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

Hm.

Well, I can't say I enjoyed this as much as Abyss or Backlash, but at least it got the plot moving unlike the last book. As usual, the Luke/Sith plot turned out to be the best part of the book. I loved seeing Abeloth and the Maw again, and Callista was...unexpected. Ben/Vestara was...eh. It kind of came out of nowhere at first, but I got used it, and then toward the end it just got stupid. Tahiri's trial was nice, and Eramuth was an excellent character. It was nice to finally see the slavery issue addressed, although I did find myself bored by that particular plot at times.

And finally, we get to Coruscant. Well, ugh. Numerous problems there. I don't know what it is, but everytime I read the Coruscant sections of these FotJ novels, I just feel disgusted afterwards. There's almost no redeeming quality to them. Kani's death was a waste, I wasn't too happy with seeing Mandos again. Dorvan I somewhat liked, but...I just couldn't get used to him. And after seeing Bwua'tu in Dark Nest, there was no way I could sympathize with him in this series. The Jedi Council is written like a bunch of children. Daala just infuriates me as a character. And basically, I just want this plotline to end already. Please, just kill it.

So in all, some good stuff here and there, but it's still plagued by the problems of many of the previous books. 6.5/10

 

Average score: 111.85/15 = 7.46

 

At first I thought this was a big improvement on Backlash... and I still think it is better, but its not as good as I thought at first. Still tons of problems, a few good moments, but mostly its at best another mediocre novel in a stupid series. I'd put this into good and bad, but not sure I'd really call anything that good, but might as well start with the less painful parts.

Golden's writing has definitely improved since Omen, and the book doesn't seem as mundane as Omen was, with everyone always eating. Although for the first hundred pages, seemed like every metaphor or analogy involved animals (I think I saw the word eopie more times in this book than I've seen in the last year... and I don't think the actual eopie animal even showed up!). It seemed to lessen after the first hundred pages, but not sure if that was because I was skimming more or there were less mentions. Even if all the typos (Durran, Chev, etc.) are embarrassing.

And at least this book referenced events in Abyss and Backlash, unlike Backlash which didn't reference Abyss much. Even if there were dropped plots, like Lecerson.

Luke was written mostly well. While he did ally with the Sith, he mostly holds his own and never bows to the Sith, and is suspicious of them the whole way, and Luke does get the finishing blow on Abeloth, assuming she is dead. At the same time, the sixth time he told Ben to stop staring at Vestara got really annoying- not just as the overprotective father, but not even wondering if there was any good in Vestara. At least nice that he could call on Threepio for help, even if its annoying that he's still trying to follow his agreement with Daala (not that he should automatically break the rules, but Daala's dropped civility long ago). Nice to see Mara again, but kind of disturbing to think Abeloth was trying to seduce Luke as Callista for a good deal of the book. And I still find it kind of depressing that Luke rebuilds the Jedi Order almost singlehandedly, and when he goes up against a possibly very dangerous foe... he only has his teenage son and a couple dozen Sith for back-up. At least the Klatooine stopover didn't last too long, and yay, Lando! Though the final battle was kind of disappointing, it just didn't seem epic enough, especially since a good deal of it was from Ben's POV, and a lot of the descriptions were vague.

Speaking of Ben, his intelligence has really decreased, Sure, there's a pretty girl on board, but still, when Luke shows him the translation, Ben seems utterly shocked and disappointed. After everything he's been through, something like this really should've occurred to him sooner. Their romance was ok, but most of it seemed childish, and it depends on how it ends up.

And so Abeloth is dead. Maybe? Her origins will be left towards the next book, but still, its really kind of anti-climatic, since in the end Luke just stabbed her with a lightsaber, problem solved. Sinkhole station is destroyed somehow, and apparently consumed Callista at one point. Typical Del Rey behavior- dig up an old character that had a sorta happy ending, and give them a horrible death. I wish I could still think of Callista just off somewhere in the galaxy still searching and helping a few people. At least I hope that's the last of the crazy Jedi. I had hoped Dyon could be an important member of the Jade Shadow crew, but instead he turned out to be just more crazy Jedi fodder.

The Tribe Sith seem closer to the normal Sith behavior, with backstabbing, though not sure if that wintrium is going to play a role or not later. And at least Golden portrayed them as having been out of touch with the galaxy for millennia, with no idea who the Hutts were (despite Vestara instantly knowing about Dathomir somehow). And I thought there was one great line where Luke pondered the mystery of the Tribe's background, how they seemed both old and new with an odd naivete, which is accurate as they're descended from old Sith, but with some Veshiri culture mixed in.

