Stackpole keeps writing the same novels over and over again, just in different settings. I tried to read "Rogue Squadron", but had to put the first book down when I found myself saying, "That's Victor. That's Kai. That's Phelan..." Also, he had the unfortunate habit of taking other characters written by other writers (Marthe Pryde and Elias Crichell) comes to mind and making them subordinate to the "coolness" of his characters.
Aw, really? That's a bummer. I've not read them, but I had understood that his SW work was better done. Pity.
beachhead1985 get over the Stackpole thing man some like his work some don't,
at lest give the OP some help or start new topic saying I hate Stackpole
He already said he got what he needed. 11th post from the top, I think?
And hey; I know it, man. My best friend loves the Warrior Trilogy and you should see some of the very real crap I've read and enjoyed. I enjoyed much of Stackpole's work; but admittedly I love BT, even when its written badly. I'm a guy who read all ten (!) books in Craig Sargent's "Last Ranger" series and enjoyed the BT Cartoon, as an example of my high standards of entertainment.
After that any of Stackpole's work looks like gold. And like it or not it set the tone for most of the other novels. There are good reasons for that.
But it doesn't age well at all and the more you read, the more you notice the shortcomings and Kai is a perfect example to bring us back on topic.
What an incredibly cool concept for a character and taken in isolation; how original. Son of a man who was great in many dimensions and a penultimate warrior. He's not the statesman and spymaster his father was, nor as astute as his mother; but incredible skills as a fighter and yet he wallows in self-doubt and his veneer of confidence is so easily shattered outside his element. That's a compelling character right there. Doesn't even matter that most of the time he's not that well-spoken; fine he's human, I call that a character trait.
But that's taken in isolation. I have read every BT novel, pre-dark age. I have read every Stackpole BT story save the one so far released for the HBS game and the one from the special edition of one of the rule books. Many, even most of his characters are like that. He made these guys and even carrying through the basic personality, I can honestly say that other writers do his characters better. I'm not exaggerating when I say this.
Compare the behaviour side by side of Morgan Kell, Patrick Kell, Victor SD, Kai, Phelan and others. You see it over and over and it's boring. Imagine if 70% of the stable of warner bros characters were different flavours of yahoos trying to kill the rest with guns; like Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam.
I think one of the best things to come from Kai has to be David Lear; whose character is logically developed and interesting. Which says a lot for an avowed pacifist in a series about SF warfare. His mom is a caricature though.
