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Books Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void (Now the OFFICIAL, SPOILERS-ALLOWED release thread)

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Lazy Storm Trooper, Sep 26, 2012.

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Would you read this novel

  1. Yes

    114 vote(s)
    89.1%
  2. No

    14 vote(s)
    10.9%
  1. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    Yeah, that was definitely a disturbing part of it.

    I'd give it a 5/5 stars, even though I have no knowledge of the Tython system - never played the video game that incorporated it and never read the comics.
    But it was good. It was a very well written novel that drew me in, that made me want to know more. There were things that made me laugh because all I could think about was "FINALLY!" The technology is barely there (considering what is there even 5,000 BBY), travel is almost non-existent, there are BOOKS and trains!

    Lebbon had a great focus on a true balance of the Force; the space between Ashla and Bogan; how too much of an extreme can alter you negatively. It didn’t read like it was based on a comic, but had rich language, history, and an interesting plot. In a way, Lanoree and Dal mirrored Jaina and Jacen, but uniquely, and in a way that humans tend to mirror each other at various points throughout history.

    I really liked how there were only a few alien species mentioned: Human, Wookiee, Twi’lek and even the Sith! The tight-knit grouping made it more realistic regarding its place in the timeline. I also enjoyed the fact that there was no romantic undertone – nor was one needed. The relationships were natural and flowed together well, even the ones that were opposite and negative. It felt real and not forced.

    Page 240 gave me a WTH moment:
    “Your brain will fall from your butt before that happens.”
     
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  2. Lazy Storm Trooper

    Lazy Storm Trooper Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 18, 2012
    Man. I got to get my hand on a copy.
     
  3. Manisphere

    Manisphere Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2007
    This book blew my mind. I loved Knight Errant but this was actually better. The structure was better. And Lebbon does character exposition beautifully. There was more depth to Lanoree than Kera Holt. Great prose. Great writer! I think the fact that it is a modest story warrants it being oversold. I think a lot of folks are going to miss this one and they shouldn't. There are few one-shots in SW that are this pitch perfect.
     
  4. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    I completely agree. I enjoyed Knight Errant but I couldn't remember much at the end. Into the Void provided me with insight and some fun thinking.
     
  5. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Got a copy ordered for £11.93.

    It has been bought on the strength of positive comments here....

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. SithLord_1270

    SithLord_1270 Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Was interesting in parts but not really impressed by it.
     
  7. FatSmel

    FatSmel Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 2012
    Just finished reading it. Not bad overall. Well written. Far too short though. A very dissapointing trend in Star Wars novels these days . . . what happened to the old days of 500+ page books . . . 260 pages for a hardcover is ridiculous.

    I liked Tim Lebbon's writing though, there just wasn't enough to the book
     
  8. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Off-hand I can name but 3:

    Vision of the Future
    Star By Star
    The Unifying Force

    SW books have never, sadly, been all that big.
     
  9. Dante1120

    Dante1120 Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2006
    Which is fine when it's a paperback, but the fact that Del Rey is pretty much going exclusively hardcover makes it annoying.

    Yay for Kindle.
     
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  10. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    260 pages is disappointing, especially as online info seems to suggest it's more than that.

    I tend to try to opt for a cost of £10-12 for a hardback, minimum of 300 pages, preferably more.

    The problem though is the discounts online for SW EU books have reduced from what they were, now the usual online price is £15-16 for an RRP of £18.99! :(
     
  11. The_Forgotten_Jedi

    The_Forgotten_Jedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 12, 2010
    This was a really good book. It really helped make clear the differences between the Je'daii and Jedi in a way that I feel the comic has yet to. They are extremely morally ambiguous, and their science projects are thoroughly disturbing.

    And talk about making their own villain.

    If the Je'daii had not tried to force The Force on Dalien and just let him go his own way, none of this would have happened. Instead they could simply never understand that someone might not want the Force or had no talent for it despite being born to two Je'daii. He may have gone mad, but Dal had every right to resent the order and his family for wanting him to be something he could not be, and would never want to be.

    Has there been any word on a sequel yet? There are some very intriguing plot threads left to follow that I'd like to see Lebbon handle.
     
  12. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    To be clear, I think Dalien was Force-sensitive -- he just hated the Force so much that he refused to develop his talents. The tension of the Je'daii understanding that he was resisting, but thinking that it was sort of a phase and if he just opened up he'd realize what he was missing and it's for his own good, was pretty interesting. You wonder how the Jedi would handle a similar situation now.
     
