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Topic:
The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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Mastadge
Title:
Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Jun '99
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 7:06am
Subject:
The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
- Date Edited:
4/29 4:37pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
Havac
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Well, the next book in the Dark Nest trilogy is just a few days from release? Will it be as well received as the first? Find out here!
You know how it works: rate The Unseen Queen on a scale of 1 to 10, supplementing your rating with a review if you feel like it. But please do not rate the book until after you've read the whole thing. Thank you.
Links to previous threads:
Republic Commando: Hard Contact, by Karen Traviss - 9.32 (50)
Shatterpoint, by Matthew Stover - 8.79 (78)
The Cestus Deception, by Steven Barnes - 7.63 (70)
Medstar I: Battle Surgeons, by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry - 8.14 (65)
Medstar II: Jedi Healer, by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry - 7.70 (57)
Jedi Trial, by David Sherman and Dan Cragg - 6.13 (62)
Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, by Sean Stewart - 8.92 (84)
Labyrinth of Evil, by James Luceno - 9.04 (64)
Revenge of the Sith, by Matthew Stover - 9.52 (71)
Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine, by Veronica Whitney-Robinson - 6.13 (17)
Tatooine Ghost, by Troy Denning - 8.65 (40)
Survivor's Quest, by Timothy Zahn - 8.23 (49)
Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream, by Aaron Allston - 9.18 (52)
Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand, by Aaron Allston - 8.43 (48)
Traitor, by Matthew Stover - 8.92 (99)
Destiny's Way, by Walter Jon Williams - 8.12 (69)
Force Heretic I: Remnant, by Sean Williams and Shane Dix - 8.05 (64)
Force Heretic II: Refugee, by Sean Williams and Shane Dix - 7.56 (37)
Force Heretic III: Reunion, by Sean Williams and Shane Dix - 7.42 (34)
The Final Prophecy, by Greg Keyes - 7.84 (58)
The Unifying Force, by James Luceno - 9.13 (76)
Dark Nest I: The Joiner King, by Troy Denning - 8.17 (85)
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"This will be our reply to violence:
To make music more intensely,
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More devotedly than ever before."
- Leonard Bernstein
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JEDI_TEEGIRLOO
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 2:09pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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S P O I L E R S just in case you didn't read any in the UQ thread.
It wasn't as good as The Joiner King i thought that Luke and Han were bored in some situations and the whole Alema and R2 scenario was a bit too convienent i also felt the lack of other characters involvement could have been written a little better like Mara Jade she basically was in a trance through out half the book Jaina and Zekk are still joiners and there didn't seem to be any inclination on them pulling out of it.
On some positive notes i think the parts with Jacen and Tenel Ka were done very well i'm not a Jacen fan but i think that his character development which can now be compared to his Grandfather is really good because of his love for his daughter and the apocalptic vision he had it's like Star Wars has come full circle. Ben was also handeled well learning the force from Jacen but be a part joiner he is still too young to control his feelings and the uber powers that he has he becomes a threat to Jacen and TK's baby through Gorog which in the end leaves Jacen to use a force choke on little Ben that leaves bruises on him then he puts him to sleep. Jacen also wipes Ben's memory of the attack and the fact that Jacen and TK have a baby he replaces the memory with a trip to Endor. As i said before this was done very well i enjoyed it and it keeps me wanting more.
I would give his a 7 out of 10 because of the Jacen,TK and Ben parts the others were left to be desired.
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~Darth Mystique~Dark Lady of the Sith~/Matriarch of the Witches of Dathomir
"The Darkside is like a drug that i just cant get enough of."
~Mesh'la Par'jila ~ Prudii Verd - "Oya Manda! "
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Ive_Got_Two_Legs
Registered:
Jul '05
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 2:19pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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The book is out already? What?
Also, the kid was Jaina and Tenel Ka's? Hahaha! Can't wait to see all the prudes try to worm their way out of it now...
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"Where's your sense of optimism?"
"It opted out."
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NJOfan215
Registered:
May '03
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 4:24pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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Now i'm very interested in this book. JAcen force chokes ben. What will luke do when he finds out. I hope luke knocks him on his ass.
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This council has zero tolerance for any sexual deviancy regarding our Jedi Knights.
Go Eagles
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Tiershon_Fett
Registered:
Oct '00
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 5:49pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
- Date Edited:
9/24/05 5:52pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Tiershon_Fett
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Luke should knock his spoiled brat on the ass. If he would have done it sooner, Ben wouldn't be such a punk now. Jacen was rough on him, but he was trying to protect his family.
Ben force pushes TK with the infant in her arms, into a wall. Not acceptable behavior, IMO. His mother's violent influence, no doubt.
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It's been an experience.
8000, and done!
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Kudzu
Registered:
Jun '05
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 6:06pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
- Date Edited:
9/24/05 6:07pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Kudzu
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Tiershon_Fett posted:
Luke should knock his spoiled brat on the ass. If he would have done it sooner, Ben wouldn't be such a punk now. Jacen was rough on him, but he was trying to protect his family.
Ben force pushes TK with the infant in her arms, into a wall. Not acceptable behavior, IMO. His mother's violent influence, no doubt.
The Gorog's violent influence, actually. Not that you care. 
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Super Golden Ewok⢠Recipient  It should be the right of every American to go out and get wasted the day they're told that they're being sent to war. Ron Paul for U.S. President 2008
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EwokStromboli
Registered:
Aug '04
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 8:32pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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Kudzu posted:
Tiershon_Fett posted:
Luke should knock his spoiled brat on the ass. If he would have done it sooner, Ben wouldn't be such a punk now. Jacen was rough on him, but he was trying to protect his family.
