Lit Reading NJO...Again

If so I want her appearing alive to meet Darth Caedus and them have one more talk finally... that'd be fun.

 

Nom Anor would totally sign that for he's experienced in faking martyr deaths with A-Wings.

 

This part is exactly the problem I have with Ganner. If it had just been his sacrfice that would been a cool moment. But then being told, not shown, that the Vong remember him as effectivley a god just ruins it for me. He washardly the only sacrifice against them in that war and his contribution was rather minor, slaying a couple dozen mooks at best.
Characters like the Solo twins who were chiefley responsible for stopping the Vong don't get such honors wich is just laughfabale. It just seems as if Stover wanted this moment to be the greasts thing ever in SW so he oversold it to no end.

Wich in my opinion is just bad writing.

 

you forget the solo twins already are in Vong mythology. They attributed Jaina with the trickster goddess. and I believe there was some speculation that Jacen was another god. in general they are a culture known for seeing their gods in their enemies and allies alike. that is just basic myth and nothing bad or new. in that regard it fits Ganner. we know Vong mythology and gods is their way of keeping history records as myth. likewise their ancient tales of abominor vs silentium.

 

Well some Vong see the Solo twins as avatars of their gods and they played key roles in ending the invasion.
Ganner was just one of billions who stood against them, yet he is treated like a full blown god, its just character shilling in its worst form in my opinion.

 

you are reaching here. You do not know if or if not they also treated others similiar in their mythology. You just guess they did not, we simply do not know. I don't say they did, but there are lesser mythologies that might have that. Solotwins were good enough to be prime gods.

Ganner is no prime god but a lesser figure, not part of the pantheon but a functional so to speak that guards the realms of living and dead so they do not mingle.

 

To me the "Giant guarding the Afterlife" sounds pretty important in a Pantheon.

 

sure thing but they just gave him a name, the giant existed before

 

I think you went too dogmatic now. Ganner killed thousand YV before he died and I think it is also that magical number giving him that goddish aura. And wasn't Vua Rapuung too divinified in such way?

 

Ganner's last stand was easily one of the best parts of this series. He had a better end than most main characters do nowadays.

 

I am now into Destinies Way.

I was not prepared...

For how FUNNY this book is.

Second chapter Luke chatting with Mara, who then reveals she calls him "Master", which I was not ready for. Then they bang and we move on. it was very tastfully done.

Also Nom is a laugh. 'have you triple checked that order with your superiors?' is a good line. I also like the Supreme Overlord. He is ver smart we see that as he chews out Lah for his costly victories and just makes decisions. Also the itching was good.

Jania is cool, and leads a good battle nice to see the heroes win decisively.

This book feels very different from the others. It feels more hopeful, like a corner has been turned and now things will get better. Enemy Lines was more about a bitter defence, but this, this is hope.

Vergere does seem to be treating Jacen differently but that could just be that she views him more as an equal now. I do like her story.

Jacen reminds me of Gandelf The White in Lord of the Rings, 'I come back to you now at the turn of the tide'.

edit: can I also say that I like Luke talking with Rodan, someone who is dedicated and brave and loyal to the NR, but does not like the jedi. It is really good to see someone who opposes the jedi and calls out their privileges, and also is not a warcriminal.

 

Yeah that was always my third-favorite book of the NJO. It has a lot of "clarity" in its writing, for lack of a better descriptor. I like Traitor, but the writing had too much purple prose at times, and TUF is great but it has a lot thrown together and interwoven and complex. DW is clear, in both plot/characters and writing style.

 

You know, I think a Caedus/Vergere confrontation would jacen earnestly questioning Vergere about everything Lumiya said and Alema Rar claimed to have learned. And Vergere refusing to give direct straight answers. She wouldn't say "yes I was on Palpatine's shortlist" or "no Lumiya had you fooled", or even something like "what does it matter" which basically means yes. She would leave him ever doubting, ever questioning. And not give him the satisfaction of an easy answer and resolution.

 

I agree but it depends what she intends as a goal. She wouldn't let him go down a dark path for ambiguities sake. She might though also not redeem him but rather see part of said path as necessary evil. Just like she sacrificed herself for him when she knew he is on the right track in DW, she might go against him when she sees he is not anymore. A battle of the gardeners so to speak who have a philosophical debate about what really is weed and what is a flower. In that regard she'd probably be like Anakin Solo in the debates he had with Jacen. Maybe she even uses Anakin or his spirits form to reach Jacen? Certainly would have fit the LOTF theme of Anakin nostalgia/torture.

After all, the dark Jacen has the erranous belief that HE is the gardener to decide who is weed and who is not. A new revelation though might be, there are far more gardeners than just one, each with differing interpretations of what to preserve. She sure will call his beliefs in question and try to teach him some more. But at what point might words end and lightsabers be drawn?

Would dark Jacen think even some flowers that formerly were useful could become weeds in old age with no longer any use, so intend to cut her down due to being in his way? Like he tried his parents and family and friends? She might teach him the value of old age and different roles that young ones do not quite yet see or understand in their view of the world. A lot could be packed into this scene.

