Popular science fiction phases

Originally posted by Dralthi5
LeHah said: ::runs out of the room screaming at mention of the SW: Expanded Universe series::

Agghhh, you're one of... those people!!!!! :eek:

*SWEU rules!*
Click to expand...

Well, expanded universe to me means Kevin J Anderson, K.W. Jetter and these Yusug Vong novels out. This stuff is utter crap compared to, say, the Thrawn Trilogy, The Hand of Thrawn Duology and Shadows of the Empire.

I will pay to sum of $20 if someone spits in Kevin J Anderson's face at DragonCon.
 
Originally posted by LeHah
[BWell, expanded universe to me means Kevin J Anderson, K.W. Jetter and these Yusug Vong novels out. This stuff is utter crap compared to, say, the Thrawn Trilogy, The Hand of Thrawn Duology and Shadows of the Empire.
[/B]
Click to expand...

Hey, Anderson may have written some kiddie stuff, but there wasn't anything wrong with Darksaber. And the Jedi Academy trilogy was really good.
 
I like KJA. I have nine of his novels (four SW, two Dune, and three X-Files).

Oh, but I agree with ya, LeHah, about K.W. Jeter.

[snores]

And it wasn't just those two SW books by him I read, but this horrible DS9 book about some casino or something on Bajor.
 
I'm not familiar with KW Jeter. I don't dislike KJ Anderson either, but I much prefer Zahn and Stackpole's stuff. Shadows of the Empire wasn't that good, IMHO.
 
Anderson was a good writer, but his stuff, when I read it, was aimed at an age level a bit below my liking. Though at the time I read the Jedi Academy Trilogy, I couldn't really understand it, I was too young (about 12 iirc).
Fortunately Ground Zero and Ruins (X-Files) were a lot easier to read than Goblins and Whirlwind - I coudln't get into either of them.

Aaron Allston was similar with the books of the XWing series that he wrote - they were aimed a lot younger. Youcould distinctly tell the difference int eh Stackpole and Allston books, the Stackpole books were aimed at a much older audience - which was what sorta threw the series, two different writing styles amongst the books.

Shadows, I have to disagree. Good book.

While sorta still on the topic - I still haven't read any of the Wing Commander books - are these similar to the KJA style, ie, aimed at younger readers, or are they more for an adult/older audience?
 
Oh, I don't think Allston deliberately aims at a younger audience, he uses a lot of humour, but I don't think that affects how the story is presented. Perhaps you're thinking of Janson's immature behaviour. ;)

Don't get me wrong, I didn't say Shadows of the Empire was bad, it just doesn't stand out in my mind as much as the others.
 
The first Wing Commander book was aimed at a younger audience... the rest of them are for Republicans.

(Except the movie novels, which are for people who like having books with Freddie Prinze Junior on the cover.)
 
but ladies man, star wars books aren't fan fiction they are official. Now the NJO books are putting some more new blood into the wars genre, but by far the best were the thrawn trillogy, the thrawn duology, the Darksaber/Children of the jedi, and the Han solo 3 books about his love b4 leia though you can tell I like alot of books. THe KJA books were good, (ie jedi acadamy trillogy and darksaber), but those young jedi knights books with jacen, jaina, lowbacca, and Tenel ka weren't bad per say they were just aimed at a younger audience. I have read them all (i was a wars book junkie for a while) and I find that it is better in understanding the way the NJO books are, when the kids are in em. Though I must say I liked the tenel ka character and I wished she was used more in the NJO books
 
George Lucas has recently said the Star Wars books are not part of the canon Star Wars Universe. The only books that are the movie novelizations. The Star Wars books USED to be canon, but not anymore. So pretty much are published fan fiction now, like the Star Trek books.

Star Trek books never were canon, and often are very inconsitant.

Not that some of those books aren't good. I have read Star Trek and Star Wars books before. Actually I just recently read one of the new "Section 31" Star Trek books, the TNG one "Rogue". It was decent.

I just don't really read them often anymore becuase they don't particularly intrest me, and sometimes I forget if something is actually canon, or if I read it in a book.

[Edited by Ladiesman^ on 08-08-2001 at 18:47]
 
"George Lucas has recently said the Star Wars books are not part of the canon Star Wars Universe. The only books that are the movie novelizations. The Star Wars books USED to be canon, but not anymore. So pretty much are published fan fiction now, like the Star Trek books."

