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What Star Wars novels have you read? Liked?
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Whill
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yora wrote:
Does anyone know if the Han Solo Adventures and Lando Calrissian Adventures are any good? They came out long before Heir to the Empire, and so apparently never really got into mainstream Expanded Universe.

Actually they were retroactively canonized right from the start of the EU in the early 90s. The EU was formed by Dark Empire and the Thrawn Trilogy being shoehorned into the same continuity. For Thrawn, Zahn was instructed by Lucasfilm to use WEG. When the first WEG RPG and Sourcebook were being made, Bill Slavicsek was instructed not to use Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the Holiday Special, and Marvel Comics. The HS and LC adventures were used (but the HSA was used more). Then later, Lucasfilm reversed their position and ended up canonizing those restricted items into the EU.

And the Daley Adventures are accounted for in the Han Solo Trilogy - There are specific chapters that they take place during and they are part of the greater narrative. I can look for notes I made if you want to read the HSA and LCA in the right places they take place during The HST for a fully chronological reading experience.

CRMcNeill wrote:
I never got into the Lando Calrissian Adventures (they were just a hair too weird for me), but the Han Solo Trilogy is excellent, and was actually used by WEG for source material. Victory Star Destroyers, Z-95 Headhunters, swoops, bowcasters, etc, were all drawn from that trilogy. In fact, when it comes to the EU in general, Brian Daley is second only to George Lucas when giving credit where it's due.

It is somewhat confusing, but the branding of these things are that the Daley novels are the "Adventures" and the Crispin novels are the "Trilogy". I enjoyed both. CRM, if you haven't read the Crispin novels, I recommend them. They are fully reverent to the Daley novels and utmost care was made to make them parts of the greater narrative.

The Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley
Han Solo at Star's End
Han Solo's Revenge
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy

The Han Solo Trilogy by A. C. Crispin
The Paradise Snare
The Hutt Gambit
Rebel Dawn

I do agree that the Lando novels are kinda 'out there' but I still found them entertaining.

Yora wrote:
My current reading list for getting back into the classic Rebellion era looks like this... At my reading speed, that should keep my occupied for a few years.

I've read that entire reading list except the comic. That's a great list.

In the X-Wing series, I think I only finished as far as the first Wraith Squadron book, which I did like. If I ever run a military campaign, it would be styled on Wraith Squadron.
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Yora
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Mara Jade comic isn't fantastic, but I remembee it being solid. Both when it came out and when I read it again some 5 years ago. Which for American comics is pretty good.

The Knights of the Old Republic comics are great, though. I actually like them a lot more than the games, as theh don't praise Revan and Bastila as being the most amazing people all the time. Jarael and Zayne are much more fun, like Luke and Han originally started out.
Zayne is probably my favorite Jedi after the Man, the Meme, the Legend, General Kenobi!
The Dark Jedi aren't mustache twirling evil (except one at the very end) and much more believable than the emo kids who dress in all black and wear red black metal makeup all the time.
And my second favorite twist reveal after I am your father.

Great series.
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MrNexx
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey, let's dig this out of the Jedi Archives...

So, I've been listening to Heir to the Empire. Will probably finish it tonight or tomorrow.

So far, it's pretty good. It was pretty rocky at the start for me, and I still hate Thrawn's shtick, but aside from that less-often shown thing, he's a good villain and interesting to watch the hero's work around.

Not sure if I'll go on to the next book, though. Maybe, since I don't have anything else on deck.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 3:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Still listening to Dark Force Rising but... dear gods, some of this is DIRE.

Captain Pellaeon seems to exist only to be the idiot that makes Thrawn seem smart. "Gee, Thrawn, here's a funny thing. We found a crashed ship near our supply depot. The only thing in it was a force-suppressing creature, just like the ones we got from the guy currently in our detention block! Isn't that silly?"

I haven't gotten that far, but I would lay good odds that "Delta Source", Thrawn's top secret source near the council, is Winter, Leia's assistant.

