main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Books Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Force Collector

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Ancient Whills, May 4, 2019.

  1. Daneira

    Daneira Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 30, 2016
    Can you be a little more specific with this?
     
  2. Jacken_Skywalker

    Jacken_Skywalker Jedi Master

    Registered:
    Jul 9, 2011
    I've just posted a review on my insta, but I'll put a bit more detail into some of the stuff I said earlier

    I'll mention first about how it crosses over with what we've seen before in Star Wars and unites the eras. Our main character Karr allows a lot of this with his force visions that he gets from touching objects, but I'll get more into that later. We have a vision of Obi-Wan on Kamino when he's hunting Grevious, and later a vision of Sifo-Dyas just before he dies (which is an expansion on the Clone Wars episode 'The Lost Ones' I believe). Further, we have a vision of the Grand Inquisitor as well as Karr getting a broken Inquisitor lightsaber from Dok Ondar (which was pretty darn cool). Oh, and we meet the son of a Clone who has some pretty funky thoughts on the Jedi. We get to meet Maz who has a lot to do with Karr overcoming his inhibitions and discovering lots about the Jedi.

    One of the things I loved most about this book is that its a ST-era character trying to figure out what the Jedi were like, and if they even existed. He knows next-to-nothing at the start and doesn't understand his connection to the Force. His grandmother tried to teach him a bit. The big mystery is that his great-grandfather was a Jedi who left the Order well before Order 66, and this book follows Karr eventually meeting this former Jedi (who came to believe what the rest of the galaxy believed about the Jedi). Oh, and onto that. Most people believe the Jedi tried to overthrow Palpatine - a lot of Imperial thinking left over in that regard. Although most people don't know what to think. Karr even thinks Anakin and Luke are the same person, although he gets past that.

    What about Karr's journey? I honestly thought it was going to set him up as a future Jedi, but it's clear his gifts are a bit different. He reminds me of Tionne Solusar a bit, and I think that's the route he might go. In the end, he realises that it's going to be his mission to collect things about the Force and the Jedi and to show the galaxy what they really were. I think coming out of TROS he might play a significant role in this, so I really do hope we get to see him again. Oh, and now he has a lightsaber too! His great-grandfather does die at the end of the book - with peace and purpose, knowing he protected his family.

    Another interesting thing is that the friend he has accompanying him on this mission, Maize, is the daughter of a high-ranking First Order officer, so we get to see a bit about what happens with their families, and how much the families know (or how little). It also adds a human component to it all.

    Overall, I think this book is fantastic. It really ties everything together, paints the perspective of the Jedi in the galaxy at this point, and suggests where it could go in the future. I hope we get to see Karr again!

     
  3. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    He gets pulled over by the First Order because they think he knows where Skywalker is, or where the map ia. It’s definitely pre-TFA and it must be pretty close.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    beetzello and Daneira like this.
  4. StarWarsFan91

    StarWarsFan91 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 14, 2008
    So about that lightsaber....

    I heard the broken inquisitor lightsaber is the Grand Inquisitors. But wasn’t it destroyed when he died? Then again he could have used several Inquisitor sabers during his time. Also does the broken saber still ignite? Or is broken beyond usage? What color is the grandfathers lightsaber?
     
  5. Jacken_Skywalker

    Jacken_Skywalker Jedi Master

    Registered:
    Jul 9, 2011
    It’s an earlier lightsaber the lightsaber doesn’t ignite, it’s more of a broken shell than anything else, but the point is that Karr has visions when he touches it. So the GI definitely had another one after this. Karr’s great-grandfather’s lightsaber is green if I remember rightly
     
  6. Endol

    Endol Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2014
    @Sinrebirth that's what I am trying, but it becomes harder and harder to justify a £15 Del Rey novel, £15 TPB and then perhaps a junior novel too!! I think I was last up to date in about March 2018!!
     
  7. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    I have up to Star Wars 10 and Aphra 4. All the Vader and side stuff, and I have one Age of Republic. So I’m about 10 TPBs behind?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    Endol and Jedi Ben like this.
  8. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Join the online side, 30 to 40% discounts. It is the only way to save your bank account.
     
  9. Endol

    Endol Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2014
    Oh for sure. It's a shame books like Force Collector are not being picked up by the major supermarkets anymore. A couple of years ago Tesco sold the Servants range, the amended OT releases and always the movie tie in novels. Here the novels would be £10 the middle grade novels, £3. But that looks to have ended sadly.

    I'm about 10 TPB behind too. Lots to catch up on!
     
    Jedi Ben and Sinrebirth like this.
  10. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    My copy came from Amazon UK today. Hopefully I will get to it next week as I already have a couple of books on the go.
     
