Re: AFTERMATH: EMPIRE'S END (Countdown, Speculation, Reviews, Spoilers)

by panki Wed 01 Mar 2017, 11:24 am

CienaRee wrote:
panki wrote:
CienaRee wrote:
panki wrote:
ISeeAnIsland wrote:
spoiler - secret Imperial labs?:
@ISeeAnIsland

Wild Space is all the space beyond the known borders of the GFFA...the Unknown Regions also partly falls into Wild Space but this is specifically an area just beyond the Western Reaches and Outer Rim. I have seen something in another canon book series that matches this speculation about imperials in Wild Space quite nicely.

Spoiler:
@panki

That sounds really interesting but it looks like:
Spoiler:
@CienaRee

Spoiler:
@panki
Spoiler:

@CienaRee

Spoiler:

by SanghaRen Wed 01 Mar 2017, 5:32 pm

Er, just a question: why are you guys spoiler tagging? Isn't that a thread where spoilers are allowed? Ok, that was 2 questions Smile

It's just kind of tedious - when you get to my age - to click so many times on spoiler tags Very Happy

I am at 41%. Where is the time? I need more time. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.

by ISeeAnIsland Sat 04 Mar 2017, 3:48 pm

I noticed that there was a passage in that flashback to Galli Rax as a young adult (when he meets Palpatine again) where he refers to the Emporer as having "real magic" compared to the "parlor tricks" of the anchorites of Jakku. I wonder if that's some indication that the anchorites were Force sensitive on some level.

by SoloSideCousin Sat 04 Mar 2017, 5:20 pm

ISeeAnIsland wrote:I noticed that there was a passage in that flashback to Galli Rax as a young adult (when he meets Palpatine again) where he refers to the Emporer as having "real magic" compared to the "parlor tricks" of the anchorites of Jakku. I wonder if that's some indication that the anchorites were Force sensitive on some level.

@ISeeAnIsland

I think it could be. If I remember correctly, that Anchorite dude wasn't the type to be able to levitate, but he seem pretty keyed in. I wonder if they are going to develop a kind of FS who is a clairvoyant but not a force wielder ... like Chirrut (personally I have my doubts that article that put him in the non-FS category *unless* they are developing a category where after long study and meditation on the Force, the person gets a kind of "tgird eye" type of ability and can really understand and read things in the Force). Regardless, they definitely seem to be widening the net of force "connected" people beyond traditional forceuser types.

by Rogue Rey Sun 05 Mar 2017, 5:22 pm

I'm only just reading Life Debt and have reached the page where Leia realises that she's having a boy and the description is both heartbreaking and lovely:

She senses pluck and wit and steel blood and a keen mind and by the blood of Alderaan is this one going to be a fighter!

He's all those things Sad

And I don't want to stir up anything but I think perhaps the very first touches of Darkness the unborn Ben Solo feels come from Leia:

And then, the black edging of the dark side encircles her bliss like a noose. Because what rides swift on the heels of hope but fear - a fear that stretches out far and wide like a growing shadow. Fear of having a child in an unstable galaxy. Fear of whether or not Han is alive - or Luke, too. Will the child grow up with a father? An uncle? A mentor? What is her legacy and what will her boy's legacy be?'

From what you guys have written (and I don't mind spoilers if I choose to read them it's on me) there was a dark influence surrounding pre-born Ben and baby Ben, so I assume that he can feel the Force through his mother in her womb? And I am really not place blaming Leia here, I'm just saying what I think, it's probably a load of old rubbish anyway.

by jakkusun Wed 08 Mar 2017, 1:55 am

I'm listening to the audiobook of empire's end right now and I got to the part where it describes mister bones's "memories"/programming and does he have a little bit of general grievous in him?!? :D I really hope that is what the memory of him holding four lightsabers in four hands and spinning them is referring too. General grievous lives on in some form! Hahaha this is great. :)

I also was very happy to have Embo show up in the book and help out Jas a bit. I'm very sad is Marrok dead though. :(

