Review #10: Star Wars: Dark Nest III: The Swarm War

Troy Denning's third outing in the Dark Nest Trilogy brings the storyline to a close with some shocking information. At least, it's shocking if you don't follow Star Wars.
The story ends with a brief war between the Killiks and the Chiss, and brings Raynar Thul, who had turned slightly evil, back into the fold... kind of. Luke basically realizes that he has to lock Raynar away to keep him from causing harm to himself or anyone else.

Jag Fel is lost on a distant planet, but is thought to be alive, and Leia's Jedi training continues. The cover art shows a dark looking Luke Skywalker using Force lightning, something I don't recall him doing in this book.

The shocking information is an encoded bit of memory from R2-D2, showing Anakin and Padme talking on Mustafar before the epic battle of Revenge of the Sith. The text isn't exactly the same as the lines from the movie, but then again, this book came out a little bit before the movie did. We also learn that Jacen would basically follow in Anakin's footsteps to protect those he loves. Everyone around Jacen has no idea that he has a daughter with fellow Jedi Tenel Ka.

The book is pretty good, and it is Denning writing, so it stays within the Star Wars continuity very well.

Re-readability: 7.9
Final Grade: B

Review #9: Star Wars: Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen

The Unseen Queen is the second outing in the Dark Nest Trilogy by Troy Denning. The story follows our heroes as they travel once more into the dark waters surrounding the Killik expansion. As part of a side story, Leia has been searching for a new planet that the Ithorians can call home, even since Ithor was destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong. She finds a planet, but as she, Han and Luke explore it a bit, they find that their enemies are already there, and even worse, an nanobot-style destroyer thing is there as well, and it begins to rapidly decay anything metallic that touches the planet. Our heroes have to beat a hasty retreat.

Denning writes very well. He's created some very endearing characters, Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne being one of them. Saba begins training Leia, who finally finds enough time away from the government to handle her Jedi training, although she's about 60 years old now.

All that being said, I really didn't like this book. As second acts go, it falls a bit short of the Star Wars legacy.

Re-readability: 7.5
Final Grade: C-

Historia, Part XV

Journeys were nothing new for men from Nostalgia. The unwritten rite of passage that each male youth of the town undertook forced them to journey far to the south, some people estimated the distance to be nearly five hundred miles one way, but others said it was a hundred miles at best. Of course, this journey could never be described as “best.”

The young man would walk south with nothing but the clothes he was wearing and a pocket knife. As Clifford thought back to his journey he realized that the pocket knife he’d taken was the same Swedish Navy Knife he carried now. The trek sent a young man south to the swamp-marshes and on farther, almost to the coast, or so it was said. Clifford sometimes doubted if there was even an ocean.

Once the young man had reached the land near to the coast, he was to find a certain tree, the elders called it a palm, but their understand of a palm tree was vastly different from any definition you likely know. Their idea of a palm tree is something we know of as a redwood, so you can see how they might be confused. The young man would scrape away a pocketful of the tree’s bark and bring it back to Nostalgia, where it would be burned during a ceremony recognizing that the young man had passed into full adulthood.

Clifford had passed into adulthood seventeen years ago and there were more than a few times that he’d had regrets about going on the journey. This was one of those times. He stood on a flat patch of rock about half-way down the hill, looking out over Historia, a city, capital of the land of the same name, and it was in ruins, burning, smoke billowing, screams rang out from various districts of the patchwork city.

Jaime Conner, post-boy, had already vanished into the smoky mire below and Clifford suspected that he should follow him, but for some reason he couldn’t move from the spot he stood on. He could see everything.

Smoke poured out of the upper windows of the massive pyramid topped with a green statue with an upraised cannon for an arm and a helmeted head, wrapping around the statue in an almost picturesque manner. Other buildings burned, some had already collapsed. Clifford looked down on the city (in more ways than one), and saw a small stream running along the northeast side, flowing down from the mountain and continuing northwest. For some reason this made him think of Schrodinger.

Away to the northwest was a tall building with a golden top. Clifford had the strange thought that this was the Vat-a-Can that the mouse had spoken of, and if he went there he could probably find just about any trinket that he wanted.

And then he took a step. He had to reach the pyramid, but as his foot hit the ground he heard a sound he hadn’t heard since leaving the Farm of Pepperidge: gunshots. He was entering a war zone. But he had to do it. He couldn’t say why, but he had to.

He basically ran down the hill, taking the same path that Jaime had taken. He wasn’t sure which way Jaime had gone once he’s reached the actual city, but the path down the mountain was clear. The streets of the city seemed to just start. No paths led into the city, but the roads just began. One step you’re on grass the next you’re on asphalt with no discernible change.

