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ladypants's review against another edition
Read what I needed to listen to a podcast
clarks_dad's review against another edition
3.0
This is odd because the collection includes not just work by Anderson on the prequel stuff to the originally published Tales of the Jedi, but the work by Tom Veitch as well. Anderson's pieces about Naga Sadow and the background of the Sith people was meant to flesh out Veitch's original work in which the characters are only referenced. The Veitch stuff is much better than Anderson's work, both in imagination and in quality of writing.
Four thousand years before the birth of Luke Skywalker, the galaxy was a different place. There were thousands of Jedi spread across a fledgling Republic and planets of Sith organized in an expansionist Empire that frequently brushed against each other. The philosophies of both sides are not as well fleshed out as what we're used to and a lot of this world reads like a sword and sorcery type of epic where Sith lords wield Dark Side magic and lightsabers had ornate bone-like hilts hooked up to battery packs. What Veitch and company do successfully is re-imagine a more primitive galaxy. Hyperspace lanes have yet to be tamed, worlds are still unknown and it feels like species are just getting to know one another and work out how they're going to live together. Hidden on new worlds are unique cultures with their own traditions of Force use, good and bad, that have yet to be incorporated into a coherent and dogmatic doctrine.
The writing isn't horrific, but is filled with usual comic-ese. Lots of explanation points for sentences that seem more like statements! and the obligatory "Let me explain what I'm doing in my dialogue because the panel isn't exactly clear." This is less a story about empire and epic space opera conquest than it is an adventure story, and enjoyable one at that. It also fills in gaping holes in the EU mythology explaining the back story of famous historical names dropped in other stories and brings them to life.
Four thousand years before the birth of Luke Skywalker, the galaxy was a different place. There were thousands of Jedi spread across a fledgling Republic and planets of Sith organized in an expansionist Empire that frequently brushed against each other. The philosophies of both sides are not as well fleshed out as what we're used to and a lot of this world reads like a sword and sorcery type of epic where Sith lords wield Dark Side magic and lightsabers had ornate bone-like hilts hooked up to battery packs. What Veitch and company do successfully is re-imagine a more primitive galaxy. Hyperspace lanes have yet to be tamed, worlds are still unknown and it feels like species are just getting to know one another and work out how they're going to live together. Hidden on new worlds are unique cultures with their own traditions of Force use, good and bad, that have yet to be incorporated into a coherent and dogmatic doctrine.
The writing isn't horrific, but is filled with usual comic-ese. Lots of explanation points for sentences that seem more like statements! and the obligatory "Let me explain what I'm doing in my dialogue because the panel isn't exactly clear." This is less a story about empire and epic space opera conquest than it is an adventure story, and enjoyable one at that. It also fills in gaping holes in the EU mythology explaining the back story of famous historical names dropped in other stories and brings them to life.
kynan's review against another edition
2.0
I recently rediscovered the Star Wars universe, courtesy of my son, and decided I wanted to know more about the story that came before A New Hope (not the new prequels).
According to http://librarything.com/series/Star+Wars, Tales Of The Jedi was probably a good place to start. Its stories occur 5000ish years before the events depicted in Star Wars AND there was a copy available locally to me :)
Unfortunately, I didn't find what I was looking for. I was going for more Jedi/Sith prehistory than is provided in this volume, which basically states in the first panels of the first story that the dark-side Jedi were banished from local space and, in their wanderings, ultimately discovered the Sith people, whom they promptly enslaved and took the name of. I wanted to know more about what happened before that banishment and the last story in the volume has a tangential reference to the fact that the hyperdrive had been around in the "current" universe for 20,000 years already. 20,000 years! Just for reference, at the time I'm writing this my ancestors of 20,000 years ago were working out that sharp rocks were useful and wondering if there might be something more to life than this whole hunt-and-gather thing.