    Sinrebirth likes this.
  11. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    I have Find Me to get ready for, but I am free book-wise for Resistance Reborn and I am PSYCHED.
     
  12. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    OK, someone tell me this isn't, somehow, as bad as it sounds, full spoilage permitted, nay! Encouraged!

    Han sold Luke's Yavin medal for booze!?

    Spoilered info has gone viral so might prove hard to avoid in the wider internet.
     
  13. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    Someone is saying it's a fake leak now...I'm not sure, lots of hearsay. Or maybe i'm getting that mixed up with something else....You read leaks and spoilers all the time you get your wires crossed.

    That's why I just listen and don't report them ;)

     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 19, 2019
  14. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    If it's fake it's one hell of a detailed fake which is why I asked the Q here, people have the book, they've read it, if it's fake I need to know that because this casts one hell of a pall.
     
  15. Quinnocent-Till-Sith

    Quinnocent-Till-Sith Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 21, 2004
    Solo tricked Maz Kanata by handing over Luke's medal instead of his own: "It was entrusted to me for safekeeping, some years ago–by a man who couldn't pay his bar tab."
     
  16. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Uh, that doesn't help much.
     
  17. Quinnocent-Till-Sith

    Quinnocent-Till-Sith Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 21, 2004
    That's pretty much the extent of it though.

    Maz describes Solo as a "cheater when cheating is easy" but there's no indication how soon after Yavin it took place, how Solo got the medal or was in debt, or Luke's opinion on the matter. The scene itself is Maz at her castle giving Jarr an object she's supposed to know the history of to test his psychometry before moving onto something bigger.

    The bar tab itself might be more, ahem, spiritual than material but the switcheroo is played as a gag and can be read as a loan.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2019
  18. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Those details do help a bit, thanks. Can' t say I'll buy the book but they do help.
     
  19. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    Finished it today - I really liked it. My local Waterstones had it in stock in the adult SW section when I was there Wed so it is around at retail.
     
    Sinrebirth likes this.
  20. Ancient Whills

    Ancient Whills Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2011
    https://www.inverse.com/article/60623-star-wars-force-collector-kevin-shinick-interview-excerpt

    Inverse: How did the plot for Star Wars: Force Collector germinate and where does it fall within official Star Wars mythology?

    Kevin Shinick: It was a huge opportunity and a blessing to be able to write this novel. I wrote Chewie and The Porgs, which is a children’s book, about two years ago, and when they asked me if I wanted to do that I said yes, but asked would you consider letting me do more adult stuff. Star Wars is everywhere, but I was trying to think of ways to be new. I wanted to kind of refreshen the nostalgia, but play into it as well. It came to me in the sense that what if you were in that world, live in that galaxy, what was it really like for these people? What was the war like? There doesn’t seem to be a good and a bad, there’s a lot of politics and grey area.

    There’s the expression that history is written by the winners, and yet you have Palpatine talking about the Jedi in a way that soils the entire universe against them. Who’s with them, who are against them? Who thinks they’re made up, or criminals? I wanted to discover that world and figure out what the people in this galaxy are thinking. In the divisive world we live in now, with so many people with so many opinions, I wanted to capture some of that but in a galaxy far, far away.

    What were some of the more attractive elements of writing these new canonical characters of Karr, Maize, and RZ-7?

    Well, anytime you get to create something new for this world it’s really exciting. I always try to bring a lot of myself into these, and I’m sure a lot of authors do. And to be able to write a droid! If you go and read the books and watch the movies I find that everybody has a different take on what their droid is. And that was one of my favorite things, to create something in this canon that was fresh but also my take on the robots of that world.

    Were there special considerations for this project as a Young Adult novel versus a kids or adult book?

    It’s interesting how they categorize these. I’m noticing some comparisons to Lost Stars with my novel, which is both good and bad. Good in the sense that Lost Stars is an amazing novel, and bad in the sense that I think Force Collector is written for a slightly different audience. Lost Stars is kind of Romeo and Juliet in the Star Wars galaxy, where as I think Force Collector as more of a road trip type story. It has flirtations and relationships with the hope of some angst or romance down the ways, but this is more early on in a relationship. You’d go to Force Collector for self-discovery and scenes or moments in the Star Wars galaxy that you may have known, but are able to now see from a different point of view.

    I’ve written Star Wars for so many diverse people. I wrote the Star Wars children’s book, I worked on more adult stuff like the Robot Chicken Star Wars Special, I worked on Star Wars: Detours, which is a family-oriented animated sitcom that is still sitting somewhere. [laughs] Now to do the Young Adult novel, you use the same muscles because it’s so relatable to so many different ages. But there is a slight shift, and I wanted this to be a book for everybody, as best I could. I’d say it’s for anyone sixteen and up. Star Wars: A New Hope WAS a Young Adult story, and I was trying to capture that, something I’d enjoy growing up and something I still enjoy as an adult now.

