Week 3 - Chapters 11-15 Discussion

[Buffy Summers]

So now we're getting into the real story. What do you think of the different threads of the story?

 

[Taake]

I’m enjoying this. The author seems to get the characters voices as the story goes on, and the story is chugging along at a nice pace. Jayne is a bull in a china shop again…

Simon is a dumb dumb… Yeah, Kaylee is so mysterious, whatever could she be trying to say in code 🙄 lol

Nice getting Books pov. We didn’t spend that much time with him on the show and I do love him. I hate whenever someone hits him though.

YoSaffBridge felt a bit fanfic-y, but not sure what else to call her. I did pause for a second when Mal thought of his ”ex-wife”.

I like that there is multiple threads going, feels like an episode where they all kind of need to deal with different shit and get back together/rescue one of them in the end.

I also like the idea of disgruntled Browncoats feeling like their leaders gave up too easy. Feels real. They’re as bitter and disappointed as Mal, only their hatred is aimed at the likes of him rather than the Alliance. Makes sense.

 

[Buffy Summers]

I really enjoyed the focus on Book. The Wash "dinosaurs" callback made me think, "Okay, wrote your own story already!" I am enjoying the reading, and I don't feel anyone is acting egregiously out of character. The only thing that made me scratch my head a bit was why they bothered to take off...only to have to immediately stop so Book could return the shuttle. That just felt like klunky storytelling to me.

 

[Plasma]

Simon is a dumb dumb… Yeah, Kaylee is so mysterious, whatever could she be trying to say in code 🙄 lol

Simon is the biggest dumb dumb in this book. Kaylee basically stopped short of smooching him and he’s so oblivious 😭😭

Sort of related to Simon, but Jayne just being like “you might have to go out in space, like Episode 3 of the hit tv show Firefly” was a tad odd, since I believe sk said earlier that the book was set around the halfway point of the show. “Remember that thing we did months ago? We might have to do that thing we did months ago again.”

I really liked spending time with Book, but this author did him so dirty. Like he has this mysterious past that clearly involves some shadiness, but he seriously falls for the old “pretend to be beaten up so I can steal from you” trick? C’mon…

End of Ch. 15: “Mal was shocked to see someone he recognized. Toby Finn…” I figured this was an established character, but I googled and came up with literally nothing. Maybe the next chapter will reveal more.

It was kind of funny that last week you said they left him too easy, @Buffy Summers , then this week they spend half of a chapter saying “we left him too quickly!” 🤭 Just a funny coincidence.

I like it so far. My only concern is how they’re going to get out of it, since the book will fall a little flat if the captors are just beaten in a fight. Feels more like some sort of moral argument is in their future. I am really curious to see if the one guy hates Mal for saving his life instead of letting him die in battle or something. 🙂

 

[sk]

I don't know if we got a book, or a comic, about Books background or not... but I kinda hope not.
Feels like knowing will only lessen the character not strengthen it.
Enjoyed Books bit in these chapters. He has a great calm about him in the show that I believe also translated pretty good in the book.

End of Ch. 15: “Mal was shocked to see someone he recognized. Toby Finn…” I figured this was an established character, but I googled and came up with literally nothing. Maybe the next chapter will reveal more.

Yeah, that reveal felt a bit awkward. lol
Made like a huge deal and I was like okay..? who is that?

/SK

 

[nightshade]

I don't know if we got a book, or a comic, about Books background or not... but I kinda hope not.

Yes, it's called The Shepherds Tale, graphic novel.

I could read this book completely from Book's pov and be happy.

Hail, Browncoats felt very odd.