NGP Review : Heir To The Jedi

NGP Review : Heir To The Jedi

Out of all the currently released Star Wars canon novels, the concept of Heir to the Jedi was by far the most intriguing and exciting for me as a fan. Following in the steps of Luke Skywalker fresh off the events the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the first Death Star, I couldn’t wait to dive into the adventures between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back especially following on the heels of it’s two incredible predecessors A New Dawn and Tarkin. Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived.

The first turn off for me wasn't story related, but rather the perspective in which author Kevin Hearne wrote the novel. I've never personally been a fan of fiction in the first person, and even less so with characters I've come to grow and love. More often than not, I feel that authors have a difficult time finding a character's voice in this style, resulting in some rather clunky and cheesy inner monologue and dialogue interaction.

For example, within the first chapter alone, classic gems such as :

“Moisture farming. Spectacularly dull. Some weeks were so boring that I actually looked forward to going to Tosche Station to pick up some … power converters.”

and

“Llanc bustled with smugglers and other ne’er-do-wells in a way that might have moved Ben Kenobi to call it a “wretched hive of scum and villainy,” even if it was quite as wretched as Mos Eisley.”

were randomly interjected into the story, which at times made me roll my eyes to a point where it was almost too painful to continue. My annoyance with the dialogue aside, the bigger issue for me was that Hearne didn’t appear to know what type of story he wanted to tell. Through the first quarter of the novel, Luke, and his Alliance companion Nakari Kelen, are tasked with a mission to investigate a missing ship owned by Nakari’s biotech mougel father, Fayet Kelen, in return for credits needed to upgrade their own craft for the “main mission”. While that’s all well and good, the story takes a very sharp Ridley Scott Prometheus/Alien like turn as the duo finds the abandoned vessel overrun by camouflaged brain sucking alien parasites.

Nakari Kelen

As this mission concludes and the story progresses, Alliance leader, Admiral Akbar, then enlists the talents of Luke and Nakari for a rescue mission, a la every heist movie known to man, to save a Given prisoner by the name of Drusil Bephorin from the clutches of the Galactic Empire in hopes that she will aid the Alliance through her unparalleled skills in cryptography.  At this point, nearly half way through the novel, things finally start to pick up.

Drusil Bephorin

Without disclosing any spoilers, I did find myself questioning some of the character choices that occurred at end of the novel. However, there was also a period of enlightenment, as I began to understand the influences Luke had at this point in his life following the death of Ben Kenobi and how those influences helped shape him into the Jedi he would eventually become.

The novel was saved from disaster thanks to the second act of the story, earning it a 2/5 on the NGP rating scale. If you are looking for a great Luke Skywalker story, look toward Jason Aaron and John Cassaday's Star Wars title user the Marvel Comics banner instead. You'll be far more impressed.

2/5 

Questions or Comments? Sound off in the comments below, or find me on Twitter as @ArchangelEZE! For more exciting news and reviews, follow NGP on Facebook and join me here next month for the next Star Wars canon novel review : Lords Of The Sith!

Until next time True Believers,

Read More

The NEW Star Wars Canon

The NEW Star Wars Canon

The Star Wars Expanded Universe is dead. At least in terms of canon. After the Disney / Lucasfilm buyout (which has thus far given us more good than ill) had taken place, fans were left to speculate how current Star Wars lore would fit into the cinematic franchise upon the announcement that Episode VII was in the works. However, to the dismay of many, executive producer Kathleen Kennedy explained that in order to give the upcoming films the freedom they needed, they would not be following the future mapped out in the novels - therefore single handedly rendering the Expanded Universe non-canonical.

However, a slight concession was made to maintain the existence of this material as writer Simon Kinberg (providing story direction for the franchise as a whole) promised that those Expanded Universe stories would remain in publication under the 'Legends' banner and could still potentially be used as "inspiration" for canon projects. Additionally, Del Ray publishing editor Shelly Shapiro also chimed in :

"Well first of all, we don't want to just disappear stuff that everybody read and loved - including myself. Legends are things that are often told over generations so they're not ... they change constantly with the telling, so you can't actually attribute an author to any particular one. Often it wasn't someone who was actually there. You can go back to any of the legends ... they're pretty sure there was a 'King Arthur,' but most of the stories probably didn't happen. But that doesn't mean that there aren't kernels of truth in it." 

