Good Grief, Obi-Wan!

Mike did a pretty good job of writing in SW, coming from the fantasy background and all, but I wonder how Terry Brooks will do writing TPM... I've read some of his fantasy, and judging by that, he should do well. Wonder if Del Rey will consider him to write any NJO novels......

 

Rumor is, the suits were so impressed with RA Salvatore's novel that he is in contention for the Episode 2 novelization. He is most decidedly fantasy.

 

Also Alan Dean Foster, who wrote the original Star Wars novelisation (before it was ANH) is a good fantasy writer.

Since Star Wars has probably more in common with fantasy than 'hard' sci-fi, I see no reaosnwhy a good fantasy writer shouldn't write a good SW book.

 

Add troy Denning to the list, i've read several of his fantasy novels as well.

 

I just picked up Stackpole's Once A Hero...I need to finish the first book of Tad Williams's Otherworld series before I get to it, though. I'm certainly looking forward to it!

 

Once a Hero is a great book. I recommend reading it.

 

Is Talion: Revenant (sp?) the sequel to Once A Hero? I've never seen it, but if it's part of a series or something I'd like to pick it up.

 

no, it's not... but it's good, probably even better anyway. it is very jedi-esque... in fact, you could cal the Jedi in TPM Talion-esque

 

I read Talion: The Revenant while waiting for SoA to come out in Scotland. What a great read... I have a coupla other Stackpole fantasy books which I will read later on.

I was a bit dubious about fantasy writers crossing to sci-fi but I think the EU authors who have crossed so far have done a good job. Let's hope they can keep it up.



Lt CaSS/xxx

 

If only a great Tolkien-style (as if J.R.R. Tolkien's work can be duplicated) writer comes along.... *sigh*

 

If only a great Tolkien-style (as if J.R.R. Tolkien's work can be duplicated) writer comes along.... *sigh*

 

We can only hope Howlrunner. We can only hope.

 

I just finished Lord of the Rings last night, and while I love Tolkien, his style would be wrong for the EU.

 

True. The only SW thing that I could see him writing is some sort of guidebook, like a book with a title like "The Jedi Holocron". Then again, the odds that Tolkien would even agree to write SW are approximately 3,720 to one. Particularly when you take into account that according to everything I've seen, he's been dead for years.

I'm reading Talion:Revenant right now. It was actually written before Once a Hero, but published later, suggesting that Stackpole has always primarily been a fantasy writer. It's about a Jedi-like group, the Talion Justices, who protect... you guessed it, justice . Very good book, possibly the best I've read.

 

I read Talion: Revenant this summer. I agree that it's a very good book. It's actually the first novel Stackpole wrote, although it's far from the first published. I also noticed the similarities between Jedi and Talions. I've read Once a Hero too, and it was very good as well. So has anyone here read any of his other fantasy books besides those two? I'm wondering if they switch back and forth between stories like T:R and OaH. It's an interesting way to write a book. He also seems to like using first-person POV.

 

Glad you agree, Dev. I'm almot inclined to believe Lucas ripped off Stackpole...
there's a Talion short story posted at http://www.stormwolf.comMike's Homepage .

 

I've read all of his fantasy novels, and all are um... fantastic. Yeah, he tells a lot from first person POV. I like it a lot, and can hardly write any otherway, myself.

 

I've also read A Hero Born and An Enemy Reborn, both part of the Chaos Realms series. The former was pretty good, though not as good as some of Stackpole's other books. The latter was based on a story by another author, and was nowhere near as good as Stackpole's other stuff. His best books are the ones in first person POV, which I hope they'll let him use in the Dark Tide SW duo, as well as his fantasy trilogy coming out next year. A new Borders just opened in my neighborhood, which means I've got another source for books. The problem is that unless it's part of a big series or by someone like a #1 bestselling author, they only have one copy of each book, and bookstores have a habit of not re-ordering sold out stuff unless you ask them specifically to, and my local library never has the best books. For example, they didn't get the TPM novel until about two months after it hit #1 on the bestseller list. Okay, I'm done.

[This message has been edited by Dev Sibwarra (edited 08-31-1999).]

 

Wow--looks like I'll have to track down Talion: Revenant soon...in the meantime, I'm getting into Williams's City of Golden Shadow (Otherworld: Book One).

 

All I know is that R.A.Salvatore, the author of <I>Vector Prime</I>, is primarily a fantasy author. His <I>Dark Elf</I> Trilogy is one of the best fantasy stories I've ever read. I have faith that he'll pull through.

 

I just bought Sine of the World today. It's primarily a Wulfgar novel, but Drizzt's journal entries still split the chapters.

 

It sounds as though a lot of you are surprised that fantasy writers have done well in the SW universe. The thing you need to remember is that SW is as much fantasy and mythological as it is sci-fi. Look at all the parallels in SW to fantasy/myth:

1. Jedi Knights with lightsabers
2. The Force (Religion)
3. Decline and fall of the Republic (Roman Empire)
4. Battles against creatures instead of just enemies: dianogas, wampas, asteroid worms, rancors, etc. (Greek, Norse, and other Myths)

I could go on, but there's a whole book on the mythological aspect of SW. I think this is why fantasy writers do well. I'm a huge Heinlein fan, but I cringe at the thought of him trying to write a decent SW novel. I don't think he could do it.

Just my 2 cents.

 

I agree, Star Wars is a moder mythology, placed in a sci-fi enviroment. The story is in no way dependant on the technology or enviroment, it would work as well in a medieval setting. Most (but not all) sci-fi stories depend alot on the science part of them, which Star Wars does not. The whole concept is old, it's just the art of George Lucas that makes it different.

Fantasy writers are the best writers for the SW universe, IMO, so let's hope that more of them get signed by Del Rey.

//Xarus

ps Tolkien is the fantasy-master, but his writing has a pace that wouldn't work for SW. The fact that he has sailed over the Great Sea to the West is another problem, of course.

 

You don't have to tell us that, Marso. That was one of my main arguments a year ago in this forum and there are many that agree.

 

Tolkien was a technophobe.He lived most of his adult life in an auto-factory town and the pivotal events of his lifetime were the two World Wars. He wouldn't have written SW, even if it could've gotten him published in America 10 years sooner.