Line #15 Creator/MichaelStackpole


1	[[quoteright:251:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_mastacjpole.png]]
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3	[[http://www.stormwolf.com Michael Austin Stackpole]] (born November 27, 1957) is a ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}} author probably best known for his contributions to ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' and the Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse, but who has a number of original novels to his credit, mostly LowFantasy with the occasional HighFantasy for good measure.
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5	Stackpole got his start designing [[TabletopRPG Tabletop RPGs]]; in 1990, he wrote a report called the [[http://www.rpgstudies.net/stackpole/pulling_report.html Pulling Report]], to respond to Patricia Pulling and others who claimed that such games were gateways to [[{{Cult}} Satanic cults]].
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7	Around then, he started writing in the TabletopGame/BattleTech universe, contributing a number of novels and two distinct trilogies, along with the "Wolf and Raven" short stories for fellow Creator/{{FASA}} setting TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}.
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9	In the mid-1990s, Stackpole was tapped to join the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse (now Legends), in both novels and comics. In contrast to most authors working in the universe at the time, who focused on Luke, Leia, Han, and epic galaxy-spanning plots, Stackpole pulled back, and told stories that were smaller in scale: first the ''ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron'' comics, then the ''[[Literature/XWingSeries X-Wing]]'' novel series, focusing on AscendedExtra Wedge Antilles and the elite Rogue Squadron. After trading off with Creator/AaronAllston for a couple of novels and contributing a few short stories, Stackpole turned to the Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy, writing the standalone novel ''Literature/IJedi'' starring his original character Corran Horn. He was on the planning board for ''The Literature/NewJediOrder'' after Del Rey took over the license, and wrote the ''Dark Tide'' duology early in its run (cut down from a trilogy, which meant several ideas [[WhatCouldHaveBeen were scrapped]]), but hasn't returned to the universe since. Unless you count ''[[DevelopmentHell The Reenlistment of Baron Fel]]''...
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11	During and after that, Stackpole has continued to write original-setting fantasy novels, including ''Literature/TalionRevenant'', the "[=DragonCrown=] War" series, and most recently, the "Age of Discovery" series, notable for containing [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Fantasy Counterpart Cultures]] of Chinese and Aztec civilizations pre-Columbus instead of the standard Medieval Europe. He's also written a short story and [[Literature/InHeroYearsImDead a novel]] about a superhero named Coyote or Revenant who acts outside the rules of traditional superheros. Revenant also appears as a character in ''ComicBook/{{PS238}}''.
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13	Stackpole is known to be friendly with Creator/TimothyZahn, which shows in the interplay between their novels; Zahn is on record that someday--''someday''--he'll beat Stackpole at ''Star Wars'' Trivial Pursuit. Likewise, he and Creator/AaronAllston were on good terms before the latter's death, which developed when Allston continued the Literature/XWingSeries and needed to ask Stackpole questions. The trio often even did joint convention appearances as the "Aaron, Mike, and Tim Show".
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15	Generally speaking, all Stackpole's ''Star Wars'' books include lots of [[ContinuityNod Continuity Nods]], [[CallBack Call Backs]] and [[CallForward Call Forwards]] to pretty much every other Franchise/StarWarsLegends book that was in existence at the time each book was written, which was part of the reason he got the job of helping plan out ''The New Jedi Order'': his role was essentially to be the continuity wonk.
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17	In addition to writing novels, Stackpole is involved in [[{{Podcast}} Podcasting]], and has appeared at conventions on podcasting discussion panels. He also hosts con seminars on writing and worldbuilding techniques.
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19	There is an optional rule in [=BattleTech=] to occasionally have a mech's fusion engine explode if it takes damage. This rule is unofficially known as "The Stackpole rule," and the act of exploding as "Stackpoling," after his predilection for having this happen in his books.
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22	!!Works by Michael Stackpole with pages on this wiki:
23	[[index]]
24	* ''Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse''
25	* ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian2011'' ({{Novelization}})
26	* ''Literature/InHeroYearsImDead''[[/index]]
27	* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':[[index]]
28	** ''Literature/IJedi''
29	** ''Literature/NewJediOrder: Dark Tide'' (also worked on Del Rey Books' planning committee as the designated continuity wonk)
30	** ''ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron''
31	** ''Literature/XWingSeries'' (with Creator/AaronAllston)
32	* ''Literature/TalionRevenant''
33	[[/index]]
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35	!! Tropes in Stackpole's work:
36	* ArcWelding: He was one of the later authors to start writing for ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' and is partly responsible for it actually becoming a proper continuity in the first place. The earlier works in the setting did often refer to one another, but there was no central planning and books [[ContinuitySnarl/StarWarsLegends contradicted one another just as often]]. Beginning with the ''Literature/XWingSeries'' and continuing through his involvement with ''Literature/NewJediOrder'', he did a lot of work to weld together the earlier-written books and comic series and subtly explain away discrepancies between them. Creator/AaronAllston continued this trend in his installments.

Context Creator / MichaelStackpole