"Everything now - starting from "A New Dawn" on - is canon. So if you care about that - which you really probably shouldn't, but if you do - it's all part of this whole new collaborative process ... All of this stuff happened." 

So how exactly does the Star Wars canon look now with the slate wiped clean?

For a fan who never had the opportunity to explore the far reaches of the Expanded Universe, I'm actually thrilled. Chewbacca is alive, Emperor Palpatine doesn't have a clone, Mara Jade is a myth and the Yuuzhan Vong are an alien race that may not even exist.

If you're looking for a jumping on point with the Star Wars universe, now's the time.

The first three canon novels, A New Dawn, Tarkin and Heir to the Jedi are available now at your favorite retailer with Disciple, Lords of the Sith and Aftermath scheduled to release July 7, April 28 and September 4 respectively. Additionally, Marvel Star Wars comics beginning in January 2015 with Star Wars #1 by Jason Aaron and John Cassady are also considered canon.

A New Dawn and Tarkin have been ordered from my Amazon Wish List and are scheduled to arrive early this week. Keep an eye out for additional NGP thoughts and reviews as I embark (and attempt to keep up) on the journey.

Questions or Comments? Sound off below, or find me on Twitter as @ArchangelEZE and for more exciting news and reviews, follow NGP on Facebook!

Until next time True Believers,

-ArchangelEZE

Read More

Has Luke Skywalker Gone Joker?

For this week’s post I found an article by Jason Ward over at Making Star Wars and yes it does contain some Episode VII SPOILERS so you have been warned. The article was done well so enjoy that article below.

“I think I can finally shed some faint light on the state of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode VII. For a months it has been a struggle as those in the know interpreted Luke’s situation differently. Some would say Luke Skywalker was evil and others would say “he’s not evil, that’s absurd.” It now makes a little more sense if this information is correct.

I’m told that in the back story for the film, Luke Skywalker does something amazing with the Force. He’s really powerful, more of “wizard than lightsaber wielding warrior.” Basically, Luke Skywalker has a “Force Unleashed” moment and realizes he might be bad for the universe.The aftermath of that event is difficult for Luke.

Luke Skywalker has become the most powerful Jedi ever, but he doesn’t believe he’s the wisest. He doesn’t want to make the mistake his father made by thinking he knows what’s right for the universe. Skywalker becomes somewhat deranged in his seclusion. He is consumed by his fear that if he should return to “society” his power could be misused, he could be manipulated, and he may accidentally hurt the one’s he loves.

For these reasons, to protect the galaxy and himself, Luke retreats into self-imposed exile for many years. I’m told he can’t always control the power. While he sits in a meditative state, he levitates things unconsciously and he’s not always in complete control and he’s never sure if he’s doing the will of the Force or acting on his own passions. Luke is seeing the past, the present, the future, “old friends long gone” and other things that prey upon his sanity.

Luke Skywalker is described as “creepy and frightening in appearance” because you supposedly can see “the fire in his eyes” behind his grizzled appearance during some scenes.

For most of Luke’s appearance in Star Wars: Episode VII, it is questionable if his madness will result in evil. Not even those that have known him for most of his life know if he’s sane or not. However, the villain and the new hero both draw Skywalker out and he’s forced to intervene in the galactic conflict. The imbalance he feared bringing back to the galaxy is set into motion by the new evil. But it is not only evil that brings Luke Skywalker out of exile. The good in the universe does as well when one of the heroes convinces him the place he is in is not where he belongs.

By the last act of the film, it is clear where Luke falls on spectrum of good and evil.

The interesting thing is that Star Wars has always been about family and love but also about righting the wrongs of the past generation. In some ways, the situation the galaxy finds itself in in Star Wars: Episode VII is Luke’s fault. His absence is the reason things have escalated in the universe.

My personal belief is that by the end of the film, Luke Skywalker returns looking like his old self again. It appears his character’s trajectory is one in which he has to atone with his place and power in the galaxy. By the end of the film, he apparently does, and our new heroes have a mentor to take on the old evil that has infected the galaxy during Skywalker’s absence.”

I find it ironic that the way Jason describes Luke’s state of mind in the beginning of the film sounds a lot like Luke has gone mad like the Joker. If you don’t know, Mark Hamill plays the voice of the Joker in almost all Batman animated series and video games. I really hope that this is how the movie plays out because it sounds truly amazing!

Thanks for reading and May the Force Be With You!

- Da_Fettman

Read More