Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: FATE OF THE JEDI: ABYSS (Spoilers)

8.5/10

Pretty good book. I actually cared about the Jaina/Jag story line this time. Han and Allana scenes were very touching. Luke was freakin' Awesome.

 

Average score: 142.33/17 = 8.37

 

Finally a book that brings the Science Fantasy in Star Wars.

What can I say, Denning can write.

9.2/10

 

I've just finished it and I think it is one of Denning's finnest books so far. It is not perfect, but it is far better than his entries on LotF.

There were a lot of good thingts in it, but I will start by the most prominent: Abeloth. Now that is a terrific and scary villain even Luke himself should be wary of, and, what is more, it actually feels fresh and original. I'm really intrigued by how this is going to end. The Mind Walkers where also pretty cool to read, and Sinkhole Station's descriptions were really creepy. Somehow, it made me want to red Deathtroopers right away The sections about the Tribe were also great, but I don't like the fact that both Lady Rhea and Ahri have been killed. I wonder if Vestara will become the new Alema Rar, as some have suggested, or if she will be redeemed. Anyway, I hope she doesn't end up being ms. Skywalker, if just because we need more young characters about Ben's age.
I almost forgot, totally loved seeing Raynar again.

I don't feel so positive about the Corucant subplot. I didn't dislike it, but some things just seemed a little off. First of all, the Mandalorians. I don't know why the authors have ignored MF this way. I like them and the fact that we will see them again. One of the good things (if not the only) Traviss did in LotF was their reintroduction and all the characters she created. I hope they don't get lost in the EU limbo...
Another thing I didn't like was Kenth's portrayal. I always thought he would be the best replacement for Luke, even as fas back as LotF when it was thought Luke was going to die. So when FotJ was announced and I heard about Kenth replacing Luke I was really happy. But now... I don't like how the Order can't coexist without Luke's leadership. They should know better than this. I hope he redeems himself by the end of the series.
Another problem I had was with Corran and Mirax's portrayal. Having read the X-Wing books I expected nothing else from them than retrieving their kids from wherever they were being held with the help of the old gang, no matter the cost. After all they were rogues and they were the best at doing the impossible. I guess it is now a different time...

What I don't know how to feel about is Jag's "treason". I don't think the order should have reacted like that, but I think Han's reaction wasn't out of character. Considering all he has lost, it is not weird that he wants the best for Jaina. He only needs to learn that Jag is not what he thinks. He, as well as Leia, will come around as if nothing had happened.

Well, all in all I give it a 9/10.

 

Overall, I enjoyed Abyss. See below for a breakdown of the "good, the bad, and the ugly".

The Good

1. Vestara and Lady Rhea. Both characters were well written, plus I continue to be facsinated by this Sith Tribe. They seem less rabid and less evil than your run of the mill Sith, but they still posess a devious side. I particularly enjoy Vestara and look forward to her progression as a main character.

2. Wynn Dorvan. For starters, Wynn Dorvan is made of pure "win". It is so refreshing to see a honorable politician serving the GA executive. The scence where he tells Leia about the Mandalorians was excellently written. His line to Leia about the Jedi being protectors of the galaxy was very heartening. I can only hope that FOTJ ends with a Chief of State Wynn Dorvan.

3. The Galactic Alliance Senate. Hell, even with only a few lines refering to the Senate, I was incredibly heartened. Jag's comments about the pro-Jedi members of the Senate reminds the reader that democracy is alive and well, even under a petty despot like Daala. Denning also mentions a Senator Trebek as a Jedi supporter. Hopefully we can see more of that character in later books.

4. Allana Solo. I was suprised by how much I am liking Allana Solo. She is suprising cunning and wise for a eight year old, which makes her character that much more interesting. The vision of her living in a time of peace and prosperity for the entire Galactic Alliance is a good omen for the future direction that Del Rey may take after the conclusion of FOTJ.

5. Ben Skywalker and Luke. There dynamic is very fun to read. It is also great to see the two of them in action against the Sith Tribe.

6. Corran Horn. I love the way Denning describes Master Horn during the Council Meeting. Basically, it is acknowledged that Corran is adamant about getting his children back, but that he wants to do it in a way that has the law on his side. It reminds us that Corran is still very much about supporting the government he helped create. There WERE echos of Mace Windu in his character, especially as both Jedi view a democractic government as a good thing for the galaxy.

