Jedi Council Forums - Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix

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Author	Topic: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
Havac Title: Lit Mod of War Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 9/22/06 1:05pm Subject: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	Analyze and discuss the writing style of these two gentlemen, considering such topics as their strengths and weaknesses, any niches that they might fill, whether you would be pleased to see them make a return to the GFFA, etc. No bashing or gushing, please. Previous Author Analyses: Greg Bear Kathy Tyers Darko Macan Vonda McIntyre Walter Jon Williams Kristine Kathryn Rusch Roger MacBride Allen John Ostrander Steve Perry Brian Daley Barbara Hambly Dave Wolverton Troy Denning Ann C. Crispin K. W. Jeter Sean Stewart Haden Blackman Greg Keyes Michael Stackpole Kevin J. Anderson Matthew Stover Michael Reaves Aaron Allston Go at it! -----signature----- "Is there a captain's hat involved in this?" "I . . . don't know what department I want. I need . . . pants."
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rebel_cheese Registered: Jul '06	Date Posted: 9/22/06 1:34pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	A lot of people bad-mouth their trilogy as boring but I enjoyed it. I loved how they tied all the corners of the galaxy together, plus made nods to previous books like the Chiss, the Yevetha, and the Ssi-ruuk. Plus, they're the guys who converted me to J/J so I give them a lot of credit there. Also, they gave Tahiri a purpose, something she had been lacking since Anakin had died. To put it simply I think they wrote some of the best Star Wars books ever . . . at least from Del Rey. Their Geodesica books are awesome too. And I'd love them to come back one day. That would be beyond awesome. Think DR might sign them to do some post-LOTF? -----signature----- Padawan of princess_of_naboo E-married to the amazing padawanlost Member of Charon_Force The Incubus Cries: http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/30141520/p1/?18
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Crox Registered: Apr '06	Date Posted: 9/22/06 1:36pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	I think I might have like Force Heretic a bit more if most of it actually had something to do with the rest of the NJO. Nah, I still wouldn't like it because of the terrible characterization as Jacen. Did these guys even bother to read Traitor?
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Havac Title: Lit Mod of War Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 9/24/06 9:52pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	Force Heretic was decent. It felt like a nice little throwback to the Bantam era with all the adventuring, a change of pace from the typical NJO book. The problem was that it was at a point where the pace needed to pick up, not change. The GA is created, it turns the tide, we're in the buildup to the finale, only two more books after this . . . and we get the Main Character Galaxy Adventure Tour. We needed to keep the focus on the GA. The Han/Leia/Jaina/Jag adventuring should have been excised and set earlier in some different books, the Zonama Sekot storyline should have been abbreviated, and we should have retained a view of things on Mon Calamari. The authors dropped the ball, plot-wise. That's not to say that it was entirely bad. The return of Malinza was a good idea, in theory and execution. The entire Yu'shaa plot was genius. The search for Zonama Sekot was fun, interesting, and genuinely new. Plus, they demonstrated a great feature for shared-universe authors: they were totally willing to take the characters, situations, places, and races created by others and put them to use. Really, I think these two could make good authors for some one-off adventures, but I don't think they're the thing for big series. -----signature----- "Is there a captain's hat involved in this?" "I . . . don't know what department I want. I need . . . pants."
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Dinner_Squadron Registered: Oct '04	Date Posted: 9/24/06 10:55pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	Havac posted: Plus, they demonstrated a great feature for shared-universe authors: they were totally willing to take the characters, situations, places, and races created by others and ....and kill off half of them off screen. How they chose to do with the Yevetha, made me sick to my stomache. In a 19 book series dealing with Yevetha knockoffs they choose to... Wipe them out. Utterly. Off screen. Wow. I mean, wow. Talk about not reading one's predecessors. Jacen behaving OOC... That was par for the course in the NJO, but I felt like hitting my head after Jacen drags the team out to the middle of nowhere to tell the giant lighting shooting planet that he doesn't want it to save the galaxy after all...... The way they chose to write it - without chapters - left me exhausted, and caused me much delay in reading it............ The Nom Anor parts in the first two were FREAKIN' AWESOME. I don't get it. They managed so much baddness, and yet still wrote what perhaps is my favorite part of the NJO. They took a villain and redeemed him almost utterly. It was great to read as Nom grew as a person.
