SPOILER ALERT....I just finished reading Legacy of the Force: Revelation just seconds ago. I'd fallen behind. But once I realized Invincible was so close, I had to finish. Again, Karen Traviss has outdone herself. I've actually thought this was better than Sacrifice. But then, I thought Bloodlines was better than Sacrifice, too. But that's just opinion. I was pretty upset about Sacrifice anyway. That's probably why I enjoyed it less.

I actually spoiled the big thing that happened in Revelation--that being the death of Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. I was stupid enough to read the description for Invincible on amazon.com--and this just 20 or 30 pages before Pellaeon got shot. That was a Jar Jar Binks-sized error. Man! "I'm still geekin' out about it!"

But Pellaeon was one of my favorite characters, one of the last great holdovers from a truly great era in EU history--the time of Grand Admiral Thrawn, of course. He just seemed like the last great old gentleman of the old guard. I still can't believe Tahiri sided with that sick frak Jacen. I guess shared experience with the Yuuzhan Vong shaped it this way, huh? She disgusts me as much as he does.

I just loved Boba Fett having to deal with all the family history. That was an awesome storyline to do. Wow. It was wonderful to read. Truly compelling. I'm wondering if there are a bunch of stories out there that tell the backstory in detail. Maybe. I think I'd prefer if it was in comic form rather than a novel. I just think it'd be more dramatic that way, to see an artist's depiction.

I was surprised. I honestly thought Niathal would die in this one. Geez, what the heck was Daala thinking? If she wanted the Mando boys to guard Pellaeon, why keep them 10 minutes out of range? There had to be a better way, some way that would have enabled them to be involved. They could've stowed away on Bloodfin, couldn't they? Come on!

Speaking of Daala, what's the deal with her and Boba? They're not suggesting some sort of relationship starting there, are they? Well, I guess it's not as weird as him and a thirty-something Sintas. But legally, they are still married, right? Oh, wait, I guess not, huh? Yeah, right, the whole...yeah, I remember. Memory loss... Guess I need a little help from Gotab, too, huh?

And how cool is that, speaking of Gotab? Good old Bardan Jusik!!!! YES!! The old Bard'ika survived!! I do miss Kal Skirata, though. I have to finish reading True Colors. Kal'buir is one of my favorite characters. Anyway, that's great, that conversation with him and Jaina was great, awesome stuff. Man, Invincible is gonna be HUGE!!! I saw something as I flipped to the back of Invincible (obviously I bought it Tuesday!!), something about a 'new era' beginning, even an opening crawl. I'm glad my eyes didn't catch anything else. I can't get spoiled this time. It's a short book, so that probably means it's going to be pretty ham exciting.

Hmm. Oh, but there's so much to say about Revelation. Fondor, wow. That was like, all heck breakin' loose. The lines were drawn, big time. I always love the space battles. It's just too bad we never really got to see an uninterrupted space battle other than Yavin and the Clone Wars cartoons. Let me see if I'm wrong. Naboo--cut between the duel and ground battles. Well...Geonosis, that was kind of more cat and mouse, with Jango and Obi-Wan. Coruscant? That was more about two specific fighters and a bunch of missiles and buzz droids. Hoth was on the planet's surface, and the asteroid field--that was a chase scene, not a battle. Endor was cut between the duel and the ground battle. That covers 'em all. Nope, no other uninterrupted space battles on film, then.

That's why I like the novels. The main storyline has been pretty much on target since NJO, in my opinion. The Dark Nest Trilogy was great, and Legacy of the Force has taken it to a whole new level. It's safe to say, just when you thought things might get back to normal, things are yet again never going to be the same, and this time, this series...it's really going to be something the Skywalkers and Solos may never recover from. They managed to get over Chewie and Anakin...managed to patch themselves together after that. But this one...I can't even imagine the horror of knowing your two remaining children are going to fight each other to the death, and maybe only one will walk away. Or what if none walk away? Man. Han and Leia have gone through the worst kind of pain in their lives. It's amazing they stay even remotely sane.

But back to Revelation. Jacen--oh, right, the poor fool--Caedus' description of killing Mara...wasn't that one of most chilling scenes you've ever read? It made me veins start to freeze up, that he could discuss it like that. Sure, we know, like Boba said, it was a fight. Mara tried to kill Jacen, plain and simple. But how anyone could bring themselves to do that, to kill a close family member in vicious combat...it takes a special kind of evil. He's managed to close off the normal sense of right and wrong completely.

I mean, I'm going to be honest, and maybe it'll sound crazy. It's a lot like Niathal could see--you have to admit Jacen is sane. He's logical, he's calculating, but on some level, it makes a sick kind of sense. He grew up in a corrupt democracy, saw the indecision and chaos and weakness that left the New Republic and its trillions of citizens vulnerable. Order, a better way, was needed. That's just the reality. But as always, is the cure worse than the cancer? Therein lies the problem with trying to overturn an entire system of government. It's a dangerous thing to do, and the consequences can be unpredictable. Ultimately, Jacen's--got to stop using that name--Caedus' cure has proven to be a cancer far worse than what the Alliance was. He's become a monster. And monsters can't make the right decisions. Ultimately he's sacrificed a great deal, but really, what has he sacrificed? Not his ego. Not himself. He's murdered and destroyed, inflicting suffering on others. The pain he feels from hurting those he loves...it's obviously not enough to have any meaning for him. His whole philosophy is a joke. And I'll be glad when he finally gets the punchline from Jaina.