The first building Clifford passed was a large brick-face with the words BONA ALLEN painted on it. He glanced into the paned-glass windows of the structure, but he didn’t have the time to stop. The next building looked like a... well, at the University the Teacher had called them sky-scratchers, and this looked like one, only it had been cut off in a jagged line about four floor up. The sign out front read Hammarskjold Place. The building was black.

After crossing an oddly placed set of railroad tracks, Clifford stopped and looked out over a shining plaza with a large fountain in the middle. Beyond the fountain was a row of old looking buildings, some with banners above the doors. The only one Clifford could read stated it to be the house of Shakespeare, but Clifford didn’t know who that was, and really didn’t care.

Beyond that loomed the pyramid. The pyramid that Clifford had to reach. The pinnacle of his journey. It was the pinnacle, right? Clifford took another step.

Review #8: Star Wars: Dark Nest I: The Joiner King

The Joiner King is Troy Denning first Dark Nest novel, chronicling the Killik expansion. The Killiks are an insectoid race that may be responsible for putting together the Corellian system and for much of the ancient architecture once found on Alderaan.

The book is admittedly slow, with one of the more interesting plot points coming fairly early on, as we learn that Jacen Solo has been away for nearly five years, learning from the Fallanassi, the Aing-Tii, and many other Force users, broadening his horizons from the Jedi point of view. The similarities between Jacen's desire to see beyond the Jedi dogma are eerily close to the machinations of Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith.

Luke Skywalker begins to fret about the sudden disappearance of many younger Jedi, including Jaina Solo, and eventually Jacen Solo. He soon learns that the Jedi have joined with the Killiks after answering "the call." After a little research, Luke finds out that they were summoned by Raynar Thul, who disappeared after the disastrous mission to Myrkr will fighting the Yuuzhan Vong, nearly seven years prior. Thul, who escaped on a stolen freight that eventually crashed and burned, is horribly scarred, but was "repaired" by the Killiks, and because of his Force connections he becomes a sort of ruler, or the title Joiner King.

The Dark Nest, a villainous faction of the Killik nation, is also revealed, and it is suspected that the Dark Nest is ruled over by two dark Jedi, the same who stole the freighter Raynar Thul escaped on.

In terms of readability, Denning is one of the better Star Wars writers. He is able to make his characters fit what other writers have done, and he works well within the continuity of the series. Han Solo in the Dark Nest is the same as Han Solo at the end of the New Jedi Order series. The only real difference in character is Jacen, and even then, the character feels like it belongs in this series.

Re-readability: 8.3
Final Grade: B+

Review #7: Star Wars: Children of the Jedi

Well, this is it. My all time least favorite Star Wars novel. Not to say anything bad about Barbara Hambly, but this is just not a very strong story. It does tie into some novels in the New Jedi Order series, but it just doesn't fit very well into the mold that other authors have created.

The story follows Luke on the hunt for yet another of Emperor Palpatine's super-weapons. This time, it's a converted asteroid that has been made into a warship. The weapon, The Eye of Palpatine, is traveling the galaxy and gathering troops to wipeout a Jedi enclave where, supposedly, Jedi children live. The first question to be asked is how Jedi children could've remained hidden for 29 years after Darth Vader initiated the Jedi Purge. The second question to be asked is where the Imperial remnant keeps finding all of Palpatine's super-weapons.

Luke just doesn't feel like Luke in this story, and also, he sustains some pretty nasty injuries and he just gets up and keeps going, even after considerable loss of blood. Also, Hambly spends a lot of time telling the reader how Luke's Force focus is interrupted because of the pain. It feels like filler to me.

There is a nice surpirse at the end of the book. And Hambly does create a good, recurring character in Callista, a former Jedi who loses her connectiong to the Force.

Re-readability: 6.7
Final Grade: C-

Historia, Part XIV

Clifford and Jaime Conner, post-boy of Historia, had been walking west for two days. The City of Lithe was now many miles behind them, and for that Clifford Jenkins was glad. He could live a thousand years and never see that city again and he wouldn’t regret it.

They’d left The City of Lithe and climbed over the mountain to the west and began their downward trek into the valley, realizing that they’d be climbing another mountain in no time flat. Jaime said it was the last mountain between them and Historia. Clifford walked in relative silence. He was still in a state of shock.

He glanced backwards at his bundle, which felt curiously light with Schrodinger inside. The talking mouse, his companion for many miles and more than a few adventures, was gone. Swept away in one of Lithe’s pseudo-regular floods.

