(no subject)

[skygiants]

While we're all still talking about Star Wars, I read my First Official Star Wars Novel a few weeks ago - Claudia Gray's Bloodline, a political thriller about Leia that takes place a few years before The Force Awakens.

Leia's faction in the Senate is hardline for states' planetary rights; the rival faction are Federalists Centrists who favor a strong executive branch. At the beginning of the book, Leia, who is considering retirement, teams up with a Bright Young Centrist for a Senate investigation into some shady smuggler activity that ends up being potentially More Sinister. They bicker, then bond! It's very cute! BUT ALAS, their hopes for bipartisan coalition are challenged by outside forces and, as one might imagine from the way intergalactic politics stand at the beginning of The Force Awakens, All Does Not End Well.

I was honestly impressed by how well Bloodline manages to ground itself as a political thriller - in which things like political gridlock and reputational damage and grandstanding without compromise are more serious challenges with more long-lasting impact than any individual blaster battle -- while also, you know, still fitting in a solid number of daring escapes and speeder chases and blaster battles.

I was also quite impressed that Claudia Gray managed to actually get me invested in Senator Casterfo, Leia's Centrist buddy, after introducing him as "snotty collector of Imperial Artifacts," a hobby which Leia, rightly, considers gross. And I liked the way that the book deals with political fallout from the Reveal of Leia's Real Parentage, and the fact that it's not her fault but she's also not been dealing with it, and there's nothing that can make it not weird and not a liability, because politics are awful.

Overall the book felt to me honestly a lot like a Clone Wars experience, moreso than a Star Wars film experience -- and as you know I've been enjoying the Clone Wars experience quite a bit. A solid introduction to Star Wars In Text.

Comments

[sovay]

I was also quite impressed that Claudia Gray managed to actually get me invested in Senator Casterfo, Leia's Centrist buddy, after introducing him as "snotty collector of Imperial Artifacts," a hobby which Leia, rightly, considers gross. And I liked the way that the book deals with political fallout from the Reveal of Leia's Real Parentage, and the fact that it's not her fault but she's also not been dealing with it, and there's nothing that can make it not weird and not a liability, because politics are awful.

Apparently I would read this book.

[skygiants]

I thought the dynamic between Leia and Casterfo was really interesting, and not one I've often seen - Jaded Older Politician reluctantly allies with Callow Idealist from the other side of the aisle, sure, except here for the Jaded Older Politician we are meant to be envisioning mid-fifties Carrie Fisher and that's wonderful. (The internet also informs me that according to the author we are meant to be envisioning Tom Hiddleston for the Callow Idealist, which I can live with.)

[sovay]

and not one I've often seen - Jaded Older Politician reluctantly allies with Callow Idealist from the other side of the aisle, sure, except here for the Jaded Older Politician we are meant to be envisioning mid-fifties Carrie Fisher and that's wonderful.

We are also usually in sympathy with the Callow Idealist in this configuration and gradually build understanding for the Jaded Older Politician, whereas here it sounds out like we start solidly on Team Leia and have to be persuaded of the good points and perspective of a kid who collects Space Nazi memorabilia.

(The internet also informs me that according to the author we are meant to be envisioning Tom Hiddleston for the Callow Idealist, which I can live with.)

Aw, man, I wish that had made it to film.

[luzula]

Huh, this sounds interesting and like something that might be up my alley!

Also, I've never actually read any Star Wars tie-in novels. Are there other good ones you can recommend? I mean, I'm sure a lot of them are bad, so one wouldn't want to wade in unwarned.

[skygiants]

I wish I could, but this is literally the first one I've read myself! I'm sure other people will be able to help in comments. For myself, in addition to this one, I seem to recall having heard good things about the Thrawn(?) trilogy from the original extended universe, the Rogue One Baze and Chirrut novel, and a recent short story collection called (I think) From a Different Point of View.

[rachelindeed]

Seconding the first Thrawn books by Timothy Zahn - "Heir to the Empire," "Dark Force Rising," and "The Last Command." It's been decades since I read Star Wars novels, so I'm sadly out of date for anything more recent. But those three I read with great love in middle school and I have a feeling they will hold up well :)

[sapote]

MARA! JADE!

I was very serious about my Star Wars Extended Universe in middle school and have been actively sad that that continuity is now basically relegated to AU status. It's like Jaina and Jaden never existed! (Maybe that's for the best, but still). I also remember Mon Mothma and Leia having some side plots together that were really wonderful - there was a whole intrigue about the transfer of power, and Leia respected Mon Mothma so much! Mon Mothma was such a good mentor to her! (And served a super important role as a ceremonial head of state directly post-rebellion who was not, you know, Darth Vader's daughter. It gave them all some cooldown time that I'm guessing they didn't have in the rebooted EU).

