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"Vector Prime," by R. A. Salvatore [Del Ray, 1999]

Discussion in 'Archive: Literature Review Forum' started by Errant_Venture, Feb 20, 2005.

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"Vector Prime," by R. A. Salvatore [Del-Ray, 1999]

Poll closed Mar 25, 2012.
  1. 10 (Excellent)

    27.0%
  2. 9

    19.7%
  3. 8

    25.4%
  4. 7

    10.7%
  5. 6 (Average)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. 5 (Average)

    7.4%
  7. 4

    2.5%
  8. 3

    0.8%
  9. 2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  10. 1 (Poor)

    6.6%
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  1. Jedi_Xen

    Jedi_Xen Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 26, 2001
    Ill give it a 7. I finally just read it. hmmm Although R.A. Salvatore was ordered to kill Chewie, and it is supposed to represent the that nobody is safe, I felt it was very unnecssary.

    I also didnt like when he tried to describe up. Instead of saying Yomin Carr looked up or he climbed up. It would say, Yomin Carr looked up, up, up. What in the blankety blank, is he Superman? Up, up and away.

    The Vong is an intresting concept, good to get a break from this Empire-vs-Republic scene, it was getting a little old. From what I've seen of the rest of the NJO, the Vong seems to be very Borg like. Too strong with no real weaknesses. Ill reserve judgement for when I read the other books, but it seems to be a bit dark.
     
  2. Marvolo

    Marvolo Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2006
    When I first read Vector Prime, I proclaimed it "the best Star Wars book, ever." Since then, my opinion on the subject has changed (having read more SW books), but VP remains as one of my favourites.

    First and foremost, I love this book for what it and the rest of the NJO did for the EU. At last, the heroes of the Star Wars movies face real villains instead of the latest Imperial Remnant mop-up job, the latest superweapon, or yet another one of Luke's students turned evil. Salvatore did an outstanding job of making villains such as Nom Anor ruthless, brutal, and downright scary. The Vong are a huge threat to the order built by the New Republic. People and worlds are changed by the events of the story, and they will never be the same again. Therefore, Vector Prime was the first expanded universe novel, in the true sense of the words. These aren't the usual daily adventures of Luke, Han, and Leia, nor are they background stories to the films. The New Jedi Order is a series in which compelling characters and an extensive and fantastic universe must change. Also impressive was the development of new characters, or previously minor characters (such as the Solo children, Danni Quee, etc.), who were brought to the forefront of the story in Vector Prime.

    Characterization of the movie personalities was spot-on. Salvatore pulls this off without having characters shamelessly quote their movie selves, something a few Star Wars authors are guilty of. The real strength of Salvatore's work in the novel lies in the character-driven conflicts of Vector Prime. Instead of simply throwing the characters of Star Wars into the middle of another crisis somewhere in the galaxy, Salvatore adds another dimension to the story through the characters' interactions with one another, their perceptions of other characters, and their reactions to events. This may sound fairly basic for a fictional story, but these elements are either lacking or very weak in most Star Wars novels that I've read. In Vector Prime, the major characters, whether they are movie characters or created for the expanded universe, must not only face this new threat to the galaxy, but also each other and themselves. In this sense, the characters of Vector Prime are very real and familiar. They act like normal human beings (most of them are human, anyway); they disagree, they unjustly blame others, they are frequently wrong, and they see their own weaknesses. And as a result, some of them lose hope, some become stronger, and some come into conflict with others. But most importantly, they change instead of remaining stagnant personalities. Salvatore does an excellent job of putting characters in compromising situations that shake them to their core. As a result, some among them emerge altered, and readers are able to sympathize with the character along the way.

    My only complaint is that some of the lightsaber fights were described in detail to the point where one's eyes glaze over due to being sick of having to read about every movement someone makes while fending off an enemy. The space battles were well-done, but the rest of the action scenes were unnecessarily detailed, and tedious as a result.

    An excellent start to the NJO. 9.
     
  3. RebelSniper

    RebelSniper Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 29, 2006
    10, I can hardly remember it now, but I DO remember that it was GOOD and launched the epic that was NJO, so it's deserving of a 10 in my book.
     
  4. JainaRox

    JainaRox Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 23, 2006
    I can't say this is mt favorite except it that emohasizes Leia's jealousy of Mara and Jaina.
     
  5. Obilieveinme

    Obilieveinme Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2005
    Just read it and I'm excited to move on to the next one. The only thing that kept it from being perfect was Danni Que. Boring, though not extremely.

    As I've gotten to this point in the novels...I have been kind of dissapointed with Luke. I know he has flaws, but his powers seem to be underplayed while others are overplayed. Some may be laughing now knowing that I will be surprised...i hope so.

    I frankly don't see how anyone couldn't like this book. It was one of the best First books I have read.
     
  6. 501st_commander

    501st_commander Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2006
    good book definatly a 9, great action and perfect step in changing the star wars universe
     
  7. starwarsr5d4

    starwarsr5d4 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2007
    i don't understand one thing in this book or any other njo book i have read from vector prime to balance point and that is this, what is the difference between kyp durron viewpoint and luke skywalker viewpoint of what the jedi sould be. if i have read right then kyp believe in the old republic way of thinking that the jedi should be mediators and a police force. isn't that what the jedi should be
     
  8. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    Upped by request.
     
  9. MistrX

    MistrX Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 20, 2006
    I thought that this book does a decent job with introducing our new villain and making them actually feel like a threat. The YV do resemble some of our past bad guys, but in an even more extreme sense. Reading this first book, I am wondering just how the heck our good guys are supposed to stop a force that seems so dominating, especially considering they can't pull crazy stunts like they do in this book every time. Like every seemingly unstoppable villain, I'm sure, as we learn more and the protagonists do as well, they'll find the weaknesses that they can exploit and allow them to overcome their enemy's apparently unbreakable technology.

    So, the Vong seem rather threatening, the story's all right. It's a good book, but nothing really elevates it past that.

    Except for one thing, of course, and that's Chewie's death. Even having known about it for seven years before I even read it, it's still a powerful moment. And Han's reaction really drives it home. I thought that that was well done.

    Something I also enjoyed was the development of the Solo kids. It may be because they're growing up and getting closer to adulthood, but this felt like the first book where they truly seemed like actual characters, on par with the adults. I think I'll enjoy reading about them.

    8/10
     
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