Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: LEGACY OF THE FORCE: REVELATION (Spoilers)

I second that .

 

You, sir, win the boards.

 

I agree with a lot of it. We may see Denning shift the jedi perspective back in Invincible. I won't get the book until Wed at the earliest. So I can't comment more fully.

At the risk of getting banned I have to ask: Aren't editors, specifically the editors at Lucas Film supposed to look at this kind of stuff since they have more distance from the story. We can start that discussion on another thread if someone's interested, since I hate hijacked threads more than anything.

 

Average score: 254.21/38 = 6.69

 

I find myself actually wanting to amend everything I said about this book in light of that post and revise my score.

I'm going to blame my lack of insight into the underlying themes of the book on the fact that I had the flu as I was reading it.

You've successfully done something that no one else has ever done: convinced me to dislike a book I initially liked.

And you did it with style. Bravo!

 

Amen, amen, amen. . . you solidified many of the vague dissatisfactions that I'd been feeling. Grade A Premium Quality Awesomesauce.

 

"Believe me, Order 66 was long overdue"

And this person is writing about the Jedi? No wonder the LOTF Jedi are, once again, depicted as idot "spoon benders" who by their own arrogance and stupidity are asking to be wiped out. Making someone responsible for their own genocide makes it timely and appropriate, instead of horrible and repugnant.

I'm not trying to sound bashy. My husband has read some of her non-SW books and has been positive about them. But someone who can see the positive side of Order 66 is perhaps not the best choice to write in a series that is primarily about the Jedi and the Force.

It's on par with GL's remark that after the PT, when people first see Vader in ANH they'll think "Gee, that poor guy is still that suit."

 

I agree. I enjoyed the book without putting too much though into all those things. I still was unimpressed with the Mando lovefest. Ask my wife, I complained to her about it and she can barely stand Star Wars because of me.

I wish I could amend my score. Is that possible Havac?

 

YodaKenobi, if I could I would Paypal you a six pack to thank you for that review...I can't believe I read that whole thing!!!

Let us remain safely on the good side of the line.

 

YodaKenobi....I think I love you.

(In a totally non-gay way, of course... )

 

YodaKenobi, I don't know what to say, except, well...

I love, man.

 

No, it is not.

 

Eloquently put, YK, though I do think you took the most negative view possible on some lines. That being said, I can't really refute anything you wrote. There are however, some points I'd like to expand upon.

Jaina Training with Fett and the Mandos

The idea is not as silly as it appears. Jacen had recently (barely) survived a lightsaber duel with Luke Skywalker, and had actually bested Kyle Katarn during an otherwise well-executed assasination attempt. Learning some unconventional, or at least unexpected, tactics would have proved quite useful.

What to we get instead? Jania learning Mando swordfighting techinques, and getting beat while doing so. And why did she lose? Because she was using a one-handed weapon and her opponent "didn't obey any rules?" You know, I seem to remember another Jedi of equal power and expierence being forced to fight dirty with unfamiliar weapons (and stripped of his Force powers!). How did that turn out again...

[image=http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/f/f7/JacenTraitor.jpg]

Right.

Had this section of the book shown Jania training with explosives, posions, sniper rifles, or doing anything other than getting sucker-punched or curling into a fetal position, it could have had merit.

I also didn't like the allusion to Mandalorian Iron being able to somehow resist the Force. I feel that if the GM of a Star Wars table top game tried to create armor that was impervious to lightsabers, blasters, and the freakin' Force, his players would smack the taste out of his mouth.

Daala coming back was actually a huge, unexpected turn. I could expect the Jedi-hate coming from her, as she is, after all, a dyed-in-the-wool Imperial. However, with that eyepatch and "slighty rasping" accent...

[image=http://www.palomar.edu/kksm/shows/shutupandlisten/Molotov_cocktease.jpg]?

The Imperial portion of this book was, in many ways, the most exciting. Assuming that more people respond negatively to the murder of Peallon than just half the crew of the Bloodfin, this should set off a civil war within the Empire. One potentially big enough to require a new Imperial Dynasty to clean up?

This book had great potential, and, in many ways, needed to be good. We needed a lot of development on the part of Jania. We got a few scenes of her getting shown up by Mandos, and the bulk of that time was overshadowed by Boba's own personal drama.

We needed a big reveal for Darth Cadeus. Its a moment that's been building since the end of Sacrifice. We almost had one, when Ben did his CSI presentation at the end. However, this was rather blown by the clumsy and out-of place identification of Jacen as a Sith by his sister on page 2 of the book.

Like all Traviss books, this was a fun read, so long as I was actually reading it. However, the second I stooped to actually think about what was going on, the story began to break down. Had this book been placed earlier in the series, its flaws would not have been so damaging. However, as the lead in to the finale, it failed on its two key premises, and thus sends us limping into Invicible. I am not any more certain of Jania's abilities to take down Jacen than I was when the book started, and for a story that promised to be a glorified training montage, that's a very bad sign.

