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

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

  1. gemking

    gemking Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 24, 2005
    I really really enjoyed this book. I was hooked after the first couple of pages. I absolutely loved Luke's characterisation, he seems so much more powerful & decisive - exactly how a jedi master should be. I especially liked it when he crushed Alema's lightsaber crystal with his hand!

    Thought that Luke & Mara's relationship seemed a little more "normal" in this book. The fact that Luke & Mara shared a hug & kiss before she left for the GFFA & Luke felt physically sick when he thought Mara had lied to him gives the relationship more dimension.

    Loved the Luke/Han pairing - its like the good old days, two friends getting into scrapes together!

    I enjoyed the Jacen/Tenel Ka storyline, but I did think it was a little odd - why the hell didn't Tenel Ka tell Jacen before that she was preggers? She managed to get a message to him in secret to tell him to come to her rescue, so why couldn't she get a secret message to him during the pregnancy? I felt kind of sorry for Jacen actually - Tenel Ka was kind of:

    "Oh, hey darling, guess what? I've had a baby & Its yours but the only reason I'm telling you is because there's a whole load of bugs trying to attack it & you're a better Jedi than me! Please help us."

    Echoing a couple of others on here I do hope Jaina & Jag get back together. The whole Jaina/Zekk thing is really creepy & only seems to have gotten worse over the past year. I found it odd that there was no mention of any attempts to seperate them. In fact, it seemed as if the other Jedi have just accepted that this is how its always going to be from now on. Leia & Han didn't seem bothered at all. Someone mentioned that Jaina didn't once think about Jag throughout the entire book, but she is obviously constantly on Jag's mind as he recognised her flying style immediately. I think there is unfinished business between the two of them & am hoping that Denning is planning for Jag to break Jaina free of her joinership with Zekk in DN3. (as was teased in DN1)

    Also liked Leia & Saba, although I found Saba a little annoying at times - she was really bossy with Leia & very insistent on following the rules, but then I guess that is supposed to be the point. Favourite bit with these two had to be when Leia was lying on the floor & Saba enquired as to why Leia had chosen such a peculiar time to take a rest!! ;-)

    Anyway, overall rating 8.5
     
  2. Commander5052

    Commander5052 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 28, 2005
    I'm giving it an 8.5.
    I really enjoined Luke seeing Artoo's holorecordings, and Tarfang is always a hoot. My favorite part of this is seeing the PT and OT characters get tied together. Just hearing Han Solo say "Clone Troopers!" Or C-3PO say "Mustafar" brought shivers up my spine.
     
  3. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 36 ratings: 288/36 = 8.00
     
  4. NJOfan215

    NJOfan215 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 17, 2003
    I didn't like this one as much as i like the joiner king, but i did like it. Jacen is following his grandfather's footsteps. In fact i think the actions jacen took to stop the war he saw in his vission may actualy be what brings it on. I imagine this will get addressed in the next book. I really liked the han and luke dynamic, and as always i loved the barbels. I think leia's jedi training is going well. I hope to see herr knight in the next book. I didn't like the fact that Luke had such a hard time dealing with lomi. I unmderstand the need to make villians who have a **** at winning, but i just don't by her actualy being able to hold a candle to luke.

    8.25
     
  5. BroodingLion

    BroodingLion Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2004
    I don't think it's so much a question of actual power and skill as much as it is Luke just not knowing what he's up against. He held his own on a moving StealthX in a third-rate vacsuit, after all, and he might've still been a little drained from the illusions. Plus he had to look out for everyone else. Lomi was just out to kill him, but he was multitasking. I think Luke's doin' fine. :)
     
  6. Zorrixor

    Zorrixor Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 8, 2004
    I believe they answered this briefly when Luke was talking to Formbi in TJK... or at least they answered it for Raynar and presumably it applies to Lomi as well. Raynar was able to draw not just on his own Force-potential but all the Force-potential of everything connected to the hivemind. That means he wasn't just the equivalent of a single Jedi... he was like some form of god with the power of every Force user in the entire nest. I think he pretty much demonstrated that when he came at the ISD aboard that tiny Carrack cruiser at the end and was able to deflect a whole barrage of turbolasers (if most Jedi could do that they wouldn't need a lightsaber to deflect blaster bolts).

    Lomi is probably the same... she can draw on all the Force-potential (Force-potential being something ALL living creatures have not just Force-sensitives) of the Dark Nest, and possibly even the entire Colony, depending on what exactly the nature of her connection to the whole Colony is. Either way, she'd still be a lot more powerful than a single Dark Master.
     
  7. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    Just wrapped it up a little while ago and even though I enjoyed it I didnt like it nearly as much as TJK. I loved the bombshell with Jacen early in the book as well as all of the disturbing developments with him and his newfound abilities (loved the parallels to Anakin, too; Jacen is perfectly willing to wipe out an entire sentient species to save his daughter, just like his grandfather had no problem crushing the Jedi and destroying the Republic in the process in order to save Padme). We've seen way too little of Jacen so far in this series, though. Hopefully this will be remedied in TSW. I also like how the schism within the Jedi continued in this one, too. Looks like this series is going to go a long way to setting up the Legacy era, and Im really looking forward to seeing how it all ends.

