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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit The Last Jedi by Michael Reaves

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Zorkel567, Sep 9, 2012.

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  1. Manisphere

    Manisphere Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2007
    God, this is a boring book. I finished the part where Jax is literally hiding from Vader behind a very small tree. I don't think I'm going to make it.
     
  2. Arawn_Fenn

    Arawn_Fenn Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 2, 2004
    She had already appeared in LOTF later on in the timeline, in a book released a few years before CN II. So in that sense, if she was intended to die in CN II, her death itself would have been the retcon.

    And I thought Force-sense-blocking light sculptures were bad...
     
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  3. Darth_Pevra

    Darth_Pevra Chosen One star 6

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    May 21, 2008
    Okay. Didn't know that.

    The scene was one of these "Mace Windu fell outa the window" situations so I was pretty sure she was dead.
     
  4. Nobody145

    Nobody145 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2007
    Didn't she just fall into some sort of pit or sand mixer or something? Its your typical villain "death". No body, she just fell out of sight and that's it. And sadly the EU apparently loves her way too much to ever kill her off, despite having no redeeming qualities but she's an easy reusable villain too I guess (shows up, kills a few redshirt Jedi, then run away again). But anyway, that kind of "death" is almost never really killing off the villain, they always pop up later again and again and again like a cockroach. Whereas heroes often die from a single blaster bolt or something like that (well, not main characters, but otherwise).

    The Vader encounters are ok. Most of the Coruscant Nights books involve dodging him a lot or laying low, and Jax is at least quite afraid of ever taking on Vader in a straight fight since he'll be slaughtered on his own. The actual battles are ok, depending on your opinion, and Vader didn't actually take the bota, he was just analyzing it, but it was kind of annoying that changing the previous rules, the bota already affected Vader just from being that close. Not to mention the continuing timeline and (relatively minor) continuity issues. Not sure if the author just forgot, the editor didn't catch it, or if it was just a point of view (the character was misinformed).

    Technically, Jax is also the only Jedi in this book. Laranth is a Gray Paladin and she dies, although not at Vader's hands directly. I forget if it was from a counterattack from Vader's ship or her gun turret blowing up in her face (when she should have headed for the escape pods), but she's dead. Plenty of other lightside Force sensitives since Jax visits Dathomir, but Vader never comes close to there so he can't kill them (although a comic of Vader fighting his way through Dathomir sounds pretty cool). I wouldn't have minded Jax dying fighting Vader, but I don't mind too much him surviving, partially because as I5 says, he is not having a repeat of Jax's father, despite I5 being able to sort of hold off Vader (I think an exploding starfighter was involved too). This is supposed to be the Dark Times so all the Jedi survivors are starting to be a bit too high, but in terms of being I5's life story, from Jax's father being killed by Maul, at least Jax hasn't been killed by Vader yet.
     
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  5. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    The Inquisitorius is older than dirt. It's WEG, and it's classic, and Inquisitors are totally awesome.
     
  6. Stymi

    Stymi Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 10, 2002
    That dang Reaves and all his "weird ideas."
     
  7. Dr. Steve Brule

    Dr. Steve Brule Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    I never really liked the idea of someone taking some kind of drug and getting Force powers, ever since it first popped up back in the TOTJ days. I suppose the PT era kind of offers a G-canon legitimization of it (via some kind of midi-chlorian effect) but I still don't like it.

    Also it's hilarious how badly Aurra Sing's continuity is. Although honestly I'd rather she die in Coruscant Nights, just so her even-worse appearance in LOTF can be invalidated out.
     
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  8. Arawn_Fenn

    Arawn_Fenn Chosen One star 7

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    Jul 2, 2004
    Especially given that they put her in TCW but without Force powers.
     
  9. Darth_Pevra

    Darth_Pevra Chosen One star 6

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    May 21, 2008
    @ Nobody145
    Pretty certain he used the Bota. I wish I had found my copy.

    And yes, Aurra fell into some reposticator or "fabber". For me that's dead.

    Kajin, Laranth, Jax, all jedi-affiliated.

    So what? Even if he didn't invent them, he still chose to use them for whatever reason.

    Inquisitors make no sense in movie context.
    Tarkin to Vader: "You are the last one of that old religion yadda yadda yadda."
    And then they would've come in handy to track down Luke.
     
  10. Nobody145

    Nobody145 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2007
    Hm, anybody have a copy of CN3 lying around? My memory might be off, but I think I remember Vader putting the bota into his suit to analyze it, not to ingest it or inject it instantly, he's not stupid. But then apparently it was just really unstable so being that close affected him already (which was a bit of a cheat since that was different from how it was treated previously, but oh well).

