Anchorhead

Leia, Short Round, Chewie and George .....

Fucking hilarious!  There are some very talented and creative folks out there.

doubleofive said:

I can't help grinning when I read your reviews, Anchor. Because you managed to ignore the EU up to this point, reading you going through these stories is like reliving my childhood. I'm so glad you're getting enjoyment out of these.

Yeah man, I'm late to the party alright.  Digging it so far though.  Prequel stories will never be my deal, but even with those removed from the picture I still have a lot of catching up to do.  Spoiler-free summaries have been a big help.

A general question for the board, for reference. Excuse my ignorance of uber-geekdom, but from what I've been perusing it looks like the novels I'd be interested in all fall under the category of New Republic.  Am I reading this correctly?

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/New_Republic_era

timdiggerm said:

Do believe this may help push you towards his Thrawn Trilogy, huh?

Yes. 

I know there are some things in them that I'm not a fan of, but I'll just have to make peace with them and see if I can enjoy the larger picture.  If it turns out that they're too much of a stretch to make, I'll move on.

Review 3

Hammertong: The Tale Of The Tonnika Sisters, by Timothy Zahn

This was fantastic.  Really dug the story, the imagery, and the characters.  Particularly the sisters.  This was a longer story than the other two so far and truthfully, it left me wanting more.  As with the others, they're just passing through the cantina when Star Wars intersects it for a few minutes. This story goes a little beyond the events in the cantina, which I though made it even more interesting.

Again, interesting to see Star Wars through the eyes of uninvolved bar patrons.  Zahn really fleshed out a great story for these two women.  They're worthy of a novel themselves.  His style felt almost as though he were channeling Brian Daley.  Great dialogue, great feel.  Like you're there. The last few pages felt like a movie. 

I might have to read this one a second time before moving on. Great stuff.

Took last week off to tend to bees and land.  Watched Apollo 13, one of my top ten films.

As always, I give it 5 out of 5 CSMs.

kilik64 said:

Little like ole Brucie but still a dashing fellow. 

Looks like a young Most Interesting Man In The World. "I don't always drink beer, but when I do - it's Dos Sol. Stay thirsty my friends"

CP3S said:

Sounds like you've really been on a kick to branch out lately.

Hey, man - you started it!    Five years ago I was fine with my one-film Star Wars world.  But no, you kept on me with all your - "it's been 30 years, you have to listen to the NPR version again - you need to give Splinter Of The Mind's Eye a look - you should check out Daley's Han Solo novels too".

And for that - I'm very grateful, sir.  ;-)

All kidding aside, it was you, Gaffer, and Zombie (plus a few others) who leaned on me the most and it really put the hook in me.  Once I opened the Pandora's Box of EU, there was no putting it back in.  Next thing you know, NPR replaced the film and those first four novels are yearly reads. Splinter every summer, Han Solo Adventures every winter. 

My Star Wars world is entirely different than it was pre-Board.  It's much deeper now. 
The vast universe is back - and getting vaster. <--- yeah, I know  ;-)

On topic;  I guess this new burst of branching out is really just because I finished Splinter, didn't want to wait until winter for my next Star Wars read, tested the post-1979 waters with Tales (at Zombie's behest), and am digging it so much that I want to go deeper.  I'll just start the Zahn novels in order, when I'm done with my current read.

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.

I'm fine with those being referenced.  I just don't have any interest in reading novels about them.   To an extent, I'm fine with the prequels being name-checked on occasion, but I have zero interest in anything that takes place during that time frame.

For me, this is Chewie at his best.  For whatever reason, he seems more serious in this scene, when we first meet him.  Something about the expression, the angle he's sitting at, body language - I'm not sure.  He just seems more real to me.

Looking just at Zahn's Star Wars novel list, there seems to be several that might be good reads. Looking at a few non-spoiler write-ups, some of these sound interesting.

Heir to the Empire
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command
Specter of the Past
Vision of the Future
Survivor's Quest
Outbound Flight
Allegiance

Are these Prequel\Annikin\Padme heavy?  The write-ups make it sound like they're more about the OT characters later in life, which could be very interesting.

Apologies ahead of time, I'm an EU newb.

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 ask because I'm reading Hammertong right now and I'm really digging it so far.  Not that I need any more EU just yet.  I haven't even finished this one and still have one more to read, but I'm digging the expansion of my Star Wars universe.

captainsolo said:

I really enjoyed the Tales books despite the fact that everything gets tied in together. (Maybe that was the strength of it.)

They're really just stories about what each individual was doing prior to that one day in their lives which we saw in Star Wars. In fact, that's what I find most interesting about it. 

They're all at a chance intersection for an afternoon, but they have little (if any) involvement with each other.  A friend of Greedo's mentions seeing Solo across the room talking to an old man and a kid, but they get up and leave after a few minutes. It's a simple, nothing observation to them while they're sitting in a bar having a drink.  Yet to us, it's one of the most pivotal points of the entire story.

Real life is like that.  You and your friends may be in a bar after work surrounded by strangers, yet each stranger has a path that led them to be in that same bar at precisely the same moment as you.

You may see a guy walk by and think, if only as an afterthought, "...nice shoes".  However, he may have chosen them to make a nice impression on someone who had a lead on a job that he may get, which may change the course of his entire life.

Nothing to you - huge in the life of someone who just happens to be in the same place at the same time.  I think it's an interesting concept for a book of short stories.

Review  2

A Hunter's Fate: Greedo's Tale,  by Tom & Martha Veitch

Enjoyed this one as well.  A more serious story about Greedo and the events leading up to that fateful day.  This story touches on several years of Greedo's life, so we get a little insight into who he is and why he chose the path he did.

