But somehow there Mara is, training Jaina. We can only hope that this is all some part of a large plotline where Mara is just fooling everyone all along, where she tries to turn Jaina (or maybe if Luke and Mara have a kid together, the child) to the Dark Side and Luke has to take her out "For The Good Of The Galaxy." But we know that's just wishful thinking.

And here we are--stuck with a character we don't care for who is going to be an integral part of any future books. We, who once awaited each Star Wars novel with breathless anticipation, are leery of Salvatore's new release. We won't buy it in hard cover. We will find someone to borrow it from so as not to waste money on something we will most probably be throwing down in anger after 80 pages. We fear this one character will ruin our enjoyment of what looks to be a promising story arc. We, who were really looking forward to the DelRey reign as a golden era where the books had cohesion, are now finding new subjects in which to find interest (hey, doesn't that new Lord of the Rings trilogy look promising?). The only way we could possibly sit down to read these books is by trying to exorcise our demons.

Hence you have this Web site.

Come, all of you Mara Haters, and read the comments of your brethren. Add your own. Share your artwork, your poems, your short stories, anything that will help settle your uneasy hearts. And watch as the Mara Lovers come here and yell at us, then rejoice in our tearing them a new butthole. And if someone wants to have an intelligent conversation about all of this, we'd love to hear it, pro or con.

Let the games begin.