[84summers]

Hello. I haven't posted in 2.5 years, though I never stopped being a fan of this site's humor & insight. After 11 years plus, it could confidently describe itself as being timeless.

Anyway...

I just finished reading James Lucerno's "Labyrinth of Evil." And last year I read "Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader." I am very excited to read "Cloak of Deception," which (sincerely) is one of my favorite films. It is also awful, I know.

I'm very impressed by Lucerno's writing. He doesn't betray Lucas's version of the characters at all; their simplistic dialogue and motivations. Somehow, he enhances them! He gives the characters a much needed sense of reason and motive. He also brilliantly references other events and characters, including Zonama Segot from 'Rogue Planet', the worst novel I've ever read.

He's also exceedingly good at giving this Universe some definition. Did you know the Trade Federation has a robot army to fight off pirates, as granted by the Senate? See what that alone does to your perception of this Universe.

Also, Valorum 'mysteriously' died in a spaceship explosion. And Sifo-Dyas was a political dissident like Dooku, who was dispatched basically the day after he placed an order for a clone army.

Such details are necessary yet conspicuously missing from the films. Not only does he provide them, they are also smoothly incorporated into the plot and used to further enhance the characters. They're not shoe-horned in at all!

"Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader" is even more impressive because it has new characters (meaning they're not restricted to what Lucas has already written) and perfectly bridges the gap between the trilogies. He devotes a lot of time to showing how Vader deals with his new body and how he perfectly hones his rage to completely eliminate Anakin. He also hunts Jedi across the galaxy.

It bridges the Anakin we've seen (and disdain) with the Vader we love, seemlessly and engagingly.

I don't know if Lucerno is a fan, but his writing is exceptionally crafted and reverent. I was wondering if anyone here felt the same or differently?

[videinfra78]

84summers, on 04 July 2010 - 07:02 PM, said:

Hello. I haven't posted in 2.5 years, though I never stopped being a fan of this site's humor & insight. After 11 years plus, it could confidently describe itself as being timeless.

Anyway...

I just finished reading James Lucerno's "Labyrinth of Evil." And last year I read "Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader." I am very excited to read "Cloak of Deception," which (sincerely) is one of my favorite films. It is also awful, I know.

I'm very impressed by Lucerno's writing. He doesn't betray Lucas's version of the characters at all; their simplistic dialogue and motivations. Somehow, he enhances them! He gives the characters a much needed sense of reason and motive. He also brilliantly references other events and characters, including Zonama Segot from 'Rogue Planet', the worst novel I've ever read.

He's also exceedingly good at giving this Universe some definition. Did you know the Trade Federation has a robot army to fight off pirates, as granted by the Senate? See what that alone does to your perception of this Universe.

Also, Valorum 'mysteriously' died in a spaceship explosion. And Sifo-Dyas was a political dissident like Dooku, who was dispatched basically the day after he placed an order for a clone army.

Such details are necessary yet conspicuously missing from the films. Not only does he provide them, they are also smoothly incorporated into the plot and used to further enhance the characters. They're not shoe-horned in at all!

"Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader" is even more impressive because it has new characters (meaning they're not restricted to what Lucas has already written) and perfectly bridges the gap between the trilogies. He devotes a lot of time to showing how Vader deals with his new body and how he perfectly hones his rage to completely eliminate Anakin. He also hunts Jedi across the galaxy.

It bridges the Anakin we've seen (and disdain) with the Vader we love, seemlessly and engagingly.

I don't know if Lucerno is a fan, but his writing is exceptionally crafted and reverent. I was wondering if anyone here felt the same or differently?

Sounds like he has been Lucas's personal poop scoop. He has to go around and clean up all of George's idiotic illogical unexplained steaming piles of crap that he shat all over the place in the prequels. I haven't read him but from your description I'd give him an A for effort, George should have consulted him beforehand. I don't read the Star Wars novels though, Star Wars for me is the OT only.

[Zatoichi]

haven't read him myself either (was just going to go with Timothy Zhan), but sounds like it might be worth checking out someday. Thanks for the heads up, I'll try to keep it in mind.