I didn't have a particular problem with the stories told in this volume, but they didn't grab me either. They were kind of interesting but there didn't appear to be any overarching storyline that we were following (after reading Volume II, turns out there was, but it's a long game we're playing here) and the technology portrayed in the stories, set five thousand years before Star Wars, seemed almost on par with what will come. I think that was the thing I found most annoying. I'm finding it difficult to believe that the universe that spawned the faster than light hyperdrive then proceeded to rest on its laurels for twenty thousand years...it just doesn't make sense.
Anyway, it was OK, I think the final story in the book (3,999 years before Star Wars) was the best and I might try to dig up Dawn of the Jedi which will apparently enlighten me with regard to what harkened in that mysterious 20,000 year ago past.
According to http://librarything.com/series/Star+Wars, Tales Of The Jedi was probably a good place to start. Its stories occur 5000ish years before the events depicted in Star Wars AND there was a copy available locally to me :)
Unfortunately, I didn't find what I was looking for. I was going for more Jedi/Sith prehistory than is provided in this volume, which basically states in the first panels of the first story that the dark-side Jedi were banished from local space and, in their wanderings, ultimately discovered the Sith people, whom they promptly enslaved and took the name of. I wanted to know more about what happened before that banishment and the last story in the volume has a tangential reference to the fact that the hyperdrive had been around in the "current" universe for 20,000 years already. 20,000 years! Just for reference, at the time I'm writing this my ancestors of 20,000 years ago were working out that sharp rocks were useful and wondering if there might be something more to life than this whole hunt-and-gather thing.
I didn't have a particular problem with the stories told in this volume, but they didn't grab me either. They were kind of interesting but there didn't appear to be any overarching storyline that we were following (after reading Volume II, turns out there was, but it's a long game we're playing here) and the technology portrayed in the stories, set five thousand years before Star Wars, seemed almost on par with what will come. I think that was the thing I found most annoying. I'm finding it difficult to believe that the universe that spawned the faster than light hyperdrive then proceeded to rest on its laurels for twenty thousand years...it just doesn't make sense.
Anyway, it was OK, I think the final story in the book (3,999 years before Star Wars) was the best and I might try to dig up Dawn of the Jedi which will apparently enlighten me with regard to what harkened in that mysterious 20,000 year ago past.
nukehavoc's review against another edition
3.0
Volume #1 consists of three stories: The Golden Age of the Sith, Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon, and The Saga of Nomi Sunrider set 3000-4000 years before the Battle of Yavin.
The "Golden Age" is an overwrought story that tells of the invasion of the republic by the Sith empire; the dialogue is stiff, the story jumps unevenly from scene to scene, and the plot twists feel too contrived. Ultimately, they're trying to tell too big of a story in too few pages (even though the war itself consumes 2/3rd of the book). The best parts detail the scheming of the Sith Lords, but unfortunately these conflicts are kludged onto the larger Sith invasion storyline. The whole thing fails as a cohesive story, even though it has entertaining elements.
The Beast Wars of Onderon is a far stronger story, following three Jedi apprentices as they are sent to the world of Onderon to attempt to negotiate an end to its centuries-old conflict between its dominant city state, and the beast lords living outside its walls. I think it works better because it's painting on a smaller canvas, and focusing on the trials of the three apprentices. Good stuff.
The Saga of Nomi Sunrider is an even more intimate story, showing the training of its namesake character at the feet of Jedi Master Thon. Sunrider sees her husband, a Jedi Knight, cut down by thugs, but is urged to take up his mantle by his Force ghost by training with Thon. Over the course of the story she's forced to confront her own fears to save herself, her master and the life of her child.
All in all, the book's worth picking up, particularly for those (like me) who are running Knights of the Old Republic RPG campaigns. "The Golden Age" may be weak, but the other two stories make up for it.
The "Golden Age" is an overwrought story that tells of the invasion of the republic by the Sith empire; the dialogue is stiff, the story jumps unevenly from scene to scene, and the plot twists feel too contrived. Ultimately, they're trying to tell too big of a story in too few pages (even though the war itself consumes 2/3rd of the book). The best parts detail the scheming of the Sith Lords, but unfortunately these conflicts are kludged onto the larger Sith invasion storyline. The whole thing fails as a cohesive story, even though it has entertaining elements.
