Critical Myth-Interpretations

Something rather unexpected happened when I read this book.  The Legends trilogy and “Dune: House Atreides” were both disappointing on several levels: the ultra-repetitive writing, the tired plot devices, the elements that don’t mesh well with the Dune universe, the thin characters, and the continuity errors.  This novel has most of that as well, but somewhere along the way, I began to enjoy the book far more than I ever thought possible.

I still don’t believe that the books are as enjoyable or thought-provoking as the originals, but now that the story is creeping ever closer to the events at the beginning of the very first novel, familiarity has actually bred the opposite of contempt.  It’s easier to forgive the cookie-cutter characterization when the characters in question are so well known and loved.  All it requires is the ability to keep the characterization consistent, and for the most part, that’s successful.  The momentary glitches are easy to overlook.

It seems that every Herbert/Anderson novel must have at least one major continuity blunder, and in this case, it’s the manner in which Jessica is introduced to the Atreides household.  In the original novel, Jessica was selected by Duke Leto’s men.  In this novel, it is manipulation by the Bene Gesserit.  It seems like a small change, but it’s a matter of maintaining the power of motivations.

There is also the addition of a son that came before Paul, Leto’s first son with his first concubine.  While one might wonder why this was never mentioned in the original sequence, and events unfold in a rather predictable manner, it actually makes sense as the impetus for Jessica’s choice to bear Leto a new son instead of the daughter demanded by the Bene Gesserit.

I get the feeling that I’m simply getting used to the weaknesses in the Herbert/Anderson novels, and as a result, it’s not so offensive to my sensibilities.  The proximity of these events to the classic sequence also lends the narrative more strength.  As with all of the Herbert/Anderson novels, those willing to read it already have it on the shelf, so recommendations are hardly necessary.

Rating: 7/10

Faith has always been one of my favorite characters in the Buffyverse.  One reason is the most obvious: I love the bad girls, and Eliza Dushku’s portrayal of the character had me wrapped around her little finger.  But it was also Faith’s journey through the darkness to a sense of redemption.  Buffy and Faith never quite came to forgiveness, as this story demonstrates rather well, but they are on the same side.

Leave it to Giles to recognize Faith’s value among the Slayers.  Buffy and Faith are the only two experienced Slayers with a history of taking down wayward Chosen, and Buffy has far too many other concerns at this point.  Faith is the perfect choice for Slayer Black Ops, and that concept drives the story.

It also puts Faith in a position to step back onto the dark side.  She gets to live a life of rare luxury, and she has the opportunity for a measure of revenge against someone who all but killed her.  But in the end, Faith turns away, and begins a new chapter in her life.  From her point of view, she gains something positive out of the experience.  She could certainly do worse than Giles in a partnership of equals.

I’m not so sure that I accept Buffy’s reaction, even though I understand the depth of her distrust when it comes to Faith.  She doesn’t give Giles much of a chance to explain, and his methods are logical and even necessary.  I think it’s meant to set up the conflict for the future, even if just to isolate Buffy from her favorite father figure.  But I actually would expect Faith and Giles, based on this turn of events, to return at just the right time to have a major impact.

Twilight’s tactic of pitting Slayer against Slayer is hardly new, and it raises the possibility that Twilight is more than just using the military as an ally.  What if Twilight is directly connected to the military, perhaps as part of the legacy of the Initiative?  If so, it would be interesting if Twilight was a possessed Riley Finn, but it could just as easily be one of his former compatriots.

If I have one complaint about this particular story arc, it must be the artwork.  I like Jeanty in general, but he has an odd tendency to use a more cartoon-esque style on this series.  In the final part of the arc, one frame of Faith has her head as massively huge in proportion to her body.  That style also makes it a little unnerving when the character wear revealing clothes, something Faith does often.  A different artist might have been able to communicate Faith’s worldly nature more convincingly.

That said, it’s a minor quibble, and I think this particular story arc continues to make a strong case for the Buffy: Season 8 concept.  According to many sources, this was based on an idea meant for a Faith TV-movie shortly after the end of the original franchise run.  I think it would have been worth the effort!

Rating: 8/10

This is the penultimate novel in the Legacy series, and as one would expect from the author, much of the length is devoted to Boba Fett, his newfound family, and Jaina’s training among the Mandalorians.  This is one of the more interesting aspects of the book, but it often feels like Traviss would have rather written a stand-alone Fett trilogy and had to shoehorn the ideas into this series.  Enjoyment of the novel will depend greatly upon one’s tolerance for the Mandalorians.

Almost as a subplot, Ben puts together his case that Jacen murdered his mother, and the results are fairly interesting.  One problem with Star Wars is the black and white depiction of the Sith; I’ve mentioned this on several occasions.  In this case, Jacen’s portrayal does not change that, but it does offer the reader more to consider.  While the Jedi and the Solos are still depicted as heroes as a default, without much question regarding the rightness of their motives, Jacen is given a chance to explain his side of the story.  He’s depicted as a bit unhinged, of course, but one could imagine some readers sympathizing with his point of view.

More could (and should) have been done with this.  One of the lessons of the Prequel trilogy was the price of arrogance and uniform thinking.  The Jedi had become complacent.  Seeing the Sith as nothing but madmen should have been a Jedi weakness.  The Legacy series was borne out of the excellent New Jedi Order novel “Traitor”, which introduced Jacen to Sith concepts as a viable philosophy.  The Legacy series began that way, as I’ve said, but it’s all too easy to reduce the Sith to the babbling lunatics of the films.

Part of the problem is that the situation, as presented, cannot possibly be resolved satisfactorily within the space of a single concluding novel, because the situation is really the lack of a new balance within the Force.  Darth Vader’s role as the “Chosen One” was very specific: destroy the Jedi and Sith together and force (no pun intended) a recasting of tradition.  The logical step would have been to find a middle ground between the light and the darkness, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Defeating Jacen may end the latest Sith threat, but it brings the Expanded Universe no closer to the goal set in “Vector Prime”.  There is still no New Jedi Order.  Luke is still trying to find the path.  If Jacen had been given a strong philosophical basis for his actions, Luke might have been forced to produce the same, and the battles fought in the Legacy era would have a greater purpose.

Rating: 7/10

This third and concluding volume of the Empire trilogy completes the process of revamping Tsurani society from the rigid, traditional system seen in the original Riftwar saga novels into something more familiar and comfortable.  This means taking on the source of the traditional model, the Assembly of Magicians, and breaking their power by exposing their origins.

Like the first two Empire novels, Mara is the central character, weathering horrible personal and political tragedies with creativity and ingenuity.  The authors have always done a nice job of varying the elements enough to keep the story from becoming stale, and in this case, the threat level of the magicians is far above anything else Mara has encountered.  Even so, the authors struggle over the length of the book to keep Mara’s reactions interesting.

Something is also lost in the fight for democracy.  One of the most interesting aspects of the Tsurani was the semi-exotic Asian-inspired culture.  It was complex but consistent, challenging the reader to understand and appreciate a different point of view.  While the second book introduced the idea of incorporating a more Western philosophy into Tsurani life, the culture as a whole was largely intact.  Breaking the power of the Assembly is the final step in the conversion, and while much the Tsurani “flavor” persists, it’s clear that much of the unusual philosophy has been wiped clean.

Rating: 7/10