Review: Shadows of the Empire

[winter]

One of the few rules I have is that I don’t do Star Wars Extended Universe. Basically, it’s movie or bust for me – I might gleam a gem or two of inspiration from an interview with Lucas or from the novelisations, but if it wasn’t in the movies, it’s not canon. I also consider 99% of the EU to be mass-rpoduced drivel.

Shadows of the Empire, which fyrie made me read, is part of that 1%.

I’m not saying the book is perfect. But it’s highly enjoyable. All characterisations ring true, all interactions seem real, intra-movie introspection is plausible. And then there’s Vader.

Shadows takes place between TESB and ROTJ, so Vader is. And he’s written perfectly – impressive, impulsive, and just bratty (in a mature way) enough to make me believe this is both the villain I adored in the Original Trilogy and the rebel Jedi I grew surprisingly fond of in the prequels. Mind you, the book came out in 1996 – several years before we even got a look at Yippee Kid in TPM, never mind Hayden.

It’s not a dazzling intellectual endeavour – hello, Star Wars – but it’s certainly enjoyable. I would have preferred for Xizor to get his arse kicked worse, though: this was one fictional character that I was plotting how to assassinate fifty pages into the book. (I decided sabotaging his physical-training machine would have been the most elegant way.)

In other news, I’m still working on the Coldfire FST. I was listening to HIM’s version of Wicked Game yesterday and I realised it’s the perfect Gerald/Damien song:

The world was on fire, no one could save me but you
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do
I'd never dreamed that I'd need somebody like you

Yes, this FST is going to be highly on crack.

Comments

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

You are making me want to re-read that book :D

hell, in fact, i feel like gorging in the EU some more. But only in the goods stuff - the X-Wing novels :P

[winter]

I still think the EU sucks in general, you know. But sometimes it might be readable :P

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

Oh, I admit freely that huuuge parts of it suck. But some parts are also infinitely re-readable :P

*can still quote I, Jedi like nobody's business*

[winter]

I'm just staying away from it so that I can keep from integrating it with my canon. Which would mean letting Kevin J. Anderson influence my thinking *shudders*

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Alas, yes. Xizor's toasting is far too quick for my liking, though I was pleased that Luke got one over on him ;)

[winter]

I just...

I would have enjoyed the book far more if Vader had cut Xizor to little pieces with the lightsaber. Starting from the toes and working his way up.

(Honestly. Criminal genius who hasn't heard of offsite backups? What'd he have that bloody skyhook for??)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Alas that very few people can write a decent criminal mastermind - most writers don't seem to have the mindset that would befit criminal masterminds, so they can't think and work like one. Plus, how is it possible he couldn't get caught? I mean, he was so blatantly obvious!

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

It must have been almost ten years since I touched Shadows of the Empire, but I remember it as being on the (very short) readable list. Along with the Allston X-Wing stuff, but that is pure hilarious crack.

[winter]

I've heard a lot of good about the X-Wing books in general, might check them out sometime. But still, ugh, EU. I don't even touch the prequel stuff, apart from a few Jango Fett comics.

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Some of the X-Wing stuff is good, and it has very little connection to the overall universe. So you could technically read them as standalone, especially the Aaron Allston stuff. Starfighters of Adumar especially. It has Wedge Antilles, but that's about the only real connection to the EU aside from them flying X-Wings and talking to Leia at the beginning.

The EU is... odd. My brother has most of the books, so I get to browse on occasion, but it's never drawn me. Zahn's plots and his villain had me for a bit, plus Stackpole and Allston for their X-Wing series, but nothing else. *shiver* Kevin J. Anderson. Evil.

[alice_montrose]

My imersion in SW "canon" books has been minimal at least, but I'll look this one up, ok?

Perfect song for Gerald: Within Temptation's "Deceiver of Fools". I even used some of the lyrics in that one to make a Gerald icon :D

[winter]

...

Got an mp3?