In the end, this would stop Jacen's further fall into the dark pit, but not save him from where he already is. She'd just prevent him becoming evil evil, so he remains the neccessary evil that knows full well his role he has to play for others to unite against him and ultimately reach what they would not have without his fall. That'd also tie into a selfless death/sacrifice end for him as he had with saving Tenel Ka and Allana at the cost of his life.

In the end, a gardener is simply one who saves what he loves despite killing the past where necessary (to use TLJ terminology), uniting both philosophies from Kylo and Rose. It depends on the point of view if you see him as evil/dark or good/light, depending if your preferences align with his/hers!

 

Speaking of Anakin, I have a strong inkling suspicion that Troy denning was one of those people who would have preferred Anakin live and jacen die in SBS.

Thus Troy denning’s alternate ending had Anakin come back resurrected from and change the timeline or something.

I don’t know if he ever admitted as much, but Troy denning considered his alternative “happier” ending Anakin coming back from the dead. Which to me is pretty telling.

 

There's quite a few books that feel like "corner-turning" moments right around this point, IIRC. The Enemy Lines duology has the heroes regroup and, led by Wedge, give the Yuuzhan Vong a terrific kick in the teeth just to let them know "good for you, you took Coruscant. You think this is over? It's not over." Traitor and Dark Journey have Jacen and Jaina, respectively, brought down to their lowest point during the war, and then beginning their way back up. And finally there's Destiny's Way, which has what you showed and also... well, you'll see. That's five "the corner is turning" books, which seems like a bit much, but it isn't really, considering just how bleak things have been up to this point.

 

Well I´m a Jacen fan and at this point I´ll say I almost would wish Jacen had been the one to die because it would have prevented the whole Darth Caedus stuff. Having a favourite character die is sad but being turned into a villian is worse in my opinion.

 

Sure but I find it very suspicious that in Troy denning’s unreleased “happy” ending of invincible Anakin comes back from the dead changing the timeline or something.

 

Maybe this was the planned redemption for Jacen that was apparently tossed around in the writers room, he goes back in time and dies for his brother. So Anakin lives again and the whole Caedus stuff didn´t happen?

 

Or jacen dies at Mykr and Anakin comes through. Thus making everything right in the world(at least that may have been how denning saw it).

 

If Del Rey had planned Jacen to die and Anakin to live, then they would have given Anakin most of Jacen's personality/actions and given Jacen most of Anakin's personality/actions and everyone would be wishing Jacen had lived and Anakin had died.

 

I think there was going to be lasting bitterness and anger no matter who died in SBS.

But one of the solo kids had to die.

Which brings me to another question-what if Jaina died at Mykr?

 

Depending on how it happened, Jacen would never forgive Anakin. Battle of the Sith Lords most likely. Would make Anakin vs Obi-Wan pale in comparison to the emotional turmoil that would give us.

 

Arn't you all forgetting that Anakin and Jacen had been switched during the NJO by George Lucas order himself? He wanted no two Anakins, one in Prequels, one in Sequel books. So Anakin Solo was fated to die and Jacen lived. Even switching their characterisations beforehand already for Anakin was the philosopher originally and Jacen the one challenging him with more pro action attitude. That much was revealed in interviews and is fact.

So clearly, given Denning in SBS had to write it and change his book for it, would have wanted it the other way around. Jaina's following Dark Journey would be even more grim had Jacen died and Anakin been the lost one presumed dead. The twin dead for sure.

I don't know if they ever planned a full return of Anakin or timelinechanging event with flowwalking, though I know they in later instances downscaled flowwalking and its implications while at first it was very much in the possible to do just that with it! But I believe they clearly hinted at something with Anakin, even if not rebirth or timelinechanging, which never happened then.

The good thing is, if you use the World between Worlds or flowwalking to pull someone out of the past into the future, it does not destroy the timeline or change it. All still think him dead until he returned (see Ahsoka in Rebels). But that would make Anakin younger than his siblings and Tahiri quite some! So not ideal unless, like Ahsoka, placed elsewhere to find his own way back like Raynar "Unu" Thul had been.

What might have been fun regarding Jacen is, that he used flowwalking to past and future before his death. So he can still appear beyond his death in the flesh in whatever events he flowwalked to and participated in.

Also now I wonder, did Jacen ever, when flowwalking to the past as we know he did to Prequel times and granddaddy too, meet Prequel Vergere maybe? Would be funny circular if it was him and his appearance that lead her to choose him and train him, maybe he even gave her some of the truths and questions she would later give him.



Edit Add on: Jacen searching the futures in FOTJ Betrayal reminded me a lot of Doctor Strange in Avengers Infinity War. He picked one path on purpose, how much did he forsee of what would happen? How much did he accept even if it pained him to reach the future he chose? We know many futures had Luke die or go dark. Or other bad stuff happening. Did Jacen not only look for LOTF paths but also beyond? Did he forsee Abeloths release and Legacy and Krayt? Did he know after all that it will be good? He is not perfect and did not see everything. But he sure was thorough. Maybe Abeloth had to be unleashed in order to ultimately be defeated down the line. You cannot cage evil forever.. at some point it gets loose and needs to be dealt with. Like Mortis family learned with Father and his children the same way he kept them prisoner and it ended bad.