Dragon*Con might be over, but we still have one last recap for all of you. The final event we attended was a Q&A with Expanded Universe author Aaron Allston to talk about his latest book, X-Wing: Mercy Kill. Highlights and commentary under the cut!
Tag Archives: Aaron Allston
Dragon*Con Recap: Expanded Universe Authors talk Masculinity in Star Wars
It’s day two of Dragon*Con! Nanci and I are settling in for the second major Star Wars Expanded Universe panel, Masculinity in the Star Wars universe. Once again, Expanded Universe authors Timothy Zahn, Aaron Allston, Michael Stackpole, and Kevin J. Anderson are on hand for the discussion. Also here is Doctor Carol White. Highlights under the cut:
Dragon*Con Recap: Star Wars Expanded Universe Author Q&A
It’s day one of Dragon*Con! Nanci, Bria, Maggie, and myself are at the first big Expanded Universe panel (in costume) to cover all the fun. Aaron Allston, Kevin J. Anderson, Timothy Zahn, and Mike Stackpole are on hand. Highlights below the cut!
Tosche Station Radio #28: The Celebration VI Special!
It’s the big Celebration VI special! Unfortunately, the hosts don’t have enough time to sift through everything that happened at the convention, so this week’s show notes will be brief. The episode, however, isn’t. For the first time, Brian and Nanci are unscripted and coming to you almost live from the Orange County Convention Center.
On the docket is a discussion of Del Rey’s big announcements, celebrity panels, news from the StarWars.com redesign, and all sorts of odds and ends from the premiere Star Wars convention. We also had a pair of guests on the recording, including Tracy of Club Jade.
Sit back, grab some power converters, and enjoy our first-ever unscripted foray into podcasting!
Celebration VI Day 1 Schedule
Going to be at Celebration VI today and want to catch myself and Nanci (and get some nifty Tosche Station swag)? Just want to know what we’ll be covering today? Here be the list.
- 11:30-12:30: Starwars.com and Beyond (Collecting Stage/W303 ABC)
- 1-2: Aaron Allston signing (Barnes and Noble booth 129)
- 1:30-2:30: Dark Horse Comics Look Ahead (Behind the Scenes Stage/W414 ABCD)
- 5-6: Ian McDiarmid (Celebration Stage/Chapin Theatre)
- 6-7: Timothy Zahn Retrospective (Behind the Scenes Stage/W414 ABCD)
Remember, give us a follow on Twitter for up-to-the-minute coverage! Link on the sidebar.
Aaron Allston’s Celebration VI and Dragon*Con Schedule
Expanded Universe author Aaron Allston has updated his appearance schedule to note just where he’s going to be at both Celebration VI and Dragon*Con. As we’ve said before on the blog and the podcast, Allston is a fantastic guest to sit down and listen to. If you’ve got a chance to see one of his panels or writing workshops, you owe it to yourself to do so.
Celebration VI
- Friday 10:30 am-11:30 am, Behind the Scenes Stage (W414 ABCD): What’s Coming From Del Rey.
“Acclaimed Star Wars authors Aaron Allston, Troy Denning, Drew Karpyshyn, James Luceno, and Timothy Zahn join Shelly Shapiro of Del Rey and Jennifer Heddle of Lucasfilm to reveal what’s coming next in best-selling Star Wars fiction.” - Friday 2:30 pm-3:30 pm, Star Wars University (W300):
Laying Down Tracks: A Different Way to Write Your Novel.
“Most people writing their first few novels start with an outline, or just a sense of how the early chapters should progress, and then write straight through to the end. But that’s not necessarily the best method for all novelists. In this seminar,New York Times bestselling author Aaron Allston (X-Wing: Mercy Kill) discusses an alternate method of novel writing intended to capitalize on each writer’s individual strengths and passions. This method helps bypass some causes of writer’s block, invokes ‘flow state’ writing, and prevents the sort of discouragement that can kill a novel. If you’ve ever wondered whether the standard novel-writing methods are holding you back, come to ‘Laying Down Tracks.'” - Friday 6:00 pm-7:00 pm, Barnes & Noble Booth (Booth #129):
Signing. Aaron Allston, Troy Denning. - Saturday 3:00 pm-4:00 pm, Barnes & Noble Booth (Booth #129):
Signing. Aaron Allston, Troy Denning. - Sunday, 11:00 am, Del Rey Booth (Booth #910):
Del Rey 2012 Star Wars Sampler Signing.
