New to the New Jedi Order

First let me say that I've been a huge fan of the EU and Novels eversince I read Heir to the Empire but I've never really read much of the NJO series. I've read everything else and the only NJO books I've read so far has been Vector Prime and SBS.

I was kinda upset when they killed Chewie off. Not only was he one the my top 3 favorite characters but the way he did was pure crap. For such a great and beloved character he could have gone out so much better in my opinion IMO. A hand to hand combot death (maybe fighing one of the Yuuzhan Vong) while protecting someone would have been much more fitting. That really was one of the reason I haven't made time to read the others.

I've read parts of the later books and I really didn't like the direction the way things were headed. It seemed like they were trying to do to many things at once. I'm not knocking the series but it just doesn't seem to me like one I should waste my time on. I could be wrong though and I hope I am. With that said I was wondering if anyone would know of someone or a site that has, well a summary of the NJO so far?

I hope this doesn't seem like a pointless post cause I'm not trying to make it to be one.

What I'm really asking I guess is what makes the NJO series so good? (I know people opinions will be different but I'm still interested in hearing them.) I'm really not looking for the bad but if you could list them(in a civil manner without flaming) that would be okay. Maybe by knowing some of the these things it would help me to make up my mind to try them or now.

Does the series strictly deal with the Solo children? (Anakin is really the only one I like. Jacen is alright but for some reason I could care less what happens to Jaina) I was kinda hoping with a something titled New Jedi Order it would deal with mainly a new cast of characters while the OT character we have all come to love would be there in some form or another.

Well I think that's it. I hope I haven't bored anyone.

 

I have to ask, is it mandatory to start an NJO thread when you start off in this forum? Only I didn't and I'm worried that it's gonna come back to haunt me.

 

Werll hang on, the NJO is going to be one wild ride!

 

What I'm really asking I guess is what makes the NJO series so good?

Check out this thread for some answers to this question: NJO: What holds YOU to the story? Your list of positives for the NJO... (possible DJ spoilers)

 

Lol Neostar you read the 2 books where they kill off main chars

 

Some collected responses from that thread, left anonymous. You can check that thread for more detail about them all:

1. The enemy
"The most remarkable aspect of this enemy is its biotechnology. For 10 books now, we the readers have been privy to some incredible ability on their part. As "bad" and "evil" as the Yuuzhan Vong may seem, they are not entirely devoid of respect."

2. The Force & the Role of Jedi
"This interesting debate of the NJO is a direct offshoot of the enemy."

3. The story
"Reverting to the classic Star Wars myth, in the NJO we find young heroes emerging from the obscure shadow of adolescence. Ah, the NJO: Star Wars at its best."

4. The characters.
"Certainly, the strength of any story lies with its characters ...who will forever remain immortal in many of our hearts ...And the original cast is never ignored."

5. Franchise Building
"...it's furthering the Star Wars Universe."

6. Universe Maturity
"It actually makes Star Wars mature past the point of becomeing stale. And keeping the war going after the peace treaty was signed would have made Star Wars very stale."

7. Gripping Characterization
"I suppose my first reason for liking the NJO would have to be that it was the first Star Wars series that presented me with a character that I could truly relate to."

8. Super-series Nature
"Another reason why I like the NJO is because it is a long series of books. Star Wars trilogies that provided us with little character development, and almost never carried over into the next set of books seemed to be a dime a dozen during the Bantam era."

9. Depth of Conflict
"I also like the depth of all the conflicts in the NJO... We get to understand the reasons behind the enemy?s actions. This is particularly in the case of the Jedi and the ?Dark? Jedi."

10. Tight Coordinated Storyline
"The NJO does a magnificent job of not leaving things out. Bantem had a horrible time with this and I think it's because the authorisation of the novels were not as coordinated as the NJO"

11. Surprise Factor
"The NJO is also great because everytime I pic up the next novel in the series expecting one thing, I get completely blown away by a plot line that I would never have seen from two feet away."

12. Character Development
"The charecter developments are also very well thought out..."

13. Factional Politics
"All the different factions, rather than just NR Vs Empire there are Hapes, Chiss, Hutts, Peace Brigade, Imp Remenant and etc. All with their own agendas in fighting the war."

14. Character Deaths
"I like the NJO because:
1. They killed Chewbacca
2. They killed Anakin Solo
3. They killed a lot of Jedi Knights"

15. The Jedi
"Nice to be able to see how and what some of the old and new are doing during this crisis. Even those who have a one-book appearance gain my interest."

16. The Force
"As a completely obsessive-compulsive Force fanatic, the (often sporadic) exploration of the Force, the inter- and extra-galactic station of the Jedi Knights, and role the Yuuzhan Vong play in relation to the first two issues keeps me reading."

17. Continuity
"This does not necessarily exclude the NJO from mistakes, but they've done a commendable job handling the sheer scope of the EU established in the past."

18. Writing Quality
"The overall quality of the writing... have maintained a consistant nice writing style and readability that was so sporadic during the Bantam days."

19. Bubble of Security
"Well, for me it's the characters, action and danger. You never got the sense in other novels that the good guys could lose or get killed. Here they can."

20. New Characters
"I think the key item that keeps my interest is that we're seeing a lot of new characters receive development."

21. ...I'll just leave off a title here, as it may get me in trouble
"Well first I like the fact that wighel reading SBS I was abel to say "Ok I got a leter of Cock, a pizza, and mixed Rush CD. I'm redy to read all night." on a Saterday."

22. Character Transition
"The other things are

 

"Zahngasm Thrawnfest"

 

Wow, nice summary Genghis12. I'm impressed!

21. ...I'll just leave off a title here, as it may get me in trouble

LoL!

"Well first I like the fact that wighel reading SBS I was abel to say "Ok I got a leter of Cock, a pizza, and mixed Rush CD. I'm redy to read all night." on a Saterday."