    How was it working with the Lucasfilm Story Group and what guidelines or restrictions did they impose?

    It was amazing working with them. They’re such an invaluable group and it’s important to have overseers that know everything that’s going on in the movies, comic books, video games. I’m very grateful to them. However this group does have restrictions or challenges. As with any artist, I found that sometimes it helps you focus to find new ways to be creative and tell things that you want to tell.

    Any unusual research employed for your worldbuilding in Force Collector?

    The good news is that I could tell my wife that anything I was reading was research. [laughs]. I looked at things that inspired me… movies and books like The Wizard of Oz and Citizen Kane. I used to host a show called Where In Time Is Carmen San Diego? so that’s always been in my DNA. I’ve always been fascinated by actual history and in some ways I wanted to inspire people with this book to learn about their own history, but to do it by piquing their interest with Star Wars history. History does repeat itself, and you look at the new movies, and in a way people say it’s a rehash, but in a sense, that’s what life does, you find yourself up against very similar themes. If we can rise above it and notice these things, then perhaps we can change our course.

    I also got to use the name of the town I grew up in on Long Island as one of the new worlds in the book. As with many towns on Long Island, Merrick derived its name from the Meroke tribe that were there before us. So I thought I’d name this new planet, Merrokia, to pay homage to the heritage of not only that planet, but where I came from. And now as a result of that, my town is doing a Force Collector Day when the new movie is out and I’m going back to speak to high school students during the day and do a reading at the local library. Growing up I used to work at the Merrick Cinema, so I’m going there at night to do a signing in the lobby before the showing of Episode Nine. So it’s all come full circle for me!

    Star Wars: Force Collector releases on November 19. Read an excerpt from Chapter 1 below.

    Chapter 1
    The image was not what it seemed, but the pain was undeniable.

    It hit him like the opposite of what he imagined hyperspace was like, a blinding white light streaked with black flames shooting directly into his eyes. Even with his lids shut, Karr could feel it burning his retinas. Had he not known better, he would’ve blamed it on a flaw in the lenses of the stormtrooper helmet he’d recently bought—Death Star era, slight carbon scoring, 7.5 grade level in the antique military guide—but otherwise not a bad purchase for fifty-seven credits. Unless, of course, it was responsible for the pain. But he knew that wasn’t the case. Not even brand-new lenses could protect him from this agony.

    As the pain bored into his eye sockets, he recalled a warning a pilot gave him once, about never staring directly into a double-haloed Tatooine eclipse.

    Good advice, he thought as he began to lose consciousness.

    Only he wasn’t entering Tatooine airspace. He was entering the Force.

    “Are you okay?” Karr heard someone ask in a tinny voice. Actually, it probably wasn’t a tinny voice but rather a damaged speaker in the stormtrooper helmet. Maybe 7.5 wasn’t an accurate grade for the piece of junk after all.

    Karr was lying on his back. The floor was cold, but his face was hot.

    “What are you wearing?” This time he could tell the voice belonged to a woman, but he thought that was an odd follow-up question. Usually when people came across him passed out on the floor they’d ask him if he knew his name. “Karr Nuq Sin,” he mumbled out of habit, realizing only a hair too late that wasn’t the question she had asked him.

    “What are you wearing?” she asked again slowly, sounding more annoyed.

    “Green cargo pants, blue flight jacket, desert boots, black gloves, and a newly acquired Death Star–era stormtrooper helmet. Grade level: seven point—” He stopped himself in light of the new information and reevaluated. “Six point nine.”

    “You need to take it off. Now.” Her voice sounded like coins and static through the helmet, but yes. It was definitely a woman. Probably a teacher.

    “School policy prohibits any student from carrying a weapon or wearing military paraphernalia,” she added, probably quoting some passage from the code of conduct.

    Karr wouldn’t know. He’d never read it.

    He struggled to his feet and searched the floor for the black glove that always landed nearby after one of his episodes. He found it and used it to salute her. “No military paraphernalia present, sir!”

    “Except for the helmet?” She ignored the incorrect address and took the glove from his hand to inspect it.

    “The helmet is an artifact . . . sir!” Now he was pushing it.

    Namala Moffat sighed. “Just take it off.” He pulled the helmet loose with a soft pop. Now she could see him for what he really was: a brown-haired, brown-eyed kid with a chipped tooth to go along with the chip on his shoulder. “Where’d you get that?” she asked.

    “I got it from Janu Blenn. His great-grandfather was a service fueler in the Empire,” Karr told her.

    “Stormtrooper, third class.”

