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Author Topic: Jacen Solo (`ware spoilers!)
neo-dragon
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Well, Emp just posted the big one... Still, I feel obliged to warn one more time:

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW... (Really, I'm about to sum up how the series ends)


Yup, Jaina does indeed kill Jacen. I'm kinda disappointed that in the end they just had him die. I was hoping that he would be stripped of the Force and be condemned to live the rest of his life powerless. His final moments were in fact tragic. He learned that Tenel ka and his daughter Allana were in grave danger just as Jaina confronted him. He tried to tell Jaina that all he wanted to do was warn them, but obviously she wasn't about to trust him enough to let her guard down or relent in her attack. In the end, Jacen accepted death and used his last seconds of life to send a warning to Tenel ka through the Force as Jaina cut him down.

As for other matters, Tahiri become disgusted with herself and allowed Ben to take her into custody. The Moffs tried to assassinate Tenel ka and Allana (that being the danger than Jacen was so concerned about), but failed. With Jacen dead and the Moffs being the suckers who supported him in the end, they were given an ultimatum by Luke after the jedi captured them: be handed over to the Hapans and be tried for war crimes, or accept Jag Fel as their new leader and help reform the Galactic Alliance. They chose the latter. What's more, Daala is subsequently appointed as Chief of State of the Alliance. Those who are familiar with the "Legacy" comic series that takes place 90 years later will notice that these developments in Galactic politics set the stage for what's to come. In "Legacy" the Empire becomes the dominant force in the galaxy again, with Roan Fel (presumably a descendant of Jag) as emperor.

Also, while the attempt on the lives of Tenal Ka and Allana failed, Tenel ka chose to let the galaxy at large believe that her daughter had in fact been killed. We don't find out the truth until the epilogue. In reality, Allana is given a new identity as a war orphan, placed under the guardianship of Han and Leia, and is enrolled in the Jedi academy. Allana (now called, Amelia) declares that she and Jaina will be sisters now, and the last line of the novel is Jaina telling her "welcome to the family".

Finally, apparently Troy Denning likes having characters go MIA (ie. Raynar Thul) because this book ends with Zekk missing, though probably still alive. During a StealthX assault on the Anakin Solo his fighter is destroyed but Jaina didn't sense his death. His fate remains a mystery although Jaina is determined to find him...


END SPOILERS


To answer the question about the jokes, Denning states in the acknowledgments that most of them do in fact come from the YJK books. I can't tell you which ones because I've never even read those books.

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neo-dragon
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What is this? I post all the juicy spoilers and now nobody wants to discuss? I guess those who don't want to spoiled haven't finished it yet. I'll wait.

*whistles and twiddles thumbs*

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EmpSquared
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I stole your thunder. Sorry man.
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TomDavidson
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I think their decision to incorporate the ridiculous continuity of the Legacy comics was a regrettable one.
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neo-dragon
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My only problem with the the Legacy comic series is that I think it should take place farther in the future. The idea of the Sith ruling the galaxy again in less than a century is a little depressing. I do, however, actually like the fact that there's some foreshadowing in the novels.
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theamazeeaz
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Okay, so I should go to bed, so this is a bit incoherent. If I don't write now, I won't otherwise, and I do owe you neo-dragon.

Ah. It's quite disturbing that Jaina ends up killing Jacen. I read all the YJK books when I was ten. They're cute. People may hate Kevin J. Anderson, but he sure knows how to incorporate everyone else's stuff into a story.

That news certainly dropped a pit in my stomach, not sure I really wanted to know- but really I was never going to read that book, so thank you for the summary. I can't remember if I have read the first legacy book- I made it through only two of the dark nest trilogy. Well, I guess if Del Rey took Jacen down the Sith path, there wasn't a great way to end it. Okay, not true. I just watched ROTJ tonight, and Luke does a decent job of not killing Vader until he asks for the mask to come off.

