Posted at Entertainment Weekly...
Star Wars: Aftermath novel reveals...
The got rid of the EU for THIS!? It doesn't seem so radically different yet...I absolutely hate the writing style. I'm no EU fan, but at least I could read Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy. This one...
The writing is horrendous. I can't read an entire book written in third person present tense.
I hope this is not an indication of what direction they are headed with their new "canon" that they are publishing. If this is an indication, they should have at least kept Zahn's books. This is absolutely terrible from what I've read thus far.
I do not think I'm going to get this book. I could not stand reading it.
Maybe some of you who don't mind these spoilers will enjoy this writing style.
If you enjoy it, it was written for you.
Sorry about the spoiler tag. I don't really go into depth of what was written, but I'm being extra cautious so those who do not want hints, don't need to see anything.
Obviously, if you don't want spoilers from the book, don't read the article (which is basically just posting the first few pages of the book itself).
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Look. You hate it. That's fine. But take it from someone who has to deal with misguided zealots regularly -this isn't the way to deal with your anger. You're only making yourself sound bitter and angry. You may get a few other bitter and angry people with you, hell the thread may become a get off my lawn fest,but there are better ways to encourage interest in the eu. I don't like x-wing novels going the way of alternate reality either,but they are still purchaseable. Point people in the direction of stuff you like, don't just point out what's wrong.
Look. You hate it. That's fine. But take it from someone who has to deal with misguided zealots regularly -this isn't the way to deal with your anger. You're only making yourself sound bitter and angry. You may get a few other bitter and angry people with you, hell the thread may become a get off my lawn fest,but there are better ways to encourage interest in the eu. I don't like x-wing novels going the way of alternate reality either,but they are still purchaseable. Point people in the direction of stuff you like, don't just point out what's wrong.
Don't get me wrong, I actually dislike most of the Star Wars EU (now legends).
I however can read Zahn (and the rest of his stuff, he was a Hugo winner, and his originally trilogy was actually approved personally by Lucas...)
This isn't anger, more like...I can't believe anyone would actually do something like this dismay/shock.
It's like saying you are no longer going to eat at Subway's because you want to eat healthier and replacing it with McDonalds...
I'd scratch my head at that in sort of a...What the...
Basically that's what my view of this thing is...sort of a shock and trying to figure what exactly they are trying to achieve here...
Yeah, that was pretty awful. Very disappointing, considering how good (aside from two particular elements) the trailers have been.
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Le Sigh.
I'm sorry but that was jarring.
I am trying my best to be optimistic. Really I am, this is Star Wars and I want to believe. Maybe more than anyone else in this forum.
But that excerpt was NO Heir to The Empire.
It's barely "young adult" level.
I'll handily take writers from West End Games D6 Star Wars over this.
I am hoping it gets markedly better.
Le Sigh.
I'm sorry but that was jarring.
I am trying my best to be optimistic. Really I am, this is Star Wars and I want to believe. Maybe more than anyone else in this forum.
But that excerpt was NO Heir to The Empire.
It's barely "young adult" level.
I'll handily take writers from West End Games D6 Star Wars over this.
I am hoping it gets markedly better.
I'm right there with you in believing, my friend.
Howevee, I didn't hate this. It could be better, sure, but I think much of the hate is overblown.
The fact it isn't as good as HEIR TO THE EMPIRE we could expect. They knocked it out of the park with that book in a way no-on expected at a time when STAR WARS was dead. The same circumstances are never going to happen again.
However, not being anywhere near as good as even THE TRUCE AT BAKURA?
Owch. Didn't see that coming.
Writing style: Very meh.
Characters: I have great fondness for Wedge as presented in EU, will thy develop him into a similar character? Will see.
Overall not impressed.
So apparently, there's supposed to be a new controversy about this book. I THINK the author made the controversy up to try to steer attention away from the REAL problems with the book.
The Author came out with a statement in regards to the character in the book. The author's response states that there are a LOT of people criticizing his book because there is a Gay character in it. The Author's response is basically to say...if you don't like the character it must be for this reason...and cusses everyone out.
Problem: This is the FIRST I've heard of this controversy...AT ALL.
I didn't even know it existed. My first response to it was...are you KIDDING ME!?
NO...Sherlock...the problem everyone has with your book and why everyone hates it is because it's one of the worst written books EVER.
Look at the Phantom Menace. Not that great of a film as per films...but compared to your book...it's pure Shakespeare.
I think the author is trying to create controversy to try to make it appear that the REAL problem people have with the book is a character, when in fact, the real controversy is that they tossed out Zahn's trilogy for a book that is one of the worst books ever written.
However...with due diligence...I proceeded to try to find this "controversy."
For the record...this "controversy" actually only deals with maybe ONE paragraph out of the ENTIRE book...where the characters orientation is made clear. It's a toss away line...one that really adds nothing to the plot, character, book, or is even needed.
