Star Wars Books Thread

[kirk55555]

I just noticed the list of book stuff announced at/around Celebration. So, two actual novels (neither remotely important to the SW universe or particularly good topics for GA novels in my opinion, with one being a video game tie in and the other being about a minor character whose only interesting trait is shiny armor), two YA books and the standard kiddie stuff is what we get for the rest of the year.

Well, its a great time to be a kid who loves to read, I guess. Not so great for anyone else. Which is absolutely not a surprise. Begrudgingly shoveling the book equivalent of table scraps at the SW fans who both like books and who aren't kids is Disney's MO, after all. I can't wait until the 2018 announcements for general audience books like "Watto: The Early Years", "Bib Fortuna: A History", "Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes: The Mobile Game tie in novel", and "Snap Wexley: Yes, the actor who plays him in TFA is also in Star Trek Beyond".

That's just his head-canon. Which I imagine is a rather scary place.

 

[Xerxes82]

Just got home from work, and I'm about to go pick it back up again, but I had time before I left this morning to read just the first chapter of THRAWN. And I'm already hooked. I loved the original Zahn penned trilogy that effectively launched the old EU, and man does he immediately reestablish himself as the definitive Thrawn biographer. If the rest of the book lives up to just the first chapter, I'm in for a treat.

 

[WebLurker]

I just noticed the list of book stuff announced at/around Celebration. So, two actual novels (neither remotely important to the SW universe or particularly good topics for GA novels in my opinion, with one being a video game tie in and the other being about a minor character whose only interesting trait is shiny armor), two YA books and the standard kiddie stuff is what we get for the rest of the year.

Considering that people wanted to know more about Phasma and she's coming back for the sequel, it seems like a decent choice. That entry coding book looks cool (for someone who likes the idea of knowing some code but has had trouble in that regard).

I hope some of the younger YA books are original stories rather than retellings of the movies, but sometimes a retelling can be interesting if it has a good enough hook (like the Shakespeare Star Wars series retelling the movies as plays by the Bard or the Rey's and Finn's Story novelizations re-telling TFA from the title character's perspectives).

Well, its a great time to be a kid who loves to read, I guess. Not so great for anyone else. Which is absolutely not a surprise. Begrudgingly shoveling the book equivalent of table scraps at the SW fans who both like books and who aren't kids is Disney's MO, after all. I can't wait until the 2018 announcements for general audience books like "Watto: The Early Years", "Bib Fortuna: A History", "Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes: The Mobile Game tie in novel", and "Snap Wexley: Yes, the actor who plays him in TFA is also in Star Trek Beyond".

IMHO, I think of the lesson of Ratatouille; not everyone can cook, but a cook can come from anywhere.

And if you don't like it, put it back and try something else.

(There's also the ANH anthology coming out later this year that the article didn't cover, so there is that if YA isn't your thing.)

 

[tenmei]

and "Snap Wexley: Yes, the actor who plays him in TFA is also in Star Trek Beyond".

You do realise that Snap has already had the majority of his background fleshed out through the Aftermath trilogy - even where the nickname Snap came from - and the Poe Dameron tie-in comic, right?

 

[kirk55555]

You do realise that Snap has already had the majority of his background fleshed out through the Aftermath trilogy - even where the nickname Snap came from - and the Poe Dameron tie-in comic, right?

Yes, I'm aware of the Aftermath books. Its hard to forget books that are so terrible (although I dropped book 2 in the middle from pure disgust of how shit it was). I wasn't aware that "Snap" showed up in one of the few bad comics (Poe's comic), but that doesn't really matter. But, anyway, I thought of the joke about Snap's actor and went with it even though I knew he'd been in books before. But, if you really want a more...accurate(?)... joke, here's a replacement book title:

"Admiral Raddus: No, I'm Not Admiral Ackbar, Stop Asking Me if its a Trap".

IMHO, I think of the lesson of Ratatouille; not everyone can cook, but a cook can come from anywhere.

And if you don't like it, put it back and try something else.

(There's also the ANH anthology coming out later this year that the article didn't cover, so there is that if YA isn't your thing.)

I'm having a hard time working out the Ratatouille reference. If you're saying that not every person can write a good book, the new canon has definitely proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt If only people like Chuck Wendig, Claudia Grey and, unfortunately, Timothy Zahn could learn that lesson, the new canon might not be generally terrible.

