   1e0nidas
2006-04-03 . chapter 1"Lightheaded" was one of the first Star Wars fan-fiction stories I ever read, it is as much fun to read now as when I first found it. The back and forth jealousy between Luke and Mara, and their prominent places within the popular consciousness of the Star Wars galaxy public provides for a fast moving but thorough story that is impossible to stop once started. The idea of Luke introducing the twins to the evils of excessive eating prior to roller coasters is delicious (no pun intended). In terms of the style of the writing, the story paints vivid scenes that allow them readers to see the people and places involved, without bogging down the story or robbing the dialogue of its warmth and wit. It is this last part that truly makes this story, and its sequel, a pleasure to read. The short, sharp banter between Luke and Mara fits in well with the characters that Timothy Zhan created, and, in particular, feels consitent with the development that occurs during the "Hand of Thrawn" duology and "Survivor's Quest." They don't endlessly monalogue with one another, which helps maintain the light and lively tempo of this story.
This is, of course, an AU, but one that does not stray too far outside the EU; after all Luke and Mara did, finally, fall in love and get married, this story simply changes the time, manner, place, and pace (see that's not too much). The Mara here is not consistent with all of the EU representations of her, but frankly not all of the EU representations of Mara are consistent with each other. The general depiction of Mara as the more skittish of the two seems in keeping with what one expect of Zahn's redheaded ex-assassin. My taste tends to run towards Mara impulsively starting and attempting to stop relationships with Luke, while Luke simply grows more and more attached to Mara, wearing her down bit by bit. There are number of ways to approach this, but I find the idea of their "bet" to be a favorite device of mine. For those who enjoy Leia meddling in Luke's life, this one provides less than some stories, but enough to keep the reader interested.
Ironically, the edited version of "Lightheaded" is tolerable until one reads "Dry Cleaning." The sequel is, if possible, even more fun to follow and adds to the later parts of "Lightheaded." Unfortunately it also teases readers with glimpses of Luke and Mara. The unedited version is, if nothing else, a less frustrating read. It isn't necessary to have the unedited version to follow the story and appreciate the writing, but it can be a bit irritating to know it is out there. Once again, edited or unedited this is a fun, fast paced story, laced with wit and building mushiness. The unedited version is longer, and therefore by definition better (the quality of the writing is consistent throughout), but it is possible appreciate the story edited, I know I did for several months before I broke down and sent a PM. |
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