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  13. The_Forgotten_Jedi

    The_Forgotten_Jedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 12, 2010
    But if he was Force-sensitive, he would have become ill at the Chasm like the other Journeyers. He even stared into it without ill effect. I find it hard to believe that he was so vehemently opposed to developing his Force talents that he was able to block out the effects of the Chasm when even Je'daii Masters couldn't. Then again, maybe he was just born with some kind of odd Force-sensitivity that the Je'daii had never seen before. Like those twin Umbrians from Riptide.

    But the situation was extremely fascinating and speaks to a certain arrogance that the Je'daii have about their position and abilities automatically making them somehow better than the rest of the Tythan system's inhabitants and gives some credence to those who dislike them. It's funny: the Je'Daii are pretty much everything that Daala feared Luke's order could be.

    As for how the Jedi would have handled it: Luke's Jedi would have never recruited him after learning he was opposed to becoming a Jedi. Even if he had been born to a Jedi, he might not have ever started training. They're free to chose their own path, like Jesmin Tainer. The Old Jedi Order... I'm not sure. Likely sent to the agricultural corps at 13, but Dalien would have rebelled against that as well.
     
  14. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    I seem to recall the book mentioning that he was actively repressing his Force talents because he was refusing to develop them. He wasn't feeling the Chasm's effects because he had never developed his Force sensitivity enough to feel anything through the Force. I he had no potential whatsoever, though, I think the Je'daii would have picked up on it at some point.
     
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  15. The_Forgotten_Jedi

    The_Forgotten_Jedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 12, 2010
    That's a good point. It's just that when
    Dal captures Lenoree, he had her try to read him, and found that he had "nothing at all of the Force within him". He himself comments that "not many people are completely without your Force".
    That indicates to me he really was without the Force, and that Lenoree, her parents, and everyone else just thought they had to coax it out of him somehow. It was mentioned that there had been other people like him and that they were killed or perhaps exiled from Tython in the old days, but maybe the modern Je'daii tried to raise them so they could gain the Force somehow.
     
  16. FatSmel

    FatSmel Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 2012
    I don't know, to me it was very ambiguous. I've read it very closely and it still never clearly indicates whether he was:

    (a) repressing the force or
    (b) not force-sensitive
     
  17. darthcaedus1138

    darthcaedus1138 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 13, 2007
    IS DALIEN'S FUTURE WARU?

    I'm only kidding, but is it possible that this is something you haven't seen before? Sometimes the Force has been described almost as a muscle, and if you fail to use it, the power will deteriorate. But Dalien is openly hostile towards it, so perhaps the Force then rejected him, leaving him devoid of the Force? Or maybe he's just like a much smaller scale Vong thing....

    Regardless, I can really sympathize with Dalien here. When the Force is such a huge part of your life, to the point where it can overtake and control you at certain times, I'd think any person with an incredibly strong sense of free will would be threatened by it, because if you're not making the decisions in your life, what the hell does that mean about existence? And especially in light of what Lanoree did with her little science project (that was really creepy and dark and she didn't really delve into the major moral and philosophical issues involved in that, which I like about the character, she's really deeply flawed, but when this is the society you live in, of course weird experimentation is going to happen) I can definitely see how Dalien could be completely repulsed by the mere concept.

    I'd like to see more of Lanoree, whether that may be in the comics or in a sequel to this. Lebbon really created a character that lends herself well the era, something I kind of feel the comics haven't handled as well. I can tell that Lanoree is Je'daii, and much different than any Jedi character we've seen before.
     
  18. AlyxDinas

    AlyxDinas Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 2010
    So, I just finished this and I'm not going to dive too much into things but I will say that I enjoyed it. As a whole, I tend to really like stories set away from the Rebellion era. I think they give authors a lot more room to work and be creative.

    With something like Dawn of the Jedi, I think there's much more opportunity to examine and explore certain things. In the case of this book, I think the setting really aids the book in terms of exploring the nature of an individual and their relationship with the Force. This is partially due to the fact that the Je'daii have an incomplete understanding of the Force.

    Not only does this mean we can have a relatable and nuanced villain like Dalien but we can also have a protagonist with some interesting flaws. There's a moment when Tre points out to Lanoree that the Je'daii "intrude" and there's a great moment of introspection on Lanoree's part because she sort of has been thinking more of her mission than the people it can effect.

