Zahn/Stackpole: Too popular?

A good many of s like and enjoyed reading both MAS and TZ' early works, TTT and XW1-4 are both good fun reads.

Yet did we like them too much? Did we in raving about the books or rather buying in large quantities, convince LFL that these authors were too important to lose?

The evidence of both authors later works is quite interesting. In both IJ and HOT each author recast events in the SW EU, that they were given licence to do so by LFL when no other author was allowed such an opportunity deserves scrutiny.

Did LFL allow MAS and TZ excessive latitude because of the SW book sales attributed to them? Is it possible LFL or perhaps the editors at Bantam came to see them as indispensable? That though their egos grew and they wished to recast SW into their universe, it was not felt possible to tell them no?

This is not an anti-TZ/MAS. Note I have not mentioned the flaws of the later works in details or the merits of the earlier ones, I consider both to be well known.

What I am concerned with is whether our liking for the stories of these authors, ended up skewing the EU into a direction different from that it might have taken. What if a different author had concluded Bantam's tale?

Or do I over rate the effects of fandom and book sales on the creation of SW EU?

I invite all and any responses to these qeries,

Jedi Ben

 

I think fans do make a diffrence. IMO, its why Allston got a NJO duology. Hes a popular author.


I think the biggest thing though was that they were given novels with the greatest freedom. Stackpole concentrated on his character, Zahn had to wrap up the Bantam tales. Maybe it'd have been better if they hadnt got the major assignments?

 

Perhaps but maybe a few stringent gidelines, like:

Don't use your characters to slag off other author's stories! Just provide a finale tale!

MAS should have been happy with showing Coruscant being taken, XW1-4 was his best but then he apparently got the OK to make Corran a Jedi. Why not have Corran in Luke's second class, a couple of years after JAT? The reason being Corran was ambivelent on whether he wished to take that step. Add in a new threat which Luke considers minor yet one that tests a new Knight to the full.

What not to do: Have it set alongside existing material, which it then goes to knife the life out of.

Jedi Ben

 

Well, imh, MAS and TZ worked very closly with each others work, making continuity better.

Some of the other authors, like like VM and BH sort of messed up the sw universe alittle, note using a lot of the same situations and planets and characters TZ and MAS used.

 

Well, imh, MAS and TZ worked very closly with each others work, making continuity better.

With each other. Not the rest of the SHARED universe