If the reference is something about moving on to something else if you don't like one thing, I'd point out there are only two actual books to choose from, the video game tie in and the book about the pointless side character. That's it for the rest of the year. I mean, the new canon puts out very few good books, in 2014 we got New Dawn and Tarkin, 2015 had Lords of the Sith, and 2016 had Ahsoka.

So I'm used to there being only about 4 real GA books getting published a year (not counting novelizations), and usually only one being any good. But, I was hoping that a one good book a year minimum would be maintained. Not that I think that was intentional, I'm half convinced quality doesn't factor into any of the book divisions decisions, it was just a nice coincidence that one good book usually gets published in a year. Looks like 2017 is the first (of quite possibly many) years without a good SW book.

I don't know what the anthology is supposed to be, but I'm not even going to bother to look it up. Disney doesn't even bother to hire decent writers for most of its full novels, its outright frightening to think about what "writers" they'd get for an anthology. Probably a few of their regular hacks (Grey, Wendig) and a bunch of whatever stories they could get really cheap from mostly unknown people.

 

[tenmei]

Yes, I'm aware of the Aftermath books. Its hard to forget books that are so terrible (although I dropped book 2 in the middle from pure disgust of how shit it was). I wasn't aware that "Snap" showed up in one of the few bad comics (Poe's comic), but that doesn't really matter. But, anyway, I thought of the joke about Snap's actor and went with it even though I knew he'd been in books before. But, if you really want a more...accurate(?)... joke, here's a replacement book title:

"Admiral Raddus: No, I'm Not Admiral Ackbar, Stop Asking Me if its a Trap".

Different strokes, eh - Am actually enjoying the Aftermath novels. I struggled with most of the Legends novels I had ever picked up (one of my ex-boyfriends at Uni was a massive fan and tried to get me to read a few) and picked this up at the suggestion of a colleague who knew I'd picked up the Poe comic due to my massive crush on Oscar Isaac and the character of Poe Dameron.

I'm still hoping for a Captain Cassian Andor, Rebel Intelligence comic, for much the same reasons.

 

[kirk55555]

I really tried with Aftermath. I got through the first one, and while it wasn't very good it had some ok elements. The sequel I just didn't like at all, everything from the characters to the writing style just annoyed me. The only character I really liked was Admiral Sloane, but I couldn't get through the book with her story line being the only part I liked. I hope Sloane shows up in some book or comic not written by Wendig (he didn't actually create the character in the first place, after all). I really need to read her wookiepedia page and see if she even survived Aftermath 3.

 

[JD]

On the final stretch reading SW:Aftermath Life Debt at the moment - and enjoying it tremendously. But no clue what the Moth is supposed to look like.

Got Inferno Squad preordered, but not sure about it now that I've seen it ties into Battlefront - thought it was supposed to spin off from Rogue One, and that's what interested me. May cancel my preorder, then get the PB later - we will see how I feel.

It's about the Battlefront II characters going after Saw's Partisans, so it's both a follow up to Rogue One and a prequel to BfII. Even if you're not interested in the BfII elements, it will still have the RO elements.

Obviously, it's Lucas that's wrong.

That's just his head-canon. Which I imagine is a rather scary place.


Holy Mother of God! The return of the best Star Wars art team from the original Marvel series bar none! The first issue that Simonson drew was the one-off issue 16, which introduced Valance the Bounty Hunter, written by Archie Goodwin. Simonson and Palmer later started together together on issue 49 (titled *ahem* "The Last Jedi"). They then assisted the legendary Al Williamson on issue 50, and then were the regular artists (with occasional fill-in issues) through issue 66! I will so buy this for this reason alone. Oh, and hey! Weezie! She's cool, too (Walter's wife, Louise "Weezie" Simonson, under her maiden name of "Louise Jones" was the editor of the SW book during some of that era).
They sell this image in a t-shirt. My friend has one. It's from issue 62.
The cover of 62.
From the cover of issue 52.

Wow, I didn't realize that group had that kind of history with the franchise.

