(no subject)
Just finished LSATSOM. It radiates awesome.
I don't know if I can review this book. I'll have to write something up for the Lit review thread just because a book this good deserves every positive rating it can get, but my usual LotF-style reviews? I don't see how. There is nothing to snark, and I feel a very real moral qualm at revealing any spoilers at all, because this book is just too good, and I don't want to take those surprises away from anyone who's going to read it.
Here's my brief general take on it:
Brilliant writing. Absolutely brilliant. Tightly plotted - at practically every chapter I wondered anew how anyone would get out alive, but they always did (obviously), and I was never left rolling my eyes over a deus ex machina. It always felt valid and genuine. The narrative shone. Stover always seemed to make the perfect choice about where to cut to next, or from whose POV a scene should unfold. One of my writing handbooks says that the true key to great writing is simply to write beautiful sentences; Stover accomplished that and then some. It wasn't just the overall story that was beautiful to behold; it was the details.
The characterization was absolutely, positively the best I've seen outside of Zahn - and Stover might just capture Lando with a little more characteristic flair than even Zahn does. Luke was Luke at long last, in all his intricacies and strengths and weaknesses and insecurities and brilliance and determination. The banter of the Rogues plays out with Allston-esque style. Artoo's characterization is positively glorious. Fenn Shysa almost makes me like the Mandalorians. Han is definitely Han. Leia might be just a fraction of a degree off; I wondered once or twice whethere she wasn't being a tiny bit too quick-tempered and snippy. But as I pause to think back on the OT, I realize that she might be dead on. I'm used to reading her five-plus years after RotJ, after she's been married and reensconced in politics for years, whereas this is a mere six months after RotJ, and Leia did have a temper to rival Vader himself in the OT. Regardless, I didn't find her characterization distracting at any point, so I don't think it was a problem. Threepio felt the same way to me: just the tiniest bit off. With him, I think Stover got his personality exactly right and just didn't always quite get the wording exactly right. But for both Leia and Threepio, I'm serious when I say I only felt they were a fraction of a degree off, and everyone else felt perfect. I've never seen anyone but Zahn handle a wide cast of canon characters more authentically. Three characters from Shatterpoint also make their way into the plot, but believably so, the way Zahn includes his own established OCs in later books. Stover didn't shoehorn them in, nor do you need to know Shatterpoint to understand them. If only all the EU authors handled their own favorites so well.
The Rogue banter that I felt to be a nod to Allston might fall more into the "following established characterization" category than the "tip o' the hat to you, good sir" category, but there are at least two very specific nods to Zahn's work that are completely unmistakable as anything but. I'm still grinning over the second one. (It's on the very last page; don't any of you dare skip ahead, and I'm not kidding - it'll really mess up the reading experience, and for more reasons than that. But you'll laugh when you get there.)
The whole story feels extremely authentic for OT characters in an OT timeframe; it could almost have been lifted from the movies. (If Lucas were capable of such darkly nuanced writing. :p ) It referenced - referenced might even be too strong a word here. But there were moments where I was vividly reminded of some of my favorite parts of the PT, and I don't believe that's accidental on Stover's part. When you read it, check out page 56, for example, and see if part of RotS doesn't come rushing back at you. Starting on page 20, there are occasional references to something so completely and totally reminiscent of a major part of one of my all-time favorite fanfics that I seriously wonder if Stover hasn't been sneaking peeks at fanfic and if it might perhaps be a deliberate acknowledgement of fan creativity, as Stacy's appearance in Allegiance seemed to be for fanfilms. Mind, it's a plausible enough creative angle that it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if Stover simply came up with it on his own, but it's really, really a striking parallel to anyone who's read the fanfic in question. (Nope, not saying which it is. If you've read it, you'll know instantly and I don't want to spoil the surprise; if you haven't, it won't make any real difference.)
The Mandalorians - oh, the Mandalorians. How I quailed when I first heard they'd be in this book. I had nothing to worry about. Stover handles them way better than Traviss. And yeah, I realize that any fan of Traviss's will likely smack me for that if they read that comment. I couldn't care less. Traviss made them into Mary Sue demigods who, despite their acknowledged mercenary status, somehow out-moral every moral character SW ever had. Stover writes them as they are (at least, as I see them from my reading of the KotOR comics): not intrinsically good, not intrinsically bad, overly prideful, and completely and totally not to be messed with. It's a balanced handling that lets me genuinely enjoy reading about them, something I never expected to feel after having Traviss's all-hail-everything-Mandalorian worldview crammed down my throat for three novels. Han's thoughts on the Mandos are priceless.
