Books Aftermath: Empire's End (book 3) by Chuck Wendig

That is awesome for you Revanfan1!

Got through chapter 6 today.

Chapter 3

• But oh, there is Mr. Bones. Someone shut him up. The bad thing is that, with the audio, I have to hear it! I think he’d irritate me less if it wasn’t for the audiobook. As it is, I’m looking forward to his eventual demise.
• Temmin is bloody annoying. “Wah, I’m an aduuulllttt (sort of).” BUT that is [actually] not the fault of Wendig. No, I have to say that Wendig gets down the “entitled” teenager pretty freaking well. His behavior is what I hear from my own students about their parents.

Chapter 4

• First, I only now realize yet another reason why Wendig’s writing bothers me. There is a plethora of similes and metaphors about pretty much every situation.
• Second, I fully understand why this could have been part of chapter 3. I agree – there was no need for this being a separate chapter.
• “We’re not abandoning ship. Are we abandoning ship?” – Jas
  That made me laugh quite a bit.
• Norra acts so immature. I didn’t really have an issue with her before this book (though I could understand why others did) but now I just want to slap her.
• I like that all the Imperials are at Jakku. It explains so very well why there would even be a battle there, and is a great intro to that battle.

Chapter 5

• I find it hilarious that Norra was beaten by Jas.

Interlude: Kashyyyk

• I have been looking forward to this ever since learning about it! I hate that Waroo is a slave (though like that he’s Lumpawaroo/Waroo from the start). It makes me so sad.
• As an aside, Marc Thompson pronounces the Wookiee words so freaking well.

Chapter 6

• Ah, it’s easier to listen to the politics than it is to read them, as odd as that sounds. It’s probably because Wendig flies through things and doesn’t offer as much depth as someone like James Luceno.
• All the Senators (aside from Mon Mothma) believe the Empire to be completely destroyed. It’s incredibly naïve of them, reminiscent to what the Empire itself believed in ANH. Also, I am extremely suspicious of the Senator from Hosnian Prime.
• I like Mon’s advisor. The two of them discussing Mon’s approval ratings made me read back over Jello’s reactions.
• It’s very sad to see what happens when pacifists feel forced to change.
• Mon thinking of Leia as a “political complication” angers me!

 

It takes me forever to get through this book and I'm starting to get annoyed by the Wendigisms.
Turning every dialogue into some meta punchline, kinda like a Marvel-movie. All of those overly colourful metaphors, attention-grabs. It's almost like the book screaming at you "look at this, look at that".
I hope that in the last half of the book things pick up speed.

 

You know what's funny, I love that kind of writing in the marvel movies. That stuff works well with a comic book or comic based story in a way it does not in prose or SW. You are right, Wendig has a bad habit of shoving things in your face. Nora is going crazy? Well better make that abundantly clear and have 50 lines about that fact.

 

I agree, that sort of dialogue does have its place. But the tone just doesn't seem to fit the serious topic very well. Maybe instead of Aftermath they should have given him a SW comedy to write.

 

Those were my exact thoughts when I first saw the picture. Given how ugly his personality is, I pictured him with a harsh, craggy face, one with severe lines and a cruel twist.

 

Aww, you people are unfair on poor Galli. He's one of the best villains in the new canon, definitely more interesting than the villains in the new movies imo. There's something magnetic about this driven ball of slime.

But I admit I also imagined him to be quite ugly.

 

Agreed. Not counting Sloane, Rax honestly is my favorite of the new eu bad guys. I wish in hindsight he was the Snoke role or involved in some way with TFA

 

Agreed! Rax is very much a human being with human feelings and there would be a tragic element to him becoming a monster just like Snoke. It would elevate one of the blandest villains of the movies.

But alas, they decided to go another route. We'll have to wait and see what they come up with. I still think an attempt to resurrect Vader isn't out of the cards.

 

That wouldn't surprise me. After all, we did see in the trilogy efforts to collect Vader merchandise, if you will. Snoke has a scar similar to Vader's (although not the same), and some of the Star Destroyer's crew members look like they're wearing smaller versions of Vader's helmet from the back.

 

Yeah, Vader is all over episode VII and there's this scene about Kylo asking his grandfather for advice (in a tone that suggests he's spoken to him before). One of the first questions execs probably asked was: How can we get Vader in there? They're very aware how popular he is, especially now after Rogue One.

Is it possible for ghost Vader to participate in a lightsaber battle?

 

Those are more likely a callback to Death Star troopers than anything.

Are these the guys you are talking about? They look more like Vader now that you say it.

 

You just hated Isard cause she was with Palps and you where jealous.

 

Phhhht. The First Order we see in VII is Sloane's doing even though Rax laid the foundation.

 

You all make me look forward to the Rax scenes! I didn't like him in the other books (from what I recall of him- I have a very bad memory with books I read, even if I love them deeply), but these comments make him seem quite interesting.

Wendig really is overly descriptive. It’s quite distracting. Another thing that’s distracting is the script-like writing.
Him: blah, blah, blah
Her: blah, blah, blah
And, along with the short sentences, makes a lot of scenes that should be important feel like fluff. At least it’s easy to read through.