    It would have been nice if Sing had died in CN2, but no offense, but that's just how recurring villains "die" in fiction. TCW is one of the more recent, or at least higher profile versions since she was on Slave I when it crashed, but then she just turns up fine a few episodes later (unfortunately). Although LotF not bothering to kill her off is an even bigger missed opportunity (of getting rid of her and trying to make Jacen look better... but then its arguable if making Jacen an impressive villain was one of their goals, but that's off-topic, sorry).

    While I'm not entirely happy about all these Dark Times survivors either, by Episode IV that's decades later, and its not like other higher profile sources haven't already added fully trained Jedi to that time period, which is a much bigger problem. And I can see why the Inquisitors weren't sent after Luke since Luke is a personal matter for Vader. If anyone else tried to move against Luke... well, Vader has plenty of autonomy.
     
  11. Manisphere

    Manisphere Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2007
    I need a rendering by Chris Trevas of Jax hiding from Darth Vader behind a tiny shrub.
     
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  12. Darth_Pevra

    Darth_Pevra Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    May 21, 2008
    Whatever it is, the heroes didn't survive because of their own efforts but because of the bad luck or stupidity of their opponent

    Anyway, what I recall is: Vader first analyzed it and when he found out it is the bota he took it. Maybe my memory is wrong, but unfortunately I can't find the novel to reread the scene.

    In a comic book I agree (because that medium works differently) in a novel I expect something better.

    And Vader controls the Inquisitorius. I think a couple of Inquisitors would've been really useful to track Luke down. It's pretty weird they never ever pop up in the movies and I despise movie retcons (don't like Emperors Hands and Grand Admirals either).
     
  13. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    Well, I finished it earlier. Not the best SW book I've read but certainly not the worst.
     
  14. Grievousdude

    Grievousdude Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2013
    Read some more. I'm at the part where I-Five gets a Pit Droid body. Still gripping.
     
  15. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    At least the 'Force plant' in this one didn't talk. That was a redeeming factor.
     
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  16. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    My copy's arrived!
     
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  17. Obie-2-Kenobi

    Obie-2-Kenobi Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2008
    I am about halfway through it, and I have to say, I think I'm getting tired of the moody/wishy-washy Jax. Den seems to be whining the whole time, and the coolest character has been reduced to a pit droid on steroids. I can only hope that Jax gets his moxy back, Den starts being Den again, and I-5 gets pimped out even better than before. This book will be a huge disappointment if not. Then again, most of the books where MKB is involved have been somewhat disappointing IMO. (Shadow Games anyone??) And I certainly hope that they do not mope around about Laranth the whole book!
     
  18. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    No spoilers, but I-5 might surprise you.
     
  19. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Thinking aloud, but is this four novel series worse on continuity than TCW? Zero internal consistency, mindless cameo's only to kill or attempt to kill off the character and generate more continuity issues such as with Aurra Sing and Panaka (and supposedly Rostu), all the while de-valueing Darth Vader and turning Xizor into a Falleen with a whip fetish? It even has Inquisitors taking lessons from Sith Holocrons... and some Force Unleashed type super-Force user whose grand contribution to events is zero.

    Piell is caused by TCW, but so much of this causes issues in its own right.

    If I was to consider something worth retconning out of existence, you'd be hard pressed to convince me it shouldn't be this arc.

    It's all a bota-induced dream.

    There you go.
     
  20. Darth_Pevra

    Darth_Pevra Chosen One star 6

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    May 21, 2008
    Oh no, really? Poor Xizor, he was such a fine and creepy villain. :_|
     
  21. MercenaryAce

    MercenaryAce Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2005
    Just because she didn't use them does mean she doesn't have them, and there have plenty of other comics featuring her as a gunslinger more than a dark jedi.

    So that isn't even a continuity issue at all.
     
  22. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004
    Trust me it is much worse with Jedi survivors then with the handful Dark Siders the Emperor kept around.
     
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  23. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Namely with two Old Republic Jedi lasting 130 years post ANH
     
  24. CeiranHarmony

    CeiranHarmony Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    May 10, 2004
    Nearly done with the book.. must say I absolutely love it. best out of the entire Coruscant Nights series. Reaves is a master at handling alien species and diversity and brilliantly incorporates old EU and TCW version merging them well.
     
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  25. Grievousdude

    Grievousdude Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2013
    I just read the part where Tuden Sal throws Pol Haus out of Whiplash. Wow Tuden Sal really is an idiot.
     
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