Star Wars Legends Fan Group discussion

Specs
- Time set in: 2ABY
- 297 pages
- Published in: 1978
- Fun Fact: This is the first Star Wars Legends book.
About:
This is from starwars.famdom.com aka Wookiepedia
As a young but already seasoned fighter pilot, Luke Skywalker expected trouble when he volunteered to accompany Princess Leia on a diplomatic mission to Circarpous to enlist their Rebel Underground in the battle against the Empire. But the former farm boy from Tatooine hadn't counted on an unscheduled crash-landing in the swamplands of Mimban…a landing that destroyed their ships. Nor had he counted on any of the things they would find on that strange planet.

First, unknown to anyone, a secret base of Imperial Stormtroopers was thriving on Mimban. As if that weren't trouble enough, there was the Kaiburr crystal, a mysterious gem that would give the one who possessed it such powers over the Force that he would be all but invincible. In the wrong hands, the crystal could be deadly.

So Luke had to find the Kaiburr crystal, and find it fast.

Accompanied by Artoo Detoo and See Threepio—his two faithful 'droids—Luke and the Princess set out for the Temple of Pomojema and for a desperate confrontation deep beneath the surface of an alien world with the most fearsome villain in the galaxy!
Here is the thread for Splinter of the Mind's Eye.
Update(12/29/2020): This is now the only thread for Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster. It used to have extra threads, but now it is just in this thread. Thank you and may the Force be with you.

I have been busy, so have not been able to read Splinter of the Mind's Eye yet.

couldn't find a used copy yet at the local bookstores so waiting for one to arrive in the mail. hopefully will catch up next week!

I read the book earlier this year and it is still fresh in my mind. Chapter One starts beautifully, I think. It was really wonderful of Foster to refer back to the climactic scene on the Deathstar between Vader and Kenobi. He established his credentials to be writing the book with the reader this way.

I also liked how he let us know the book was going to be centering on only two characters from the movie: Luke and Leia.

If there was a weakness to the chapter it would be that there was not enough dialog, too much rumination. Still, Foster sets up a crisis situation beautifully and quickly right here in the opening chapter.

While, today I finally found the time to read some of SoTME
What Happens
(view spoiler)[Luke & Leia crash on Minban, while trying to get to a meeting to convince worlds to join the Rebellion. (hide spoiler)]
No Luke/Leia shipping yet((view spoiler)[There is a bit in Chapter 2 (hide spoiler)])
Some details were off, but as the first Legends book, I can forgive that. I might even be able to forgive Luke & Leia as a couple. Referring to Ben/Obi-Wan Kenobi was a good idea.

I finally received my paperback in the mail - it's an old 1988 edition with yellowed paper and very little wear on the cover / edges. I haven't started reading yet, but immediately noticed the short length (under 250 pages). This will be a fast read!

And what's this about this story being the first Legends book?

Melina wrote: "I finally received my paperback in the mail - it's an old 1988 edition with yellowed paper and very little wear on the cover / edges. I haven't started reading yet, but immediately noticed the shor..."

It is set and written before ESB.

have yet to acquire a copy of this book.

Rebecca wrote: "have yet to acquire a copy of this book." Try thriftbooks.com

thanks for the suggestion.

For the best price every time every book, try the metasearch engine: bookfinder.com.

By the way, more and more often I am seeing British bookseller Blackwell show up as the lowest price on the new book side (the left one) for many books, this one included. I tried them out recently. They really do sell you the book at that price because there's no tax added for U.S. customers. Most of the other sites will add tax on to the shown price. The book I ordered arrived eight days later in brand new, mint condition from Britain. It was a beautiful book. I recommend them for this book too, just $7.20, if you plan to keep it as part of a Star Wars section of your library. I'd definitely use Blackwell again!

Nice, I’ll check out that resource as well! The edition I found on Thriftbooks arrived in Like New condition as described for $6. Granted, it’s from 1988 so the paper has yellowed but I liked the cover design of this edition.