The Bad

1. Ken Hamner's portrayal. I am not pleased with how Denning interpets Hamner's character and his actions. I can only hope that this trend does not continue, as Kenth Hamner continues to be one of the most interesting Jedi Masters in the Jedi Order.

2. Leia's opinion of Kenth. Her comment about Kenth being blind is saddening. Again, I am not entirely happy with Denning's choice to write Leia in this way. She comes across rather silly, IMO.

The Ugly

1. Mind drinkers and weird Maw stuff. As with flow walking, I am not a fan of these types of things in the EU. To me, they are not in the spirit of the movies and feel a bit too foreign.

Overall, I give the book a solid 6.5.

--Adm. Nick

 

10 out of 10. Absolutely kriffing fantastic.

As I said in the main thread, it fired on all cylinders for me, and really elevated the whole thing.

Monsters.
Great characterizations.
Lightsabers.
Spies.
New planets.
Peril.
Politics that are interesting.
The Dark Side.
Never boring.
Luke acting like LUKE!

In a word: TEN.

 

Average score: 177.03/21 = 8.43

 

yeah great book. this is as interesting of a storyline that we have seen since the njo, maybe even more interesting than that. can't wait to see what comes out of this. luke was luke, and that was so great. and leia felt like leia, han felt like han. jag did not seem comepletely like jag, but thats ok. great new villians. i was a little dissapointed with the big sith fight. it was mostly blasters and explosives. not enough lightsabering and force use. i wanted to see more dark side tricks from the sith.



but its still a great book. 8.8/ 10

 

Average score: 185.83/22 = 8.45

 

I enjoyed it very much, particularly the mind-walking chapter, and thought Denning did a great job with Vestara and the Sith. Very strong book, one of Denning's better works - and I like most of his a lot.

Rating: 9.1/10

 

I can easily say that was my favorite SW book in more than a decade. Yes, I've read them all.

 

Average score: 194.93/23 = 8.48

 

I was cautious stepping into this one, especially after Invincible and Omen.

I didn't need to be. This book was awesome, clearly the best since Inferno. I could praise it again and again but I'djust start being redundant. Everything was right: plot, characterization, humor, drama, atmosphere and prose. Denning hit it way out of the park. I've no doubt this'll hit the NYT bestseller list and I also have no doubt that this book will be better than at least two thirds of whatever else is on that list.

I cannot wait to see where this story takes us next.

10

 

Average score: 204.93/24 = 8.54

 

I had pretty high hopes for this book, since of the three writers, Denning is my favourite. I've never been shy about stating that I don't much care for Luke and Co, and I read these books out of curiosity, not a driving need to find out what becomes of them. Denning is the only author so far who made me care about them - and I've been very intrigued by the FOTJ storyline in general. So far, the series has not disappointed - forty years after the battle of Yavin, 60 years after Revenge of the Sith, it all finally came together for me in a coherent universe, something no other series accomplished for me so far.

One third into the series, the plots and developments finally begin to really take shape, and it's a stunning vista... From the monster escaping from the Maw to politics coming between family and lovers to the Odyssey of Luke, there's a lot to come, and despite the revelations we had so far, we still can't really say where it will all go. So far, the plot has been spun out with patience, something that is very important for a long series, and difficult to achieve. But here it's done well. Now, on to the book itself, apart from the part it plays in the greater whole.

It wasn't as brilliant as I hoped. Not bad, not boring, just not awesome^^. The part with the Mindwalkers was creepy as hell - the exploration of ruins is difficult to write with keeping the mystery, but at the same time not leaving the reader out of the loop... Denning delivered there, maybe because of his experience writing D&D^^. I cheered when Luke met a guy from the OJO (yeah, fangirl, sue me ). Pity he was just a redshirt. I didn't mind the "astral projecting" - it was done before in STar Wars, so why not? Especially since they obviously visited physical places, NOT the netherworld or something like that. Ben's increasing paranoia was well done - and justified. "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." Same with Abeloth - this is one sick puppy^^. And Jacen let her out, well done.

