Just wrapped up "Dark Lord", Rust dips his toes into the EU pg 3 Options

[Daith]

Meh, Dark Empire was always one where it was a toss up whether I liked it or not. I absolutely hated the artwork in it with a passion. Why was everyone green or what ever other color seemed to overtake entire panels? And while I do like the areas it took Luke and the whole clone Palpentine deal the whole Galaxy gun/Eclipse cannon right after the other was annoying as heck.

Dark Horse did get better later on when they got away from the established characters and did their own thing with Tales of the Jedi. It still suffered from a bit of repetitiveness but with Kevin J Anderson writing the story it actually helped tie together it and the Jedi Academy novels. Personally besides TOTJ the other 90's era Dark Horse series that I loved was Crimson Empire, which made the Emperors Guards seem completely badass for never doing anything in the movies. I think Dark Horse didn't actually use the characters from the movies well until after the prequels came out.

[Cybersnark]

Once again, I have to bring up Wedge Antilles. The X-Wing comics remain among the best things Dark Horse has ever produced.

[WaveRyder]

Once again, I have to bring up Wedge Antilles. The X-Wing comics remain among the best things Dark Horse has ever produced.

Which can't hold a candle to how he's written in the X-Wing series. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

[Cat]

Dark Empire - one colour per page. No exceptions, damnit!

[Daith]

Once again, I have to bring up Wedge Antilles. The X-Wing comics remain among the best things Dark Horse has ever produced.

Which can't hold a candle to how he's written in the X-Wing series. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

Funny you should mention that since they were both written by the same guy for quite some time.

[WaveRyder]

Once again, I have to bring up Wedge Antilles. The X-Wing comics remain among the best things Dark Horse has ever produced.

Which can't hold a candle to how he's written in the X-Wing series. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

Funny you should mention that since they were both written by the same guy for quite some time.

Yeah, but Stackpole had more to work with in the books.

[Steevy Maximus]

Once again, I have to bring up Wedge Antilles. The X-Wing comics remain among the best things Dark Horse has ever produced.

Which can't hold a candle to how he's written in the X-Wing series. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

Funny you should mention that since they were both written by the same guy for quite some time.

Yeah, but Stackpole had more to work with in the books.

Damn Stackpole, his X-Wing stuff made me look up his other material, and for MANY years was a Mechwarrior/Battletech junkie

[WaveRyder]

Once again, I have to bring up Wedge Antilles. The X-Wing comics remain among the best things Dark Horse has ever produced.

Which can't hold a candle to how he's written in the X-Wing series. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

Funny you should mention that since they were both written by the same guy for quite some time.

Yeah, but Stackpole had more to work with in the books.

Damn Stackpole, his X-Wing stuff made me look up his other material, and for MANY years was a Mechwarrior/Battletech junkie

I've managed to avoid his writings beyond Star Wars. XD

[Rust]

*Thread Revive*

So I bought Darth Plagueius on a lark a week back, and just finished it up.

It may have taken over ten years, but this book is effectively the backstory of the Prequels in one condensed package. The Blockade of Naboo, the Clones on Kamino, Dooku's fall, the rise of the Seperatists, and especially the backstory of Darth Sidious aka Palpatine...

I Loved This Book.

It hit all the unanswered questions from the Prequels and explained them in a manner befitting Star Wars. While the book's title reflects Palpatine's Master, really it's Palpatine's story. Darth Plagueius is a good character, no doubt about it, but the Muun Sith takes a backseat in the second act and never really comes back into the spotlight.

I especially love how the author manages to work in the prophecy and Anakin's "Virgin" Birth.

HIGHLIGHT to view:
The assumption that it was Plagueius or Palpatine who had Anakin conceived turns out to be false. Anakin was in fact conceived by the Force at the same time Plagueius and Sidious 'convinced' the Force to tip more towards the Dark Side. Earlier in the book it explains how every action - Light or Dark - sends a equal reaction down the chain to the opposite side. Hence why Sith Lords for centuries following Darth Bane were always careful to only act after a "positive" event - both to ensure success and also to prevent the Jedi from detecting them. When Plagueius and Sidious deliberately turned the currents of the Universe down the Dark Side, the Force responded by birthing Anakin.

I'm shocked to even say this, but I actually kind of want to watch the Prequels after reading this book. It does that good a job in setting up everything that I think I could watch the movies without gagging. Highly recommended!


EDIT: If I had one complaint about this book, it tosses around species names as though that means something to the casual reader. I had to go to Wookiepedia to find out what a "Bith" was - or even Darth Plagueius' species "Muun".