Anything else? Lon Shevu is the MAN!!! YES! He's awesome. And Ben is definitely growing into a really great character, a great, strong young man and really, I think he'll be an incredible Jedi. Maybe one who will be able to take the Order in a new direction. I'll always love Luke Skywalker because he's just been so centered and just a good guy, the true hero figure. I just feel sorry for him, too, because it's clear that the galaxy he lives in probably doesn't have a place for a man of his philosophy anymore. He has adapted, I think, in a lot of ways, but at his core, he's still that farmboy. But the fact is, the Mando'ade are right about the Jedi. They need to rethink the way they operate, because they have done more harm than good simply because of the dangers of one of them falling to the dark side. And naturally it's the most powerful among them that does it, right? As long as that danger is there, every noble act gets undone by evil, evil that they unfortunately and unintentionally helped to create.

I wonder...maybe the Jedi will finally take a step back again, after all this is over. The big thing, they need to stay out of politics. They need to be neutral. They're glorified police, not soldiers. Mace Windu said it himself. That was their failing during Palpatine's rise, and it's their failing again. (Of course, Palpatine sort of forced their hand anyway, puppetmaster that he was.) Violating that places them in the middle, makes them easier to defeat. Let's just hope this time they don't turn their backs on the soldiers they have to lead into battle. But you know, lately, they have been sort of on the outside; but each time they stick a hand in the pot, look at what happens. Those minelayers at Fondor paid for it. Perhaps their deaths weren't necessarily in vain, though. Without the minefield, Fondor was able to defend itself long enough for the chaos to take J--Caedus--out of play and get him off their backs. As Caedus might say, it was a sacrifice made for the greater good, to even out the playing field a little. It was definitely an unfortunate thing, don't get me wrong. But if they'd succeeded, perhaps Fondor becomes a victory for Caedus instead of a good stalemate and the beginning of a much-needed open rebellion.

Hmm. I'm sure I've said something stupid here and I'll be called on it. But hey, you know...I think Jaina really is a character I'm growing to like after this one. She reminds me of myself in a way. I think it came to a point where she had to humble herself and be taught the hardest lessons so that she could be ready to do what was necessary. I've had something like that happen in my life, what with finally having to let go of my former girlfriend and all. Anyway, I'm glad that Jaina has had this time on Mandalore. It's been a really exceptional and special moment in the EU and for her character.

(I was reminded of a blurb I read in someone else's newspaper as I was on the train this morning. A woman wrote, 'if you're interested in pursuing a relationship with me, don't blog about me. Don't talk about me to your friends.' I wondered if I was making that mistake in my earlier blog, mentioning a woman I was taking a liking to. Well, for one, no one I know in person is even reading this blog or even knows about it (not anyone who knows most of the people I know, at least). But the other thing is, what if a guy says 'I've met this really beautiful, wonderful woman and I'm looking forward to getting to know her'? Would it be so bad for everyone to know that? I don't know. As long as you're not bad-mouthing someone or speaking in a crude, disrespectful, or vulgar way about them, I don't see what the big deal would be. But what do I know? I'm a guy. And I've not had but two relationships in my entire life anyway, neither of them lasting beyond 2.5 months, so I'm not in a position to talk about it. I'm clueless about women, apparently.)

(And if you were wondering about the woman I was taking a liking to, the one who's 8 years older, well...call me fickle or fearful or whatever, but I think I better back off for my own sake. I've got a gut feeling she'd just make a fool out of me in the end. I've had more than enough of being made into a fool. I mean, I do enough of that to myself! I don't need someone else to do it. So I better just keep my distance to save face, if nothing more. I don't want her to mess me up.

I've had some small fires in my heart over the past couple of years, I admit that. But by and large, ever since my ex- finally left my life permanently (well, semi-permanently--she shows up in the congregation once every blue moon), there's been a semblance of quiet and order that hasn't been around for 10 years. Much like Admiral Pellaeon, I'd like to leave the world neater and tidier than when I came into it once I go. Maybe I just have to keep women out of my world--with the exception of my family members, of course--in order to keep things neat and tidy. I clearly don't know what I'm doing whenever they're around.

So...I'm just going to torpedo this situation and be done with it. I'll just have to avoid her or something. I'll figure it out. If I put a stop to the situation before I really get attached, at least there'll be less fallout. That's the important thing. (sigh) It gets lonely, but...hey, Fett turned out just fine by himself. He's respected, feared. And rich. None of those are bad things. Loneliness may not be so bad, after all. It just appears to be. It's all in the mind.

So...in hindsight, I won't be keeping you all posted on what happens with this woman after all. I'm done with that. Of course, that creates a tiny problem given that I have to see her every week, but um...I've tangled with more dangerous individuals than her. I'm sure the fleet can handle whatever she can dish out, or outmaneuver her altogether. It'll be easy enough. I don't think she thinks much of me anyway, if I'm really honest with myself. So if anything, I'm doing the right thing by putting a stop to my own delusions about her. Moving right along....)

Sorry about that digression. It's getting late. I look forward to reading Invincible and I will definitely be blogging about that one as soon as I'm done with it. But Revelation was awesome, and I'm so glad I read it. If only I had a nice book room full of bookshelves! I'd put all my novels on it and walk through just like it was a library! It is like Jerry Seinfeld once said on the old show, people put their books on shelves like trophies once they're done reading them. It's what I do. When I can fit them, that is. A wise man once wrote, "To the making of many books there is no end, and much devotion to them is wearisome to the flesh." (sigh) Just have to be balanced about it, that's all.

Well, I guess I better go now. I've overdone it. May the Force be with you all. See you around.

Sincerely,
Chris2OneBee