Maybe 60 is not that old, but I feel like the whole universe has gotten so convoluted that it doesn't make sense anymore. It's also weird to think of the Solo twins as in their 30s. I can't help but thinking that half the galaxy must hate the Solos, and that Luke Skywalker's personal contributions aren't so great unless the New Republic outlasted the Old Republic. To quote Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible, why can't things stay saved? (oh wait sales...)

You know, I had some delusions that KJA killed off Daala in the JA trilogy, but clearly I don't remember those.

The only joke I can think off of the top of my head is
Q: How long does Uncle Luke sleep
A: One Jedi Knight.

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EmpSquared
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Daala comes back, in, uh...Planet of Twilight? And by the end of that book (or whatever) she's reunited with a past lover and becomes much softer.

And evidently becomes Chief of freakin' State.

I stopped reading at Unifying Force.

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Selran
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So does anybody want to make a guess about what the next series will involve?
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IanO
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Han, Leia, Jaina, and Amelia (Alanna) go on a hunt to find out about how the 'legendary' Falcon was created (an utterly stupid premise, IMO). In the process, they find out about a plot to not just overthrow the govt but also the force. It's faily obvious that this is leading to Darth Krayt's One Sith and the beginning of their revelation to the GFFA. Sort of a prequel to the "Legacy" comics. For the most part, the Legacy commics have not appealed to me at all.


SPOILERS ********


And I have ambivalent feelings about the concluding LOTF novel. I liked it. I was sad that Jacen had to be killed, but I understood it. I DID like that they had him finally get a clue and pull back from all his random anger-killings and from his emotionlessness. I liked his reasoning that he must hold onto his love no matter the pain it cause. That's the way of the sith. And it is somewhat sadly ironic that he is killed because he's trying to save Allana and Tenel Ka. Just kind of sad, since he died trying to do the very opposite of what a Sith should do. I do like the idea of him being stripped of the force and condemned to live his life out that way. But that was what (kind of) happened with Raynar Thul, also written by Denning. Might have been accused of reusing that kind of thing.

And in the end, how important, really, was Travis's obsession with the Mandos (and all those wasted pages)? Not too much. We didn't see Jaina go all berserker. We didn't see the Beskar ships and armor be ALL THAT important. Jaina won cause Jacen was trying to save Allana. Thanks, Travis, for all that unnecessary, irrelevant information. [Roll Eyes]

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neo-dragon
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quote:
Originally posted by IanO:
Han, Leia, Jaina, and Amelia (Alanna) go on a hunt to find out about how the 'legendary' Falcon was created (an utterly stupid premise, IMO). In the process, they find out about a plot to not just overthrow the govt but also the force. It's faily obvious that this is leading to Darth Krayt's One Sith and the beginning of their revelation to the GFFA. Sort of a prequel to the "Legacy" comics. For the most part, the Legacy commics have not appealed to me at all.


Actually, I don't think that the next book is going to tie into the "Legacy" comic stuff. I think it's just a stand alone adventure, kind of like "Tatooine Ghost". Darth Krayt and his gang aren't supposed to be revealed for several decades.

Del Rey's contract with Lucasfilms Ltd. was only recently extended, so I don't think they have any solid plans for a story arc taking place after LotF yet.

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camus
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*** SPOILERS ***

I liked when they found Jaina holding onto Jacen with his head resting in her lap, but I think that was about the only thing that I enjoyed in the book.

It seemed mostly full of wasted characters, underdeveloped ideas, and problems or solutions thrown in at the last minute.

Random thoughts:

I would have liked the Shatterpoint ability to
have at least some relevance to a fight.

I can't think of any reason for Tahiri's existence in the series.

Does Luke even have a purpose anymore?

The final battle between Jacen and Jaina seemed anything but epic.

I liked how in just a few sentences Denning reversed 500 pages of Traviss's portrayal of Fett.

I blinked and then suddenly the galaxy had attained peace.

The nanovirus thing was a pretty lame plot device.

How long before everyone can hide themselves from the Force?

Every new book makes me less and less interested in the Star Wars Universe.

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Lyrhawn
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Yeah that Shatterpoint thing was useless.

It's uber rare and hard to learn but Jaina learns it in like a week and then it never comes up again? Bah.

