Star Wars: The Very Beginning

[pen_and_umbra]

The other day, I re-read Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster, the mother of all Lucas-shafted Star Wars Expanded Universe books (the overt Luke/Leia! Darth Vader who totters!). Amused, I figured I'd read the Lucas's original novelisation of A New Hope, too

Comments

[tammylee]

I remember reading 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye' when I was quite wee and liking it. Of course, I was very much in love with Darth Vader and he was on the cover and well... I might have liked the story for the cover. XD I do seem to recall Leia and Luke having to wear disguises and they were rather drab mmm miner clothes?

[pen_and_umbra]

I read it for the Vader, too, way back in the 1980s, and it's a funky Vader: babbly, totally sadistic, and he can throw little white balls of Force energy. Kick ass! ;D

Yes, miner clothes. Leia's was of course a bit tight and Luke kept eyeing her curves (that were, apparently, in all the right places). Leia's also prone to screaming fits and in general, they act like teenagers blundering their way through trouble on sheer good luck. So now the book's entertaining for very different reasons.

[tammylee]

So now the book's entertaining for very different reasons.
Truly it is!

Funky Vader... Now I have him in an afro in my miiiiiind!

[pen_and_umbra]

Mwah, afro!Vader. XD But he really is funky. Quoth the book:

"Casually [Vader] drew his own lightsaber, began swinging the activated energy blade loosely back and forth, chopping playfully at bits of stone and carving."

Vader. Playfully. *stares*

[tammylee]

Ironic how, now that we know Anakin and his personality, that description might be plausible! Why, I bet he was imagining the bits of stone and carving was Obi Wan!

Wasn't it Alan Dean Foster who wrote that book?

Vader. Playfully. *stares*
In my girlhood fantasies Vader was very playful. He and I would ride those Tron cars all over the place.

[tammylee]

HAHHA! I am CAUGHT skimming entries! You actually do mention it was Alan who wrote it in your entry. *hangs head in shame* In my defense, it is Monday and I spent the morning in a terribly boring meeting. What brains I had are now oatmeal.

Wasn't it Alan Dean Foster who also wrote the Spellsinger books? I rather liked the first one.

[pen_and_umbra]

Wasn't it Alan Dean Foster who also wrote the Spellsinger books?

Yeah, I think so. The only other thing I've read of his stuff is one of the Alien movie novelisations -- the guy's written 23847293 books, but I really don't read sci-fi.

In my childhood fantasies, Vader was a misunderstood woobie who couldn't help the fact that he was addicted to genocide. ...then again, Hannibal Lecter was also a crush object of mine, so in that context, Vader wasn't really all that inappropriate a hottie. :P

[rabidfangurl]

Hannibal Lecter should be *everyone's* crush object. ::loves her some homicidal Ravenclaw::

[pen_and_umbra]

Lecter's brain, which clearly is about the size of West Virginia, is teh schmex. Brains are. Homicidal schmomicidal.

[rabidfangurl]

I would totally schmex up Lecter if I didn't have the feeling he doesn't care about teh pr0n. He would eat me, and I mean that in the bad way.

[pen_and_umbra]

I think he'd try teh pr0n, out of scientific curiosity, and then recycle the pr0n-ing object as dinner, yes. A frugal, sensible man, our Lecter.

...and now I think I need to go read some Lecter/Will Graham slash. Erg.

[rabidfangurl]

Eh. I find the Hannibal/Clarice relationship creepy enough that I don't need slash. Hannibal/Clarice is totally a canon pairing I can support.

[pen_and_umbra]

Hannibal/Will is pre-Clarice, so it works perfecto. I'm all for Hannibal/Clarice, too -- it's the HMS Creepy McCreeperson, and perfect as such. *nods* (Though, I still hate the end of Hannibal.)

[rabidfangurl]

That's why the book is better. Even if the whole thing with filling in Lecter's backstory annoys the fuck out of me.