Star Wars Books and Graphic Novels Discussion

[Ace]

If anybody here reads or has read or is planning to read any Star Wars novels, comic books, and whatever else is out there in terms of paper media, talk about it here!

I'm reading Inferno, one of the Legacy of the Force novels. This whole series is just incredibly well-written. I'm always at the edge of my seat, waiting to see what will happen between the Solo and Skywalker families and how the galaxy will be impacted.

Other books I've read are the Republic Commando novels, X-Wing Squadron novels, and other scattered books, including Deathtroopers. As for graphic novels I have completed the Legacy series, started the Knights of the Old Republic series, and anything on Boba and Jango Fett.

Karen Traviss is one of my favorite authors, but I also enjoy works by Timothy Zahn, Aaron Allston and Troy Denning.

Oh, and make sure any potential spoilers are put under spoiler tags, too.

[The Truth]

Hm...well, it would be easier for me to list the books/graphic novels I HAVEN'T read.

[Blade]

Just as a mention, Ace, we don't have spoiler tags, so you'd need to use color=transparent tags. =) (As for why we don't, that's a very good question.)

[Ace]

@Truth: List them alphabetically, that will help!  Well, is there any particular character or era that you like reading about?

@Blade: Oh. Well. Outside of transparent text, I guess writing *SPOILERS* obnoxiously will help, too.

[The Truth]

Well, I have literally read over 300 Star Wars books and comics. 

The ones I DON'T have...

A Long Time Ago Omnibus 5.

Dawn of the Jedi

Knight Errant Volume 2.

Knights of the Old Republic - War

Invasion Volume 3.

Scourge.

Omnibus: Droids and Ewoks.

And one or two of the Star Wars Adventures books.

So, really, the ones I don't have are either out of stock or not yet published.

Era...Fate of the Jedi era and Old Republic era.

Favourite characters...I like things with Sith protagonists, such as Vestara.

[Ace]

I love the Omnibus collections! I have the ones on Quinlan Vos, Boba Fett, and Emissaries and Assassins. I definitely do not have anything on your collection, though. The art in those comics are really quite beautiful; I think that is the aspect I like the most, second only to the storyline.

Old Republic is awesome. As for sith, have you read any of those Darth Bane novels? It's funny hearing "Sith" and "protagonist" in the same sentence, lol

[mtmerrick]

My only star wars books are the full series of Junior Jedi Knights and Jedi Quest. 

[The Truth]

Read the Bane trilogy as soon as the books came out.

[Flipz]

Troy Denning.

>_< Let's not get me started.

Actually, you know what, this IS the place for it, so I'm going to say it.

Troy Denning is the worst thing to happen to Star Wars next to Jar-Jar Binks.

Karen Traviss is one of my favorite authors, but I also enjoy works by Timothy Zahn, Aaron Allston and Troy Denning.

Thou mentionest the Great One, the Author Exile, Karen Traviss, in the same sentence as  Denning?  Blasphemy!

But seriously, Denning and The Clone Wars together drove Karen Traviss out of Star Wars.  I never liked Denning for a minute, but when I learned what the people behind The Clone Wars did to her, I lost all respect I had or ever might have had for them. You don't do that to a writer, it's just plain wrong. 

[The Truth]

I happen to like Troy Denning.
I actually got to talk to him at a book signing, too.

Karen Traviss...
I like her books, but not the way she quit because of some minor canon changes. I didn't like the changes either (understatement of the year), but that wasn't reason enough to quit, IMO.

[Flipz]

From what I understand, it wasn't just a minor change--the Clone Wars people completely changed the way the Mandalorians were handled for that era, effectively de-canonizing the majority of her work.  I'd leave, too, if someone did that to me--there was no need for that at all.

Denning's books are dry and bland, his characters (with the notable exception of the Hapans) are uninteresting compared to when they are being written by anyone else, and he deliberately set out to screw over Traviss in Legacy of the Force.  Case in point (SPOILERS!): plot-wise, Invincible had tremendous potential.  If Zahn or Traviss or even Allston had written it, it would have been a fantastic ending to a fantastic series.  Instead, it was flat and boring, and I found myself just wishing it was over already.  Boba Fett's backstabbing of Jaina made no sense, and the gene-bombing of Mandalore, while in theory an interesting and dramatic idea, was implemented as sort of an offhand "take that" against Traviss, to try and kill off most of her characters. (End Spoilers)

It also doesn't help that Denning, among many others (including The Clone Wars' writers), continues the trend of overpowering all Force-users, de-humanizing them and making them uninteresting.  This and this alone is why the Prequel Trilogy and all related media are disliked among OT fans; in the original trilogy and the books written immediately afterward, the Jedi were balanced and relatable.  Yes, they were superheroes with awesome Force powers, but they were still equals with non-Jedi like Han Solo and Wedge Antilles.  They were powerful, but they could be outsmarted or outgunned, they were vulnerable in more than an Informed Flaw manner.  Traviss and Zahn both know how to write stories in which Jedi mess up in mundane ways, and are flawed beings like anyone else.  In a Traviss or Zahn book, a non-Jedi has a fair shot at beating a Jedi or a Dark Jedi or a Sith.  In Denning's books and others like him, that scenario is not only impossible, but patently rediculous.  It's a total change in the way the Jedi and the Force are treated; the Force has simply become too important and prominent.  This style of writing turns the vast majority of people in the galaxy into redshirts, and it's boring that way.

[/rant]

[The Truth]

I will admit that I hated the Mandalore episodes.

But I do personally prefer Denning's books to Travis's. Maybe just because I prefer the story, not necessarily the characters. Not to say I don't own all of hers as well, and if she wrote any other books I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

[Flipz]

Maybe it's because I'm an actor, but I find story without depth and character to be completely unbearable.  Plot is the base of a good story, but without character and depth there's no meat to it, and it becomes indigestible.

[Ace]

I like her books, but not the way she quit because of some minor canon changes. I didn't like the changes either (understatement of the year), but that wasn't reason enough to quit, IMO.

Wow, I must really be out of the loop if I've never heard about this. Does this mean that she will not continue the Republic Commando series?

Well, while I'm waiting to order the next Legacy of the Force novel, I'm reading Allegiance by Timothy Zhan. I always enjoy stories that delve deeper into characters typically overshadowed by the likes of Vader and Yoda (in this case, it's about a group of stormtroopers who desert the Empire after being forced to massacre a village "suspected" of being Rebel sympathizers).

[The Truth]

You mean Imperial Commando. Republic Commando ended with the Order 66 novel.
And yes, she will not be writing the second Imperial Commando novel.


I should reread Legacy of the Force...not as good as Fate of the Jedi, but I did like it...