Elaine Cunningham and Jania Solo *DJ spoilers*

It comes out in a few days, can't you guys just wait?!

 

Nawwwwww.

And exar, since when was realism a part of the SW universe?
(yes, I do realize the irony in me saying that )
Just let Genghis think what he wants Opinions are neither right or wrong.

Jae Angel

 

it like saying LBJ had jack kenedy kill off.
edit:i will let G12 think that if he wants.

 

It comes out in a few days, can't you guys just wait?!

13 days left

 

evan space operas/space fantasys have to have a level of realism, but jagged and jains relationship goes along with the universe.

 

Lesson I learned today: It might save me the time driving to Walmart only to not find Dark Journey by calling them up, even if they put me on hold lots of times, but it DOESN'T save me any time if I keep on accidentally calling a foreign student on campus because I forgot to dial 9 before putting in the number for Walmart!

Seriously, maybe if that foreign chick didn't just hang up on me the next few times that I called and she actually could speak english enough to ask me what number I dialed and then tell me what I was doing wrong then there wouldn't have been such a problem and she wouldn't have gotten so pissed off at me for calling so many times!



Jae Angel

 

I'm sure she was saying that she wanted DJ too, but in her native tongue

 

Hehe, I don't think she was saying that, RF. I think she was saying "You call me one more time and I'm going to call the cops!"

Jae Angel

 

And they wouldn't understand her, and they'd threaten to calll the cops too

 

Narundi Jedi...LOL! poor you!

and for the rest of you...im going to have to wait to read this to offer up any opinions on it. while i didnt immediatley fall in hatred with Jag in dark tide...i want to see his character fleshed out more.

She was the Emperor's Hand. She could be hiding it extremely well, just waiting for the moment to finally complete the last command given to her.

Ghengis...you really amuse me.

 

I notice Elaine is a Jacen/Tenel Ka Shipper (I personally think Jacen should pick up the slack with Tahari) but out of curiosity does anyone think that girl REALLY needs an arm?

No offense to those suffering from amputee aspects it seems to this day stupid to hold her "reminder" of her failure when prostetics, healing trances, etc are available

 

Charlemagne...I think that yeah..it is stupid to keep her armless when she can...NOT be armless (i cant think of the word for that), but i think shes been armless too long to be like..."oh, i think i need an arm now!"

It would be a MAJOR character reversal thing. Although it IS annoying..."I have no arm. that is a fact."

 

SPOILER space...
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Things I liked:
Kyp's droid Zero-One is a riot. I'm hoping he wasn't lost when Kyp had to EV from his X-wing

Luke and Mara had only a few pages that dealt with them in this book, thank Yun-Harla . I just needed a break from them.

Some Chiss! Mentions of Thrawn/Mith'raw'nuruodo! Some Jagged and Baron Fel! I also liked Shawnkyr Nuruodo, totally dedicated to her job, I wish she would have had a bit more time devoted to her.

I never read "Courtship of Princess Leia" so I don't know how the Hapans operate, but their cunning and guile seem to be great assets. The political intrigue was also great, but I pity poor Isolder because everyone and their cousin is trying to fire a blaster at him
. Having them rebuild their fleet away from prying eyes was also an excellent idea.

Jaina's use of modified Vong biotech against the Vong was also very neat.

Things I didn't like:
It is hard to gather where a ship is in a system. I thought, for instance, that the Jedi on the "Trickster" were already near Hapes, but they were actually much farther away.

I thought both Han and Leia would be absolutely devestated upon seeing Anakin's body, it mentioned that she cries when Han hugs her, but I dunno something more (unless I missed something when I read the story)would have been better. That was a really sad scene though, as well as the funeral pyre.
* * *

Very good story, I thought it set-up a lot of things well such as the involvement of the Hapes Cluster in the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, as well as continued foreshadowing of the assistance of the Chiss in the conflict. Kyp and Jaina now seem to be fellow travelers, both wanting to redeem themselves and needing each other to help them along.

What is interesting is that during most of the story it seemed to me that Jaina was to not very worried about light and dark anymore, but more about achieving the goal of defeating the Vong. Her actions with the scientist on Gallinore, her using starfighter pilots essentially as live bait, and also using a person, although he was a pirate who had taken Tenel Ka prisoner, as a test subject for a modified Vong tracking device, seems to point to a darker side. However, near the end Jaina wants to return back to the person she was, so I would expect some internal conflict in the future.

Jaina's relationship to Jag Fel also seems to be coming more clear, with Tenel Ka's vison of Jacen providing some insight to Jaina that there just might be a love connection between she and Jagged after all.

The book seems to leave the fate of Jacen Solo unclear, Leia seems to think he is still alive, but everyone else, including a Yuuzahn Vong priest, thinks he is dead.

 

the last line is the best,,./.,,.,.

 

I think he's alive. I can't see him dying offscreen.

