Alan Dean Foster Books?

Asteroid-Man said:

Has anyone here read them? Apparently they're based on Lucas's original script and plot to which he intended to be the Star Wars saga.

Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker

Splinter of the Mind's Eye

 

I want to read them, but are they worth the read? They seem interesting...

Weird that you made this post today.  Just yesterday, I picked up a new copy of Splinter of the Mind's Eye because my original copy was getting a bit tattered.  I'll be reading it again in about a month.

I really like the story and the feel of the universe it takes place in.  That said;  I'm probably not the right guy to weigh in on this since I have such a small Star Wars universe. As Silver said, it's unfiltered, original Star Wars.  No sign of the shrinking universe, which was still a few years away.

I remember reading an interview with McQuarrie where he mentioned there being some rights issues with all the actors at that stage, so he wasn't able to show their faces in the cover artwork. If I can find that interview, I'll post it.

I have never read the original Star Wars novel.  That is a situation that needs to be corrected.  Because it's written by Foster, I'm sure I'll dig it.  Maybe I'll read it before I read Splinter again.  It will have to be a non "New Hope" cover, so Amazon will probably be how I go. I'd like either the McQuarrie cover or the Berkey cover.

canofhumdingers said:

Hey, Anchorhead, did you ever get around to reading the Brian Daley Han Solo books (looking at your avatar I'm guessing probably so)?  If so, I'd be interested in hearing what you thought.

I did.  I really dig them.  They're completely free of all the things that would later (for me) bog down Star Wars.  In fact, I just got into a lengthy discussion with Warbler about this very thing just a week or so ago.  I can't find it anywhere.  I looked all over the board, but the thread it was in has slipped my mind.

Anyway, I really enjoy the three novels' lack of attachment to the known Star Wars universe.  I'm about to start reading Splinter again (it's been a few years).  After that, if I don't take a break from science fiction, I might start the Brian Daley Han Solo novels again.

To me, the Han Solo Adventures are a much deeper look at the character, which is to be expected of course.  The atmosphere and the scenes are more fleshed-out.  Daley pays attention to detail and you get a great mental picture of what's happening and what the scene looks like. The characters are much more three-dimensional and realistic. Likewise, the dialogue is much deeper and much more adult.

The universe we were introduced to in 1977 was dark, mysterious, and vast.  Lucas couldn't come up with any story beyond 1977, so he ended up shrinking the universe, repeatedly.   Daley, on the other hand, explored its depth.

doubleofive said:

I'm afraid of tearing them up since I have the originals that were my mom's. I'm too cheap to buy a new copy, but I suppose I could someday.

Man, you can get all three in one larger binding for just a few bucks.  That's what I did.  I have saving copies of Splinter & The Daley books, and also I have reading copies.  My reading copies get tossed into suitcases for long flights, sit in drawers, hit the floor when I fall asleep reading, etc.  They get pretty beat up. 

I bought this earlier this year as my new reading version;

and I just bought this reading version of Splinter this past weekend;

If you're buying online, remember that a Trade Paperback is a nicer, larger, and heavier paperback compared to the common Mass Market Paperback.  I get mass market paperbacks as reading copies because they're easier to handle.

Man, those would be my saving copies for sure.  I only have Splinter in hardcover.

Yes, trade paperbacks are nice.  I have a few myself. They're not really any different than hard covers on the inside - nicer, thicker paper, better printing, etc.  I just threw out the comparison because they can be a little cumbersome as a toss-in-your-backpack reader.  Particularly the Han Solo series - three books in one binding.   To me, the smaller mass market paperbacks are perfect as reading copies.

If you guys'd like a vintage visual take on the first of the Han books the blog in my sig is currently covering it.