Drew Karpyshyn, Timothy Zahn, James Luceno, Aaron Allston, Troy Denning, John Jackson Miller.
Dragon*Con
- Friday 2:30 pm-3:30 pm, Seminar 4:
Talk to Me: Dialogue.
“Aaron Allston discusses the art of writing dialogue — to improve characterization, to influence the reader’s responses, and to deliver the emotional wallop your story needs.”
Room: Hanover A-B (Hyatt). Additional seminar charge will apply. - Friday 4:00 pm-5:00 pm, Seminar 5:
Description.
“Have your descriptive passages become blocks of text that stop your story cold? Aaron Allston discusses techniques to transform those passages into memorable experience that propel your story to its conclusion.”
Room: Hanover A-B (Hyatt). Additional seminar charge will apply. - Friday 5:30 pm-6:30 pm:
Meet Your Favorite Star Wars Authors.
“Have a burning question for your favorite authors? They’ll be here to talk to you!” Panelists TBA.
Room: A706 (Marriott) - Saturday 1:00 pm-2:00 pm, Seminar 8:
Ruining Your Career Before It Gets Started.
“Aaron Allston walks you through the minefield of deadly career-killers, including query letters that spell doom, research practices that murder a writer’s reputation, ‘everyone knows’ fallacies that lead novices and even experienced writers into quicksand, and fan interactions that are pure poison.”
Room: Hanover A-B (Hyatt). Additional seminar charge will apply. - Saturday 2:30 pm-3:30 pm, Seminar 9:
Style and Mood.
“Aaron Allston talks about establishing and sustaining the tone of a novel — how to switch from technique to technique, like a pitcher switching from a curve ball to a fastball, in order to make the readers experience exactly what you want them to.”
Room: Hanover A-B (Hyatt). Additional seminar charge will apply. - Saturday 5:30 pm-6:30 pm:
Masculinity in Star Wars.
“Vader, Han Solo, Luke, Lando — just what does it all mean, and where was the Maker going with chivalry, patriarchy, and the definition of masculinity?” Panelists TBA.
Room: A706 (Marriott) - Sunday 11:30 am-12:30 pm:
Literature of Gaming.
“The world of gaming has provided a grounding for a number of books. We’ll discuss what makes it popular and writing for a preconceived world.” Panelists TBA.
Room: Greenbriar (Hyatt) - Sunday 2:30 pm-3:30 pm, Seminar 14:
Unclogging Your Plot.
“Aaron Allston describes the Thirteen Deadly Sins that can grind your novel’s plot to a halt — how to detect them, understand them, and bulldoze them out of your way.”
Room: Hanover A-B (Hyatt). Additional seminar charge will apply. - Sunday 4:00 pm-5:00 pm, Seminar 15:
Showing Off Your Manuscript.
“Aaron Allston discusses ways to put your fiction before the eyes of others, including advance readers, workshoppers, editors, and agents. We’ll also talk about the hazards of showing off your manuscript, including submission mistakes, hurtful reviews, and loss of creative energy.”
Room: Hanover A-B. Additional seminar charge will apply. - Monday 2:30 pm-3:30 pm:
Discussion of Mercy Kill with Aaron Allston.
“Just what the title says — Allston discusses his latest Star Wars novel, the long-awaited continuation of the X-Wing series, released August 7.”
Room: A706 (Marriott)
If you’re going to be at Dragon*Con, I strongly encourage you to attend both the Expanded Universe multi-author panel as well as the Mercy Kill panel.
