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

Books Star Wars: Last Shot by Daniel Jose Older (Out on Apr 17, 2018)

Discussion in 'Literature' started by bsmith7174, Feb 16, 2018.

  1. WebLurker

    WebLurker Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2016
    To be fair, the franchise has been toying with the idea since the original ANH novelization.
     
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  2. Dannik Jerriko

    Dannik Jerriko Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2017
    T
    That's a fair point. I just worry that Star Wars could get bogged down in this particular philosophical mire. For me this would be too much of a move towards "hard" sci-fi and would threaten the mystical and spiritual aspects of Star Wars.
     
  3. WebLurker

    WebLurker Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2016
    I think Star Wars has always had one foot in the supernatural and the "scientific." The Force is mystical but also has scientific properties with the medi-chlorians and it existing as an energy field. We saw a battle fought between droids and zombies resurrected with magick in the Clone Wars show, for pete's sake! So, I don't see how exploring the droid sentience question would ruin the mystical aspect of the franchise, esp. when several of the main characters are almost certainly sentient droids. However, I will concede that I don't see it as something that needs to become a defining aspect of the franchise.
     
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  4. Dannik Jerriko

    Dannik Jerriko Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2017
    @WebLurker It's not the coexistence of the scientific and the spiritual that concerns me, per se. I suppose it's more a question of tone. I agree that Threepio and Artoo etc are presented as sentient characters. Personally, however, I don't need this to be explored too deeply. Doing so could change the tone of Star Wars and lead to a more dark and hard sci-fi feel. For me, that could threaten the mystical elements of Star Wars. Maybe I'm wrong, it's just a personal hunch.
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2018
  5. Dr. Steve Brule

    Dr. Steve Brule Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    Jenny Nicholson had a lot to say on the topic on her (largely negative) review of Solo, on how the movie's focus on both slavery and droid rights raises a lot of red flags about the Star Wars setting if you think about it beyond the surface level presentation, but also how the way L-3's droid activism is portrayed in the movie is portrayed as a joke even while it's associated with real-world civil rights activism, which is a problem of its own.
     
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  6. Endol

    Endol Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2014
    Finally got round to finishing this book. I agree with what's been said, I didn't think the constant time jumps played well narratively. If you read the book in one go I suspect it works but in small sessions (perhaps 2 chapters a night) I found myself spending too much time trying to recall where I was up to in each storyline.

    I also found myself really only engaged in the 'current' story. However it was well written to me Han sounded like Han and Lando too. I also thought Leia was well written, sounding very diplomatic in her senator role

    Gor was an interesting villian with a daft but enjoyable plan. I couldn't help but chuckle and think of the service Droid from the Leonis family and how she would react to the call to arms!

    Like most of the new canon novels quite safe, solid read. Still struggling to be on the same level as A New Dawn which I still think is the best one post Disney.
     
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  7. Chris Werms

    Chris Werms Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2017
    I've read this novel twice now, once in printing order and the second in chronological order.

    Let me say this: I've never appreciated what a book has tried to do more, but I have rarely enjoyed a canon book (of any age range) less.

    In terms of representation, challenging colonialist attitudes toward people and places, and forcing us to rethink our stereotypes were brilliant moves, and for the most part, I thought they worked really well. It sucked a bit to see Han as the one always being challenged on his xenophobia, but I guess that mirrors the real world. We don't want to be challenged, either, so we don't like it when our favorite characters are challenged. I think a little bit of what he tried to do with Aro will be lost if no other canon writer tries to emulate his normal speech. I felt like DJO brought attention to stereotypes when necessary (Aro and Peepka) but didn't bring too much fanfare on some aspects when it is something that should be normal (Taka). I think by not drawing much attention to some aspects, we don't realize we've accepted it. I wonder how far some people got with Taka before realizing they are non-binary, for example, and had already started to like them. I also appreciated how many different dialects and languages DJO was able to blend in. Sometimes Legends would phoenetically spell out a character's speech and I absolutely hated it - using human languages (Spanglish!) was a nice touch.

    At first, I thought Fyzen Gor was an extremely weak villain, and it didn't help that we didn't have an origin until 1/3 of the book had passed, let alone motiviations for another 1/3 of the book! Unfortunately, this wasn't due to the ordering of the book. When I read it again in chronological order, he felt just as ill-defined and weak. I'm still not totally sure why his response to the terrorists was "droids should be sentient and kill carbon-based life", nor am I sure why he needed to make them Frankenbots. (A digression: the Frankenbots element brought a new level of gore to SW that I'm not comfortable with; see also Phasma.) Kind of a muddled point, honestly. Really, it felt like L3's mission against Gor, and Lando and Han just happened to be brought in. Had they not appeared, nothing would've changed?

