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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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 Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 2:42 pm Post subject: Novel Fatigue? |
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What Star Wars novels have you read? Liked?
Is anyone else tired of the Star Wars novels? I have a very difficult time getting excited about new Star Wars novels anymore. My interest started to wane long before Disney; there are a handful of NJO novels I’ve never read, and I only made it a few pages into the Joiner King.
The problem I seem to be having is that the novels are... okay science fiction, but if I want great, coherent science fiction, I have to look elsewhere.
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Dredwulf60
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Joined: 07 Jan 2016
Posts: 911
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| Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 4:13 pm Post subject: Re: Novel Fatigue? |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | Is anyone else tired of the Star Wars novels? I have a very difficult time getting excited about new Star Wars novels anymore. My interest started to wane long before Disney; there are a handful of NJO novels I’ve never read, and I only made it a few pages into the Joiner King.
The problem I seem to be having is that the novels are... okay science fiction, but if I want great, coherent science fiction, I have to look elsewhere. |
I don't think Star Wars has ever really been true Science Fiction, but I'm aware definitions differ.
For me, Science Fiction has to bring up some fairly fantastic stuff. SW *has* fantastic stuff, but seems mostly about telling an adventure story in an otherwise sci-fi context.
I find most SW has allegory or straight up substitution for real world stuff, especially in the written works.
Almost-but-not-quite like putting the word 'space' in front of the name of whatever you need featured. Like a space-dog or space-cat.
For example: The story needs a computer hacker. So...in star wars you have a computer hacker, but he's called a 'Slicer'.
You need an organized crime syndicate...so you get Black Sun, which is organized and described very much like the Italian Mafia...but instead of Dons you get Viggos.
It can get a bit tedious and....blah when you can lift a story directly from any other genre and then just put a Star Wars skin on it.
So I stopped reading the novels years ago. |
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Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10402
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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| Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 5:41 pm Post subject: Re: Novel Fatigue? |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | | Is anyone else tired of the Star Wars novels? I have a very difficult time getting excited about new Star Wars novels anymore. My interest started to wane long before Disney |
Yes, I'm tired, but the main reason for me is that the novels just stopped being great. My favorite Star Wars novelist is James Luceno (Labyrinth of Evil, Darth Plagueis). He was the king of writing interesting novels tied heavily into film continuity. I've now read two Disney canon novels by him, Catalyst: A Rogue One Story and Tarkin. They were a whole lotta meh. I've read a little of the Disney young adult stuff and they were the same or worse. The EU novels were always a mixed bag but if my fave EU author can't even write canon novels I enjoy, then what is the point? The most interesting Disney canon novels I've read were TFA and RO novelizations and that's only because I enjoyed the films so much. TLJ is the first out of 10 Star War film novelizations that I don't want to read or even buy. I've still got a long reading list for EU novels that include re-reads of ones I read a long time ago and ones I never read, but I've mainly been reading RPG books so even those are on hold. I'll probably try to read the Solo novelization but I'll try to get it from the library so I can read it first before plunking down any cash for it.
So yeah I've got novel fatigue, but now I draw the line before Disney canon novels.
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Pel
Line Captain
Joined: 10 May 2006
Posts: 983
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 11:39 pm Post subject: |
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I not only have novel fatigue (please name the last good Star Wars book, if anyone can recall), I have general Star Wars fatigue as well. Now I really enjoyed Solo, but neither of the last Episodes. Even the comics are dragging these days, except for a few stories in the Darth Vader & Doctor Aphra titles, and those take 4-6 issues each to tell a story arc.
I too am re-reading my old books, comics, and especially the RPG material because a lot of it was good and usually entertaining. So far Disney just isn't consistently hitting the mark with me, but I remain hopeful.
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garhkal
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Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14168
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 12:05 am Post subject: Re: Novel Fatigue? |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | Is anyone else tired of the Star Wars novels? I have a very difficult time getting excited about new Star Wars novels anymore. My interest started to wane long before Disney; there are a handful of NJO novels I’ve never read, and I only made it a few pages into the Joiner King.
The problem I seem to be having is that the novels are... okay science fiction, but if I want great, coherent science fiction, I have to look elsewhere. |
I got bored with them, during the while "outcast/abyss" angle when Jacen went dark side, and Jania had to train under Fett to beat him. I have not read any new ones since.
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Treefrog
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 27 Aug 2009
Posts: 190
Location: West Wisconsin, USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 2:38 am Post subject: |
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For me, I've read some of the new stuff (Thrawn, Lords of the Sith, TFA, and TLJ, A New Dawn, Bloodline (I did start it, but never finished it.... I found it dull), and Aftermath); I have Catalyst, Rogue One, Life Debt, Empire's End, and Ahsoka -- but I haven't read them. I just got the feeling that the new canon is trying too hard to make them relevant to what has been seen thus far in Rebels and other media. They're over thinking in their attempts to publish new books. Of the ones I've read, Thrawn and Lords of the Sith are the best. And the worst one that I read: Aftermath (mainly because there was so much hype because it was part of the "Journey to The Force Awakens" marketing campaign, and I was left wanting for a coherent story.
As for the EU:
The last story arc that I went out of my way to read was The Legacy of the Force series. I never really got into the one that followed LotF.
As for which particular books are my all-time favorites: The Heir to the Empire Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn. These three books (more than any other) made me feel like they were Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. They're the quintessential cinematic novels at a time when we were starved for anything Star Wars.
In closing:
While there have been absolute duds in the EU continuity (The Crystal Star and Children of the Jedi, anyone?!?), there have been far more decent ones than the track record of the new canon.