Jaime Conner knew all about Lithe’s flooding. He had been telling Clifford about how things were in Historia. Father Time, Jaime said, was ill. He was the leader of Historia. When Clifford had asked about the Historian meddling with time and events Jaime had just looked at him blankly.

“I don’t know, Mr. Jenkins.”

“Call me Clifford. I’m forty years old. I don’t think of myself as a “Mister” just yet.”

Jaime nodded, “Sorry. Clifford. I don’t know of anything like that happening in Historia. Father Time just sits in his pyramid and everyone else goes about their day.”

“What about Guevara’s gorillas? Last I was in Nostalgia they said that Guevara’s gorillas were attacking the vikings. Or some such nonsense.”

Jaime nodded, “There are a group of people living in the north of Historia calls themselves Vikings. Guevara is a name from the south, so it’s likely some kind of blood feud. Probably dates back decades. Most likely thing is someone’s granpappy ticked off someone else’s granpappy somehow.”

Clifford had noticed some time back that they’d started uphill once more. This meant that a view of Historia was only minutes away. Jaime, as if hearing Clifford’s thoughts, spoke up, “You’ll be able to see Historia once we reach the top of this hill. I have to warn you, Historia is a lot different from Nostalgia.”

“How so?”

“More people, mostly. The last census put the population at about 45 thousand. Probably more, there’s a bunch of people who never respond to that thing, but use the paper as kindling.”

Clifford shrugged. He’d never heard of a census. For some reason, as they climbed higher on the hill, his thoughts went back to his time at the University. He’d been an average student; the teacher had released him to the real world at the age of eighteen. His classmates had been a little surprised that he’d made it out that early, but given that he had a thirty-two year old classmate at the time, no one seemed to argue with the teacher’s decision.

By the age of twenty he was working with his dad, building houses and other buildings in the town. At twenty-three, an odd age for most men in Nostalgia, he’d set off to the south. He came back six months later, twenty-fours years old, and having completed the unwritten rite of passage for Nostalgia males. He’d gone south and returned. Left with nothing, came back with a pocketful of tree bark.

Now the top of the hill neared. Nostalgia was far behind. Historia was just ahead. And as they topped the hill, they saw that much of Historia was on fire. The pyramid loomed over everything, and smoke billowed from the windows at the top.

Clifford looked at Jaime, who was terror-struck. Jaime screamed and began running down the hill. Clifford just stood there for a moment. He was okay with Jaime going away, he honestly didn’t like the guy. As he watched Historia burn, he thought of nothing but Schrodinger.

Then he began walking downhill. He still had to reach Historia. The actual town. The pyramid. Now that he saw it, he knew that he had to reach it. He had to reach it fast.

Review #6: Star Wars: Tyrant's Test

The finale of Michael P. Kube-McDowell's Black Fleet Crisis is, unfortunately, the weakest outing of the series. The book heavily relies on a Wookiee counter-attack on the Yevetha, and the Wookiee storyline just isn't that strong. Although, to his credit, he avoided the Lassie-effect with Chewbacca and instead of having other characters basically repeat what the Wookiee says, he uses brackets and translates the Wookiee-speak into English. Nicely done.

Luke's search for the Fallanassi comes to a spectacularly disappointing end. He finds the adepts of the White Current, but learns that Akanah lied to him, that his mother was never truly a member, and that the Fallanassi basically reject him outright. Fortunately, as a means of tying up the storylines, the planet that the Fallanassi currently call home is in the direct path of the Yevethan conquest.

Chewbacca and his son mount a rescue operation to save Han Solo, and they pull it off. A member of the Fallanassi that the Yevetha had captured stays behind and creates a Force illusion that fools the Yevetha into thinking that all their prisoners are still in captivity, even though they've escaped.

The final battle between Republic and Yevethan forces is very nicely written, and probably one of the glaring bright spots of the novel. There's also a cameo by Cindel Towani, of Ewok movie fame.

Lando and the vagabond come around in somewhat of a letdown. The ship, it turns out, was a recovery vessel meant to restart life on a planet that had fallen into an Ice Age. The ship begins it's process after a little help from Luke Skywalker.

Overall, the Black Fleet Crisis is one of the best trilogies in the Star Wars expanded universe, but the finale falls just short of the mark set by the previous two novels.

Re-readability: 6.9
Final Grade: C+

Review #5: Star Wars: Shield of Lies

The second installment of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy is one of my all time favorite Star Wars books. I think what I like most about the book is the set-up. It is basically three novella in one novel, with each novella following a major character whose name starts with "L," Luke, Leia, and Lando. Yeah, it's different from other books. You're stuck with one major character for 5 straight chapters before jumping to another character, and you get no "ping-pong" effect of jumping from one character's story to another and then back.