    8 / 10
     
  8. NJOfan215

    NJOfan215 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 17, 2003
    wow, i never knew shot was a dirty word.
     
  9. Kudzu

    Kudzu Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2005
    Well, The Unseen Queen was somewhat better than its lackluster predecessor. Unfortunately, however, the very concept of the Killiks and the whole nest thing drags it down again, as well as the fact that it really should be divided into parts ala the NJO hardcovers and the Lord of the Rings novels.

    The Dark Nest itself is just bizarre. It affects not the subconscious, but the unconscious?
    If you feel a certain emotion, they can manipulate it to affect the physical world?
    They can make the other Killik freaks think that they don't exist?
    They have some heirarchy involving stupid Night Heralds and Unseen Queens?
    Why can't the Jedi detect their presences in the Force if they are real, existing creatures with midichlorians and aren't much different genetically than your standard average Killik?
    Why does their black membrosia said to only "poison" insect species, yet it makes Jaina go all kooky on Bespin for a couple of seconds - is it because she's actually part-bug?

    And more questions!
    Why was Sien Sovv, among the more important minor players of the New Jedi Order series, killed "offscreen" ala Ackbar?
    Are they going to make a tradition of killing off Supreme Commanders between the lines and just mention something about Pellaeon falling down a flight of stairs and breaking his neck in The Swarm War?
    Why'd Jacen see frying Ta'a Chume's brain as a good alternative to following the plan and having her incarcerated?
    Why did Luke's decision to change the Jedi philosophy back to the way it was - a huge, major turning point in the very nature of the characters and the moral theme of the story - occur between books rather than being a "Eureka" moment where Luke smacks his forehead with his hand and asks himself, "How could I have been so stupid to think that my twenty-something angsty nephew, some weird anthropomorphic chicken who can't decide whether to kill us or help us find a cure for Yuuzhan Vong-cancer, and a talking planet know more about moral judgment and the being of the Force than the greatest Jedi Masters of the Old Republic era?"
    What was the Galactic Alliance thinking when it decided that anyone who could beat a simulator - a computer mocking the man himself - of Thrawn could take command of one of the most advanced and cutting-edge of their starfleets even with no combat experience whatsoever?
    Why are Gavin Darklighter, Corran Horn, Cilghal, and Tenel Ka all acting so out of character?
    Why is Gavin, distinguished member of Rogue Squadron during the Bacta War, following orders that he believes to be stupid from a fleet admiral who hasn't done jack squat to earn his respect? Why is Kyp shimmying his shoulders, even for a few seconds, when is Cal trying to flatter him into taking on Jedi leadership responsibilities?
    Why is a council of fully grown, fully trained, experienced Jedi Masters squabbling amongst itself like a crowd of children arguing about how to perform their school play?
    Why are JainaTaat and ZekkTaat vacillating between following Jacen's lead, Kyp's lead, or Corran's lead without any of it ever making sense?
    Where are Lando, Tendra, and YVH 1-1A during all this?
    Where's the Empire - taking a nap?
    Why are there suddenly tons of new slang terms and expressions to describe people and things - 'Moids for Neimodians, masc for a male, fem for a female, rodder and rodders and whatever else as a magical new swear word, and why would anybody suffer the indignity of spitting the obscenity "bloah" when angry?
    Why is Lomi called usually "Lomi Plo", but then occasionally just "Lomi", and why is she half-Killik, half-Human?
    Did a baby Killik get planted in her skull and sprout outwards inside her body, using it as a gruesome carapace, and if so, is she still even Lomi at all?
    Why is it that she can use people's thoughts and emotions and use them to make it so that people can't see her?
    Is that sort of like in those kids' movies, where Santa Claus or Magical Unicorn Land or what have you will only be real if you believe in it hard enough?
    Why doesn't
     
  10. val solo

    val solo Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 22, 2000
    I'll rate this book as a 6/10.

    The Good:

    Leia/ Saba interaction-- As several people mentioned before, these two work well together, although at first I was unsure. And Leia's fight with Alema... awesome! I just hope to see my favorite princess finish it once and for all in the final book. I'm tired of seeing Alema in her skin tight jumpsuit. Blech!

    Han and Luke action, and Luke finally finding out more about Padme. I like how Denning is showing, in little ways, how age is finally starting to affect our dear old scoundrel, Han. I mean, these people are ageing, right? But he still jumps right into danger. Force, I love that guy!

    The Bad:

    The Killiks...hate 'em. Very inconsistant, as someone already stated. And the whole joining thing...creepy and contrived. Jaina...I also used to kind of like her character, but now, she doesn't even seem to have one. Such a waste, IMO. And poor Zekk. He's probably a definite goner since that seems the only way we know of to get Jaina back to some sense of normalcy.

