the broad side of a space-barn.

Death
These guys are everything cool about TIE Pilots (BLACK!) and Stormtroopers rolled into one. Plus they have Death right there in the name! You don't get more bad-ass than that unless you are Darth-freakin-Vader himself. Every kid in the galaxy wants to be a Deathtrooper and you know it. If the Empire had drafted Jyn into the Deathtrooper ranks, she would have shot her mom herself.

join now!