As I’m listening to this audiobook, I’m also reading Dark Apprentice by Kevin J. Anderson. This is a bad idea! I find myself getting confused: is Mon Mothma sick or just recovering from an assassination attempt? Is Leia pregnant or just struggling to balance between the political duties and those of being a mother to twins? Yet despite the confusion, I find it fascinating to see how Legends and Disney differ and yet mesh together.
Got through chapter 10 today.
Chapter 7

• I agree with vncredleader that having 8 hours between Jakku and Chandrilla is ridiculous. It should definitely be longer than that!
• Sinjir not having a filter with Mon Mothma is so him and hilarious.
• I had to roll my eyes at there being yet another unauthorized mission. Maybe if Mon stopped trying to please EVERYONE, there would be fewer of them!
• I do agree with Mon that facts are needed. No mission or decision, especially at the political level, should be done without having data and facts. That type of information is vital.

Chapter 9

• I really cringed at “his words echo, echo, echo.” Wendig. All you need is one ‘echo.’
• We really see how backwater Jakku is: there are wheels and not repulsors, the planet lacks resources found on most other worlds, there is little civilization.
• I find it weird that Sloane thinks of Brentin Wexley by his given name. I am very glad she’s healed.
• Nima the Hutt is odd. Both the spelling and the way Marc Thompson presented her made me think of Vima!
• I completely understand why Wendig wouldn’t delve more into Rax’s past; that’s not what this novel is about. Yet I would love to see it more developed, especially with him being “a lie.” Watching Slone track him was fascinating. It’s personal, yet she’s true to form—she wants to have an Empire that provides legitimate justice. She’s contradictory, as seen when she shoots the trooper who helps her, and yet even that fits in to her character. She can’t stand someone who goes against his or her orders.

Interlude: Theed

• I find it sad that Jar Jar is a clown, yet he really is perfect for children.
• The orphans broke my heart.

Chapter 10

• Wait. Jakku is not all sand? It’s dirt and rocks? Did I miss something or are there different areas or did the dirt become sand with battles???
• Temmin calling the Falcon “it” was hilarious. I feel like I enjoyed that more, expecting it.
• I reiterate: Sinjir and Jas make a fantastic team. I love how he cares for her wellbeing. Him becoming a father figure to Temmin is beautiful.
• Okay, Wartol—Mon JUST found out where the Imperials were. You don’t tell anyone that you know where the enemy is immediately! Not only can it backfire if you’re wrong, but now you’re letting the enemy know that you’re aware of where they are. Where is the surprise there? Why is this an issue? Why are you a jackhole? (And check that out: Ackbar echoed my thoughts perfectly.
• Again, I agree with vncredleader on how the politics are brushed over a bit too much. This book is so political that while I don’t enjoy the politics much, they are sometimes needed.

 

Kind of random but... is there a reason why we don't sticky new releases or have review threads anymore?

 

Every character is too-cute-by-half. Except for Tashu. Oh, and just "Mon" is annoying. She's Mon Mothma, man. The name flows. Don't disrupt it.

 

I'd like to register my contempt for stickying new release.

I do miss the review threads though.

sent from my Moto X-Wing

 

Fin McCool Fine, I'll appease you in my future updates


Chapter 11

• Caf!
• Sinjir, I am also wearing of politics. It’s a brand of war on its own. Yet as I said in chapter 10, it’s needed. *sighs*
• I like Han’s idea to just leave for Jakku.
• I love that Mon Mothma compares her actions to those of Palpatine. While I think she’s sometimes in the wrong for justifying her behavior in that way, there is a great contrast between the two leaders. And it shows that she’s well aware of how personal thoughts can spin out of control and lead to an unfair situation.
• Awww, Sinjir and Condor. Of course, Sinjir starts getting on my nerves, but his behavior is not abnormal.
• I had to smile when Wedge said his favorite pilots are washouts! His scene was too short, IMO. But there was a good message there: "busywork" is not always what it seems and can be quite needed.
• The spy makes sense! I hope Wartol planted it because anything else just feels too sinister.
• The constant similes and metaphors are becoming exhausting. I'm not even 30% done; I can't believe there is over 11 hours more of them.
• The end of the chapter almost surprised me, because yes, people like war and fighting others they "hate." Yet the voters are tired of war, tired of fighting. They want their families home with them and are content to allow the Empire to have a pocket of the galaxy of their own.

 

Not for nothing, but could "Mon" be short for some longer first name?

 

I really liked Life Debt but really didn't like the first book and the last book.

Overall the trilogy is a like a movie with a great script but poor direction - I like the ideas present, but not how they were presented. And just not a fan of Wendig's writing style. I also believe he is great at creating interesting situations, but terrible at resolving them. And sometimes I feel like he just can't help himself - i mean, did Snap and Norra really have to run across each other and almost kill each other on Jakku? It's just too cute by half.

So I can appreciate some of the insight we got into how the Empire came apart after Endor, but I did not at all enjoy the way that story got told. A missed opportunity in my book. Thankfully we have books like Bloodline that can create interesting stories and tell them in fun ways too.

 

"Monster Mothma" lol

GrandAdmiralJello , you should make a gif of her face on classic Godzilla!