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(More customer reviews)I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy this book, despite my attempts at doing so.
I know there's a lot of griping from other reviewers about "no action," and "no fight scenes." It's true. There isn't. Is this a diversion from the normal Star Wars EU fare? Yes, it is. Does that make this a bad book. Certainly not. I was rather excited at the idea of getting a very character-based center for this book. I don't mind reading conversations between characters and getting their emotional insights. I do, however, mind when an author misses the characterization of characters so completely as Miller does here.
Let's start with the obvious: Obi-Wan Kenobi. I like Obi-Wan. In fact, I love Obi-Wan. He's a fan favorite and for good reason. He's calm and collected, he's genteel, has a wry sense of humor and a graciousness that is what many of us see as "the" Jedi way. He cares about Anakin, of course, but he's always done his duty as a Jedi. Miller's Obi-Wan is just simply un-likable. He is constantly "angry" and provoked to rash, abrupt, and simply non-diplomatic responses. He argues with Anakin, he argues with Padme, he argues with Bail Organa (a LOT) - and he does it in a rather annoying fashion. When did Obi-Wan start carrying a grudge for anybody that wasn't a Jedi? Is he REALLY getting bent out of shape about someone "intruding" on his "private" meditations? I mean, these are actions that are just not in Obi-Wan's character. I like the idea here - Bail Organa and Obi-Wan not necessarily seeing eye-to-eye on things but coming through a difficult situation with grudging respect and even some fondness for each other. I just don't understand why Obi-Wan had to be made into such an ass to accomplish this.
We also start immediately following Geonosis. Anakin and Obi-Wan are both gravely injured and take some time to heal from this - both physically and emotionally. I love this. They both took a huge blow in more than one sense. Obi-Wan is disappointed in Anakin's actions, Anakin is reeling in pain and frustration - it's great. I liked seeing Jedi that were left hurting, confused, and in need of recuperation.
I did NOT like seeing Obi-Wan constantly hurt. He recovers from Geonosis then gets himself blown up and almost killed. Then he runs off to a planet that plays mind games with him - causing him to have terrible headaches, react violently (he almost kills himself and Bail more than one time), he collapses in fatigue and pain, he bleeds from the eyes and nose - it's just ridiculous. He's an angry invalid for most of the book. This is not Obi-Wan and it's not what I want to spend 300+ pages reading.
Padme is supposed to be a pillar of civic responsibility and duty - a testament to personal sacrifice for the better of the people. Here we see her swearing nobody can keep her apart from Anakin - she seems almost violently selfish of her relationship with him. She resents the Jedi, their devotion to duty, and their belief system. Where is the Padme who respects the Jedi's defense of the Republic? Where is her love of her government and her own pride in responsibility? Where is the belief that she and other loyalists can make things better? It's not here - here we have Anakin and Padme acting like they're staring in a romance novel - with lovey-dovey dialogue that made me cringe to read and a selfish self-involved attitude that made me hate their relationship.
All of the characterizations are off (though none as blatantly insulting as that of Obi-Wan). Yoda is a snippy, stingy, control-freak who shows almost no compassion for anyone at any point in the novel. Padme is a selfish, love-sick puppy who snaps and barks at anybody who disagrees with her (including Anakin). Ahsoka is hardly in the novel and while she's not my favorite character ever, I'm curious if Miller has even SEEN any of the media with Ahsoka in it. Anakin's Padawan is supposed to be spunky, smart, and capable. The Ahsoka in this novel spends all her time internally wishing and begging for Anakin's approval, running errands like some personal assistant, and cringing anytime Anakin gives her instruction. There's no banter between the two, there's no relationship there.
Bail Organa - while very briefly seen on film - never struck me as a brash, hard-liquor-drinking, arrogant, gullible jerk and that's certainly the way he comes off here. The "information" he receives about the Sith plot is so ridiculously vague and he accepts it on such blind trust that I was amazed he hadn't been assassinated earlier. He goes on a quest with Obi-Wan and is so cavalier about it, I half expected him to walk out of the ship's cabin with spurs and a cowboy hat, a shot of whiskey in his hand, and a six-shooter strapped to his leg. He's reckless and foolish, he provokes arguments, he responds argumentatively - where's the diplomacy here? I mean, this guy is a Senator and he's tossing around insults and rash statements like he's Han Solo or something. He should be smooth and polished - calm in a verbal argument and able to dissolve tension, not adding to it.
And, on a much nit-pickier level: has Miller even familiarized herself with the terminology (and time-line) established in Star Wars novels? It really threw my enjoyment off to see elevators - dubbed "turbolifts" in all other EU works - called "swift-tubes" here. "Glowrods" are being termed "night-sticks," and the obvious breach of continuity - the timing of Anakin's Knighthood. These are things I probably could have overlooked, had it not been for the truly insulting characterizations.
I appreciate the effort here - a character-driven story that sacrifices action for more in-depth, emotional focus is not a bad idea. But the execution in "Wild Space" is just appalling. Anything that has me feeling a dislike of Obi-Wan (and every character here, come to think of it) is just not good Star Wars fiction.
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