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SPOILER Jelena’s Review of Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig

Discussion in 'Star Wars: Books & Comics + Legends' started by LadyMusashi, Jul 12, 2016.

  1. PrincessLeiaCB3

    PrincessLeiaCB3 The Princess that was Promised
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    Well, in my opinion it might be quite a number of reasons why this book might not have been enjoyed by the fans (I'm talking about Aftermath the first one):

    - disappointment on lack of connections with TFA
    - main characters were not known and seemed like another bunch like the Rebels Ghost crew
    - Chuck Wendig writing style (some people might get confused by the present-tense narrating)
    - interludes breaking the flow of the chapters by introducing new characters and different locations.

    Of course there will be fans that felt disappointed since they of course wanted to hear more about the Big Three and Co. but one of the things that I enjoyed from this book is that it gives us a wider perspective of the status quo of the galaxy. The ending of ROTJ in some way might have looked a little bit deceitful since we see several planets already celebrating the fall of the Empire, when it was actually the fall of the Emperor and the beginning of the end of the Empire.

    I, for a change, enjoyed having a different perspective than the Legends post-ROTJ books where most of them were focused on the Skywalkers/Solo adventures (not that I'm complaining but it feels like the Galaxy and the Rebellion are smaller).

    But hey, whichever reason you enjoy or not a book it is OK. In my case, I had a little bit of trouble getting used to the writing style of Chuck but I noticed I had it when I read Life: Debt.

    And good choice on getting the audiobook @Rogues1138 ! I did it and enjoyed a lot.

    #WeWantMrBonesBack

    In my headcanon, he is taking care of Norra and Wedge. (Yeah, I do hope they survive Jakku lol).

    Looking forward for those two showdowns! And also to find out about the Acolytes of the Beyond - I reckon there will be some kind of link between them, The Knights of Ren and a certain baby boy about to be born....
     
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  2. Paulo Henrique

    Paulo Henrique Rebel General

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    I finished the book 1:00 a.m. and I loved it. I hoped the book ended with the birth of Ben, although I knew the movie would end with a epilogue about Rax.
    I imagined Leia giving birth to Ben with Han and Luke (who just arrived) by her side . It'd be amazing.

    I think Sloane will have a showdown with Rax and will sacrifice herself to kill Rax.

    At first I thought Rax was Snoke, but after reading I changed my mind. Maybe that excavations on Jakku have something to do with Snoke. That would be a bit silly, but maybe he was in a cryogenic chamber of sorts?
     
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  3. LadyMusashi

    LadyMusashi Archwizard Woo-Woo-in-Chief
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    Maybe at the end of the next one? I am still holding hope that Luke might come back for the last showdown with the Empire. Leia (and Han) will certainly be there in the end. It would be a poetic, bitter-sweet ending if Leia gave birth to Ben at what was presumably the end of the Empire, only for him to try to resurrect it.
     
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  4. Paulo Henrique

    Paulo Henrique Rebel General

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    That would be great.
     
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    Yeah, none of those things really bothered me. My favorite Legends novels tended to be the ones set from the perspectives of characters other than the classic film heroes too. Corran Horn was actually my favorite Legends character because of the fact that he represented the everyman. The X-Wing Book series, which was never told from the perspective of any of the main heroes(unless you count Wedge, who even then wasn't the focal point of the books) was my favorite book series. Some of what you mentioned, like the interludes, where actually my favorite parts of Aftermath. I too, enjoyed seeing how regular people were affected by the events of RotJ, in fact I could have read a full book of just the interludes.

    I also enjoyed Wendig's portrayal of Sloane and the Imperial meeting. I think it was the Akiva stuff that got to me, I just couldn't get invested in his new characters or the planet itself, which was not an insignificant portion of the book. I'm all for new characters, all I ask is that the author make me care about them(which Claudia Gray did excellently with Lost Stars), which Wendig didn't quite do with the first book in the series. I suppose that maybe the structure of the book itself had something to do with that. Cutting away to interludes and the perspectives of Imperial characters probably made it much more difficult for Wendig to establish his new characters in the first book(even though those were my favorite parts).

    All of that being said, my disappointment with Aftermath makes how much more I enjoyed Life Debt all the more impressive. Life Debt felt more like some of my favorite Legends books in how it was written. Hearing that Wendig was purposely channeling guys like Zahn and Stackpole(who created Corran Horn and the X-Wing series), I can definitely see where he was successful in that front, while still writing like himself. I can happily say that I am eagerly awaiting Mr Wendig's next book now.

    I do agree with the points you listed though, I think those were definitely sticking points for some of the other readers.



    As a side note, who thinks that Jakku played an important role in the end of the old Sith Order and the rise of Darth Bane and the Rule of Two? The fact that Palpatine refers to Jakku having an important part in events that took place a thousand years ago(when the Jedi thought the Sith had gone extinct), makes me think there is some kind of connection. I can't wait to find out what is buried underneath the sands of Jakku in the next book!
     
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  6. Paulo Henrique

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    What if Ben and Snoke "born" at the same time?

