What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

books are important. a dying art. please, please, let me know that there are still people out there that read more than just magazines.

Moderators: Batman, Zero, John Madden, Bob Ross, General Zod, Richard Simmons

Post Reply
User avatar
Jargo
christopher walken
Posts: 912
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:45 am
Location: Caitlin Jenner's discarded ballsack
Contact:

Re: What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

Post by Jargo »

Broken
I have never read any of your posts, but from what I can learn I should say that for people who like the kind of posts you deliver, they are just the kind of posts such people like.
Whatevah!
Osculum mihi asinum!
User avatar
jjreason
(includes alternate sneering hissy fit head sculpt)
Posts: 8026
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2002 1:14 am
Location: Out there somewhere.

Re: What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

Post by jjreason »

Finished "Aftermath" - the start of the new SW PU by Chuck Wendig. Most of us saw & were absolutely appalled by the brief preview chapter - all I can say is that the book in its entirety was even worse. In fact I'm not sure if it was just the worst SW book I've ever read or the worst book I've ever read period. Who killed the new PU before it even got a chance to get started? Chuck Wendig.

EDITED: Sorry - what makes it bad?

- no story parts that I could even remotely link to what will happen in EP VII - wasn't that the point? That's how it was sold to me..... oh but wait, there was an "interlude" on Jakku where I didn't meet anyone from the movie and it was described exactly the way you'd describe Tatooine, adding more fuel to the "WHY IN THE FUCK DO WE NEED A NEW DESERT PLANET ANYHOW????" fire

- the appearances by existing characters (ok, it was Wedge & Adm Ackbar) didn't do anything for the characters and might as well have been New PU characters - completely disposable story roles

- the New PU characters don't matter at all, anything could have happened to any of them and I wouldn't have even shrugged, in fact they bothered me a lot more than they created any affinity within me for them

- I saw absolutely nothing in here conflicting anything from the old EU - why did they kill it all again? For this sweeping epic? Fuck me....

- the style of writing is exactly what you read in the preview - choppy & full of the worst metaphors I've ever encountered.

If anyone can find even a remotely positive review of this book from ANY source - including JarJarBinks at the other place - I would LOVE to read it, please link for me.
"Something inside me....."
User avatar
anarky
sometimes not actually existing
Posts: 17590
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2002 4:50 pm
Location: Fucking shit up, yo!

Re: What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

Post by anarky »

"Hide-oh! Meesa name Jar Jar Binks. Even meesa thinkin' Aftermath smells stinkowhiff!"
Image
*--For behavior unbecoming anyone, perpetrated in real time over an extended--AH, FUCK IT! MORE MALIBU, BITCHES!!
Senor JabbaJohnL
I HAVE THE POWER!!!
Posts: 2785
Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:17 pm

Re: What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

Post by Senor JabbaJohnL »

As mentioned on FB, I'm about halfway through Aftermath and enjoying it. I can see how it's not for everyone, and it's not what was necessarily sold, but I find it fun. To some of your points:

- Linking to TFA: No, it's not a point A to point B story starting at ROTJ and ending at TFA, it's about the, er, aftermath of ROTJ. It's not a new story starring the big three, which I bet were off-limits (other than their brief appearances) to keep their TFA appearances a surprise for the movie, so it's not a "replacement" for the Thrawn trilogy by any means. It's about showing the very first steps of how the post-Endor Empire and Rebellion reorganize into what we do see in TFA, and how different people (Rebels, Imperials, bounty hunters, regular folks) react to the events and the toll it takes on a very human level. I agree it was sold differently, but it's similar to Marvel's Shattered Empire in that regard. Going into it expecting required reading is going to lead to disappointment.

- New characters: I dunno, I kind of like them. They have personality and flavor. Temmin is Poe's fat friend Snap from the movie, for whatever that's worth. And Mr. Bones is fucking awesome.

- Death of the EU: It wasn't done for this book, or any book. It was done for the movies. I've seen a lot of people saying something like, "They got rid of 30 years of books for this fucking novel???" and no, they didn't. Chuck Wendig said he wanted to write a novel and they said, "Sure, why not?"

- Writing style: It takes some getting used to for sure. But the present tense makes it read like a script, and the choppy sentences remind me of someone actually telling a story. I can see how people wouldn't like it, but I think it makes it feel alive, forward-moving, and action-packed, like a Star Wars movie.

One element I really like is how it weaves in elements from the prequels, The Clone Wars, Rebels, the OT, and a little tiny bit of TFA, to make it feel more like a cohesive whole.
Shit. I can't think of a good signature.
User avatar
jjreason
(includes alternate sneering hissy fit head sculpt)
Posts: 8026
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2002 1:14 am
Location: Out there somewhere.

Re: What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

Post by jjreason »

It's only been a few weeks and I can't remember the square root of fuck all about what happened - and I'm not going to back to read it again. Maybe after seeing the movie it would be easier to tie something from the book into it? I dunno. I'll read a plot synopsis maybe & see if I missed something - I've heard, for example, Hosnian Prime or the Hosnian system was mentioned, but it meant nothing to me at the time.
"Something inside me....."
Senor JabbaJohnL
I HAVE THE POWER!!!
Posts: 2785
Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:17 pm

Re: What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

Post by Senor JabbaJohnL »

He also mentioned a few new alien species, like Abednedo, which appear a few times in TFA. Again, it's not so much that the plot has a huge impact on TFA, more that things like the politics help explain how the landscape of ROTJ became the landscape of TFA. The book has two sequels on the way that I'm sure you've already pre-ordered :P that will presumably fill in a few more of the gaps.
Shit. I can't think of a good signature.
User avatar
jjreason
(includes alternate sneering hissy fit head sculpt)
Posts: 8026
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2002 1:14 am
Location: Out there somewhere.

Re: What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

Post by jjreason »

That guy's writing gave me seizures - it was the literary equivalent of shaky cam.
"Something inside me....."
Post Reply