Books Journey to TFA: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray (finally coming to paperback Aug 1!)

I wouldn't go nearly so far to say that Nash was the best thing about this book, but he was certainly the most pleasantly unexpected. A very creepy and sad character.

 

You went away with no word to bang your Imperial ex? Are you crazy? - I loved that bit.

 

Oh wow this book was great. I don't think I've enjoyed reading any other Star Wars book this much since at least Shadows of Mindor. I expected a trite OT rehash with some behind-the-scenes romance thrown in, but this is so much more... from the casual worldbuilding (beard suppressant, anyone?) to the intricacies of Imperial politics and propaganda, this has felt more like the GFFA to me than any of the canon flagship novels so far (though Servants of the Empire is right up there with it), and the storytelling is a rare balance of intensity and parsimony -- it's no small feat to write a book that feels like one coherent story but spans 10+ years, without growing into a doorstopper.

Highlights for me were: Thane's surprisingly slow and bumpy development into a Rebel; Ciena thinking that Tarkin might become a mentor for her, a few hours before he blows up with the Death Star; the fact that we got to see the mission to Dantooine and Vader getting picked up from Yavin (with "fragments moving out of the way like moved by a tractor beam" or something, but Ciena never making the connection to the Force); everybody's different reactions to the destruction of Alderaan and the Death Star; Dak Ralter; Corona squadron (even though they didn't have that many "squadron" scenes, I sometimes felt like I was reading one of the old X-Wing novels); the shout-out to Captain Lokmarcha; and the sneaky way in which we got to see enough of the Empire's dissolution to understand Ciena's place in it, but not enough to spoil everything else.

And of course, the moment when Thane plants his flag in front of the Rees' house. That was absolutely the most powerful scene in the book for me -- and at the same time I loved that this grandiose act of solidarity didn't automatically make everything good again. The awkwardness and darkness (both weather- and soul-wise) of this whole situation was just excellently handled.

 

I remember a section of book where Thane is having flashbacks and one of them is

"You like that?" Ciena asked, her breath on his shoulder

Please someone confirm that's what I think it means

 

I can't even begin to imagine what you might be thinking, but I'm going to say yes.

 

No clue what you're thinking about specifically but probably yes.This book had a lot .... action in it.

 

For the record, I'm totally okay with authors introducing new planets in their stories. I just felt like this one had too many new planets. I felt overwhelmed. But maybe that was the point. Star Wars takes place inside an enormous galaxy.

 

Actually what she says in the flashback is "Like that?" ... which I guess is even more ambiguous.

 

It has been a little while since I read the book but I don't recall that many new planets. Outside of the home planet (which was created specifically for the book) the majority of the book took place on Corruscant, Hoth, and in space. They mentioned Lothal quite a few times but that wasn't a new planet created for the book.

 

Also Naboo.

 

Well I thought maybe Ciena was BLEEPing his BLEEP while he BLEEPed her BLEEP

 

I thought they just faded to black during all the sex scenes and picked back up when they were finished. The closest thing I remember to the book getting into any nitty gritty details about what they did was when Ciena was taking mental images of Thane's naked body so her dead sister would be able to see it.

 

I think it's one of the scenes when Thane is piloting in a heated battle and starts remembering previous quotes and moments from the book such as his father beating him, his time at the academy then out of nowhere SEX WITH CIENA!

 

Anakinfan have you been reading any of the comics? Shattered Empire gives us a pretty good idea of what was going on in the months after Endor.

 

Great that you had a ball with this and yeah, I think what happens with Nash is the biggest surprise of the book and very disturbing.

 

anakinfansince1983, yeah, this book is definitely worth the same rating as some of the best books in the EU. It surprised me a lot; I expected to enjoy it but not nearly as much as I did. Thane and Ciena, I can say without reservation, are possible the best novel characters since the X-wing series.

 

One thing the book raises at the end is the spectre of tech development.

On the one hand you'd consider that a logical development, but in story terms it also brings in the hazard of tech eclipsing characters. So, you have TIEs with improved lasers that can punch through shields, then stronger shields get developed - warfare tech development basically goes superior weapon / defence developed and used, then counter is created and round and round it goes.

It doesn't feature that much in SW, likely for the reason I've outlined, but should that change?

 

Anakinfan Claudia Gray is going to be writing at least the first book of the New Republic series set to be released early next year. Not sure if she is writing the whole series but she at least is writing the first book.

Chances are slim Thane and Ciena will have anything to do with it since it takes place just a few years before TFA but you never know.

 

I knew Gray was writing another book but I didn't know it was part of a New Republic series?

 

Do we know it's a series?

I can see the thinking as the title is New Republic: Bloodlines but, there is also Battlefront: Twilight Company with the same structure which, as far as I've heard, just the one book.

 

I don't think New Republic: Bloodlines is in a series. I think it's standalone. But yes, Gray is writing it.