 

i agree that tenel ka could be in serious need of 2 arms. back when i was reading yjk she was my favorite character. it always annoyed me that she refused to get a new arm. hopefully she'll finally realize the importance of having 2 arms to fight this war properly and will get one

~Nike Skylark~

 

Nah, let Tenel Ka stay one-armed. She'll still kick arse.

Consider Walker Boh in Brooks' Shannara Stories, the man loses an arm and still no one in their right mind considers ticking him off or taking him on!

Heh, I like both characters.

As for DJ it sounds as if Jaina's embraced the end of her innocence and stopped running from or denying the fact that war does end innocence. What she needs to realise is that even if war does compromise morality, it does not do so completely, you can still act for a good cause even if your actions are less than perfect. Hmm, wonder if Jaina recognises Kyp's position as legitimate in Rebirth with the Worldship yet?

Jedi Ben

 

I think Tenel's arm will stay a stump so that she isn't seen as a Luke ripoff

 

Who here thinks that Yuuzhan Vong might see Tenel Ka as being somewhat worthy? (Severed arm/sacrificing body parts connection)

 

Yes, but not in the Wayne's World tense

 

"I think Tenel's arm will stay a stump so that she isn't seen as a Luke ripoff"

I guess by your logic that made ton phanen, a luke ripoff 100x over, ?

 

LoL RF!!!!

Thats true...i didnt think about a replacement being to lukeish for Del Reys taste.

 

Ton isn't a Jedi

 

I appreciate Charlemagne's post. It is refreshing to see a review that considers what is IN the book, rather than what is NOT. (Admit it: how many times have you seen a two-star review justified by such logic as, "Yeah, XXX was an interesting story, but it didn't have anything about Bobba Fett in it!" ) I was particularly impressed by his assessment of the final battle, given in a follow-up post. He definitely "got it," and his observations seem to have piqued the interest of several readers who were discouraged by the desultory and somewhat misleading "summary" posted elsewhere on this board. That is a Very Good Thing.

I must, however, take exception to one of his observations. He is not the first to assume that I "have a problem" with people who follow a defined moral code, and he names THORNHOLD as an example of this. The book he referenced is a novel, and not a personal credo. The central question addressed was not "What is my personal feelings about paladins?" but "What would it be like to be the CHILDREN of a paladin, especially children who have suffered the results of a moral decision forced upon their father?" From a storytelling point of view, the first question has little dramatic potential, the second offers lots of conflict. But issues of importance to me are included in the two main themes that shaped the story and the characters: the importance and the difficulty of family, and the fact that the best of intentions do not guarantee universally good result. The Knights of Samular, a paladin order devoted to the god of justice and the as-yet-unrevealed secrets of the Caradoon family, were shaped by my study of the Crusades. As a former history teacher and a life-long history buff, I find that the complexities of real life sometimes creep into fiction. Many fine, brave, and good warriors left their homes in England and France and rode in defense of the Holy Land. The Saracens, of course, had a differenct perspective of the matter. You might say that THORNHOLD gives an occasional glimpse into the Saracen point of view.

But for a very different take on a character of stern moral principle, the Counselors & Kings trilogy focuses on Matteo, a young jordain (a class of magic resistent warrior-sages who advise the land's wizard lords) who earnestly strives to find a balance between his three-part code: service to Truth, to the land of Halruaa, and to the wizards who rule. Matteo is a paladin of sorts, and although his ideals get a bit battered at times, he keeps his philosophical moorings and learns that doubts do not negate faith, but rather confirm the need and value of it. A storyteller, like a good debater, has to be able to present many different points of view. Otherwise, only the villanous could write interesting villains.

How does this apply to DARK JOURNEY? The basis, primal controversy in most fantasy is a battle between good and evil. Sometimes that battle is clear-cut (kill the evil Emperor, blow up the Death Star) but more often it involves an internal struggle, a moral dilemna. (Once he learns the truth of his parentage, a young Luke Skywalker is both tempted and terrified by his presumed "destiny.") There is a considerable amount of ambiguity in the SW universe from the beginning of the saga ("It WAS true ... from a certain point of view."), but NJO brings the discussion of black/white, dark side/light side into center stage. The old assumptions aren't working, and the Jedi are being forced not only into battle, but into a paradigm shift. Given this philosophical background, most NJO stories will, in one way or another, focus on the battle between old and new assumptions.

Enter Jag Fel. He is young, talented, and idealistic, but his isolated background has given him a rather limited cosmic view. Jag is several steps behind the mindshift being forced upon Jaina. This guy still has to remind himself that it's the "Republic," not the "Rebel Alliance." And yes, the contrast between the two young fighters does highlight the shift that the galaxy in general, and the Jedi in particu

 

Man, I for one would LOVE to finally figure out what this "new order" means. I've had my guesses but I'm betting all will be revealed at the end, won't it?

Jae Angel