I also have fond memories of a story in the original EU where Leia has to go undercover to rescue her kids, and considers crossdressing disguse, then looks in the mirror and goes "I've just been through two pregnancies back-to-back and I do NOT feel like binding my chest right now" so she gives herself a really cheap-looking dye job instead to throw people off her trail.

[musesfool]

Claudia Gray also wrote a teenage Leia coming-of-age novel called Leia, Princess of Alderaan, which I'd recommend highly.

The Baze/Chirrut book is Guardian of the Whills by Greg Rucka, and it's also very good, and, if you know who Ahsoka Tano is, and you've finished watching The Clone Wars (or don't mind being spoiled for it), E.K. Johnston's Ahsoka is definitely worth reading.

I thought Bloodline was excellent, though I still have a hard time reconciling the timeline with TFA.

[sdelmonte]

Rucka wrote a Star Wars novel...why doesn't anyone tell me these things?

[musesfool]

It's middle-grade, so maybe that's why? He also wrote the MG pre-TFA book Before the Awakening (with art by Phil Noto!), a Han and Chewie book (also with Phil Noto art), and the post-RotJ comic that introduces Poe's parents: Shattered Empire.

[luzula]

Thanks for the recs! : )

[musesfool]

You're welcome! The books are hit-or-miss for me, but I hope you find something you enjoy!

[varadia]

Bloodlines as said here is very good, the teenage Leia book is also good. I like New Dawn, myself, but I love Star Wars Rebels, particularly Kanan and Hera, so that helps.

The Thrawn novel was really good with some interesting POV stuff, but again Thrawn is appearing in the Rebels cartoon, so YMMV. Most of the rest I did not find worth it, but I have not read Phasma yet, either, so that one could be good!

In the extended universe, stick with Timothy Zahn's books and anything in the X-wing series. Most of the rest is seriously scattershot, but if you get into the EU/Legends chronology and find yourself liking it, there's a lot there to hop around in.

[luzula]

Thanks for the input! : )

[sdelmonte]

So Leia comes around and realizes that planets rights only leads to bad things, right? (I have read some things about the background of TFA and TLJ that suggest the reason the First Order is winning is because the New Republic is a very weak government. I find that very depressing.)

[skygiants]

Leia does not switch political sides, but she does come to recognize that the hardline extremist stance of her political allies is untenable; the book's take is 'both sides have points, unchecked centralized power is problematic but incredibly weak decentralized governments are also problematic, balance would be good, UNFORTUNATELY nobody is willing to compromise on any of this AND THEREFORE this government is probably not going to be a particularly effective one." Which I find depressing, but plausible.

[laceblade]

In addition to her two Leia novels, she also wrote Lost Stars, which was frankly amazing.

[skygiants]

I think I vaguely remember having heard good things about Lost Stars!

[vivien]

I really, really loved Lost Stars, and I highly recommend it.

[aquamirage]

Becca did you ever read the Jedi Apprentice books

[skygiants]

I have literally never read a Star Wars novel prior to this, ever, in my life.

[starlady]

Oh man, Star Wars novels.

There are some worth reading from the old EU, post-OT: Zahn's Thrawn trilogy, and if you like Mara Jade you should also read the follow up duology that starts with Specter of the Past. He wrote a few others with Mara Jade that I haven't read--at that point they were trying to match the EU with the prequels canon and things got weird. And though I love Thrawn, I have heard mixed things about the new novel that inserts him back into the canon universe. I have higher expectations for the next one, when he has to team up with Darth Vader.

TBH most of the rest of the now-Legends books were garbage. The exceptions were the Rogue Squadron and Wraith Squadron books, and I also quite liked The Truce at Bakura. If you like Obi-Wan, Kenobi is pretty great, also because it does Star Wars as a Western. It's difficult to recommend most of the prequels-era EU books for a lot of reasons, but most especially because The Clone Wars TV series overwrote most of them.

I liked but did not love the Ahsoka novel, tbh--I felt like Johnston had a really good grasp on Ahsoka herself but everything else in the book was weak. But if you like Ahsoka, it's definitely worth a read.

I've heard good things about From a Certain Point of View and some of the other new canon books, but I haven't read any of them. I should read this one!

[skygiants]

I do like Ahsoka, but I feel I probably should not attempt to read an Ahsoka novel before finishing Clone Wars, so it's probably going to take a little while before I get around to it. I have never read anything that actually has Mara Jade in it, but I have been willing for years to love her by proxy!