Also dang I thought wendig was joking about jar jar being in the book. XD the interlude actually made me really sad...I felt really really bad for the kid and even guilty for disliking jar jar. Though I also felt bad that jar jar was the kid's only friend. That interlude was straight-up tragic.

by SanghaRen Tue 21 Mar 2017, 6:16 pm

I am still not finished with the book. Had no time to read in the last week or so. That Lando chapter is really funny. His ideas for a birth present... Very Happy

And the way he describes Han and Leia's relationship... Very Happy

And his description of Ben's personality based on who his parents are is spot-on:

Spoiler:

Btw, if someone already mentioned all of this, forget this post. I am late to all parties lately.

by IoJovi Tue 21 Mar 2017, 7:11 pm

SanghaRen wrote:I am still not finished with the book. Had no time to read in the last week or so. That Lando chapter is really funny. His ideas for a birth present... And the way he describes Han and Leia's relationship... And his description of Ben's personality based on who his parents are is spot-on:

Spoiler:

Btw, if someone already mentioned all of this, forget this post. I am late to all parties lately.

@SanghaRen

Oh my gosh I love this passage so much. Thanks for sharing. I haven't gotten very far with my copy as I've been having fun with my new house. I do plan on getting back to it real soon.

by ISeeAnIsland Tue 21 Mar 2017, 8:48 pm

IoJovi wrote:
SanghaRen wrote:I am still not finished with the book. Had no time to read in the last week or so. That Lando chapter is really funny. His ideas for a birth present... And the way he describes Han and Leia's relationship... And his description of Ben's personality based on who his parents are is spot-on:

Spoiler:

Btw, if someone already mentioned all of this, forget this post. I am late to all parties lately.
@SanghaRen

Oh my gosh I love this passage so much. Thanks for sharing. I haven't gotten very far with my copy as I've been having fun with my new house. I do plan on getting back to it real soon.

@IoJovi

I have to be honest... I found it to be a bit anti-climatic. I guess that with the way things were set up in Life Debt, I was expecting some big revelation on the order of the Vader reveal in Bloodline...but there really isn't anything like that. It was entertaining, but maybe it's because I'd read most of the leaked excerpts, I found most of it to be connecting the dots of the plot points we already knew about. And based on Life Debt, I was expecting way more Han and Leia than we got.

by SoloSideCousin Tue 21 Mar 2017, 10:12 pm

ISeeAnIsland wrote:
IoJovi wrote:
SanghaRen wrote:I am still not finished with the book. Had no time to read in the last week or so. That Lando chapter is really funny. His ideas for a birth present... And the way he describes Han and Leia's relationship... And his description of Ben's personality based on who his parents are is spot-on:

Spoiler:

Btw, if someone already mentioned all of this, forget this post. I am late to all parties lately.
@SanghaRen

Oh my gosh I love this passage so much. Thanks for sharing. I haven't gotten very far with my copy as I've been having fun with my new house. I do plan on getting back to it real soon.
@IoJovi

I have to be honest... I found it to be a bit anti-climatic. I guess that with the way things were set up in Life Debt, I was expecting some big revelation on the order of the Vader reveal in Bloodline...but there really isn't anything like that. It was entertaining, but maybe it's because I'd read most of the leaked excerpts, I found most of it to be connecting the dots of the plot points we already knew about. And based on Life Debt, I was expecting way more Han and Leia than we got.

@ISeeAnIsland

Yeah, the lack of Han and Leia and overabundance of Norra was an issue for me. In a way I am not surprised that it was holding back on Han and Leia because they are saving that for the movie, but I would have preferred more Sloane and Sinjir and less Wexleys. I do think the book was setting up some interesting parallels between Norra and Leia and Ben and Snap to the point that some of it might be foreshadowing. I also would have liked more of those Acolytes of the Beyond and Church of the Force vignettes. IMO there is a lot of information packed into those vignettes. I further think that there is a lot puzzle piece information that will be predictive and useful later, but I was expecting more drama in a way along the lines of the Manchurian Candidate part of Life Debt.