Michael P. Kube-McDowell succeeds where other SW writers have failed, though, in that he can describe a planet better than most writers. The planets that Luke and Akanah visit actually feel real, and not so alien. Throughout this series, Kube-McDowell also makes Luke confront his past, like the fact that, by blowing up the first Death Star, Luke killed nearly a million people. That's not an angle you get from your run-of-the-mill Star Wars story.

Leia's troubles with Nil Spaar and the xenophobic Yevetha continue. The Yevetha actually wipe out all other life in the Star Cluster they live in. Leia is forced to react in an undiplomatic way when Nil Spaar reveals that he's captured Han Solo.

Luke's search for the Fallanasi continues, and Akanah begins to teach him about the White Current. We also get a little more Force insight from Luke, concerning differnt abilities that he has, such as casting Force illusions to fool weaker-minded individuals. This ability will come into play later on in future Star Wars novels.

Lando is still stuck on the vagabond, trying to unravel it's mysteries.

Re-readability: 9.1
Final Grade: A-

Review #4: Star Wars: Before the Storm

Book One of the Black Fleet Crisis, Before the Storm is the first of Michael P. Kube-McDowell's three forays into the Star Wars universe. And let me say this: he makes a great impression. Set twelve years after the death of Darth Vader, the Black Fleet Crisis reveals a new enemy that has always been hidden in the galaxy far, far away: the xenophobic Yevetha.

Viceroy Nil Spaar comes to Coruscant to visit Leia Organa Solo, under the pretense of a peaceful union between the New Republic and the Yevethan Duskhan League. Spaar soon turns aggressive in his negotiations and then leaves Coruscant, blaming Leai for the failed treaty and essentially declaring war on the New Republic.

On other fronts, Luke Skywalker withdraws from the Jedi Academy and goes into a self-imposed exile, feeling that he has lost his way in the force. Kube-McDowell brings back a Luke that had been missing since the original movie trilogy, a whiny, angst-ridden Luke that we all know and love. Luke is later found by Akanah Norand Pell, a member of the Fallanasi and devotee of the White Current, a sub-sect of Force users. Akanah tells Luke that she knew his mother, and that she might still be alive, but Luke has to help her find the Fallanasi first.

Land Calrissian, who at this point is bored and hasn't had a starring role in a book for about ten years (in the SW chronology), confronts New Republic Intelligence seeking a project. He is directed to the Vagabond, a mysterious ship that has been tracked for some time by Intelligence. Lando gathers his old comrade Lobot from Cloud City, and gains use of C-3PO and R2-D2 from the Solos. They journey out to the vagabond, and Calrissian and his team quickly figure out how to access the ship. They gain entry and the ship jumps into hyperspace, leaving the Intelligence team far behind.

Kube-McDowell, like Aaron Allston, is able to maintain humor in his writing, but also a level of seriousness that was missing from the few novels in the timeline before this set. Black Fleet Crisis is perhaps, outside of Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy, one of the best three book sets in the Star Wars universe.

Re-readability: 8.9
Final Grade: B+

Review #3: Star Wars: Betrayal

Betrayal is the first book in the Legacy of the Force series, set nearly 40 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. The Yuuzhan Vong threat has been defeated, and the Killik expansion seen in the Dark Nest Trilogy has been halted. Relative peace reigns over the galaxy far, far away. At least for a time.

Jacen Solo has taken Luke Skywalker's son, Ben, as his apprentice. Jacen's views on the Force are radical compared ot most Jedi, as he as essntially shunned the light and dark sides to believe in a unified Force that can be bent to the will of the user, but yet the Force also leads the user to his or her destiny. Luke is unsure about letting Jacen teach Ben, but he does so anyway, to show that he has faith in Jacen as a force for good.

Jacen and Ben and another Jedi travel around a bit, hunting down an unseen villain. They reach a subterranean base with the help of Brisha Syo, who is later revealed to be Lumiya, an old nemesis of Luke Skywalker. Lumiya is the Dark Lady of the Sith, and she tells Jacen that he has already received Sith training from Vergere. Jacen is at first hesitant, but then realizes that he can bring lasting peace to the galaxy by going down the path to becoming a Sith Lord.

Aaron Allston is one of my favorite Star Wars writers. He can weave together a serious story and maintain a level of humor that lets the reader know that these events involve normal people. His characters aren't always in the super serious mode we've seen from some Star Wars writers.

I liked the direction this book took the story in. Star Wars has always been kind of sappy, but Allston creates a new level of intrigue. Luke is on a constant watch for a unseen enemy, Jacen begins going down the dark path, and the galaxy is pulled right along with them.

Re-readability: 8.3
Final Grade: B+