I always appreciate tips on good book resellers! I also have a few used bookstores here in Chicago, but their SW selections are meh... once in a while I find a good and clean edition and snatch it up!

The discussion for Chapter 2 was originally posted in a separate thread. You can read it here.

From now on this is the place to discuss the whole book.

I am going to join you. We don't have any new books ready for January group read so I as well might jump in and delve into Splinter of the Mind's Eye.

Not a book I would have chosen myself because I wasn't blown away by Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the first Star Wars movie. I hope he'll do better with original material.

Zuzana wrote: "I am going to join you. We don't have any new books ready for January group read so I as well might jump in and delve into Splinter of the Mind's Eye.

Not a book I would have chosen m..."

I had one other member vote in my 1st round for GR #1. Two books in round two, the other was Ambush at Corellia by Roger MacBride Allen, I think. That's why it was picked.

Zuzana wrote: "Not a book I would have chosen myself because I wasn't blown away by Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the first Star Wars movie. I hope he'll do better with original material."

Ruh roh! I think you're headed for disappointment then. I was fairly impressed with Foster's novelization. Splinter was the book that let me down. It starts strongly enough, but major parts of the last two thirds denigrates into silliness by my standards.

Dan wrote: "Zuzana wrote: "Not a book I would have chosen myself because I wasn't blown away by Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the first Star Wars movie. I hope he'll do better with original material."

Ru..."

The reason why I added it was (view spoiler)[I think it is the only book before RoTJ with Leia using a lightsaber. (hide spoiler)]

I'm not blaming you, Akindle. And I get that the book won the poll. I was just remarking on not having a positive experience with Foster's other SW book. That's all.

Anyway I've just started reading. Oh boy, I have thoughts... Will post later in the week.

She must have got to Chapter 3. I was sort of hoping for an all male group reading this book. There's something in Chapter 3 ladies might not go for.

Agreed on chapter 3 and similar thoughts on later chapters. Considering when this book was written (late 70s), the scene in that chapter didn't shock me, but felt out of place with the characters as we know them today. I suppose that's my biggest problem with this book... you have to suspend all knowledge of any movies or stories that happen after A New Hope otherwise this book feels like it happens in an alternate universe.

I can well imagine to someone steeped in Star Wars lore that this book would pose a problem. It must be hard to transport oneself back to 1978 when only one film has come out to begin anything. What the universe will come to be has yet to be established. Lucas is two years from releasing his sequel, and if he knows what direction he wants to take things yet he isn't sharing. The only other contributor to anything Star Wars is the Marvel Comics series which began last year, actually preceding the film's release date its first couple issues, and which in any event just followed the film slavishly for the first six issues. Foster may not read comics to notice or care what direction Roy Thomas went in with issue #7 (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star...!).

So Foster could go in any direction he wanted. What surprises me about his choices was ... why did he only use two characters (and Darth Vader to a limited extent)? But then I realize he has R2-D2 and C-3PO in this story with Luke and Leia, sort of. It's strange how they fade out at times and we the reader don't notice. The only characters truly left out then are Han Solo and wookie. Maybe Foster didn't write about them because they're the ones Thomas focused on for Star Wars #7. Or, more likely, it was because Brian Daley was doing something with them, and Foster received instructions not to use them in his book so that he wouldn't mess up Daley's continuity.

In any event, we alive in 1978 were thrilled to see Foster's entry. Aside from Marvel, it was the only game in town.

Dan wrote: "I can well imagine to someone steeped in Star Wars lore that this book would pose a problem. It must be hard to transport oneself back to 1978 when only one film has come out to begin anything. Wha..."

They didn't use Han+Chewbacca because it was unknown if they would return to film splinter of the mind's eye as a movie. Remember, this was supposed to be the low-budget sequel. Luckly, we got Star Wars, Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.

Dan wrote: "She must have got to Chapter 3. I was sort of hoping for an all male group reading this book. There's something in Chapter 3 ladies might not go for."

My thoughts after chapter 5.

