A&A The Official Sean Stewart Discussion Thread

A Texan by birth, a Canadian by upbringing, Sean Stewart is a very good writer and a welcome addition to the EU, as far as I'm concerned.

Sean Stewart's website

Passion Play (1992):The Redemption Presidency has transformed America. Adulterers are stoned. Executions are televised. But sin still exists. And so does murder...

It is a dark time. The great cities are dying, like the country, from the heart out. The Redemption Presidency tolerates vigilantes who kill according to Biblical example. The police subcontract freelancers to bring in criminals for quick and televised execution.

Diane Fletcher is one of these freelancers: a "shaper" cursed with the gift of seeing and feeling the emotions of others. Armed with hunter skills, she takes on the mysterious death of Jonathan Mask, a great actor found electrocuted in the costume of a demon. But even a shaper can become lost in the human labyrinth, where patterns of innocence, guilt, passion and deception lead inevitably into that treacherous territory between justice and vengeance.

Nobody's Son (1993): His life was a fairy tale come true.

The son of a commoner, Shielder's Mark had broken the spell of the Red Keep, which had plagued the land for a thousand years. Now he was the kingdom's greatest hero, able to name whatever reward he wanted from King Astin IV.

But the magic sword he claimed at Red Keep is taken from him. Life at the king's court is more complicated than he expected. And as for marrying the beautiful princess--well, happily ever after is harder than it looks.

Resurrection Man (1995): Dante stared and stared at the corpse, but a blindness waited behind his eyes. It was as if he couldn't see the body: couldn't grasp it, or what it meant.

He had never felt fear like this, not in the worst moments of his life. The angel madness was thick in him, and with it came the inevitable dread. His skin crawled as if trying to escape; goosebumps sprang up in patches on his arms and neck and prickled uncontrollably across his face. His eyes were open but he couldn't see.

Clouds End (1996): On an island near the edge of the Mist, Brook watched as a woman emerged from the clouds. She stood face-to-face with her twin?and her destiny. Tied to an irrevocable fate, Brook joined her twin on a perilous journey that would take them far from home, where they would become part of a story much bigger than themselves. Two women?spawned from the same soul?caught between the unreachable sky and the unfathomable sea...

The Night Watch (1997): It is now 2074. Magic has been in the world for as long as anyone can remember -- and has taken over. Children are sacrificed to gods and ghosts. Man-made machines have conquered the inner cities. And people who enter the forests are never seen again...

Mockingbird (1998): Toni Beauchamp never liked her mother's world of magic and visions and six strange gods that took over her body at will. So when her mother died, Toni and her sister Candy thought it meant a new beginning, a life free of magic. But Elena had one last gift for her daughter - a sip from the Mockingbird Cordial. And from the moment Toni held the drink to her lips, her life would never be the same...

Galveston (2000): This is your Basic "Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Everything, Girl becomes her Own Evil Twin, Boy Is Framed For Murder and Sent Along With Sidekick To Be Eaten By Cannibals, and Things Get Worse When The Weather Turns Bad" story.

Dark Rendezvous (Star Wars: A Clone Wars Novel) (2004): A battle-scarred Jedi returns from the frontlines with a surprising message for the Jedi Council -- Count Dooku wants to sue for peace. Dispatched to find out the truth behind this new development is the greatest Master of the Jedi order, Yoda.

The Glass Coffin?: "Sean Stewart has recently completed the manuscript for a new novel entitled The Glass Coffin." 1/9/00

 

Well, I'm really looking forwards to Yoda, which looks like it has an interesting plot. Mas, how are his other books?

 

Huh I hadn't heard about that book. Seems interesting though.

 

There's some stuff over at TOS about it. It looks pretty good. Can't wait to read it.

 

New Sean Stewart novel announced, coming in June:

Perfect Circle

Sean Stewart's much-anticipated eighth novel is a dark, funny, fast-moving thriller that you won't want to put down. Stewart was the lead author behind the innovative interactive web game known as "The Beast" (inspired by the film A.I.,) which became a break-out cult hit. He is the winner of the Arthur Ellis, Aurora, and World Fantasy awards, and the author of The New York Times Notable Books Mockingbird and Resurrection Man.

William "Dead" Kennedy has problems. He's haunted by family, by dead people with unfinished business, and by those perfect pop songs that you can't get out of your head. He's a 32-year-old Texan still in love with his ex-wife. He just lost his job at Pet-Co for eating cat food. His air-conditioning is broken, there's no good music on the radio, and he's been dreaming about ghost roads.

