*sigh*

[rhianon_lewelyn]

The ironic thing is that the entire plight of Jacen Solo now in the infamous Betrayal can be sighted in perspective from a comment made by Mara Jade to Luke in the book Vision of the Future, where she states that using the Force like a bottomless well without listening to it's quiet wisdom, is a sure path to darkness of the self

Comments

[withpins]

There is a new Japanese cover up, of The Joiner King (the Literature forum on boards.theforce.net has a thread about foreign covers and it also came up in the Casting Call thread) and Jacen is hot as ever.

ajeidkshdh!!! Ahem. Thanks for pointing that out. :-D Do you know if there's a hi-rez version up anywhere? The only one I could find was fairly small. But wow. Quite a change from the NJO covers.

*dies*

[rhianon_lewelyn]

I NEED to find it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I WILL find it!!!

Someone needs to put up a link...

XD

Re: *dies*

[withpins]

http://boards.theforce.net/literature/b10003/11299496/p27 eleventh_guard pointed out this thread, and I'm pretty sure it's on page 27. I completely agree with whoever said that new!Jacen is the spitting image of Michael Shanks of Stargate: SG-1. Not exactly how I pictured him, but a good thing nonetheless. That boy is gorgeous. :-D

[withpins]

Hmm, that's a cool observation. One of the things that really bothers me about this storyline (other than all the obvious stuff) is that it really does seem to be trying to imply that Jacen was really wrong all along.

Not just about everything Vergere taught him, but everything that was the very essence of his character until torture and pain and Del Rey stripped him away to nothing. He asked the hard questions. He wanted to KNOW things. He wasn't satisfied with simple answers. I hate the idea that that very ever-searching quality was what drove him down the dark path. But it really does seem to be the angle they're driving at.

XD

[rhianon_lewelyn]

I KNOW

[jedirita]

Yes, I thought of that conversation from "Vision of the Future" as well. Also the conversation Mara has with a young Anakin in one of the early NJO books. I think they were on Dantooine, and Anakin was always doing everything with the Force, not with his own strength. And they were talking about whether it's right to intervene and do things for other people, rather than let them work out solutions for themselves.

I can never quite figure out if these authors are actually going anywhere with all their twists on the Force, or if it's all just random "top this" plot complications.

XD

[rhianon_lewelyn]

(Jabs finger in the air with frightening gusto, nearly poking plushie owl in the eye

Re: XD

[jedirita]

Well, I wouldn't be quite that critical of them. I think Lucasbooks tried to avoid the Star Trek approach in which the books are all independent. By contrast, Lucasbooks has tried to develop a coherent storyline while at the same time allowing for writers' creativity. It was a noble experiment, but after dozens and dozens of books, I'm not sure that it has entirely succeeded. In fact, I'm not sure that it's even possible - unless they allowed only one person to write all the Star Wars books.

But the result is a greater focus on plot, or I should say "crisis and battles," especially the desire to "one-up" what's gone on before, create bigger and badder villains, make the Jedi stronger and stronger in the Force, and always place our gang at the heart of everything that happens in the galaxy. Character development tends to be sacrificed, although I think Matthew Stover did a pretty good job in both Traitor and Shatterpoint.

In the end, I have to say I like the Jude Watson young reader books best.

Re: XD

[rhianon_lewelyn]

That's the thing though, I'm personally very, very picky with characterization & when that's sacrificed then I get to blow a fuse. I DO agree with you on the various authors giving the series spice & it is good, no arguments there but specifically I have a major bone to pick concerning Jacen.

With him they lost it completely & there ain't no easy going back from there. He's inside out & hung with garters & it just don't work none too good for me at all.

Yeeeeesssssssss..... Matthew Stover is a GOD!! WHATEVER he writes is bang on with character, atmosphere, phrasing, eloquence, feel... taste... *delicious shudder* Yeah, I love him to bits as a writer, he is an idol I do worship whenever I have spare incense...

(Lights a match & sticks a smidge into spare cranny... inhales deeply..)

If you have ever read his rendition of Revenge of the Sith do so for it is a bloody masterpiece of epic proportions. Absolutely horrificaly beautiful.

*deep sigh*

Such high standards, so little time...

XD