    Moffat frowned. “That boy’s shyer than a Snivvian at a market auction. He told you all that?”

    Karr just smiled. “In a way.”

    In the years since his unusual abilities had surfaced, no doctor (human or droid) had been able to explain them. Episodes of blinding light and searing pain weren’t exactly coveted abilities, but the images that accompanied those things were pretty cool. Most of the time. If he remembered them when he came to.

    Karr didn’t feel like explaining all that to the teacher, so he didn’t.

    The truth was that, yes, Janu Blenn was incredibly shy, but he was also stubborn. It’d taken Karr five whole days to convince Janu to sell him the trooper helmet after he overheard the boy relay some family lore about how his great-grandfather claimed to have had his mind manipulated by a Jedi. Karr figured he probably made the whole thing up to get a better grade on his history project, since the Jedi didn’t exist during Imperial times, but he had to know for sure. Which is why he was willing to go as high as fifty-seven credits.

    Of course it would’ve been easier to just wave his hand and manipulate Janu’s thoughts like a Jedi, but Karr wasn’t there yet.

    Soon, he hoped. But not yet.

    Which was why he needed the helmet.
     
  21. Darth_Hydra

    Darth_Hydra Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 14, 2001
    How spoilery is that interview and excerpt? I'm very excited for this book and have been avoiding any spoilers since it won't be out for about another two weeks where I live(the US).
     
  22. Daneira

    Daneira Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 30, 2016
    The excerpt is from chapter one, so if anything, it would only spoil the very very beginning of the book. (I haven't read the book either) No spoilers in the interview.
     
  23. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    My local B&N already has this out. Might be an error, but might not, so it could be the case across the country.
     
  24. devilinthedetails

    devilinthedetails Fiendish Fanfic & SWTV Manager, Interim Tech Admin star 6 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 2019
    My copy arrived last night. I read a little over fifty pages. So far, I would say it's a fast, relatively engaging read but nothing exceptional. The most interesting part is the attitude toward the Jedi and the Force that we see right before the ST begins as well as some reflections on the nature of history and myth that might intrigue history, mythology, or anthropology buffs such as myself.

    In tone and in many of the plot situations so far, I'd say it feels more YA than either Queen's Shadow or Leia: Princess of Alderaan. I don't mean YA as a negative since there's nothing wrong with a YA book marketed as a YA book being a YA book, but I do think it's something to be aware of if you're considering buying the book and aren't generally a YA fan.

    More detailed thoughts follow the spoiler tag but I tried not to go overboard with details and mostly keep my observations general.

    In terms of prose, I'd say that this book is written in a style that makes it quick to read and there is quite a bit of humor in the narration that made me smile as I read. The humor feels reflective of the thoughts and feelings of a teenage boy so it's best to try to put yourself in the mindset of yourself as a teenager as you read if you're an adult like me.

    The most interesting aspects of world-building so far have been in the discussion of how little is known about the Jedi and how some even speculate that there were never any Jedi since there disappearance at the end of the Clone Wars was too "convenient." Conspiracy theories like that can be kind of cool to read about. We also get to visit a school in a galaxy far, far away that feels pretty much like an Earth school only with a Gungan teacher who speaks just as you'd expect a Gungan to speak. The main character also happens to be from a desert world that isn't Tatooine although Tatooine is mentioned on the first page of the book. I kind of wish the story had begun on a planet that wasn't a desert world but hopefully the main character's quest for Force relics will end up taking him to some different type of worlds. One of the advantages of novels is that really crazy and fresh settings can be created without the expense of trying to make them work on screen so it'd be nice to see this book take advantage of that as it continues.

    The best character for me so far has been Maize, the main character's potential new friend and maybe romantic interest, who has a cynical sort of bluntness to her that I enjoy reading. I also like the backstory given with the main character's relationship to his grandmother. It helps flesh him out and makes him more sympathetic.

    As far as the YA comment I made earlier, a lot of the action so far has taken place in school, a good deal of the main character's thoughts and worries feel very adolescent, and there is a conflict with a school bully as well as trouble from a teacher and headmaster. None of that is bad as all are conventions of the YA genre appearing in a book marketed as YA (so none of this is something I'd deduct for in rating a book later on) but for an adult who doesn't often read YA it may not be appealing so be aware of that when purchasing.

    Overall, so far, I wouldn't say it is a must-buy or must-read but it's a fun enough read and it's not a waste of money (or credits as they say in a galaxy far, far away).
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2019
  25. darthzac14

    darthzac14 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2012
    I finished this book this weekend and I really enjoyed it overall. I do have one question though
    Is the C-3PO arm supposed to be the arm he loses in the one-shot "The Phantom Limb"?