Sidious618's Guide to the Novels

>>>It's hard to find a good Zerg-Kerrigan-voice these days. <<<

With StarCraft: Ghost somewhere in development, the closest thing we've had to a new StarCraft game was Halo. The three races are about the same...

But the GBG version of Linn is whacky. I had no idea who she was until I read DM:SH and even then I was left with "What the Hoojib?" She looks like Aurra Sing in black, with wings like those in JC:Acts of War.

 

so is this topic locked or not? Im all for keeping it

 

Not locked. Rather a misunderstanding.

I'll be updating with Rogue Planet tomorrow night.

 

Title: Rogue Planet Story 3 of Season One
Author: Greg Bear
Main Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Tarkin, Vergere, Blood Carver and Sienar
Relative Backround Information:
Before: A good grasp on the characters and events of The Phantom Menace.

After: Anakin Skywalker has a love for danger as seen in Chapter One. He still hasn't shaken off his love for speed. When we see him next in the Approachin Storm he has mellowed quite a bit. He seems to have mellowed during the events of Jedi Quest(especially the last four novels or so).

Obi-Wan is unsure of how to train Anakin and how to curb his relentless behavior. This is seen in Chapter One(what can I say- almost everything is seen in Chapter One and Two as they make up half the book. The other 60 chapters are half a page long).

Tarkin is apparently in league with a higher force. If this higher force is Palpatine the Chancellor or Sidious the Sith(that sounds like the name of a children's book) we cannot say.

The Yuuzhan Vong make their first chronological appearance(although they are mentioned in KoToR).

Zonama Sekot makes its first chronological appearance.

Important Events/Continuity Notes:
Plenty of big events happen in this novel. We have the Far Outsiders AKA the Yuuzhan Vong. These batch of Yuuzhan Vong seem to be a scouting party.

Zonama Sekot is established as a living planet which is capable of producing extremely fast ships. Then it leaves that galaxy. And...er...that's it. Zonama Sekot does appear again in Force Heretic: Reunion where it does something.

Oh, wait. No it still doesn't. We have to wait until The final Prophecy.

However, that's neither here nor there.

We get a bit of Death Star trivia in this novel- apparently Tarkin's been involved with this whole project from the get go. He takes full credit for the project when he approaches Palpatine as Sienar gets cold feet.

This novel most notably ties into the NJO as opposed to the prequal era.


The Bottom Line(the review): A novel with much to offer but it sadly falls right onto its face. After a very boring first chapter the novel is never able to pick up the steam it needs. The characterizations are all right but nothing spectacular. However, the ending is unforgiveable. We don't see any resolution we are just told what happens in a few sentences. Sadly, this book is a downer.

 

I'm happy this was unlocked

 

So am I.

 

Story 4 of Season 1
Title: Outbound Flight
Author: Timothy Zahn

Backround Info:

Before: Must have read, at the least, Survivor's Quest.

After: TBA

Continuity Points: TBA

The Bottom Line: TBR

 

What? No comments on that insightful analysis?

Yeah, I'll be posting the whole thing when the book comes out but for now I just wanted to save its space. I'll be doing the Approaching Storm tomorrow.

 

Title: The Approaching Storm- Season One Finale

Author: Alan Dean Foster

Main Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Luminara Unduli, Barris Offee, Whatever the Hutt and Shu Mai

Relative Backround Information: All that is neccessary is to have seen the Phantom Menace.

After: Small tidbits fill the novel but overall nothing too spectacular. We do get to see Anakin in action for the first time(in the adult books) in the second chapter. The book also gives us a nice glimpse of Luminara and Bariss.

Important Events/Continuity Notes:
-We see here Shu Mai trying to gain more power by using her potential alliance with the Separatists to her advantage. The first chapter is a must read for anyone who is interested in the state of politics right before AotC.

-We get our first glimpse of Count Dooku in tihs novel, although he only gets a few lines. It is obvious, though, that he is using Shu Mai more than she cares to admit as seen on the last page. Dooku is adept at transforming setbacks, i.e. Ansion, to his advantage.

-Finally, the cover shows us Anakin and Obi-Wan together, and for many this was the first time they had seen the two in their AotC get up.

The Bottom Line(the review): A novel with so much potential yet it falls flat on its face because it is so mind numbinglhy, Martha Stewart boring. Besides the first and last chapter almost nothing of importance happens in this novel. It's the very definition of a run around, lots of pointless "incidents" yet no insiht is gained about the state of the galaxy. And that, really, should have been what this book covered. I was in 7th grade when this novel came out and I happily bought it, just having finished Cloak of Deception. I became ecstatic, eager to read about what led to the Clone Wars. And oh boy did that first chapter get me going! Then...nothing. However, the book does have a good title and a great semi-cliffhanger(which is why I made it the season finale).

P.S.- Sorry about the delay getting to this one. Also, sorry about the lack of content in the continuity notes- there just wasn't much to talk about.

 

Thanks!

 

bump


keep going!

 

So sorry for the delay, I was away and the I suffered from a disease called lazy. I seem to be kicking it now, though.


Title: Hard Contact- Story 1 of Season 2
Author: Karen Traviss

Characters: Darman, Etain, Hokan, Fi, Niner and Atin.

Backround Info:

Before:You need to have seen AotC and have a good knowledge about the Clones and their lack of choic.


After: A lot. We see that the clones are quite capable of forming close friendships with themselves and other Jedi. I wonder if Palpatine discouraged the clones getting too close with the Jedi? Perhaps he worried about some clones rebelling against the order. Then again, Palpatine worrying about anything is hard to imagine. He doesn't seem like a worry wart.

The companionship between our four commandos is interesting. When Darman gets seperated, Fi, Niner and Atin know they have to go on without him but keep finding themselves thinking about their missing ally/friend.

Finally we discuss the issue of aging: before this book no one had really discussed the issue of clones dying at a more rapid pace due to their accelerated growth. Karen Traviss gives us no easy answer for this one because there isn't.


Continuity Points: Not a whole lot but we do get to see that the Separatists are fooling around with bio-terrorism, something that certainly hits home in today's world.

We also see a Mandalorian working for the Separatists as a mercenary. Hokan is a typical Mandalorian remembering the past which ultimately leads to his death- a neat touch, I thought. This also tells us that Mandos did indeed work for the Separatists. In a great moment we see Hokan asking himself why Jango would ever allow himself to be cloned and used this way. That alone could make for a good novel, one I wouldn't mind seeing in the future.

Most of the nice touches are in the details.

The Bottom Line: A fantastic novel, not just a fantastic Star wars novel. Karen Traviss shows us that she's a hell of an author in one book- this feat is made even more incredible due to the fact that it's one of her first novels because it sure doesn't read like one.

She never takes the easy way out when she raises the tough questions about cloning- something that, again, affects us today.

What Karen realy got right, though, are the characters. Each person is well crafted, each clone an individual(an oxymoron almost but Karen shows us how it's not). I know I felt for Etain during the last few pages of this book, watching her seperated from her friends.

This one's a winner. I highly recommend it.

 

I'll be doing a new one by the weekend. School delayed me.

 

You forgot to mention the faults of Hard Contact. You only spoke briefly of the positives. Spin Oponn's coin for us . . .

 

Well, my review is just a wrap up, it's not really the whole point of it. However, I'll appease you- I thought the bioterror plot was a little too simple. Otherwise than that no other negatives come to mind.

 

Sure there are, the book had several deficiencies. Villians flat characterisation, flat finale, flat action scene variety . . .