The overall story is fine, but there's some really telegraphed punches here.
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MrNexx
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have spoiled myself about Delta Source, and I am surprised.
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TauntaunScout
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 10:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The existence of a Force suppressing creature is almost the definition of a plot contrivance. It was the 90's, life was crazy.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TauntaunScout wrote:
The existence of a Force suppressing creature is almost the definition of a plot contrivance. It was the 90's, life was crazy.


"It surrounds all living things... except this one."

TBH, once I decided Thrawn was an untrained force sensitive with some unique Sense abilities, he makes a lot more sense in universe.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MrNexx wrote:
TauntaunScout wrote:
The existence of a Force suppressing creature is almost the definition of a plot contrivance. It was the 90's, life was crazy.


"It surrounds all living things... except this one."

TBH, once I decided Thrawn was an untrained force sensitive with some unique Sense abilities, he makes a lot more sense in universe.


I've heard others make that suggestion.. That thrawns tactical genius was cause he had incite from the force.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

garhkal wrote:
That thrawns tactical genius was cause he had incite from the force.


That wouldn't work since he had ysalamiri hanging around him all of the time to ward off C'baoth's mind tricks. Not unless he pops out of the Force null-bubble to ponder and scheme before ducking back inside.
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MrNexx
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RyanDarkstar wrote:
garhkal wrote:
That thrawns tactical genius was cause he had incite from the force.


That wouldn't work since he had ysalamiri hanging around him all of the time to ward off C'baoth's mind tricks. Not unless he pops out of the Force null-bubble to ponder and scheme before ducking back inside.


That is the weakness of the headcanon, I'll admit.
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garhkal
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 31, 2021 4:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

RyanDarkstar wrote:
garhkal wrote:
That thrawns tactical genius was cause he had incite from the force.


That wouldn't work since he had ysalamiri hanging around him all of the time to ward off C'baoth's mind tricks. Not unless he pops out of the Force null-bubble to ponder and scheme before ducking back inside.


HE showed his genius, A LOT LONGER before he found out about the Ysalmari..
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 31, 2021 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thrawn was always supposed to be Imperial Sherlock Holmes, with Captain Pellaeon as his Watson. I think it's a mistake to assume that everything extraordinary that happens in the SWU is the result of latent Force sensitivity; normal (ish) people are capable of greatness, too.

And as vast and diverse as life is in the SWU, is it really outside the realm of possibility that a predator would evolve who can track prey via the Force, and that a prey creature would develop who could protect themselves from that tracking ability? That's before one factors in things like the Celestials, who could've been behind "intelligent design" of such creatures.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 31, 2021 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know some have had issues with the Vonskry and the ysalmarri.. BUT i never had issues with them.
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TauntaunScout
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I found Thrawn to be an unsettling endorsement of cultural bigotry at times. The artist's intent is irrelevant to a viewer's interpretation.

More than that, though, the whole time I was reading Heir to the Empire, I felt like I was trapped at a party listening to some guy tell me how awesome his DnD characters are. It was just an author fiat and plot contrivance parfait. I can't really say what the underlying themes or broader message of the book was. The author didn't seem to have anything to say besides "give me money".

I've yet to find a Star Wars novel that elevates itself above "bathtub reading" but the old Han Solo novels come closest to doing so. There's a lot of classic fantasy (Hawkmoon, 3 Hearts 3 Lions) that's little or no better in that regard, but at least that stuff paints a great picture. I don't find the SW universe translates to written art too well. The color palette is purposefully bland, the sound design of Star Wars is intentionally mundane, and that works great for what they were trying to do. But I (predictably enough) haven't yet found a novel that can recreate that feeling and paint a good picture at the same time.
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TauntaunScout
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

garhkal wrote:
I know some have had issues with the Vonskry and the ysalmarri.. BUT i never had issues with them.


Whatever else anyone can say about them for ill, the prepainted plastic miniature of them was great. Star Wars was, and for me still is, all about the toys!
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