If you're talking about (view spoiler)[the slap (hide spoiler)] then you're mistaken, Dan. I thought that Luke's fast thinking saved the day here (at least for a very short time).

What gets me is how out of character Leia is. Foster seemingly embraced all her less appealing qualities and mixed them with foolishness and stupidity.

To me canon Leia is annoying and bossy at times but also cunning and intelligent when it counts. Foster made her foolhardy and physicaly brave but intellectually vacant. So far Luke had to make all the thinking for her and it really bothers me.

Melina wrote: "... you have to suspend all knowledge of any movies or stories that happen after A New Hope otherwise this book feels like it happens in an alternate universe."

Let's pretend that only pieces of Star Wars that exist are the first movie and this book. The book is still bad.

These are some of my notes:

One-dimensional bad guys. Not to mention that they have to be fat/ugly in case we didn't get by their actions that they're evil.

Do we really need two (view spoiler)[different species of hostile alien beasts attacking MCs (hide spoiler)] in different parts of the book?

Pathetic and/or primitive alien lifeforms. Yeah, I know tropes sometimes work, but still...

The sole point of the Kaiburr Crystal is to solve the problem at the end of the book. (view spoiler)[Do we need a way to ressurect the main characters? (hide spoiler)] Coincidentally, that's one of the magical properties of the MacGuffin.

Occasional flowery language: "sepulchral moans", "stygian blackness", "leprous lily", Leia described as a "she-falcon flying for her prey-perch", "the shaft of azure destruction" (= lightsaber). Why?

Not to mention: "Moistly parted in sleep, her lips seemed to beckon to him," - Let's not open this can of worms.

Self-proclaimed "Untutored country boy" (Luke): "It takes many thousands of years of advanced technological development for society to reduce honor to an abstract moral truism devoid of real meaning."

How come that a moisture farmer raised on a desert planet can swim? When and where did he learn that? Tatooine cities didn't look like they have public swimming pools.

Leia alternates between G.I. Jane and a damsel in distress.

Luke is ALWAYS coming up with the plan. Leia just tags along.

Leia became involved with the Rebellion because (view spoiler)[the art under the Empire was unimaginative and she was bored by it (hide spoiler)]

Luke recalling Ben Kenobi "laboriously teaching him the techniques of saber and Force" - When did this happen? Ben introduced him to the existence of the Force and maybe tought him how to hold a lightsaber.

Vader's lightsaber is BLUE.

In/convenient holes in the ground are in/convenient - why twice again?


I have some positive notes if anybody is interested. But not many. :)
The biggest positive: I am way more grateful that we got The Empire Strikes Back instead. :D

Zuzana, I am so thankful for your notes! Thanks for taking the time and writing them down, I feel warned about this book now. :D

Ines, I didn't mean to deter you from picking up the book. :D Yea, IMO it is badly written but it is also interesting. If only to see what could have been. And I admit it's fun to look for inconsistencies within the lore (something that's not Foster's fault).

Anyway, I wouldn't recommend the book to EU novices - it could make them bail on SW reading altogether.

Don't worry, you didn't convince me to never read the book. It just dropped a little (okay, a lot) on my Star Wars tbr list, because I usually prefer to read books I am fairly sure I will like. Anything else is just a waste of time for me. And I hate some of the tropes you mentioned above with a fiery passion.

Ines wrote: "I usually prefer to read books I am fairly sure I will like."

Don't we all? Unless I am in the mood for hate-reading something that's so agressively bad that it's funny. Or a book that's really influential (some of the classics) and/or exploring interesting concepts.

If you hate those tropes then I am happy I helped you dodge the bullet, Ines. What's your next SW read now it's definitely not Splinter of the Mind's Eye?

I'm rereading the X-Wing series at the moment, and since the Heir to the Empire trilogy is set inbetween those books, I will probably reread those as well. I'm curious how I like them now compared to teenage Ines' opinion. :D

You can vote for Heir to the Empire in our February Group Read poll.

Splinter of the Mind's Eye was one of the first EU books that I read in high school in the 90s. It was during the resurgence of Star Wars thanks in part to the THX and Special Edition releases of the original trilogy, that I became a huge SW fan and I started reading every EU book that I could find.

