The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST I: THE JOINER KING (spoilers)

Counting 31 ratings: 257.65/31 = 8.31

 

RATING: 5/10

I'm going to have to say that this was the first Denning story I've read that I really didn't enjoy. And I'm hoping to blame my disaproval on the fact that besides Dark Rendezvous, my SW reading has been limited since the end of the NJO. And I've filled the void by reading other series, which are similar but noticeably different the EU stories, and I'm just hoping I didn't enjoy this one because I was re-adjusting to the EU style.

But I can't put my finger on it specifically, but throughout this story I was just upset with the way characters were acting and reacting to things. It didn't seem natural, but rather forced in order to create a better story.

BEEFS:

1. Alema Rar kills dozens of Yuuzhan Vong in the war, but cannot beat Leia in a duel?

2, Why did the Jedi give up on diplomacy? I know Jaina/Zekk were under the thrall of the colony, but what was their plan to free Lowbacca? Were they expecting to board a Chiss ship, cut through thousands of crew members and free Lowie in a daring escape (similar to Ep 3)? Why couldn't they negotiate his release thru diplomatic channels? The Chiss are reasonable people, and I'm sure had anybody really tried, Lowie could have been freed by p. 150 had anybody stopped and thought about it?

3. I also didn't like this embracing of the new doctrine thing. I don't have an issue with the doctrine itself per se, but why are the Jedi falling into the same trap as before? What's this doctrine stuff? They complained so much about how their "old" doctrine was not right and should be expanded, but don't follow that up with a new doctrine that you simply blindly follow again. I thought the thing that the Jedi learned was that the universe was not in absolutes and that there were very subtle shades of gray as well. BUt it seems that now the Jedi have gone back to a newer form of absolutism, by only staying within that gray area. I'm just saying, that instead they should be all over the place. Some situations require a "white" solution, others a "black" one, and many more a "gray" one. But it seems now the Jedi only use "gray" solutions to solve their problems.

4. It might just be me, but I'm getting a bit tired of so many Jedi suffering mortal wounds, but never really having a lot of suspense about their death because they simply can take punishment 10x greater than any other normal person and all they have to do is go into a healing trance and somehow they always end up fine. Obvious examples being Mara and Saba in this book, since had they not been major characters, those injuries would have killed anybody else. Only during Saba's fight did the inkling that death could be coming (i.e. suspense was achieved) since her injuries were so severe, I didn't see how she wouldn't die. But of course, a Jedi trance once again saves the life of another Jedi for convenience's sake.

LIKES

1. Although I was disappointed with the story as a whole, the ending was the only part where I really enjoyed. I like how it led into the next story. I like how Leia is going to take her new place. It sets up the rest of the trilogy (and likely other post NJO books) well. We know that they have to find/kill Lomi Plo, Leia will be a Jedi, Jaina/Zekk might be the next romance, Jacen's power scares everyone else, Luke/Leia will discover Padme, and Ben is a softy.

2. Finally Alema Rar is fleshed out a bit more. I always thought her a very interesting character in NJO because of how she was the most likely of any NJO Jedi that would fall. I was afraid she would be underutilized in the EU.

3. The Episode 3 bridge I like with R2 displaying his spy files from then and Luke/Leia discovering their roots.


WHAT I HOPE/EXPECT OUT THE REST OF THE TRILOGY:

Because 2 more novels like this one and I'll be disappointed:

1. Lomi Plo is not the unseen queen. It just beats you over the head that she and Welk were the dark nest creators, so understandably it should be revealed in the next book that the Jedi were wrong. I'm really hoping for Lady Lumiya. Unknown Regions/Dark Side/woman, it

 

Alema Rar kills dozens of Yuuzhan Vong in the war, but cannot beat Leia in a duel?

Yeah, because Leia's a wimp who can't hold her own in a fight, either. She went up against Darth Vader, and you think she can't hold her own for a few minutes against a punk like Alema?

 

Counting 32 ratings: 262.65/32 = 8.21

 

Leia also has that whole chosen one bloodline thing going on.

 

Argh. I can't get it to post here, so just read mine on Amazon instead.

