This was pure, out-and-out fluff, and I think I’m going to have more of these as the year rolls by: a Star Wars novel! This one was the first of a trilogy by A.C. Crispin, detailing the history of Han Solo up to the beginning of SWIV. This first novel of the trilogy gives us the basic background of Han’s life up until he was about 17 and then follows him through his first love affair and his first solo (er, no pun intended) adventure. The book ends with him enrolled in the Imperial Navy, an obvious set-up for the next book in the trilogy.
The plot was… OK, but the characterization was incredibly thin. I had a hard time believing that this was the same character that Harrison Ford so fully realized in the Star Wars trilogy.
So why am I wasting my time with these books? In no small part because every now and then I want just pure brain-candy. Like cotton candy, it looks good and is full of sugar and is fine every now and then, but you wouldn’t want to make a diet of it. Conversely, a diet of nothing but vegetables, while good for you, can also bore you.
There’s also the factor that I’m really interested in the idea of large, overarching narratives right now. Stories like those in the Star Wars novels work in no small part because they are part of a much larger narrative, a larger tapestry that you have already invested your time in coming to know. Stand-alone novels can be powerful, but they can also be left behind when you’re done. But a novel that’s part of a shared world has narrative depth that comes merely from the fact that it is part of a story that is larger than itself, and is that not what we all are? Part of a story that is larger than ourselves.
The CEO of Thomas Nelson left a comment with a link to his blog, explaining how the Publisher’s Weekly article (that we mentioned in an early blog entry) was not entirely accurate as to what Nelson is doing.
OK, I failed miserably last year with keeping track of the books I read on this blog, but I’m thinking maybe I’ll do better this year. Those books that I’m not reviewing elsewhere, I’ll review here.
First book read this year: The Runelords by David Farland. I’ll be doing a review of it for Greenman Review, most likely to be published within the month.
I’m reading a review copy of Jeff Overstreet’s new book, Through a Screen Darkly and just came across this gem of a quote:
I have received many letters from parents concerned that fantasy films will lure children to dabble in the occult. One who read my review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was incensed at my suggestion that a story about a boy wizard could be worthwhile. She said, “If you think anything meaningful can be conveyed by pagan mythology, you’ve just opened Pandora’s box!”
Priceless. The book is due out early February from Regal. My review will appear in Infuzemag.com.
From an article at PublishersWeekly.com,
When Thomas Nelson announced its new One Company initiative, which will eliminate all 21 of its imprints, at an all-employee meeting on October 13, executives also revealed that a theological “content filter” would be in place for future acquisitions. While the company will honor all existing contracts with previously acquired authors, future contracts will require authors—even those writing in non-religion categories like business—to signal their agreement with both the Nicene Creed (recognized by most Protestant and Catholic, and some Orthodox, Christians) and Philippians 4:8 from the New Testament.
Read the full article at http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6397467.html