Of course, this is just my opinion. |
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WillTasker
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 25 Jan 2017
Posts: 115
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 9:26 am Post subject: Re: Novel Fatigue? |
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| Whill wrote: | | My favorite Star Wars novelist is James Luceno (Labyrinth of Evil, Darth Plagueis). He was the king of writing interesting novels tied heavily into film continuity. I've now read two Disney canon novels by him, Catalyst: A Rogue One Story and Tarkin. They were a whole lotta meh. |
I met James at NYCC a few years back before Tarkin came out. When the moderator tried to press him about the book (basically letting him advertise it to a standing-room-only crowd), he was pretty "eh" about it at all but loved talking about the earlier books he did. I wonder if he wasn't overly happy with the result. |
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garhkal
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Joined: 17 Jul 2005
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Treefrog wrote: |
As for which particular books are my all-time favorites: The Heir to the Empire Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn. These three books (more than any other) made me feel like they were Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. They're the quintessential cinematic novels at a time when we were starved for anything Star Wars. . |
I always wished, if they WERE to have done a sequel trilogy, these three novels would have been taken from print to the big screen..
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Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
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Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | I always wished, if they WERE to have done a sequel trilogy, these three novels would have been taken from print to the big screen.. |
The ultimate EU fan lament. I would have taken even an animated adaptations with the original actors performing their characters' voices (well it is unlikely Harrison Ford would have done that but they could have gotten the rest).
But even more than The Thrawn Trilogy, I also wished for an animated movie of Shadows of the Empire. It's more tied into the classic trilogy, and they wouldn't have even needed a Han Solo actor. And I don't mean that giant-eye, knobby-nose, wooden-beard animation on TCW and Rebels. More realistic looking animation. It could have been epic! Oh well, that starship has long left the spaceport.
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ReverendKeaton
Lieutenant
Joined: 16 Jun 2018
Posts: 87
Location: West Virginia
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Whill wrote: | | garhkal wrote: | | I always wished, if they WERE to have done a sequel trilogy, these three novels would have been taken from print to the big screen.. |
The ultimate EU fan lament. I would have taken even an animated adaptations with the original actors performing their characters' voices (well it is unlikely Harrison Ford would have done that but they could have gotten the rest).
But even more than The Thrawn Trilogy, I also wished for an animated movie of Shadows of the Empire. It's more tied into the classic trilogy, and they wouldn't have even needed a Han Solo actor. And I don't mean that giant-eye, knobby-nose, wooden-beard animation on TCW and Rebels. More realistic looking animation. It could have been epic! Oh well, that starship has long left port. |
I tired of the SW novels about the time everyone at work was telling me I needed to read the NJO. I read Vector Prime. I believe other than rereading the Zahn trilogy and the original movie novels I haven't read one since. I have all the new ones I just find it taxing to try and delve into them.
For me the Zahn trilogy would have been the ultimate follow up. And Shadows of the Empire. I had high hopes for at least an animated version as well. And Whill like you I wanted the good live looking animation. And I had hoped they would do it for all four of those books.
I am actually going to force myself to read TPM shortly just to see if I can do it. Now one that is on my list Darth Plegueis. I have been meaning to read that one for a long while and I think since I recently picked it up it will be up in the batting order really quick. |
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ReverendKeaton
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Joined: 16 Jun 2018
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Location: West Virginia
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| Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Treefrog wrote: |
While there have been absolute duds in the EU continuity (The Crystal Star and Children of the Jedi, anyone?!?), there have been far more decent ones than the track record of the new canon.
Of course, this is just my opinion. |
No. It isn't just your opinion. 
I would also include Darksaber on that list as well as the Jedi Academy trilogy. I just never fathom the idea behind Crix Madine as a Rambo knock off and don't get me started on the Sun Crusher. |
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garhkal
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 1:26 am Post subject: |
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| ReverendKeaton wrote: |
I would also include Darksaber on that list as well as the Jedi Academy trilogy. I just never fathom the idea behind Crix Madine as a Rambo knock off and don't get me started on the Sun Crusher. |
That whole Darksaber, children of the jedi, planet of twilight arc was totally and utterly crap..
However, i did like the NJO time frame (i know i am in the minority there). For the rest..
Truce at Bacurra was a decent follow on to the end of ROTJ.
Courtship of leia was fun, but i really hated how uber they seemed to make luke.
LOVED the entirety of the Xwing novels, except Starfighters of adumar.
The Black fleet crises sucked, but no where near as much as crystal sun or 'new rebellion'..
I actually liked the corellian trilogy, and was somewhat oK with the jedi academy one (more so the stuff that DIDN'T have to do with the sun-crusher!!!)..
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Ashikaider
Ensign
Joined: 24 Jul 2018
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 2:12 am Post subject: |
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I stopped reading the novels somewhere in the middle of the Yuusha vong storyline. It all got to be a bit too much for me, and I chose to quit.
Strangely enough, recently I was kind of burned out on Star Wars in general until I saw the anniversary game books at my game/comic shop last week. Researching the game fired up some of my interest in the setting.
It also reminded me about my interest in McQuarie's production art, 70s and pulp SF in general, plus some really fun movies that came out after Star Wars in '77. (War in Space, Message From Space, and Star Crash) |
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WillTasker
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 25 Jan 2017
Posts: 115
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| Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 10:08 am Post subject: |
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| Ashikaider wrote: | | Star Crash |
"Imperial Battleship... HALT the flow of TIME!" 8) |
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griff
Captain
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Location: Tacoma, WA
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| Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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I read the Thrawn trilogy, truce a bakura, courtship and the academy trilogy. Read the first two x-wing books, and started the coreillian trilogy and stopped after the first book. That is where I hit the wall.
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