The Official Labyrinth of Evil Discussion Thread

From what's been revealed on TOS (others who've read it can confirm/deny this),

Confirm.

There's plenty of action and intrigue in that three month span. And *much* speculation can be made based upon the absence of certain characters from the book...

 

Ah, danke.

Purported storytelling quality notwithstanding, if nothing else, analyzing this one should be an experience, à la KOTOR II.

 

absence of certain characters from the book...

Anakin?

 

UPS just brought mine.

dp - could it be a certain dark jedi sith wannabe??

 

dp - could it be a certain dark jedi sith wannabe??

*THAT*... would be telling.

 

If any of you who have already read the book would be interested in writing a summary for The Unofficial Clone Wars Site - Battles Section http://www.starwarz.com/clonewarseu/battles please send me a Private Message or email me at: clonewars@starwarz.com

Thank you.

 

I've read the first couple of chapters, and I have to say I'm impressed. Luceno is the man for the job of writing the details like Syfo-Dyas, clone armies, Anakin's dark side creep from wanting the war to end, etc. I had forgotten what marvelous job he does as paying attention to detail. It should be required reading for anyone seeing this movie.

 

Well, give us some spoilers. We don't care what you think of the book we just want the info.

 

Pfft. Give me some time. I'll try to read fast.

 

Rein in your impatience, Trias. Some of us have to wait a year to avoid the dark tyranny of hardcover expense.

 

Well, here's what I've read so far. Mind you I'm only about 150 pages into it.

---

Obi and Ani start out on Cato Neimoidia, hunting Gunray down. Very good dialogue between the two. I'd call it friendly bickering, but you can tell they really, really care about each other, and it's not forced like the elevator scene.

At one point, they have to devise a plan to use one of them as bait and the other to actually get Gunray. Obi tells Anakin to remember - "don't make it personal". To which Anakin thinks - [i]Of course it's personal[/i], hinting that when he does get a hold of Gunray - it won't be pretty. Obi and Anakin are unsucessful but in the melee, Gunray accidently leaves behind something he [i]really[/i] should not have - the machno-chair from TPM that Sidious, Dooku and Grievous use to hail him. Big mistake. Jedi take it back to Coruscant and Jedi intellegence now has a hold of it.

A little forshadowing of Anakin's impatience to end the war and his arrogance. Palpatine has managed to become another friend and mentor (and the Council doesn't like it). He is starting to put two and two together where Anakin and Padme are concerned, especially on her part. Padme is pregnant, but the book makes it sound like she's about 7 months along. A reference to her face being "fuller" is made by Bail. At one point she can feel that Anakin is thinking about her, and she tries to "reach out". Meanwhile, (a couple pages before this part) Anakin thinks of her and declares to himself that there is [i]"something...something strange about her."[/i] He also has a feeling he needs to be there to protect her.

Signs of the Empire are already there. For the new Republic Security Forces recruitment a sign reads [i]NON-HUMAS NEED NOT APPLY[/i]. [face_worried]

Obi pontificates on Anakin's Chose One status quite often as do other characters including Dooku and the regulars like Mace and Yoda. At one point, Obi even wonders if Anakin CAN be killed (because he's so reckless) or will the Force not allow it. OR if the job of the Jedi is to protect him at all costs, to make sure he lives to bring the prophecy to fruition even if they all die (ala Mace in Shatterpoint).

Greivous' background sounds suspiciously like Vader's but he's got a more brutal personality. Geonosians "built" him and put his maimed and battered, worthless body into a cyborg suit. They make sure his rage and hate are brought out (don't know how, but could have something to do with Vader later on also) and it later says his accident was orchestrated by Sidious to make sure he came to their side.

There is some name dropping along the way - like Ylenic Itkla was on a mission with Aayla (didn't know about this one). A few others are: Quinlin Vos, Sora Bulq, Raith Seinar and yes, Qui Gon has already been mentioned about 15 times in 150 pages. [face_wink]

There have been a couple of things I cringed at - due to editing/research. Namely when Anakin is thinking back to what he would have become if he wasn't a Jedi by "now" (Galactic podracing champ - and he and his mother and all the slaves would be free and away from Tatooine) he recalls meeting Padme, the "Are you an Angel?" and then says something about the Moons of [i]Viago[/i] (That's what I thought, too - Viagra???). It's [i]Iego[/i]...

And Anakin's ship is described as [i]green[/i] and yellow??? But Artoo is flying with him. [face_grin]

That's all I have for now. Maybe someone who is farther along can update if I don't get finished in the next day or so. Hopefully enough for a discussion.

 

Signs of the Empire are already there. For the new Republic Security Forces recruitment a sign reads NON-HUMAS NEED NOT APPLY.

