False Colors

S

Stryker

Spaceman
Hey everyone, I know it's a bit sad but I just started the novel again for the third time and actually finished it. Had the book for so many years and never got through it because of various reasons.

I really enjoyed it and it reminded me why Bear is differently one of my favorite characters, if not favorite, in the WC universe.

I was curious how everyone else who's read it thought of the story
 
False Colors is easily my favorite WC Novel. The only other one that comes close to me is Action Stations. This may be because it's the only one I didn't read while on one of our miserable family vacations...but who can say?

I agree about Bear though, I think he's easily the favorite. He makes the hard calls when he has to make them, his loyalty is unquestionable, and he's got the 'right stuff'.

I rather liked the story, not the least because that carrier (which is the same from WC3, correct?) is one of my favorite Kilrathi ships visually. It really felt like a heavy strike carrier. But I also love the Landreich - people who were given nothing by the Confederation but took charge and survived. That rugged colonial spirit is something I really admire.
 
I agree, Jason Bondarevsky is my favorite character throughout the series.

I like the story a lot. It really allows you to see into Tolwyn's mind in the lead up to the events of WC4. It's great to see him overcoming the Behemoth issues and somewhat reconnecting with Vance and Jason. The story of putting the Karga back in working order is also great. Learning how differently the kilrathi ships are built and even the differences in flight ops was really great.

However, I think some of the best parts are the Human-Kil interactions. Graham and Murragh, Jason and (oh damn it his name is slipping my mind, but the Kil who wanted to help Jason by wiring his fake arm directly into the fighter), all are really fantastic.

And most of all, Andrew Keith. He worked really hard on this novel and unfortunately it was one of the last things he did before passing on. He definitely had a love of Wing Commander. My most prized WC possession is an autographed copy of False Colors he sent me right after its publication. So False Colors definitely ranks very highly for me because of knowing the man behind it.
 
Dundradal said:
I agree, Jason Bondarevsky is my favorite character throughout the series.

I like the story a lot. It really allows you to see into Tolwyn's mind in the lead up to the events of WC4. It's great to see him overcoming the Behemoth issues and somewhat reconnecting with Vance and Jason. The story of putting the Karga back in working order is also great. Learning how differently the kilrathi ships are built and even the differences in flight ops was really great.

However, I think some of the best parts are the Human-Kil interactions. Graham and Murragh, Jason and (oh damn it his name is slipping my mind, but the Kil who wanted to help Jason by wiring his fake arm directly into the fighter), all are really fantastic.

And most of all, Andrew Keith. He worked really hard on this novel and unfortunately it was one of the last things he did before passing on. He definitely had a love of Wing Commander. My most prized WC possession is an autographed copy of False Colors he sent me right after its publication. So False Colors definitely ranks very highly for me because of knowing the man behind it.
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I agree. Seeing Tolwyn putting the Behemoth fiasco behind him was a great moment to witness. I also enjoyed seeing the Human-Kil relations as well. A nice sight to see that when we all put our cultural restraints and habbits away..we can all work together to survive.

Jason_Ryock said:
I agree about Bear though, I think he's easily the favorite. He makes the hard calls when he has to make them, his loyalty is unquestionable, and he's got the 'right stuff'.

But I also love the Landreich - people who were given nothing by the Confederation but took charge and survived. That rugged colonial spirit is something I really admire.
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I agree. Jason has a great talent for doing what needs to be done but at the same time not letting the hard decisions rune him. (i.e. how he believed in the idea that Kilrathi and Humans can co-exist even after all that has happened to him and what he's had to do during the war.)

I've also always admired the Landreich and there drive.
 
Dundradal said:
However, I think some of the best parts are the Human-Kil interactions. Graham and Murragh, Jason and (oh damn it his name is slipping my mind, but the Kil who wanted to help Jason by wiring his fake arm directly into the fighter), all are really fantastic.
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I completely concur. Some of these sequences gave us such an in depth look at the culture of the Kilrathi and the way they approach things, it was very fresh.
 
While I don't agree with Bear being a favourite character (he's too perfect and blank for me), False Colors is also one of my favourite WC novels. I think it comes in second place after Freedom Flight. I always like stories that give some insights to the Kilrathi. Plus it's one of the more gripping plot lines I think.
 
I'm sorry to say that I disagree. I've read all the Wing Commander-novels, with the expection of "Pilgrim Stars", and I think False Colors is by far the worst. I really hated how Forstchen was repeating the same storyline and message over and over (the military is always right, and all politicians and civilians are dumb) again. Furthermore, I just thought it didn't really add anything new or exciting to the Universe, and seemed to contradict the later games. But most of all, I just found it boring. But that's just my 2 cents...
 
HeartoftheTiger said:
I'm sorry to say that I disagree. I've read all the Wing Commander-novels, with the expection of "Pilgrim Stars", and I think False Colors is by far the worst. I really hated how Forstchen was repeating the same storyline and message over and over (the military is always right, and all politicians and civilians are dumb) again. Furthermore, I just thought it didn't really add anything new or exciting to the Universe, and seemed to contradict the later games. But most of all, I just found it boring. But that's just my 2 cents...
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Forstchen only did the outline. Andrew Keith did the heavy writing.
 
With the exception of End Run (which was two stories, credited individually), when you see two names on a Wing Commander novel it means the more famous one "outlined" the story; False Colors' prose was all Andrew Keith (which should be pretty obvious -- their writing styles are very different... broad versus technical.)

