A&A The Official Michael P. Kube-McDowell Discussion Thread

Michael is author of 'The Black Fleet Crisis' trilogy.

Website: http://www.sff.net/people/K-Mac/default.htm
Jedi Council Forums Username:

Discuss Michael's novels and aspects of his writing in this thread. You never know, Michael might drop by from time to time!

 

Has anyone else read his book, The Trigger?

 

Loved his perspective on the NR military and it's government. This book really helped to show that the Alliance had turned into the New Republic by giving it a credible working government and military.

 

his was one of the more political books which was great. i loved the intrigue and drayson was an awesome character. he brought life and fire to leia and made me feel outrage at some of the senetors, something few have done.

 

I too enjoyed his insight into the military and the New Republic Government...

 

K-Mac is my favorite SW author. Black Fleet Crisis = teh cool!

I hope to be getting another one of his books soon, for my birthday.

 

Is there anyway we can get him on the forums. I loved BFC. But there are a few questions id like to ask him (like the Akanah plot, and if it influenced by the announcement of the prequels).

 

I think it was written way before the prequels were announced.

 

K-Mac's non-SW books:
After the Flames (Allied Stars, Vol 11), published in 1985 (this is an anthology, one of the three stories of which is by K-mac)

Emprise (The Trigon Disunity, Book 1), published in 1985

Enigma (The Trigon Disunity, Book 2), published in 1987

Empery (The Trigon Disunity, Book 3), published in 1987

Alternities, published in 1988

The Quiet Pools, published in 1990

Exile, published in 1993

Isaac Asimov's Robot City, published in 1999

The Trigger, co-written with Arthur C. Clarke in 2000

Vectors, published in 2002

 

The Trigger actually looks really good. I might have to buy it.

 

The Trigger was interesting, if a bit slow at times. It's FAR from action packed, but goes a lot more in-depth about political ramifications and whatnot. It's worth the read.

I got a couple of the dates wrong in the list above, but everything's in the right order.

 

Yeah, the Trigger is really quite interesting; though his Star Wars books aren't as much appreciated as they deserve to be.

I did an interview with him here here; speaking about both the Star Wars books and The Trigger.

 

Let it be said here that I am guessing he is writing NJO HC#5.

 

I really hope you're guessing right, IATDS. I loved the BFC. Well, except the Luke-Akanah plotline that is. But even that had very interesting points and was especially good at the beginning.

 

Kube is underrated. He's among my favorite SW authors. I love the BFC.

 

I didn't mind MPM's writing, though I thought that this particular trilogy was just 'all right'. The storyline was great, and I enjoyed that The only thing I particularly didn't like was the characterization of Leia, I found her to be almost too severe...it seemed too against her nature.

 

Michael is a fantastic writer, but IMHO failed to research enough for the BFC. The simple fact that he made a fleet carrier built at a site nobody has heard of and will hear of again really made me mad.

He also had to go create all these new species, ships, and planet, he didn't do a great job combining other works.

 

Good point ChissDude, though with the release of the Essential Chronology, it makes perfect sense why he did (fleet wise). It is the expanded universe anyways, and he did expand it considerably. I liked how he described Coruscant.

 

Yeah that's true, Kansas, he had every right to, but he lost consistancy with characters like Fey'lya during the time, which IMHO, is not good.

I still have a problem with where the Interpred(spelling?) was built. It mentions a shipyard with a "H", but know other authors ever took that little tidbit. That will come back to haunt in the NJO...

 

Hakassi. There are several shipyards. KDY has yards all over the galaxy.

 

I haven't read the book in a couple of years and now I gave them away but the funniest part I remember is when (and i think it is htis trilogy, not the corellian trilogy? Admiral Ackbar's code to get into someplace were all Hebrew letters. I recognized them. zayin, maybe lamed, and some others.

Had to mention that.

 

The BFC was some of the best written novels in the Bantam era. They truely captured what the feel of politics and the military should be...

The Lando/ Vagabond plot was very good, Lobot and C-3P0 had some great moment together.

Lukes plot sucked.

The Yevetha were a great break from the Empire, and it was refreshing for a new Villan.

And poor Liea, votes of no confidence and what happened to Han, poor, poor Liea.

And one thing In Lucenos NJO duology was the BFC characters popping in, taht was cool. THough that Nylykerka fella, from analyst to Cheif, If he become CoS, watch out Clancy!

 

I agree. Until the AoC duology Id thought that we'd seen the last of General Ab'at (sp).

 

Yes, I'm glad Luceno brought back some of K-Mac's characters. They were pretty interesting.

 

I really enojoyed the BFC and the writing, so much so that I went out and bought a bunch of Kube-McDowell's books. And that's not an easy feat seeing as most are out of print. By far my favorites are the Emprise, Enigma & Empery Trilogy, and Alternaties. Quiet Pools comes in close. This is a big feat for me, mostly because I'm not a big Sci-Fi reader and his stuff is pretty hard core.

I mostly liked his characterizations. He brought some of the characters to life for me.