That's fascinating that the Empire's bias shows up that early. How did the Jedi react to something as powerfully baised such as that, or was that not mentioned?

 

Anti-alienbias showed up waaay earlier.

Cloak of Deception said the statues outside the Senate complex of notable Coreworlders were all human. Even the furnishing within were pro-human.

 

Figured Jim'd be throwing some love Quin's way in the book.

Re: the "anti-alien bias":

In Cloak, Palpatine likewise meets up with Havac in a "humans-only" smoking club, a bit of sub rosa foreshadowing.

 

That's fascinating that the Empire's bias shows up that early. How did the Jedi react to something as powerfully baised such as that, or was that not mentioned?

It was Bail Organa that saw it in an air taxi station or something like that. He is thinking how control of the Republic is being taken away from the Senate bit by bit.


Quin's is mentioned in Obi-Wan's thoughts regarding some of the subterfuge the Jedi have been doing and not exactly enlightening Palpatine. The Jedi are now spies and intelligence gatherers as well as warriors - it is a role they do not relish.

AND FOR ANYONE WHOEVER DOUBTED: Dooku befriended Syfo-Dyas, and then as his dark side "test" Sidious has him kill his good friend, the one that had been listening to his rantings about how corrupt the Republic was becoming, and how the Jedi refused to see the forest for the trees. Then, he erases the files on Kamino, but Jocasta later figures that out and tells the Jedi Council between AOTC and ROTS.

 

Can we have some more on Grievous?

What's left of him after the crash?

Why does he hate the Jedi so much?

What was he like before becoming a cyborg?

Anything about Dooku training him to use a lightsaber?

Is there a reason why he wouldn't join or help the Sith?

 

Can we have some more on Grievous?

Sure! He is from Kaleesh and hates the Jedi. From what I understand he is not force sensative, but Dooku still trains him in the "Sith arts", because of his hate and rage.
What's left of him after the crash?

The only part really left of him that is any good is his brain. He is given a cyborg suit by the Geonosians, but it is paid for by the Banking Clan who have invested in his planet.


Why does he hate the Jedi so much?

His planet fought with the Huk and had won until the Rebublic (under Valorum, it appears) got involved and sided with the Huk, causing Greivous' planet to fall to disorder and famine. The Jedi were sent to Kalee to intervene. He hates the Jedi.

What was he like before becoming a cyborg?

It sounds like the Geonosians designed the suit to bring that out in him ..although he wasn't a teddy bear to begin with. He was his planet's fiercest warrior and strategist.

Anything about Dooku training him to use a lightsaber?

Dooku trained him in all the Sith arts due to his immense anger.


Is there a reason why he wouldn't join or help the Sith?

He has helped the Sith, but is not force sensative.

 

Cool, thanks rhonderoo!

 

What does Bail Organa do in the book?

 

The first time you see Bail, he's got a meeting with the Chancellor, along with Padme, Mon Monthma, Bremu, Fang Zar. He has been called to Coruscant for this meeting with Palps. They are trying to get some of the "emergency" powers rescinded. They are made to wait in Palps' office by Sate Pestage. The Chancellor is slimy as ever in this book and Luceno has him down pat.

 

Yay for Sate Pestage! My faith in Luceno has already been rewarded.

 

I don't really understand how Grievous can be taught the "Sith Arts" if he's not Force sensitive.

I could understand how an alien/cyborg/whatever could learn to handle a lightsaber; after all, Sebulba was as good a pod racer as Anakin, and he didn't use the Force.

But what are the other Sith Arts? Don't they all involve the Force?

I understand how anger/hate tie into the Dark Side...

 

Thanks for the spoilers, rhonderoo! I wonder if you could fully explain the whole "Sifo-Dyas issue" when you've finished the book, because I still don't think I understand it completely.

 

Maul- it doesn't go into how Grievous can be taught, it just calls them Sith arts. I think it's basically lightsaber wielding, because it does have a section with Dooke teaching Grievous the art of swordplay.

L-W - Syfo-Dyas was real and Dooku was less than enamoured with the way things were going in the Republic and the Jedi, and he had studied the Sith enough to know they weren't gone, just biding their time. They became friends, I'm not sure if SD was as disgusted as Dooku. After the events of TPM - Qui Gon's death, Sith outed, slave child found in the desert with no father, he knows things are coming to a head. He trys to make the Jedi see, and of course they don't. Syfo-Dyas was also disturbed, but "too weak to take action." He does however order the clones after foreseeing the war. Then Sidious finds out. As part of Dooku's initiation, he must kill his friend and start the war that we saw in AOTC - which also means erasing Kamino and hiring Jango Fett.

 

Grievious isn't Forceful? Then what's to stop a Jedi from throat choking him nicely?