There's a LOT of the book that consists of this...things which are just there...no reason...just there.
It's a very bad book (IMO)...but has nothing to do with that one paragraph or not.
I did find people criticizing the character surprisingly enough. There were a VERY FEW that took issue with the characters orientation (basically saying it is a SW book and sexuality shouldn't exist in it at all).
However, MOST of those who had a problem with it dealt directly with the writing style and NOT with the actual orientation. (Comments like they could care less about the orientation...but that it was a reflection of how bad the writing was because it added absolutely NOTHING. If anything such a revelation should be core to building the character, or doing something rather than just...being...there...as a throw away statement.
Overall though, a majority of the complaints deal with either the terrible writing (for example...I probably could have no problems with the book if the writing was actually GOOD and engaging for me, so I'd fall in that group) OR...those that are irate that this is what is replacing the Zahn books. In fact, I'd say those two items compose close to 99% of the complaints I've seen.
What's worse, is instead of being graceful at a response...the author uses four letter words (aka...foul language) to respond.
I think the author is really trying to create to controversy themselves...that the real controversy deals with people unhappy with the EU being tossed out and terribly written stuff like this being utilized to replace it.
I think this is an improper use and an effort to try to garner sympathy from the press, LGBT, and others and trying to paint the real criticism (which ironically some of actually came from LGBT critics) and critics as only complaining because of an issue which has nothing at all to do with the criticism.
I wasn't really into the EU all that much (except for Zahn who is a proven SF writer beyond star wars and writes excellent books in general) and could care less most of it was rejected. In fact, much of it I thought was pretty much trash in some ways. HOWEVER...my respect and regard for it has shot up just recently. If this author, their response and attempt to create false controversy is any indication of how the SW books are going to be handled from here on out...
I can only say it's a pretty shockingly low standard they've brought about and the EU is heads and tails above it in how they handled publicity, criticism, and dealing with issues that were relevant.
All, in my opinion of course.
As I said, the actual characters orientation was an absolute NON-ISSUE for me (and to a point, still is, the issue is rather how the author has brought it up and dealt with the supposed issue rather than the issue itself) until the author went on a raving foul mouthed response about it.
I'd rather they deal with the REAL controversy (that of the poor writing style...this guy is supposed to have a trilogy of these? We are really expected to read the next two books of meandering characters that do absolutely NOTHING) of the books than try to manufacture false controversy just to generate sympathy (or whatever they are trying to do with this non-controversy).
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Feel better?
Feel better?
About the writing of the book. No. I'm pretty peeved that they tried to generate a non-existent controversy to cover up the REAL problems of the book (bad writing) as well as to steer it away from the REAL controversy people are complaining about (doing away with Zahn...and to a lesser degree, the EU with this book).
Worse, is the way they did it...with foul language and implication (even against the very LGBT critics that brought some of it up in the first place...who didn't like it as a throwaway thing that did nothing for the writing, character, or book) by implying they were...well...I probably shouldn't go there.
I'd rather they dealt with the REAL controversies and the REAL elephants in the room (bad writing, and replacing Zahn's books/EU) head on than making up a wag the dog situation.
There's nothing you can do about that. I would go so far as to say there is nothing anyone can do about that. The property has been sold for all intents and purposes. The EU was dead the instant the ink dried on the paper. Take your complaint up with Disney.
Chief Technical Officer
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Take your complaint up with Disney.
Aww geez. Now look what you did.
Chuck Wendig is an author I've had recommended quite a bit for his own fiction, but I have to agree that his response to this situation has been poor.
First off, there have been LGBT characters in STAR WARS before. Not a lot, agreed, but a few, and a fairly prominent one in Paul Kemp's LORDS OF THE SITH, which is another of the "New EU" books. Also, AFTERMATH does indicated that KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC 1 & 2, and THE OLD REPUBLIC all remain in the new canon (backed up by the "Star Wars Story Group" now getting acknowledgements in the OLD REPUBLIC credits after the last update), and Juhani in KotOR is lesbian and the first LGBT character to appear in STAR WARS, thirteen years ago. So Wendig claiming to have introduced such characters to STAR WARS when he didn't is a bit lame.
Secondly, the overwhelming majority of issues with the novel seem to be with the prose first, then complaints about the canon change (not Wendig's fault, I agree) and only a very small number of morons are moaning about about the LGBT issue. It's not the primary complaint at all, and its fairly intellectually dishonest to try to strawman large numbers of people, some of them LGBT themselves, by saying it's because they're all 'phobic. The core problem, instead, is that the novel sucks.
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I hear people can still read the old books and enjoy them. Pretty interesting.
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Take your complaint up with Disney.Aww geez. Now look what you did.
Don't worry about Mickey--he can't die until his copyright runs out.