I thought it was a great book and did a nice job adding lore to the SW universe. When I first read it though, I was confused in regards to aspects of the story but then I had to remind myself that the book was written before Empire and so aspects of the story no longer made any sense.

I've owned the book for 24 years and will still pick it up and read it just for the sake of a story that isn't bogged down with the convoluted EU history that so many later books have to contend with.

With that said, I think the book could be adapted for either a CGI movie or CGI series (in the style of Clone Wars) but rather than take place after A New Hope, it could be moved to after ROTJ with Luke seeking out the crystal as part of his journey in rebuilding the Jedi Order.

I am glad there are people out there who genuinely like the book. I just couldn't. I quite liked the beginning - the first three chapters were an interesting starting point for what could have been a fun action packed story but after that it just went downhill. /see my notes above/

If it was supposed to be just a fun action ride why did the author repeat some of the action plot twists? (view spoiler)[Saved by the hole in the ground - twice, Indigenous fauna attacks - twice = surprise monster attacks in the forrest and in the temple (hide spoiler)]. Dull & unimaginative.

Maybe this 70s pulp was just too pulpy for me. ;)

Emporer2 wrote: "With that said, I think the book could be adapted for either a CGI movie or CGI series (in the style of Clone Wars) but rather than take place after A New Hope, it could be moved to after ROTJ with Luke seeking out the crystal as part of his journey in rebuilding the Jedi Order."

I agree but only if they give the material to a good author and give him/her a free reign to change anything and everything wonky in the story.

What I liked about the book was Luke. I think that Foster really got him. He balanced his (extreme) naivety and bravery and made him really likeable.

There were two scenes though that called for a worldly cunning hero ala Han. And Foster decided to give Luke a quick temporary Han personality transplant. It was in the third chapter (view spoiler)[ The slap was something that Han would totally do. (hide spoiler)] And during the interrogation scene. I didn't believe one moment that Luke was capable of such (view spoiler)[quick-witted convincing lying complete with fake tears (hide spoiler)]. If done by Han - again I would totally buy that.

I agree with you, Zuzana. The first three chapters were a good start, but chapter 4 when they were arrested on got too silly for me. I felt like Foster sort of had another writing project going on maybe and he perhaps came to this book after having worked on his real writing, a bit tired, and just wanting to get words on a page.

For example, Leia's ticked off at one of the people arresting her. So to put him in his place the best she can come up with is (p. 86) "How would you like to bury yourself under four feet of mud for about an hour?" the Princess snapped.

[Princess should not be capitalized, but I nitpick. Snappy, witty dialog this is not.]

"I wouldn't," admitted the sergeant calmly. "How would you like your pretty tongue burnt out with a low-power blaster?"

Leia subsided.

[At least the sergeant was humane enough to offer to use a low-power blaster. It makes me wonder if there are a lot of these around. I know when I use a blaster, I certainly prefer the low-power ones. These make just a little pfzztt instead of the usual boom.]

I wonder what story restrictions Foster got from Lucas apart from one planet location and no Han and Chewie.

I agree Don, it's not exactly a witty dialogue. But I don't think Foster believed Leia to be very bright. What got me was her "Who do you think I am?" which again was repeated in different scenes.

And that low-power blaster? A failed attempt at techno-babble? Maybe?

I've come across this YouTube video of Alan Dean Foster talking Star Wars.

On Sunday, 2013-04-21, Prescott-based science fiction legend and flagship 5enses columnist Alan Dean Foster talked about "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" as part of the Prescott Film Festival's Sci-Fi Mini-Fest at Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz.

It's divided into 5 parts. Parts 1 & 2 are about Foster's involvement in the Star Wars franchise. If you have 25 minutes to spare it's totally worth watching.

Part 1: https://youtu.be/pVMqQSDXpGw
Part 2: https://youtu.be/RJxeGrlz6l0

He talks about meeting George Lucas, writing A New Hope novelization & Splinter of the mind's eye, royalties, etc. He seems like a cool guy.