Then its back to Coruscant, which continue to be one of the wors

 

The anticipated middle book of the 9-part Fate of the Jedi Series hit the bookstores this past week. After Legacy of the Force?s sacrificial book 5, it should come as no surprise if fans approached this book with some trepidation. The central book in the series undeniably serves as the pivot where everything begins to shift, and so all that follows will rely on selling the certain misery that befalls our favorite characters. Unfortunately, Allies fails to build on the strong elements of Omen or eliminate its shortcomings. The gravity of the book?s location within the series only amplifies the weak points, and as a long-time fan of the EU I closed the book feeling unsatisfied and disheartened. As a consumer, I?m wondering if it?s worth the $27 for the next book when this one was so poorly done. As a fan, I?m wondering who exactly is driving this bus?

Writing Craft

To the reader, the craft of writing should be transparent. It can enhance the book, such as Stover?s beautiful prose, the subtle weaving of Denning?s narrative, or Allston?s gritty action. It should never distract by tearing the reader out of the reading experience. This book is riddled with typos, misspelled and inconsistent character names, odd point-of-view choices and odder random POV shifts, poor sentence and paragraph construction, and dissociative construction of dialogue.

In stark contrast to the deliberate, sometimes devious, use of POV by Allston and Denning, I get the impression that Golden put little thought or strategy into her selection of POV characters for most scenes. Most importantly, the author apparently forgot the Golden Rule of POV choice: only write from the POV of a child or a droid if you are certain it won?t come off as corny. Told from her POV, Allana?s discovery of Luke?s collaboration with the Sith reduces this book to the tone and mentality of a Young Reader?s novel in the midst of storytelling choices that strive for a more adult audience.

Random POV shifts reveal an inability to tell even a simple scene from a single character?s perspective. The author uses other characters, often just for a second, to get a point across; other times, there?s a wholesale head-jump in the middle of a scene without any line break or other indication of an intentional decision. Unlike Denning?s use of several non-demarcated POV shifts during the Mara?s funeral scene in Inferno, Golden?s serve no apparent narrative purpose other than to reveal the thoughts of a different character. There is a time and a place to break the rules. I got the sense Golden was trying to stretch her writing craft by emulating other authors, when she should have been focusing on the basics.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the weak sentence and paragraph construction that riddles this book. While some scenes flowed beautifully, truly stilted and awkward writing runs amuck. In my opinion, this occurs when the author was unclear on the characters, what she wanted from a scene other than serving some broader series checklist, and/or how a scene molded into the EU as a whole.

The best example is the first appearance of Lando Calrissian. The characterization of our swash-buckling capitalist was flat, the dialogue mind-numbing, and the narrative choppy. The editors should have sent the scene back with instructions to watch the Lando scenes in ESB and RotJ a few more times, rework the text, and only then resubmit with a better product. In addition to flat characterization, the scene suffered from poor construction of the dialogue itself. Separately, either one can jerk the reader from the story; combined, they become a sloppy mess of alphanumeric sludge through which the reader must trudge to turn the page.

Generally, dialogue in this book is indescribably poor. Beats meant to indicate a speaker were misplaced into the wrong paragraph. Other times, the beats were unnecessary, overemphasizing a point the dialogue already had made. Many of the conversations read as if the words had flowed from the author?s head onto the

 

I know this thread is for review and not discussion, but I just want to point one thing out:

"begs the question if Golden actually read Allston?s prior book."

Since Allston long delayed his book because of health concerns, and ALLIES only came out a month after BACKLASH, it's safe to assume that this book was finished before Allston's previous book was.

We also know from LOTF that Karen Traviss would frequently finish her books before Allston finished his.

So, in her defense, it's very possible that Christie Golden had to write ALLIES only knowing the bare outline of what was to happen in the previous book. Which would explain why 2 new subplots estabishled in BACKLASH didn't appear.

 

Average score: 120.85/17 = 7.11

 

The first time I read this book, on my initial read to accumulate the basic plot of the story, I actually enjoyed parts. Having read it twice more since then, and more importantly spent time thinking about and discussing the storytelling decisions and the characterizations, my opinion of the book has changed quite a bit.

There isn?t a whole lot I can add to some of the other damning reviews of Allies that have already been posted, including by TKeira_Lea, YodaKenobi, Havac, and others here at TFN, and by Iurus and Corax at NJOE. The book is profoundly flawed on numerous levels. Worst, to my mind, is its offensive and demeaning portrayal of female characters, which TKL and Iurus have effectively explained.

