Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: SURVIVOR'S QUEST (spoilers)

Counting 17 reviews: 130.75/17 = 7.69

 

I do believe that this book has to be read with a two book connection in mind. My only point is that it is a ripping good read. The questions only tease until the next one.

 

9.6/10

This book was excellent. The only complaint I had was that the mystery of the Outbound Flight Program was kinda dropped for the end of the book. I was actually hoping for MORE unanswered questions.

 

Counting 18 reviews: 140.35/18 = 7.8

 

Reviews seem lower than expected. Was it wise to leave so much unanswered? Would it not have been preferale to do the Outbound novel first?

Yet you have to. If readers already knew before SQ came out second, it'd be new to Luke's company but o to readers itself. While it had to be this way, you still have to finish with a sense of satisfaction.

 

i'll give it an 8.5

it was a well written book, but it opened up questions that it left unanswered

the charectorisations were good, especially Luke and Mara

It also was a good set up for the outbound flight project novels, and i agree this one had to come first

 

Characterizations: Both the characterizations of Luke and Mara had things to be desired. Just as an example, I really don?t think Luke would stoop to the petty trick he pulled with Huxley?s group. I can?t really get a specific example with Mara?Unless you count the ?hover? comment, and the saber style, which I?ll go over in a bit?

Story and overall presentation: Acceptable. There really wasn?t anything great about it. In truth, the first half of the book felt more like a fan fiction than an actual SW book. I don?t mean that as a bad thing, that?s just how it felt to me. Maybe the dialogue had something to do with it?

There were a few things that I would sort of like to comment on specifically:

Luke?s contemplation about corrosive poisons on page 351:
I threw my hand up in triumph the moment I read that bit, and I?m sure I will quote it sometime in the future when discussing Jacen?s actions at the end of TUF, and his power relative to Luke?s? But given the way Force powers are presented in the rest of the book, I don?t think I can actually put too much emphasis on this little excerpt?

The comment about Mara being better with delicate saber work than Luke on page 73:
This comment might have made sense, had we seen any indication anywhere that it might be true in the approximately 14 years Mara?s character has been utilized and described in countless material. Mara may have learned a different saber style than Luke did, but nowhere was it mentioned that she was a more delicate Lightsaber user than Luke. The assertion made in this book simply has no real backing; it came out of the blue. For that reason alone, I think it?s inconsistent with her character, and I don?t like it.

It had never even occurred to him to try to add an Outer Rim trade language to his repertoire (p.67):
Luke?s from Tatooine, right? Aren?t Jawa and Hutties (sp?) considered trade languages? Please correct me if I?m wrong, because this statement on page 67 looks absolutely ridiculous to me.

And as far as she knew, even Jedi couldn?t hover in midair. (p.52):
Nice way of wording it. This way it just looks like it?s Mara who?s stupid. The problem is that this seems to have been a theme in Zahn?s SW books ever since he started writing them. It completely ignores other material, and I?m quite frankly tired of this purposeful selective ignorance.

It?s not all muscle enhancement. COPL, BFC, Conquest, DW, JAT, YJK?etc. All demonstrate, in one way or another, that Jedi can move themselves about using the Force. I don?t like it when authors ignore large amounts of obvious evidence consistently.

I give the book a 7.2. I liked it, but that?s about as far as it goes?

 

I'll give it an 8.5/10. I liked the book alot, but it was lacking in two things: the grand scale of Zahn's books, and the fact taht there are a lot of unanswered questions like WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED THERE! Luke or Mara never thought to ask at all. sigh.
On an upnote, all of the references to the clone wars was cool, expecially the droidikas, and mentions of Geonosis

 

Nice way of wording it. This way it just looks like it?s Mara who?s stupid. The problem is that this seems to have been a theme in Zahn?s SW books ever since he started writing them. It completely ignores other material, and I?m quite frankly tired of this purposeful selective ignorance.

Since when can Jedi hover in midair? Sure, we've seen them use the force to boost themselves, or to lift each other, but I don't recall having ever seen a Jedi just hovering or flying or anything. . .

 

Counting 21 reviews: 164.55/21 = 7.84

 

That chick from Blast Radius could fly. I think...

 

I?m not talking about flying. I?m talking about self-levitation. (Yes, I think there?s a different) Dooku did it in one of the Clone War cartoons. Luke?s done it or something similar many times, the more extreme example being when he levitated himself and his X-wing out of the hanger on page 107 of Before the Storm.

Skywalker, Isolder thought. Perhaps that is how his ancestors got their name. (COPL p.149)

Anyway, my point is that Zahn has consistently ignored a Jedi?s ability to use TK on themselves. I?d much rather he stop ignoring it.

