What do you LIKE about the EU? — Page 7

^ makes me want to go back and read them again. I think I have all of the "Tales" books. Gonna have to find them, at least the cantina one. 

Anchorhead said:

Just a general EU question here.  What is the feeling toward Timothy Zahn's take on the EU?  Just from looking back through this thread, it seems somewhat positive.

 I know I'm in the minority, but I have problems with Zahn's storytelling.

Without spoilers.

The main villain, evil genius Grand Admiral Thrawn is nifty enough, but it's plain that Zahn likes him more than he likes our heroes from the OT. Thrawn is smarter, cooler, and better than they are, and in his later works Zahn makes it clear Thrawn is more moral, farsighted, and noble than the "heroes."

Ultimately I dislike that Luke and company are mere observers for Zahn's new characters to go about their business, and can only occasionally comment on how cool Thrawn is.

From what I've seen, most Star Wars fans seem to think Zahn is a pretty good writer, even the fans that aren't EUphiles. I for one think he's a cut above the typical EU writer.

He does have too much of a hard on for Thrawn, though; the character features heavily in most of his stories, and perhaps it's time he moved on to focus on other characters.

Expect a 200 volume saga on the tragedy of Darth Thrawn sometime in the next two decades (you read it here first kids).

Im a fan of Zahn, ive read all of those listed by Anchor except for Allegiance. They were all decent enough to read.

What's ya'lls take on Talon Karrde? Didnt Zahn come up with him too? I think he's a pretty cool character. 

Anyone ever read the Corellian Trilogy? I remember reading that one and liking it. Its pre pt and set when Leia and Han have the 3 kids. It wasnt too bad.

kilik64 said:

What's ya'lls take on Talon Karrde? Didnt Zahn come up with him too? I think he's a pretty cool character.

My take is that he looks a helluva lot like Bruce Campbell with long hair and a mustache.

Little like ole Brucie but still a dashing fellow. 

The Zahn trilogy was an interesting idea at the time, basically to turn Star Wars into airport books, for adults to read the way they would read Tom Clancy or whatever. That was fine to do for 3 books when they were only coming out once a year. But after that they just went nuts cranking this stuff out and it became comical that all this shit kept happening to these people. They're like O.J. in Naked Gun. Looking back, I think the Daley Han Solo books and some of the old marvels had the right idea, to do these smaller, more lighthearted, low-stakes stories.

Anchorhead said:

 

Heir to the Empire
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command

Specter of the Past
Vision of the Future

Sounds like you've really been on a kick to branch out lately. I generally don't like EU novels with few exceptions, but I love the first three Zahn books. Those are good reads, all about Luke, Han, Leia, and the gang several years after Return of the Jedi. Specter and Vision continue the story a few years later, I heard they are good, but have never read them.

From all I have heard, pretend the others don't exist.

I also always liked Shadows of the Empire, which most people hate. But I think falling in love with the video game and the story has a lot to do with that. I actually haven't read the book since it came out, so I don't remember how bad it was in writing. Every so often I listen to the abridged audio book, my preferred way to experience the story. It leaves a lot out and cuts the story down to the very basics, but I think it does an excellent job of doing so.

The Tales of books have been others that have always stood out to me. Personally, I think they get silly at times, but that is to be expected from any anthology of short sci-fi stories. Surprisingly, my favorite of these was Tales of the Bounty Hunters.

I was a teenager when I read any of these last, Revenge of the Sith (love the way it is written, story still sucks though) being the only SW novel I have attempted to read as an adult (if you exclude listening to the full unabridged audiobook of Attack of the Clones). So, I might feel differently about them if I were to encounter any of them today.

I'd say give Heir to the Empire a chance, if you don't mind reading a story where you have to take the events of Empire and Jedi into account, it can't hurt.

DuracellEnergizer said:

My take is that he looks a helluva lot like Bruce Campbell with long hair and a mustache.

From now on Bruce Campbell plays Talon Karrde in my head! Thanks Durecell E., this makes me very happy.