Feast your eyes on the latest awesome cinematic trailer for the MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic.
I have no idea how long it takes to create these animations or how expensive they are to produces, but they are absolutely gorgeous and I would love to see a Star Wars animated series in this time period and in this style of animation. That would be really nifty.
Trailer #1:
Trailer #2:
Showing posts with label Old Republic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Old Republic. Show all posts
Review: Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived by Paul S. Kemp
SPOILER FREE SECTION
Deceived is set before the events of the previously released novel The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance. The book is set approximately in 3653 BBY in the events of the sacking of Coruscant and its immediate aftermath, while the negotiations for what will become the treaty of Coruscant occur in the background. The Epilogue does occur in the future after the events of the novel proper, but just how far in the future is unclear.
Dramatis Personae
Adraas; Sith Lord (human male)
Angral; Sith Lord (human male)
Arra Yooms; child (human female)
Aryn Leneer; Jedi Knight (human female)
Eleena; servant (Twi'lek female)
Malgus; Sith Lord (human male)
Ven Zallow; Jedi Master (male, species unknown)
Vrath Xizor; mercenary (human male)
Zeerid Korr; smuggler (human male)
The book revolves around the stories of three main characters, Aryn Leneer, Darth Malgus, and Zeerid Korr.
Author Paul S. Kemp described the Point of View (POV) characters thus in an interview I conducted;
I like to think that Malgus is a complicated character. He embodies much of what we think of when we think of the Sith – he’s violent, values strength and power, and in general regards peace/passivity as weakness. At the same time, he’s possessed of a keen sense of honor, and has a powerful attachment to Eleena. These somewhat contrary impulses give him his internal conflict and drive his character arc.One of the strengths that Kemp has as an author is crafting very interesting and complex characters. The strength of Deceived isn't its plot (while good) or its action (while great), the real strength is the development of its characters and their interaction. One flaw that many authors fall into is that there characters are not internally consistent. They set up the character with certain traits, philosophies and motivations, and then for the sake of the plot they have the character do something that doesn't make any sense given what we know about that character. Kemp constructs some really interesting characters that while they evolve through the course of the novel, the maintain that internal consistency that makes there actions and decisions make sense and makes the novel feel like a very satisfying journey.
The other two main POV character are Aryn Leneer, a Jedi Knight and Force empath, who has very personal reasons for confronting Malgus, and Zeerid Korr, a former Havoc Squad commando who is in deep to a criminal syndicate known as The Exchange.
Deceived is all about relationships. The relationship of Aryn Leneer to her Jedi Master Ven Zallow, the relationship between Zeerid Korr to his family, the relationship of Aryn to Zeerid, the relationship between Malgus and Eleena, the relationship between Malgus and the other Sith in the power structure, and ultimately the relationship between Aryn and Malgus. It is almost like the characters are asteroids stuck in orbit around each other, they cannot stop crashing into each other, and then spinning off in strange new directions.
I am a sucker for a good villain and for the flawed hero. In this novel we had heroes stepping into the dark and villains stepping into the light, it was a great story and a tremendous introduction to a character I hope we see more of in the future in Malgus.Deceived gets a 9.5 out of 10 lightsabers.
There be Spoilers Below....
Continue reading for a discussion of the novel in-depth with lots of spoilers. I will be breaking the discussion down by character for the sake of organization.
I. Aryn Leneer
Aryn is a fascinating character. She is a Jedi, but her specialization is as a Force Empath. As far as I can tell from my reading of the Expanded Universe, this is a bit of a first in terms of Jedi specialization. It also seems like a very dangerous ability for a Jedi strong in the force to possess. The ability not only to feel your own emotions but to experience the emotions of others strongly through the Force would take a Jedi with the most strict discipline and durasteel willpower in order to handle the emotional trauma that could potentially affect you. As we see with Aryn, her emotions can get the better of her. Not only do we see the fact that she has more then the traditional Jedi emotional attachment to her Master (Ven Zallow), but we also have hints that when she was comforting Zeerid over the grief of his wife's death and daughters maiming there was some kind of romantic relationship formed.
Aryn comes very close to falling to the Dark Side in this novel, and about 2/3 of the way through the book I thought one of the two possible outcomes of the novel would be Aryn falling and apprenticing herself to Malgus.
II. Zeerid Korr (Z-Man)
From the excerpts we were provided prior to the books release, I was most skeptical of Zeerid's character. For some reason the whole "Z-Man" nickname drives me nuts and instantly makes me want to dislike the character for giving himself such a silly nickname. But once I read the book and really understood Zeerid, it makes sense, it helps that he is also aware of how silly the name sounds. But Zeerid is someone trying to compartmentalize his life, for his work for the The Exchange he is in effect creating a new persona in the person of Z-Man. Creating false character traits such as his gambling problem, and zealously guarding the secrets of his daughter Arra.