    The sections from the past ("about" or "approximately" or not) would probably have been left more ill-defined. The Lando and L3 section was more poignant before Solo, because re-reading it after the film I did not catch any of Lando's sympathy for L3 in the film that he showed in the novel. I wish this had been condensed into a single chapter. Reading it chronologically helped me enjoy it a lot more. Han/Chewie/Sana's portion was fine. Just...fine. Spread so thin, I felt like these were more of a distraction from the main plot. They were a bit distracting when trying to focus on the main plot, not adding a ton to the story immediately. In fact, Han's section could, narratively, been wiped out - all that would be lost is a bit of characterization. Lando's section only reinforced that he should've known exactly what they were looking for; not a great look for him.

    So far, strong representation handled well - challenging us directly and implicitly; a weak villain; and a strangely paced plot, broken up by smaller bits that fail to gain their own momentum. Now I'm going to talk about the crew...which was honestly just a bit too big. Had the Ugnaught been left off and their skills given to someone else, I don't think we would've noticed any lack. (Except Lando's weird propensity to work with Ugnaughts?) Taka was a lot of fun, and their story connects earlier connections with Leia, which I definitely think should be explored. Being Han and Lando's novel, Taka's characterization was cut short. I felt like their projection of their parents and their Alderaanian heritage was a good way to inject characterization, but those two aspects didn't go very far. Even as the Millennial to end all Millennials, wow, I wasn't a huge fan of seeing that in the novel. But I digress. Kaasha was fine, and I'd like to see her again, but I felt like she was more of a typical girlfriend trope (plus blaster) rather than her own character. Maybe a novel of her time in the Free Ryloth Movement would add depth to her character. (Also: she was very sexualized and I was like....uhh..no thanks!)

    So what did I like? I liked Han, for the most part. With Solo, RotJ, Aftermath, and Last Shot, we're really seeing the soft and less competent part of Han. I'm not sure I'm entirely used to it (even though I loved Solo and loved Han in it!). Maybe once I'm a father that'll change. Lando was characterized well (though, uh, I was a little uncomfortable with how many times the book called out specific body parts), for the most part. I felt like it was weird that he would spend years with L3 yet go on to develop a company that creates servant droids. That felt extremely...tone deaf of Lando?

    So yeah. Not a lot that I enjoyed, but I am thankful for the strides forward it gave the galaxy in terms of representation.
     
  8. WebLurker

    WebLurker Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2016
    Fair enough.
     
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  9. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    I finished this a few days ago. Don’t have much to say about it, it was not my favorite novel, but Dark Disciple is certainly worse. :p

    The concept of a droid uprising and takeover was interesting and an opposite take of the Yuuzhan Vong’s organics takeover and droid extermination. Gor was an interesting enough villain, it was easy to see how he got where he did after what happened to him, although I had a hard time seeing the point of attaching organic parts to broken droids other than “because I can and **** you, OK?” And that’s an unproductive motive. And while post-apocalyptic survival hardscrapping is on par for a lot of dystopian sci-fi...I’m over it. I didn’t like it in Phasma and I don’t like it here. My favorite type of sci-fi is the Jurassic Park version where some arrogant ***hole decides to play god with science and gets his or her ass kicked by that same science. Not the “I’m committing the most brutal and grotesque acts possible against other living beings so I can eat and drink water because my world was devasted and devasted worlds are always deserts” version.

    Overall not a fan of how the new canon presents Han and Leia, although that said, one of my favorite scenes in the book was Han reflecting on how Leia reacts when she remembers Alderaan.

    Kaasha...we need some follow-through, because it seemed like she and Lando were forming something resembling a relationship.

    As much as I despise his 30-year-old counterpart, I loved toddler Ben Solo, especially “Da-Da” and “Uncle Lando.”
     
  10. Todd the Jedi

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

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Don't think I saw this mentioned before, but the paperback version of the cover is half Han half Lando.
    [​IMG]
     
  11. Duguay

    Duguay Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2002
    I just noticed that the paperback edition for this novel is already out while shopping for other stuff at the bookstore. That seems like a surprisingly fast turn around between the hardcover and paperback editions.
     
  12. Todd the Jedi

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

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Six months has more or less been the standard turnaround time for the past 4 years or so.
     
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  13. DarthInternous

    DarthInternous Editor - Del Rey Star Wars star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2017
    Six to nine months is standard.
     
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  14. Duguay

    Duguay Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2002
    Oh! I didn't realize, I thought maybe 9 months to a year was the norm...

    Thank you for helping my perspective.
     
  15. DarthInternous

    DarthInternous Editor - Del Rey Star Wars star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2017
    It varies book to book. For standard tie-in work like Star Wars, 6-9 months, perhaps a year if the schedule is wonky and weird (sometimes you'll see a publisher bump a reprint if there is a particularly heavy publishing schedule, or the release would normally fall like on Christmas).

