A&A The Official Drew Karpyshyn Discussion Thread

Drew Karpyshyn works for BioWare and WotC and is the author of two previous novels, both in the Forgotten Realms universe: the novelization of the Baldur's Gate II computer game, and Temple Hill. The former is considered one of the worst FR novels; the latter one of the best. Go figure. He's now writing one of the Old Republic Star Wars novels.

Please feel free to discuss Drew's work in this thread.

 

An author whose worked on the commendable KOTOR game, which had a megaton of TOTJ and general EU references, the forthcoming SW book looks promising to say the least! Pity it's hardcover . . .

 

I didn't realize the book was hardcover, but I'm glad it is. The only upcoming SW release I'm looking forward to more is Stover's novelization, so it's kind of nice to actually be excited about spending money on a Star Wars hardcover.

 

Let's hope that Drew will not kill any of our KOTOR favourites and that his novel will not be as bloody as Throne of Bhaal.

I hope for something similar to Temple Hill (better than any of Salvatore's books!) which was AWESOME - I completely changed my mind about Mr. Karpyshyn after Temple Hill (he enraged me earlier with that Bhaal thing). People you must all read Temple Hill!

I hope that his Star Wars novel will have the mood of the great Tales of the Jedi comics and we'll feel the 4000 year-old distance. KOTOR is great but too modern.

Yesterday I finished Temple Hill and I'm still shocked! I hope that this Old Republic Hardcover will be similar!

 

Did he work on KotOR 2 or just 1?

 

Wow, I had no idea there was a novelization of the Baldurs gate games. Still, the games ruled.

 

Path of Destruction, A Novel of the Old Republic

 

I'm curious, how does one with no formal writing experience obtain a slot with Del Rey?

 

He does have formal writing experience. Two novels, plenty of RPG source material, and video game scripts.

 

Is the games' industry that identical to mainstream publishing? There's a difference between a game tie-in book like Starcraft or Ruins of Dantooine and a formal novel, no?

 

No. Essentially, I suspect there's no difference between writing a Forgotten Realms novel and writing a Star Wars novel: you have to stay true to the world you're playing in. The Starcraft novels, Forgotten Realms novels, Ruins of Dantooine, Hard Contact -- these novels are not following a script. They're written by the author from the ground up.

 

The difference between a game-tie in book and a proper one is quite significant. The budget and author pay is lower, and they're dsigned to be cheap and quick made. They are often given to new or middling authors . . . so perhaps it's not so bad after all. But I feel the fast-pace of a life long view will allure swiftness and breeziness to this; and like you said, SW is no longer different to FR.

 

Try talking to Ms. Traviss about the difference between "game tie-in" novels and "proper" novels. She's written several of each, I think she'll set you straight on this.

Frankly, I don't think you have much idea what you're talking about. Game-based novels are produced just as any other mass market paperback from their publishers. Depending on the property at hand, the royalties for a tie-in may be lower, but the advance may well be higher.

 

I'm well aware of Hard Contact's repute. But info comes from the sources, so it could just be an Aust publishing viewpoint. It must be different over there.

 

Wow, I haven't heard about this Old Republic Novel...was it ever released? I would definitely want to check it out if it has been.

 

It's coming up. Upcoming release dates.

 

If his work on the KOTOR story is anything to go by Path of Destruction should be good. Especially considering it's another relatively unknown era.

Plus I want to see his Insider article on Banes Order.

 

Does he come around here?

 

Wow, this thread was started over 2 years before the book was released!

 

Does he come around here?

Drew just showed up on the Lit boards announcing he'll be signing the book in CA. I think he said it was this weekend. If interested head to the lit board. Sorry I don't have a link.

Also I absolutely loved his book and his writing style. It surpassed all of my expectations and is easily one of my favorite SW books now.

 

KOTOR, not KOTOR II.

 

Havac's right - I was only marginally involved in KOTOR II. The guy's at Obsidian did virtually all the work - they only needed my input on some questions about characters or events in the original that they wanted to reference.

On a side note, just thought I'd drop by this thread and say "hi". Unfortunately, between working on novels, video games and my golf swing, I don't think I'll be a regular poster here. But I'm a big-time lurker on the boards. (I think most authors are.)

I wasn't going to post, because I was afraid people might think I was a jerk if I didn't respond to them right away. But while I was at my California signings I ran into Abel G. Pena, and we had a good talk about the fans here at TF.N. Basically, he said you guys were pretty cool and nobody would hold it against me if I popped in and out from time to time - so I hope he's right!
(By the way, Abel's a cool guy to hang out with. After my signing we went for something to eat, and had a great time.)

So, thanks for all the comments - I get a real kick out of reading what people have to say about my work. I'm glad most people like the book. For those who didn't, I still appreciate that they took the time to read it and express their opinions. (Plus, if they bought the book I already have their money now - HA HA!)

So, I'll be showing up from time to time and reading this thread pretty frequently. If you have something you want to say to me - good or bad - this is a good place to do it. I can't promise you an answer, but I promise I'll read it.

Drew

 

I'm glad most people like the book. For those who didn't, I still appreciate that they took the time to read it and express their opinions. (Plus, if they bought the book I already have their money now - HA HA!)

That made me giggle...QFT (quoted for truth). You'll find if you hang around long enough that the people who didn't like your book don't seem to like anything, so I wouldn't worry about it. I loved it and it was about a topic in SW that I knew virtually nothing about and you made everything seem so clear to me. Thank you for that.

 

I want to read this soon, but since I'm in Australia it won't be out for a couple of weeks.



Plus I'm broke.