Lit Opinions on Michael A. Stackpole's writing?1

That is all very much stating the obvious, but thanks anyway for that. You'll have to look at the context of the post I was referring to in order to interpret accurately what I was saying.

That wasn't a complaint about inconsistent characterisation. That was a baseless complaint about the characterisation of Jaina in the books which has been perfectly consistent.

 

Nah, you just made a terrible argument that doesn't make any sense in any context.

lol okay then

 

try again

 

he and allston got me back into the books at a stage when my attention was starting to drift away from the series so for that fact i love his writing. yes he has his characters that he pushes corran but so does every the author

 

This.

This, too.

I could have quoted your whole reply and mentioned things like Corran's terrible luck with (and an unconventional taste in) women.... but that would just be echoing. Whether it's reading for pleasure, analysing a scene in depth to figure out its implications for some tech-junk, enjoying all the metacommentary in I, Jedi, or just wondering "how did he do that" in a lit-crit sort of way, I've always been impressed by Stackpole.

And this thread made me go back and reread the big space battle in The Bacta War, which was a really fun way to waste some time.

And then there are the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron comics. Co-writing with Darko Makan, yes, but still Stackpole, and for me, still the best, most sustained, awesomeness in forty years of STAR WARS comics...

And then I started making a list of all the iconic, memorable and interesting characters Stackpole introduced to STAR WARS. Some of them are one-shots who always stuck in my mind, other ones are major contributions to the continuity. And then I hid them under spoiler markup (first box is the list, second ones some comments on my reactions) because I think it's an interesting exercise, and I wanted to leave room for other people do the same thing without being infuenced by what I'd done...

Spoiler

Asyr. Gavin. Biggs' dad. Iella. Mirax. Booster. Corran. Caet Shrovl. Jysella. Valin. Syal. Myri. Wedge's parents. Gavin's wife. Gavin's wife's sister in a swimsuit. Aril Nunb and her frigate full of droids. Nawara Venn. Ooryl. Kapp. Plourr. Dllr. Ibtisam. That Bothan darksider. That Wookiee senator. Ghost Jedi. Horton Salm. Krennel. Tavira, Isard, Erisi, Flirry Vorru, Kirtan Loor. Lon Isoto. Captain Illor. Joak Drysso, Sair Yonka, Colonel Vessery. Phennir. Fel. Wynssa. Tycho. Ganner. Domani Shai. Jag. Anni Capstan. Jaina in an X-wing.

Spoiler

The first thing I noticed was that I was grinning like an idiot at all the good memories of good stories and good characters which the list involves.

The second thing that struck me was the unselfconscious diversity of the characters, and I don't just mean that in terms of Corran snogging Selonians (though it was a good move to make Gavin's wife the sister of a character he'd previously established as non-Caucasian - it's never even specified that their two adopted kids are human). The vision of the New Republic we got in the X-wing novels was as a place where people can get along by tolerating each other's differences, and where the resulting strength, unity and diversity all speak for themselves. Another thing I realised is the unquestionable influence which that selection of characters has had on the whole scope of STAR WARS, and another thing I liked is the basic human grounding of the novels. Isard is a lunatic and Loor is despicable, but their behaviour is still entirely human (I've always found Flirry Vorru fun, like Thrackan without the bad points, and eventually, in running through Imperials, I came to Pestage, and realised that Stackpole essentially created the Grand Vizier as more than just a name, as well)...

And another, other thing. I've been trying for ages to emphasise how not all STAR WARS needs to be Endor, and how it's possible and desirable to tell a story focused on a single local incident that can still matter. Read Requiem for a Rogue, or The Warrior Princess, or The Bacta War. They're perfect examples of stories which are surprisingly limited in focus, but which are great STAR WARS stories, and gain additional strength from being a chapter in the character development of the heroes and villains involved. What was the tagline for the comics, again - "Liberating the Galaxy, one system at a time"?

And another, other, other, thing - Stackpole's novels are also exactly what I've been trying to say about STAR WARS not really being about a dualistic Force but still being inately moral - his stories are not about the colour of your Jedi robes, but narratives based on simpler, purer, truer ideas of right and wrong.

"The Jensaarai are not evil." "No, but nor are they wholly good."

Oh, and he's quotable too.

And yes, some people complain that Stackpole's heroes are soldiers who're faced with corrupt and incompetent politicians, but he also has a cast of antagonistic military martinets and criminals and even lawyers. While equally having martinets and and criminals and lawyers and even the odd politician among his heroes too. And in hindsight, I think his portrayal of Borsk was far subtler than is apparent to Wedge or Gavin or to me when I read the books first time - his goals are the same as theirs, he just plays the game differently...

Just re-canonise the whole frelling lot already. You're not going to improve on it.

*pulls up X-wing and lifts away; exhales*

Fixed.

- The Imperial Ewok

 

yeah, even Star By Star is good (if sad and a little disjointed) I mean if he had kept that level everything might have been good

I don't mind Stackpol. Think he is a good writer, except for I, Jedi, which was not great.

But I like Corran mostly and I think his X-wing work is great and his NJO work is good too (attempted coup aside). A good solid writer