Kazuaki Shimazaki wrote:
Never read her work. What did she write?
He. He wrote Star by Star and Tattooine Ghost (So far - he's apparently writing others, so it seems like he is becoming one of the more prolific writers in Star Wars much as Zahn is.). Star by Star is best known for both the death of Anakin Solo as well as the first feature of relatavistically-travleing Star Wars fighters
It's great that he thinks an Executor has thousands of fighters, but because he hasn't corrected the length error, it seems to most people (including me) like he is sloppy - he not only doesn't bother to check things in the film (which would have been a great plus for him,) but he won't even check WEG and just writes any damned thing he likes.
Why should he be singled out as any worse than others? The other EU writers have made that same mistake as well - in fact Stackpole made it worse by initially indicating that the Lusankya was 10x the size of a Star Destroyer, but later reversing this by reiterating the 8 kilometer figure in "Isard's Revenge!" And there are others just as guilty also, like Kube-Mcdowell and the Intimidator (who can be credited with the "Executor-class" invention.)
But unlike others (like Stackpole, who reiterated the 144 "fighter" complement for the Lusankya), I can at least credit KJA with giving an Executor-class a realistic fighter complement, even if he is an inept writer.
The existence of the Shockwave, a ship larger than the average ISD was a plus for him, I'd admit. Very few authors dare to do something like that.
The durability of stormtrooper armor (and the later mention of invulnerability against projectile weapons) also comes from KJA books - the Young Jedi Knight series, in fact
It predates the VD's too I believe.
The "ISD can slag planet" part? The only part I can remember is them actually hitting a planet and causing forest fires, causing us great grief from Trekkies!
That was an inappropriate interpretation Darksaber references involving the assault by Victory class ships who were ordered to "cause confusion" (ie hit and run attacks rather than methodical, destructive bombardments) - or an Executor-class that is firing on temples whose stone is canonically "excecptionally dense stone" that is also stated to be resistant/immune to most capital grade weaponry (at least theoretically) in the ANH novelization. And that ignores the fact Daala *also* intended to occupy the planet (even if temporarily) - which is why ground forces were landed (and why full power blasts weren't employed.)
What I am referring to is Daala's original four Star Destroyers. In Jedi Search and Dark Apprentice, KJA mentions that Daala's Star Destroyers have the firepower to turn whole planets into slag (more or less.) Much like, say, Dankayo.
Some people actually like Stackpole, which is more than can be said for KJA. I don't like Stackpole too. I recently read a review that went said Stackpole writes fighter battles better than Allston and that Allston's Wraith Squadron was superficial while Rogue Squadron was supposedly deep or some shit.
You're kidding, right? Stackpole basically adopted the X-wing games into a novel format (he even credits the designers of the X-wing game in the first book!) I kind of like the early "Rogue Squadron" comics better (mostly because it was not "all Corran, all the time") than the novels, but the early novels were just plain *BAD*.
Some of Allston's earlier stuff suffers from following Stackpole';s example with fighter to fighter combat, although he was better at capital ship battles than fighter battles (the latter maintaining the "Xwing" model.) Allston also presented much more interesting and IMHO realistic characters - people with flaws, with humor ("Yub Yub, Commander."). He doesn't focus on just one guy and developing him to death - and he will actually *kill* heroes (He kills at least what - four people in the first book, and at least two more in the second.) Overall, Allston's characterization is FAR superior to stackpole's. And his technical accuracy got better- hte Rebel Dream/Rebel Stand duology was in fact one of the more sterling examples of NJO novels.
BTW, There are a couple of technical points going for Stackpole as well. Such as "sensor domes," something that will appear to any "Saxtonite."
And shield domes. Although to be fair that also goes against Allston as well (though he has to be credited for the way he handled taking down Executor-class shields.) You also have to hold the "Rogue Squadron taking down big ships" mentality against Stackpole more than with Allston (Allston at least understands the concept of big-ship participation in battles along with fighters.)
My only response to that review is that Stackpole pretty much only writes fighter-wank battles (I'm sure it is easier to write dogfights when all you have IS the dogfight,) while Allston writes more combined arms battles (as can be seen in Solo Command.) If Wraith Squadron is shallow, then at least I remember each of them and what they are like, which is a hell of a lot more than I could say of the Rogues (I pretty much only remember's Allston's rendition of Wedge, Tycho, Janson and Hobbie.)
And Corran. Corran is a virtual neo-messaianic character in his novels. As Ossus says, Corran is much better written when Stackpole isn't doing it. Kyp Durron is much the same as well.
Merlin was trappped in a cave and King Arthur was killed in gloroius battle taking back is country from his rebel nephew Mrodred.
