Books STAR WARS: A NEW DAWN (September 2014)

I'm about halfway through and enjoying it so far. As someone who had zero interest in watching Rebels whatsoever, it is making me curious as to how the show will turn out. Without spoilers, the tone of the book is definitely a good bit darker than what (admittedly little) we've seen of the show. I suppose that's to be expected with the difference in genre, but it may be a bit of a disconnect once the show starts if they are really different...

I also have a super-newb question. How do you add in the hidden spoiler tag/tab?

 

[ spoiler ] text here [ /spoiler ]

Take out the spaces.

 

Thank you.

Spoiler

They didn't waste any time throwing female stormtroopers into the mix...

 

The sample was adequate. Felt like old EU to me. Kind of disappointed but will read for JJM. He tends to start off wobbly and gain momentum in his prose stuff.

 

Just posted to the Del Ray Facebook page:

Emphasis mine. *sits back to watch fireworks.*

 

No need for fireworks, Shelly covered this the other day:

The fact Legends are no longer a part of official history means they were before, so there you go. Fireworks averted

 

Ye gods, what a frelling mess.

JJM doesn't deserve this!

 

lol facebook

 

You say fireworks, you meant:



General response to that fool Facebook page:

 

Finished it last night.

Spoiler

Liked it, though it became pretty predictable and a bit drawn out by the end, in my opinion. Some rather spoilery thoughts: -
-It's odd to me that Hera is shown as the leader-character, quite obviously. Kanan seems to be in charge in the show clips, but he's clearly subservient to her in the book.
-The book is quite violent. There's a scene where someone is dissolved in acid, thrashing to get out while the villain holds them down in it. The villain then kills her husband when he tries to take revenge. I'm kind of surprised at the level of adult content in a book designed to set up a Disney XD series.
-They apparently end up on Lothal (though it's unnamed) at the end of the book though it is still only Hera and Kanan.
-Hera doesn't know Kanan has a lightsaber - I assume that will be a big "surprise" moment in the show.
-Every named alien race retains their old EU species name. (Off the top of my head: Ithorians, Besalisks, Devaronians, Twi'leks, Sullustans...) Very little other EU lore is mentioned that I recognized.
-There are several loose ends character-wise left open. I imagine we may see some of these folks reappear in the series.

Overall, the book made me more likely to give the show a shot. It didn't make me uncontrollably excited for it, though.

 

Thank God. I figured they'd be called Hammerheads from now on.

 

Nooooooo, I was so hoping they'd be renamed Space Sharks!

 

For some reason, I now have the 15 seconds of looping Ithorian dialogue used for every single conversation with an Ithorian in KOTOR repeating in my mind.

 

Did not see that one coming.

 

Requiescat in pace.

 

"Imperial sexism is well and truly dead"



Well hey, so far the NEU sounds okay to me then.

 

ewwwww right?

 

Welp, that's it. I'm out. You can keep your new continuity, Lucasfilm.

 

Sounds like a good question for an upcoming interview, GrandAdmiral...

 

Great, JJM. You pop into the thread and I feel instantly terrible for the negative thing I said about the book.


As it is somewhat related (both being Rebels and all) and I didn't see it having its own thread, I received Ezra's Gamble - the young reader's novel from Ryder Wyndham. In the first two chapters, it

Spoiler

quotes imperial propaganda from Brian Daley's radio drama (that was awesome and unexpected) and reintroduces Houks and Feeorins to the new continuity. (It also name drops more races from the films - Trandoshans, Xexto, Balosars... Not too surprising after A New Dawn, though.)

I'm definitely feeling like the vast amount of world building is going to stay in place and I am definitely happy about that.

 

Don't sweat it! I only check in once in a while to see if there's a question that I'll want to address either in an interview, my behind the scenes page, or right away. (I always stay out of the official review threads over here -- it's a good policy for writers in general, everywhere!)