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quad_gun_jinn Registered: Dec '02	Date Posted: 9/25/06 12:56am Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix - Date Edited: 9/25/06 12:57am (1 edits total) Edited By: quad_gun_jinn
	I don't think storyline issues should necessarily reflect badly on the authors. They were under the constraint of having Luke and Jacen look for Sekot and Han and Leia doing their thing. I personally liked those books. I thought the characters were well written with the possible exception of Jacen but I havent read them in a while so I don't remember how Jacen fits in with is overall decent from Traitor to Legacy of the Force. Plus theyre Aussie so they can't be that bad. Just be thankful we don't all type like Ex. -----signature----- It's my time to shine Like a tuna in the brine
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 9/25/06 1:04am Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	Remnant: Skywalker's full name, took whopping 150 pages to kick off, finale battle told not showed, that flat-footed Fia is authorised, do you hear me? Refugee: Much better, but still filler. Nice intrigue story. Reunion: Not good. Prodigal Sun: Excellent buildup to finale Dying Light: Not an essential read Dark Imbalance: Outstanding finale revelations! Echoes of Earth: Very good Orphans of Earth: Outstanding Heirs of Earth: Should never have been published Geodescia: Ascent: Copies way too much from the Orphans trilogy characters I want to point out many authors write fine and even more than fine in their own books. Something happens when they enter Star Wars, and quality chasms down to the depths. This should in no way reflect their generally above average horse rides. -----signature----- Rock-a-by baby, on the treetop, Beaming with pride, the filth they hold, But when the wind blows, my temper implodes, High above a pit, filled with sharkticons, Down will come hardcover addicts, beaming no more. ©
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Palp_Faction Registered: Feb '02	Date Posted: 9/25/06 1:23am Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	I thought that Harris and Cundertol were written v. poorly. They were like cacklig 2D villains from a comic strip. -----signature----- ROTS, ESB, ANH, AOTC, TPM, ROTJ
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G__Anakin Registered: Apr '06	Date Posted: 9/25/06 7:49pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	Is this were we tell our opinions about an author if so here's mine! - They both wrote Force Heritic Series well and Finnaly gave Tahiri a purpose! I liked Jaina for once too. Sean Williams wrote Yoda Dark Rondevous which was great. I don't know any of there books outside starwars though. -----signature----- Master to tahiriveilax - - - My fanfic - - - Fate of the Jedi - Abyss : http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/30246540/p1/ Yeah, I used the real title for the next book. Beware Omen Spoilers.
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quad_gun_jinn Registered: Dec '02	Date Posted: 9/25/06 7:56pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	Sean Stewart wrote DR not Williams -----signature----- It's my time to shine Like a tuna in the brine
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 9/26/06 3:14am Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Sean Williams and Shane Dix
	I thought that Harris and Cundertol were written v. poorly. They were like cacklig 2D villains from a comic strip. Where did my second post go? Okay, downloading from yesterday's memory . . . I liked Harris and Cundertol. Harris was the defense minister during the Ssi-Ruuvi invasion, a single one-off reference the co-authors expanded on. I liked that. Cundertol was last seen in Tyrant's Test, unless Jedi Eclipse's mega marathon of Lucenoan names listed him too. True as American flags, they weren't terrbily 3D---but be fair as Aust soil, few Star Wars book villains ever are. Most are there just for the book they're in, and no time is spent making them depthful. What I liked best about Refugee was the Bakuran intrigue storyline. You were wondering which was the real villain, Harris or Cundertol. As it turned out, both were. I liked that twist. Additionally, if you were wondering about Luke's foster daughter Malinza, you got her again. -----signature----- Rock-a-by baby, on the treetop, Beaming with pride, the filth they hold, But when the wind blows, my temper implodes, High above a pit, filled with sharkticons, Down will come hardcover addicts, beaming no more. ©
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