Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: DARK NEST III: THE SWARM WAR (spoilers)

Yep, just a couple days until the street date of the final book of Denning's new trilogy. You know how it works: rate The Swarm War 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 - 9.26 (53)
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 - 9.03 (68)
Revenge of the Sith, by Matthew Stover - 9.51 (77)
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno - 7.99 (38)
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 - 8.07 (93)
Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen, by Troy Denning - 7.90 (78)

 

With "The Swarm War", Lucasarts/Del Rey has done one of two things: either they have set up the boldest move in EU history, or they totally chickened out like a bunch 6 year old girls at the sight of a mouse (no offense, of course). And unfortunately, thanks to the platoons of fanboys who can't accept change, it seems that the latter will be the case. Not to say that it's a poorly written book...just that it could have been so much better.

Plot wise, the story is pretty much what you would expect, and that's what has me so disappointed. Ultimately, this story is just another example of Luke proving that he is perfect, infallible, and is never wrong. He stomps through scenes like a drunken step-father, proving that yes, he still swings the biggest bat in the SW dugout. Only one problem though:

WHO THE **** CARES ABOUT LUKE SKYWALKER???

I'm sorry, but as much as I like the character, how many times do we need to be beaten over the head with the idea that nobody but Luke is capable of saving the day. The whole point of the NJO was to show that the time has come to pass the torch. In reality, it was more like the old guard passed the torch just so they could take a leak, and then snatched it right back. I though DN might rectify that, but so far it looks like I was wrong.

That being said, DR could just be sneaky, setting LotF to do the job the fanboys wouldn't let NJO do. Luke's asserting control over the Jedi and essentially creating a fascist dictatorship could be sheer gold if done right. Throughout the book, Luke is warned repeatedly at the dangerous steps he is taking; Leia essentially tells him to stick, Jacen calls him on it in several instances, and Pellaeon ends the book on an ominous note asserting the same thing. Denning tries very hard to make it clear that while yes, Luke is the hero, he is also just as power-hungry and arrogant as anyone else. For anyone familiar with Trudeau and the War Measures Act in Canada, you'll see what I mean.

Which leads me to the characters. A lot of people (most of them not having read the book) are calling the protrayals "out of character" and "wrong", with a lot of "die Denning, die!" being thrown out there (seriously people, grow up...could you really do any better?) I for one, thought the characters were very well portrayed, with possible exceptions being Luke, Jacen, and the Joiner Jedi. Han and Leia seem to be the two characters that no one can mess up, and Denning does a spectacular job; Han is fun and cynical, providing the everyman view into the absurd situations he finds himself in, and Leia is tough, fiery, and an all-around bad-@$$, as proven in the fight with Alema as well as her willingness to fight against Luke on his decisions. Mara is a tough character to nail, as everyone has their own view on what she should be, but Denning does a good job of making her almost a peripheral character to the central dynamic of Luke, Han/Leia, and Jacen.

If there was ever a book where Luke was portrayed as a jerk, this is the one. He chastises Jacen for spying and manipulation, yet he does the exact same thing three pages later. He enforces his will upon everyone around him, no longer first among equals, but the top dog over all...it's his way or the highway. He lectures Jacen on striking first and using the Force ruthlessly, yet he kills several beings by Force-slamming them into a wall. While this proves effective for the story, it's obvious that this is a problem and will escalate into something that Luke can't control, and he'll either die, fail, or corrupt. all of which would be cool, but like I said, I doubt LA/DR has the cajones.

Jaina and Zekk I really don't care for at the best of times, and I think Denning dug himself into a hole with them; Zekk is a tool, used as a filler for most of his tenure in the EU, and Denning can't quite escape this, and Jaina is difficult enough to be written as an indivual without making her a hive-being, so really there was only so much Denning could do to make them even a little bit interesting. T

 

7.5/10

I guess I'm one of those people who wishes the story of SkywalkerCo had been left to our own imaginations following the stroll-into-the-sunset that was the conclusion of The Unifying Force. Alas, this franchise exists to make money, and it does so by creating more and more adventures to which our own imaginations do not own the copyright. So, it's understandable that the timeline will continue to grow, and---much as I'd like to---I can't dock these Dark Nest novels just for existing. It's tempting, but I hold out hope that this trilogy will bear some fruit down the line.