While I am not yet a parent, the defining character trait of Zeerid is the parental instinct. Everything he does in this book is for his daughter. He may not be making the proper choices, but he is doing what he thinks he must do to provide for his daughter. We see the extreme of this at the end of the book with him consciously deciding to commit murder to protect the secret of the existence and condition of his daughter from even potentially reaching The Exchange.
Zeerid in his previously life was a member of the Republic's Havoc Squad and fought alongside of Aryn Leneer. The interesting and ambiguous question of the book, is when did the romantic relationship between Aryn and Zeerid begins. I may be wrong in my reading of it, but the inference that I got was that something was going on between the two of them before the death of Zeerid's wife. This certainly would lend a certain moral ambiguity to both characters, but would seem realistic given the conditions of warfare and long separation from family back home.
III. Darth Malgus (Veradun)
Malgus may be my favorite EU Sith. I will be re-reading Deceived, and I want to think about it some more, but the depth that the character possesses is fascinating. His relationship with Eleena is so conflicted and tragic. I do believe that some part of Malgus truly loved her. But I think the key to understanding the relationship is in the Sith philosophy itself, the exultation of self above all else. The Sith look inward, at the end of the day the most important person to Malgus will always be Malgus. His love of Eleena is less important to him then the fate of the Sith Empire and his knowledge and understanding of the Force.
A very interesting aspect to Malgus is that while he didn't like playing politics as seen by his relationships with Angral and Adraas, he has a very nimble and powerful intellect. He uses logic to reach his conclusions and is very philosophical for what on the surface appears to be the epitome of a Sith warrior. I really enjoyed his conflict/warfare as a whetstone concept. The fact that he believed peace would make the Sith and the Empire weak and that they needed conflict to exist, in effect war could never end.
There are some interesting parallels to be drawn between the fall of Jacen Solo and his becoming of Darth Caedus and Darth Malgus. The idea of sacrificing something/someone you love to attain Dark Side power in the Force is an interesting concept. For Jacen it ended up murdering his aunt Mara Jade, for Malgus it was murdering his lover.
There is also a certain code of honor to Malgus. While it hardly makes him a hero, it makes him more layered of a character. Is it just an extension of excessive pride? I really like the contract of how he let Aryn live because she spared Eleena, and then he sought ought and killed Adraas and used the fact that Adraas had called Eleena names a way to increase his connection to the Dark Side and kill Adraas. Its odd that he both grants mercy and exacts revenge because of the way his Eleena was treated, yet he is the one who murdered her. There is a certain thought process, similar to what we saw with Jacen, among Sith that is circular and insane.
There is so much more to say, but lets face it, Malgus is just a bad, bad, Sith Lord.
IV. Supporting Characters
Some interesting supporting character tidbits. The unnamed female Mandalorian bounty hunter is apparently Shae Vizla, could it be an ancestor of the future Death Watch leader Pre Vizsla? I know the spelling is slightly different but it would be an interesting connection.
The mercenary Vrath Xizor, shares a surname with the Falleen Prince Xizor, of course these two are of different species but its interesting to see the name Xizor in the Star Wars Expanded Universe again.
Eleena is a rather tragic character in the novel. I am not sure what to think about her. Is it a case of the Stockholm Syndrome? Or is this the case of genuine affection by Eleena towards her Veradun who rescued her and she willingly killed and waged war against his enemies to help and protect him. Putting up with the Imperial anti-alien bias to remain with her lover and Master. I wonder just how much she thought she understood about Malgus' character and that he would ever be able to choose her over his drive for power.
Exclusive Interview: Paul S. Kemp, Author of Deceived and Much, Much More.
In advance of the eagerly anticipated new Star Wars novel, The Old Republic: Deceived (released 3/22/11), and hot on the heels of his appearance at C2E2, author Paul S. Kemp stopped by Lightsaber Rattling to answer a few questions:
1. How did you first become exposed to Star Wars? Do you have a favorite movie of the saga? My dad took me to see A New Hope. I still remember the sense of wonder I felt watching the opening sequence, as the Tantive IV emerges from the bottom of the screen, followed immediately by the Imperial Star Destroyer. Heady stuff for me back then.
2. Your novel Crosscurrent featured a very diverse leading cast of alien characters including an Anzat, a Cerean, a Kaleesh, and an Askajian character. How do you go about choosing species for the characters in your Star Wars novels?
That’s a hard question to answer. It really comes down to a very ephemeral notion, and that’s “feel.” I develop a rough character concept first. Once I have that, I move through the rolodex of potential species and see if one feels like a better fit than a human for the concept. In the case of Kell Douro (the Anzat assassin from Crosscurrent), I knew he’d be an Anzat almost right away. The race just fit the concept perfectly. Something similar happened with Drev (the Askajian). I fiddled around a bit before deciding on a Kaleesh for Saes.