The prophecies were fascinating, I'm sucker for this stuff... The different twists on the same vision leave a lot open... And I personally guess both Luke and Jacen were afraid to see BEN on the Dark Throne. But one could make a case of it being Krayt, too. Or Cade.
The Lost Tribe continue to be interesting, with their difficult struggle between having to function and being evil, which is normally mutually exclusive . But I truly doubt they will become the big threat in this series, not only is their armada far too small, but they also get played like chumps here, both by Abeloth and by the Skywalkers. They will serve as a distraction, drawing attention from the real threat, I think.

Finall, the politics plot. This has engendered a lot of controversy as far as I have seen here on the forum, but I continue to like it. Daala seems to be trying to pull a Palpatine, only, she doesn't have the brains or the wilpower for it. It will be interesting to see how far she gets.

All in all, the book fits smoothly with the predecessors, contains several very nice and none to subtle take thats against some ...recent developments in the EU *eg*and spins the thread along. Very nice, but not brilliant. A workhorse of a book, not a thoroughbred. Enjoyable, but not stunning.

7.5/10

 

In terms of pure enjoyment, this was the best Star Wars novel I've read since ... well, quite a while. It's certainly been the best post-NJO novel I've read, and while I think Outcast and Omen were good, but not fantastic reads, combined with Abyss, I'm enjoying the direction FotJ is going immensely more than that travesty known as LotF.

Unlike the previous two installments, I didn't find myself bored with any of the different subplots. In previous books, I had trouble getting through some of them. In Outcast, the Kessel plotline was boring, IMO, to the point I groaned each time I came to one of its parts. Similarly, in Omen, I wasn't a fan of any of the Coruscant scenes. But in Abyss, even the Coruscant scenes (which were still the weakest, IMO) were interesting enough to keep me wanting to read more.

All in all, a fantastic read.

Good:
-The Luke/Ben scenes in the Maw with the Mind Walkers. Every single part of this subplot was intriguing, and while it's still debatable whether the apparitions were real or conjured by Abeloth, the fanboy in me enjoyed seeing Anakin, Mara and Jacen.

-I enjoyed them in Omen, and I continue to enjoy reading about them in Abyss. I like the sections involving The Lost Tribe of the Sith, and especially about Vestara. I hope she turns out to be a long-term addition to the EU, and not just a character specifically around for the duration of the FotJ series.

-Finally, the Jedi are turning the tables on Daala, using the media for their own purposes, rather than always being on the receiving end of "bad press".

-I didn't find Allana as annoying in Abyss as I did in the previous two books, especially in Outcast. Apparently a year makes a big difference in her growing out of her annoying stage.

-For no particular reason, characters I enjoyed reading: Rhondi Tremaine, Luke/Ben, Abeloth, Vestara/Lady Rhea.

Bad
Usually, this section tends to be long for me. But in Abyss' case, there weren't too many things that bothered me, and the ones that did were minor.

-Han's (and to an extent, Leia) dislike of Jagged Fel. It seemed more like Denning's dislike for the character, and he used Han to voice his feelings. Much the way I absolutely hated it when Traviss used characters to voice her OOU opinions about stuff, I didn't like how Denning made Han think of Jag (before the Mandalorian secret thing) either.

-The fact that no one other than the Jedi seem bothered by what Daala is doing. She's basically using her power as CoS to push her vendetta against the Jedi, yet not even senators who likely oppose her aren't even shown to be doing anything. I mean, this is POLITICS we're talking about, here. There are ALWAYS people who will argue the opposite point of view, just for the sake of it. Yet, apparently, Daala's term in office coincides with the first time in the history of ever, that every single person agrees with the Chief of State's point of view. Or, those that disagree, suddenly have decided it's best to just keep it to themselves.

-The Insane-Jedi plotline. As someone mentioned, we see Cilghal pop up every once in a while and talk about working on finding a cure, but other than that, nothing seems to be happening with it. Also, as someone mentioned, if they're pretty sure the insanity has something to do with all the Jedi who were at Shelter, then why haven't they made a decision to recall all those Jedi for observation? I realize it's probably not something that can be cured easily, but the way it's being stretched out is pushing it dangerously close to being one of those "this is getting dumb, but we'll keep it going to stretch the story longer" things.