    I mean, Snoke appears for the first time (maybe he was hidden in Jakku, idk) at the same moment that Ben is born.
     
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  7. PrincessLeiaCB3

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    I hope so too! Having Luke back even if it's just briefly would be really nice. And that would definitely be a bittersweet ending, indeed.
     
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  8. PrincessLeiaCB3

    PrincessLeiaCB3 The Princess that was Promised
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    I was just re-reading some passages of Bloodline and noticed his absence on the list of people who had messaged or sent holos to Leia to show their compassion and loyalty when the truth of her heritage was made public. And I noticed even more since I just re-read this bit from "Life Debt":

    Why Wedge didn't contact her in Bloodline? Hope it is because he recently died a little bit before Bloodline and not because he bit the dust in Jakku. :(
     
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  9. Darth Sidious

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    I met Wendig at comic-con. I asked him why Palpatine is described as he appears post-Windu duel in the Rax flashback. Wendig said that Palpatine was "in Sith mode". Does this confirm the "mask" theory?
     
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    Interesting... I certainly hope so. I always preferred the idea of the Dark Side being a corrupting influence on those who wield it. Conversely, we see Sidious in his robe and cowl quite a bit in the PT, yet he certainly seems to have the same skin as he does when he is the chancellor.
     
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  11. LadyMusashi

    LadyMusashi Archwizard Woo-Woo-in-Chief
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    Tosche Station had mini interviews with Wendig and Zahn on their last podcast. Interviewer asked Wendig should we worry about Rae Sloane in the last book - Empire's End - and he said that we should worry about everyone. DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN!
     
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  12. Boushhdisguise

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    Weeps in the corner.
     
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  13. PrincessLeiaCB3

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    I should be used to since I am a Game of Thrones fan lol but noooo please Wedge noooo!
     
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    MR bones looks like deadpool
    --- Double Post Merged, Nov 4, 2016, Original Post Date: Nov 4, 2016 ---
    Is mr bones deadpool?
     
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  15. The Hud

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    I really enjoyed this book, and I was a fan of the first Aftermath also. Wendig provided a gripping story, integrating a lot of characters and actually elevating them also.

    I agree with the criticism of Mr Bones being everywhere when needed, but I can get past that as he is mental.

    One line that caught me though was one Sloane says towards the end of the book, which is pretty much "Gallius Rax,or at least that's the name he's going by" - I thought it intriguing that she would second guess his entire identity, or that he may be going under a pseudonym.

    Great book, can't wait for Empire's End
     
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  16. Julius Fett

    Julius Fett Force Sensitive

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    That line and another one caught me by surprise also. I think it was near the end of the book, when discussing what his official role will be in connection to the Empire (taken from page 412 of the hardcover):

    "Are you claiming the mantle of Emperor?" Borrum asks.
    Rax hms. "I think not. I am not worthy."
    "Grand Admiral, then."
    "No. I am far too humble for such mighty titles. As I am the adviser to this group and to the Empire at large, I shall take for myself the title of Counselor to the Empire, serving as an interstitial leader only until Grand Admiral Sloane returns to us."
    ...
    Borrum: "Counselor is not a title in our record and it leaves us effectively leaderless--"
    "Our record must evolve, much as the Empire must evolve," Rax says sharply -- too sharply, he fears. He must maintain the illusion. He must lead his men to the conclusion he seeks, not the conclusion they want or expect. "Again, I expect this to be a temporary title."
    Borrum again: "As temporary as the Emperor's title when he ceased to be Chancellor of a lost Republic?"
    At that, Rax smirks. "Perhaps."

    Borrum's line about the title being as temporary as the Emperor's when he ceased to be Chancellor of the Republic is an interesting one, and could be perhaps taken as foreshadowing of Gallius' future role (Supreme Leader). That, coupled with his statement that this interstitial position will only be temporary until Sloane's return is an intriguing one - I personally think he's waiting until her return so that when she (the last real internal threat to his possible plans) does, she can lead the charge on Jakku.

    We know the Ravager crashes - upside down, no less - and that falling Destroyers used tractor beams to drag some of the Republic's Fleet down with them. If Gallius is aboard, his being aboard the ship could easily explain his scars as Snoke (if that indeed is him), and him being a survivor of the Battle of the Jakku, with all rivals taken out? Not to mention how Sheev treated him very much like a son - or grandson - introducing him to his own passions, such as opera and robes. Kylo's position in the First Order reflecting Vader's in the Empire is by design, and so too would be Snoke's in relation to the Emperor. Passing down the legacy through family.

    I think our prologue/epilogue is either Ben's birth or Gallius' survival of the Battle of Jakku. Or both.
     
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  17. Julius Fett

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    Uh...

    ...so, I've been thinking a lot lately about threads that were dropped in Star Wars films, such as Anakin being a slave (would have been a great way to explain his lust for power and want), and then my mind stumbled across TCW movie, and then I realised: we never did see Rotta again.

    To which my mind quickly reacted by having jumped to Life Debt and the Hutt. This Hutt could be Rotta!
     
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