The Beast Wars of Onderon is a far stronger story, following three Jedi apprentices as they are sent to the world of Onderon to attempt to negotiate an end to its centuries-old conflict between its dominant city state, and the beast lords living outside its walls. I think it works better because it's painting on a smaller canvas, and focusing on the trials of the three apprentices. Good stuff.
The Saga of Nomi Sunrider is an even more intimate story, showing the training of its namesake character at the feet of Jedi Master Thon. Sunrider sees her husband, a Jedi Knight, cut down by thugs, but is urged to take up his mantle by his Force ghost by training with Thon. Over the course of the story she's forced to confront her own fears to save herself, her master and the life of her child.
All in all, the book's worth picking up, particularly for those (like me) who are running Knights of the Old Republic RPG campaigns. "The Golden Age" may be weak, but the other two stories make up for it.
raincorbyn's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
jljaina's review against another edition
4.0
A good collection of some of the original comics from the early 90's. The first story here focus on the Sith empire, led by Naga Sadow against Empress Teta and some of the Republic, with Jori and Gav Daragon caught in the middle. This adventure covers about 1/2 the book. The next part is an introduction to Ulic, Cay and Freedon Nadd. Also included is the introduction to Nomi Sundrider, who is married to a Jedi and sees him murdered before her eyes. She then begins her own training with a Jedi named Thon.
I highly enjoyed these adventures. They originally took place in the following comics: Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith Vol 0-5, Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire Vol 1-5, and Star Wars Tales of the Jedi Vol 1-5. The stories were well done but I was not a huge fan of the artistic style, especially through the stories of Naga Sadow. Overall, the omnibus is a great way to organize the various comics for readers.
I highly enjoyed these adventures. They originally took place in the following comics: Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith Vol 0-5, Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire Vol 1-5, and Star Wars Tales of the Jedi Vol 1-5. The stories were well done but I was not a huge fan of the artistic style, especially through the stories of Naga Sadow. Overall, the omnibus is a great way to organize the various comics for readers.
lmcox's review
4.0
As with all story collections, the quality of the storytelling in these early Star Wars comics is inconsistent. The first story focuses on Gav and Jori Daragon, who stumble upon Naga Sadow's Sigh Empire, and it suffers from weak characters and choppy, stiff writing. The next story, about three Jedi sent to a warring planet influenced by the dark power of Freedon Nadd, is slightly more entertaining for its plot twists but still lacks anything resembling characters. The last story focuses on the Sunrider family, and we finally get some kind of character development alongside a somewhat more subtle (but far from complex) plotline. My absolute favorite thing about this collection is the artwork - it tends toward glossy, but its vibrant colors and spacescapes are all the more beautiful.
kate18's review against another edition
4.0
Ocitáme se 5000 let před bitvou u Yanvinu, předtím než se Skywalker stal legendou útokem na Hvězdu smrti. Ještě předtím než bylo vůbec možné pohodlně cestovat hyperprostorem. V samotném začátku mezigalaktického cestování doprovázíme Jori a Gava, kteří hledají nové hyperprostorové cesty na místa, kde by se mohlo dařit obchodu. Zcela náhodou se dostanou do Sithského Impéria a ovlivní tím život v celé galaxii. Nevědomky přispějí k válce mezi Sithským Impériem a Republikou. Pak sledujeme příběh mladého Jedi Ulica Quel-Dromy, který se svými přáteli dostane úkol od svého mistra. Odletí spolu na vzdálenou planetu, kde není nic takové jako se na první pohled zdá. Navíc je zde přítomná Temná síla. Nakonec se seznámíme s Nomi Sunrider, která se má stát Jedi, ale ještě o tom neví a není zcela přesvědčená, že by Jedi být měla. Dojde ale k událostem, které změní její pohled.
Je zajímavé podívat se zpátky do minulosti na to, jak v minulosti žili a bojovali rytíři Jedi.
Je zajímavé podívat se zpátky do minulosti na to, jak v minulosti žili a bojovali rytíři Jedi.
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