    The Noghri assassin blows himself up and it's not just Lanoree that's injured. Five people die; I believe there's even mention of a family being present. I don't think that the Lanoree at the end of the book would look at that incident the same way, even if she's later forced to distance herself from the fact that her being on Greenwood Station in the first place is what allows Dalien to cause its destruction. Sure, she's not responsible. Not really. But it's a sobering thing.

    Then we get to her use of alchemy and it's a moment where we really sit back and question her for a second, and we question Dam-Powl. This is some really dangerous stuff they're doing. And they both seem to relish what they can create. It's really, really dark. And it reinforces how the Je'daii are more than a bit out of touch with those who don't have the Force. That Dalien's a villain almost made entirely through their creation only highlight this even more.

    Yet, I still like Lanoree a lot. And want to see more.

    The book has some annoyances. I think someone mentioned that slugthrowers would have fit in better and I agree. For how far back things are, there's still not quite enough exoticism. Star Wars has a lot of technological status and this setting (and the Dark Age) really give a chance to buck the trend. Lebbon doesn't quite go for it, which is something of a disappointment.

    Side note: the guy really likes Cathar. I mean, I do too and I'm pleased that a fair bit of the dramatis personae non human but the guy has a lot of Cathar. The family during the Noghri bombing is Cathar, there's a pair of Cathar journeymen at Stav Kesh, a Cathar Stargazer, etc. And I know he can only really work with species that came from the Tho Yor but he could have diversified a bit more.

    Still, it is a good book and I really enjoy this era. Don't like having a comic in the middle of the book and I might suggest not getting this until soft cover but those are small issues at best.
     
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  19. s65horsey

    s65horsey Otter-loving Former EUC Mod star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 24, 2006
    Prefacing this post with the fact that I haven't read anything in this thread yet.

    I just got done reading this book and I was amazed. I got it from the library and didn't even know it existed so I had absolutely no expectations. I do read the comic so I'm a little familiar with the time frame.

    I cannot praise this book enough. I need to read it again though because the entire time I was reading it, I was realizing that this is the story that should have been written about Jaina and Jacen. I mourn the loss of that option, but I kind of feel satisfied on that storyline after reading this book. The parallels are there and I wish this author had been the one to write that other book.

    That said, the book was amazing on its own without those other thoughts. I sincerely hope this author is going to write another in this universe and I'd love to see what he can do with the main cast. It has been awhile in Star Wars that I have felt empathy with a character, we just don't get the right set ups for that anymore and I was absolutely heartbroken for Lanoree.

    I also enjoyed the force vision of Vader. I thought that was a fantastic subtle touch that wasn't throwing a movie reference in our faces.

    I also thought the use of the force was different and I highly enjoyed that. It wasn't the same old, same old and that was refreshing and educational about the time period. I guess I need to read the thread so I can figure out what to address, specifically, but I was just so blown away by this book that I can't even put my thoughts together anymore.
     
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  20. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Wow, it's already in a library? Must be a pretty damn good library. :p
    What? That sounds awesome/terrifying. What's the exact context, if I may ask?
     
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  21. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    I think that was Xesh, not Vader -- part of the tie-in to his arrival.
     
  22. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    All these dark-helmeted types look alike.
     
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  23. s65horsey

    s65horsey Otter-loving Former EUC Mod star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 24, 2006
    Todd the Jedi - I'm looking to find the quote so I can answer that. I thought she was knocked out at the time, but I'm not sure if it was then or just randomly when she was exhausted the one time.

    I'm behind on the comic so maybe that is why, but since when does Xesh wear a helmet?

    Edit: ok found it. "There is a figure. Tall, cloaked, armored, an unmarked helmet hiding its features. In its hand is a weapon the like of which she has never seen before. A sword, but strange, with pure force as its blade."

    Come on, Hav that could be Vader! :p
     
  24. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Xesh wore the helmet originally. He hasn't worn it since he landed.

    [​IMG]

    The DOTJ comic gang all had visions of Xesh when he entered the system, too, and that's why they ended up going to his crash site. Lanoree appears to have been one of the few to have the same vision -- she was just busy at the time. Which is interesting, as it suggests she may have a role to play in the events of the comic, going forward.
     
  25. s65horsey

    s65horsey Otter-loving Former EUC Mod star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 24, 2006
    Ahh right...his beautiful face just made me forget he ever had a helmet on! :p