 

[fireproof78]

Different strokes, eh - Am actually enjoying the Aftermath novels. I struggled with most of the Legends novels I had ever picked up (one of my ex-boyfriends at Uni was a massive fan and tried to get me to read a few) and picked this up at the suggestion of a colleague who knew I'd picked up the Poe comic due to my massive crush on Oscar Isaac and the character of Poe Dameron.

I'm still hoping for a Captain Cassian Andor, Rebel Intelligence comic, for much the same reasons.

I enjoyed Aftermath as well, much more than most Legends novels. I've only just started the series so I'm looking forward to more, plus Thrawn, plus the comics.

 

[WebLurker]

But, if you really want a more...accurate(?)... joke, here's a replacement book title:

"Admiral Raddus: No, I'm Not Admiral Ackbar, Stop Asking Me if its a Trap".

Given that Raddus was voiced by Stephen Stanton, that's not the best joke you could come up with. (For example, Stanton has done a lot of other voice work for Star Wars, including Tarkin; I actually found it a little funny that they chose to hire him for the movie but have Guy Henry do Tarkin's voice, given that Stanton does an excellent Tarkin and it would create a bit more uniformity in the actors. Oh, well, fun trivia.)

I'm having a hard time working out the Ratatouille reference. If you're saying that not every person can write a good book, the new canon has definitely proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt If only people like Chuck Wendig, Claudia Grey and, unfortunately, Timothy Zahn could learn that lesson, the new canon might not be generally terrible.

The point I was making is that the type of book something is (adult novel, teen novel, comic, short story, picture book, etc.) does not make it inherently bad or good. What makes it good is the quality of work and production that went into it for what it is (for example, it would be unfair to compare Calvin and Hobbes to Moby-Dick; they're different mediums and the marks of quality for their genre are different -- which is kind of what I feel like you do). However, we've done this dance before, so let's just leave it at I feel more positive about the selection of upcoming Star Wars material in terms of what we're getting and the variety of kinds.

If the reference is something about moving on to something else if you don't like one thing, I'd point out there are only two actual books to choose from, the video game tie in and the book about the pointless side character. That's it for the rest of the year. I mean, the new canon puts out very few good books, in 2014 we got New Dawn and Tarkin, 2015 had Lords of the Sith, and 2016 had Ahsoka.

Don't forget about the comics. Star Wars ongoing is still ongoing (and at worse has been a fun diversion). The guys who did the original Darth Vader series (best Star Wars comic series ever -- from my experience to date) are doing another one about the Dark Lord. Don't forget more Dr. Aphra stuff, too (in the top three reasons why rebooting Star Wars was totally worth it).

Also, is that list the entire publication slate or just the highlights?

So I'm used to there being only about 4 real GA books getting published a year (not counting novelizations), and usually only one being any good. But, I was hoping that a one good book a year minimum would be maintained. Not that I think that was intentional, I'm half convinced quality doesn't factor into any of the book divisions decisions, it was just a nice coincidence that one good book usually gets published in a year. Looks like 2017 is the first (of quite possibly many) years without a good SW book.

Well, how many of the "adult" hardcover novels are published is between Del Rey and Disney and doesn't really concern the companies who do the the YA-related stuff. I don't know what their strategy is, but I guessing the fact that Star Wars is now an ongoing movie series may be affecting things. Unlike before, where the movie series was ended and the Legends tie-ins were the only new material (which means that they were the stuff driving the story forward), now the movies are where the bulk of new storytelling, direction, and the main shaping of the franchise is at. It might simply be that under current circumstances, the tie-ins' function is "doodling in the margins of a story worth telling" (to quote Dr. Aphra from the Darth Vader comics). (And to be fair, that's the only reason that tie-ins exist in a movie/TV franchise. That, and profit.)

So, maybe we need to change our expectations as to what the Star Wars Expanded Universe is now?

I don't know what the anthology is supposed to be, but I'm not even going to bother to look it up. Disney doesn't even bother to hire decent writers for most of its full novels, its outright frightening to think about what "writers" they'd get for an anthology. Probably a few of their regular hacks (Grey, Wendig) and a bunch of whatever stories they could get really cheap from mostly unknown people.

