| Author |
Topic:
"Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
Inara
Registered:
Aug '05
|
Date Posted:
11/15/05 1:06pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
|
I'm sorry, but I thought Jaina's "brush with the dark side" was more a rampant case of PMS that she should have taken midol for. I think this book actually ruined Jaina for me, and I find Elaine Cunningham to be a Jaina fangirl.
-----signature-----
you lose you win you pay for all your sins http://www.freewebs.com/blue-inara/index.html - Behind the Blue Door Master to Whiskers 
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
Jamez
Registered:
May '05
|
Date Posted:
11/18/05 1:46pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
7
Ah, the possibilities were endless. I actually had great hopes for Dark Journey, for I am always fond of SW stories with characters who turn to the Dark Side.
Especially after reading Denning's great Star by Star and his image of dark Jaina Solo.
And while I enjoyed seeing Jaina cross one line after another on her path to darkness, i.e. mind-wiping her friend and fellow Jedi Lowbacca, nearly sacrificing her own comrades to gather more data for her experiments and torturing enemy pirates, I felt that other passages were rather dull.
Reading about Jag Fel visting the Trickster's maintenance place every 30 pages isn't that exciting. And I found Mrs.Cunninham's writing style to be genteel, at least sometimes.
Though I liked the battle sequences in the beginning, I think the ending battle was rather bad, not because it was described only through Jainas mind, but because it felt rushed IMO.
I would've given this book only a 6 but Kyp Durrons character managed to move it a point. It's one of these rare occasions when Kyp is really acting as a three-dimensional being, rather than only acting as Skywalkers problem child.
-----signature-----
I  Lumiya
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
Siolo_Anoon
Registered:
Nov '05
|
Date Posted:
11/25/05 4:41pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
- Date Edited:
11/25/05 4:43pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Siolo_Anoon
|
Bravo Elaine Cunningham, a perfect transition from Star by Star's grim and masculine heartbreaking tragedy (Anakin Solo had become my very favorite character  ), into feminine fury. I was expecting a book or two to catch my breath with after Star by Star, but nooooo, I'm still at the edge of my seat!
-----signature-----
Wishlist: I wish for episodes 7,8,9 and I wish for Spielberg, Jackson, and/or Singer
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
Genimay
Registered:
Jun '05
|
Date Posted:
12/6/05 5:32pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
I read it a couple more times to consider what everyone was saying here. I decided it was more of a girls book because of the little fighting and the ending WAS rushed but it still gets a 10 in my book. I'm a Jaina Fangirl and when in Jaina's world I don't care what is going on I love it.
Jag Fel was annoying though. I still don't like him. Come on Jaina,you can do better. Think Zekk...Zekk...Zekk.
Yes,I am a DIEHARD Zekk/Jaina fan.
-----signature-----
(\_/)
Everyone is alone in some way. That dosen't mean you have to stand alone.
I'm trapped here,so I might as well go insane too.
destinysdomain2.proboards98/index.cgi
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
Corellian_Cutie
Registered:
Dec '05
|
Date Posted:
12/17/05 8:04pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
well, I think it's a 6..
I don't think that Cunnigham did a very good job in telling us how Jaina "nearly" turned to the Dark Side... the style was poor..
True, but I gave it a Ten beacuse of the Jaina and Jag scenes
-----signature-----
"Don't show me your cover, just turn to your best chapter and read from it." Meet my pet piggy, Mr. Porky  http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/23468184/p1 Destiny's Retribution J/J Golf+tournaments+too much focus=Competitive Insanity
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
Jacen-Vader
Registered:
Nov '05
|
Date Posted:
12/18/05 8:38pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
|
Uhmm, this book have high and lows. I gave it a 8.
-----signature-----
Member of the Jacen Solo Fan Club
Twin Suns 22
Follower of the Potentium
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
hyouriittai
Registered:
May '05
|
Date Posted:
2/3/06 6:49pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
I agree. Cunningham's style was a bit too -- well, how can I explain it? It was obvious to me that she was a fantasy writer before I even found out she wrote for Forgotten Realms (D&D stuff, I think?). The Star Wars universe suddenly seemed so much more archaic to me; her portrayal of the Hapan Empire seemed drastically different to me, in terms of visuals and their behavior, compared to how they were shown in the Centerpoint conflict, and CoPL (which I am assuming is the source from which Cunninham drew all her impressions of the EU, considering how much she referenced it.)
I remember finding alot of the dialogue to be silly (it's been several months since I read it,) and unfortunately the feminine-dominated Hapes culture set a large stage for Cunningham to exercise the literary "Amazon-warrior" muscle that is so often exploited in contemporary fantasy literature.
I gave the book a five, because it wasn't a terrible read, but it is definitely one I may not read again in the NJO series.
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
Yodas-evil-twin
Registered:
Jun '05
|
Date Posted:
3/11/06 10:59am
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
5.5
I would've ranked it alot lower, but then re-read it and realised that it wasn't as bad as I remembered, but it still was slightly below average. One of my biggest beefs with it besides the dark side being reduced to PMS, is the way that the author screw around with the continuity of SBS.
-----signature-----
"Who watches the Watchmen?"
"The JCC is pretty much Lord of the Flies without the healthy outdoorsy atmosphere."
