A&A The Official Alan Dean Foster Discussion Thread

The novelization to Star Wars: A New Hope was ghost written by Alan Dean Foster. Alan has written many novelizations to movies over the year. His latest Star Wars novel is a prologue to Episode II, which is titled 'The Approaching Storm'.

Website: http://www.alandeanfoster.com/
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Discuss Alan's novels and aspects of his writing in this thread. You never know, Alan might drop by from time to time!

 

Foster's "Splinter of the Mind's Eye." was my first book I ever read of Star wars. So I was pleased when his latest came out, "The Approaching Storm". So far I like it, I especially liked the way he characterized Anakin...not too good (given his future), but not bludgeoning us with heavy foreshadowing to the point where you could swear you could hear Vader's breathing behind you.

I just have one problem with TAS, Foster uses something like Third Person Omniscient in this book. The effect is that when you're in Obi Wan's P.o.V. it jumps to Anakin's, which can be very confusing to me, because it happens often in the same page or paragraph. I wind wondering who said or thought or felt what, I wish he would have stuck with good old Third Person Limited.

 

Im not crazy about ADF. I consider SotMe one of my least favorite of all of the EU, even taking into account the fact that the author had next to nothing to work with. Nevertheless, I found myself feeling the same way where TAS was concerned. I felt that this book had great potential but the managed to fall flat on its proverbial face. ADF used 200 + pages to tell us about a pointless journey on a alien world, leaving us with an ending that was anticlimactic at the very least. And Anakin's character was virtually invisible, the few throwaway lines he was given doing nothing to help his character grow. But, I will say one thing good about ADF : His writing style has improved a great deal since SotME, and that is the sole reason I kept reading this book. That, and the fact that it is Star Wars.

Well, I'll end it there. Since this is and ADF Discussion and not a bash session, out of respect for the author and his many fans I will end my pointless ramblings...now.

 

Has anyone read any of Alan's original novels? Ie: novels not in someone else's universe.

 

Not yet, but I plan to someday.

ADF is in my top 5 favorite SW authors, right up their with Zahn, Stackpole and Daley.

 

Has anyone read The Dig ? I bought it last week, but I haven't read it yet... I'm a fan of the Lucasarts game, though - thus the decision to buy it.

 

Actually I liked the atmosphere of the 200 pages to which they travel on Ansion. And I like to think that in regards to Anakin ADF, Del Rey, and LFL were trying to tease us into watching Ep. II (I think they spent too much money publishing a book and all if that was what they were trying to do in TAS. They could've just told me AotC is coming and i'd have said, "Believe me, I'm already in line.").

 

The Dig ???

Someone HAS to have read that book... No ?

 

I read The Dig, as well as his Alien Trilogy novelizations. I enjoyed them all, and also SotME. I was, however, severely disappointed with TAS. The floating POV and other things annoyed me and made it more of a chore than a pleasure to read the book.

 

I have the audio version of The Dig, but I didn't like it all that much. Splinters of the Mind's Eye was decent, but not great.

 

I am a big fan of ADF.
I have read most of his works and particularly enjoyed SOTHE.

Give him a try sometime, you will find him well worth the effort.

 

SOTME was my first foray into the EU, and I liked it even though I thought it was gross that Luke was having romantic feelings about his sister...YUCK! If only ADF knew at the time when he wrote SOTME.
The one thing I did not like about that book was that there was no Han or Chewie.

 

Ambrose Bierce once defined "Novel" as "A short story padded," and Alan Dean Foster proves Bierce's assertation every time that he sits down at his word processor. His most recent effort, "The Approaching Storm", actually contained about fifteen pages of plot, and about 385 pages of redundant characterization and borish plot devices.

"The Approaching Storm" is a muddle of poor characterization, amateurish writing style and gimicky action sequences.

For example, it was excellent of Mr. Foster inform the reader that Anakin hates politics and that he has the tact of an air-hammer. On the other hand, it was very rude of Mr. Foster to insult the reader's intelligence and point this out in rougly every third paragraph.

The Jedi Padawan, Barriss Offee, holds some great dislike for Anakin. Why? That is not ours to know. Barriss criticizes Anakin for his brashness every other time she speaks to him, although she never thinks before acting. She falls for every lameass trap and plot device that Foster throws in the path of the Jedi and nearly gets herself or someone else killed numerous times. Yet Obi Wan and Luminara repeatedly praise her while they wince everytime Anakin speaks or acts.