Overall score: 9.5 out of 10

As I said, great novel and I enjoyed every minute of reading it. The .5 I took off was for the minor stuff that bugged me, such as what was listed in my "bad" section.

 

9/10

Great bo|

You see what I did there? I didn't finish the sentence. That's how this book feels. It's really good, but it kind of stops abruptly. That's it's big drawback in my opinion.

 

Average score: 230.93/27 = 8.55

 

I really enjoyed this one. It was a fun read that gives me some hope for the series.

Here's my TF.N Staff Review.

9/10.

 

Average score: 239.93/28 = 8.57

 

The book was good I can say that much without any hesitation. The Luke/Ben plot-line in particular drove the book. Not really anything about it I disliked. The Sinkhole Station, Abeloth, beyond Shadows got a bit heavy on the tedious Star Wars philosophy but even that was still good.

The average to bad parts of the book were the other two plot-lines that take place on Coruscant. Jaina and Jag seem almost pointless at this point and I'm to the point that I just don't care anymore about their troubles with paparazzi. The crazy Jedi thing has become redundant too after three books of it happening. Really these lines have gone nowhere over the course of three thirty dollar novels. Which is the final sour point of this book. While I prefer hardcover was this or any book really worth the $30 msrp? I'd say no. Luckily I got it heavily discounted for a more reasonable $14 and change.

I'd give the book an 8/10. Definitely salvaged the series so far. If only they can keep the momentum going with the next books and salvage the other plot-lines we could have a much better series than LotF turned out to be.

 

Oh I'd just like to add from above that some of the character actions seemed almost like the novel equivalent of a movie gaff. Especially near the beginning of the book. One example is when Luke takes out his lightsaber to cut the airlock membrane then tumbles to the ground, clips the saber to his belt and looks around, a moment later Ben arrives and Luke once again clips his saber to his belt. It really annoyed me and I reread a couple sections just to clarify that I wasn't crazy. It damaged the flow of certain spots in the novel. In short need more careful editing.

 

Average score: 247.93/29 = 8.55

 

The Good

- Jaden Korr's minor appearance. It was great to see Jaden have a roll, hasn't been seen since Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. Now if only they could include appearances by Raltharan and Rosh Penin, that would be nice.

- Kyle Katarn staring down Kenth Hamner. I admit, I laughed when Kenth turned his head away, thinking that not even the wannabe GrandMaster could look at Katarn like that and still be right in the head. I was hoping that Kyle would actually tell Hamner to shove his orders, but oh well.

- Vestara Khai being such an important person altogether seems much better than the H/L/ and L/B scenes (see below).

- Daala and the Mandalorians not being forgotten about. Shame it wasn't picked in Outcast or Omen but oh well.

- Jag and Jaina. Nice to see that they're patching up their relationship and are still going ahead with the wedding despite how Han and Leia feel about Jag keeping the Mandos quiet from the Jedi. He's in a difficult spot and they demand he stays loyal to the Jedi Order or sever his engagement to Jaina.

- Jaina using the media against Daala. It was the highlight of the novel. Jaina excellently uses Javis Tyrr to spread Daala's corruption to people. Tyrr is obviously going to get it in the end.

The Bad

- Han and Leia being complete @$$holes to Jag. He's in a rough position now as Head of the Empire. He can't simply choose to endanger the peace talks with Daala and the Confederation simply because the Solo's demand compliance with their order since Jag is marrying Jaina. They come off as rather presumptuous and arrogant. How dare they think Jag is only thinking of himself when he's running an Empire.

- Luke. What can I say, he comes off as an @$$ and arrogant. He has shown no respect to the Mind Drinkers at all. Hell, he even comes off as power hungry when the Mind Drinkers ask if he wants to bathe in the Pool of Knowledge. He presumes to think that Jacen was even tempted by the Pool of the Font of Power. Ryontarr has it right: Luke is nothing more than a dying husk animated by the Force and willpower alone. Just like Darth Nihilus and Darth Sion.

- Ben is becoming like his father: arrogant, believing himself to be above others.

- Hamner still as the Grand Master. Shouldn't the Masters or assassins have killed him by now? Hes the only Master I would probably have cheered for if he dies.

All in all 6 out of 10. Mediocre to the last.

 

Average score: 253.93/30 = 8.46