I was surprised to learn about the Splinter of the Mind's Eye cover art by Ralph McQuarrie. The reason that Luke and Leia are painted from behind is because at the time they didn't have rights to use Mark's and Carrie's likeness.

Zuzana wrote: "I wonder what story restrictions Foster got from Lucas apart from one planet location and no Han and Chewie."

I wonder why Foster was not allowed to use Han and Chewbacca. Brian Daley used them exclusively in a trilogy the following year. Han Solo at Star's End: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, the first of that trilogy, is what I am currently reading. So far it's better than I expected.

Dan wrote: "Zuzana wrote: "I wonder what story restrictions Foster got from Lucas apart from one planet location and no Han and Chewie."

I wonder why Foster was not allowed to use Han and Chewbacca. [author:B..."
He wasn’t allowed to use Han and Chewie because they hadn’t signed on for any extra films beside ANH.

Akindle wrote: "Dan wrote: "Zuzana wrote: "I wonder what story restrictions Foster got from Lucas apart from one planet location and no Han and Chewie."

I wonder why Foster was not allowed to use Han and Chewbacc..."

Ah, right. And Foster was writing what would possibly become an actual movie sequel. Whereas Daley was under no such illusion.

Dan wrote: "Ah, right. And Foster was writing what would possibly become an actual movie sequel. Whereas Daley was under no such illusion."

According to the video, Foster really liked working with George Lucas because he was free to take the plot and the characters whichever way he wanted. Lucas gave him almost complete creative freedom. The only restrictions were no Han (because of Harrison Ford) and no extravagant action scenes or backgrounds because the movie had to be low-budget.

So he could have used Chewbacca if he wanted but he decided not to (and IMO he was right - Chewie without Han makes no sense).

When Foster finished the book George Lucas wanted only one change. He asked Foster to take out the first chapter because in the original version of the book there was a "fairly complex battle in space which is what forced Luke and Leia down to the planet". He cut the battle and the rest stayed.

Foster said that Lucas all on his own gave him 0.5% loyalty on the novelization of A New Hope - Foster didn't ask for it and Lucas didn't have to make that offer. Foster said it was very sweet of Lucas to do that.

What I like about the story was getting to see Luke and Leia's relationship. I know it was written before Empire strikes back but watching their interactions really left a sibling impression to me. Leia being the headstrong bossy one with Luke following along or pulling her back when he needs to. It felt like makeup for the time they spent apart.

Jerdan_girl wrote: "What I like about the story was getting to see Luke and Leia's relationship. I know it was written before Empire strikes back but watching their interactions really left a sibling impression to me."

I think that you can interpret Leia's feelings that way. She likes Luke, maybe she's not sure why or how deep those feelings are. She also likes to boss him around. Just like any elder sister would. ;)
But you can't deceive yourself about what Luke feels in this book. He's hot and bothered. It's too blatant to explain as anything other than sexual attraction.

Again, I don't blaim Foster for that. He couldn't have known they were siblings because at the time not even George Lucas knew.

Well, we haven't talked about Alan Dean Foster's trouble with Disney yet. It's about Disney refusing to pay him royalties for his Star Wars books. So I believe it's at least partially on topic.

If you're interested and want to know what happened check out the article on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America site. It contains Alan Dean Foster's letter to Disney and a message from Mary Robinette Kowal, the president of SFWA and a successfull author herself.

link to the article: #DisneyMustPay Alan Dean Foster

This happened in November 2020 and I couldn't find any news indicating that the issue has been resolved.

Disney should so pay ADF!

Disney needs to pay ADF!

Yep.

Update on ADF's trouble with Disney not paying him royalties.

It seems according to his personal blog that things are looking up.

"I still cannot make a formal pronouncement in re the royalties situation with Disney except to say, again, that a formal statement will still be forthcoming. I can add that progress continues to be made toward a mutually satisfactory resolution."

source: https://www.alandeanfoster.com/versio...