Of course, once you decide on a species other than human, that informs and changes the rough character concept, in that a character from an alien species will see things differently than would a human (hence, Saes the Kaleesh became very much the hunter; Kell the Anzat become a bit of mystic, and so on).
3. You tweeted on Jan 14th that Riptide was basically done except for a few tweaks. What can you tell us about this Riptide? Are we in for a heavy dose of evil clones, force philosophy and internal angst for Jaden Korr? Yes, yes, and not so much. Jaden came to grips with his nature in Crosscurrent. As a result, Riptide’s focus is not on the tightrope that Jaden walks between light side and dark side. He’s found his balance and he’s all right up there.
4. One of the patterns that I have seen in my exposure to your writing is the use of conflicted characters. Are these kinds of characters better for storytelling then well adjusted characters?
Absolutely. Internal conflict is, for me, the meat of any character arc, and resolving that conflict is what gives books lasting resonance.
5. The Old Republic: Deceived as well as your Old Republic short story, stars Darth Malgus the Sith Lord who sacks Coruscant. Interestingly enough this is a Sith Lord who also has a slave who is his lover/companion in the Twi’lek Eleena. What can you tell us about Malgus and does he have what it takes to join the pantheon of Star Wars villains?
I like to think that Malgus is a complicated character. He embodies much of what we think of when we think of the Sith – he’s violent, values strength and power, and in general regards peace/passivity as weakness. At the same time, he’s possessed of a keen sense of honor, and has a powerful attachment to Eleena. These somewhat contrary impulses give him his internal conflict and drive his character arc.
6. What can you tell us about the other Point of View (POV) characters in Decieved?
The other two main POV character are Aryn Leneer, a Jedi Knight and Force empath, who has very personal reasons for confronting Malgus, and Zeerid Korr, a former Havoc Squad commando who is in deep to a criminal syndicate known as The Exchange.
7. Back in December you mentioned that you turned in short story staring Darth Malgus that is set before the events of TOR: Deceived. It’s rumored that this story will appear in Star Wars Insider #124. What can you tell us about your forthcoming short story without being hauled away by Stormtroopers? The story, entitled “The Third Lesson,” will appear (or has appeared) in Insider #124. It takes place on Alderaan, in the immediate aftermath of the battle there, when the Sith are in retreat. Juxtaposing flashbacks with current scenes, we get a sense of what made him who he is.
8. Del Rey non-fiction editor Erich Schoeneweiss (via Shelly Shapiro) recently mentioned in an interview (EUCast) that the subject and time period for you duology has yet to be decided upon. You have written in both the Old Republic Era and in the modern era of the EU, do you have a preference for the setting of your duology?
Not a strong preference, mostly because I think whatever the time period, there’s lots of room for stories. In the end, I DO prefer to have a reasonable amount of elbow room in which to develop new (or previously underdeveloped) characters and stories.
9. For readers who are unfamiliar with your non-Star Wars work, is there a book or story you would recommend for them to get a flavor of your writing? Oh, absolutely. I’m best known for my sword and sorcery stories featuring Erevis Cale, an assassin and spy turned priest. The stories are dark, gritty, and character-driven (which is much the same way I try to write my Star Wars stories). The best place to start is probably with Twilight Falling or Shadowbred. And on that note, let me leave you with the link to the “Ten Reasons Star Wars fans should read the Cale stories.”
10. Writing Star Wars involves working in a shared universe, not only do you have George Lucas, but you have all of the different authors, comic writers, video game writers, etc producing materials that are considered canonical. How do you approach researching your Star Wars stories?
Read, read, read. I pore over the Essential Guides, make use of online resources, and pester Leland Chee with questions.
11. We have seen the expansion of Star Wars storytelling crossing over into other genres of novels with detective stories in the Coruscant Nights series and into horror with Death Troopers and Red Harvest. As a lawyer, do you think there is room for a John Grisham-esque legal thriller set in the Star Wars universe?
Honestly, that’s a hard one to imagine. Star Wars stories should at least aspire to touch the myth of the Hero’s Journey, and it’s hard for me to imagine a legal thriller that does that.
12. Thank you for joining Lightsaber Rattling for this interview, in closing are there any parting thoughts you would like to share with our audience?
Only that I want to thank those of you who’ve offered encouragement and kind words. It’s truly a blast to write in the EU and a big part of the fun is the readers/fans. So, thank you.
A special thanks to Mr. Kemp for taking the time not only in this interview but in his continued interaction with fans both of Star Wars and his other works.
For more Paul S. Kemp news and information check out the following:
His Website: Paul S. Kemp, Fictioneer
His Twitter: @paulskemp
His Amazon.com Author Page: Paul S. Kemp
To Order Deceived: Currently $14.32 on Amazon (3/21/11)
The Old Republic: Deceived Preview Video: Darth Malgus
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| Darth Malgus before the Sith Emperor |
The official website for the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR.com) has released a preview clip of Darth Malgus promoting Paul S. Kemp's new book: Star Wars: The Old Republic Deceived, due to be released on 3/22/11.