The thing is called From a Certain Point of View. It sounds like a spiritual successor to the Tales From... anthologies. This one has forty-some short stories of an unspecified length that are set in scenes from ANH, but are told from the perspectives of background characters. Case in point, we'll probably get some material from the perspective of the Stormtroopers who chase our heroes across the Death Star. That kind of thing.

The authors are waving their normal paycheck to be donated to charity instead, so it sounds like a noble cause and a not half bad way to celebrate ANH's 40th anniversary.

 

[JD]

Don't forget about the comics. Star Wars ongoing is still ongoing (and at worse has been a fun diversion). The guys who did the original Darth Vader series (best Star Wars comic series ever -- from my experience to date) are doing another one about the Dark Lord. Don't forget more Dr. Aphra stuff, too (in the top three reasons why rebooting Star Wars was totally worth it).

Oh yeah, I'd say that Aphra, BT and Tripple 0 alone are almost enough to make up for rebooting the tie-ins.

Also, is that list the entire publication slate or just the highlights?

All I know is this is what IGN said was shown at the end of the books panel at Celebration. It sounds like once the discussion was over, they just showed all the covers for these books on the screen.

 

[Xerxes82]

Ok, so I've made it about halfway through THRAWN. And so far, it's been brilliant. I love the way they've handled Thrawn as the protagonist, and the Vanto character really helps Zahn keep Thrawn enigmatic even as he's the star.

There are definitely some Rebels ties so far (characters rather than plot), but I haven't noticed anything yet that couldn't line up with the old Legends stories either. Or at least nothing glaring, those with better memories than I may have a different experience.

This story is actually managing to make Thrawn more compelling as a character even as it reveals more of his story and personality. I can't wait to see how the narrative continues to develop.

 

[Tuskin38]

I'm listening to the Thrawn audio book, Marc Thompson does a great imitation of Thrawn's voice from Rebels.

 

[Skywalker]

I thought the Aftermath books were okay, but I think I would have liked them better if Chuck Wendig had chosen to write them in a more traditional and less annoying style.

 

[kirk55555]

First, before I respond to a post, I finished Ahsoka. It was solid. Not an all time classic, but very good. Parts of the story were nothing I hadn't seen/read before, and it referenced things it shouldn't have assumed people knew (like a fake jedi trying to kidnap little Ahsoka even though if she was old enough to remember that she was too old for jedi training, and treating kyber crystals like they're alive or magical).

But Ahsoka was completely in character (unlike that show she appeared on that I won't name), and the story, while too familiar sometimes, was done well even if it wasn't that unique. It also had decent side characters and showed how she got from where she was to where she was going very well. if only I could pretend the "Fulcrum" thing was going to lead to something good Still, it was a solid book, and I'm glad I read it.

Given that Raddus was voiced by Stephen Stanton, that's not the best joke you could come up with. (For example, Stanton has done a lot of other voice work for Star Wars, including Tarkin; I actually found it a little funny that they chose to hire him for the movie but have Guy Henry do Tarkin's voice, given that Stanton does an excellent Tarkin and it would create a bit more uniformity in the actors. Oh, well, fun trivia.)

I didn't know that. Honestly, i was just thinking of something on the fly, so Raddus/Ackbar just came to mind immediately.

The point I was making is that the type of book something is (adult novel, teen novel, comic, short story, picture book, etc.) does not make it inherently bad or good. What makes it good is the quality of work and production that went into it for what it is (for example, it would be unfair to compare Calvin and Hobbes to Moby-Dick; they're different mediums and the marks of quality for their genre are different -- which is kind of what I feel like you do). However, we've done this dance before, so let's just leave it at I feel more positive about the selection of upcoming Star Wars material in terms of what we're getting and the variety of kinds.

Yeah, we've talked about that before. I obviously don't share that opinion, I believe some types of stories are inherently inferior, but there is no point in arguing about it.

Don't forget about the comics. Star Wars ongoing is still ongoing (and at worse has been a fun diversion). The guys who did the original Darth Vader series (best Star Wars comic series ever -- from my experience to date) are doing another one about the Dark Lord. Don't forget more Dr. Aphra stuff, too (in the top three reasons why rebooting Star Wars was totally worth it).

