Paul S. Kemp recently did a Reddit Ask Me Anything, and those of you wondering what’s up with his Star Wars duology… Well, here’s what he had to say when asked for an update:
I wish I could say something.
Here’s the thing: The Disney deal and announcement of the new movies is a big deal. I’m on standby at the moment. That’s about all I can say. :-/
If it’s had an effect on Kemp – who has generally stayed away from movie characters – could it be a factor in why we haven’t heard much about Sword of the Jedi as well? Note that nothing that has been scheduled – aside from next week’s Crucible – is set any later than Empire. We knew this was a possibility, so stay tuned… (via)
And so it begins…
Let me think, have I ever read a Paul Kemp novel? I vaguely remember something about some Jedi in the Outer Rim that had to do with the Hutts but I never got past the first couple of chapters, so… Was that Paul Kemp?
As for the EU after Endor, the best thing they could do is retcon some kind of a dimension weapon the Ssi-Ruuk used at Bakura that ultimately created an alternative timeline. Okay, it’s a bit Trek-y but then again so is our sequel director. ;-)
He wrote Crosscurrent, Riptide and one of The Old Republic books. The first two are set somewhere post-ROTJ and star some dude who was in a video game at some point, but I never made it past Chapter 1 of the first one.
I think the Hutt book you’re thinking of is Jeff Grubb’s Scourge.
Right, that’s the one I was thinking of. Thanks! :-)
But okay, then I have never read a thing by Mr. Kemp. But Jaden Not-Katarn isn’t quite what I am looking for in a Star Wars novel. #KnightErrant2now :-)
Scourge (The Hutt book) is a bit slow to pick up, but once it does, it, like most of the non-big three standalone titles, is one of the EU’s more enjoyable reads. Amazingly, it actually uses the Hutts in an interesting fashion.
I’ve just started Kemp’s Crosscurrent and it feels very different in style from the rest of the standard EU, which is a huge positive in my mind. I’m looking forward to seeing how it progresses…
I got Crosscurrent and Riptide last Christmas. I had asked for it because the idea of a series that flashed back and forth between the Old Republic and the LOTF-era seemed intriguing. Plus, sometimes a focus on a non-movie character makes things work better for me. However, like Dunc I never made it past the first chapter of Crosscurrent… without getting spoilery, the book just seemed sort of dark and depressing from the get-go, which typically does not win me over in Star Wars novels.
I’ll try to give them another go, but not until I finish the Game of Thrones novels… which will likely be MONTHS from now. Or maybe I’ll try Scourge instead.
Anyway, as excited as I am for the new movies, it does kind of make me sad to see the potential end of the post-ROTJ novel era, in the original EU continuity at least… I wonder if they’d ever consider pursuing two parallel post-ROTJ continuities.