Two additional points I didn't make in there to confuse the masses: personally, I think that everybody except possibly Jacen and/or Tesar have completely misinterpreted what Vergere said. Also, I think I know now why The Unifying Force never really rang true to me: Luke's getting way more involved than he should be, and he should know it. But he didn't then, and doesn't now, when he did back in Vision of the Future, and I'd like to know why his character has reverted.

8.5/10

 

Counting 33 ratings: 271.15/33 = 8.22

 

Very much to my surprise, I enjoyed the novel very much. I was surprised that I even liked the whole bug plot as well. The big three were very well characterized as well as Jacen. Can't wait 'til the second book.

9/10

 

Counting 34 ratings: 280.15/34 = 8.24

 

I thought that the book was fantastic, and the characterizations were spot-on. I loved the dynamic between characters. I also enjoyed how Denning brought forth ideas about sex, yet left them vague enough to draw their own conclusions. The lightsaber duel at the end is cool. I also love the way that they have dealt with the character of Jacen Solo. I think he needs serious straightening out, but the LOTF should do so with the return of Anakin Skywalker (please not Solo). His whole Force has no will thing seriously contradicts the movies.

Overall, I give it a 9.98 out of 10.

 

I give it 7/10. The story got off to a rocky start, and I was really looking forward to Luke finding out more about Padmé. But the ending was just too "huh?"

 

Counting 36 ratings: 297.13/36 = 8.25

 

I agree about the rocky start, but what was "huh?" about the ending?

 

I agree that the pacing and characterization in TJK are dead on. The time period of the book is a span of about 2-3 months. What worries me is the fact that Jaina and the other jedi joined the bugs so quickly. Are we told how long they were at the taat nest before they were discovered there?

my score 8/10

 

Jaina and the others had been there more than a month by the time Luke, Leia, Han, and Mara reached them. In that passage, it stated that Jacen had been with the group about a month, and that Jaina and the others had been there longer (obviously).

 

Counting 37 ratings: 305.13/37 = 8.25

 

Much as I've tried to find things to fault I can't think of anything I disliked. I'm unsure whether to give it the full 10 but at the end of the day I don't read Star Wars expecting the greatest work of fiction ever written or something that will be studied in school classrooms in five hundred years because it was amazing prose- I read it because I like Star Wars, and as far as Star Wars goes, this was one of my favourite books in a long time. It really did a good job of capturing the classic feeling of the films and was a refreshing change from the heavier writing style of the New Jedi Order.

I guess I'll give it a 9.5. The only thing I possibly disliked was that the ending seemed a little abrupt as it just... ended. It left me kind of thinking "wait, but aren't there another two books left?". I daresay once we get to see what happens in Unseen Queen and Swarm War though that feeling will have changed, just right now it seemed like they've pretty much wrapped up the main plot- other than Lomi getting away of course.

And that part I did find interesting. I was expecting nobody to mention Lomi by name until Unseen Queen (hence the word Unseen) but Raynar remembers saving her, Jacen saw him save him, so its not as if she was secret, as the Jedi know she is out there somewhere. That part does make me rather suspicious about whether we're being led into a trap expecting Lomi Plo but will actually get somebody else (i.e. Ventress or Lumiya). Considering the number of loose ends Denning tried to solve (Fel kids, R2's memories, Maw and Centerpoint etc.) it wouldn't surprise me if Dark Nest also ends up solving the greatest riddle of all- what happened to the lost Sith? Thats probably just me still being hopeful though. I did like that the Lomi Plo who seemingly tried to help Welk during his fight with Mara sounds like she's had a pair of bug wings attached to her back. That will be... different. I'm pretty sure that there is something more at work here than just "Lomi Plo escaped- lets go hunt her down for two books!".

9.5/10

 

Counting 38 ratings: 314.63/38 = 8.28

 

Bet it's Asajj.

 

Or Shira Brie.

 

I'm guessing that they're saving Lumiya for LotF.

 

Timson: "the Dark Side clouds everything"...?

I'm off to RASSM later, to kick this one around some more...

Grr. Argh. Nrg.

Oh, and it looks like I was right about Jacen repressing his memory of some key events that we've seen, too...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Kudzu posted on 7/31/05 8:27am

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I'm guessing that they're saving Lumiya for LotF.
[hr][/blockquote]

Dark Nest is basically a LotF prologue-- it's Lumiya, no doubt.

 

TMcE: RASSM?

I'll give it a 9/10. Will elaborate later.

 

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