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crack_van2006-06-20 12:13 am
rynne.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2006-06-20 12:13 am
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"The Skywalker Prophecy trilogy" by Darth-Lex (PG)
Fandom: STAR WARS: ORIGINAL TRILOGY
Pairing: Anakin/Padme, Han/Leia, Luke/Mara, OC/OC
Author on LJ: No LJ, as far as I know
Author Website: ff.net profile and JC forums profile
Why this must be read: The "Skywalker Prophecy" trilogy is a complicated AU with a simple premise: Anakin doesn't turn to the Dark Side. Normally that's not something I'm at all fond of, since it has a tendency to destroy the original trilogy, which I love, but this AU is unique and exceptionable in that it doesn't. The three fics, "A Destiny Renewed", "Hope and Darkness", and "The Paths of Fate", have events that correspond closely to "A New Hope", "The Empire Strikes Back", and "Return of the Jedi", but while you can recognize what the event is supposed to correspond to, the event is different enough to make things interesting.
I must admit that Luke is my favorite character, and one of the reasons I don't like many "Anakin doesn't turn" AUs is because they tend to idealize Anakin and diminish Luke's importance. This AU doesn't. Anakin is still a very real, very flawed man, though he's definitely grown up from the one we know from the prequels. His life doesn't automatically run smoothly because he didn't turn, and he still makes mistakes in these fics. And while Luke does have to give up some of the "hero" spotlight to Anakin, his role in these fics is really pretty much the same as it is in the movies. And he is still recognizably Luke, despite having grown up in the Jedi Temple rather than on Tatooine, with his parents and siblings rather than his aunt and uncle.
Yes, I said siblings--besides Leia, there are two Skywalker OCs, younger children of Anakin and Padme, but they're very well-crafted OCs, especially Brian, the youngest. They have their own roles to play, and I never felt that they diminished Luke and Leia (which is something I often see with OC Skywalker siblings). There are other OCs, all wonderfully real, as well as characters from the EU, the most prominent of which is Mara Jade. But characterization, along with plot and action, is one of Darth-Lex's specialties, and everyone, no matter how small a part they play, acts like a real person, with their own flaws and virtues.
There is one point that might confuse you: the backstory. These fics were written before the release of "Revenge of the Sith", and the prequel with the backstory that corresponds to the trilogy, called "A Bumpier Road", is an AU based off "Attack of the Clones", and, in my opinion, is not as well-written or well-characterized as the trilogy itself. But recently, Darth-Lex wrote a "Skywalker Prophecy" AU of "Revenge of the Sith", called "The Chosen Future". It is much better written and characterized than "A Bumpier Road" (which I still found an enjoyable read), but, as Darth-Lex acknowledged in an author's note before the beginning of the fic, it creates continuity errors. While the trilogy itself stands on its own (rather like the movies), if you want to read a prequel first, I would suggest "The Chosen Future", and read "A Bumpier Road" if you're confused or have a lot of time on your hands.
Of course, you're going to need a lot of time on your hands--these fics are truly epic, with only the first being less than 100,000 words, and even then, it's not that much shorter. But this AU is amazing, honestly in the spirit of the movies, and I think that anyone who has the time to read these fics will not regret it.
The Skywalker Prophecy Trilogy
Pairing: Anakin/Padme, Han/Leia, Luke/Mara, OC/OC
Author on LJ: No LJ, as far as I know
Author Website: ff.net profile and JC forums profile
Why this must be read: The "Skywalker Prophecy" trilogy is a complicated AU with a simple premise: Anakin doesn't turn to the Dark Side. Normally that's not something I'm at all fond of, since it has a tendency to destroy the original trilogy, which I love, but this AU is unique and exceptionable in that it doesn't. The three fics, "A Destiny Renewed", "Hope and Darkness", and "The Paths of Fate", have events that correspond closely to "A New Hope", "The Empire Strikes Back", and "Return of the Jedi", but while you can recognize what the event is supposed to correspond to, the event is different enough to make things interesting.
I must admit that Luke is my favorite character, and one of the reasons I don't like many "Anakin doesn't turn" AUs is because they tend to idealize Anakin and diminish Luke's importance. This AU doesn't. Anakin is still a very real, very flawed man, though he's definitely grown up from the one we know from the prequels. His life doesn't automatically run smoothly because he didn't turn, and he still makes mistakes in these fics. And while Luke does have to give up some of the "hero" spotlight to Anakin, his role in these fics is really pretty much the same as it is in the movies. And he is still recognizably Luke, despite having grown up in the Jedi Temple rather than on Tatooine, with his parents and siblings rather than his aunt and uncle.
Yes, I said siblings--besides Leia, there are two Skywalker OCs, younger children of Anakin and Padme, but they're very well-crafted OCs, especially Brian, the youngest. They have their own roles to play, and I never felt that they diminished Luke and Leia (which is something I often see with OC Skywalker siblings). There are other OCs, all wonderfully real, as well as characters from the EU, the most prominent of which is Mara Jade. But characterization, along with plot and action, is one of Darth-Lex's specialties, and everyone, no matter how small a part they play, acts like a real person, with their own flaws and virtues.
There is one point that might confuse you: the backstory. These fics were written before the release of "Revenge of the Sith", and the prequel with the backstory that corresponds to the trilogy, called "A Bumpier Road", is an AU based off "Attack of the Clones", and, in my opinion, is not as well-written or well-characterized as the trilogy itself. But recently, Darth-Lex wrote a "Skywalker Prophecy" AU of "Revenge of the Sith", called "The Chosen Future". It is much better written and characterized than "A Bumpier Road" (which I still found an enjoyable read), but, as Darth-Lex acknowledged in an author's note before the beginning of the fic, it creates continuity errors. While the trilogy itself stands on its own (rather like the movies), if you want to read a prequel first, I would suggest "The Chosen Future", and read "A Bumpier Road" if you're confused or have a lot of time on your hands.
Of course, you're going to need a lot of time on your hands--these fics are truly epic, with only the first being less than 100,000 words, and even then, it's not that much shorter. But this AU is amazing, honestly in the spirit of the movies, and I think that anyone who has the time to read these fics will not regret it.
The Skywalker Prophecy Trilogy