One thing that cracked me up beyond all expectations: I consistently noticed the metaphors and similes used. The book is saturated with them. And for the most part, they're excessively creative and effective metaphors and similes. I was really in awe of Stover's mastery of them - and yet, there were times when I furrowed my brow at how very close a few of them were to overkill. I waved it off because he never quite tipped over that edge, and even when they were dramatic, they worked. Then I got to the last page and laughed and laughed and laughed.
For anyone who writes in any capacity, professional or amateur, the obvious authorial self-deprecation on the last page will CRACK YOU THE HELL UP. I wouldn't have believed any of the pros could pull off the formatting trick Stover does here (fanfic, maybe, because we have no editorial authority to answer to), and you don't even realize what he's done until the very, very end. (I AM SO SERIOUS: DO NOT READ AHEAD. HONEST TO GOODNESS, YOU'LL SUCK A LOT OF LIFE OUT OF THE NARRATIVE AS OPPOSED TO GETTING A GREAT LAUGH AND ADMIRING A PHENOMENAL DEMONSTRATION OF WRITING SKILL. NO SKIPPING.)
Aside from the possible teensy tiny slips with Leia and Threepio, I have only two tiny quibbles: Luke is aware of the existence of the Emperor's Hands in general, and Wedge is referred to both as "Commander" and "Captain." That last might be totally excusable, actually; I'm very spotty about how military rank works in any capacity, GFFA or otherwise, and both might be justified somehow. Regardless, do you know how long it's been since I read an EU book with so few complaints and so many things to be happy about? YEARS, that's how long. I'm more than half tempted to simply start rereading this right now.
10/10. If you have the money for a hardback copy, it's worth the cost. If you don't, or it's not an era that particularly appeals to you and you want to hedge your bets, haunt your library and pounce on the first copy that comes in. I can't image that you'll regret it.
I don't know if I can review this book. I'll have to write something up for the Lit review thread just because a book this good deserves every positive rating it can get, but my usual LotF-style reviews? I don't see how. There is nothing to snark, and I feel a very real moral qualm at revealing any spoilers at all, because this book is just too good, and I don't want to take those surprises away from anyone who's going to read it.
Here's my brief general take on it:
Brilliant writing. Absolutely brilliant. Tightly plotted - at practically every chapter I wondered anew how anyone would get out alive, but they always did (obviously), and I was never left rolling my eyes over a deus ex machina. It always felt valid and genuine. The narrative shone. Stover always seemed to make the perfect choice about where to cut to next, or from whose POV a scene should unfold. One of my writing handbooks says that the true key to great writing is simply to write beautiful sentences; Stover accomplished that and then some. It wasn't just the overall story that was beautiful to behold; it was the details.
The characterization was absolutely, positively the best I've seen outside of Zahn - and Stover might just capture Lando with a little more characteristic flair than even Zahn does. Luke was Luke at long last, in all his intricacies and strengths and weaknesses and insecurities and brilliance and determination. The banter of the Rogues plays out with Allston-esque style. Artoo's characterization is positively glorious. Fenn Shysa almost makes me like the Mandalorians. Han is definitely Han. Leia might be just a fraction of a degree off; I wondered once or twice whethere she wasn't being a tiny bit too quick-tempered and snippy. But as I pause to think back on the OT, I realize that she might be dead on. I'm used to reading her five-plus years after RotJ, after she's been married and reensconced in politics for years, whereas this is a mere six months after RotJ, and Leia did have a temper to rival Vader himself in the OT. Regardless, I didn't find her characterization distracting at any point, so I don't think it was a problem. Threepio felt the same way to me: just the tiniest bit off. With him, I think Stover got his personality exactly right and just didn't always quite get the wording exactly right. But for both Leia and Threepio, I'm serious when I say I only felt they were a fraction of a degree off, and everyone else felt perfect. I've never seen anyone but Zahn handle a wide cast of canon characters more authentically. Three characters from Shatterpoint also make their way into the plot, but believably so, the way Zahn includes his own established OCs in later books. Stover didn't shoehorn them in, nor do you need to know Shatterpoint to understand them. If only all the EU authors handled their own favorites so well.
