It gets better as you get higher level. With the right talents force sweep becomes much more efficient and effective. That, combined with frequent use of cyclone sweep (when you get it) are your primary tools for holding group aggro. In a perfect world you'd never need to use your taunts. The reality is that holding aggro against a mixed group of ranged and melee opponents is a lot of work, especially before you have all your tools. To be honest I didn't really start to feel comfortable as a tank until the mid thirties.

I just hit 50 and haven't really done any FP content yet, but this is the build I'm currently using: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500drGcubrkhRZhG.1 I'm really on the ropes about not having Stasis Mastery and Command but I find the extra focus generation from Cyclonic sweeps is too good to drop. And, while Cyclone Slash isn't a great AOE skill, it's not terrible if you spec to use it a little (plus it's the only AOE you can spam). Force sweep is awesome for holding aggro on groups and I would dare say Pacification and Swelling Winds are must haves if you want to be tanking groups of mobs (rather than just boss tanking in raids)

For the record, it wouldn't have been KT's decision to kill Mara. That would have come from the publishers. Same with Chewie and Anakin (why do you think they got Bob (Salvatore) to right Chewie's death tho he hasn't done a SW book before or since). The manner in which Mara died is all on KT. Certainly Zahn should have been consulted. He is, after all, the guy who's largely responsible for there being an EU. He deserves some respect. And his Mara wouldn't have lost that duel. Or faced him alone in the first place if she thought she might lose. I don't like this move in the EU to write 9 book series with 3 or 4 different authors. What happened to the days of giving the good authors a 3 book series all to themselves, it just made for a more cohesive story. Plus I'm a little unimpressed with the work of some of these new 'serial' authors who just don't know the subject matter and can't be bothered to do the research to get their facts straight.

August 2 I hope when they said they'd make it past July they didn't just mean Aug 1