Brian’s ‘X-Wing: Mercy Kill’ Review
I admit it. I have never been this nervous about an Expanded Universe novel. By know I suspect you’re all aware that the X-Wing books hold a special place in my heart. I’ve long appreciated the kinds of stories that series told and the types of characters used within them. I hoped that this book would be a return to those kinds of novels. Thankfully, after reading it I firmly believe Aaron Allston succeeded on that front and succeeded in ways I couldn’t have imagined before picking the book up.
Mercy Kill is a unique book in its construction and tone, one that legitimately can be called a spy thriller. Imagine taking the feel of Mission Impossible and the lore of the Star Wars universe and combining the two. The result is a book that’s easily the most fun I’ve had with an Expanded Universe novel in thirteen years. The plot revolves around finding evidence of treachery by one of the Galactic Alliance’s most powerful military figures. To find that proof, Face Loran has to rebuild Wraith Squadron and send them off on an adventure.
I could go on at length about how much I enjoyed the twists and turns, but to do so would be to completely spoil a large chunk of what makes this book work. Instead, I feel it’s more important to dive into the characters of this tale. Aaron Allston has long been known for his work at crafting characters and allowing them to dictate the story rather than shoehorning characters into plot. Mercy Kill is no different. They are the backbone of this novel and the primary reason it’s so effective as an Expanded Universe story.
The characters (and potential spoilers) loom below the cut!
Mercy Kill Review Roundup From Around the Blogosphere
The reviews are in, and it looks like Mercy Kill is faring very well with readers around the blogosphere. We’ve gathered up some of the reviews and impressions from various Expanded Universe fansites and personalities. As always, venture into the reviews at your own risk if you haven’t read the book yet! If you’ve got a review you’d like us to add to this list, feel free to leave a comment in this post.
- Knights Archive was one of the first to post a review, praising Allston’s ability to craft a fun and engaging adventure.
- Aaron Goins was occasionally off-put by Allston’s use of humor, but overall found himself enjoying the book far more than he expected to. This was the first X-Wing novel Aaron read, and I can see where he’s coming from as far as the humor goes. It’s a definite change of pace for Expanded Universe fans that perhaps weren’t as exposed to the Bantam era novels, but for those that are, it’s a welcome return to years gone by.
- Pete Morrison of Lightsaber Rattling was impressed with how Allston allowed characters to shine in this book.
- EUCantina was perhaps the harshest and most down on the book, noting that it didn’t live up to the expectations of the reviewers, but giving it roughly average marks regardless. So far, this review seems to be the outlier.
- Author Bryan Young gushed about the book, saying that it played up all of Allston’s best traits. He echoed those sentiments on the podcast with us earlier this week, praising it as a fun book that did a great job matching the tonal qualities of the source material in the films.
- Fellow author Janine Spendlove likewise was impressed with the book, stating that it was well worth the thirteen year wait between X-Wing novels.
- Our own Emily and Bria contributed their own impressions to the blog. Both Emily’s review (with spoilers) and Bria’s (no spoilers!) were overwhelmingly positive.
X-Wing: Mercy Kill Review (No Spoilers)
It’s been thirteen long years but Expanded Universe readers can finally get their hands on a brand new X-Wing novel and wow is this book worth the wait. Mercy Kill helps put the fun back into the galaxy far far away and does so with a typical Allston flourish.
Mercy Kill is set after Fate of the Jedi in a galaxy where Wraith Squadron hasn’t existed for a few years. But there’s a general who’s clearly been up to no good and that calls for Face Loran to reassemble the Wraiths to take care of business.
X-wing: Mercy Kill Review (Spoilers!)
Me and my brand new shiny copy of Mercy Kill
Today, I was cursing myself for not knowing that the bookstore had new hours and was open an hour earlier than I thought originally, because I wanted Mercy Kill as soon as I could get it in my grubby little hands. If, for some reason, you have not gotten your copy yet…go get it. Right now. This is the best Star Wars book to come out in years.
And now, I’ve read it. This review is not so much a review as it is me squealing about various parts of the book. There are spoilers behind the jump, so fair warning.