Obviously this story had to have a fair amount of Jabba and Solo.  Both are handled well, particularly Han & Chewie.  This story, to me, is a perfect example of Zombie's mention of how these stories expand the Star Wars universe.

One thing I really find interesting about the stories so far is that they end at the cantina scene from Star Wars, yet have little or nothing to do with some of the main characters or story within the film.  Because of that, some of the things that are the main focus of that portion of the film are nothing more than hardly noticed background in these. It's interesting to see those things as a patron of the cantina would have seen them, as opposed to someone directly involved in the incidents.

skyjedi2005 said:

 I think Lucas would have thought the old master is good enough...

Just speculating here, but considering how long it took to get a fourth Indy film (Spielberg\Lucas\Ford having to all be on the same page), I don't get the impression that Lucas controls the Indy franchise the way he would like to.  Including the studio and two good friends\collaborators, he is just part of the team, not the controlling owner (thank God).

CO said:

when she baits the fans, "They will complain and complain.....and then they will buy the BluRay set."  or "Han never shot first."  She is opening the door from certain SW fans to challenge her.

I agree. 

For the record, I have no interest in her opinion one way or another.  Nor do I follow any twitter accounts, post on the official FB page, or belong to any official entity of Lucasfilm. 

That said;  I have zero sympathy for any flack she gets when she openly baits fans who have issues with her father's constant lying.

She could have taken the mature\professional path but chose not to.  In fact, as a representative of Lucasfilm, she should have.  To me, it reflects poorly on her and her company.  It also shows we're not going to get a proper release of the 1977 theatrical version, even after George is no longer in charge.

Also, she's incorrect about OT fans buying it anyway.  Lucasfilm's buy-everything-regardless minion base is considerably smaller than it used to be.  Fool us once.....

Review 1

We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale, by Kathy Tyers

I enjoyed it.  A light, side story adventure following the Cantina band as they decide to play a wedding reception that pays so well they'll be able to book passage off Tatooine. Told first person by one of the band members, it's a humorous insight into the workings of the band for a few days leading up to, but stopping at, an afternoon we're all very familiar with.

greenpenguino said:

Your Mum's pu-

mpkin pie?

ree Mongole?

dding?

 Pu platter?

lled pork sandwiches?

Speaking of baseball, I took this week off.  We used the time for our first honey extraction of the year and to meet with a forestry biologist regarding conservation cutting on some land.  So that it wasn't all work this week off, I took in a day game - Astros\Dodgers.

Hey Ripplin - next time you're in town, let me know.  ;-)

TV's Frink said:

Also, I'm starting to pull away in the league.  BOW DOWN BEFORE ME!!!

Yeah, I'm dropping fast.  Gonna have to make some moves I was hoping to avoid.  Hopefully it's not too late.

Gentlemen, fellow OTers,  and ladies of the board...

Today I embark on a journey.  For the first time ever, I will read a Star Wars novel penned after 1979.

Because of this board, my Star Wars world continues to grow.

Because it's an anthology of short stories, I'll post impressions (without spoilers) as I go.

rpvee said:

 

Me with the great John Williams just a few hours ago:

(It's a bit large, not sure how to fix it)

Well done, sir.

rpvee said:

Star Wars turns 34 years old today!  What are YOU doing to celebrate? 

Well, now that you've reminded me that  34 years ago I was 15 years old and sitting in the theater watching Star Wars, I'm going to pour myself a drink.

8:30 in the morning isn't too early is it?

;-)

skyjedi2005 said:

Unless you have nostalgia for the peewee herman droid voice, i found it almost as bad as jar jar binks.

I know you are but what am I... I know you are but what am I... IknowyouarebutwhatamI..IknowyouarebutwhatamI.IknowyouarebutwhatamIIknowyouarebutwhatamI infinity

CP3S said:

Keep in mind, I was around twelve or thirteen when these things were coming out and haven't read them in adulthood so I am not sure if you would like them, of even if I would like them if I only discovered them today

Looking through a few pages on Amazon, it does seem a little young for me.    With Tales From Mos Eisley on the way, as well as giving Death Star a try, I have more than enough to hold me.  I'll start the Brian Daley Han Solo Adventures again this winter anyway. Toss in the script to the NPR version and my yearly read of Splinter and I have enough Star Wars reading to hold me for quite some time.

CP3S said:

I also really liked the Dark Horse Droids comic series.....I liked the low stakes smaller corners of the galaxy feel they had two them.....It was refreshing to see parts of the SW universe that don't really matter

Sounds very much like my sort of deal.  How would one go about finding all of those?

*edit*

Is it this series?

http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/15-380/Star-Wars-Omnibus--Droids

Tobar said:

Two excerpts from the review none linked to:

He thought that a certain amount of history revision had taken place (either intentionally or not), and legends and lore about Star Wars that most fans know are not necessarily accurate. He believes some names involved with Star Wars have unfairly been forgotten or diminished (Marcia Lucas for one) and he wanted to highlight the collaborative work the incredible crew did with limited time and resource. Gary Kurtz asked that we try to forget about what Star Wars became after 1977 and think about what it was like in the mid 70’s and the creation of a modest budgeted, unpopular genre film that had relatively low expectations. 

His main issue with what Star Wars has now become was to do with the creation of filling in back stories and the explanation of peripheral characters and plot points that were mentioned in the original trilogy, which up to 1983 were filled in by our imaginations. He would prefer new stories to be told rather than have detailed explanations of The Force or the origin of Boba Fett.

Gary Kurtz is awesome.

You guys call me the case study, but it's not just me.  Star Wars was something entirely different in 1977.  It was poorly handled once Lucas got the creativity & idea folks out of his way.