Jedi Council Forums - Author Analysis: Jan Strnad

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Author	Topic: Author Analysis: Jan Strnad
Havac Title: Lit Mod of War Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 1/22/07 8:33pm Subject: Author Analysis: Jan Strnad
	Analyze and discuss the writing skills of Jan Strnad, writer of the Prelude to Rebellion arc that kicked off Republic, some Droids stuff, and Battleground Tatooine and Requiem for a Rogue (with Stackpole). No bashing or gushing. Previous Author Analyses: John Jackson Miller Ron Marz Steven Barnes Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl L. Neil Smith Jeremy Barlow Dan Wallace Alan Dean Foster Paul and Hollace Davids James Luceno Daniel Keys Moran Elaine Cunningham R. A. Salvatore Sean Williams and Shane Dix 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: 1/23/07 10:25am Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Jan Strnad
	No offense but I don't know who this person is. The comics don't ring a bell either. -----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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Havac Title: Lit Mod of War Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 1/23/07 5:07pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Jan Strnad
	Yeah, if you haven't read the comics, you don't have a ton to go on. Not every SW author is particularly prolific. Look for some bigger names to appear soon. -----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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Barriss_Coffee Registered: Jun '03	Date Posted: 1/23/07 5:16pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Jan Strnad
	I just read Prelude to Rebellion a few weeks ago. It definitely exceeded my expectations. The characters were original, and the story plot intriguing enough. After reading it, I was actually disappointed Strnad was never called back to do more Republic comics, especially ones starring Ki-Adi Mundi. The off-handed comment in one of the last Republic issues about how Ki-Adi's whole family was slain during the Clone Wars doesn't give justice to the first story arc at all. (Highlighted for the sake of those who haven't read the comic yet) -----signature----- SAN HILL LIVES!
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Kol_Skywalker Registered: Jun '06	Date Posted: 1/24/07 7:43pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Jan Strnad
	We EU'ers collectively enjoy discussing different ways to pronounce character, race, planet names, etc. when their is ambiguity. What I want to know however, is how the hell you pronounce Strnad! -----signature----- I'm not a Fanboy... I'm a FANMAN!
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Havac Title: Lit Mod of War Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 1/25/07 7:47pm Subject: RE: Author Analysis: Jan Strnad - Date Edited: 1/25/07 7:51pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Havac
	I've even seen some booksellers' websites "correct" it to Strand. Strnad's work is, in my opinion, solid but basic. The two X-wing arcs didn't do anything to really impress me, though they didn't do anything to make me actively dislike them, either. Prelude to Rebellion, which was his own original work, suffers from reliance on the tired "Simple nature-loving people try to avoid being exploited by the evil mean external government/corporation." I'd have preferred a new take on that old trope, but as it is all the cliches are in place: the pro-tech people are all either misled idiots or slavering greedy jerkwads manipulating everyone and killing off anyone who threatens them, the noble savages/Merrie English are totally right, and progress is Evil (hey, maybe the offworlder city wouldn't be such a polluted, crowded, nasty hellhole if you didn't force them to all live in a metal mushroom about the size of a small village!). Something to shake up the preachy monotony and throw in a new angle would have been nice. It also suffers from the fact that Ki, future Jedi Council member, is basically portrayed as a green Archie Bunker who sits around on his home planet all the time grumping around and complaining about the damn kids these days, having dysfunctional relationships with his children, and occasionally catching a thief or something. It's hardly an appealing or even logical portrayal of the Jedi. The kids were also the worst generic teenager stereotypes I've ever seen. The pimply twerp, the fat kid, the cool guy, and the cool guy's hot, ditzy girlfriend. None of them ever broke out of their stereotypes, and they all acted like the worst old-man ideas of the damn kids these days. The whole Trade Federation plot and Jabba's involvement never really made sense, either. It felt like it was introduced and we never found out why. However, it does have a strong, clever, and well-written villain in Ephant Mon, some solid emotional moments -- even more surprising given the overall shallowness of the premise -- and the "Vow of Justice" story is quite good, far better than the rest of the arc. That one really hits home and does it right. Good characters, good story, original twist on the basic premise, and Ki acting like a believably young and cocky Jedi, but not over-cocky and wise enough to figure out what he's doing wrong without a huge push. Very good story there, and it leads me to think that, like several other authors, Strnad has skill and potential but can be prone to lean too heavily on old tropes and write down when writing Star Wars, and the work suffers for that. -----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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