Denning's a capable SW writer, and he seems to do many things well---when he writes dialogue between Han and Leia, for instance, I actually imagine Han and Leia speaking it, which is a high compliment indeed. Nevetheless, now that it has concluded, the DN trilogy strikes me---on the first blush and as a self-contained story---as an exercise in pointlessness. Oh, some pieces have been moved, and some characters have come and gone and grown and shaved beards, but on the whole this is an insubstantial story. The trilogy was basically a dark-sider-of-the-week exercise, with the added pyschological twist.

Now, dark-siders-of-the-week seem to be replete in the EU tradition, so in a sense the DN trilogy isn't much different. But, in another sense, it is, because (unlike, say, TNR) this series does tremendous indelible violence to certain characters within its vast chronological scope---and I'm not talking about the ones with burned faces or mandibles for jaws or . . . well, the poor poor limp-shouldered beauty, Alema Rar. Take Jaina Solo, whose treatment in this trilogy goes beyond injuries and other superficial indicia like, for instance, crushing Princess Leia's legs or daring incorporate dialogue indicating she might be growing older (for which the author of Balance Point was criticized, IIRC). Bloah, that's child's play.

I'm not a Jaina fan; I haven't read any of the junior Jedi stuff, but everything I've read in which she's appeared gives me the consistent perception that she's a flat character, a superficial spoiled brat. She's Han Solo withhout the charm--or the heart. She's Princess Leia without a hint of grace---or the inner beauty. Typically, her purported "turn to the dark side" in Dark Journeywas little more than teenage angst, more appropriate as an after school special than as a transformative event in the EU. She's neither died a hero nor been tortured to the point of having an excuse for acting dangerously dark. Instead, she just exists to wield a 'saber and pilot an X-Wing.

But, sithspit, some people really seem to like her, and now I feel bad for them---and, in the sort of parasocial way that we tend to regard EU characters with empathy or antipathy, for Jaina, too. The poor kid has been living in a kriffin' hive-mind for, what . . . 18 months or two years now? Bloah! If you're a fan of Jaina, I hope you're not expecting many fill-in-the-timeline stories featuring her during this stage of the broader saga. Throat clicks and elbow rubs, indeed!

Thus, it's kind of nice that Denning gives her time---in reality, LOTS of time---to be alone in The Swarm War. Of course, she's not really alone, as Wuluw, her communications aid(es) and the one type of Killik I can actually stand, accompanies her. (And, in a sort of running joke, she keeps on putting her Wuluw in situations where it gets killed.) Denning manipulates the requirements of the plot to keep Zekk "out of distance," which will strike 99.44% of the readers out there as blessed relief. Jaina's still a strange bird, but at least her sections are readable.

Unfortunately, her sections also take up a substantial section of the heart of the book, and her struggle to reconcile her thoughts with those of "the Will" get rather tiring. I also don't think Denning allocated his resources (or his 355 pages) in the most effective manner, as the conclusion between Luke/Raynar/Lomi Plo occurs in a quick yet understated manner. Outsid

 

Counting 2 ratings: 14.5/2 = 7.25

 

Got 'er today, finished 'er off today. Good book. It felt slightly disappointing, not up to the standards of the rest of the series, though. It felt like Denning tried to cram too much resolution into one book, and couldn't quite pull it of. The ending feels rushed, and nothing anywhere gets quite as much attention as it deserves. Bwua'tu never even makes it onscreen! Denning should have written four books, or at least gotten two hundred more pages at the end. 557 pages wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the man. For all that, it's still quite a solid book, which speaks to Denning's skill. Though it rushes, it manages to hit all the high points well enough and wraps up the series satisfactorily, while still leaving plenty of dangling threads for Legacy (the only thing is -- I want to see how they aren't resolved for five years ). Ask for any details, please -- I'm not going to make a foot-long post.
9.1/10

 

Finished the book today. I won't give it a rating because quite frankly I hated the entire series. It was like the worst of the Vong books: packed with filler action between the small amounts of interesting detail.

I don't know. It seems to me the best Star Wars books focus on characterisations above all else, not descriptions of battle. Take the Thrawn Trilogy with the development of bad guys and good guys: Thrawn, Palleon (sp), Mara, Talon Karrde; the X-Wing books with Wedge, Corran, Janson. Those were what held your interest in the book.

Troy Denning failed 90% of the time in this regard. There are no "bad guy" characterisations - Never do you see or sympathize with "UnuThul", Alema, or any of the joined, including (fatally - since it seems half of The Swarm War was spent on them) Jaina and Zekk. The only characterizations I found compelling were Jacen, Luke, and Mara and their interplay with R2's recordings of Padme and Anikan.

