

Neil Smith looking at Vader and the Jedi and thinking "okay, weird mystics with magic powers are a thing in this space opera, got it", while later EU books will more or less settle on the Force being the only outright magic thing in the setting. I think I mentioned earlier, these books feel like they were written before the conventions for the EU were set in stone: here, can see L.

(I think later sources retcon Gepta and the Sorcerers of Tund into being yet another obscure sect of Force-users.) But even putting that aside, my recollection is that he's a little too mustache-twirly to come off as genuinely intimidating, but a little too intent on being scary to work as a campy villain.

But, I've enjoyed seeing someone else go through this series.I'm in much the same boat, although I have forgotten much of the books - especially this one, I remembered almost nothing about Flamewind of Oseon except "luxury space resort?" and that turns out to have been a pretty minor aspect of it! But the one thing I recalled from the first book was the big twist, and the next book is the one I remember most of.

I've been quiet commenting, mostly because I'm in the awkward point where I've read the books - so can't theorize - but it's been so long ago I can't really give personal anecdotes of my own experiences.