Darth Malgus looks to be a tremendous villain. I like the look and I can't wait to read Deceived.
This preview clip is awesome and gives us some cinematics we have seen in two previous trailers as well as some new scenes we haven't seen with Malgus being talked to by the Sith Emperor and him igniting his lightsabers.
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| Darth Malgus preparing for battle |
Over 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader, another Sith Lord’s name commanded fear and respect across the galaxy: Darth Malgus. The mysterious Sith Lord orchestrated the destruction of a prominent Jedi Temple, setting the stage for the tenuous peace of the Treaty of Coruscant.
In Deceived, you’ll learn the story of Darth Malgus and his rise to power. Delve into the dark secrets and history that shaped one of the most powerful Sith Lords the Old Republic would ever know…
VIDEO LINK: SWTOR MALGUS/DECEIVED TRAILER
SOURCES: THEFORCE.NET and SWTOR.COM
Review: Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: Sentinel by John Jackson Miller
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I. SETTING
Sentinel is set in 3960 BBY on the planet Kesh in two principle locations, the capital city of Tahv and the area surrounding the Marisota River. The Sith have now been on Kesh for 1040 years, so their society and culture is very ingrained. What we have is a very caste based system, and in this system a fall from power has dramatic consequences.
II. DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Jelph Marrain, Male, former Jedi Knight and Jedi Covenant Secret Agent
Ori Kitai, Female, Lost Tribe of the Sith
Grand Lord Lillia Venn, Leader of Lost Tribe of the Sith
Candra Kitai, Mother of Ori Kitai and disgraced High Lord.
Lord Flen Luzo, Male, Lost Tribe of the Sith
Lord Sawj Luzo, Male, Lost Tribe of the Sith
Gadin Badolfa, Architect and political go between for Sith
Krynda Draay, Female founder of Jedi Covenant (Mentioned only)
Jedi Master Lucien Draay, Son of Krynda, member of Jedi Covenant (Mentioned only)
Darth Revan, Fallen Jedi/Sith (Mentioned only)
III. STORY
At four chapters and 29 pages, Sentinel is a quick read but is really part of the larger story that began in LTotS #5: Purgatory. It tells the story of the relationship between two outcasts from their respective societies former Jedi Jelph Marrain and former Sith Ori Kitai.
She opened her eyes and glared at him. “I can feel it in your thoughts. You think I’m beautiful. You think you want me. You want to trust me. But you’re looking behind every word I say, trying to find me out, trying to trap me. Because of who I am.”
Jelph looked down at the water. He hadn’t known why he had come all this way when so much was at risk. Not until now. “I think I know who you are, Ori.” He stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. She shrank at his touch.This was a fun little romp through the LTotS, which gave us a some action, some romance, an interesting take on the Sith society/philosophy, and a bit of a twist at the end. It also did a good job tying this series of stories into John Jackson Miller's previous work on the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic series by having Jelph be a former member of the Jedi Covenant. It also does a nice job of tying into the Knights of the Old Republic video games by bringing Revan into the story.
There isn't much to criticize in this story, other then the fact that Miller completely glossed over a fight scene at the end of Chapter 2 and the beginning of Chapter 3. It wouldn't have added a ton to the story, but it just felt like a rather large omission in the flow of the story.
If you haven't gotten into the LTotS story yet, starting with #5 and #6 is a good place to start. Jelph and Ori are interesting characters and has me wondering what ramifications this story may have for certain members of the LTotS in the Fate of the Jedi novel series.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
Lost Tribe of the Sith: Sentinel gets 8.5 out of 10. Miller has a real nice way of crafting memorable sentences and there are a couple good ones in here. I look forward to continuing to read the LTotS story. You can download LTotS: Sentinel at StarWars.Com as a PDF or on Amazon.com for the KINDLE
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived: Sneak Peak
Del Rey's Star Wars Facebook Page, Star Wars Books has posted a new photo of the finished Deceived Hardcover Editions.
Del Rey Editor Erich Schoeneweiss also commented about the embossing on the cover, we know embossing is fairly expensive and it looks like Del Rey and LucasBooks are pulling out all the stops with this cover and likely this book as a major promotional tool for The Old Republic MMORPG.
Star Wars Books It's a little hard to make out in the photo, but we sculpture embossed Darth Malgus on the jacket so he's really cool looking when you hold the book in your hand. I love this jacket. Love this book. (ES)
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| Photo from Star Wars Books Facebook Page |
Star Wars E-Book Update: Star Wars: TOR: Deceived to be Released on Kindle
Author Paul S. Kemp has announced via Twitter that his soon to be released novel, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived will be released in e-book format on the Amazon Kindle as well as in Hardcover.
