Star Wars Books Thread
- Thread starter Mr Light
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Fair enough. I did get the $25 hardcover edition before I am keeping it, but, IMHO, it's not worth that price tag. (My problem probably was I was expecting something great and merely got something good.)
Personally, I thought that made it a better read, since it handled more like one story when put together.
I forgot to mention earlier, but I finished Lost Stars a couple days ago. What a terrific book. It took a little while to get going, but those early pages were filled with important character development, so I can't complain too much. Once the plot really kicked into gear, though, it was hard to put the book down. One criticism I have is that while I completely understood Ciena's perspective, the lengths to which she went in order to justify her continuing to serve the Empire got a little maddening. Regardless, I really loved the book, and I hope we see those characters again.
I'm already like a third of the way into Bloodline. I'm liking it so far. I appreciate that it's giving some much needed exposition on the state of galactic politics in the time leading up to TFA, which I think glossed over the Republic just a little too much. I read that Rian Johnson (writer/director of Episode VIII) actually consulted with Claudia Gray on some things in this book, including some of how the New Republic was organized. Pretty cool.
I'm already like a third of the way into Bloodline. I'm liking it so far. I appreciate that it's giving some much needed exposition on the state of galactic politics in the time leading up to TFA, which I think glossed over the Republic just a little too much. I read that Rian Johnson (writer/director of Episode VIII) actually consulted with Claudia Gray on some things in this book, including some of how the New Republic was organized. Pretty cool.
Considering the story starts during ROTJ, there are a lot of butterflies, so not everything post ROTJ EU would be the same.
He clearly knows the EU though, I had to google some things in the story because I didn't even know what they were.
Not that I disagree, but I think it's intentional because that's what Thane's experience would be. Besides, personal honour can be stubborn like that. Admitting they you're wrong and the thing you committed your life to is not what you thought it was is no easy thing. That most of the people Ciena served with seemed like good people makes it even harder to see the true face of the Empire, especially from the detached perspective of a cockpit or bridge.
I love that the different parts of the company are interacting like this more now. It's lead to most of the new material having a much more consistent feel and generally higher level of quality.
I think Lucas was still stuck with the notion that everything other than the movies was just merchandising and didn't see the full storytelling potential of a truly multi-media universe. That or it seemed impractical the curate the whole thing himself and there was no one else he trusted to do it for him.
I'm still struggling through Aftermath: Life Debt. This damn book has more relationship drama then Twilight, which is ironic since its not the book with the YA romance author. I mean, am I supposed to give a crap about
I don['t know if I'll bother with the end of the trilogy. It depends on what its about, and if it has anything important to the universe. I really hope the third book will be wendig's last SW book, he's just not a very good SW book author.
Nora's husband's PTSD issues? Or Temin getting moody because of his Dad's issues? Or Nora wanting to be with Wedge but also wanting to stay with her husband? I don't give a crap about any of it, to be frank. I want to stay on Kashyyk with Solo and Nora's team, which is the actually interesting story. I might care about Nora and her family if they were written better, but as it is I just want them to shut up and move on already. I'm also not too big a fan of the decision to make Mon Mothma a spineless politician who cares more about placating people then doing the right thing. I just want Leia to slap her at this point.
I don't know how they did it, but this book is a lot worse then the first one. The "B" plot on Kashyyk is better then the "A" plot of the first book, but the relationship drama of Nora Wexly's family really drags the book down. I haven't struggled to get through a SW book like this in a long, long time.
I don't know how they did it, but this book is a lot worse then the first one. The "B" plot on Kashyyk is better then the "A" plot of the first book, but the relationship drama of Nora Wexly's family really drags the book down. I haven't struggled to get through a SW book like this in a long, long time.
I don['t know if I'll bother with the end of the trilogy. It depends on what its about, and if it has anything important to the universe. I really hope the third book will be wendig's last SW book, he's just not a very good SW book author.
The presence of "relationship drama" isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I will agree the primary cast of the Aftermath novels just aren't that interesting. Aside from Admiral Sloane, I really don't give a damn about anyone in those books, and it's mainly to see where her story goes that I'll bother with the third.
Yeah, like I said I'd be fine with the kind of relationship drama this book has (which, to be fair, is different then YA romance drama) if it was done well and the characters were written well, but they're really not. Right now I'm interested in Sloane's story, the Kashyyk stuff and Leia's stuff (although I'm losing interest in that as it goes along, because of one annoying character I mentioned in my spoiler). But, big chunks of this book are just bad and dragging the good stuff down.
Double post! Sorry.
Bloodline was great. Claudia Gray has quickly become my favorite of the new crop of writers who've been brought into the Star Wars fold. Since the book's relatively new-ish I'll put my thoughts in spoiler code this time.
