Books Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void (Now the OFFICIAL, SPOILERS-ALLOWED release thread)

I would, but I'm trying to READ THE GODDAMN NJO.

 

GOOD DO THAT.

 

Just finished the book. Pretty awesome!

Spoiler

It was a really good book. I like the character of Lanoree Brock, and Tim Lebbon's writing in general. However I was a little disappointed how ambiguous it left Tre's fate. Also, people have said that they think that this is how Jaina and Caedus' arc in Invincible should've ended. But why...? It ended almost exactly the same! Dal lost an arm, Caedus lost an arm. Jaina killed Caedus in the midst of his final, desperate action; Lanoree killed Dal in the middle of his final, desperate action. What is the difference?

 

Not necessarily the battle, but the journey to get to the battle is what I'm talking about.

 

Oh, I see.

Spoiler

So you're saying Jaina should've been more dedicated to trying to redeem Jacen before she just gave up and said "let's kill him"? If so, then I agree with you there.

 

Yeah that and the flashbacks and stuff from her youth. Glad you agree!

 

Just finished reading it, loved the whole concept of the Jed'aii order and maintaining the balance between light and dark. Although it was really weird never reading the word lightsaber . I also liked how they set things up at the end of the novel for what could be a hugely epic series, almost like the NJO series in a way. There's so much they can do with this series its making go off the walls

 

I'm afraid they're already using that with the comic books. Unfortunate for those of us who don't enjoy comics.

 

Whether it becomes a series or not, I did enjoy it greatly for its prose, use of flashback and the character of Lanoree. It felt 'Star Wars-y' enough with the planet hopping and differing political systems on each world, while Lanoree showed growth throughout the book. I felt a lot of sympathy for Dal, who seemed to try hard to fit in, but couldn't. Later on, though, he just went batty All in all, I think I enjoy the comics more, however.

 

This was a very good book, not great, but very good. I've yet to read the short story by Ostrander.

It's interesting that, in common with the comics, the book tends to be stronger on environments and world-building than characters. The characters are adequate but I never really felt all that much attached to them, nor feeling for them.

On the other hand, the twin track narrative worked very effectively - with the story flitting between the present and past.

I would have wished that it didn't tie in with the comics. As a separate strand it would have made the era feel larger, with more going on. The forced tie-in detracts from that.

I do like how Lebbon does character and moral ambiguity though. This extends even to Lanoree, which is rare. Where the book shines though is in its villain. Dal is, by the end, quite crazy but has a method to his madness. The idea of someone who can touch the Force but doesn't want to, yet is situated in a society that revolves around doing so, is exceedingly well realised.

What is perhaps more depressing is that across the millennia the only constant for the Jedi, now and then, is fear and loathing from those they protect! I like X-Men as much as anyone, but should the Jedi be seen as similar? I'm not convinced.

Sequel? I'm not sure one is really needed and I'm not sure I'd rush to read these characters, which is a fair summation of the DOTJ era for me. It's interesting sure, but for me, more as intellectual exercise than a story that sucks me in. There were quite a few times when I had to encourage myself to keep reading due to the lack of pull.

 

The fear/loathing is from someplace, not movie-canon, in which the Jedi from the OT seemed a myth or superstition believed by the gullible, and the PT with its respectful 'Your Graces' address by Bail along with the awe inspired nervousness of Gunray in Phantom Menace. I guess the X-Men is a good comparison as any.

 

To date this is the only SW book I've read in a single day. I liked it, but it didn't really blow me away. I like the history of the era but the characters didn't seem authentic enough to me.

I also got my hands on the comics this week and the visuals are indeed stunning. I spent a half hour pining over the pictures in issue 0.

Question - does Lanoree Brock play no part in the comic books?

 

Thus far, no.

 

I wonder why they chose someone completely different for the novel.

Sent from my Secure-A3 comlink

 

Likely because the comic characters are seen as Ostrander's and it's more fun to create your own.

I really didn't want it to link into the comics.

 

So the authors of the comics could do what they wanted and the novel wouldn't interfere with those events, especially since the book and the comic were written by different authors. Knight Errant, on the contrary, has the same author for book and comic, allowing him to use the same events and characters.

 

Have we seen this concept art for the original cover? It's pretty cool. As concepts go. And one of the advantages of original art over photoshopping.

 

But after who know how long they would not be the Je'daii we meet in DotJ, unless they completely stagnated or were cryo-frozen they are now some think rather different just bearing the name Je'daii

The impression I got was that he was Force sensitive, just not in a higher level and he used that ability he had to build his mental walls; walls that also made him rather immune to the Force chasm


EDIT: also; am I alone in that I would have liked for Dal to succeed in activating a hypergate and escape into it just before it closes and Lanoree can follow

 

Gamiel - not alone there - Dal went bats=== all right, but not for an unheard of reason - I sympathized with his feeling of 'not quite good enough' for his society's norms. He could have become a Loki, I guess, and had a fresh shot at acceptance wherever the hypergate dumped him.

 

Just a note for those in or near London (UK) on March 20 - Tim Lebbon will be doing a signing from 6-7PM at the Forbidden Planet Megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue. You can get more information here on their website.

 

Was it ever made clear when this book takes place relative to the three comic arcs?

 

Takes place during the first one. After the history part of it is over.

 

*BUMP*

just read the paperback on my way home from the US and was pleasantly surprised. I saved Into the Void and Scoundrels as my last two Legends books, hoping they would redeem those awful excuses for "novels" in the Empire and Rebellion series. And they did! While Scoundrels was no big surprise, as Zahn almost always delivers, Into the Void by a SW newcomer surprised me a lot. I already read the comics and while I found them mildly entertaining they couldn't quite grip me really. The novel, though, was really one of the better EU works over the last decade and I just hope that Tim Leebon will get another shot a SW literature in the NEU.

 

I'm currently about 1/5 of the way through Into the Void, and I'll admit it's been a bit of a slog. Lanoree Brock is one of the least likeable protagonists I've ever encountered. She's so arrogant and aloof. I sense that this is intentional, but that doesn't really change the fact that I'm increasingly rooting for her to fail in hopes that it will humble her. Her only redeeming quality thus far is the love she has for her brother.

At this point the mystery aspect is about the only thing keeping me from tossing this one onto the ever growing pile of "did not finish" EU.

 

You know, I read this in one sitting last year and I don't remember a single thing about it.