Amazon Kindle Edition Link: http://amzn.to/gcrwaA
Exclusive Interview: John Jackson Miller, author of Knight Errant and Lost Tribe of the Sith
Lightsaber Rattling recently had the privilege of talking with Star Wars author extraordinaire John Jackson Miller about a wide variety of topics including his new comic book series and novel Knight Errant.
Mr. Miller is most famous for his Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics which ran from 2006 until 2010. Currently he is working on the Knight Errant comic series, issue #4 of which will be released on January 12th. He is also scripting the Mass Effect comic also published by Dark Horse Comics. Ongoing is the Lost Tribe of the Sith series, which are free e-book novellas released by Del Ray/Lucas Books. The LTotS series ties into the Hardcover novel series Fate of the Jedi and the series is on its 5th of 8 books. Mr. Miller also has his debut novel coming out on January 25th, titled Knight Errant, it shares it's title and main character with the comic series, but is written as a standalone novel that doesn't require knowledge of the comic book to enjoy.
Lightsaber Rattling:
First of all, thank you for agreeing to be Lightsaber Rattling's first interview victim. So far your Star Wars work has been set in the Old Republic era between the years of 5,000-1,000 BBY, is there something in particular about this vast and relatively uncharted portion of the Star Wars time-line that drew your interest as a storyteller?
John Jackson Miller:
It’s nice to be able to write in a time where there’s room to maneuver, story-wise. The Knights of the Old Republic comics series was set seven years before the first video game, which was plenty of room; fifty issues of stories took maybe a year of in-universe time. Still, there were a lot of questions about connections between that period and those nearby. With Knight Errant, we’re a full generation before the Darth Bane novels, so it’s much more of an open playing field. No one knows what the future holds for any of our characters yet.
Lightsaber Rattling:
If you could write(novel or comic form) in any of the other Star Wars publishing eras (Rise of the Empire, Rebellion, New Republic, New Jedi Order, and Legacy) which would be most interesting for you to tell a story in? Is there a particular character or characters from a different period of time that you would love to write? John Jackson Miller:
So far, really the only work I’ve done with the movie characters (besides the cameo appearances in “Vector”) was Star Wars Empire #35, a Darth Vader story that appears in Empire Vol. 7: The Wrong Side of the War. It’s always fun to work with the movie characters, so that might be fun to do at another time.
Lightsaber Rattling:
You are someone who is deeply involved in researching and tracking comic book sales, pricing and related statistics, as can be seen on your website: http://www.comichron.com/ . You are also someone who is being digitally published in your Lost Tribe of the Sith e-book series. How do you think digital publication is going to affect the future of the comic industry?
John Jackson Miller:
Digital means different things to different media, I think. In comics, digital sales are growing, but still less than 1% of annual sales. It’s possible that one day that could grow much larger, and take its place alongside trade paperback collections as another format contributing to the bottom line — but I don’t think the role will be to replace the printed comic book, which has its own unique qualities that readers like. For now, digital is really helpful as a promotional tool — later on; certainly, the hope is that it’ll help us reach readers that aren’t being reached now with current formats.
With prose it’s a little more complicated as there are a lot of formats, like short stories, that weren’t that profitable in the past because there just weren’t enough markets for them. Now, there are a lot more opportunities to tell stories in different ways, and get them out there. It’s interesting to see how things are developing.
Lightsaber Rattling:
How do you approach storytelling differently going from the comic format (Knight Errant, Knights of the Old Republic) where the images tell the readers a lot about the setting, the characters and the action going on, as opposed to the prose fiction format (Knight Errant, Lost Tribe) where your words paint the picture?
John Jackson Miller:
Well, just like that — I have a talented team of artists in the comics to help provide the picture, and so I’m more likely just to give some guidance on character looks and starship designs. My role there is more in staging the scenes, and saying what the characters’ expressions are, and that sort of thing. In prose, it’s all up to me. It can be challenging to describe a lot of characters fully in the short story form, so I tend to focus only on a few there; in the novel, there’s more space to show everything.
Lightsaber Rattling:
John Jackson Miller:
The fun thing about the group that crashes on Kesh is they’re not necessarily Sith-Lords-in-waiting. Many have Force skills and all of whom adhere to Sith teachings — but they’re also a mix of miners and warriors sent on an assignment to procure crystals for Naga Sadow. Specialists and minions. But when we strand them away from the rest of the galaxy, we soon see that everything’s changed for them. While it might not have been possible for some of them to rule the galaxy, a single planet is another story — and of course, since they’re all thinking the same thing, that makes for a busy place.
But there are always going to be differences in approach with them; some like brute force, others, intrigue. Some play the game to their advantage; others try to flip over the table. Within that, we can usually find points of view to root for.