 

I threw my hand up in triumph the moment I read that bit, and I?m sure I will quote it sometime in the future when discussing Jacen?s actions at the end of TUF, and his power relative to Luke?s? But given the way Force powers are presented in the rest of the book, I don?t think I can actually put too much emphasis on this little excerpt?

Cosnidering Luke can't cure poisons from anyone at all, I dunno why you'd think that corrosive poisons are any different...

But this goes toward's Zahn's (and others') ignorance of certain source material...

 

Mastadge,

Zahn obviously adheres to the Lucas school of story planning then:

It was always 3 trilogies, no always a 6-parter, oh wait no, a trilogy, then a follow-up duology, then an unofficial 2-part, no it's a 7-parter...

<JB whips out double barreled shotgun and gives Lucas one barrel and Zahn the other!>

JB

 

This comment might have made sense, had we seen any indication anywhere that it might be true in the approximately 14 years Mara?s character has been utilized and described in countless material.

1) Mara is a bit of a perfectionist. She doesn?t like leaving jobs half-done. Unless it?s finished or done to her satisfaction with all criteria satisfied, it?s not done. Luke is more of a ?if it?s done, it?s done,? sort. On that psychological level, it makes sense that she?d be more delicate.

2) Mara?s background involves doing work like assassination, espionage, sneaking around, and breaking into things. All of those tend to require precision of one sort or another. Luke?s background is as a moisture farmer, a fighter pilot, and a Jedi. He doesn?t necessary worry about the tiny details so much. His priority tends to be to get a lot done well, rather than a specific thing done perfectly.

 

Like I said, it might have made sense. But since we have gone through innumerably sources describing her character, all of which seem to have neglected this little tidbit, I?m more inclined to see it as inconsistent with those other sources.

Could it make sense for her character? Of course. But the same argument could be made about Jacen?s character change from YJK to VP. It could have made sense, but it didn?t at the time because it quite simply came out of the blue.

Maybe I should be more detailed with my criticism: My beef with it is partially that it came out of the blue. The other complaint is that it is another situation in which Luke?s abilities seem to be toned down. I find it kind of silly to think that Luke can block blaster bolts (things that are exceptionally small in width) with his lightsaber easily yet hasn?t become a meticulous saber user.

 

I find it kind of silly to think that Luke can block blaster bolts (things that are exceptionally small in width) with his lightsaber easily yet hasn?t become a meticulous saber user.

Don't worry. It was just Zahn being Zahn. There's no logical or reality-based conclusion to support his statement.

 

Yeah but JJS loves trying to apply logic to the illogical, he's just about been able to pull it off as well.

Of course his defeat is inevitable, none withstand the illogic of the EU for ever! It is his destiny!

JB

 

I loved Survivor's Quest! It was a refreshing change after the NJO! It's a wonderful adventure story with lots of action and a few surprises along the way. It's a book that reaches a satisfying conclusion on its own, but which sets up some tantalizing questions about the Outbound Flight project for the prequel era book next year. I don't like the prequel era and don't usually read the books, but the Outbound Flight novel is one I *will* purchase.

Luke and Mara are portrayed well and make an excellent team. If we would have found out about Mara's origins, it would have been perfect.

I give it a 9.5.

 

Luke hovered in COPL and over the vat tank in Children of the Jedi.

 

Since when can Jedi hover in midair? Sure, we've seen them use the force to boost themselves, or to lift each other, but I don't recall having ever seen a Jedi just hovering or flying or anything. . .
-----signature-----

Darth Tyranus in the clone wars cartoon.

 

Counting 22 reviews: 174.05/22 = 7.91

 

I give it a 9.5/10 Very well done, but a few questions left unanswered. I do realize that yes, we may learn more about Outbound Flight in his next book, but I was left saying "huh? What about...wait a minute..."

I would presume like Raven said, Palpy probably trained her in a different sabre form. I'm not saying Luke's sloppy by any means, but she might certainly be more at home with making smaller more precise cuts to say, open a circuit panel to sabotage it, than Luke.

Did anyone else get a little shiver down their spine when Luke and Mara suggested Thrawn might still be around?

Edit, and yes, this is a sock. I'm Lank_Pavail, I'm just using this because I'm close to 10k.

 

Did anyone else get a little shiver down their spine when Luke and Mara suggested Thrawn might still be around?

If by "little shiver" you mean "violently ill" then yes!

 

I'd give it a 9.5 - enjoyed it a lot more than the Hand of Thrawn Duology. Loved the references to the clone wars - especially the little nugget about Kuat selling the Delta line to Sienar

True, it leaves pretty much every mystery hanging, but that's half the fun for me - the speculation. It'll make the Outbound flight novel all the more satisfying to read when it eventually arrives. As for the Thrawn clone, I definitely reckon Formbi's Thrawn's brother.

And thank God Han and Leia weren't in it!