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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST II: THE UNSEEN QUEEN (spoilers)

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Mastadge, Sep 24, 2005.

  1. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    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)
     
  2. Teegirloo

    Teegirloo Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 26, 2005
    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.
     
  3. Ive_Got_Two_Legs

    Ive_Got_Two_Legs Jedi Youngling star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 18, 2005
    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...
     
  4. NJOfan215

    NJOfan215 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 17, 2003
    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.
     
  5. Tiershon_Fett

    Tiershon_Fett Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 2000
    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.
     
  6. Kudzu

    Kudzu Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2005
    The Gorog's violent influence, actually. Not that you care. :)
     
  7. EwokStromboli

    EwokStromboli Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 2004
    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! [face_pig]
     
  8. Tiershon_Fett

    Tiershon_Fett Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 2000
    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.
     
  9. Ive_Got_Two_Legs

    Ive_Got_Two_Legs Jedi Youngling star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 18, 2005
    The Gorog is such a Gary Stu. He's only there to denigrate Mara and appease all the Zahn haters...
     
  10. jaya02

    jaya02 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 12, 2002
    Jaina and Tenel Ka's?o_O Is there something about the GFFA's human reproductive system I don't know? Or was the baby artificially inseminated?

    Finally! A Gary Stu/Mary Sue that Tiershon would bash us to death with![:D]





    :p
     
  11. NJOfan215

    NJOfan215 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 17, 2003
    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.
     
  12. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 1 rating: 7/1 = 7
     
  13. JediBaylen

    JediBaylen Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2002
    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.
     
  14. Mandalorian-Jedi

    Mandalorian-Jedi Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 28, 2005
    Where can I find a synopsis for TUQ?

    I take it Luke doesn't show off any uber-skills yet?
     
  15. vong333

    vong333 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2003
    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.
     
  16. JediBaylen

    JediBaylen Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2002
    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).
     
  17. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 3 ratings: 21/3 = 7
     
  18. BobaKareu

    BobaKareu Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 24, 2005
    Just a question, does Lomi show up in this book?
     
  19. Father_Time

    Father_Time Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2003

    In the official Unseen Queen thread, it is mentioned that she becomes invisible and has a lightsaber duel with Luke on the outside of a starship.

     
  20. JacenSolo48

    JacenSolo48 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2005
    My rating 9 out of 10. It was an excellent book. It had a lot of great Jedi action, but also some political intrigue without getting dragged down by it.

    As someone who disapproves of sex before marriage, and therefore am a proud twenty-five year old virgin waiting for the right woman to honor and cherish till death we part, I will represent the prudes. I did not mind the baby's birth all that much. As I have said before the culture is different, who knows what is acceptable in Hapan society, there is a difference between the legal and the religious/cultural. I have no doubt that the story in the end will not stray too far from the chivalry, courtliness, and other elements of the movies. Some of the trash of the NJO is already being jettisoned. Finally, it is a story, not real life, and as long as they do not try making a political point, I do not care. I am only posting so that the folks at LFL/Del Rey do not get an unbalanced view of fan ideas about issues. God bless. -JacenSolo48
     
  21. Senator_Lorena

    Senator_Lorena Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 21, 2003
    More power to you, JacenSolo48!

    It still bothers me that Jacen and TK did what they did. I have not read the new book, but I have a feeling the baby was not unplanned on TK's part. She probably wanted an heir by a person about whom she truly cared rather than the tawdry suitors that followed her around.

     
  22. Teegirloo

    Teegirloo Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 26, 2005
    I agree Lorena i got the impression that TK wanted someone other than the suitors to father her child it just so happens that Jacen came at the right time.
     
  23. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 4 ratings: 30/4 = 7.5
     
  24. JadedSkycrawler

    JadedSkycrawler Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 10, 2002
    ...It bothers me that this is all so sudden...(Jacen and Tenel Ka having a baby.) I hadn't even gotten used to the idea of them being a couple yet...mainly because the details of their "relationship" have been so vague. I mean, there was always a , "spark", I guess you could say, but it always seemed very one-sided, like Tenel Ka had feelings for Jacen that he didnt have for her. And now all of a sudden she's had his baby. [face_tired] I love Dennings work, and have yet to read Unseen Queen, but from what I gather from spoilers it seems very "Days of our lives", "All my children" etc...except no Susan Lucci...
     
  25. rhonderoo

    rhonderoo Former Head Admin star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 7, 2002
    I give it a 7 out of 10. I really liked it, and didn't mind the Jacen and Tenel Ka stuff, I was just happy Jacen finally is a kick butt kind of Jedi.

    What bothered me was that some things seemed contrived, like Alema and the Mara grudge and her also having the Artoo memories. Like someone else said, Artoo has all the bad memories, but no good ones:confused:? Hopefully this will change in Swarm War. Another aspect that could have fans yelling "contrived!111!!" were the Squibs showing up, but I liked the nod to Dennings wonderful characters in Tatooine Ghost.

    I liked Jaina and Zekk a lot better in this one, and Han and Luke were good together. I loved the Jedi fighting and Leia's attitude, she's her father's daughter when it comes to being an apprentice. But maybe that is because she's kinda put in her place a lot in this book like he was in AOTC, her mannerisms remind me of this. I thought it went a little overboard with putting someone who used to run the galaxy in "subordinate" mode and constantly reminding them of it. It could create controversy, that's for sure.

    All in all a good, fast paced book with a pretty abrupt and tense ending. Definitely ESBish as far as trilogies go. Denning always does a good job with pulling you into the story, and I found myself laughing out loud or yelling, "Oh, no she didn't!" several times.