I still have Before the Awakening to read, but I'm gonna switch over to Catalyst instead so I can make sure I have it done in time for Rogue One.
Bloodline was great. Claudia Gray has quickly become my favorite of the new crop of writers who've been brought into the Star Wars fold. Since the book's relatively new-ish I'll put my thoughts in spoiler code this time.
It was really nice to get a novel from Leia's perspective, since she always seemed to be kinda pushed aside in favor of Luke's flashier Jedi stories in the old EU. I know Gray had the basis of Leia's role in TFA to work from, but she still had to fill in the blanks of her life in the years before then, so that was nice to see. It kind of felt at times like the old EU was never really sure what to do with Leia.
Gray also did a good job of turning Ransolm Casterfo from a character I initially hated into one I liked quite a bit. I couldn't help but notice that his ultimate fate was kind of left up in the air, so I hope we'll see him again later. I know we were supposed to dislike Carise Sindian, but good grief, was she obnoxious. I don't think I've ever seen a Star Wars character more obsessed with nobility, even though it was pointed out multiple times in the book that even the other aristocrats didn't even really put any genuine stock into such an outmoded concept anymore.
I think my only real disappointment with the book was the very end. It felt like Gray skipped a step with Leia creating a Resistance against a threat that didn't actually exist yet (as far as they knew). Generally resistance movements start after the oppressive regimes rear their ugly heads. It also felt weird to end with Carise Sindian talking about preparing the Centrist worlds to secede from the New Republic and join with the First Order, but then it never actually happened. I wonder if there was some edict from Lucasfilm to keep the specifics of the First Order's emergence vague and let the movies handle it.
Gray also did a good job of turning Ransolm Casterfo from a character I initially hated into one I liked quite a bit. I couldn't help but notice that his ultimate fate was kind of left up in the air, so I hope we'll see him again later. I know we were supposed to dislike Carise Sindian, but good grief, was she obnoxious. I don't think I've ever seen a Star Wars character more obsessed with nobility, even though it was pointed out multiple times in the book that even the other aristocrats didn't even really put any genuine stock into such an outmoded concept anymore.
I think my only real disappointment with the book was the very end. It felt like Gray skipped a step with Leia creating a Resistance against a threat that didn't actually exist yet (as far as they knew). Generally resistance movements start after the oppressive regimes rear their ugly heads. It also felt weird to end with Carise Sindian talking about preparing the Centrist worlds to secede from the New Republic and join with the First Order, but then it never actually happened. I wonder if there was some edict from Lucasfilm to keep the specifics of the First Order's emergence vague and let the movies handle it.
I still have Before the Awakening to read, but I'm gonna switch over to Catalyst instead so I can make sure I have it done in time for Rogue One.
Now I want to read it.
Good luck with that. The highest praise I've seen for this book is "Its better then the first Aftermath", and that is a low bar.
Certainly not "most" of TCW and yes you could probably manage with passing knowledge, but I'd say to get the optimal context you should at least watch the Ventress arc ('Nightsisters', 'Monster', 'Witches of the Mist', 'Massacre' & 'Bounty'.)
Might also be worth checking out 'Cloak of Darkness' & 'ARC Troopers' to get a feel for who and what Ventress was about before the above episodes really shook her character up (and incidentally, made he way more interesting.)
I was actually surprised while looking these up that of the 100+ episodes of the show, Ventress only really features in a dozen or so. and less than half of those (including the "movie") as the antagonist. Somehow it felt like more.
I know a guy who had practically no Clone Wars knowledge and only caught scattered episodes here and there who loved Dark Disciple.
I'm sure I will enjoy it.
I think Dark Disciple can wait as only seen up to S1's Bombad Jedi. I just finished reading Catalyst in time for Rogue One, next I think will be Aftermath Life Debt
Wow, that's all. I thought she was in a lot more than that too.
Earlier some of you were talking about how Son of Dathomir takes place during Dark Disciple, so I was wondering what the best way to read them would be? Do their stories impact each other at all?
Not that I recall. Certainly not directly to do with Ventress and her story.
Basically Dark Disciple is based on two four episode arcs, so it would have been the first four, then some other episodes including the Maul arc then the second group of four later in the season to close out the story. Just like on the show you had a couple episodes with Maul & Savage that ended up with them in the wind, then there was a bunch of other unrelated episodes (the padawan & droid arcs IIRC) before picking back up with them and the Mandalore arc.
In the book there's a time jump of a few months around the mid-point where this break would be, but it's not like you miss anything. It's just a passage of time before the story picks up again. Can't really get into details without spoiling but suffice to say you don't need to worry about having to read one before the other.
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