Black Spire Part 2

[colls]

Welcome to our second of four check-in and discussion posts for our Book of the Month.

This month’s book is Black Spire (Galaxy's Edge #2) by Delilah S. Dawson
Chapters 11-21

Black Spire

1. Are there any characters that stand out to you as interesting? Who do you hope we learn more about?

2. What other ways could Vi's "quest" (ie. the search for the artifact and all the booby traps) gone differently?

3. What do you think of BSO and its inhabitants?

4. Any predictions?




FYI - There's no need to answer all (or any) of the questions above - they're just talking points to get us started. Informal chatter is more than welcome! In-person book clubs often veer off-topic, it's okay if we do as well. :)
All I ask is that you try to avoid spoilers for things past Part 2 of the book.

Comments

[brokenmnemonic]

1. It feels like we're getting into the "recruit the characters who will become your chooseable companions" stage of the computer game, so I'm expecting the cast to expand rapidly. Although at the moment, I'm most interested in learning about the junkyard owner and the force-sensitive members of their team. I'm wondering if they're partly a game tie-in, as in giving everyone a chance to have a force-sensitive companion if they aren't playing some variation of potential Jedi in training.

2. I liked Vi's "quest" for showing us both how careful and experienced she is about this, but also glimpses of what the nature of the previous inhabitants were, and why the other hunters were unsuccesful. Being hunted by the Imperials felt like more of a distraction than anything else... although this is a section where having each room have a trap or puzzle felt a lot like a dungeon quest, even if there weren'tthat many monsters. I think what I liked most was the way she survived being poisoned and turned that to her advantage, but this did feel a little bit like watching the section of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where he's trying to get the grail out of the tomb.

3. It was good to start getting a look at the BSO's equivalent of Boba Fett (sans Rancor) and some of their senior henchbeings, and starting to slowly meet other shopkeepers. I'm a little intrigued as to the different groups interested in ancient artifacts, and their reasons for it, but it does also feel as if it's a game mechanic whereby players can pick up good, neutral and evil faction points when trading in their quest loot...

4. It still feels like Archex doesn't really have a lot to do - he's been in this first half of the book, but at the same time, it's been half the book now and it feels like he's still not really had anything to do. So, I'm going to predict that he has a more active role to play in the second half, and hope it comes true...

[colls]

I'm hoping Archex has more in the back half of the book as well - but am also okay with it being all about Vi.

I have been reading and enjoying this quite a bit. I feel I haven't had as much time to comment this month (apologies for that!)

[brokenmnemonic]

I think part of the reason I'm disappointed Archex hasn't had much to do is that it feels like we're not getting the chance to have the story dig into his history with Vi and how their interactions now are shaped by that. I want something like them having to conduct a heist together or do something that explores what happens when they have to rely on each other...

I'm definitely enjoying the book in general, though. The second week in I wanted to keep reading well past the end point for that week ;)

[barbiejedi]

1. It feels like we're getting into the "recruit the characters who will become your chooseable companions" stage of the computer game,

I absolutely felt that as well-- and I also feel like we don't get to spend as much page/POV time with the new recruits as I would like to really flesh them out. Right now they almost feel like those pre-rolled characters you find in Getting Started boxes of a tabletop RPG. The Farm Boy, The Junker, etc.


4. It still feels like Archex doesn't really have a lot to do
Also feeling this. I want him to be a bigger part of it, but I also wonder if he's not because he got to be a bigger part in Phasma? It's really driving me to want to dive into that book (again?) as soon as I'm done with this one.

[barbiejedi]

Sorry for posting so late, we just got back from a big family trip and I didn't have time to finish all of this week's reading before we left.

1. I want more about Archex! I feel like he's a decently complex character, but we don't really get to spend much time with him because his injuries mean that he can't keep up with Vi, and the narrative sticks with her instead. And the reveal that Vi is ace, while awesome for representation, I'm sure broke all kinds of shipper hearts. The more I read the more I want to see them as platonic BFFs running a rebel cell together.

Dolin and his grandmother are a whole small-town MOOD. It's all stuff I've heard about myself or others, and I like the kid a lot. He seems like he has a good heart.

2. Since she's working for Savi, I honestly expected the artifact to be a kyber crystal or holocron or something that she would find literally inside the black spire that the outpost is named after. The description of going through the the trapped rooms and looting the bodies for supplies reminded me of a classic video game dungeon crawl, or like the Korriban levels in the old KOTOR games. I wonder if the necklace is going to come back into play in the last part of the novel, or if it's one of those references to something you can actually see in the park.

3. They're feeling very honest and fleshed out at this point, I think. I keep wondering how much of this can actually be seen at the parks (cast members playing locals in the same archetype if not the exact characters) vs how much is exclusive to the book. It's also REALLY making me want to replay the Batuu expansion in The Sims 4-- I tend to send a Sim there and cheat my way into status with the factions to unlock clothes and lightsabers rather than paying attention to the quests and environments.

4. Love that everyone Kath interacts with at BSO treats him like a tiresome baby. It's more than he deserves, but it also seems to make him less threatening, because very few people seem to take him seriously? He comes off as the most classic Evil Bad Guy trope, but also like he's being made fun of all the time? I'm wondering if he's also from Phasma-- I have GOT to go back and reread that when I'm done with this one.


In Chapter 16, there was an instance where Vi thinks "screw it" right before she rushes in and grabs the necklace, and I found it kind of refreshing that that was the term that was used, rather than the Star Wars standards of "kriff it" etc. Sometimes I get really worn out on Star Wars™ Brand Curses Words.

[colls]

Yes - I love that the author also confirmed that Vi is ace! And I am 100% here for all the BFF'ery - especially because Vi and Archex have such a rocky history.


Sometimes I get really worn out on Star Wars™ Brand Curses Words.
I agree. The term 'kriff it' just doesn't roll off the tongue (or in the brain) very well. Although I do admit that it's slightly more original than Farscape's frell or Battlestar Galactica's frak.