6/10

 

Well at the possibility of breaking up the love fest here I must chime in. YodaKenobi seems to have made everyone see the light, comparing Karen Traviss's writing to that of a Grade Four Student, saying she is an advocate of genocide against the Jedi'n'such.
The Mando sections of all the LotF books need to be taken with good humor, I go into her books understanding that the Mando's are going to be made to shine. Do I like it, no, but that doesn't mean she has the writing talent of a ten year old. . Karen Traviss is a talented author who gets inside characters heads very well, and writes emotional scenes so well compared to other Star Wars authors.
Her Mara and Ben scenes in the previous books were so well done, as was her end scene with Luke and Ben in Revelation(Ha! I can spell it now). Mara's death scene where she brushes Luke's hair with a the force just before her passing was beautiful, as was Mara's force ghost finally visiting Luke at the end of Revelation.
Also the Fondor space battle was one of the best space battles in the EU novels in such a long time, since maybe the Thrawn trilogy for me, and its something we need to see more of.
The LotF books have been more about family than Jedi, and Traviss brings that idea of family to the front in her writing. Jaina spends much of the book agonizing about whether or not she can kill Jacen and yes Jusik helps her with her decision. She never agrees with his veiw of the Jedi, and challenges him when he scolds her about how many people she's killed. He then adds that he killed "Mostly to eat". This certainly doesn't paint him as a saint. Jaina's talk with Bardan was one of the novels real strength's, unless one were to think a former Jedi, turned Mando who has survived through several galactic civil wars would have no wisdom to offer.
Yes, I gave this Traviss book the lowest rating I've given any of her novels and the Mando issues are a problem but she has so many strengths I tend to forgive her transgressions. So many Star Wars writers make me feel like I'm reading a Video Game as their books jump from one action scene to the next, to the end battle against the "Boss". I just find Traviss's writing has so much more depth than that, but to each their own .

 

I agree that usually Traviss' writing is amazing. It wasn't in this book. Much of it was redundant and frustrating. It was confusing on the POV switches and frequently the characters sounded the same.

The issue here is that it was disappointing because it wasn't Traviss. She's better than this.

 

Sorry Havac...

 

Average score: 260.21/39 = 6.67

 

- Luke and Ben were decent. The last bits with them were really quite good, but not enough to make up for all the other stuff.
- Daala was just... What? Since when is she Thrawn 2.0? She is Admiral Daala. Can't buy it.
- Yeah, Mandos are awesome. We get it.
- Seriously. We get it.
- ::throws up hands::

3.5. Extra half-point because the Daala stuff made me laugh, and I suppose that counts for something.

 

solid read. 8 out of 10

 

*Kazam!*

This book is laughingly bad. Which is the only reason that I was able to sludge thru it and find anything actually Naboo in it. I mean good in it. Bloodfin! Mando'babble. What? All Force-users are evil? Equally so? Perhaps. The Fadalorians are the super-coolest? Check. Ancient Irmenu prophecies? Yes! An on-screen "revelation" that Jacen's a Sith. Yes... but only after starting the book with the "revelation" that everyone seems to actually know this already? Yes! Check! Bloodfin! Nab-ooo! Mando, mando mando? Mando. Possible veiled insult to readers who were upset about how Mara died in Sacrifice? Possibly. Mando! Continued Skywalker/Solo/Jedi debasing juxtaposed with the glorious rebirth of the Fetts and Mandalore? Oh heck yeah. Bloodfins? Yes. Enjoyable space-battles? Not really. Caedus=cool? Nope. He's a caricature. Just like the rest of the book? Kinda. CSI Ben and Shevu? Yes... the best plotline of the novel actually. Naboo? Evidently... perhaps Karen just saw the PT. Gratuitous rape? Well... no, yes, maybe... it's used as an "out" of sorts to explain the initial reason Boba leaves Sinta... and it's also what I believe to be Ms. Traviss' "proudest" "revelation" of the book. Also it's in strange contrast with Boba's lecture/scolding to Jaina about wanting "heroes" who are "blameless." (Quotes mine... I think.) Mando. Daala? Yes. Cool? Sure. Pellaeon? Bloodfin. Tahiri? In name only. Mara's murderer revealed? Yes. In a very moving scene actually... the single best parts of the book actually. (But why does Karen use the name Jacen during Caedus' confession, when it's been such a point of emphasis to seperate the two entities? ?) Mara's Force-ghost? Yes. Although her encounter with Luke is "off-camera"... which is good really, because I don't think that Karen writes (or likes) Luke very well.

In conclusion the Legacy of the Farce's 8th book, Revelation, is it's second worst. It's an inadvertant comedy with one golden moment.

My score: 2 out of 10

Naboo.

 

Great post, but the above really cracked me up when I read it in the book. That the Jedi only try to redeem family blew past EU to pieces - and the movies if you don't count Obi-Wan and Anakin as family. But when I thought back on the idea of Qui-Gon Ginn trying to redeem Darth Maul, either on Tatooine or on Naboo, considering the circumstances, I was rolling on the floor laughing.

And if Luke hadn't sensed the good in Vader, he certainly wouldn't have stood trying to convince him of it - I mean Obi-Wan, Yoda and even Leia told him it was an impossible dream and basically to give up hope and just kill Vader - and he would have except for what he felt in the force. But anyway, it was just another in a laundry list of statements made to convince us that the Jedi were a worthless breed of useless minions to an outdated Force - or "force" as it was rendered in this latest literary effort. I'm afraid though that I wasn't even altogether pleased with the few things you did like about it as my rating of .06/10 indicated. That wasn't arbitrary, I actually parsed the story into sections and rated them. I only hope that Denning can do something with what he's been left with. I really don't care about continuity at this point, I would rather he flat out contradicted Revelation.

 

I don't think the Daala or Fett Point of Veiws in the novel are wrong, even if they do represent a bit of Karen Traviss's own veiws. Fett likely still resents the Jedi for the murder of his father and Daala could easily be clinging hatred of the Jedi for killing Tarkin and helping topple the Empire. I'm actually sure both those characters have no reason to like the Jedi, and everyone has reason to hate the Sith.

 

Average score: 273.71/42 = 6.52