The Rogue banter that I felt to be a nod to Allston might fall more into the "following established characterization" category than the "tip o' the hat to you, good sir" category, but there are at least two very specific nods to Zahn's work that are completely unmistakable as anything but. I'm still grinning over the second one. (It's on the very last page; don't any of you dare skip ahead, and I'm not kidding - it'll really mess up the reading experience, and for more reasons than that. But you'll laugh when you get there.)
The whole story feels extremely authentic for OT characters in an OT timeframe; it could almost have been lifted from the movies. (If Lucas were capable of such darkly nuanced writing. :p ) It referenced - referenced might even be too strong a word here. But there were moments where I was vividly reminded of some of my favorite parts of the PT, and I don't believe that's accidental on Stover's part. When you read it, check out page 56, for example, and see if part of RotS doesn't come rushing back at you. Starting on page 20, there are occasional references to something so completely and totally reminiscent of a major part of one of my all-time favorite fanfics that I seriously wonder if Stover hasn't been sneaking peeks at fanfic and if it might perhaps be a deliberate acknowledgement of fan creativity, as Stacy's appearance in Allegiance seemed to be for fanfilms. Mind, it's a plausible enough creative angle that it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if Stover simply came up with it on his own, but it's really, really a striking parallel to anyone who's read the fanfic in question. (Nope, not saying which it is. If you've read it, you'll know instantly and I don't want to spoil the surprise; if you haven't, it won't make any real difference.)
The Mandalorians - oh, the Mandalorians. How I quailed when I first heard they'd be in this book. I had nothing to worry about. Stover handles them way better than Traviss. And yeah, I realize that any fan of Traviss's will likely smack me for that if they read that comment. I couldn't care less. Traviss made them into Mary Sue demigods who, despite their acknowledged mercenary status, somehow out-moral every moral character SW ever had. Stover writes them as they are (at least, as I see them from my reading of the KotOR comics): not intrinsically good, not intrinsically bad, overly prideful, and completely and totally not to be messed with. It's a balanced handling that lets me genuinely enjoy reading about them, something I never expected to feel after having Traviss's all-hail-everything-Mandalorian worldview crammed down my throat for three novels. Han's thoughts on the Mandos are priceless.
One thing that cracked me up beyond all expectations: I consistently noticed the metaphors and similes used. The book is saturated with them. And for the most part, they're excessively creative and effective metaphors and similes. I was really in awe of Stover's mastery of them - and yet, there were times when I furrowed my brow at how very close a few of them were to overkill. I waved it off because he never quite tipped over that edge, and even when they were dramatic, they worked. Then I got to the last page and laughed and laughed and laughed.
For anyone who writes in any capacity, professional or amateur, the obvious authorial self-deprecation on the last page will CRACK YOU THE HELL UP. I wouldn't have believed any of the pros could pull off the formatting trick Stover does here (fanfic, maybe, because we have no editorial authority to answer to), and you don't even realize what he's done until the very, very end. (I AM SO SERIOUS: DO NOT READ AHEAD. HONEST TO GOODNESS, YOU'LL SUCK A LOT OF LIFE OUT OF THE NARRATIVE AS OPPOSED TO GETTING A GREAT LAUGH AND ADMIRING A PHENOMENAL DEMONSTRATION OF WRITING SKILL. NO SKIPPING.)
Aside from the possible teensy tiny slips with Leia and Threepio, I have only two tiny quibbles: Luke is aware of the existence of the Emperor's Hands in general, and Wedge is referred to both as "Commander" and "Captain." That last might be totally excusable, actually; I'm very spotty about how military rank works in any capacity, GFFA or otherwise, and both might be justified somehow. Regardless, do you know how long it's been since I read an EU book with so few complaints and so many things to be happy about? YEARS, that's how long. I'm more than half tempted to simply start rereading this right now.
10/10. If you have the money for a hardback copy, it's worth the cost. If you don't, or it's not an era that particularly appeals to you and you want to hedge your bets, haunt your library and pounce on the first copy that comes in. I can't image that you'll regret it.