So there are only a few additional points I want to emphasize in my review.

First: Perhaps most mind-boggling of all for me ? especially given that this novel was written by an experienced author, storyboarded with two other experienced Star Wars authors, and reviewed by two long-time Star Wars editors ? is simply how incomprehensibly incoherent the storytelling is.

? Han and Leia are personally appointed as Daala?s emissaries to resolve crises with the Jedi ? but they?re in hiding because they?re afraid of arrest warrants on them.
? Han and Leia are worried Allana is too young to wrap her head around the pragmatics of why Luke might ally with the Sith ? days after they had no qualms about leaving her alone on the Falcon for a week.
? Luke has to delay the mission to the Maw so Lando?s special ship can aid them ? then doesn?t wait for him.
? Luke says he trusts Ben to keep his wits about him with Vestara ? then repeatedly doubts Ben?s mindset about Vestara.
? Ben knows Vestara is not actually his friend ? then proceeds to treat her like a friend.
? Jaina and Jag spend four books establishing that they can trust each other with their deepest secrets (including Darkmeld, Allana?s paternity, and the Daala-hiring-Mandos ?secret?) ? and then Jaina hesitates to tell Jag that the threat to Luke is the Sith.
? Jaina breaks up with Jag when he won?t assist her with helping Luke with the Sith ? then doesn?t actually help Luke with the Sith, and agrees to turn around to go home without any debate just because he asked her to.
? Hamner knows the Mandos have already attacked the Temple and indicated they won?t negotiate ? then proceeds to trust the Mandos to negotiate.
? The Treen-Lecersen conspiracy is preparing moves against Jag on multiple levels ? and then disappears for an entire book without making any additional moves against Jag.
? Abeloth holds her own against two Jedi and an entire team of Sith ? then leaves herself open to be killed by a single, clearly aimed lightsaber stab. (And if this amazingly anticlimactic ending is a ruse because we?ll learn later that Abeloth isn?t really dead, then it?s utterly incomprehensible not to include that cliffhanger in the ending of this book.)
? The Sith know that Jaina Solo is one of the most powerful living Jedi ? but despite far superior numbers they don?t make any move against her when she?s flying alone to monitor Ship.

And that?s just the big plot points.

One or two blips in the story design I could understand. Space opera necessitates some suspension of disbelief by the reader. But not for every single storyline. It reads as though the book was written piecemeal, with random scenes drafted at random times ? as though the author doesn?t remember what motivations she?d written for a character just a few chapters earlier.

This kind of incoherent characterization is worse than any mangling of the canon characters Karen Traviss ever did.

Second: Christie Golden seems to have no sense of the role love plays in the Star Wars mythos, and what romances in Star Wars are supposed to be about. Characters who are motivated by love for family and friends is a theme that goes all the way back to ANH; romance has been at the heart of Star Wars since ESB. Both were carried forward into the prequel trilogy, as w

 

Title: Book Review
Author: oldjedinurse
Subject: Fate of the Jedi: Allies ? by Christie Golden
Note: I rarely contribute to Literature forum discussions, but I could not remain silent on this topic. ~ oldj


There are few details that have been left untouched among the many reviews of ?Allies? already written and posted in a variety of locations. However, I wish to state my agreement with the significant number of fans who have eloquently pointed out the book?s many flaws.

In my opinion, ?Allies? is a fiasco of considerable magnitude.

More than ever before, fans who have invested very significant amounts of money and time to follow the Star Wars? EU are making their feelings known about ?Allies?. It is becoming something of a show of force based, I believe, on the fact that we care about the saga, its characters, and its future. We do not want to see any deterioration of storytelling quality that has been a hallmark of Star Wars novels and yet, sadly, that is what a great many fans have clearly identified in this book. ?Allies? has so many problems that it flouts quality. Ultimately, it feels like the largest breach in continuity we have witnessed to date.

I want everyone who had a hand in creating ?Allies? to truly hear our discontent over a book that is so inferior in its conception, writing, and editing. These issues are not being raised ? repeatedly ? because ?this is Star Wars? and fans are known for vigilant, often hypercritical reactions to new offerings. ?Allies? extends beyond the reaction of fans to stand in the broader category of all fiction as a poor example of writing and publishing.

I am certainly willing to forgive this as a singularly absurd lapse in quality but hundreds of thousands of incredibly loyal fans have come to expect and deserve much better than this from Del Rey and the Lucas companies. I hope that those in charge understand that Star Wars? extremely loyal fan base might find their interests wandering elsewhere if their voices are not heard and even more inferior Star Wars products compete for their discretionary dollars.

