Book Review Part 1: "The Clone Wars: Wild Space" by Karen Miller

[ladyaeryn]

It's very, very rare I drop the money for Star Wars profic anymore, given the abysmal state of it - well, the post-RotJ EU in particular. But on the reaction of several people who claimed this was the most, well... fanficcy novel they've ever read (and finding my library didn't carry this book)? Of course I had to take a peek. That, and I'm in

Comments

[frostbit_sky]

I have not read the book myself, but I have heard there are many waterworks going on in this book.

- "Believe me when I say that you and the Jedi are never far from my plans." BWAHAHAHAH.
LOL

[ladyaeryn]

Palpatine is just a riot in this book so far. "Oh, my poor Anakin, my dear injured boy, and poor me with all these emergency powers they just keep HEAPING on me, all I want is just to make peace and raise fluffy bunnies, what do I DO?"

[frostbit_sky]

rotflmao.

I am laughing to hard to even comment intelligently.

[ladyaeryn]

Seriously. Take away the bunnies and that's the gist of his entire first scene in the book. Hee!

[lazypadawan]

God, if I were a slasher, I'd be eating this shit up.

That's how I felt! Karen Miller was totally surprised people read that subtext into her book (and trust me, there's more from where that came from) which totally surprised me. Maybe she spent a lot of time reading Star Trek fan fiction back in the day and totally missed the slash overtones. It's been known to happen.

Miller loves to put her characters through the wringer emotionally and physically. She might not be into slash but obviously she digs hurt/comfort.

The tete a tete between Padmé and Obi-Wan was quite delicious, no? You can just see her crossing her fingers the whole time. Padmé's patience for the Jedi pushing her around has always been very limited. Agreed it was the worst thing they could ever have done was to tell her, "Make sure Anakin keeps it in his pants, okay?"

[frostbit_sky]

Agreed it was the worst thing they could ever have done was to tell her, "Make sure Anakin keeps it in his pants, okay?"
Wait, what? They tell her that in this book? LOL

[ladyaeryn]

Not quite THAT directly, LOL. Yoda says "this relationship has to end" and makes Obi-Wan his messenger boy; Obi-Wan tells Padmé her love will only harm Anakin and gives her the "if you really love him let him go" spiel. After a heated exchange Padmé mentally tells Obi-Wan to go fuck himself because she thinks he's being too cold to the emotionally fragile Anakin (that part she does say aloud), and pretends to give in, using some partly-fake tears to barter a "private goodbye" for her and Anakin on Naboo.

[frostbit_sky]

Ah-ha! I see.

So this book states that the Jedi were not oblivious to the relationship between them.

I don't like the idea of fake tears. I would never see Padmé pulling that card to get her way.

[manicwriter1271]

Yeah, looks like we are viewing this book the same way. I'm almost done with it, and there is quite a bit more with Obi-Wan not liking politicians. Not Padme this time though, a certain adoptive father of her daughter's.

Padmé didn't kiss Anakin in that cavern on Geonosis? Something sure made a loud smacking sound when she ran over and embraced him...

LOL, I had the same thought. Looked like a kiss to me. Of course it wasn't scripted, and neither was that cheek-kiss when she jumps on the reek. Something tells me that was Natalie and Hayden impromptu... :P

Love your description of Palpatine, I actually can read him without my skin crawling now...

You all nailed why I love this so much; hurt/comfort is my absolute favorite genre. I've picked up the other two Karen Miller books that lazypadawan recommended in Defenders, looking forward to those.

[ladyaeryn]

I'd heard the rest of the book was one big Obi/Bail love/hate fest. We'll see if my interest holds.

I'd no idea neither of those kisses were scripted - the reek one's one of my favorite moments. :) And yeah, she definitely kissed him in the hangar/cavern: I remember during the IMAX AotC people in my audience going "whoa/damn!" at that moment - I'd turned away for a second so I didn't see, but judging by that reaction, she sure didn't just peck him on the cheek.

I've got Miller's "Stealth" and have flipped through it, though haven't read it through. But there is one hot A/P scene that I could see, which: well, let's just say it really left me in the mood for a well-done kitchen!sex fic. :D

[chickadilly]

God, if I were a slasher, I'd be eating this shit up.

I think you just sold this to me. ;)

(THOUGH I AM DYING AT THE DESCRIPTION OF PALPS AND YODA THE COCK BLOCKER! LOLOLOL)

[ladyaeryn]

Just in the first 50 pages we have one dude crying on the other's shoulder and then a scene of them sparring together (how's that for a fanfic staple) while someone is nearly brought to tears by the power of their manly love. The only thing keeping these from being total fic scenes is that Anakin and Obi-Wan don't take their shirts off. (Apparently there's some point later in the book where this happen, though. Though not while sparring, I don't think.)

And that's just the Obi/Ani stuff. Apparently much of the rest of the book is a big Obi/Bail fan or Obi hurt/comfort fan's dream.

(THOUGH I AM DYING AT THE DESCRIPTION OF PALPS AND YODA THE COCK BLOCKER! LOLOLOL)

If only I weren't exaggerating! ;)

[pronker]

I rarely shell out for any book, but yup, had to buy this one and the Stealth/Siege pair. They do dovetail neatly since they're so close in time, so to me they're one big fat book, the three of them.

Padme's tears fooled Obi-Wan quite neatly and their verbal bouts were delicious.

"At least Obi-Wan has a shred of soul in him, realizing that to completely alienate Anakin emotionally at this point would destroy him.
"

Sure it would; Anakin would self-destruct at 19 rather than 23.

"Obi-Wan "doesn't know what it's like" to want to kill something that killed someone you loved? Oh, Ani. I don't know whether to chastise you for being short-minded or Obi-Wan for apparently not being more open with you.

After Qui-Gon got skewered, Obi-Wan flirted with the dark side in his duel with Maul, but he might have been too ashamed to tell Anakin that, even when Anakin got older.

Happy reading and reviewing --- it's a fun book.

[ladyaeryn]

I picked up Stealth months ago but never really began in earnest on it - I kept seeing references to what I assume were events in Wild Space, so I'm going to pick that one back up when I finish with WS.

Padmé and Obi-Wan's bouts are indeed very delicious. They're equals in their mastery of verbal thrust and parry, sparring in a way they could only really do with each other (their mutual devotion to Anakin both dividing and uniting them) - I'd love to see more of it.

Sure it would; Anakin would self-destruct at 19 rather than 23.

It's obvious to us - which makes Yoda's approach all the more frustrating. Yoda sees Anakin's flaws clear as day - but even his 900 years alive haven't made clear that they aren't something that can be excised just by shoving Anakin in a neat Jedi-shaped hole and saying "deal with it, kid." It's understandable he thinks that way because for 900 years it probably has worked - but it's also the same inflexibility that Palpatine turns to his advantage in the end.

After Qui-Gon got skewered, Obi-Wan flirted

[patientalien]

Stealth and Seige are amazing. I loved them. I was a little annoyed considering KMiller's attitude, but even not just seeing them through slash-colored lenses, they are a great pair of books that really explore the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan - what makes them work well together, and what happens when they don't.

Also, I think Obi-Wan may not have told Anakin about the whole "dark side to kill Maul" thing because, well, Anakin is impressionable and does a very good job of twisting Obi-Wan's own words and actions to his own ends. "Well, it's okay when you do it, but not when I do?" "That's not what I said, and it's certainly not the truth." "It just makes you a hypocrite." "Go to your room, Anakin."

[ladyaeryn]

LOL. Very good and true point.