Post-Fate of the Jedi Literature

^All of the above. I like variety. Cool

Seriously though, I think that's the key. All of the books shouldn't focus on just one thing. It's better when there are several series/stanalones with different styles/focuses. Choices of One and Shadowgames were both fun books. Riptide and Revan were more serious, whereas Riptide and Plagueis had some intellectual threads. Etc, etc.

As long as they go ahead with their plan of small series, I think they'll be plenty of room for variety, giving fans a diverse range of books to enjoy.
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Padawan Joined: 26 Nov 2011 Posts: 45

I wonder if Christie Golden will stick around post-FotJ. All that really sets her apart from other authors is how well she writes Vestara and the Lost Tribe, so it might depend on whether she/they survive Apocalypse.
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Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter east.

We haven't heard too much about the future books. We know Kemp, Karpyshyn, and Zahn are writing books (which haven't been named yet. Karpyshyn's will be an end game SWTOR book, Zahn's a Han Solo novel). Beyond that there's Alex Irvine's Sunrider novel, and the fourth Coruscant Nights book.

Depending on the success of Scourge, we might see Jeff Grubb write some more books. I'd bet Allston gets more. But yeah, it'll be interesting to see if Golden and Denning get some more or if they get set aside for a while.
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Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1796 Location: Carcosa

Thinking constructively, I think we need new characters...

If we assume that the nine book series or any sort of mega-series like NJO is no longer an option, I think the next trilogy or duology or standalone has to star completely new characters. Look at Crosscurrent/Riptide, for instance.

Now what I am wondering is if Del Rey is going to put out a trilogy or something that's trumpeted as the next "big story," or if the post-FOTJ books we get are all on the level, so to speak, with Kemp's duology (trilogy?), i.e. no particular story is going to be given more gravity to it than any other, or Kemp's existing novels.

I think if they do have a trilogy or what have you that is considered "galactic threatening" or at least a "big story," it should definitely star new characters, maybe Ben and Jaina included, but not star Luke or Han or Leia.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Ben at all, and I don't have any desire to read a book headlined by him in the same way that I enjoyed books headlined by Anakin Solo (Conquest) and Jacen Solo (Traitor). The jury is still out on Jaina, as I didn't really get into Dark Journey back in 2002, and I haven't gotten to it yet.

I really, really, really think the books need to get away from being so focused upon the Jedi. Look at the last three stories set chronologically prior to the New Jedi Order series:

The Corellian trilogy
The Hand of Thrawn duology
Survivor's Quest

Not a single one of them had a dark side threat in them, and Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade are the only Jedi depicted in any of them, and Mara isn't a Jedi in either the Corellian trilogy or Hand of Thrawn duology. I really think we need a story like this, and looking at the Corellian trilogy, the story isn't even "galactic threatening" insofar as that the threat is a much more personal one to the Solo family, especially the Solo children. Granted, there was a so-called "Starbuster" that rose the stakes. And Survivor's Quest is obviously not a galaxy threatening story either -- and I would argue that Hand of Thrawn is something in which preservation of the New Republic is at stake, but the Empire isn't guaranteed reconquest of the galaxy if the heroes fail, the galaxy would just be fragmented rather than mostly unified under the banner of the New Republic.

The books have definitely been lacking the Han Solo character, and this is in spite of Han Solo being in them, because he's been marginalized to a minor role due to the Jedi focus plus his age. If there is a Jedi character, having him (or her) be like Zayne Carrick would also be helpful, because it would not make the Jedi a "win button" in situations that other characters would struggle with, and eliminate conflicts resolved through Deus Ex Jedi.

And as a personal preference, I've lately found the Jedi characters to be fairly boring. The minor schism in the New Jedi Order series has been useful to make the Jedi characters interesting, and it's obvious based upon later inner conflicts among the Jedi (Corran vs Kyp, Saba vs Kenth) that the writers feel compelled to include these in order to make things interesting. Jacen and Anakin's conflict with each other allows them to be foils for one another and differentiate the two as male Solo Jedi, whereas Jaina was made a Rogue Squadron member to make her stand out. I don't think anything makes Ben stand out apart from his brief jaunt in the Galactic Alliance Guard, and that's not really a large part of his character.