I’m glad there’s a lot of interest in the Lost Tribe series; as free stories, they’re a fun little point of entry into the Expanded Universe. Spread the word!
Lightsaber Rattling:
In your production notes for LTotS: Paragon, you mention that after writing from the point of view (POV) of the villain Seelah Korsin, you felt like you needed a bath. How do you feel after swimming in a sea of evil for the Knight Errant novel and comic series with all of the villains that you have created like Daiman, Odion, Quillan, Dromika, and Arkadia?
John Jackson Miller:
They’re all different, and that’s what makes them enjoyable to me. If they were all clones of characters we’ve already seen, it wouldn’t be as interesting. Palpatine and Vader are characters that represent the culmination of a lot of forces and events that have gone before; you wouldn’t be able to transplant them in this early time very easily. They already know what it means to be Sith; they have Bane’s example, and lots of history before them. But Bane comes at the end of a long period in which rivals are still sorting out what Sith doctrine should be. While there are certainly many Sith in earlier eras (including the Lost Tribe and the KOTOR and TOR games), it’s clear that the convulsions of the Knight Errant time have resulted in a lot of schisms on that score.So Daiman latches onto one part of Sith philosophy and takes it to an extreme; Odion goes in another direction. The others you mention, seen in the book, go off in some surprising directions, as well. That really keeps it fresh to me — and makes it worth the feeling sometimes gotten from sharing minds with these characters!
Lightsaber Rattling:
Wow, great answers. In closing, for fans who haven't yet read the Knight Errant comics, and without giving too much away, who is Jedi Knight Kerra Holt and what do fans have to look forward to when the Knight Errant novel is released on Jan. 25th?
John Jackson Miller:
As the sole Jedi working a wide area of space controlled by the Sith, Kerra’s been forced to make decisions about what things she can and can’t do to help the people. It’s clear she’s not going to be able to push back the warring Sith Lords all on her own, so she’s set to work pouring sand into the war machines, slowing down the pace of internecine destruction. Because while having the Sith Lords at war with each other may sound like a good thing for the Republic, it’s clearly not good for those caught between.
She’s always faced with decisions over what she should be doing, and often, those decisions are taken away from her. The result is a journey through Sith space, in which we encounter some other, very different regimes — and chances for Kerra to potentially get her mission back on track. It really is an odyssey, in which she finds out as much about herself as the would-be Sith Lords she’s fighting.
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For more exciting Star Wars titles as well as other fiction please visit Del Ray Books' Suvudu
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To Pre-Order the Knight Errant Novel visit Amazon.com
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For the latest on John Jackson Miller please visit Faraway Press
To Order or Pre-Order any of the Knight Errant Comic Series, please visit Things From Another World(TFAW)
Paul S. Kemp Giving Away 3 Signed Advance Review Copies of Star Wars: Deceived
He will hold a random drawing on January 24th, of those who go to THIS PAGE and leave a comment in the comment section.
This is a really awesome idea and great way to give something back to the fans. These three copies autographed become a very unique collectible item and a novel collector like myself would love to add one to my bookshelf.
What exactly is an Advance Review Copy or ARC? Wikipedia Entry
The most important thing for the lucky three people that win the ARCs is that they are not suppose to disclose the contents of the ARC to anyone. So if they win it, no posting spoilers on-line.
TOR: Deceived is due to be released March 22, 2011
My review of Chapters 1-3 of Deceived can be found here
You can now download the first three chapters of Deceived:
Chapter 1: @ the Star Wars: The Old Republic Website
Chapter 2: @ Star Wars.com
Chapter 3: @ Rebel Scum
You can follow author Paul S. Kemp:
Twitter: @Paulskemp
On the Web: http://paulskemp.com/
Rumor: Paul S. Kemp's Old Republic Short Story to Appear in Star Wars: Insider #124
Star Wars Books UK is reporting that "Previews" Magazine is reporting that a new piece of Star Wars fiction is set to appear in the March issue of Star Wars: Insider, Issue #124.
This fits with the previous announcement that Insider would see a return of fiction content to its pages.
The speculation is that since no other Short stories have been announced and because it is close to the release date of The Old Republic: Deceived, that this would be the spot for Paul S. Kemp's as yet untitled Old Republic Short Story.
This fits with the previous announcement that Insider would see a return of fiction content to its pages.
The speculation is that since no other Short stories have been announced and because it is close to the release date of The Old Republic: Deceived, that this would be the spot for Paul S. Kemp's as yet untitled Old Republic Short Story.
Preview Review: The Old Republic: Deceived by Paul S. Kemp (Spoilers)
Lucasfilm continues a new book marketing strategy of early free chapter downloads with lawyer/author Paul S. Kemp's latest novel, The Old Republic: Deceived.
The novel stars Darth Malgus, the Dark Lord of the Sith who lead the sacking of Coruscant and destruction of the Jedi Temple.