[alice_montrose]

*blink blink* Mp3? What is this mp3 you speak of? *tilts head looking all innocent*

Bwhahahahaha! Just kidding! Of course I have an mp3! I've just uploaded it here. And the lyrics are here.

I'll try to upload the two Within Temptation albums I have tomorrow, ok? Great Scandinavian Metal. *knowing nod*

[moustachios.livejournal.com]

*joins in the pimping of the X-Wing books*

Also, I'd really like to see what you think of Thrawn. He's one of my favourite villains.

I'd recommend an NJO book, too, but there's a depressing amount of dreck to wade through before you hit it, and it makes little sense without the backstory. Boo.

[winter]

I've heard various things about the Thrawn trilogy. Yet another thing I should try sometime, but I'm just too scared that EU will suck me down, KJA and all ~_~

[moustachios.livejournal.com]

*g*
Come to the Dreck Side...

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Which is the first you'd recommend, if I may ask? I only read Rebel Dream and Rebel Stand, and I was fine without the backstory... But if any of the others are readable, I'd give them a try.

[moustachios.livejournal.com]

I *love* Traitor, by Matthew Stover. The rest of the NJO is kind of one big blurry Vong mush in my mind, but that book stands out, partly because it's unusually painful to read (it's mostly Jacen being tortured), and partly because I rather like Vergere.

Destiny's Way and Star by Star are good too, although I like RD and RS better.

[-leareth.livejournal.com]

Ever read the books with Grand Admiral Thrawn by Timothy Zahn? Post ROTJ, but damned good :P

[winter]

You know, I really wasn't expecting to end up with a list of EU must reads when I posted this ;) Still, thanks!

[-leareth.livejournal.com]

Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command is te trilogy that /started/ the EU *g* and the ones that have most re-read quality out of all the SWEU books.

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

As long as people are at it... a lot of the EU does sound like stuff I wouldn't really care for (and I am mostly blissfully ignoring it, or morphing it based on summary... my first fandom was X-Men comics, which may or may not tell you anything, so I'll point out that it sometimes seems that that's what their pro writers are doing to prior canon, so as a ficcer I felt entirely justified), but a friend recommended Sean Stewart's Yoda: Dark Rendezvous as the best Yoda and the best Dooku characterization he'd seen. With good OCs, as well.

So I read it, and now I am being eaten by plotbunnies.

You might like it. It even has vampire imagery. ;) Well, a little.

[lanthirel.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review. :) I've heard so many bad things about the EU, that I haven't read much at all. (I still remember the awfulness of reading SitME--Leia is not the film character, and Luke, who grew up on a desert planet, knows how to swim!? A good friend got all over poor ole A. D. Foster at a con on that one, esp. since we love his regular SF so much.)

I tend to wait on reading good reviews and getting positive reports from friends, and even then I will read a few pages in the bookstore to get a feel of the book and make sure that it's worth my $7.99 (what a price for a paperback!). I genereally don't buy many hardbacks at full price. The only brand-new hbs in recent years that I have purchased have been the last two HP novels (I didn't want to wait a year on the pb) and the RotS novelization, and none of these were purchased at anything like full price. I have discovered that overstock.com does have some SW books, so may look there for good deals. I love bargin books and remainders. :)

Btw, have you read the RotS novelization? For that type of work, I thought it was wonderful. :)

[winter]

Oh, I read Stover's novelisation and promptly adored it for the slashy hints, of course ;)

I'm much the same about new books, aided by the fact that it's rather hard to get hardbacks out here. I tend to buy English books based on multiple recommendations and some reading - the last one I can remember buying sight-unseen was Coldfire, but there I'd read tons of fanfic and decided it was just my kind of thing. (And I was right, too.)

[lanthirel.livejournal.com]

I kind of figured you had, but didn't want to make an assumption. :) I just realized that I need one SW icon here, even if my other LJ (deidrecorwyn) has tons of them. *grins*

Stover's slashy bits in the RotS novel are love. :)

What's Coldfire, precious? I love too much reading my comfort reads to keep up with all the new stuff out there. And then there's good!fic. But still, a good review might send me wondering about something new.