    For "traditional" publishing, closer to a year is standard, or perhaps several years depending on how well a book is selling. That's why you'll see super bestselling books have a really long time between hardcover and paperback. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, for example, was released on July 8, 2000.* The paperback edition didn't release for 2 years, on July 30, 2002.


    *A rare Saturday release for a book, so that kids could all buy/read on day 1 without school concerns*

    (apologies for de-railing the forum, backed to your regularly scheduled LAST SHOT discussion)
     
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  16. Jeff_Ferguson

    Jeff_Ferguson Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2006
    The Da Vinci Code had three years between hardcover and paperback, and I think the latter only came out to coincide with the film adaptation. The hardcover was still on the NYT bestsellers list and wasn't leaving any time soon.
     
  17. Chris0013

    Chris0013 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 21, 2014
    Actually just read the book. Little too much use of real world slang in it. Otherwise a decent story.
     
  18. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Finished the next in line of the post-ROTJ era that I had missed out on. This one was a very pleasant surprise- I didn't really know what to expect going in, other than I was going to be using the Lando cover, naturally. Turns out that was fairly prescient as it ends up being much more of a Lando novel than a Han novel, even though Han is next most important character in the book. The first and last chapters are even about Lando.

    Older really nails the characterizations here. Lando and Han haven't been written this well in decades. The multi-flashback structure of the novel also keeps things moving, particularly during the climax where you're getting several 2-3 page chapters back-to-back. Although, admittedly, it feels like a key connection between Lando's past storyline and the climax was skipped over or pushed off until afterwards.

    There's also a wonderful collection of supporting characters, such as the Ewok slicer Peekpa (whose initial introduction made me want an Endor version of The Office), a Gungan that no longer cares about his job and a pilot's pet Worrt.

    Some nice little moments include one where baby Ben trys to reach through the holo of Han. Never thought about hiw, even if the galaxy does take holo tech for granted, that there would be an adjustment period as an infant, same as any other tech. Another includes Lando ripping off a droid's head o extract info from, which reminds me of clones doing that to tactical droids on The Clone Wars. And,
    the jab at Darth Maul surviving being cut in half
    .

    We also now have the terms "Mothfulness" and "monmothmaing" and the phrase "What in the mutant cyborg creature hell?".

    Plot overall is small scale but of sufficient threat level (droid uprising- always a fun story to explore!).
    Though, reading Aftermath trilogy and this almost back to back, you realize just what a bad run of luck the Solos had with household droids there...

    Ranking NU Adult Novels so far:
    -The Last Jedi 10.0
    -Catalyst 9.5
    -Last Shot 9.0
    -Alphabet Squadron 8.75
    -Lords of the Sith 8.5
    -Aftermath: Empire's End 7.75
    -Aftermath: Life Debt 7.5
    -Tarkin 7.0
    -Aftermath 7.0
     
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  19. devilinthedetails

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

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 2019
    Finished reading this over the weekend. Borrowed a Kindle copy through my library. Overall, I thought it was an action-packed enjoyable read. Older seems to have a knack for crisp prose and for more of a "slang" feel that fits scoundrel type characters like Han Solo and Lando. The prose in this book was at its best when it stayed true to that. Its weakest moments for me were when Older seemed to try to "elevate" his prose by using some words that just seemed to be jammed in there awkwardly as if after rifling through a thesaurus.

    I enjoyed the little glimpses of family life with Han, Leia, and baby Ben. It was sweet to see Han cuddling Ben and to have Ben running out of the bath buck-naked to say hello to Lando. I could totally picture an excited little kid doing that. Tiny details like that enriched the story for me, though they also made me sad when I thought about Ben growing up to kill his father.

    I liked the depiction of Lando's relationship with L-3 in this book. Seemed to focus on the friendship aspect between them. I also liked how in the end L-3 found a way to save Lando from beyond death in a sense. That was an interesting way of connecting the two eras. On that note, I found the story from Lando's past more compelling than the one from Han's. Possibly because the Sana character just kind of annoyed me.

    Gor was an interestingly twisted villain, and I did like seeing more of Utapau and their culture.

    The Ewok character just annoyed me though the Gungan one was kind of cool. I also really hated how much this book wrote out the Ewok and Wookie languages. I just skipped over all those words so it became a waste of space. Don't bother with a fantasy/sci-fi language without giving me a glossary in the back of the book.

    Overall, a solid read. Not the best of the New Canon but far from the worst. I wouldn't mind seeing Older write about scoundrels again. Just if someone told him to tone down the typed out fantasy/sci-fi languages I'm just going to skip over that'd be great.
     
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