Is Satan building a snowman?

[zouzounaki]

Because I'm actually enjoying a Star Wars EU book. I learned, back when prequel material started coming out, that it really is preferable when the book focuses on OCs instead of the canon characters, just because there's less room for major fuck ups. And that the non-post-ROTJ are not quite as aggravating with the continEUity. So I went into Death Troopers with this in mind. Also keeping in mind that it's Stromtroopers and zombies. Stormtroopers and zombies, people! How could it go wrong?! I'm half way through it and unfortunately, the only way it has gone wrong is with the predictability of who is going to die, and it makes me sad because I like the character who is all but a walking target.

Han and Chewie. Billed as "surprise cameos," but so far, they're really involved in the story! Chewbacca probably has more to do, and more character development, than he ever got in the post-ROTJ books (which led to his lamentable demise). Maybe it'll start sucking, who's to say? But for now, pretty awesome. Hey, it's zombies! In the Star Wars universe!

Peace, Ghani

Comments

[deanlikespah.livejournal.com]

Oh, Star Wars books. I gave you a chance, I really did. But you failed me far too often. The EU stories have always bugged me. And anything in between was only worse, because of... exactly what you said. Too much going all wacky and wrong. Like those poor excuses for books that tried to pave the way between TPM and AOTC regarding Obi and Ani's relationship? And Anakin was practically painted as Jesus in every, single one? Yeesh.

So yeah, that is rare, to hear about a good one. I guess all SW needed was zombies to make it good again, LOL!

[ghanistarkiller.livejournal.com]

God, I stuck with the books waaaay too long; I read all of the New Jedi Order and even tried to read past those! And the prequel stuff... sighs. "Shatterpoint"--pretty excellent, because, like I said, it's minor characters and OCs. Same with the med-whatever duology about Barriss (my Jedi hero! ;-))

Ooh, what was that hilarious one? "Rogue Planet"? The continuity with the movies got so fucked up, it was hilarious! Didn't they even consider that Lucas would address the Death star in the movies? I think the EU authors have a bit of a messiah complex, which is why it bred so many Sues and Stus.

ZOMG, there's a character in "Death Troopers" that is so Somerhalder, I'm not even kidding! And he's pretty much marked for death, which makes me sad! But it's a good sign when I have the entire thing cast! Heh! And I can spot influences, like Romero's classic Day of the Dead (lady doctor being harassed by superiors).

[deanlikespah.livejournal.com]

Rogue Planet, argh! I remember thinking that was cool at the time, and then later... yeah. Doesn't mesh. But the movies and books are really just one big continuity flub all around. You almost have to consider them separate entities, and even then, they are hard to enjoy.

See? That makes me sad, and now I wouldn't want to read it, LOL! No killing Fuckmeharder! Not good! :p

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Bleah...with VERY rare exceptions, I cannot stomach the EUwwwwwwwwwwwww, any era.

The authors definitely have a messiah complex, and also seem to be interested only in their own OCs. Or in Zahn's. Zahn is the worst when it comes to inserting his own OCs into areas they don't belong, and raising them in importance to the level of the Big Three, etc. But the rest of the authors are like in AWE of Zahn, and don't want to write anything that would displease His Highness. They show him more respect than they show Lucas, who only, you know, CREATED the story.

Someone EUwwwwwwwnik on some message board said she hated how Lucas ignored the continuity that the EUwwwwwwwww laid down for the PT-era events, saying he should have "shown the authors more courtesy." Excuse me? He invited them to his playground, not the vice versa. Some EUthors actually get offended that he's overridden what they established. Authors that sensitive shouldn't be authors, particularly not for series.

Others, like Grand Admiral Zahn, simply ignore Lucas and pretend that their own continuity overrides his, and anyway, their story is better. Ego much, Zahn? During a chat, someone asked a question which mentioned the Original Trilogy, and Zahn actually said, "Do you mean my books, or the Original Trilogy of movies?" :-O

[ghanistarkiller.livejournal.com]

It always makes me laugh because the authors, especially Zahn, had just become so used to the idea that they were Star Wars for such a long time. Zahn is an unremarkable, typical sci-fi author who would probably not have half the reputation he does if he hadn't released tie-in novels at a time when people were just looking to pick star Wars up again. In other words, he got lucky, and people confuse their nostalgia for actual awesomeness.

What I liked about this book was that... it wasn't done by a Star Wars author, for a start. Also, totally not concerned with continuity, with the movies or the other books. Han and Chewie's appearance didn't explain why he had to dump Jabba's spice shipment or any of a thousand different crappy things I thought he might throw in. He didn't instantly fall in love with the lady doctor (or really even... notice she was female other than the original observation), he didn't bond with the kid. They were all just... characters. It's sorta... what I always wanted for them books and very, very, very rarely got.

Takes off in huge part on Romero's Day of the Dead. That'll give you some idea! So, yeah, totally pleasantly surprised!

Snerk, you know, the Doctor Who authors are the same way, and they just can't deal with the fact that the show came back on the air. About a year before it was announced that the show was returning, one of the authors was quoted as saying that fans should just appreciate what they have, which is the books, and stop whining about the show, because we're never going to get that again; they were the future of Doctor Who. Ahahahahaha! Yeah, the remind me of the Star Wars authors all right.