The first three chapters are an action packed ride filled with swirling emotional termoil for the main characters. The theme of love and attachment and how if effects our decisions appears to play heavily in this story set approximately 3,653 years BBY.
The following reviews includes Spoilers from the first three Chapters of Deceived which have been released on-line for free.
Chapters Dramatis Personae:
Zeerid "Z-Man", smuggler/Captain of Fatman.
Darth Malgus/Veradun, Sith Lord.
Eleena, Twi'lek slave/lover of Darth Malgus
The Mandalorian, Female Bounty Hunter
Aryn Leneer, Female Jedi Knight
Syo, Male Jedi Knight
Dar'nala, Jedi Master
Satele Shan, Jedi Knight
Ven Zallow, Male Jedi Master
Oren, Male Human, Handler for The Exchange
Darth Angral, Sith Lord, Sith Commander of Invasion.
Darth Adraas, Sith Lord, Drop-ship commander
Republic Senator Am-ris, Cerean Male.
Lord Baras, Sith Lord and negotiator.
Plot Summary:
Zeerid is a former Republic trooper turned smuggler, who is now working for a criminal syndicate called "The Exchange." Zeerid is the first character we meet in the story, a down-on-his-luck shipper who has a sick daughter Arra, who's existence he keeps a secret so that the Exchange cannot use her as leverage against him.
Zeerid's life is turned even more upside down when he is ambushed on a weapon drop off, and forced to blow up a case of the Exchanges grenades up to escape. This puts him even farther in the Exchanges debt and forces him to make a special drug run of Spice to Coruscant, that promises to pay off his debts but could cost him his life.
We also meet Darth Malgus who we have previously seen in the Old Republic Trailer "Hope," about the Battle of Alderaan when he had a grenade exploded in his face by a Republic Trooper. Leading to the breath-mask wearing monstrosity we see on the cover. We get hints from the relationship that Malgus has with his slave/lover Eleena, that he may have some internal conflict that will later boil to the surface.
Malgus answers to Lord Angral who waits in orbit above Coruscant in his command ship. Malgus is accompanied on his attack on the Jedi Temple by his political rival Lord Adraas who was given command of the drop ship and Sith warriors aboard.
With the help of the Mandalorian, the Sith are able to bring down Coruscant's defenses. The few Jedi at the Temple are led in their defense by Master Ven Zallow, the former master of Jedi Knight of Aryn Leneer who is part of the Republic delegation to Alderaan.
With Eleena and her twin blaster pistols at his side, Malgus stages his attack on the Jedi Temple. The battle for the Jedi temple opens with the Sith drop-ship crashing into the Temple behind Malgus and Aleena, as Lord Ardaas and 50 Sith warriors pour out and a melee ensues pitting Sith versus Jedi. Ultimately concluding with a dramatic duel between Malgus and Zallow, passion vs. peace.
Meanwhile Master Dar'nala and Senator Am-ris are leading the Republic delegation set to meet with the Sith to negotiate a peace treaty suddenly and surprisingly proposed by the Sith Emperor. Among the delegation are three Jedi Knights, Syo, Aryn Leneer, and future Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan.
The death of her former Master and surrogate father Zallow, causes Aryn to give in to her emotions and almost fall to the darkside before being calmed by her fellow Jedi. But Aryn has vowed to herself to learn the identity of the Sith who killed her Master and make him pay.
Impressions:
Deceived is author Paul S. Kemp's second entrance into the GFFA, following last years Jaden Korr centered novel Crosscurrent. In terms of novel time-line it precedes Sean Williams' The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance, in which we see Satele Shan as Jedi Grand Master. The first chapters of Deceived match pretty closely with what we have seen in the first Old Republic Teaser trailer posted above. The "Hope" trailer tells the story about the events leading up to both The Old Republic MMORPG and the series of The Old Republic tie-in novels.
I really enjoyed Kemp's Crosscurrent novel which had some weird elements that aren't traditionally part of Star Wars novels, the Anzati "soup" drinker as well as the demented Dark Jedi clones. It was like weaving some horror into the space opera without making it an overtly horror novel. A nice touch.
Aside from Zeerid's self inflicted nickname "Z-Man," which annoys me beyond belief for some unknown reason, I really enjoyed the first three chapters of Deceived. I get the feeling that Spice isn't the only thing Zeerid is going to be hauling into Sith Empire occupied Coruscant, somehow Aryn is going to find her way aboard in her search for answers in her Master's murder and the fall of Coruscant.
Of what has been released so far Aryn and Malgus are the most interesting characters to me. Is Malgus a purely evil hearted Sith Lord, or does his relationship with Eleena expose some fatal flaw within him that will cause problems for him in the Empire's hierarchy?
Aryn gave into her emotions pretty hard in the chapters as well, can she avoid falling to the darkside, I am not sure but I really want to find out.
