Lit Tarkin By James Luceno, underrated and under read

I have not but I did read it. It was a good read, can't recall much of it though. Sounds like I need to do a re-read! Will you give us some more thoughts?

@EmperorHorus
He might also not be as interested in writing any more, according to Wikipedia, he hasn't written anything since 2018 and his last novel was Catalyst in 2016. So he may just be retired.

 

Also scheduling. Contract conflicts. Vision as to what the powers that be want.

A ton of reasons.

Lots of authors I'd like to see do more SW books.

 

Who you you like to see write for Star Wars?

I would like to see Dan Abnett write a star wars series.

 

I'd love to see it even though I think he's got his hands full with WH40K. I don't think SW has ever had an author as talented as Dan Abnett.

 

Iv started reading Catalyst. Very early days. It started well but now the pacing has really slowed like stopped . Almost like a different book. I don't need to read about Krennic going on side quest.

Another factor maybe what happened to Alan Dean Foster. If I was an author, that would probably sour me a bit with Disney.

In terms of Authors why not let Stackpole have a go. John Jackson Miller and Matthew Stover are 2 obvious names who should get books.

 

I do wonder what the difference is between Zahn and all the other noted EU authors, as in what facilitated Zahn publishing new EU novels and not the others

 

Bluntly Name recognition nothing else.
Most people have heard of him and the Thrawn Trilogy even if they havent read them or read EU books in general.
While his 2 characters Thrawn and Mara Jade are the most well known and popular. None of the other EU authors have that and Disney/Lucasfilm felt they could cash in on it.

It's why Zahn did books for Del Rey when he was a bantam Author.
It's why Filoni King of the Nostalgia bait brought Thrawn in for Rebels and his Ahsoka show. Name recognition

Personally I did try his new EU books. The first Thrawn was fine, though he basically copied and pasted his own short story for the opening chapters and the Thrawn in the book is nothing like Thrawn in the Rebels show.
The 2nd book was also not bad though again the best scenes were probably the Anakin/Thrawn scenes.
3rd book I finished but I felt was just Zahn taking the you know what. Especially that scene of him predicting everything to that other Grand Admiral and it coming true to a tee
Haven't bothered with any of the others so couldn't say if they were good or not.
He doesn't really develop Thrawn and only gives the illusion of it which can only get you sa far before it gets boring.

 

Dave Filoni and Pablo Hidalgo were the ones who pushed for Zahn to do novels in canon storytelling, during the production of Rebels.

I couldn’t say if there’s any bad blood or anything, but the impression I get is that the publishing side of things prefers newer names to the older generation. I think Mike Stackpole and Kevin J Anderson have both openly said they want to return to Star Wars, but barring something like the Rogue Squadron Movie/tv series getting made I’m not sure that it would happen.

 

The man just wrote "the End and the Death" volume 1,2 and 3 in two years. Maybe he would like a break from WH40K (or a side project to keep his mind busy).

 

I very strongly get the same impression and I have theories on it but they are pure speculation.

True but he reportedly has a few other 40K sequels that are in progress to some extent like Pandaemonium, Interceptor City & multiple Gaunt's Ghosts entries.

I really can't see it happening for him with SW though, even if he really wanted to. He's kind of the opposite of the direction they've been going lately with their author hirings

 

I don't know about that - Abnett is both a professional and prolific author. If he was hired for a SW job, I've no reason to think he couldn't deliver what was required.

 

Not sure what you mean. I definitely didn't say that he couldn't do a good job. I'm certain he would do an incredible job

 

Oh yeah and the third of Belquin.

What do you mean re: bold? That he is an older established author? Or that he more a mil-sci-fi author? Or something else?

 

Sounds like your a fan then. Lol

 

Older, established author. Seems like they've been mostly throwing work to inexperienced writers

 

I enjoyed the Thrawn Trilogy and Hand of Thrawn (despite issues) and Outbound Flight is one my favourite EU books and arguably his greatest works but I do think he can be lazy with his writing (recycling scenes) over indulges in worship of his OCs (Filoni problem too) and his new books got progressively less interesting. So much so they didn't even seem Starwars, just the name slapped on

 

They seemed "Star Wars" to me. I think updating a story for current continuity is fine. Don't you think copy and paste is overstating?

And I have no problems with a writer putting their characters at the forefront and developing them as long as the story is good.

Zahn has misses for sure. But if he's lazy, there is no such thing as a writer who isn't lazy.

 

On most if not all the old EU authors being left out of Canon the last several years minus Zhan. It’s probably a multitude of reasons more than Disney wasting to seperate the two continuities as much as possible.

several of the authors are old. Close to retired or almost certainly retired in the case of luceno.

they probably costed slightly more then newer authors.

they were probably always contracted to do a certain number of books. And maybe that gets renewed. But I have a feeling this is the reason John Jackson Miller did A New Dawn. And then basically dipped from Star Wars.

the fact is there was that whole thing involving Alan Dean Foster that probably disgruntled the older guard much more than the newer authors. Because they had more of a relationship with him.

Also on the fact of it being a new continuity. That probably also didn’t help. Wouldn’t be shocked if some of the older authors just don’t want to write anything on fears canon is eventually thrown out as well. Heck we know for a fact this is why Travis left. Although she jumped the gun by a few years.

It’s a real shame as John Jackson Miller wrote two excellent books. Luceno I just assume is retired. Dude was born in 1946. And the rest of the Legends authors I don’t remember their books enough to comment.

unless I am mistaken the only authors to cross over are Zhan, Alan Dean Foster, John Jackson Miller and Luceno. And other than Zhan the last one was by Luceno.

 

That's a good analysis.

It's too bad about JJM in particular. A part of the younger guard. I also think he'd be fine adjusting to the new canon.

He's been doing a ton of Star Trek. Anyone read any of it? If I was interested in the property, I'd check it out. But I have too big a backlog as it is. But maybe someday?

I'd guess a JJM return someday is more likely than Luceno, who is almost 80 now.

Or Stover. I think the biggest issue with him, including why he wasn't really getting more SW work before the canon change was his admitted inconsistency. He was bad at keeping deadlines. A brand like SW isn't so tolerant of that kind of thing.

I think SW has a pretty good roster of authors right now, actually.

 

Yep. I like plenty of the new canon authors. The ones I don’t like are almost certainly one offs. As they are almost universally disliked. Hell my favorite Star Wars novel of all time was written by a new canon author. Lost Stars my beloved.

 

Paul S. Kemp was part of the first wave of nu-canon with Lords of the Sith. Also Christie Golden has written Battlefront II and Dark Disciple.

 

Forgot about Paul, but didn’t know Christie even wrote Legends.

 

She was the middle author for Fate of the Jedi.

 

I think both Stackpole and KJA have expressed interest in returning to Star Wars fairly recently.

But…I think it’s a combination of LFL/Publishing wanting newer names and predominately doing High Republic material nowadays that makes their return not really possible.

 

I don't think they predominantly do HR stuff.