I have to admit that, love Star Wars though I do with all my heart and soul, when I read flap copy that tells me there's a "newly risen warlord named Shadowspawn," it's all I can do not to giggle myself silly. Still, brand new novel and author and no idea at all what to expect ... that's pretty exciting, right?
Rose here... Seriously, that's our villian? Shadowspawn? Oh dear, the writing had best be good then. Ba-dum-CHING. Anyway, I'm with Esme, I have no expectations (well, maybe a few, now that I know the villian is named Shadowspawn... moving on...) so I'm going into this one with very few hopes and dreams. I'm just looking for a good adventure and more of the characters whom I truly love with all my heart.
ESME'S FIVE SILLY PREDICTIONS
1) Wedge Antillies will turn out to be my favorite character in this novel because he's badass and a little goofy at the same time. (Rose agrees and confesses her secret crush on Wedge for all the interwebs to hear. Or read. Or whathaveyou.)
2) Shadowspawn will turn out to be one of those warlords who makes grandiose gestures and uses very dramatic language and Luke will inevitably kill him to put me out of my misery. (Double that. "You almost had me monologuing!" -The Incredibles)
3) Leia and Han will banter a lot - possibly there will be more sexy business and Chewie will try to create a romantic interlude, as seen in Truce. (Yes and yes. More floor pillows Chewie!!)
4) I will not be able to guess the plot twists until they actually happen (this is a cheaterpants prediction - I almost never guess the plot twists in anything) (Rose probably will, but she's savvy that way from watching waaay too many crime dramas...)
5) This time, Rose will finish reading first because I'll be too busy laughing my head off at Shadowspawn (Possibly Rose will be right there with you, tears and giggles blurring the pages...)
We'll see what happens ....
Wow, I'm already impressed and I'm only on the prologue! Stover has already taken his novel to the next level - this is good writing, in terms of craft as well as plot! His story begins at the end of the narrative and loops back to the beginning, in such a way that the reader thinks, "Wait - WHAT??"
ReplyDeleteHmmm... I liked the prologue well enough, but I'm not sure about the first chapter. Stover's writing is just a bit too quippy and corny so far. And the main characters don't seem like themselves but like quick, shallow sketches. I hope this improves as the book continues...
ReplyDeleteNow, having read the first chapter, I can see some of what you mean. I'm definitely enjoying the quirky edge but I can see it potentially getting very tiresome if it carries on too long. Slang like "y'know" works for Han but I do like the idea of crazed fans making holovids about Luke and Co. It brings an element of reality to what they're doing. Even in Star Wars, there are probably insane fan girls ... ^_^ Luke's like the Bieber of A Galaxy Far Far Away .... except, you know, with actual skills and talent ....
ReplyDeleteOh nooooooo!!! Luke is NOTHING like Bieber!! I don't like that comparison at all!! He's more like Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Martin Freeman, just hitting his Jedi swing but with still a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteRE slang: There was one point when a Rebel Commander said "ain't." Completely rubbed me the wrong way!! These are military men! They may say "ain't" in the privacy in their own homes, but never in a combat meeting.
I love the idea of Han and Luke having fangirls. It makes me happy all over. ^_^
Heehee, I thought bringing up Bieber would upset you ^_^ I said Bieber because girls go out of their freaking minds and the Beebs is really only known for his insane fans, as opposed to Gordon-Levitt and Freeman who have actual talent they are known for ... in this case, it seems like Luke is known for things he isn't doing, not recognized for his actual abilities. In this way (and this way only, I stress) his fame is more like Bieber's than like Gordon-Levitt's ...
ReplyDeleteANYWAY, the slang threw me, too. It would be one thing if, like TZahn, MStover had created a dialect for a character that was consistent and made sense in terms of that being's speech patterns (he does this with Karrde's associate Chin in "Heir to the Empire" and it's really effective). In the case of the officer, it kinda comes out of nowhere so it's jarring. There are other situations where I feel like there's a subtle dialectic shout-out to New Yorkers and there are some weird turns of phrase ... I haven't decided if I like it or not ...
I haven't continued too far past the Bieber... I mean Luke discussion about his vids. I totally see your point there, but I still dislike the Bieber reference. And Bieber. And all his fans. Sigh, that will probably lose us at least three potential blog followers. I'm sorry Es, truly...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I like the language mashup yet or not either. I'm going to have to keep reading I think. I've been giving myself some space from it to see if that helps with absorbing the new writing style. Tyers was so good with her dialogue that I still feel stuck in her novel. Maybe a day or two will help with that.
No, it won't, because they'll get what I mean. The whole Bieber thing is completely out of control and ridiculous, AS IS LUKE'S HOLO-THRILLER. And actually, I think my point stands even more strongly when you get to the part where the "truth" of the mania around Luke is completely corrupted and it becomes evident how damaging that is ... I work with young Bieber fans for a living, I know how corrupting his influence is! ^_^
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm with you on MStover's writing style, I disagree about Tyers. Love her novel though I do, I wasn't impressed by her writing or dialogue. It definitely wasn't jarring, but having everyone "spring" everywhere (for real, six thousand springs happen during the narrative) did nothing for me. I actually remember struggling with this when I was younger, too. There's something very dramatic in her style that kind of bugs me. I mean, it does actually fit very nicely into the Star Wars universe (particularly given George Lucas's tendency to go WAY over the top with his screenwriting dialogue), but even with that in mind, I just wasn't impressed with the quality of her writing, stylistically. In terms of character arcs, character development, plot, and the life she breathed into the EU that inspired so many other writers, I'm behind her 100%, though, that's for sure!
Hmmmm, you are definitely right about the springs! There was a lot of springing going on. Perhaps it was because it was the first time I've read Truce, and I haven't read any Star Wars books recently that I grew so attached to it. Maybe because it was the first book in our project, and I was unreasonably excited to be reading it. Either way, her writing style didn't bother me all that much.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad! And I have to say, the fact that the writing didn't actually take away from my enjoyment of reading "Truce" is kind of a big deal. I get pretty off-track in my reading if I find the writing jarring.
ReplyDeleteI think that's why MStover isn't bothering me at all. His writing style is jarring for sure but I appreciate how he shakes up the characters I love and tries new things with them. I like his experimentation of Luke's image versus Luke himself and how potentially dangerous the dramatizing of the Jedi can be. I appreciate that KTyers did that too - that whole post I did about the discomfort she made me feel with the Luke/Leia relationship was really all about how much I appreciated her fearless approach to building her vision into the EU. Thanks to her willingness to be daring, other authors had fabulous material to jump off from and try their own twists.
I know I've said it a million times but I have to say it one more: I LOVE this project!!