When Will's cousin ("My dad married your Aunt Dot's half-sister") calls in the middle of the night about a dead girl haunting his garage, it seems like an easy way to make a thousand dollars. But nothing is ever that simple, especially when family is involved. Will's mother is planning a family reunion of epic proportions. Will's ex-wife is married to a former Marine. His twelve-year-old daughter Megan thinks Will needs someone to look after him. And recently his dead relatives seem to want something from him.

-----

"Perfect Circle is a perfect read, exciting, unique, everything here but the Second Coming, but, Sean Stewart himself is the prize. What a talent. Write on, my man. Write on." -- Joe Lansdale, Sunset and Sawdust

"Stephen King meets Ibsen. Trust me." -- Neal Stephenson, The Confusion

"Needy Ghosts, bar fights, concealed weapons, R.E.M., and ramen noodles -- Perfect Circle is an irreverent Texas treat. Sean Stewart is one bright, funny writer." -- Stewart O'Nan, The Night Country

"Will Kennedy has some troublesome relatives.Ê Especially the dead ones. Perfect Circle is Sean Stewart at his spooky, funny, sad, and haunting best." -- Karen Joy Fowler, The Jane Austen Book Club

"Perfect Circle is a ghost story for grown-ups, frightening, funny, and finally redemptive. It kept me up way past my bedtime." -- Harley Jane Kozak, Dating Dead Men

I read it all in one gulp, by turns fearful and joyful for Stewart's likable loser protagonist." -- Cory Doctorow, Eastern Standard Tribe

 

Stewart comments on Dark Rendezvous:

Yes, it's true--I've written a Star Wars novel. Funny how life works out, isn't it? But... I was eleven when SW came out. I made a (sad and floppy) lightsaber by lashing a length of PVC tubing to a flashlight with black electrical tape, demonstrating in the process why I was not cut out to be an engineer.

One of the things that made this project appealing was the chance to write about the Big Questions -- truth and pain, the difficulty of right action and the Problem of Evil -- in a context that, like, half a million people, many of them kids like the one who made the lightsaber, would stop to read.

Plus for twenty years I have wanted to write a really killer swordfight scene, and I finally got my chance.

 

Where did this come from?

 

Mastadge, thansks for carrying on the forum that I started... thanks for adding new author discussions!

Sean Stewarts novels sound awesome, I especially like the synopsis for Passion Play... I may have to order that from amazon.com!

 

New interview with Stewart. No mention of Star Wars, alas.

 

This one's coming out on November 23, right ?

 

Should be sometime around then, yes.

 

Just to say - excellent book.

The whole thing just seemed so much like Yoda...funny, mischievious, yet with a very deep message behind everything. Asajj Ventress in particular gained a great deal from this novel.

 

Dark Rendevous may be my favorite EU book. Stewart captured the characters so well it felt like one of the films. I actually powered through it in 3 days ruining my productivity in the process. Excellent work Sean!

 

DR was amazingly good, as improbable as it may be :Mr. Stewart should write more Star Wars.

 

Has he ever been to these forums? If so, can anyone prvide a link to his profile?

darth_nemisis

 

Can do...

 

I am currently reading Yoda-Dark Rendezvous, man am I loving it! It is great!

Anyone have that info? Or does he not have one?

darth_nemisis

 

I don't think he does, but if you go on his site, he does have an email adress.

 

Speaking as somebody who generally can't stand the EU, I have to say I was quite impressed by Dark Rendevouz.

 

So his next EU book will be out when?

Dark Rendezvous was great. One of the best Star Wars books I've read in a long time.

 

Man, I absolutely loved Dark Rendezvous. I had picked it up because I heard that there was actually some mention of handmaidens in it, (THANK YOU FOR THAT, MR. STEWART!!!!!) and I was completely blown away by the books. Awesome character, awesome plot. I can't think of any bad points in that book.

I hope they get him to write a lot more EU books.

~Jenn

 

Loved the book. Excellent read. One of the best Clone Wars novels released.

 

I read DR several months ago. Possibly my favorite Star Wars EU book ever. Stewart really nailed his Force analogies and the story was great. I hope Stewart writes again someday.

 

Yeah, DR is definately one of the better EU books. His descriptions are brilliant, especially of Whie and Scout. Their characters are brilliant.

 

Dark Rendevous was a great novel. Yoda, I would imagine, is not an easy character to capture, but Stewart really pulls it off: Yoda is humorous without being hokey, wise without being arrogant; I don't think I've ever enjoyed the little green guy more. The rest of the characters were equally rich, especially Whie. The basic plot isn't particularly strong, and the end somewhat anti-climactic - but Stewart makes up for any weaknesses and then some with his great characters and prose. I would love to see this guy write more for the EU.