I'm glad the final battle wasn't epic. It was a street fight. I too wished he had simply been robbed of his powers. It would have been a far more elegent way of taking him out of the picture. And I don't for a moment believe that DAALA was the only UNVIVERSAL choice. I'd think Leia was more acceptable before Daala.

It tied up most of the loose ends, but it was hardly satisfying. I doubt I'll read any more, unless they come up with something cool. I'm already dreading the fights that are to come with those Sith hiding out on Korriban.

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Rakeesh
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The parts I enjoy and the parts I don't enjoy are really hit or miss. I don't read (or comment on) the LotF books like I would other stories, I think.

One of the most interesting things to me about this story is that, with Jacen killed (given the precise circumstances of his death, 'murdered' could possibly be an appopriate term, or 'executed') outright in combat, it will never be known why he went dark.

I remain convinced that most of his reasons and much of his reasoning for that decision was sound. Despite the many bad decisions and mistakes made along the way. Will anyone ever know what drove him to the Sith? Makes it likely his mistakes and his particular Sith legacy will endure: ruthlessness in pursuit of justice and an equitable, safe, peaceful galaxy is something much more difficult to defend against, morally, than something like, "I want revenge on the Jedi, and everyone likes me more anyway, so I'll take over!"

I wasn't upset that Jaina killed him, though, or even that he died, because of what he died for. I think it's quite likely that fight would've ended very differently if Caedus hadn't been frantically worried about the lives of his daughter and Tenel Ka. Possibly at least he would not have been taken so completely by surprise at the start of that fight, and he could have definitely made Jaina's victory lethal for both of them, if he'd chosen to.

But I wasn't unhappy with that because Allana is what he got into the whole Sith business for in the first place. He had a host of other academic and philosophical justifications for going Sith, but Allana was the true motivator. Had he never had a child, a child who grew up in such uniquely dangerous and demanding-of-ruthlessness circumstances as a child of a Queen-Mother of Hapes, I doubt he would have gone Sith. He probably would've simply continued on his Jedi-Academic indefinitely.

I enjoyed the jokes put before each chapter, and the little flashbacks Jaina had. I thought they fit in well.

I haven't read the Legacy comics, but I'm unsurprised to note that the Sith are back again in just a few generations. No one seems to take seriously putting them down everywhere for any length of time. Ironically doing so would have been a job Darth Caedus would have been very well suited, and probably willing to undertake, had things gone differently.

Like IanO, I did appreciate that he had 'learned his lessons' as far as being a genuine Sith leader without the Darth Vader/Darth Sideous reponse to being thwarted.

I'm glad he wasn't stripped of the Force and 'condemned' to live the rest of his life without it. None of the Jedi Council were in any position, morally, to pass that sort of judgement on Caedus in the first place.

I enjoyed how Boba Fett was portrayed, not as an utterly horrible foul monster...but he's not a noble-hearted leader of men, either. He's loyal...sometimes. He looks out for the welfare of his people...sometimes. He does so for good reasons...sometimes. But he's a simply awful, miserable human being always.

Lyrhawn, Leia would hardly have been appropriate because she was, after all, the mother of Darth Caedus as well as having close personal or familial ties to many other major Jedi.

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Lyrhawn
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I didn't say she was the best choice. But compared to Daala, yeah, I think she was better.

I think the seeds of Jacen's fall were sown long before Allana was born. He came back from his five year odyssey, and out of the Vong war, a different person. Allana might have pushed him over, but he was already headed there, and I think it's likely he'd have gone over anyway.

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Rakeesh
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Lyrhawn,

Don't get me wrong, I think Leia would've made a better choice too.

Just not to the people within the story. Given her personal and family relationships, Leia would've been totally unacceptable both socially and politically.

I think Jacen probably would have gone dark - or at least abandoned all pretense (with himself) of being a Jedi Knight - but full-blown Sith? I don't know. It's tough to say. What would his motivation have been?