by ISeeAnIsland Thu 23 Mar 2017, 4:48 pm

SoloSideCousin wrote:
ISeeAnIsland wrote:
IoJovi wrote:
SanghaRen wrote:I am still not finished with the book. Had no time to read in the last week or so. That Lando chapter is really funny. His ideas for a birth present... And the way he describes Han and Leia's relationship... And his description of Ben's personality based on who his parents are is spot-on:

Spoiler:

Btw, if someone already mentioned all of this, forget this post. I am late to all parties lately.
@SanghaRen

Oh my gosh I love this passage so much. Thanks for sharing. I haven't gotten very far with my copy as I've been having fun with my new house. I do plan on getting back to it real soon.
@IoJovi

I have to be honest... I found it to be a bit anti-climatic. I guess that with the way things were set up in Life Debt, I was expecting some big revelation on the order of the Vader reveal in Bloodline...but there really isn't anything like that. It was entertaining, but maybe it's because I'd read most of the leaked excerpts, I found most of it to be connecting the dots of the plot points we already knew about. And based on Life Debt, I was expecting way more Han and Leia than we got.
@ISeeAnIsland

Yeah, the lack of Han and Leia and overabundance of Norra was an issue for me. In a way I am not surprised that it was holding back on Han and Leia because they are saving that for the movie, but I would have preferred more Sloane and Sinjir and less Wexleys. I do think the book was setting up some interesting parallels between Norra and Leia and Ben and Snap to the point that some of it might be foreshadowing. I also would have liked more of those Acolytes of the Beyond and Church of the Force vignettes. IMO there is a lot of information packed into those vignettes. I further think that there is a lot puzzle piece information that will be predictive and useful later, but I was expecting more drama in a way along the lines of the Manchurian Candidate part of Life Debt.

@SoloSideCousin

The vignettes were very interesting, and if they weren't breadcrumbs for future movies (whether it's for the ST or possible spinoffs), then they were sort of a waste of words/pages. I mean, if they weren't seeding something, why did we get the following interludes:

* Church of the Force and the acolytes/eremites or whatever they were?
* Multiple mentions of Acolytes of the Beyond (that didn't really lead anywhere)?
* Hints that Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc pit.
* The bits about the space pirates/Space Pirate Nation

Really, the only one of the "interludes" that worked as a standalone was the Jar Jar resolution, which provided some comic relief.

Not to mention the various "hints" that we got throughout the book about whatever was going on in the Unknown Regions, possibly-tormented-in-the-womb Baby Ben, the Huxes and the Stormtrooper program, etc. Really--those were all "threads" that were brought up but not really resolved in anyway in the Aftermath trilogy itself.

by SanghaRen Sun 26 Mar 2017, 5:28 am

Finally finished the book. And the first thing that came to my mind is "one of my favorite characters, Rae Sloane, brought Snoke back from the unknown regions!" No, it's not in the book, but it is a possibility. I hope she's mentioned in TLJ.

It's true that the book does not resolve anything, but it was surely not the goal of the book. That is not how LF works... Very Happy

It's going to be fun to watch TLJ and have some wow recognition effect. I do wonder now if Palps was not hiding his Unknown Regions (-> Snoke & Co?) plan to Vader, but the latter learned about it anyway and maybe was not happy with it -> Kylo wanting to finish what Vader started has everything to do with a Vader plan we have yet to learn about. Maybe it's too convoluted.

Tormented-in-the-womb Ben will be resolved in TLJ imo. Hux and the stormtrooper program -> not sure if it's needed for the GA? I actually am quite satisfied with the book. I am excited to see which hints will make it to TLJ.

by ISeeAnIsland Sun 26 Mar 2017, 6:56 pm

Has anyone else read this (very long but very thought-provoking) meta on Empire's End and its possible ramifications for the ST?

http://holocroning.tumblr.com/post/157573913188/unknown-regions-snoke-jakku-the-mystery-of-the

(Thanks to @nonesuch and @BastilaBey for bringing this to my attention via Scavenger's Hoard.)

by Guest Tue 28 Mar 2017, 1:26 pm

I picked up the first Aftermath novel at the library last evening. Very Happy

Hopefully I will be caught up on this series soon!

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