Getting there eventually: Thoughts on Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
Just finished, and still trying to get my thoughts together. It's fascinating how Stover reinterprets a lot of the characterisation and direction of the EU in the novel; I can see people who don't follow the EU or are dissatisfied getting a lot out of it. It reminds me a little of what Zahn did in VotF, only that was more redirecting the series back toward its (Zahn-penned) roots, whereas this is challenging some of the basic premises of the EU. *ponders* I am really intrigued as to how the EU would be different if the themes Stover has set up were developed.
Luke's characterisation drives it, I think. He's very different here than most canon or fanon interpretations I've seen, and yet in many ways, his characterisation is a natural evolution of both the mouthy, impulsive, slightly ego-driven boy from ANH and the much more sombre and assured Luke in RotJ. There's a strong darkness there, which actually set me back a bit, but it's balanced by his strength of character and his sheer competence as a soldier and as a Jedi, and on reflection I think it works. There's a tendency in both fanon and canon to paint Luke as a kind of gentle, naive, unassuming saintlike figure who knows not petty human flaws, and it irks, because he's never been that. Stover's Luke stays true to the fundamentals of the character, while bearing the inevitable consequences of what he's been through and how he's been forced to change in order to survive. His characterisation actually builds on RotJ rather than eroding that growth, and is a step toward the person I could see Luke in RotJ developing into.
Something that I particularly like about Stover, and that's quite rare in Star Wars books, is that he doesn't hold back from inflicting hurt on the characters emotionally, and then following through on the damage. It struck me with Luke, because he's not in a good place through much of this. Obviously the events of the novel are not going to have him leaping about in joy, but it seems deeper than that - he's struggling on a fundamental level with who he is, and what he's done and is doing. He just generally doesn't seem happy. It's not a bad thing, because it fits with the darkness and complexity in the novel, but it makes me want to know how he deals with this stuff after it's all over. I'm slightly tempted towards writing fic exploring some of those ideas, but then, to be honest, I'm not sure I'd be game. Mindor is just so nuanced.
In terms of the other characters, Han and Leia felt a bit off in parts, but I've read much worse. Lando is truly excellent - possibly the best characterisation of him so far. And I love that decent roles and characterisation are given to Artoo and Threepio, and to an extent, Chewie. They actually get to be useful, rather than being stuck in cameo roles.
Criticisms? Hm. I learned more about gravity bombs and technical specs of various ships than I thought I would. I glazed over in some of the space battles, but then I never enjoy those so it's probably not the fault of the text. Stover strays towards overdoing Luke's Force power from time to time, but it fits with the philosophy and themes he's exploring - and with the characterisation - so it just holds back from getting tiresome. He's definitely one of the stronger authors in tackling the philosophy and the spiritual side of the Force, and so does manage to skate around the risks of making Luke too powerful.
There's more in the novel that's unique, but I'm still absorbing a lot of it. *continues to ponder*
Luke's characterisation drives it, I think. He's very different here than most canon or fanon interpretations I've seen, and yet in many ways, his characterisation is a natural evolution of both the mouthy, impulsive, slightly ego-driven boy from ANH and the much more sombre and assured Luke in RotJ. There's a strong darkness there, which actually set me back a bit, but it's balanced by his strength of character and his sheer competence as a soldier and as a Jedi, and on reflection I think it works. There's a tendency in both fanon and canon to paint Luke as a kind of gentle, naive, unassuming saintlike figure who knows not petty human flaws, and it irks, because he's never been that. Stover's Luke stays true to the fundamentals of the character, while bearing the inevitable consequences of what he's been through and how he's been forced to change in order to survive. His characterisation actually builds on RotJ rather than eroding that growth, and is a step toward the person I could see Luke in RotJ developing into.
Something that I particularly like about Stover, and that's quite rare in Star Wars books, is that he doesn't hold back from inflicting hurt on the characters emotionally, and then following through on the damage. It struck me with Luke, because he's not in a good place through much of this. Obviously the events of the novel are not going to have him leaping about in joy, but it seems deeper than that - he's struggling on a fundamental level with who he is, and what he's done and is doing. He just generally doesn't seem happy. It's not a bad thing, because it fits with the darkness and complexity in the novel, but it makes me want to know how he deals with this stuff after it's all over. I'm slightly tempted towards writing fic exploring some of those ideas, but then, to be honest, I'm not sure I'd be game. Mindor is just so nuanced.
In terms of the other characters, Han and Leia felt a bit off in parts, but I've read much worse. Lando is truly excellent - possibly the best characterisation of him so far. And I love that decent roles and characterisation are given to Artoo and Threepio, and to an extent, Chewie. They actually get to be useful, rather than being stuck in cameo roles.
Criticisms? Hm. I learned more about gravity bombs and technical specs of various ships than I thought I would. I glazed over in some of the space battles, but then I never enjoy those so it's probably not the fault of the text. Stover strays towards overdoing Luke's Force power from time to time, but it fits with the philosophy and themes he's exploring - and with the characterisation - so it just holds back from getting tiresome. He's definitely one of the stronger authors in tackling the philosophy and the spiritual side of the Force, and so does manage to skate around the risks of making Luke too powerful.
There's more in the novel that's unique, but I'm still absorbing a lot of it. *continues to ponder*