Han and Leia, throughout the series were doing the same exact things they have been doing since Courtship through the Vong series.

The best books of the Vong series are the highlight moments of the lesser came with the characterizations: Nom Anor, Ganner, Vergere (even if you didn't like her), Anikan, Jacen in Traitor. Denning failed to build on those. Instead, he fills his books with the worst of the Vong series traits: poorly developed adverseries (what was the name of that super Jedi-animal unleashed on Coruscant again?), badly described battles, and bloated plots.

Denning, IMO, falls below Kevin J. Anderson into the ranks of Barbara Hambley, Vonda McIntyre, Kristine Rusch, and Michael P. Kube-McDowell (at least with his Lando on sleeping alien ship crap; his work with Luke and his search for his mother and the Yevethan, even though both story threads ultimately led nowhere). He doesn't come near the quality of the Stackpole, Zahn, Allston, or Stover.

The LOTF series will be interesting as I see it basically pairs Denning with his polar opposite of Allston.

 

Bought it today. Finished it today. It was a solid read and a good ending to the story.

I really don't have any complaints about the plot, the events, or the character portrayals ( all you people whining and moaning about "LUKE IS OUT OF CHARACTER! MARA IS OUT OF CHARACTER!" need to just...shut it; particularly if you haven't read the book). Luke is portrayed superbly; yes, he comes off as forceful, but decisive. And in many respects, Luke plays the mirror to Jacen.

Luke chastises Jacen for using Tahiri to spy on Tesar and Lowbacca, but willingly allows Ghent to bug Luke's chambers for Cal Omas. Jacen, seemingly confused at Luke's reversal gives his uncle a look to which Luke replies: "You did say that spying forms trust, didn't you Jacen?"

The point is that Jacen was spying on his fellow Knights because he doesn't trust them and his actions were sewing dissent within the Jedi Order. Luke, in this book, is trying to repair the order and bring about a sense of trust between the Jedi and between the Jedi/Galactic Alliance, so Luke turned Jacen's initial excuses for spying into solid reasons to allow himself to be spied upon.

I don't know who made a comparison that this seemed "out of place," but that person was wrong and didn't fully understand the scene. Luke allowed the spying for all the right reasons. Jacen committed the spying for all the wrong reasons.

That scene is an example of Luke's brilliance in this novel, and the coming fallout between Jacen and Uncle Luke.

In fact, Luke does that in scene after scene with Jacen. We see Jacen making excuses for his actions, while Luke takes Jacen's excuses and turns them into solid, Jedi-based reasons for his actions.

It's well-done.

The only disappointing part of this book is that Luke fails to really show a "lightning display of swordplay and the Force" in this book. It's nothing compared to Jacen's duel with Onimi.

The Good:

Character portrayals are dead on. Typos are few and far between. Much of the plot is resolved with only a few (but essential) plot strings remaining for Legacy of the Force. Kyle Katarn gets the most "screentime" thus far (you get to see him chase a group of Killik B-wings through the hulk of a colony ship). The Episode 3 scenes were superbly done (and Jacen's reaction to his grandfather's actions is priceless). The dialogue is great between Han/Leia and Tarfang/Juun (and Tarfang's scrap with Cahkmaim and Meewalh was hilarious). Leia becoming a full-fledged Jedi Knight was welcome.

The Bad:

Like I said, I was a bit letdown by Luke's final battle with Raynar/Lomi Plo. It was entertaining, but it wasn't what it was built up to be. It needed to be fleshed out over the course of another 30 pages or so. Saba didn't get nearly enough screen time. Admiral Bwua'tu doesn't receive any dialogue (what gives?). Alema's fate is still in question. The rule is that if you don't "see" a villain die, then that means there's always room to see that villain return. I wanted to see Alema's fate resolved.

And can someone please tell me what in the hell a "maser" and "megamaser" are? Everytime Denning referenced those Chiss weapons, it made me want to play Mega Man X.

Turbolasers and lasers work fine. Thanks.

The Ugly:

Ears being chopped off. Foot getting cut in half. Being devoured by sloth lizards....damn.

Final Score: 8/10

Solid Read.

 

all you people whining and moaning about "LUKE IS OUT OF CHARACTER! MARA IS OUT OF CHARACTER!" need to just...shut it; particularly if you haven't read the book

Newsflash - People are entitled to their opinions here. Please watch the tone and telling people to "shut it".