And that's the funny thing, really: Jacen was the only one who actually learned* the lessons of Anakin Skywalker, and how even the best intentions can still lead to horrible results. They did with him as well...but it seems doubtful anyone will ever know it. Perhaps Tahiri did, given her close (but at arm's length also) association with him.

*Others have seen the same history he has, but he was the only one who appeared able to empathize with Anakin's desperation.

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Rakeesh
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I think the best part of the conclusion to Invincible was that, in Caedus's 'redemption', Jaina believed she saw a sign of the old Jacen Solo, still buried and alive deep down.

When the truth was, in my opinion, it was still Caedus. Jacen Solo remained Darth Caedus until the end, because Jacen Solo became Darth Caedus in the beginning in large part because of his daughter. Since the only two people who knew all of Jacen well enough to have guessed at that are dead (Vergere and Lumiya), I doubt anyone will ever know. Sometimes people die, though, and we never learn even the big parts of their motives.

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Lyrhawn
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It's not over yet! Del Rey announced today that over the next four years, 45 more books will be produced, 35 of them fiction novels. Next year, the first three books of the new Fate of the Jedi series will be headlined by Aaron Allston with Outcast. The entire series will be released in hardcover, which I imagine will cut back on the readership, as I know personally I'm not shelling out four times as much to read books that I think are marginally impressive to begin with.

The show must go on! (despite obvious quality issues!)

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neo-dragon
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Yeah, I heard about the new contract. I'll have to hear what the FotJ series is about before I know if I'm interested. All hardcovers is a curious decision. Although, they're not that expensive, since it's not hard to get them at a 30%-40% discount from major retailers. Or just wait for the paperbacks.
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Raymond Arnold
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Okay, I started reading this thread then realized there was way too much stuff I don't know. So I'll say this, then ask a question.

This: I read Traitor, and it's one of the best books I've ever read ever. Matthew Stover is amazing and book stands on its own even without the entire surrounding story. (I got the book purely because it was written by Matthew Stover. A while ago I stopped buying books because they were in a series I liked and started buying books because they were by authors I liked, since I've read some terrible sequels to books by good authors).

I later read... I think it was part two of the Bloodlines Trilogy. Or something like that. I know it was part 2 of a trilogy. The main characters seemed to be Boba Fett and Jacen (who was in the process of turning) and Jacen's nephew.

The Question:

I want to read more about Jacen Solo. I don't want to read bad books by bad authors. Can anyone recommend the "good parts" of Jacen's arc? I was impressed by the Traitor book partly because it didn't require me to read the prequel stories to get what was going on, and even the Bloodlines book was kinda like that. Recommendations?

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Raymond Arnold
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Damnit, I just read the first line of the post that started with "Major Spoilers follow." Crap, he wasn't kidding.
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neo-dragon
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quote:
Originally posted by Raymond Arnold:

I later read... I think it was part two of the Bloodlines Trilogy. Or something like that. I know it was part 2 of a trilogy. The main characters seemed to be Boba Fett and Jacen (who was in the process of turning) and Jacen's nephew.


"Bloodlines" is actually book 2 in a series of 9 called "Legacy of the Force", which is what most of the discussion in this thread is about.

If you like Stover's work, you should definitely read the "Revenge of the Sith" novelization if you haven't done so already. It's not just a good adaptation of the film, it's a good book. He's also writing a book about Luke set in the early days of the New Republic called, "Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor". I'm looking forward to it. Stover is the only author who writes gritty psychological Star Wars.

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Rakeesh
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Yikes! Gads, that's a lot of books. I suppose I must resign myself to my fate of no longer reading every Star Wars book that comes up.

*sigh* I remember back in late elementary school and early junior high when I got turned onto the SW: Eu stuff, and every bit of it was-in my opinion-good. Now, of course there was some that was less good, quite noticeably in places (blasted Anderson), but all in all awesometastic in my opinion.

But it ain't like that anymore. Now I don't read as many of the new books that come out as I do, or at least I did during the whole YV war stuff, in which new books were thick on the ground. Now my reading loyalty goes to certain SW: EU authors, and not the entire franchise.

