Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber

I see. It's curious, though, as when it was released it was hyped at such a big departure from the main Star Wars theme, yet neither of you are as bothered about it as they may have thought.
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I am a Star Wars fan. That doesn't mean that I hate or love Jar Jar. That doesn't mean I hate or love Lucas, or agree or disagree 100% with him. That doesn't mean I prefer the PT over the OT, or vice versa. That doesn't mean I hate the EU, or even love all of it. These are not prerequisites. Being a man is not a prerequisite. Being a geek is not a prerequisite. The only prerequisite is that I love something about Star Wars. I am a Star Wars fan.

Red Harvest is one of the few Star Wars books I actually regret reading. That is all.
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All things die, Anakin Skywalker, even stars burn out.

So this is how liberty dies....with thunderous applause.

Those without swords can still die upon them

The world is a mess and I just need to rule it.

Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4400 Location: Korriban

Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1796 Location: Carcosa

My problem with Red Harvest is that Star Wars itself isn't horror, nor is it known for horror. So I question the decision-making and motives that go into deciding to do Deathtroopers and Red Harvest. For Red Harvest, at least, its connection to the Star Wars universe is fairly tenuous in the sense that its inclusion within the EU continuity is entirely inconsequential. It has absolutely no consequences or effect upon Star Wars outside of the story. You can say it's non-canon, or not, and it makes no difference. I can't speak for Deathtroopers but I suspect the same.

Red Harvest also doesn't do anything unique with the horror genre within the Star Wars universe. It's a typical horror movie formula that just happens to be set within the Star Wars universe. Nothing is done in it that simply couldn't be done outside of Star Wars.

Therefore, I'm led to believe that the rationale behind the creation of the two books was "let's do a horror novel but put the Star Wars label on it to increase sales." Now, I could be wrong, but to the best of my knowledge Del Rey has so many Star Wars books that it publishes a year, and that number isn't expanded to account for novels like Red Harvest. I'd rather have books that explore existing characters like I, Jedi or Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor than books that ostensibly experiment with mixing Star Wars with a new genre.

Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1796 Location: Carcosa

The Crystal Star is more effective than Red Harvest. It's uniquely Star Wars!

I was certainly horrified.
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All things die, Anakin Skywalker, even stars burn out.

So this is how liberty dies....with thunderous applause.

Those without swords can still die upon them

The world is a mess and I just need to rule it.

Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4400 Location: Korriban

I hated the Jedi Character, Rojo Trace. Other than that I thought Scabrous was a great villain and I also kinda liked Zo. I thought the Sith tree thing was cool, but past that some of the characters got a tad stale. It wasn't that they weren't good, it was that the minute they get decent developing screen time they'd die.
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Perfection is a lifelong pursuit requiring sacrifice. The only way to get it quicker is to sacrifice the most.

Just finished reading Red Harvest the other day. Here are my impressions...

The first half lacked characterization. Characters were introduces and killed seemingly just a few dozen pages later. There was no longevity. Like a typical zombie movie gone wild, characters were introduced and infected with careless abandon. Very little build up and lots of gory action.

This was without a doubt the goriest Star Wars novel ever written. A straight up horror novel.

The second half was a little better. By now a few characters have survived long enough to secure some page time and establish some mild character development. The story itself seems to get a little better in the telling. While the first half felt rushed, the second half slowed down just a little and gave way to just a bit more skillful story telling.

Yet it wasn't enough to make the overall story more than mediocre. I hate to say that because I really love Schreiber's non-Star Wars books. In those there is strong characterization, strong story telling, good build up, good action, good excitement, drama, and suspense. He has a talent for telling a good story in a fairly short amount of pages. But his Star Wars work just doesn't seem to carry over. His style is drastically different, and it just doesn't resonate with me. I much preferred they way he did Eat the Dark or No Windows, No Doors. Both of those stories were top notch. Red Harvest just had an awful start, and then he started to get into the grove, but it was too late.

Certainly a story you can skip. You won't miss much.
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