Will post more later, but I ran across these while weeding at the library, and they brought back some powerful memories.
Before I get any further, let me first apologise if anyone involved with creating and publishing this takes offense - it isn't meant that way.
That said, I do want to thank you all, because this series was what convinced me that I could actually someday be a published writer. "If this particular example of writing and story-line were flush enough to make it into my beloved Star Wars universe -" went my line of thought (I wasn't aware at the time that many atrocities were approved and included, being innocent of the draw of base lucre) "then surely I, who at my tender young age can already recognize quality and if not create it independently, at least create a shadowed image thereof, will be instantly published as soon as I grow brave enough to submit my works to a publisher!"
I haven't yet developed that bravery, and from a vantage point of over ten years later, this series is still available in print, and I'm still developing my craft. That ought to take most, if not all, of the sting from my opinions. :)
But seriously, after starting with the Thrawn books, and then moving on to this? I was staggered, to say the least. I grew up reading the classics, and was carefully shielded from anything mass-produced or lacking in literary "quality" by my overprotective parents. Looking at it now, in comparison with much of the crap out there in the children's paperback market, this is decent. But at the time, I wasn't expecting decent, I was expecting quality and care and epic tone to match the original. I did not find it. However, I was inspired into my first fan-fiction attempts since I began (and quickly abandoned after 8 or 9 pages) a packing list for the Swiss Family Robinson at age 5.
For that, and for the boost to my writerly self-esteem, I am truly grateful.
No comments:
Post a Comment