Lit The Maestro Trilogy

There's a difference between people (randomally, deciding, on their own) to call/text/email/facebook Del Rey their requests.

There's another thing when an author directly persuades his target audience during his Facebook Q&A to call/text/email/facebook Del Rey one key, specific request [in the hopes of it becoming a reality].

I would think that's an obvious note to make. One is attempting to pull leverage, the other is fans choosing an act upon themselves as an individual not as a hive-mind conscience.

 

It's not really communicating with your audience when your telling them to basically demand that your (possible) employer gives you work.

Well, I suppose it is communicating, but not exactly in the same breadth and way that you describe above. There's a difference in communicating:

"Here's what I think I would like to do with a trilogy. XXXXXX. What do you think?"
--Awaits Feedback
--Discusses feedback (or not)

And then, there's what Zahn's doing:

"Here's my idea for a trilogy. Tell Del Rey to let me do it."
[Doesn't await feedback]
-- Awaits Del Rey green-lighting his project
[Doesn't discuss feedback.]

 

I think Zahn's been hatefuland insulting enough of Vader already, nevermind he's the least in need of protection by a snotnose than anyone ever in the GFFA.

 

Thats the point it's "his corner of the universe" and so not Starwars at all. The Vader/Mara story leaving aside everything else) is at least in the Starwars Universe.

As you say the Hand Empire is defunct anyway so no one besides Zahn will ever reference it ever again.

Also if you had read his short story about the EotH when Thrawn takes down (again) Esva that's probably a good thing.

 

Do you honestly think there will be a general audience (not just this board) interest/demand for a book about the Chiss ?

 

...
Actually I so have no problem with that last one.

 

It'd be nice if Zahn wrote something so far in the past or so far in the future that he wasn't able to use the same goddamn characters and have them be better than everyone else.

 

Fixated on his corner of the universe... still writing about the same characters... making Darth Vader look like a chump... telling stories in an era that we already know the fate of...



Oh, wait, this thread is about Zahn. My bad.

 

A general audience? To be honest, some of the novels I wouldn't expect general audience to be interested in them either. Some people might read Fate of the Jedi and start scratching their heads on who Mara is and why another war is going on. Ultimately, it will be fans of the established stuff that would read such a novel and I enjoyed Zahns other stuff like Outbound Flight and Survivors Quest. So, something along those lines would be fun to read.

Plus, you said that no one cares about the Chiss or stories set in their space which I think is perhaps inaccurate as there will be fans who would want to read more stories about that area of space. There are a few questions concerning the Empire of the Hand and the Chiss with only Zahn perhaps being the only one who can answer them. So, I wouldnt mind some novels exploring this.

 

If you're old what am I? I'm 33.

 

Decrepit?

 

I enjoyed OF too, ( I liked the start off SQ when it was in the Universe the rest less so) and I agree something along those lines would be fun but the proposed trilogy is set during the OT so how much can be learned as we know that by HoT people didn't even know the Empire of the Hand existed.

And it also begs the question why set something during the OT if you are not going to use the OT ?

 

At 43, I'd hate to think of what I am.

 

"People" may not have known, no.

But the cast of the Maestro trilogy? They might have. Fel in particular given he ended up living there and just hasn't been around anymore in later eras to tell people what's there.

 

So what am I at 16?

 

Have you considered that you're placing way too much faith in the power of fan requests? Del Ray and other book publishers get hundreds of request for stories a day, many of which are eerily similar and indeed very reminiscent of a hive mind. Zahn's not a mafia leader telling his followers to break the legs of the people in charge so they will give in to his demands... this isn't really leverage with them at all. It's just a way to drop hints to his fanbase on what he might be planning, and a way to collect feedback on it. It's also a way to let it be publicly known what you are interested in writing; the truly bad tie-in novels are usually the ones that are assigned, when the author has no personal interest in writing it beyond the money it pays. It might be "unprofessional" from a traditionalist point of view, but as I've said, I'm personally glad the days of intense separation between author and reader are disappearing.

If Del Ray do pick this up, it certainly won't be because they caved in to political pressure (I can't even say that with a straight face ).

So in other words, all Star Wars fiction should follow a precise formula. A Star Wars story should never be without a lightsaber. Should never follow anyone besides a Skywalker. It should follow a small group of characters with little deviation.

Though I doubt that's what you meant, it is essentially what you're saying, in not so many words. The whole point of a fictional universe is expansion. The galaxy feels smaller when you focus on nothing but Luke, Leia and Han, and I tired long ago of arguments that exploration of smaller parts of the universe "don't feel like Star Wars". By that logic, West End Games and their adventure journals are the very antithesis of Star Wars. All they had in common with the movies was the setting, but they focused on characters that would likely never play any important role in the lives of the characters from the movies. But they were a breath of fresh air for just that reason.

Zahn's "corner" of the universe has become part of it, and is still being used by other authors (as Sinrebirth pointed out). It's called "expanded" universe for a reason; tie-in fiction becomes boring and stagnant when you refuse to expand. The continuing adventures of Luke, Han and Leia are fine, and have their place, but if you've got a vast cash cow of a franchise, you may as well get all you can out of it.

Hell, Thrawn and the Chiss are a big part of why Star Wars is even still alive. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with continuing to explore that part of the universe.

Damn, you've officially stolen my title of "youngest board member" (I think?). The only possible solution to this problem is pistols at dawn.

 

Pistols at dawn? What about lightsabers at dawn? Or blasters at dawn?

 

Cauterization is for wimps. I want blood.

 

I think I'm going to steal it at 15

 

Why must you subject my eyes to the horror of cats copulating, and of all things, cats doing it doggy?

 

Fine. You, me, and instantdeath. Behind the dumpster at dawn. Bring your pistol.

 

What are you ruffians doing behind my shop with weapons? Gonna rob me? I'm gonna call the cops

 

Nick, I expected better from you. Zahn does expand on some elements, but the fact that he invents new places and species is a good thing. It actually expands the universe, rather than book 46 based on Tatooine or Coruscant or Yavin. And he tends to add new species that are distinctive, like the Caamasi, Ishori, Diamala, or Noghri, who actually act like alien cultures, rather than being name dropped but then acting like humans with minor quirks.

That's a matter of taste. The Republic commando novels became Traviss's little universe about the military and Mandolorians Vikings with the Star Wars label slapped on it. No one cares about what happens on Mandolore or what the perfect little band of Mandolorian Commando-clones get up to on Mandolore.