Jedi In Training: You’re Kidding Me With This Ysalamiri, Right?

Of all the things I could have done this weekend besides recovering from E3, I went out and picked up Timothy Zahn’s “Heir to the Empire” and the rest of the Thrawn trilogy. Many thanks to those of you who commented on my initial JIT post. Being at E3 actually spurred me on to start this sooner rather than later. Previews of The Old Republic and The Force Unleashed 2 put me over the edge and meeting Sam Witwer aka Starkiller didn’t hurt either.

To be quite honest, finding Zahn’s Star Wars titles wasn’t easy. I stopped by Strand figuring some second hand copies would be lying around. No dice. Forbidden Planet is a block away, so I went there next. No dice. After checking prices on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, I made my way through the riffraff in Union Square to the 4th floor of the ginormous B&N store. I don’t much like big box bookstores. They just seem very soulless. Anyway, I went over to the Fantasy/Sci-Fi section and went straight for the Zs whilst passing Lev’s “The Magicians,” which is now available in paperback (I expect lunch for this, Lev). When I got to the Zs, I couldn’t find any of Zahn’s Star Wars books. Confused, I walked over and used one of those handy kiosks. “In stock” is what it told me. I kindly asked a B&N employee where they might be only to be told that those books were out of print and unavailable. Long story short, the books were in stock but in the Star Wars section of the Fantasy/Sci-Fi section, the kiosks are “dumb” according to one B&N employee and mad props to the chick in glasses that showed me where the SW section was.

And so my journey begins.

I’m only five chapters into Heir but I’ve gotta say that this whole Ysalamiri Force repellant thing is absolutely ridiculous. Zahn is kidding me with this shit, right? Do these creatures play a prominent role in the rest of the Extended Universe? Pellaeon only exists in the EU? Is Thrawn some sort of Na’vi being? It just might be the cover art that’s throwing me off but Jedi Master C’baoth is a 70’s Disco king tripping on acid, right? And one last thing; Karrde and co. along with all the Empire types are all-new and exist only in the EU, correct?

Also, Zahn sure knows how to get things moving pretty quickly. Will report back again very soon.

Oh, is the Dark Horse adaption of “Heir to the Empire” worth picking up? I like pictures.

drad098

The Ysalamiri keep recurring in the EU, basically existing when it’s convenient and not being mentioned when it isn’t.

Zahn actually does a good job handling them in his series, but later novels by other (worse) writers make you wish they were never created.
itsanhonor

It’s good perspective to hear you criticize Heir to the Empire.

If I remember correctly, Heir was basically the first expanded universe novel that was canoned by Lucasfilm way back in the day, and when I read it as a kid, that trilogy was by far and away one of the best three books I read in the Star Wars universe… (and I read every single Star Wars book up until the end of the Yuz Vong war).

For what it’s worth, Zahn is truly a top notch writer (his book, Icarus Hunt is one of my favorites of all time), and maybe you’re being thrown off by your sudden entry into the Expanded Universe, but I’m willing to bet by the end of The Last Command, you’ll enjoy Thrawn, Pellaeon, Karrde, and Jade and Co.

And Heir to the Empire comic is actually worth picking up because the art style is pretty neat (in my opinion), but the Dark Force Rising comic has awful art.
http://twitter.com/thepeterha Peter Ha

I’m pretty enthralled by it already but I’m wondering if I need to read TOR and/or Clone Wars stories after/before the Thrawn trilogy. Thoughts?
guymont

The EU is hard to transition into from the movies. Hang in there! Since I know you like comics, you should check out the Dark Empire trilogy. I’m not sure where it falls in the chronology though.

I find all the Clone Wars stuff (novels, TV show, etc.) pretty underwhelming. However, if you like the prequels, then maybe you’ll like them.
zinkmeister

Ysalimiri thankfully don’t return very often in the EU. They have only really been utilized a couple of times since then (a small number considering the long history of the EU) and are regarded as a fairly well kept secret.

Karrde and the new Imperials are original Zahn-creations, but they do become regular cast members. (Also interesting to note, the name Coruscant, the capital of the Empire/New Republic, was coined by Zahn and then officially added to G-canon for the prequel trilogy.)

I think of ysal’s, not as pushing back the Force itself, but rather using the Force to repel or cancel out the ability of other life forms to use the Force. This would jive with the fact that they seemed to evolve this ability to escape their Force-sensitive predators, the vornskrs.

Really, you don’t have to read anything else prior to the Thrawn trilogy to get perspective on it, as TTT actually existed before a lot of the TOR and Clone Wars stories were published. However, if you’re looking for good stories in these eras, I recommend Drew Karpshyn’s Darth Bane books for TOR era. Good entries in the CW era include the Cestus Deception by Steven Barnes and (you absolutely can’t go wrong with) Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover.
Mike Williams

Pete, I have the Heir to the Empire comics. They are only OK in my opinion. The art isn’t bad but the story loses a lot in the translation.
captainnoble

I would strongly suggest staying away from the two Dark Empire comic series as well as anything by Kevin J. Anderson. Your trip through the EU will be much more enjoyable.
usesherbrain

Just as a (really nerdy) aside, when Star Wars: Insider (the magazine) did a “Top 50 Characters” Episode right around TPM or Special Edition releases, Mara Jade was the only EU character to make it in at all. Zahn deserves all the credit for that one.

Other than the things already mentioned, I can’t help but suggest the X-Wing book series starting with Rogue Squadron. Michael A. Stackpole did some very good things with characters old and new, and the Aaron Allston books in the middle were pretty entertaining, too. Good mix of humor and action, and less concentration on the Force; it’s pretty interesting to see how the Han Solos and Wedge Antilles of the galaxy excel without being Jedi.

And you know, I really liked the “New” Han Solo Trilogy, starting with The Paradise Snare. I mean, anything with a teenage Solo swoop racing for Hutts can’t be all bad, right?