Author Topic: What's your LEAST favorite book?  (Read 9058 times)

Offline Dimetrodon

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Re: What's your LEAST favorite book?
« Reply #15 on: October 25, 2004, 12:55 PM »
I've been careful about what books I get now, as some are horrendous.
The last bad one I read was the 2nd book in the New Jedi Order series. It made me hate the series too, that and everything I hear about it. KIlling off characters, and stupid aliens..
It reads more like Star Trek than Star Wars.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: What's your LEAST favorite book?
« Reply #16 on: November 12, 2004, 02:56 AM »
Amen...

Killing a main film character for the sake of gaining readership and interest is like lying to get attention. 

It's not constructive, it doesn't offer anything overly exciting or new, and it really does nothing more than piss people off at you.

Chewbacca has been one of the most underutilized characters in EU because few people beyond Timothy Zahn had any ability as authors to actually utilize Chewie like Lucas did in the films.  The creators of Southpark use Kenny more creatively than authors in Star Wars used Chewbacca.

That's ****** up, if I may be so blunt.

And at least Kenny's killed off interestingly in South Park, so he's still one up on Chewbacca's death.

Ultimately though, the NJO's other main failing is the Yuzahn Vong.  Super Villains from somewhat of a distance away who just happen to show up when it seems like everything is ok.  They seem to "assimilate" at least parts of their victims.  They're "unstoppable", and have no regard for other species...  Blah blah blah...

Yes, Star Trek did it with the Borg first, the Breen, Species 90210 (or whoever they were from Voyager) and their organic ships and stuff, etc., etc., etc...  It's a tired Sci-Fi ploy to create new threats to a played out world.

To me, Luke's resurgence of the Force and FOrce Users (and his somewhat haphazard way about it) would be enough plotline to keep new enemies arising.  New species shouldn't be introduced as more of a threat than anything ever to Luke Skywalker though, as it sorta cheapens the movies and their point.

That's part of the problem though.  Luke and the films are intended to, kinda, imply that Luke's faced the ultimate trial he'll face.  Still there's more tactful ways to go about it.

Zahn had a knack here I believe then.  He didn't need force users to cause trouble so much as he used political and military strife, and an enemy who merely was smart.  The Yssilimari were kinda wonky but they weren't the Vong so I bought it some more.

I like NJO's establishment of Luke bringing about a, well, New Jedi Order...  The enemies and Chewie's death were just horrible turns though, IMO, and they become really just detractors from the series. 

I'd like to actually see some EU that establishes a war of attrition that the New Republic faced with the Empire.  Rather than this "Warlords" and "infighting" crap with the Empire, I think the story should've been one where they actually held it together.

Nazi Germany wouldn't have collapsed had Hitler died in 1940...  If anything, the Allies would've faced a much more destructive and competent enemy without him.  Perhaps the Empire could've had a more fitting scenario for it.

Anyway, that's a rant I'll end here...  Needless to say, EU's something I'm picky on because there's just too much BAD in there.
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Offline CorranHorn

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Re: What's your LEAST favorite book?
« Reply #17 on: November 17, 2004, 10:21 PM »
Quote from: JesseJames
I'd like to actually see some EU that establishes a war of attrition that the New Republic faced with the Empire.  Rather than this "Warlords" and "infighting" crap with the Empire, I think the story should've been one where they actually held it together.

I think why we got more of a warlords/infighting scenario in the post ROTJ Empire is due to the fact that the galaxy is such a wide open space and these individual governors or whatever they're called were just looking out for themselves. It's an extension of the corruption of the Old Republic which in turn allowed the Empire to form. Without the iron fist of the Emperor and his military to keep things in order, the status quo returned and we got what we got.

As for what was my least favorite book, well it's a series actually. The Bounty Hunter Wars series. That series has only one endearing feature, the interaction between Bossk and Zuckuss, otherwise the stories are utter crap. From the spider thing in space, to Xizor recording the death of the Lars' it was just so much tripe. Of all the EU books I own, the 3 books that made up this series have yet to be re-read.
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Offline Dimetrodon

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Re: What's your LEAST favorite book?
« Reply #18 on: November 26, 2004, 04:58 AM »
Quote from: CorranHorn


As for what was my least favorite book, well it's a series actually. The Bounty Hunter Wars series. That series has only one endearing feature, the interaction between Bossk and Zuckuss, otherwise the stories are utter crap. From the spider thing in space, to Xizor recording the death of the Lars' it was just so much tripe. Of all the EU books I own, the 3 books that made up this series have yet to be re-read.

I semi enjoyed these Bounty Hunter books for that same reason, Bossk and Zuckuss. Fett was way to bland and talkative for me in it, and spider things are lame. It was cool to see Xizor again... sorta... i always felt he'd be interesting in other books, but one more centered around him and black sun.

I think all in all, we need more books on the background characters, too much leia luke han stuff is out there. I want to read about bosheks adventures, or garindins spy tales, maybe even lobot stuff... it would just be refreshing.

and thanks for bantering against NJO Jesse James, i loved reading that.

Offline DualSaberMaster

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Re: What's your LEAST favorite book?
« Reply #19 on: January 9, 2005, 04:44 PM »
I hated Rogue planet.

Rogue Planet sucked I also didn't like Shadow Hunter

I just finished Rogue Panet, and would agree with the above sentiments.

I came away saying "That's it, that's Obi-Wan and Anakin's adventure?, how boring"

Also, had a hard time visualizing some of the author's description of events, aliens and enviroments. ???

One of the parts I did like about it, was the seed-partners and the process of creating the "Living" Sekot ships.  I thought it was probably the only interesting part of the book.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate it a  5, eh. :-\
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