    Jacen...where do I even begin? I really grew to like his character over the course of the NJO. By the end of that series he seemed to have matured, realizing there may be things Luke couldn't teach him, but wanting to embrace more views in what I assumed was a 'kinder, gentler' Force approach. However, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined he would debase himself enough to choke his kid cousin, mind wipe Ta'a Chume and Ben, and purposely start a war! Then I couldn't really tell if he was all that excited about his own child or just wanted to use her as an excuse to start a fight. IMO, his character has regressed and taken a turn for the worst. I just wasn't feelin' the love, from any of the younger characters, at all.

    Kyp seemed way too angry. I did like that he was willing to take some action, but he needs a hug or something...and a new set of clothes. If I have to read about how raggedy he looked one more time...grrrrr!

    I have many of the same questions as you, Kudzu, so I won't repeat them. But even though this is one of my least favorite series, I'll still read the next one because, as a diehard fan, I just have to know what happens in that galaxy far,far away...whether I like it or not.
     
  11. Kudzu

    Kudzu Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2005
    Unfortunately, me too. And Jacen didn't just mind-wipe Ta'a Chume - he blasted apart her brain.
     
  12. neeldawg66

    neeldawg66 Jedi Master star 8

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2002
    8/10. Thought it was really good. Eagerly anticipating TSW.
     
  13. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 41 ratings: 324.25/41 = 7.91
     
  14. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Anyone else read it?
     
  15. JEDI-SOLO

    JEDI-SOLO Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 12, 2002
    I liked this one better than DN I.

    I will give it a 9/10

    One thing that I really want for some reason is to have Alema and Raynar both survive and come back around to their old selves. I doubt it will happen but who knows. If I had to choose which of the two it would be I would pick Raynar just because way back in SBS I knew it was not the last of him and I was always curious as to what his fate was. This is not how I pictured it and I hope that it is not the end for him.

    I did enjoy Saba and Leia as well as Luke, Han, Jae, and Tarfang. Tarfang with a Saber was really great.

    One thing that gets me though is how do we know that Lomi Plo is really Lomi Plo? To me I think if it is her than her name would be in the Dramits Personae as Welk was in TJK. They had about the same pg count of activity in each book.

    I'm just not convinced that it is her.
     
  16. BIG_BAD_JEDI_MAN

    BIG_BAD_JEDI_MAN Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    8/10

    As far as story and plot devices, it was pretty generic, though the action scenes were very well done. As for creating a good set-up for the conclusion, it was awesome. The discussion it's created on these boards alone merits a high review.
     
  17. Jedi_Matt

    Jedi_Matt Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2002
    green with envy here

    can't wait to get hold of this book...

     
  18. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 43 ratings: 341.25/43 = 7.93
     
  19. CmdrMitthrawnuruodo

    CmdrMitthrawnuruodo Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 1, 2000
    Well I am halfway through the book and usually it takes me one to two days to finish a Star Wars book and I've had it since it came out, not a good book IMHO. Like the Joiner King, I find the plot and story boring and the only thing that seems to have kept me interested in the series is finding out whether Luke and Leia learn about their parents through Artoo. Other greivances I have, Zekk and Jaina's behavior towards each other ... *shudder* I certainly know how Han feels about it that's for sure.
     
  20. Vongoid

    Vongoid Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 5, 2002
    I am angry about the Ben Skywalker statements towards Tenel Ka and Jacen for having a child without being married. In my opinion, this is to American and too todayish to surface in a Science-Fiction / Fantasy-book, especially when the rules of social behaviour haven't been outlined in the last twenty books approximately. A quick shot at fanboys that will not stand the test of time.

    Rating: 5
     
  21. sidious618

    sidious618 Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 20, 2003
    Whoa, whoa, I think you read too much into that.

    As for a rating I've yet to finish the novel because I've been busy but it's a cracking read so far.
     
  22. Kudzu

    Kudzu Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2005
    Too American, you say? And, if I may ask, where might you be from to be getting that idea, and I'll have some of whatever you're smoking as well.

    American entertainment glorifies sex in general. Me being American, I can tell you that it gets quite grating, actually. Maybe instead of "American", you meant "Iranian"? Because they have some pretty big stigmas on that.
     
  23. Uriden

    Uriden Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 18, 2005
    I believe he is refering to the "good old boys" and "family values" that the Republican party would have you believe is the only thing going on in the USA. Of course, it's utterly wrong, but I think he meant the comment along the lines of a more moral time.

    Though I find it weak, seeing as, Ben's grown up with the idea that the parents of his family, friends etc. are all married. So for Jacen and Tenel Ka to be having a baby out of marriage would make Ben (being an immature 9 year old boy, as we males will remember with fondness) giggle with fiendish glee. We always did like getting someone in trouble.
     
  24. Tramp

    Tramp Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 6, 2003
    Very very true Uriden. All little kids do. It's part of their charm. :D

    As far as this book goes, I give it a solid 10. I enjoyed it completely. Ben's reactions to Jacen and Tenel Ka regarding the baby were absolutely briliant. The whole situation with the Killiks leads well into the next book. I can't wait for that to come out. The interactions between Luke and Han, and between Leia and Saba were wonderfully executed. Many of those scens are hilarious. Ta'a Chume finally got what she has deserved for a loooong time. All in all, and excellent read.
     
  25. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 45 ratings: 356.25/45 = 7.92