-----------

quote:

This: I read Traitor, and it's one of the best books I've ever read ever. Matthew Stover is amazing and book stands on its own even without the entire surrounding story. (I got the book purely because it was written by Matthew Stover. A while ago I stopped buying books because they were in a series I liked and started buying books because they were by authors I liked, since I've read some terrible sequels to books by good authors).

I felt the same way about Traitor. It's still one of my favorites of all SW: EU books, right up there with Timothy Zahn's stuff.

Unfortunately, as to your question, there were good parts in every book, in my opinion. Along with some stuff that I just plain wasn't interested in, in almost every one of them. As for me I *cough* may not have really paid much attention to the sections I wasn't interested in-the pages just flew by!-but read with my usual eagerness the stuff I did.

I'll second neo-dragon's recommend of Stover's Ep3 novelization, too. Great stuff-I think my favorite horrible moment was Palpatine's little conversion pitch.

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Raymond Arnold
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I've read all the Stover books set in the Star Wars universe. Yes, the adaptation of Revenge of the Sith was loads better than the movie (I have fairly detailed theory explaining how Lucas made the prequel trilogy bad on purpose, and if you look carefully you'll see that the level of badness (in particular, the places where the level of badness rises, falls, and levels off) are metaphors for the badness of the Republic/Empire.

I briefly tried to hunt down some of his others books but there weren't many and the ones that existed weren't available at the time.

I'll keep an eye out for Shadows of Minor there.

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C3PO the Dragon Slayer
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Han Solo was bored (I mean, come on, no galactic wars, no Sith-ruled empires, no bounty hunter-wielding Hutts...) so he decided to drag his family on a quest to discover the origins of the Millennium Falcon!

What exactly does he expect to find? Obviously, he's bound to discover a few hints of a new group of Sith poised to reestablish the Empire.

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neo-dragon
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I don't know if he'll stumble across anything that big. I think it's supposed to be more of a simply stand-alone adventure, like "Tatooine Ghosts" or "Survivor's Quest".
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theamazeeaz
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Well, whatever it happens in the book, this thread reminded me to check for the book at my local library, and now I'm first on the list for Millennium Falcon.
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neo-dragon
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From starwars.com

quote:

Next year also sees the start of the new multi-book hardcover novel series, Fate of the Jedi. Here's the synopsis for the first book, Outcast, by author Aaron Allston. It is due out in Spring of 2009.

After violent civil war, and the devastation wrought by the now-fallen Darth Caedus, the Galactic Alliance is in crisis -- and in need. From all corners, politicians, power brokers, and military leaders converge on Coruscant for a crucial summit to restore order, negotiate differences, and determine the future of their unified worlds. But even more critical, and far more uncertain, is the future of the Jedi.

In a shocking move, Chief of State Natasi Daala orders the arrest of Luke Skywalker for failing to prevent Jacen Solo's turn to the dark side and subsequent reign of terror as a Sith Lord. But it's only the first blow in an anti-Jedi backlash fueled by a hostile government and suspicious public. When Jedi Knight Valin Horn, scion of a politically influential family, suffers a mysterious psychotic break and becomes a dangerous fugitive, the Jedi become the target of a media-driven witch-hunt. Facing conviction on the damning charges, Luke has only one choice. He must strike a bargain with the calculating Daala: his freedom in exchange for his exile -- from Coruscant and from the Jedi Order.


Now, though forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is determined to keep grim history from being repeated. With his son, Ben, at his side, Luke sets out to unravel the shocking truth behind Jacen Solo's corruption and downfall. But the secrets he uncovers among the enigmatic Force mystics of the distant world Dorin may bring his quest -- and life as he knows it -- to a sudden end. And all the while, another Jedi Knight, consumed by the same madness as Valin Horn, is headed for Coruscant on a fearsome mission that could doom the Jedi Order . . . and devastate the entire galaxy.

Dang... I think I'm actually intrigued enough to keep giving Del Rey/Lucasbooks my money.
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IanO
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me too...
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Lyrhawn
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::seethes::

Don't mess with the Horns!