I think these Jedi conflicts is treating the symptom rather than the disease, because I think the Jedi Order -- especially the one depicted in the prequels -- is boring. They're monks, and that really limits their diversity in character. Ancillary Jedi characters are all the same and you can swap their names out for one another. I think that's part of the reason why the Sith are viewed as more interesting and why we've been inundated by Sith novels; the Sith are all about individuality and any particular Sith Lord is very unique compared to any other, e.g. Darth Sion, Darth Nihilus, Darth Vader, Darth Maul.

I also think that the Galactic Alliance has become too antagonistic with Daala and with the focus on the Jedi, it's really ceased to be viewed as a force for good in the galaxy to the readers, but an obstacle for the protagonists. I suppose the Wraith Squadron novel will help in that regard to give a positive perspective to some of the people within the government.

And perhaps SW Legacy is handicapping the books in this regard with the way it has depicted the Jedi Order as being very much like the prequel order, but one way of mitigating the way that the Jedi lack individuality would be a return to the way that they were depicted in the NJO with Corran Horn being called up from his military reserve status, having Jedi serving in the Galactic Alliance military as X-Wing pilots or soldiers, but I suspect that's not much of an option any longer since the young generation of Jedi grew up being trained as Jedi and don't have other skills to draw on.

I think the biggest barrier to me, for the post-FOTJ novels, is characters that I'm invested in, and after 21 books with Ben, I don't think he's going to be someone I become invested in like Luke or Jacen. I think that's the trouble that comes with the way that the Jedi Order is structured so that the characters are trained from a young age, rather than Luke's early classes with characters like Corran Horn that had prior life experiences to being a Jedi that informed their characterization.

And I don't think it's necessarily unsolvable without inorganically going back to that -- though I suppose the post-SW Legacy timeline might allow for it. But the most interesting Jedi character in the New Jedi Order series in my re-reading thus far is Ganner Rhysode, and his depiction hasn't given the reader any inkling what life experiences he has had before becoming a Jedi, if any, and his character is depicted solely as a Jedi.

I think perhaps that would suggest that part of the problem with the books we've gotten lately, i.e. what Ganner Rhysode has that Ben and the other Jedi characters have been lacking, is a character arc. I haven't really seen Ben change all that much as a character from his experiences. Ganner changed enormously just over the course of two books, more than Ben has over the course of many times that number.

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

Knight Joined: 08 Apr 2011 Posts: 301

One thing I agree with you, Crash, is the need of new characters or expanding pre-existing characters. Especially non-Jedi characters. Which is one reason I want to see more X-wing books, or even books focusing on the post Hand of Thrawn Empire. Something that will move away from the Jedi/Sith conflict.

Though that said, I wouldn't mind seeing a few books starring some non-Solo/Skywalker Jedi.

Oh and I still want to see a Matrix/Mara Jade team up book.

Padawan Joined: 26 Apr 2012 Posts: 1

I have really enjoyed this series. I look forward to theese types of series. Also really digging on Zahn's new stuff set right after "New Hope".

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Darth Ronnin
"Without strife, your victory has no meaning. Without strife, you do not advance. Without strife, there is only stagnation."

@DarthRonn: that's cool. I certainly enjoyed Choices of One by Zahn.

So far we haven't heard anything about post-FOTJ novels beyond Aaron Allston's Mercy Kill. Though Del Rey has said they've already discussed their plan for the future. Wonder when they'll reveal the news.
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Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4409 Location: Korriban

@Skuls: Well we know they don't want big, epic stories again because they haven't been 100% successful since NJO ended and I think they know that. LotF was a mess, FotJ cleaned it all up, but now they have an opening to do something on either an extremely large scale again or on a small one like BS used to. We'll see a trilogy or something soon I think.
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Kemp still has that "ambitious" duology they've been murmuring about. That could be post-FOTJ. I would think that would be a good candidate to start talking about the future. Any other books would be completely new news.

Right now Kemp, Allston, Zahn, Karpyshyn, Bohnhoff and Reaves are the only authors on the list for upcoming novels. Everybody but Kemp is pre-FOTJ for sure. Since Kemp has worked in both TOR and contemporary periods, there's no telling where his books will be.
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Knight Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Posts: 386 Location: Canada

It's interesting that people talk about "there's a lot of room for stories set in X era" because as far as I see they never do that.

Sure they'll go back and fill in a previously unfilled era, but the stories all go forward and then they don't go back again. Think TOR and Prequel era. The only era that They've consistently gone back to is the OT/ New Republic and then letting Zhan write more books about his characters that don't really cross over with anything else.

Do you really think there is any viability to getting more stories set during NJO? I doubt it.

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