Yeah, there is a lot of good comic stuff, which is why I was just talking about books specifically. Not all the comics are good (Han Solo, Poe dameron and Chewbacca being the lowlights for me, along with the "Luke reading a Yoda story" arc of the main star Wars comic), but most are good to great. Aphra's pretty good, probably my second favorite new canon character outside of Rae Sloane (not counting the movies, counting the movies then Rey is my favorite new character).

Well, how many of the "adult" hardcover novels are published is between Del Rey and Disney and doesn't really concern the companies who do the the YA-related stuff. I don't know what their strategy is, but I guessing the fact that Star Wars is now an ongoing movie series may be affecting things. Unlike before, where the movie series was ended and the Legends tie-ins were the only new material (which means that they were the stuff driving the story forward), now the movies are where the bulk of new storytelling, direction, and the main shaping of the franchise is at. It might simply be that under current circumstances, the tie-ins' function is "doodling in the margins of a story worth telling" (to quote Dr. Aphra from the Darth Vader comics). (And to be fair, that's the only reason that tie-ins exist in a movie/TV franchise. That, and profit.)

So, maybe we need to change our expectations as to what the Star Wars Expanded Universe is now?

I much prefer more important stories, and there is literally thousands of years of the SW universe they could tell stories about (I doubt what the old EU called the KOTOT era will be getting a movie anytime soon). Even forgetting that, there is a bunch of stuff they could do. Using the old EU as an example, something like the X-Wing series would fit the kind of story the new canon likes almost perfectly. We could also, like I've said before, maybe have books that deal with things like character backstories that matter a bit more then Phasma's (like every main cast member of Rogue One ), and could really just drop video game tie ins completely.

But, I'd even take the less important stuff if it was better quality. That is the biggest deal breaker for me in the new canon, the lack of quality writers. The events told in Aftermath are somewhat interesting, but Chuck Wendig does not do a good job telling it in my opinion. I'd be interested in a story about Leia and the New Republic, if Claudia Grey wasn't attached to it. If they could get some better writers, stop tying into that show I won't name (use the YA books for that, its audience is closer to YA people then it is GA anyway), and stop publishing completely pointless books (like that RO tie in I won't name), the new canon would be doing a lot better even if the stories had a smaller focus.

The thing is called From a Certain Point of View. It sounds like a spiritual successor to the Tales From... anthologies. This one has forty-some short stories of an unspecified length that are set in scenes from ANH, but are told from the perspectives of background characters. Case in point, we'll probably get some material from the perspective of the Stormtroopers who chase our heroes across the Death Star. That kind of thing.

The authors are waving their normal paycheck to be donated to charity instead, so it sounds like a noble cause and a not half bad way to celebrate ANH's 40th anniversary.

Well, if its for charity, I could see some good authors contributing since money isn't an issue. It still sounds like a stupid idea to me and at most I might take a glance at it if the library gets it, but I won't be paying attention to it otherwise.

 

[JD]

I much prefer more important stories, and there is literally thousands of years of the SW universe they could tell stories about (I doubt what the old EU called the KOTOT era will be getting a movie anytime soon). Even forgetting that, there is a bunch of stuff they could do. Using the old EU as an example, something like the X-Wing series would fit the kind of story the new canon likes almost perfectly. We could also, like I've said before, maybe have books that deal with things like character backstories that matter a bit more then Phasma's (like every main cast member of Rogue One ), and could really just drop video game tie ins completely.

Actually, with the shows and movies being an ongoing concern, they are very limited in what they can do in the books. I think exploring a character like Phasma is a great idea. She was in TFA, and stood out quite a bit, but wasn't really explored or developed much. So the book has the advantage of being based on a character who people will recognize, but the fact that she was given so little attention in the movie means they've got a lot of freedom.

But, I'd even take the less important stuff if it was better quality. That is the biggest deal breaker for me in the new canon, the lack of quality writers. The events told in Aftermath are somewhat interesting, but Chuck Wendig does not do a good job telling it in my opinion. I'd be interested in a story about Leia and the New Republic, if Claudia Grey wasn't attached to it. If they could get some better writers, stop tying into that show I won't name (use the YA books for that, its audience is closer to YA people then it is GA anyway), and stop publishing completely pointless books (like that RO tie in I won't name), the new canon would be doing a lot better even if the stories had a smaller focus.