His face on the Cover looks nothing like the species.

This post has been edited by Rust: Jan 19 2012, 09:19 PM

[DarkDestroyer]

I have this waiting for me at the library. Really been looking forward to it. There has been something of a minor controversy over the look of the Muun and Plagueis himself. I believe he wasn't original a Muun, this was changed prior to the writing of the novel. I forgot the specifics. Good to know the book is good. James Luceno is one of my favourite EU writers.

Dark Destroyer

[Quantumhawk]

It's on the way from the Sci-Fi Book Club along with Shadow Games and the Darth Vader Lost Command TPB.

[Vestras]

I kinda loved both the Thwarn Trilogy AND Dark Empire....I'm weird like that, but that was MY era of Star Wars. I kind of petered out of following things after the Jedi Academy Trilogy.

Plagueius sounds like an interesting Fix-Fic more than anything, but that's just me.

Anyone read the Legacy era comics? I've caught little snippets while researching for SWTOR, and I'm thinking I might go try and find the trades next time I get some time off to go to my FLGS.

[Master Fwiffo]

I saw this book at Barnes and Nobles last night, but didn't give it a second thought (as I abandoned reading SW novels about the same time they killed Chewbacca). But if it does that good of a story of setting up the prequels, I might go rent it from the library for a read.

[Rust]

I forgot to mention, the book also gives the origins of Darth Maul, and why he seemed so...odd...in the grand scheme of things.

I found his initial introduction rather silly, but props for trying to explain where Palpatine had found a Force Sensitive Zabrak.

[Fenrir]

HIGHLIGHT to view:
The assumption that it was Plagueius or Palpatine who had Anakin conceived turns out to be false. Anakin was in fact conceived by the Force at the same time Plagueius and Sidious 'convinced' the Force to tip more towards the Dark Side. Earlier in the book it explains how every action - Light or Dark - sends a equal reaction down the chain to the opposite side. Hence why Sith Lords for centuries following Darth Bane were always careful to only act after a "positive" event - both to ensure success and also to prevent the Jedi from detecting them. When Plagueius and Sidious deliberately turned the currents of the Universe down the Dark Side, the Force responded by birthing Anakin.

HIGHLIGHT to view:
So with that in mind, the prophecy of bringing balance to the force wasn't something Anakin was supposed to do in the future, but was something already fulfilled by his being born? That's very interesting. I think I'm going to pick up this one.

[Nyarlathotep]

I saw this book at Barnes and Nobles last night, but didn't give it a second thought (as I abandoned reading SW novels about the same time they killed Chewbacca).

And consequently missed out on the best arc ever!

[Daith]

I saw this book at Barnes and Nobles last night, but didn't give it a second thought (as I abandoned reading SW novels about the same time they killed Chewbacca).

And consequently missed out on the best arc ever!

Not sure about best arc ever but it was a nice change of pace to the constant Imperial remnant threat or super weapon and actually nerfed the Jedi for a time. And Chewie all no! Bout time one of the mains bit it by that point. I'm to the point where I want Luke to bite it at the end of FotJ.

[Fenix Twilight]

Dang, first I buy Reven and then see all the negative reviews and now this slips by me.

Or I got burned by Reven and waited for reviews on Plagueius, whatever. But it sounds like I should buy it regardless.

[Rust]

Keep in mind though, that this is a review from someone relatively unfamiliar with the EU of Star Wars, and whose Star Wars library can be counted on one hand. All I can say is the book hit all the unanswered questions I had from the Prequels and made them "mesh" with the overall narrative in such a way that it actually feels like Star Wars again.

Plus, young Palpatine. The Emperor never did anything in half measures, and his turn towards the Dark Side displayed in the book is no different. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-ironhide.gif)

[Daith]

Plagueius is on my next to grab list. I just got done with Choices of One tonight after sitting on it for half a year now. Really as it is when Zahn's writing his characters Pellaeon is pretty much exposition fairy to the larger narrative.

HIGHLIGHT to view:
Mara has a really close encounter with Luke which is awkward since she never mentions it again later now. Considering they never met face to face however it makes some sense. Thrawn begins setting up his Empire of the Hand by recruiting the Hand of Justice from his last novel and also has a hand in why the rebels choose Hoth as the next base in a way. It was a cool story and it threw me off track with the villain a few times. I figured the guy on the Chimera in disguise was Thrawn the whole time and that Nuso Esva was just a ruse Thrawn had put together. I was actually surprised when it turned out Nuso Esva was the guy in disguise and Thrawn was playing a larger game in order to get him.