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Rakeesh
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So, I've started reading the new book so far, though I haven't finished it yet.

It's been a long time since I've read the books where Daala makes her original appearance, but hasn't she undergone a radical personality makeover?

And I don't mean character growth, I mean that she was an ice-cold evil bitch who loved Taarkin, and now she actually didn't love THAT Tarkin?

Seems like the universe has finally ditched its love affair with Jedi without also turning completely against them. Frankly it should've happened, from a plausibility standpoint, a long time ago.

It seems that no one is really aware that Caedus threw his last fight with Jaina. Jaina speaks of worrying what might have happened had she not been there to 'deal with' (paraphrasing) Caedus, when the truth was he abandoned the fight where she killed him.

Overall I'm intrigued with this premise. It's far past time the bigwigs among the Solo and Skywalker families started looking into these matters.

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ketchupqueen
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quote:
Originally posted by Lyrhawn:
::seethes::

Don't mess with the Horns!

Don't worry, Lyr. These books don't actually exist. [Wink]
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C3PO the Dragon Slayer
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The new one is out?

Tell me if it's good before I buy it. I made the mistake of getting Millennium Falcon and I really wish I hadn't. Worst Star Wars book since Darksaber.

Then again, Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor is excellent.

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Lyrhawn
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quote:
Originally posted by Rakeesh:
So, I've started reading the new book so far, though I haven't finished it yet.

It's been a long time since I've read the books where Daala makes her original appearance, but hasn't she undergone a radical personality makeover?

And I don't mean character growth, I mean that she was an ice-cold evil bitch who loved Taarkin, and now she actually didn't love THAT Tarkin?

Seems like the universe has finally ditched its love affair with Jedi without also turning completely against them. Frankly it should've happened, from a plausibility standpoint, a long time ago.

It seems that no one is really aware that Caedus threw his last fight with Jaina. Jaina speaks of worrying what might have happened had she not been there to 'deal with' (paraphrasing) Caedus, when the truth was he abandoned the fight where she killed him.

Overall I'm intrigued with this premise. It's far past time the bigwigs among the Solo and Skywalker families started looking into these matters.

I'm considering getting into this series when it hits paperback, but I'm nervous. How is the writing level? Allston was pretty decent with his NJO books and his X-Wing books, but on the Zahn-Anderson scale (10 being Zahn, 1 being KJ Anderson), where would you rank this thus far?

And how is the plot, in terms of both plausibility and your gut reaction? I'd think you'd be someone excited at the prospect of finding out more about Jacen's fall, since it was a subject of interest to you when the last series ended. If it's too off the wall, it'll turn me off, but frankly, I'll be turned off if they mess with the Horns too much as well. The Horn family is probably my favorite group of people in the EU. While I'll love it to pieces if Corran plays a somewhat central role, I'll probably stop reading if they start killing off Horns or if they are edged out of the story entirely.

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neo-dragon
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I'm about 2/3 through 'Outcast' and I'm enjoying it, although it's not super-amazing or anything. It is just the first book in the series, after all, so things are just getting started. Luke and Ben's story is interesting and definitely has potential, and I also enjoy the bits about the jedi having to deal with increased governmental oversight. However, Han and Leia's subplot is boring and uninteresting (to me at least). It's like the Fett stuff in LotF. Why do they have to throw in filler subplots? If they don't have enough main story to justify a nine book series they should just make the series shorter. Then again, I still have a bit to go, so maybe it's going somewhere. Allston is the best SW author when it comes to humourus dialogue though. Jaina has an amusing exchange with Kenth Hamner, and Ben wins an argument with Luke without using any verbs, just to name a couple of parts that made me chuckle. [Smile]

Oh, and as for the Horns, Valin going nuts and trying to kill everyone he knows, including his parents, is an important part of the story.

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Rakeesh
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So far I personally wouldn't put this on par with Shadows of Mindor, which I too thought was outstanding. That said, it's also far above the worst NJO stuff too.

Gut reaction? I'd say 'above average', 6-7, ....however I'd be reluctant to suggest paying hardcover price for it, because it ain't very long. Heh, how's that for a subjective reaction?

