Tuesday, 23 June 2009
John Jackson Miller - star wars, kindle
It's been a long time since I've read a Star Wars novel, although I am a big fan of the franchise in general. I haven't read any of the books that tell the stories following the time period of the movies, although I've certainly read about those books and thought they sounded interesting. After reading "Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #1: Precipice", which takes inside the people of the Sith and gives fascinating insight into things from their perspective, I'm now eager to read more.
The author does an excellent job of taking the reader inside the Sith mind, and with a very short tale he manages to weave an extremely compelling tale about the beginnings of the Lost Tribe of the Sith. It's clear that the sole purpose of this freebie is to stir up interest and demand for the upcoming book, "Omen (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, Book 2)". For me at least, it worked. Although short, this is a story definitely worth checking out. Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #1: Precipice
As a pr move to get people excited about omen, this wins. As a stand alone short story in the star wars universe, this wins.
It's also a rare opportunity to engage the sith as actual characters with depth and dynamic development. John Jackson Miller has matured as an author and left us with something deserving 5 stars.
At times the storytelling is briefly muddled but at it's core this is a great story, definitely worth checking out and I already find myself looking forward to lost tribe #2
I was somewhat let down by this brief story. I enjoy all 6 Star Wars movies, though this would be my first entrance to the Star Wars universe outside of those movies. Perhaps because of that, I was a bit lost at times.
I understand that the book is a short story, but I felt that it assumed a greater than average knowledge of the SW universe. It needed more of a description of the characters than was present. Telling me that a character is a Houk, but not telling me more than that is not helpful. Had I known what a Houk was, perhaps it would make sense. Same thing with the Massassi (sp?).
I am in the process of reading several series of books which involve reuse of the the same characters, fictional races, and fictional planets. A core feature of these which I felt was lacking here is some backstory of the plot element being discussed. There is an art to bringing a new reader up-to-speed without boring those familiar with the subject matter. Perhaps the author here dispensed with the back-story in the interests of space, but to the detriment of the story.
In addition, the author is not as descriptive as necessary at times. At one point in the story, two characters appear to be talking alone (Yaru and Devore), until a third character is addressed (Seelah), however there was no mention of the character entering the room. In another area, Yaru utilizes the Force to affect a mechanism on the outside of the ship after Devore comments that going out there would be dangerous. I would guess that Devore would realize that using the Force was a possibility. Also, I felt that the author was not descriptive enough the the Force was actually being applied. Lastly, the scene between Yaru and Devore felt disjointed.
With a setting as rich as the Star Wars universe, I felt that more attention should have been paid to the back-story of the Sith, races, etc... with less of a play-by-play feel to the story.
This is the worst Star Wars book I have read (out of around 20 or so). It is short, pointless, and forgettable. As other reviewers have stated, it is just a generic story with some elements of the force/light sabers thrown in. I will not read the next installment since I don't care about any of the characters.
The only reason I gave it 2 stars (instead of 1) is because its free.
I read this book (and the whole series) with my nine-year-old son after finishing my own sci-fi eBook and we had a hard time putting it down. When good writing appeals to a wide range of ages, then it's often viewed as great writing. This book delivers just that.
Lost Tribe of the Sith as a four-part series for Kindle is an excellent character study on the lifestyles of the Sith and their immersion into a foreign world. Moreover, it's filled with adventure and intrigue as you might expect from a Star Wars novel. What I really like about the novel is that, while there is a focus on the bad guys (the Sith), the plot doesn't get overly dark. The treatment of the series from book 1 to 4 is clever and balanced. By the end of the story, there are even Sith characters that I frequently mistake for guys guys because they are so likable.
Note that there is also a fifth part out to this series, and it is equally good with gripping new plot elements. However, I see part five as starting a new story arc 1000 years later. So I digest parts 1-4 as a complete story, and part 5 as a related, yet compelling new story being introduced, with a cliffhanger ending.
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #1: Precipice
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #2: Skyborn
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #3: Paragon
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #4: Savior
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #5: Purgatory
As a sci-fi fan, sci-fi dad, and sci-fi author, I was thoroughly impressed and entertained.
Star Chosen: A Science Fiction Space Opera for the Whole Family
These e-books are good for free books, but something about the way they are written I find them hard to follow at times. Overall though, if you're reading the current Fate of the Jedi story line it's a good tie in that fills in some of the back story of the Sith.
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice, by John Jackson Miller
As I've said before, normally I don't care for short stories. But I make exceptions sometimes, and how could I pass up a Star Wars short story?
"Precipice" is an accompaniment to the new Star Wars series Fate of the Jedi, and tells how the missing Sith tribe landed on Kesh. The short story series also provides a few clues for Paul S. Kemp's "Star Wars: Crosscurrent."
Omen, a Sith ship full of Lignan crystals crashes onto the planet Kesh. The survivors of the crash are stranded on the planet, with no way to contact their Sith masters or fly off Kesh.
"Precipice" has a Star Wars feel, and I liked the main character, Yaru Korsin. He's a captain in the vein of Han Solo: cocky, sarcastic, self-assured. But he also has the ability to use the Force. And while a Sith, he is disgusted when some of the survivors start fighting amongst themselves, as the dark Force users are wont to do.
And that's about where "Precipice" finishes. It's a pretty good story, and I'm looking forward to reading the others in the series.
3/5. - Star Wars - Star Wars Books - Sith - Kindle'
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