The hatred I feel for the Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy

I just started reading Before The Storm about 2 weeks ago i'm about 20% through.So far so good!

 

Lukes part blows. Landos part....I enjoyed it the first time. Decent the second. Then i skipped it. I like it, but only some re-read value due to the non-essentiality of it and the lack of suspence about it...it doesn't fit in, but interesting. Yetheva part i loved. Showed greatly how politics plays into conflics, and how what is true and what the populace believes can be so greatly different and critical. The state of the military and the new interesting ships/arrangements were good, though most, sadly, were not seen (like the new carriers and cruisers). Wookie part was great.

Luke: zero out of ten
Lando: six out of ten
Leia: 8 out of ten
Chewie: 10 out of ten
Overall: Greater than the sum of its parts. I give it a 7 out of ten. Too much extra that isnt needed and takes away. Skipping through various parts of BTS and TT, and two thirds of SOL makes it much beter.

 

I like how Drayson was depicted as the dark side of the NR. Alpha Blue seemed to be the part of the government that got it's hands dirty and does bad stuff so the rest of the NR looks good.

There are a few chronological errors, but thus is the nature with pre-prequilogy books.

 

The Yevetha Thrustships are preety cool.

 

I thought the entire part with Luke was boring. The first part with lando was ok but the second and third book with lando stunk. The part with leia and the yevetha was pretty good. The part with chewie was the best. So if they would have forgotten the whole part with lando and luke and condensed the trilogy into one book about the yevetha it would have been alright.

So for the most part i agree with you. It was mostly boring.

 

The whole trilogy is written in a different style then the normal Star Wars books. I found that after I read some non-star wars books I liked most of it a lot more then the first time I read it (excluding the Luke), but I'm into military/techno thrillers like Clancy books. Depending on how you like Star Wars you will probably feel differently. I for example loved most of Crystal Star because it finally gave the kids some attention and explores what they actually do and not some annoying sub characters that most authors just throw aside.

 

this series is certainly the most "risky" of the bantam books in the sense that its author clearly thinks out of the box. The sections with Alpha Blue and the whole political side of things is facinating a very good read. Kube-Mac also clearly has a comprehension of warfare that many of the EU authors failed grasp. You get a clearer sense of military structure then even the hallowed x-wing series where everybody says lets go blow that up and everybody else says yeah and then it is done. Also the different means of approach between the different generals displays much more clearly then other book as to how it was possible for the rebels to have won the war being outnumbered and also having outdated weaponry.
If you skip the Luke storyline which is generally considered as being poor although necessary for the evolution of his character as well as preparing EU fans for the introduction of Pademe (sp?) in the PT. THis is an excellent trilogy which should have built on more in EU. But due to SW's very nature it has and will continue to attract bombs and bulliets fans rather then those who wish to see the storyline progress.

 

I concur.

The Black Fleet Crisis is probably the most competent story arc in the entirety of the EU. Each part challenges the reader and offers something no other piece of EU literature gave before or has given since (though I haven't read Traitor and I hear it may even be considered 'literate' by some...). More than Zahn's trilogy which simply introduced us again to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, more than Stackpole or Allston's witty and fast-paced X-Wing series - more than the whole of the NJO - the BFC simply outclasses them because of the loving attention to detail.

The Yevetha War section, in itself would make a terrific trilogy. Kube-Mcdowell, given the time, could have stretched it into a convincing long-term war, lasting possibly more than a year in SW time. New ships were introduced, commanders who actually thought and pilots who were not cardboard cutouts like the X-Wing characters (though I enjoyed those books, nothing's really surprising with those guys). The political aspect, exposing the NR and the Yevethan government, worked to flesh out a thinly created EU GFFA. The Yevetha themselves are terrific enemies, complex and with motivation that can be attributed to heroes as well as villians. The NJO disappointed me by copying them in the Yuzzhan Vong.

Lando's story is fun, whimsical and just pure entertainment. The interactions between the stranded members of his party are among the best exchanges in the EU and again, this offers a whole new look at life in the GFFA.

Luke's story understandably upsets the most people. It's a tough story, really, presenting a fallible Jedi Master and a very grey vision of the universe and the Force. It challenges us to comprehed Luke's humanity, his motivations, and to stop looking at him like he was a saint. Don't like the search for the mother? Well, he'd been fighting for around 14 years or so without break so now, after the Empire has "retired" from battle and things seem calm, it is understandable that he'd want to search. Hell, he found out his dad wasn't dead; maybe his mom survived too! It is not uncommon to search for long-thought dead family members. People do it after war; it's a natural thing. Why can't people stomach it? Akanah may not be a character easy to like, but she is an essential tool when it comes to questioning Luke's purpose in life.

People, you need to give the whole story another chance.

 

When I first read the BFC crisis I didn't feel that it fit in with any of the previous Star Wars writing. I stuck with them because I found the vagabond intriguing...I thought it was being set up for a much larger role. That and I have always liked Lando, and writing from his POV was nice. I didn't really like the trilogy...but didn't really dislike it either. I would be non commital when friends would ask about it...I didn't want to deter them from reading anything starwars!

Anyway, a few years later I moved out on my own and while I was waiting for my cable to be hooked up(took three weeks, very aggravating), I started rereading my collection and I found that I quite liked it. No, I wasn't thrilled with Luke, but wars will make a person wierd at times! I still liked and looked forward to the vagabond story line. And because there were more stories, it seemed to connect with the rest of the GFFA better.

With comparing it to other novels, I still haven't bought Crystal Star...I borrowed it from the library and never purchased it! Now I don't borrow Star Wars books from the library...if I buy it, it will force me to read it...even if I think it sucks. Speaking of which, I bought VP and when I read Chewies passing I wanted to throw it out the window and then see if I could get my money back!!! I'm much better now and don't think so harshly about VP!