tempest in a teapot

[jaina]

I finally, finally slogged my way through Tempest. I think I started it, um. Awhile ago. Back in December, certainly. As you can probably guess, I didn't like it all that much.

"Bleh" was definitely my word for this one. Where do I even start? The every-other-paragraph references to the bug books? (Dude, I know you want to talk about the other stuff you've written, but *seriously.*) Ben's sudden transformation from surprisingly interesting young teenager to *ridiculously* obnoxious Jacen-worshipper? Man, I-- eh.

I think my problem is that I do not see the characters is not how Troy Denning sees the characters. He wrote scenes with people named Han and Leia, and Luke and Mara, and they generally said things and did things that those characters would have said and done, but they didn't *feel* like Han and Leia and Luke and Mara. At least to me.

I did like Jaina in this book. Mostly because she was the only one going, "Oh my God, Jacen, you're being a complete moron. STOP IT NOW." She was hampered, though, by the presence of Zekk, who is not so much a character as he is one of Jaina's appendages. ...um, that sounded dirty. But you take my meaning. The poor boy has zero personality. He's just kind of...there. Jag may have been Colonel Cardboard, but Zekk is seriously Colonel Cling-Wrap. Or Jedi Cling-Wrap, whatever.

Oh speaking of! Jag with unkempt hair? And a shaggy beard? Bounty hunting? I disbelieve. (But I will pay Karen Traviss ten dollars to write Jag teaming up with Boba Fett.) The "We should, I think he almost married our daughter" line pretty much made it all worth it, though.

And okay, this is such an old issue that I really should just get over it, but I can't seem to stop being cranky about it. Any time I think too hard about this whole storyline, about Jacen, I think that this should have been *Anakin's* story, and it should have been Jacen who died, because it makes so much more *sense* character-wise and Anakin had so much potential and GRRRRRR, are we not smart enough that we could handle two characters named Anakin, LFL? But it's not like I'm going to change anything by being mad about it. And reading the books and mentally replacing "Jacen" with "Anakin" and "Tenel Ka" with "Tahiri" and "Hapes" with "um...Tahiri-land?" really doesn't work, so. Time to get over it.

And so in conclusion: Bleh. The little Exile snippet at the end put me in a considerably better mood, so I am very much looking forward to that.

Comments

[knitress.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Zekk is totally Col. Cling-Wrap.

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

Seriously, Jaina could *so* do better.

[barbiejedi.livejournal.com]

I maintain that after how badly Jag was treated in the bug books, the unkept exile was the only logical thing that could have happened to him. And Zekk is indeed, bless his heart, stuck in Cling-Wrap mode because Jaina has to have someone worship her, and he's the only one left. Though really, the whole "Jaina thinks Zekk has a huge crush on her but he puts her in her place zomg!" thing was a rehash of something that had happened in the bug books already. Which made it all deja vuey when they did it again here.

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

I approve of people worshipping Jaina! But I do not approve of the bug books and still refuse to read them. That's what Wookieepedia is for!

[dm-lunsford.livejournal.com]

Col. Cling-Wrap! *snort* There's an icon in there somewhere. ; )

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

Heh, you might be right. :)

[slyvermont.livejournal.com]

I slogged through this one too. Took me ages to read. I finished it about 3 weeks ago, and I've already forgotten almost everything that happened. (Although I do vaguely remember thinking that the Jaina in this book was better than the Jaina in the bug books and that you might be slightly happier).

Sigh. I'd say more, but honestly, I can't remember much.

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

I never did read the bug books, and don't plan on it. I think they would make me seriously grumpy.

But I totally understand about forgetting everything that happened. I kept forgetting what was happening as I was reading the book. Which is just never good.

[yav-14.livejournal.com]

It would be really nice if you'd post some version of this to the CJ list too.

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

I was planning on doing that! Thank you for the reminder. :)

[jedihealer.livejournal.com]

Can I add another $10 to yours?

Ditto to perhaps everything you said, BTW.

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

Yay, we're up to $20! She'll have to write it now! :)

[jawajames.livejournal.com]

zekk is definitely cling wrap, although i liked the way that han and leia were portrayed here.

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

I really dunno what it is, but something about them just felt off. But like I said, just my opinion.

[tenel.livejournal.com]

Oh my, I am such a literary loser. When I read your title, I wondered what you had against Shakespeare...and why were you just now reading it...and...okay, I will go take myself into a corner and read KJA outloud in iambic pentameter as retribution.

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

A HA SHAKESPEARIAN KJA! I giggle.

(And it seriously took me like three re-reads of your comment to figure out what you were talking about and I was all like "Tempest Shakespeare huh?" And then it clicked and I felt dumb.)