That's news to me, as a hardcore SW and especially SWEU fan. Could you locate the source?

Considering GL took Coruscant from the books (the name at least, anyone want proof search the official site) it would surprise me if GL chose to relegate them to fanfiction. And as far as I know the Trek books don't have a strict timeline/proofreading check thingy the Wars books go through (although I know next to nothing about Trek so I may be wrong forgive me). As far as I know, GL has total rights to overrule anything in the books, but doesn't particularly care how others perceive them otherwise.

As to the EU novels, they had a few teething problems as they tried to locate the good authors (Jeter aside, man I just can't read his books), but the majority are sound (Zahn, Stackpole, Allston, Rusch, Kube-McDowell, Crispin, Wolverton, Tyers) vs the questionable (Hambly, Anderson, Perry) and the downright ugly (McIntyre [eeek!], MacBride Allen). Oh and I'm yet to read a bad NJO book, although they can be difficult to sink your teeth into.

To be blunt, even if GL was to tell me that the books were totally meaningless, I wouldn't listen to him. Ep 1 and the title of Ep2 tell me his mind isn't quite what it once was (or maybe we have grossly overestimated his genius). Anyone who says 'the dialogue isn't important' with reference (evidently) to TPM needs a strong reality check. And boy did he get it as his movie made.......hundreds of millions. Oh well.
 
I can't find the source, but he did say the books were no longer canon. One of them killed off Chewbacca, and he looked back on it and decided with the prequels coming up he didn't want to feel bound by what others did to his universe.

I'm suprised you haven't heard. Most Star Wars fans I know have known that for quite some time.

[Edited by Ladiesman^ on 08-08-2001 at 19:55]
 
I dunno, I think he has like a pact going with Timothy Zahn, because I believe he is the one who originally named Coruscant and I heard Mara Jade is going to be in an upcoming movie(again, this is totally 100% rumor, Charlton Heston is more likely to appear as Yoda or something like that).

As far as Star Wars authors go, I personally feel the best are Zahn(you can never go wrong with Zahn) and Stackpole as far as the X-Wing series, the novel "I, Jedi" and the novelette in the book "Tales from the New Republick" which, coincidently, he co-wrote with TImothy Zahn. I'm not saying this is all there is out there(Bakura, Jedi Academy trilogy, New Rebellion, are all other good ones I've read). But they are the best.

As far as the Wing Commander novels go, I've read "Fleet Action" , "WC3" and "WC4" and Fleet Action and WC4 were both very good books IMHO. WC4 does take into account that you make certain choices throughout the game(I forget the exact systems, but when you have the choice to save the planet under attack by terrorists or attack the factory, in the book they go after the factory) but it was still a great book. I need to re-read Fleet Action, I remember there being references to the Nephilum in there.
 
He must have announced it in the last six months, because that's the only possible time I might have missed it with A-levels and all.

For the proof that Zahn named Coruscant, http://www.starwars.com/eu/feature/20000807/index.html near the end of the page. The Mara Jade thing would surprise me a lot, since I think Ep 3 will probs be like at least a decade pre-ANH.

BTW thought Crispin's novels were the best since Zahn.
 
SWEU is bad. Then again, when it comes to SW novels, the only ones I think are worthy of the name are the Zahn stories and Shadows of the Empire. I kinda like Stackpole, in a weird little way. He's a good author, and if his X-Wing books were actually for a series he created, I'd've liked em a lot more.

Mara Jade wouldn't be in the prequels. She's too young, I think shes a few years younger than Luke. However, a blue haired, red eyed race should make an appearance like Zahn suggested. :)

Wildshot's WC book list is my list as well. High 5! ...However, you did miss Action Stations, which I found a lot better during my second read...
 
BTW anyone else here love Freedom Flight? I thought it captured WC1 feel absolutely flawlessly. Good background for the game too. I reckon FF doesn't get the accolades it deserves. End Run definitely my favourite though.
 
on EU, it's a matter of opinion Lehah ;) sales figures might argue otherwise (although admittedly the pulbic are idiots). Have you read Crispin, Rusch, Wolverton or Kube-MacDowell?
 
Kube's Before the Storm was actually OK. Following novels were bad though. Wolverton and AC Crispins stuff was Blah. I HATE HATE HATE Kevin J Anderson and KW Jeter.

HATE! :mad:

[Edited by LeHah on 08-08-2001 at 21:16]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top