 

I was a bit disappointed in the book, but it still was a good, fast paced read. I was happy to see that Luke finally seems to have come around to realize that the best way of maintaining a stable galaxy is for the Jedi to work with the Galactic Alliance, not around. Omas still seems one step away from burning out, but then again he has been rebuilding the galaxy after a war that claimed 365 trillion lives. Not an easy thing to do.

I was actually suprised by how much I enjoyed Pellaeon's characterization. I was a bit wary to see him leading the Alliance Defense Force, but it was handled well. I am sort of suprised though that between this book and a comment Denning made on his fan thread that the Imperial Remnant has ceased to exist. Essentially, we are being told that the Remnant became a full member of the Alliance after the Vong War, just as the Hapans did. I am fine with that, though I have a feeling some fans will be pissed off when they realize the last remnant of the Galactic Empire is now part of the Alliance.

I too was a bit disappointed that Admiral Nek Bwua'tu did not get any major role, though he does seem to show a bit of strategic genius in the background. He may be no Ackbar, but maybe he will turn out to be a good commander.

Luke becoming Grand Master and taking the reins of the Jedi Order was a much needed move, IMO. When the Yuuzhan Vong War ended in The Unifying Force, I was totally dismayed and worried about the future of the Jedi. Between the "no darkside" crap and Luke sayign that the Order was barely even going to be organized, I felt that the Jedi were heading in a bad direction. Thank the Force that Denning corrected that and has once again given the Order a purpose and a organized structure. Kudos also for a separate Jedi Council. Luke had a good point- Jedi do not lead governments and make policy. This new system will give Luke the power to advise and aid the Alliance, but not appear as if he and his fellow masters are trying to run it.

The Jedi Knights were considered guardians of the Old Republic, paladins of the New Republic, and now, thankfully, defenders of the Galactic Alliance.

This quote encourages me:

TSW, pg. 34

(Luke speaking to Corran)

"The Jedi do have a duty to support the Galactic Alliance- far more than we have been- and nobody represents that viewpoint better than you."

In all, despite a few boring moments and some other little things, I give the book a solid 8.

--Adm. Nick

 

And I'm entitled to my opinion.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maser

The short answer is a focused radiation beam, similar in nature to a laser.

 

Thanks. I still say laser/turbolaser would've sufficed...

 

8/10

In short, i thought this book was good. The one thing i did not like however, was the ending. For me, it was a bad ending to the book, and provided no sense of closure. This is not only a book that is being ended, it is an entire trilogy. I guess it makes readers excited for new books, but for me, it didnt do the trick.

 

I'm really not sure how i feel about this book. Denning's a fine writer, but i just really didn't care about jaina's story at all. I think Luke needs to dicipline her for her actions. she completely disregaurded his summons. I also really dislike jacen now, which is fine. I think his actions are believable. I liked the usual han and leia banter. I also loved saba. I think the barbels are awesome. I guess i'm giving the book a 7.75. It was basicly well executed, i just didn't care for one of the story threads.

 

Counting 7 ratings: 55.35/7 = 7.91

 

Finished it today got it today..


Rating: 9/10

Good:
Jacen gets smacked around by Lomi.. always a good thing
Luke makes connection between Vergere and Darth Sidious's teachings..

Bad:
the Good didnt happen in Book 2
Another Typo, I couldnt do any better though..
A New 16 engine ship for the fleet junkies to argue about.

Ugly:
Han getting "tortured" Ok, ok Han didnt actually get tortured.. couldnt we just have tortured Jacen again instead though?


Inshort, DN is miles ahead of the NJO in every form.. 3 Books, each not having any wasted space.. some characterizations are BAD.. but nescessary for the plot so meh..

 

Even fewer typos than Unseen Queen-- Yay!

The terran references-- Leia's crow's feet, a letter S on "Han's" cheek-- bugged me. Just a personal nitpick, but I always wish the authors would try harder.

Han reflecting on his love for Leia-- Yay! I thought those were sweet acknowledgements of their long, loving partnership.

Maser, maser, maser, maser, maser-- add me to the list of people who found this "nifty cool" new weapon to be pointless.

As I said in the discussion thread, I ended the book not liking most of the characters-- not that I found them badly written, just that they came across as completely unpleasant. I was really rooting for the Chiss to just clean house & bump off everyone: bug, Jedi, and Alliance. I can't think of anyone besides Pellaeon who came across to me as a sympathetic character, one who I could care if they lived to the end of the book.

I liked the Triple Zero excerpt far more than any of the narrative.