I wouldn't say Catalyst is pointless, Krennic and Galen Erso's relationship is a fairly significant part of the movie's backstory, and focusing on them and their development of the Death Star gives the book a much more direct connection to RO's story than anything about Jyn, or Cassian would.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

There are definitely some Rebels ties so far (characters rather than plot), but I haven't noticed anything yet that couldn't line up with the old Legends stories either. Or at least nothing glaring, those with better memories than I may have a different experience.

The only significant departure I noticed was when (chronologically) Thrawn received his promotion to Grand Admiral. In the EU, it happened after Yavin. (Or at least, the hero characters believe it happened after Yavin.) Here, tying in with Rebels, I suppose, Thrawn receives the Grand Admiral's plaque several years before.

 

[kirk55555]

Actually, with the shows and movies being an ongoing concern, they are very limited in what they can do in the books. I think exploring a character like Phasma is a great idea. She was in TFA, and stood out quite a bit, but wasn't really explored or developed much. So the book has the advantage of being based on a character who people will recognize, but the fact that she was given so little attention in the movie means they've got a lot of freedom.

Well I'd ignore the shows anyway, but with the movies there is still a lot of time the movies won't be touching. There is also, like I said, stories they could tell take place around the same time of the movies but not connected to them (like X-Wing style books that say what, for example, Wedge was doing when he was offscreen during the OT). I doubt we'll be getting a Wedge Antilles movie or cartoon anytime soon. That's just one example, and it would all be more interesting then Phasma who, if she didn't have shiny armor, no one would even remember.

I wouldn't say Catalyst is pointless, Krennic and Galen Erso's relationship is a fairly significant part of the movie's backstory, and focusing on them and their development of the Death Star gives the book a much more direct connection to RO's story than anything about Jyn, or Cassian would.

The connection to the actual plot of the movie isn't the problem. The problem is that the movie has huge flaws regarding its main characters and how little characterization and backstory they get. That is what needed a book, not two characters who got all the backstory they needed and had absolutely no story to tell. We get all we need in the few flashbacks Jyn has. Galen worked with the Empire, then decided they were evil and left, then Krennic found them, killed Galen's wife and Galen joined him to protect Jyn and to sabotage Krennic from the inside. That's all in the movie, and didn't need a single sentence of expansion. We don't need to know how theymet, or how Galen started working for the Empire in the first place, especially since the movie has legitimate problems that a book could really help fix.

 

[WebLurker]

Yeah, there is a lot of good comic stuff, which is why I was just talking about books specifically. Not all the comics are good (Han Solo, Poe dameron and Chewbacca being the lowlights for me, along with the "Luke reading a Yoda story" arc of the main star Wars comic), but most are good to great. Aphra's pretty good, probably my second favorite new canon character outside of Rae Sloane (not counting the movies, counting the movies then Rey is my favorite new character).

I'm a trade waiter, so I have a more limited experience. Darth Vader was great (can't wait for the Aphra trade). The main Star Wars series is okay, but I'm not sure it's as great as it wants to be (kind of uneven and meanders). Also, the Kenobi flashback issues, while a good idea, are weak (esp. in comparison to how the Kenobi novel covered similar ground). Haven't had a chance to get to the Yoda stuff yet, but I could see why it might not exactly be the strongest part of the series.

I have heard that the miniseries are somewhat lacking. Haven't had a chance to read any yet except for Shattered Empire, which was really poorly executed.

I much prefer more important stories, and there is literally thousands of years of the SW universe they could tell stories about (I doubt what the old EU called the KOTOT era will be getting a movie anytime soon). Even forgetting that, there is a bunch of stuff they could do. Using the old EU as an example, something like the X-Wing series would fit the kind of story the new canon likes almost perfectly.

Well, the canon is new. There hasn't been that much time to branch out (although most of the branching so far seems to be in the YA arm of the franchise, ironically enough).

We could also, like I've said before, maybe have books that deal with things like character backstories that matter a bit more then Phasma's (like every main cast member of Rogue One ), and could really just drop video game tie ins completely.

We've only had two movies so far and one of them is getting the backstories revealed in more movies. It's also a little too early to tell how finished they are with the R1 era. If the game tie in works well on its own, what's the problem?