I don't think it's a valid criticism, though, especially of False Colors -- the whole book is about stopping a military conspiracy to bring down the civilian government, after all (and the one civilian perspective, though it disagrees with our hero, *is* right -- Kruger is wasting the Landreich's fortune on his own toys).

(But even the actual Forstchen books take the time to point out that the "silent majority" exists in the Wing Commander universe; Fleet Action's buffoons are all really specific -- the Clinton administration and college professor stereotypes like the book's author. :))
 
Mekt-Hakkikt said:
While I don't agree with Bear being a favourite character (he's too perfect and blank for me), False Colors is also one of my favourite WC novels. I think it comes in second place after Freedom Flight. I always like stories that give some insights to the Kilrathi. Plus it's one of the more gripping plot lines I think.
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I don't think Jason was to perfect but that's my two cents. There's another character in WC that I feel at times was to perfect.
 
Stryker said:
I don't think Jason was to perfect but that's my two cents. There's another character in WC that I feel at times was to perfect.
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I agree, while Bondarevsky at times is the uber-boy scout, but he also shows other sides.

I think I've become so attached to him because when we first meet him in SO1, he's still very much a wet-behind-the-ears character. We then watch him grow with his first command in ER (setting up a long-term relationship with Kevin that really bears fruit in FC) and I think this is what sets him apart for me. Tolwyn tells him how first commands grow on a person and the Tarawa is no different for Jason. Just think of the sequence in FC when he realizes the Independence is the Tarawa...it's great.

And I have to agree again with Stryker...there's another uber-boy scout who's even more perfect :p
 
Dundradal said:
I agree, while Bondarevsky at times is the uber-boy scout, but he also shows other sides.

I think I've become so attached to him because when we first meet him in SO1, he's still very much a wet-behind-the-ears character. We then watch him grow with his first command in ER (setting up a long-term relationship with Kevin that really bears fruit in FC) and I think this is what sets him apart for me. Tolwyn tells him how first commands grow on a person and the Tarawa is no different for Jason. Just think of the sequence in FC when he realizes the Independence is the Tarawa...it's great.

And I have to agree again with Stryker...there's another uber-boy scout who's even more perfect :p
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I thought the moments where he reflected back to the past events that caused him to loose his arm where a good example of his "not-so-perfect" side.

P.S. Does it ever explain anywhere where he got his call sign from?
 
I read Freedom Flight years ago and have only just started reading the others.
Just got through 'Action Stations' and 'Fleet Action'. Both good, yet similar in many regards and offering some great insights into Tolwyn and why he came to do what he did with the Black Lance.

I have to say though that the proof readers for these books must have been asleep. There are loads of mistakes in there. At one point in Fleet Action, Vance turns into Lance for a paragraph ;D
 
Bandit LOAF said:
With the exception of End Run (which was two stories, credited individually), when you see two names on a Wing Commander novel it means the more famous one "outlined" the story;
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Thanks, I didn't know that.

False Colors' prose was all Andrew Keith (which should be pretty obvious -- their writing styles are very different... broad versus technical.)
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Well, since I've read all the other novels in their german translation, it wasn't really obvious for me ;), but it might explain why I thought "False Colors" to be written uninteresting, boring and dry.

I don't think it's a valid criticism, though, especially of False Colors -- the whole book is about stopping a military conspiracy to bring down the civilian government, after all
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Dunno, it's been a while since I've read the novels; maybe I should give them another chance. But after End Run and Action Stations, that theme just felt worn out when it occured again in False Colors.
 
Well, since I've read all the other novels in their german translation, it wasn't really obvious for me , but it might explain why I thought "False Colors" to be written uninteresting, boring and dry.
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Hmm -- well, False Colors *is* a lot longer than the other novels... and it does spend a lot of time on things that--maybe--just aren't interesting to everyone. All the details about repairing the Karga and so forth... (and certainly, Andrew Keith's style was dryer than Dr. Forstchen's. I'm not sure if it comes across in German or not, but Forstchen's WC books have a very cool 'pulp sci fi' feel to them that counter his zany politics and lack of error checking skills...)

Dunno, it's been a while since I've read the novels; maybe I should give them another chance. But after End Run and Action Stations, that theme just felt worn out when it occured again in False Colors.
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Well, do yourself a favor and don't read any of Dr. Forstchen's non-Wing Commander books. :)

I do think False Colors is a good bit more three dimensional in this regard. In the Landreich politics section, Kruger is right in that he saves the day at the end... but it's also made clear that he is a crazy person and that his opponent in government does have a completely rational counter-argument instead of acting as a strawman.

In the Confederation politics, the whole thing is about military conspiracies to take over the civilian government (and that this is a bad thing).
 
Zany politics? He seems a bit right-wing, and very pro-military, but I haven't read his non-wing commander books so maybe I'm missing something.

Mekt-Hakkikt said:
While I don't agree with Bear being a favourite character (he's too perfect and blank for me),
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Bear is anything but bland; there are several instances in which he shows extreme passion - Svetlana's and O'Brian's deaths, Concordia's appearance, and Kruger's charge in Fleet Action, just to name a few. He is a strict soldier, and as such maintains the stiff upper lip and rigid adherance to his code of honor. Perhaps it makes him a bit predictable, but not bland.
 
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