In these introductory chapters Kemp also succeeding in drawing emotional reactions to supporting characters, I already hate Lord Ardaas and cannot wait for someone to put a lightsaber through him. I also have a very strong dislike for Jedi Master Dar'nala who appears to be the TOR equivalent of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
I really enjoy Kemp's style of writing and at 304 pages, Deceived is a pretty good sized hardcover novel. It looks like this book is going to be well worth the price. Pick it up Tuesday March 22, 2011 wherever books are sold.
LINKS:
For more gorgeous KotorMMO videos the YouTube Channel
You can now download the first three chapters of Deceived:
Chapter 1: @ the Star Wars: The Old Republic Website
Chapter 2: @ Star Wars.com
Chapter 3: @ Rebel Scum
For direct download of the PDFs.
Chapter 1: PDF
Chapter 2: PDF
Chapter 3: PDF
You can follow author Paul S. Kemp:
Twitter: @Paulskemp
On the Web: http://paulskemp.com/
Paul S. Kemp's The Old Republic: Deceived Chapters 1-3 On-line for free.
Hot off the heals of the Red Harvest PDF chapter releases, Lucasbook appears to be following a similar marketing strategy for Paul S. Kemp's new novel Star Wars The Old Republic: Deceived.
The book ties into the new yet to be released on-line MMORPG: Star Wars: The Old Republic.
You can now download the first three chapters:
Chapter 1: @ the Star Wars: The Old Republic Website
Chapter 2: @ Star Wars.com
Chapter 3: @ Rebel Scum
For direct download of the PDFs.
Chapter 1: PDF
Chapter 2: PDF
Chapter 3: PDF
You can follow author Paul S. Kemp:
Twitter: @Paulskemp
On the Web: http://paulskemp.com/
Paul S. Kemp's Deceived, Chapter 2 released on Starwars.com
In what looks like a new marketing trend from Lucasbooks, we have another book excerpt released in anticipation of the novel itself.
Paul S. Kemp author of Crosscurrent, has a new book that is a tie in to the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, the book is titled Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived and focuses on the Sith Lord Darth Malgus.
The book is due to be released March 22, 2011.
Check back to the blog for a Preview Review of Chapter 2 tomorrow...
Deceived Excerpt
Massively has a spoiler free review of SWTOR: Deceived by Paul S. Kemp
Larry Everett of the Website: Massively by joystiq has an advance review copy of Paul S. Kemp's new Star Wars novel, The Old Republic: Deceived.
Blurb from review:
Deceived explores the effects the destruction of the Jedi temple and the Sacking of Coruscant has on three individuals: Darth Malgus, Aryn Leneer, and Zeerid Korr. Darth Malgus, as I mentioned, was the Sith Lord who led the attack on the Jedi Temple. Aryn Leneer was a Jedi Knight and former apprentice to Master Ven Zallow. Zeerid Korr was a reluctant Smuggler who has a history with Aryn. Although the Sacking of Coruscant eventually brings them together, there is a stronger connection between the trio: love. Now, I don't want you to get all mushy at this point. The book is not a romance novel -- far from it. The English word love is far too limited. Right at the front of the novel, we learn that each one of these characters is in love (with other people).Deceived will be released March 22, 2011 and is available now for pre-order on Amazon.com. To go directly to the Amazon product page for this book or any soon to be released book click on that book in the Release schedule sidebar on this site and the magic of the interweb will take care of the rest.
After Crosscurrent I really look forward to reading this book. Paul S. Kemp is good.
New Short Story by Paul S. Kemp announced...
Turned in a draft of a shorty short story to appear in Star Wars Insider. It stars Darth Malgus and is set before the events of DECEIVED.
Darth Malgus from the cover of Deceived:
http://twitter.com/#!/PaulskempHot on the heels of the unveiling of the cover to Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance is this first look at another hardcover set in the time of the eagerly anticipated video game in development by LucasArts and BioWare. In Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived, readers will learn more about Darth Malgus, the Sith Lord who brought down the Jedi Temple. Star Wars fans first experienced the devastating might of Darth Malgus in last year's epic cinematic trailer to Star Wars: The Old Republic which depicted the Sacking of Coruscant. Readers will learn more about the man behind the mask in this novel by author Paul S. Kemp.
Deceived tells the story of Darth Malgus and gives fascinating insight into his rise to fame and glory as the Sith Lord who destroyed the Jedi Temple. This stunning narrative finds the dark hero battling a veteran Jedi Master, setting the stage for the affairs and betrayals surrounding the last battle of the Great War before the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant.
Deceived is written by Paul S. Kemp with the BioWare and LucasArts teams' full cooperation and creative consultation to bring an accurate account of the explosive incident and the ruthless man behind it.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived is due out in hardcover on December 28, 2010. You can pre-order it today from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders.
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