Ben force pushes TK with the infant in her arms, into a wall. Not acceptable behavior, IMO. His mother's violent influence, no doubt.
The Gorog's violent influence, actually. Not that you care.
Open your eyes, dude. Mara's a Joiner agent. Just rearrange the letters a bit: AMA. (She's such an evil person, she doesn't even deserve the "R," much less live.)
Wait, wait! I thought she was Palpatine's agent, too. Well, she's an immoral floosy! 
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Tiershon_Fett
Registered:
Oct '00
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 8:40pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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That's right!
Actually, why is the stupid Gorog still around? Why is Ben allowed to have one and act like such a brat? He should be sent back to the Maw. With NO Gorog.
I did derive a huge amount of pleasure out of Mara getting beat up by Gorog, but if I were her, I would've killed it and spanked Ben. She shouldn't have to tolerate that kind of nonsense in her own house.
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It's been an experience.
8000, and done!
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Ive_Got_Two_Legs
Registered:
Jul '05
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 8:42pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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The Gorog is such a Gary Stu. He's only there to denigrate Mara and appease all the Zahn haters...
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"Where's your sense of optimism?"
"It opted out."
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jaya02
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 9:12pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
- Date Edited:
9/24/05 9:14pm (3 edits total)
Edited By:
jaya02
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Ive_Got_Two_Legs posted:
The book is out already? What?
Also, the kid was Jaina and Tenel Ka's? Hahaha! Can't wait to see all the prudes try to worm their way out of it now...
Jaina and Tenel Ka's?  Is there something about the GFFA's human reproductive system I don't know? Or was the baby artificially inseminated?
Ive_Got_Two_Legs posted:
The Gorog is such a Gary Stu. He's only there to denigrate Mara and appease all the Zahn haters...
Finally! A Gary Stu/Mary Sue that Tiershon would bash us to death with! 
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NJOfan215
Registered:
May '03
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Date Posted:
9/25/05 8:27am
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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I must not have scene the spoiler about ben force pushing tk and the baby, but still, i don't think luke would be cool with jacen force choking his son.
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This council has zero tolerance for any sexual deviancy regarding our Jedi Knights.
Go Eagles
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Mastadge
Title:
Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Jun '99
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Date Posted:
9/25/05 8:27am
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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Counting 1 rating: 7/1 = 7
-----signature-----
"This will be our reply to violence:
To make music more intensely,
More beautifully,
More devotedly than ever before."
- Leonard Bernstein
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JediBaylen
Registered:
Feb '02
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Date Posted:
9/25/05 11:07am
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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I would give this a 7 out of 10. I actually enjoyed it slightly better than "The Joiner King," which isn't to say it's bad but there's parts to the story that just take away from the enjoyment.
For what was good, the intensity of the scenes with Jacen and Ben regardless of whether you agree or disagree with them. I also like that Jacen is written consistently (again whether you like or dislike him), which is a vast improvement over the last 1/3 of the NJO series. The scenes with Luke and Alema were good, as is the battle in the end of the book. Cal Omas comes off in a bit of a better light in this book too, it being easier to understand he's not Palpatine v2.0 but feeling the weight of his position. Tarfang continues to be one of my favorite new characters, I hope he sticks around for appearances in the Legacy of the Force series. I also felt the threat of the dark nest was conveyed a lot better in this book, and it'll also be interesting to see where the Jedi are left after this trilogy.
For what I didn't like, I'll start with the most irritating part of the book. The Joiners. Jaina and Zekk. I think it's annoying and distracting to have every scene with them finishing each others' sentences, and it just feels forced or awkward. Nothing is done to imply them either breaking away from being joiners or staying permanent. But I know Jaina's never gotten on my nerves as much as her being a joiner does in the Dark Nest novels. One of the plot points regarding R2 seems a little too convenient, but not really too bad. Luke's reactions are good and I've been waiting a long time to read him finding out about his father and Padme. It still feels sort of tacked onto the main story though. During the end battle I was also left with feelings of a vong invasion v1.5 almost, but I'll hold judgement until the final book.
So all in all it was better than "The Joiner King," but still only a slightly above average Star Wars book.
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Mandalorian-Jedi
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
9/25/05 11:20am
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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Where can I find a synopsis for TUQ?
I take it Luke doesn't show off any uber-skills yet?
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Luke Skywalker: Son of Sons Anakin Skywalker: The Chosen One Luke > Anakin Waru  Or move it to the JCC, where all things irrelevant go - Ambassador Cara Jade
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vong333
Registered:
Oct '03
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Date Posted:
9/25/05 12:47pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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I haven't recieved the book yet, but I should get it tomorrow. It there isn't enough action in it and there is too much mama-drama soap opera story, I will not give the book a good rating.
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JediBaylen
Registered:
Feb '02
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Date Posted:
9/25/05 1:42pm
Subject:
RE: The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)
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I thought the action, especially with Luke/Han and Jacen in particular were the best parts of the book. It felt like it less melodrama than TJK, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed it more. But again the whole Jaina/Zekk thing is just irritating (and I like Jaina's character), even though it's a minor part of the book. Still, that's one of the reasons I only gave it a 7/10.
Luke is actually does a lot of cool things I thought, I wish he was written this way the first half of the 2/3 of the NJO. The characterization of Luke, Han, Leia, and Jacen are one of the bigger reasons why I rated it where I did (and almost an eight).
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