Simply ridiculous.

Mr. Foster, if you chance upon these comments, do the world a favor and stick to writing children's books. Quite honestly, I don't believe that even they would appreciate the way that you write down to your audience.

 

I read "The Dig"!

 

Does the Approaching Storm have any real ATOC spoilers in it, or is it a safe read?

thanks,
Lono

 

It didn't spoil anything in AotC for me, but it's not really worth reading. Definitely wait for the paperback if you must read it.

 

Yeah what Darkside said.

Except the part about it not being that great.

It is hands down my favorite EU ever.

Keep in mind I don't really have a lot but I don't seem to look for the stuff some of the lit guys look for.

 

I'm with Weezer on this one
It was a great read!

- CGD

 

I'm with Weezer on this one
It was a great read!

- CGD

 

GrandMoffMoff wrote:
"The Approaching Storm" is a muddle of poor characterization, amateurish writing style and gimicky action sequences."

Oh, I so agree. There is more description of the animal and plant life on Ansion than there is of the actions of Obi-Wan, Anakin and the other Jedi. Obi-Wan told a story. It was a good story. But does the reader get to hear the story? No. Lazy writing. If you're going to bother mentioning what a wonderful story Obi-Wan told, then please bother to make it up.

The entire final, climactic meeting that the whole trip built up to was paraphrased. Anyone can write something along the lines of "there was much talk. There was much laughter, and tears." But for such an crucial scene, please bother to describe it for us.

Just MHO, of course. But I get bothered by authors who use the Star Wars brand to create their own wonderful science fiction-y planets, flora and fauna but use the Star Wars universe so sparingly, as if the GFFA characters were merely an afterthought to their own, already-written novel.

 

Alan Dean Foster...

The ANH novelization is the greatest SW novel ever IMHO.

I greatly disliked SOTME. (For a variety of reasons; to be fair, some of them, like the budding romance between Luke and Leia, were not Mr. Foster's fault.)

So ya win some, you lose some!

TAS was all right for me. The moment that sold me on it was the song at the campfire.

I heard a rumor that Mr. Foster was under consideration for writing the Episode III novelization. I'd definitely give him my vote of confidence for that.




Rick McCallum loves you!

 

I think Alan Dean Foster did a great job with Approaching storm. Of course he didn't do much expanding on Anakin or Obi-Wan, what with AtoC right on the heels of his book, he probably wasn't even allowed. I loved hoe he described Ansion and he did a great job with Luminara and Bariss. I am of the opinion that not every star wars novel has to be another super weapon, sith lord, or alien invasion threatning the galaxy. While I do like most of those types of books, it is nice to read a book with a change of pace. Where the events are important but not to the point of succedd or the galaxy is destroyed. Mr. Foster I say keep up the good work.

 

Guys, you're scaring me now. I won't obtain The Approaching Storm unil paperback version, but all I hear is poor writing technique. Is it worth in anyone's opinion that I buy it when I can, or is the recommended concensus to avoid?

I heard there are even parts that have mixed perspectives, from one character's viewpoint and suddenly, without paragraph breaks, to another's. Is that horrible mistake true? Cunnigham did that, too.

 

A CALL TO ARMS: BOOK ONE OF THE DAMNED
ALAN DEAN FOSTER

For eons, the Amplitur had searched space for intelligent species, each of which was joyously welcomed to take part in the fulfilment of the Amplitur Purpose. Whether it wanted to or not. When the Amplitur and their allies stumbled upon the union of races called the Weave, the Purpose seemed poised for a great leap forward. But the Weave's surprising unity also gave it the ability to fight the Ampiltur and their cause. And fight it did - for thousands of years.

Will Dulac was a New Orleans composer who thought the tiny reef off Belize would be the perfect spot to drop anchor and finish his latest symphony in solitude. What he found instead was a group of alien visitors - a scouting party for the Weave, looking for allies among what they believed to be a uniquely warlike race: Humans.


I found this title on the Collins Booksellers' site, by Allen Foster. Is it any good?

 

I liked approachin storm because we got to see another master/Padawan group and I liked how Anakin and Obi Wan reacted to each other when Anakin started to unsheath his lightsaber because one of the Aiwa insulted his master. I also think that we should have heard Obi Wan's story but it was good that even after ten ears of being together Anakin is still learning things about Obi Wan