When did Luke come across as hypermasculine in shadows of Mindor? And we've seen people survive absurd injuries before in SW (Maw, Maul ect)
Someone please blow up the Falcon already. I'm glad there were no Solos in Legacy. Leia never should have been a Jedi. Just because you have Skywalker blood flowing through your veins does not mean you're Jedi material. I hate Saba. I'm not impressed with huge displays of Force powers. Palpatine. Not impressed. I like Ben but I wish he had been a girl. I never read Traitor. I hate Coruscant. If one of the big three had to die tomorrow, I would pick Leia. I don't get the huge fuss over Kyle Katarn. I hate that Jacen had a child. I don't really like Thrawn. I probably would have preferred if Lando never married.
How familiar are you with Miller's comics work, particularly Batman? I'm more thinking of Windu, but both Jacen and Ganner in Traitor and Luke in Mindor have more of the overly stoic attitude that grates on me from All-Star Batman and Robin. Luke is significantly better in Mindor than the others, I admit. To me, though, Stover's just a pile of problematic philosophical stances combined with pretentious wannabe literary styles. He's got loads of talent and I can see the appeal, it just turns me way off instead of on.
Denning seems to enjoy over the top violence when it doesn't really serve the plot. Granted, Stover is also very big on over the top violence- his Acts of Caine books are the king of this, even though the violence is completely called for in the setting- yet I find they don't tend to pervade his Star Wars books when they're not needed. In addition, Denning seems to have that "dark for darks sake" thing that Miller, especially late crazy Miller, does, where I'd argue that Stover's book are often the opposite of dark and solemn. All of his Star Wars books have a light at the end of the tunnel, even Revenge of the Sith (which is done much, much better in the novel than in the movie), where Denning is perfectly fine turning Jacen to the dark and then killing him. Some of Stover's characters do have Milleresque tendencies; I'd imagine Hari Michaelson (Stover original) and Dark Knight Returns Batman would really enjoy having a beer together. That said, I also think he's capable of writing pacifistic, gentle, and overall "nice guy" characters that aren't total straw men like they are for Frank Miller. Luke Skywalker and quite a few of his originals in particular. Haven't read Traitor so can't comment on how he handles Jacen. Still, I'm not sure I'd be unkind enough to compare Denning to the drek that is All Star Batman and Robin. Maybe Sin City and 300? I absolutely love that Luke portrayal; I honestly prefer it over Zahn's. Same gentle, introspective farmboy we know, but was perfectly willing to stand up for himself. Apparently that totally disappears when Luke is around Mara
I personally love the whole cross between Joe Abercrombie and Gene Wolfe style he's got going on, but I could see how it might be a bit repulsive to some. Even I get annoyed by Stover's insistence on capitalizing important phrases (this is bumped up to 11 in his original work). I actually like some of the literary techniques Stover uses; for example, I thought his use of second person in Revenge of the Sith was brilliantly executed. On the other hand, some fall flat. In Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle, he writes parts of the book from the gods point of view, and these POV's can get so abstract that they're a bit annoying to read. EDIT: Damn, double post.
I love Zahn's Luke, but I have this sneaking position that Zahn might have allowed Aeona to walk all over Luke. Nice to see at least one book where Luke has a backbone.
Hmm. I thought this was just a way to let off steam, especially for those of us who want a safe space to just yell "I don't like this" and then get back to talking about more popular things. But if people are okay with some discussion, I can do it for a bit. Sam Jackson. Who is, actually, a big fan of Frank Miller. I appreciate both Jackson and Miller's work, but it really doesn't speak to me. Stylistic concerns are the realm of detailed explication essays, but suffice to say I admire Stover's willingness to use new writing tools, but don't think those tools are as well integrated into the Star Wars tone and themes as, say, Allston, who also uses some very sophisticated stylistic tools, but isn't nearly as flashy about it. I see - that's a fair response. I personally don't have that reaction to Stover, but perhaps it is a bit unfair to compare almost anything to ASBAR. And I agree completely that Stover has more going on than Denning. I love Zahn's Luke. Stover's Luke is actually probably a lot better than I give him credit for, but the plot events surrounding him were troubling to me. Honestly, I should probably reread the book, since I have so many conflicted feelings about it. I can see where you think Zahn's Luke lets people walk over him - but I didn't really see that in Survivor's Quest. More in Vision of the Future, which is extremely deliberate, as Zahn is, OOU trying to address the conflicting versions of Luke and get it back to a characterization he finds palatable (which I am completely in favor of doing), and IU showing the effects the history has had on Luke. It worked for me, especially after being frustrated with several of the SW books and Luke's portrayal in them.
I hate Troy Denning I hate Dark Nest/LOTF/FOTJ, especially Tempest, Allies, and Ascension Denning's Barabels are annoying, and come across as know-it-alls and holier-than-thou I hate Saba Sebatyne I dislike Aaron Allston. The man writes every character as 14/15 year olds Karen's Mandalorians are fine but a bit shoe-horned into her works but not in the same godawful way TD shoe-horns in Saba Sebatyne I hate the Mortis Trilogy in TCW I hate Ahsoka Tano I hate Dark Empire, DE II, and Empire's End I hate TFU I dislike Cestus Deception, everything was too stoic I hate Cloak of Deception, it's just filler and boring I hate Millennium Falcon, the novel was filler, stoic, and boring KotOR (first game) sucked I hate Revan (both novel and character) TOR is horrible I hate Drew Karpyshyn I hate TCW pansy Mandalorians I love Bill Deitz's Dark Forces trilogy I like Karen's portrayal of Boba Fett KotOR II rocks I love Jedi Exile Meetra Surik is a godawful name, and bears no relation to Jedi Exile I like Rosh Penin I love Jedi Trial, Planet of Twilight, Crystal Star, Children of the Jedi I love the YJK series
I'm largely indifferent to KOTOR II, Kreia is extremely overrated, and I think Meetra Surik is an awesome name.
Really? This is the unpopular opinions club. We already know people don't approve...I don't think expressing it constantly is helpful in this thread...
Nice conviction in your views, @GrandMasterKatarn, but a lot of those aren't really unpopular, especially the stuff about Denning, TCW and Drew K.
Certainly your right to do so, I just was hoping to have a space where we could let off steam on things that bother us without worrying about being disliked or criticized for it.
Wait, Karpyshan isn't popular? I thought general opinion was that his stuff was awesome (opinion that I do not share, sadly).
TFU2 ending is the best ever and not appalling at all. Daala being COS was a great idea. Jaina killing Jacen was another great idea.
He's really hit or miss, it seems. I personally like the Bane books, but I know a lot of people here who've expressed great displeasure toward them.