But, I'd even take the less important stuff if it was better quality. That is the biggest deal breaker for me in the new canon, the lack of quality writers. The events told in Aftermath are somewhat interesting, but Chuck Wendig does not do a good job telling it in my opinion. I'd be interested in a story about Leia and the New Republic, if Claudia Grey wasn't attached to it. If they could get some better writers, stop tying into that show I won't name (use the YA books for that, its audience is closer to YA people then it is GA anyway), and stop publishing completely pointless books (like that RO tie in I won't name), the new canon would be doing a lot better even if the stories had a smaller focus.

Well, they did get John Jackson Miller, James Lucino, Timothy Zahn, and Alexander Freed onboard, so they do have some pretty good talent on their payroll. As far as other authors go, there's always going to be a mix of good bad ones, sad to say.

Well, if its for charity, I could see some good authors contributing since money isn't an issue. It still sounds like a stupid idea to me and at most I might take a glance at it if the library gets it, but I won't be paying attention to it otherwise.

The library is a smart way to go if you want to preview something before spending money.

(The contributing authors, as listed on the announcement page include:

• Ben Acker & Ben Blacker
• Renee Ahdieh
• Tom Angleberger
• Meg Cabot
• Rae Carson
• Adam Christopher
• Zoraida Cordova
• Delilah S. Dawson
• Paul Dini
• Alexander Freed
• Jason Fry
• Christie Golden
• EK Johnston & Ashley Eckstein
• Paul Kemp
• Mur Lafferty
• Ken Liu
• Griffin McElroy
• John Jackson Miller
• Nnedi Okorafor
• Daniel José Older
• Mallory Ortberg
• Madeleine Roux
• Gary D. Schmidt
• Cavan Scott
• Sabaa Tahir
• Glen Weldon
• Chuck Wendig
• Gary Whitta

There are more not named. I see a lot of names I don't recognize, a few veterans, some I like, others not so much.)

The connection to the actual plot of the movie isn't the problem. The problem is that the movie has huge flaws regarding its main characters and how little characterization and backstory they get. That is what needed a book, not two characters who got all the backstory they needed and had absolutely no story to tell. We get all we need in the few flashbacks Jyn has. Galen worked with the Empire, then decided they were evil and left, then Krennic found them, killed Galen's wife and Galen joined him to protect Jyn and to sabotage Krennic from the inside. That's all in the movie, and didn't need a single sentence of expansion. We don't need to know how theymet, or how Galen started working for the Empire in the first place, especially since the movie has legitimate problems that a book could really help fix.

That's the movie's fault, not the book's. Also, there are sources that fix the problems you've mentioned. The thing is that you've said you don't want to read them. Fair enough, that's your call, but the issues were addressed, and, given that they have already been addressed, it's unlikely that their going to make something new that'll address them to your liking.

 

[kirk55555]

Well, the canon is new. There hasn't been that much time to branch out (although most of the branching so far seems to be in the YA arm of the franchise, ironically enough).

The YA isn't branching out, its telling mostly pointless stories that don't effect anything (like Lost Stars), and I'd rather they do that then take good stories away from the general audience books.

We've only had two movies so far and one of them is getting the backstories revealed in more movies. It's also a little too early to tell how finished they are with the R1 era. If the game tie in works well on its own, what's the problem?

The problem is that, in my opinion, only video game tie in in SW that's actually worked was the Republic Commando books in the old EU. Twilight Company in the new canon is an especially dreadful pile of boring trash, and that was based off the first game that's sequel is what Inferno Squad is connected to.

The library is a smart way to go if you want to preview something before spending money.

When they bother to buy the books. My local library system has still never gotten Dark Disciple, Heir to the Jedi or Bloodlines.

That's the movie's fault, not the book's. Also, there are sources that fix the problems you've mentioned. The thing is that you've said you don't want to read them. Fair enough, that's your call, but the issues were addressed, and, given that they have already been addressed, it's unlikely that their going to make something new that'll address them to your liking.

I don't want to argue that again. All I'll say is that you're wrong, and absolutely nothing fixes any issues. No backstory is given to any RO character (outside of the two who didn't need it, Galen Erso and Krennic), and apparently the new canon is refusing to do anything with the backstory of the RO characters. They're too busy publishing shit like Fake Thrawn and more YA Twilight-ish books.