ROTS Book Review
May. 28th, 2005 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedishampooJust finished the ROTS novelization. Am left with a distinct feeling of “eh.” It wasn’t...bad, but neither necessarily was it all that great or memorable.
I think my expectations were quite high, though. I was really looking forward to reading it, since I love the movie so much, and was impressed with Stover’s Traitor.
Good bits:
* Some nice introspection here and there with Padme, Anakin and Obi-Wan - especially with Obi-Wan. Illustrates even more how he does what he does, while the galaxy just falls apart around him. Very nice and believable description of Obi-Wan using the Force and how it might feel, to him. Glowing descriptions of Obi-Wan overall. I think Stover is half in love with Obi-Wan.
* Goes a little more into the formation of a Rebellion, and gives Padme a little more to do.
* Very cool use of Dooku, and some introspection there: his arrogance, and seeing the three-way fight through his eyes, and his realizations that he’s pretty powerful but not as impervious as he might think, and that he's disposable in Sidious’s grand scheme.
* “what he strongly suspected was Anakin’s butt.” ::snork::
* translation of Artoo’s thoughts! “Anakin doesn’t talk to me anymore.” Love it.
* Made me realize how important that scene with Anakin and Yoda is. Anakin doesn’t need platitudes. That’s really what it all boils down to, when wondering why the Jedi couldn’t help Anakin.
* No “I have the high ground” line.
Bad stuff
* The humor seemed killed, somehow. The book took itself too seriously from beginning to end. Which leads into...
* Pretentious as all heck with the writing. Long strings of single words with periods, screaming “look at me, I’m important!” Too much author intrusion. “This is Anakin right now. This is Obi-Wan right now.” Once really was enough for that particular device. Why break the flow?
Other out-of-place writing devices, such as: “This is a recording of a transmission” for the fight between Windu, Fisto, Palpatine et al.--yet then the whole scene was described again. Sorta ruined the effect. Why have it, then-- to look cool? I suppose it could show how Palpatine used it in the Imperial Senate, but why before the actual scene? I just felt weird about it.
* The pretentiousness of the writing and the over-presence of the author made me feel a bit... maniuplated. Stover’s ROTS left me with a sense that I’m supposed to think, “wow,” when all I can think is, “whatever.” Really, I can be manipulated as much as the next girly-girl (::coughTitanic:: ::coughMovieROTS::) but so many times I was pulled right out of the action and emotion of the story.
* Much truly horrendous metaphor and simile that would be unforgivable in fanfiction, let alone in a licensed novelization that many people pay to read. Anakin’s whole “coiled dragon” and “furnace heart” were not that great to start with and were carried way too far. And instead of humanizing him and his motivations, they just made him sound a little more psycho than I truly believe he is.
And Obi-Wan as a window into a sunlit meadow versus Anakin as a thundercloud? Vomitous and twee. He couldn’t come up with something better than that?
Just a few too many "look, GFFA similies!" Claws like some blood-eagle from a planet I've never heard of. Skin wrinkled like a being from another planet I've never heard of. Constantly.
* Almost too much introspection for Anakin. Watching the movie was powerful for me because I could only imagine what Anakin was thinking or feeling, especially inside the suit. I felt for him. But in the book Stover’s view of what is going on over-dominates.
* It seemed to fall apart at the end. Like he’d spent himself with furnace hearts and meadows and politics and just couldn’t give a little more depth to the last two pages.
Of course, a lot of that is just opinion on my part, and involves my own peeves and hang-ups. Overall, though, I think the book was interesting for the extra information, but I think I’ll stick with the movie and make up my own mind about a lot of what happened.
Please don’t shoot me, anyone. I tried, I really did. But as with anything else I'm willing to have my mind changed. :)
I think my expectations were quite high, though. I was really looking forward to reading it, since I love the movie so much, and was impressed with Stover’s Traitor.
Good bits:
* Some nice introspection here and there with Padme, Anakin and Obi-Wan - especially with Obi-Wan. Illustrates even more how he does what he does, while the galaxy just falls apart around him. Very nice and believable description of Obi-Wan using the Force and how it might feel, to him. Glowing descriptions of Obi-Wan overall. I think Stover is half in love with Obi-Wan.
* Goes a little more into the formation of a Rebellion, and gives Padme a little more to do.
* Very cool use of Dooku, and some introspection there: his arrogance, and seeing the three-way fight through his eyes, and his realizations that he’s pretty powerful but not as impervious as he might think, and that he's disposable in Sidious’s grand scheme.
* “what he strongly suspected was Anakin’s butt.” ::snork::
* translation of Artoo’s thoughts! “Anakin doesn’t talk to me anymore.” Love it.
* Made me realize how important that scene with Anakin and Yoda is. Anakin doesn’t need platitudes. That’s really what it all boils down to, when wondering why the Jedi couldn’t help Anakin.
* No “I have the high ground” line.
Bad stuff
* The humor seemed killed, somehow. The book took itself too seriously from beginning to end. Which leads into...
* Pretentious as all heck with the writing. Long strings of single words with periods, screaming “look at me, I’m important!” Too much author intrusion. “This is Anakin right now. This is Obi-Wan right now.” Once really was enough for that particular device. Why break the flow?
Other out-of-place writing devices, such as: “This is a recording of a transmission” for the fight between Windu, Fisto, Palpatine et al.--yet then the whole scene was described again. Sorta ruined the effect. Why have it, then-- to look cool? I suppose it could show how Palpatine used it in the Imperial Senate, but why before the actual scene? I just felt weird about it.
* The pretentiousness of the writing and the over-presence of the author made me feel a bit... maniuplated. Stover’s ROTS left me with a sense that I’m supposed to think, “wow,” when all I can think is, “whatever.” Really, I can be manipulated as much as the next girly-girl (::coughTitanic:: ::coughMovieROTS::) but so many times I was pulled right out of the action and emotion of the story.
* Much truly horrendous metaphor and simile that would be unforgivable in fanfiction, let alone in a licensed novelization that many people pay to read. Anakin’s whole “coiled dragon” and “furnace heart” were not that great to start with and were carried way too far. And instead of humanizing him and his motivations, they just made him sound a little more psycho than I truly believe he is.
And Obi-Wan as a window into a sunlit meadow versus Anakin as a thundercloud? Vomitous and twee. He couldn’t come up with something better than that?
Just a few too many "look, GFFA similies!" Claws like some blood-eagle from a planet I've never heard of. Skin wrinkled like a being from another planet I've never heard of. Constantly.
* Almost too much introspection for Anakin. Watching the movie was powerful for me because I could only imagine what Anakin was thinking or feeling, especially inside the suit. I felt for him. But in the book Stover’s view of what is going on over-dominates.
* It seemed to fall apart at the end. Like he’d spent himself with furnace hearts and meadows and politics and just couldn’t give a little more depth to the last two pages.
Of course, a lot of that is just opinion on my part, and involves my own peeves and hang-ups. Overall, though, I think the book was interesting for the extra information, but I think I’ll stick with the movie and make up my own mind about a lot of what happened.
Please don’t shoot me, anyone. I tried, I really did. But as with anything else I'm willing to have my mind changed. :)
