Lit Reading NJO...Again

All the banite Sith built on each other's successes, that was the core point of the rule of two. Even Krayt, did so.

 

Going back to the NJO,

Am I the only one that finds the Vong cosmogony very beautiful?

Yun-Yuuzhan striding down the path of the gods, cutting away piece after piece of himself to make the other gods, every star and world and concluding with the yuuzhan vong.

 

So finally finished reading SbS and oof what a tearjerker. Moreso than reading it the first few times as a kid, perhaps due to my slightly altered perspective on the world now as an adult.

A few observations off the top:
- The Jedi mission to Myrkr happens really suddenly. Like, I get that they wanted the majority of the book to surround the mission, but perhaps a Voxyn appearance before this book to enhance the menace would have helped? It just seems like they go from 0 to 100 awfully quick, especially to send a bunch of kids into a suicide mission.
- Han's reaction to Anakin's death feels a bit off in some places, particularly in dialogue, seemed a bit clumsily handled by Denning, but his Leia reaction was pitch perfect and had me cringing for the right reasons.
- Man, Dennis is gruesome. I know he became pretty dark and grizzled as he became the SW 'showrunner' but even this one is awfully violent by a lot of standards. Bones of finger tips exposed, the wet splatting of the severed Vong, etc....
- On the Vong Cast episode they talk about how a lot of things in this book could have gone wrong and made it awful, but somehow it actually works, and I tend to agree. When I think of the parts, the sum is so much better than it could have been.
- I might be alone in this, but somehow I merged Ganner's death into this book so was shocked to see him coming out alive!

8/10

 

SbS was actually my first foray into the NJO series. I got the hardcover for Christmas, and was definitely lost on some details to say the least.

 

Hmm I always associated Ganner's death with traitor pretty strongly.

 

I always associate Traitor as being very much just Jacen and Vergere. I guess when I think lone Jedi against a horrde of Vong, I think of SbS and the mission members getting separated at various points.

 

Finished Dark Journey the other day and it was as bland as I remembered it. It feels like a pause between SbS and Allston's duology and very little actually happens in terms of overall plot. There's a lot of sitting around and unbelievable characterisation. The book also feels very abridged, because what does actually happen, tends to happen off-screen. Jaina's climax to the story also comes about really weirdly with her suddenly coming to a realisation that she needs to calm down.. after attacking a YV ship? Just seemed like a hastily slapped together conclusion.

3/10

 

Hmm I was just listening to the Vongcast and they last month gave it a very positive review.

Anyway I wonder what would have happened if Jaina married Isolder and became Hapan Queen?

 

It's nearly impossible to say, since the point of the novel is kind of that "Jaina marrying Isolder and becoming the Hapan Queen" is as unlikely an eventuality as Jacen becoming a Sith Lord or Luke bitterly abandoning his family, ideals and the galaxy at...

oh. right. um... I guess, bad things? She'd become an evil queen and alpha red the YV and murder/corrupt her friends and usher in a civil war or an age of darkness or something?

 

I would rather think the Hapan anti Jedi sentiment that was apparently so powerfull it made Tenel Ka afraid would have murdered Jaina within short time.

 

I was a bit surprised at that. I don't know whether gender comes into it - from my point of view I mean, that I don't read Jaina's story as very relateable, whereas they spoke about how they enjoyed it for that reason. It was interesting when they had a listener question about whether they thought the story was too abridged and they sort of hesitated then acknowledged that issue, which was my main issue with it.

 

Absolutely tore through Rebel Dream by comparison. Is one of my favourite SW books of all time, just love everything about it. The tonal shift is also perfectly timed as it starts to indicate rays of hope for the Republic/GFFA that they'll come through the other side as victors. So many good points of this book to focus on, but I just love Wedge's use in this as he's been sorely missed from the previous few entries. Jaina's characterisation seems back on track as well.

9/10

 

Speaking of reading the NJO, I went to my local brewery this afternoon, and lo and behold, someone was there with a copy of Dark Journey and a sketchbook he was filling with Aurebesh words, lightsaber designs, and what looked like a Yuuzhan Vong illustration. That was quite the unexpected encounter.

 

For years my copy of TUF was the paperback edition. Well recently I stumbled upon the hardcover in a used bookstore. It still had the cd sealed inside the back of the book; I snapped that up quickly.

 

For reason I used to see copies of invincible in gas stations and country restaurants.

 

So I just finished Agents of Chaos 2 and about Jacen.

He did nothing wrong. If Anakin had fired Centrepoint he likely would have killed his dad, Kyp and all the prisoners on the Yammosk ship. While if non one uses Centrepoint then, Hapes get to show up and fight the Vong to a stand still and stay in the war.

 

It was a complex situation. I think regardless of when Centerpoint was fired, friendly fire would likely have been an inevitability.

 

So do you think Anakin was lying when he said he could hav done it? Or just looking to displace some of is guilt?

 

I mean he is 17. And he felt guilty, guilt and overconfidence as dual personality traits really describe Anakin well. So I would say yes, he was trying to convince others as much as himself.

 

I've always thought this to be the case. He has no actual way of proving he could have done it, only his word that he could have. Considered with his bravado that led to the Myrkr mission, I'm not inclined to believe he had a realistic view of what he could actually accomplish.

Stepping out of universe, I think this plot point was a cheap way of playing the two Solo brothers off each other, and a crap way to kill off Teneniel and get Tenel Ka on the Hapan throne.

 

Certainly.

Though the friendly fire incident seemed to me to be a likely and logical possibility of using Centerpoint.

 

Yeah I agree,

I think it furthered the rift between Anakin and his family.

Though the whole 'Teneniel is in a coma' thing didn't really happen until Dark Journey right?

 

True...but it was all set up by the destruction of a sizable portion of the Hapan fleet.