-soitscometothis
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
1_4_Jedi
Registered:
Apr '06
|
Date Posted:
5/5/06 11:39am
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
7/10
Eh, this one was OK but not what I would exactly call a gripping story. I didn't really care for bishy Jaina, but I did think that at this point the ends did justify the means enough to keep the story believable for me. Also, I usually find that the Hapans bring some interesting twists to the plot, in spite of their own self-serving agendas.
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
Dark Lady Mara
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Jun '99
|
Date Posted:
8/1/06 10:52pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
Inara posted:
I'm sorry, but I thought Jaina's "brush with the dark side" was more a rampant case of PMS that she should have taken midol for. I think this book actually ruined Jaina for me, and I find Elaine Cunningham to be a Jaina fangirl.
Welll... although I really dislike the characterization of women who struggle with any type of emotional turmoil as "PMS-ey," since if I may be completely honest it seems a little sexist to me, I will admit I can sort of understand your sentiment here. I had difficulty sympathizing with Jaina, and Cunningham definitely is a fangirl.  Almost every female EU character has been accused of being a Mary Sue at one point or another, when portrayed by one author or another, but I think Dark Journey displayed some of the worst Mary Sue characterizations of the saga. Both Jaina and Tenel Ka are portrayed in rather bizarre ways. I think there may have been single sentences in the book in which both the jaw-dropping beauty of the girls and their superhuman, rippling muscles were referenced at the same time. Some of it was a little much for me. This was not my favorite NJO book.
-----signature-----
"Mara hath spoken," said Kyp. (that's a funny way to end my posts, rite? LUL) I LOVE HAT! JCC hat > life itself! http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org http://www.thehungersite.com SPOILER-FREE TILLLL EPISODE IV ~ "there aren't that many Ls in til." - farraday
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
RealTalk
Registered:
Sep '05
|
Date Posted:
8/17/06 2:07pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
- Date Edited:
8/17/06 2:08pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
RealTalk
|
I gave it a 5. Im a big Kyp fan, so i probly should of liked it a lot more than i did, but it was just weird. It seemed like they skipped big parts, some of what they did was pretty confusing and i just thought it was poorly written. The whole dark side thing barely made sense, and it really just seemed like she was in a bad mood, rather than actually evil, i dunno it should of been a lot better then it was.
Ill definitly skip this one if i ever make my way through the NJO again.
I did like Kyp mentioning rebuilding the Jedi Council, i had been waiting for that to happen 
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
DarthSanctimonious
Registered:
Sep '06
|
Date Posted:
10/9/06 6:15am
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
This book managed to make me loathe Jaina even more than I already did, which is really quite an accomplishment. The half-arsedness of her little jaunt with the Dark Side has already been mentioned several times, so I won't go into that again.
What annoyed me most about Jaina was that she spent about 80% of her grief on the fact that Jacen got captured rather than, say, the dead guy in the back of the ship or anything trivial like that. Pfft.
I also think the "Ta'a Chume has an eeevvviiilll and manipulative plan" routine has been done to death. I found the Hapan intrigue to be cliched, obnoxious, and implausible.
Then there's the funeral debacle. What little was there was one of the rare well-written sections of the book, but is more than three pages really too much to ask? All they'd have to do is replace a couple of the pages devoted to the rainy miasma storming in the personal raincloud of Jaina's dark and rainy depressed soul.
These problems were compounded by the fact that everything was smothered in adjectives.
Kyp and Jagged were at least portrayed reasonable well, and there was that great line about Thrawn's ideas "not including stupidity". Unfortunately, it seemed like the characters were only entertaining when they were insulting each other.
Three out of ten.
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
JainaRox
Registered:
Nov '06
|
Date Posted:
11/23/06 2:08pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
|
Thios was one of my favorite New Jedi Order books!!!
-----signature-----
"You ... you ... Am I the only one here who simply wants to punch Master Skywalker in the nose?"
Perfect couples K/J,H/L,A/T,L/M
Jacen is dirt and Mara rocks
Jaina or Mara who is better
Zekk or Kyp no Jag
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
PerfectCell
Registered:
Jun '05
|
Date Posted:
3/15/07 5:14pm
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
4
I really didn't care for Cunningam's writing style, none of the battle scenes were compelling to me in the least. The Vong were portrayed as being far too incompetent next to Cunningham's absurd version of Super Jaina. And that would be my main problem with the book, I have no problem with characters beefing up, but all of a sudden Jaina is an unstoppable machine outsmarting and beating everyone, it was really quite preposterous.
-----signature-----
"When you have reached the end of the road then you can decide whether to go to the left or the right, to fire or to water. If you make those decisions before you have even set foot upon the road it will take you nowhere." - Galen
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
Kemper
Registered:
Apr '07
|
Date Posted:
4/19/07 8:05am
Subject:
RE: "Dark Journey," by Elaine Cunningham [Del Ray, 2002]
|
|
I liked it but not much happened. I easily could have skipped this one I THINK? Jaina isn't very interesting and if that is the dark side...wow, give me a break. It was a kinder gentler dark side. I don't really remember much from the book other than whining. I like the Hapes, Chiss and Kyp so I give it a 7.
|
Locked Topic |
Active Topic Notification |
Private Message |
Post History
|