5/10

 

I think the point of them all ending up that way is to get them prepared for their downfall.... again.

(Whats that make it for the Jedi, their third downfall?)

 

The Good
If there's one thing Denning can do well besides taking characters we know and love, and turn them into jerks and/or morons, it's write a tradgedy. I cried when Jaina's Wuluw got killed. When Jaina finally talks to Jag, I was crying. Whether or not it was because I was so sad, or becuase it was completely unnecessary, i'll let you decide.

The bad
As I mentioned before, Denning succeds quite well at mischaracterizations. He also succeds quite well at, as someone mentioned before, a lack of characterizations. In the NJO, I felt quite sympathetic for Charat Kraal, Hararr, and other Vong. Not so here. You like cardboard, one-dimensional bad guys, buy this book today.

The Ugly
When Lomi Plo yanks out Luke's own lightsaber to fight him, Luke says, "Now I'm really ticked off." I couldn't make that crap up if I tried.

The reason I got this book
The Triple Zero excerpt was excellent, and with Karen's signature style of truly making you care for her POV (point of view) characters and the Clones.

7.5/10

 

7/10

The Good:
Jacen: Never read the YJK books, and pre-Traitor, didnt really mind him. Now, he's probably my favorite Jedi
Luke: A little stern, but very welcome. Also turning from Vergere's teachings. Good news.
Saba: I like the alieness of her compared to the humanistic Jedi
Chiss: I never jumped on that band-wagon, but they are pretty cool in this book. (I dont mind the masers that much, since it gave the Chiss a more alien-feel). I was also rooting for the bomb to go off, too.
The Battle of Tenupe: had some Starship Troopers/Starcraft vibes. I like gritty battles
Pellaeon, Bwua'tu, GADF: Hey, I like the military, and this book reminded the reader that this is just a border war, and its the GA whos in control of the galaxy.

The Bad:
Jedi Masters: the squabbling never seemed justified, and out of character for any of them. Corran and Kyp seemed especially out of character. A complaint for the whole series.
Cakhmain and Meewalh: They need to be characterized. They're not just pets or robots. I just want to know more about the other two crew members of the Falcon.
Dark Nest: I never understood it...
R2's memory: On one hand its cool to see Luke find out about his mother, but it just seemed so misplaced and had R2 acting out of character. And the whole 'erase doubt' thing seemed aggravating.
Alema: She was a good Jedi during the NJO, and Denning made her seem so sluty and condescending. I thought her falling was stupid, and now we have the 'no-dead-body' thing with her? A ruined character that still lives...great.

 

I'm surprised to see some dissapointment with the characterization. I'm only up to page 70 as I just started it today but I feel that all the characters are spot on.

 

Counting 11 ratings: 83.85/11 = 7.62

 

My feelings on the book closely echo those EwokStromboli wrote in his thorough review above, and nothing I can add to his words will do anything other than scream "I was disappointed" in a loud, disagreeable voice, so I won't add anything at all except my rating, a 5, which places it squarely with Darksaber and Planet of Twilight.

KW

 

8.5

I loved the Padme scenes, It was a little strange though reading about the charaters basically watching scenes from the movie. but I thought it was nice.
I liked the way the author drew parallels with Jacen to Anakin, But there was no pay off. That was my only major complaint was that so many threads were left dangling. the third book in a three book series should at least have some sense of completion. This won't be too bad if these threads are picked up in the LotF series, which now I'm sure they will.
other than that, I like the characterizations, some people had said they were off, but I don't see it. (except maybe Luke)
This book went a long way to make the NJO a little more like the OJO, which is a good thing IMHO.

overall a good 'somewhat ending' to a good trilogy

 

Dark Nest III is an interesting story, but the parts of the book are more interesting than the whole, the most obvious being the one where Luke finds out what forced Anakin to turn evil, and it was handled very well by Denning on the overall. Other elements that are handled well are the final hundred pages, which brings the story to an interesting conclusion that should be picked up soon enough by the latest crew with their nine-book series next year. It does seem that Denning was forced to condense a 450-page story because I would have liked to have seen a little more depth with the characters and the situations, but it serves its purpose well as the final act of this trio.

Joiner was definitely the best mainly because Denning took his time building up all of the plotlines and he created some really interesting characters and relationships. Unseen ran through the middle chapter syndrome of being nothing more than a bridge, albeit an entertaining one, and the third book manages to tie everything together, but there are some questions I hope are answered the next time.

7.7/10 for Swarm.