Review #17: Star Wars: Star by Star

Troy Denning’s Star by Star proved that Star Wars books could be over 400 pages long and still have an audience. I mean, if Harry Potter can have 800 pages, why can’t Star Wars have over 400? Well, Denning goes above and beyond, grossing over 600 pages in the central book of the New Jedi Order.

This book has it all. Action? Yep. Adventure? Yes, sir. Romance? Sure, why not? Scariest Star Wars cover ever? Oh, yes!

The Yuuzhan Vong make their move on Coruscant and take the capital planet, sending the New Republic into disarray. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker authorizes a Jedi strike mission against a Vong worldship to kill the voxyn, a deadly beast created by the Vong to hunt Jedi, sending mostly younger Jedi in the hopes that the Vong will fall for the trap. Among the Jedi captives are the Solo children. In particular the Yuuzhan Vong have an odd sort of adoration for Jacen and Jaina, who they view as an embodiment of two of their gods.

The strike mission ends in disaster, however. Anakin Solo is killed, Jacen Solo is taken captive, Raynar Thul is kidnapped by two dark Jedi who steal the team’s shuttle and escape. Jaina Solo leads the others to safety. Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker are hit with the reality that they are parents and have to now not only protect the galaxy, but also their own child, a son named Ben Skywalker.

Denning, as discussed previously, is one of the better Star Wars authors because he works so well with the continuity established by others. Sadly, the New Jedi Order was flawed by spoilers and info leaks that revealed the big secrets of the series, making the twists of this book a little less surprising. Still, the sheer number of main character deaths in this book, a whopping 2, lends a sense of vulnerability to our heroes.

Re-readability: 9.4
Final Grade: A