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Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: LOST TRIBE OF THE SITH: THE COLLECTED STORIES (spoilers)

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Havac , Sep 3, 2012.

  1. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Lost Tribe of the Sith collects John Jackson Miller's short stories alongside a brand new continuation of the Lost Tribe's story. Now that we're back on the permanent boards, it's time to review!

    Some rules: rate Lost Tribe of the Sith on a scale of 1 to 10, supplementing your rating with a review, if you want to (It's not necessary but is highly encouraged). However, please do not rate or review the book until after you've read the whole thing. Thanks. :)

    Go for it.;)
     
  2. Esg

    Esg Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Only halfway but it is intriguing to see the backstabbing

    8.9 out of 10 so far
     
  3. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    It's nice to see a return to published short story collections. This is unlike other anthologies in that the stories tell a single collective narrative, but we're still seeing snapshots of various characters over time. The setting is unique, and it's to JJM's great credit that he manages to explore a Sith society, and use Sith characters as protagonists, in such a way that the evil nature of the Sith is maintained while the protagonists remain compelling and sympathetic. I really enjoyed the ability to see an entire society growing over the course of thousands of years, too -- it's a very unique kind of narrative. I found that the stories worked best when they remained focused on that big picture of politics and manipulation and history -- the Korsin and Hilts arcs worked best for me, while the smaller-picture Jelph arc was less intriguing, being as it focused on an element outside the Sith and felt more like a personal vignette that wasn't pushing the bigger story forward. There are ramifications that come off it, but they're not really inherent to the story. JJM's a great author, though, and he's able to bring vivid characters to life, create great plots, and deploy humor. I'm really impressed with what he's managed to do in prose, and I'd love to see more of it. This is definitely a recommended book.

    9/10
     
    BoromirsFan likes this.
  4. Tim Battershell

    Tim Battershell Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    He's a new author to me, but I was very impressed!

    9/10
     
  5. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 18/2 = 9.00
     
  6. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Only 2 reviews? What the hell are you lot not doing posting here?

    Oh well, onto business....

    So many other writers could have taken on this project and royally screwed it up, either by making the Sith too vicious and so impossible to read about in any way that is enjoyable, or by being too sympathetic to them. It is testimony then to JJM's skills as a writer that he walks a razor fine line between either pitfall - he makes them vicious enough, with some truly nasty surprise acts, that you don't forget about Sith, yet neither are they so monstrous as to repulse the reader entirely.

    At the same time, these 9 collected stories, have a truly soaring level of ambition - as they cover just over two thousand years, with the snapshots of the Sith at various points. The final tale, Pandemoium, brings it all back together and picks up the various pieces and coalesces them into a far more coherent whole.

    In some respects, it is a shame that their final fate is to be cannon-fodder and cartoon villains in FOTJ - or that's what the majority of comments I've seen suggest.

    Two things I especially liked:
    The link to the Great Hyperspace War and the mention of Harbinger and Saes, that it also made Naga Sadow a more terrifying figure was good too.
    The revelation the Jelph was a Jedi Agent of the Shadow Covenant! Now that's how the way to use continuity! It also continued JJM's revision of the Sith War into a much larger and far more devastating conflict.

    9/10 - It's excellent stuff but they're still the bad guys, can't reward them for that! Now the upcoming Kenobi book however....
     
  7. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 27/3 = 9.00
     
  8. Manisphere

    Manisphere Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2007
    I'm giving this a 9. Great world building, prose and humor. JJM is a real gift to SW.
     
    BoromirsFan likes this.
  9. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 36/4 = 9.00
     
  10. Plaristes

    Plaristes Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 2, 2007
    I'll give it a 9 as well.
     
  11. Greedoliveson

    Greedoliveson Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2012
    I hope it's better than the bore fest that was Darth Plaguies
     
  12. Tim Battershell

    Tim Battershell Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    Look at the consistant scores of 9/10....
     
  13. Greedoliveson

    Greedoliveson Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2012
    Yes, but i remember Plaguies getting good reviews as well. I must admit that i have wanted to read it since i heard about it.
     
  14. Tim Battershell

    Tim Battershell Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    I only bought it because it was backstory to FotJ, and I don't usually take to authors that I've never read before straight away! Without issuing spoilers, I was most pleasantly surprised both by the quality of the writing (I don't think that it's coincidence that JJM has been trusted to tell some of Obi-Wan's Tatooine story) and with the plotlines. To my mind, it's well worth a gamble!
     
  15. Greedoliveson

    Greedoliveson Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2012
    Ok, i'm in!!
     
  16. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    It is utterly excellent Greedo - and does not require you to go on and read FOTJ too!

    It's also paperback, there are far worse ways to spend £5-6!
     
  17. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score:45/5 = 9.00
     
  18. Bib Fartuna

    Bib Fartuna Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 2012
    Is this book really hard to get, as it always seems to be unavailable on Amazon.com
     
  19. Zorrixor

    Zorrixor Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Try checking if there's another version available.

    There was a problem with Amazon not updating their original listing after the book got changed from a regular paperback to one of those flimsier trade paperback things, so your order might still be for the original book which now isn't coming out.
     
  20. Bib Fartuna

    Bib Fartuna Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 2012
    Cheers, thanks for the advice. Yeah, it is on my Amazon.com wishlist ... like you said, it might be an outdated version; I will have to check.
     
  21. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Try this ISBN Bib: 978-0-099-54294-0, though this is the UK version. There were quite a few games played on this one.
     
  22. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Ten. Amazing.
     
  23. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 55/6 = 9.17
     
  24. Stymi

    Stymi Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 10, 2002
    This was a top-notch book I really enjoyed.

    I thought the writing and stories got better as new "chapters" were added. I read each story as it came out, and after I got the book, I went back and re-read those stories (it had been years since I initially ready some), In context of the larger whole, I liked those stories all the more.
    I had some issues with the Knight Errant novel, but I thought the second half of book was really great. You can really see JJM grow as a writer in this series as well. I would not mind more of these type of collected anthologies, as long as they are done well. I think the single vision from one author of how this society progressed really helped, as opposed to the changing authors series that Del Rey has been utilizing for LOTF and FOTJ (that being said, I am among the seemingly few who liked both).

    9.5/10
     
  25. DarthNefaris

    DarthNefaris Jedi Padawan star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 2011
    That serie of books was just amazing, as it always is with JJM. It shows us a new type of Sith, more human and less psychopath with a new setting that is Kesh and its mythology of the Destructors and the Protectors. It is a masterpiece, it is a well-written background to FOTJ, and it gives us an epic story to deal with. Plus, it links with the EU material such as the Great Hyperspace War, Crosscurrent and the Jedi Covenant (Kotor in fact). I won't spoil about Spiral but it sould be incorporated with the novels as it is the direct sequel. Anyway, every JJM's work is a masterpiece so I gadly recommend this book!

    9,9/10