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TomDavidson
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I decided that I prefer the SWU to have a bit of hope, to be a world where the Rebellion actually mattered and managed to bring at least some improvement to the galaxy again. So I've decided that everything after The Last Command has simply never happened.
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Rakeesh
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Well, that's the fundamental flaw in the Star Wars EU biz. Everything has to reset for commercial purposes.
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ricree101
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quote:
Originally posted by TomDavidson:
I decided that I prefer the SWU to have a bit of hope, to be a world where the Rebellion actually mattered and managed to bring at least some improvement to the galaxy again. So I've decided that everything after The Last Command has simply never happened.

I tend to block out everything after Vision of the Future. I do pick and choose which ones to acknowledge between the two, though.
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Kwea
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Heh. I like Stover, and I haven't read any of his SW books. His Caine series has been great so far.
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Rakeesh
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My situation was the reverse of that, Kwea:) I like Stover, and the only stuff of his I've read has been (some of) his SW books.
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Selran
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I liked the Jaina-Jag-Tahiri plot line. The government reigning in the Jedi (about darn time IMO) should be an interesting source of tension. Luke and Ben's story impressed me less. I admit I have never been a huge Luke fan and I think Ben's character should have had more growth. The Kessel story seemed like it was created just so Han, Leia, 3P0 and R2 could make an appearance in the book. I am holding out hope that it will turn out to be an excuse for them not to be around when things go pear shaped on Coruscant.

[ March 30, 2009, 03:00 PM: Message edited by: Selran ]

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Rakeesh
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From what I've read so far, no one has really gotten into why and when Jacen 'went bad' insofar as that can ever be determined...but the story certainly seemed to be taking its sweet time getting to that, and hadn't really at the point I've read to.

Does that ever change, Selran?

I felt the same way about the Kessel story. I was completely uninterested in it as soon as it was presented.

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Selran
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I'm not sure if Luke and Ben learned anything important about why and when Jacen went bad. I think we will see them learn a few seemingly unrelated pieces of the puzzle before something clicks and everything falls into place.
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Rakeesh
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It's not so much I'm interested in them learning it, heh. I'm more interested in us the reader learning it. Depending on which author gets the big reveals, that is.

I mean, if it's a Zahn, hell yeah I wanna read it. If it's an Anderson, though, I'll pull a Lyrhawn and KQ and pretend it never happens.

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Lyrhawn
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We'll keep a seat open for you [Smile]
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Rakeesh
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Well, the way it wrapped up turned me off pretty sharply to this book I'm sorry to say. I won't go into spoilers unless someone asks, but this book's resolution of the conflict between the government and the Jedi seemed very stupid to me, and the 'mystery' at the heart of the first place Luke and Ben visited was excessively stupid.
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Selran
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Well, I don't think the conflict between the government and the Jedi is resolved. I expect the government to up the anti in the next novel. If that is the final resolution they, yeah it's pretty lame.
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Rakeesh
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Even as a temporary resolution, it was pretty stupid.
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neo-dragon
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I think it's safe to say that we've just seen the opening salvo of the jedi vs. government conflict. There's a tremendous amount of story potential there, and nothing was really resolved.

Similarly, Luke and Ben's journey is promising. I wonder if it's meant to be a means of incorporating some planet-of-the-week style adventure into a larger story arc. That could be kind of neat. Each novel they visit another stop on Jacen's path, encounter a crisis, save the day, and learn a bit more about what happened to him. By all acounts FotJ is supposed to be a bit less dark and not focused on a galactic scale war, unlike the NJO and LotF series. Could be a refreshing change. The Kessel subplot really was stupid though, but something worthwhile may come of Allana's mysterious encounter.

I found "Outcast" to be solid start to the series, while it could also almost work as a stand-alone story.

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TomDavidson
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quote:
Each novel they visit another stop on Jacen's path, encounter a crisis, save the day, and learn a bit more about what happened to him.
Gah. I'd rather cut out my eyes with a rusty spoon.
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