I have followed the EU faithfully since Timothy Zahn?s first trilogy but: will I continue to buy any new Star Wars book without question?

Without hesitation, I say: ?Absolutely not.?

I will be carefully gauging general reaction to future books before making a decision to purchase, rather than automatically pre-ordering as I have in the past. Buying such an incredibly dissatisfying book has made me consider whether ?Allies? is a ?blip? in the system that slipped through the proverbial cracks, or perhaps the rush to place books on store shelves is hijacking the process of bringing a novel to market with diligence and care.

It is good business for a top publisher like Del Rey/Randomhouse to set a high standard for their books. ?Allies? quite simply does not live up to any standard of professionalism in publishing. This is not about two or three minor mistakes. I agree with others who have outlined innumerable examples of sloppy editing; confusing passages; spelling and grammatical errors; as well as inconsistencies in names and species. I have read fan fiction that is better constructed and certainly more sophisticated storytelling than the prose contained in ?Allies?.

As part of the middle act in this series, one would expect ?Allies? to take a strong stance about whatever impending climax is at hand (I am reminded of the power of ESB as the centerpiece of the original trilogy). This novel does not have the coherence of plot necessary to achieve that goal.

?Allies? is the first Star Wars novel that failed to elicit any emotion from me, except for feelings of frustration and, eventually, anger. Not even the supposed ?staggering truth? materializes into anything close to its pre-publication hype. The appearance of Callista, a secondary character last seen fifty-three books ago simply had no impact other than to infuriate

 

Average score: 123.85/19 = 6.52

 

Having read a few reviews posted just prior to this one, I'm compelled to acknowledge the points that have been brought up. There are certainly a lot of flaws - ranging from the acceleration of Ben/Vestara romance and the numerous grammatical mistakes to the somewhat lackadaisical climax (the Maw part - I liked Tahiri's ending).

But I really, really must be blind to these comments about inequality among genders. The point about the slave on Tatooine being female is brought up, but just because she's female doesn't automatically make the book demeaning towards women. It may have been done so as not to repeat Anakin Skywalker's portrayal as a boy slave in the same planet. In fact, I didn't see the slave portrayed as weak.

I believe Kani's character was established in a previous novel. That she dies in this novel - tragically - is not necessarily an instance of the author picking on women. Sure, it wasn't smart to send anyone out to negotiate with the Mandalorians but it made sense that if anyone went, it would be Kenth's assistant. She just happened to be a girl - how is that Golden's fault?

Anyway, this is not a post to argue against someone else's point. I enjoyed the novel. Despite the flaws, I thought the pacing was nice. Personally, I didn't feel dragged down by any part of the book. As such, I give the book a 7.5.

PS. I really hated Jaina's repetitive "sword of the jedi" comments.

 

Please see below for my take on Allies "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly".

The Good

*Kenth Hamner. I give big props to Christine Golden for writing Kenth Hamner the way he is suposed to be written. He is portrayed as a tough, pragmatic Jedi Master who believes in both the Jedi Order and the ideals of the Galactic Alliance. After the way Kenth got shafted earlier in the series, I was afraid that he was headed for the same level of character assassination (metaphorically) that Cal Omas was in the Dark Nest Trilogy. I especially liked the chapter where Kenth talked with Admiral Bwua'tu. The reference to Kenth being a former military man was spot on!

*Wynn Dorvan. I know my good buddy Havac disagrees with me on this, but I continue to root for Wynn Dorvan. While it can be argued that he doesn't do enough to thwart Daala's crazy actions, there is no denying that he is doing something. Wynn Dorvan believes in the ideals of the Galactic Alliance. He also believes that the Jedi Order are the best defenders of those ideals. With each book, Dorvan moves closer to outright opposition to Daala's regime. I can only hope that he continues to work against her behind the scences. Of the current crop of characters, Wynn Dorvan is the best candidate for a good and honorable Chief of State for the Galactic Alliance.

*Treaty of Vontor. I really like the whole slavery aspect that has been coming up. It provides for an interesting cataylst for galactic crisis, but in a way that doesn't re-hash past storylines. As many point out in the book, the Galactic Alliance does not allow slavery on it's worlds. However, given Daala's "I want order at all costs" attitude towards this matter, it may end up being the thing that forces her out of office.

*Vestara. I actually continue to enjoy this character. While I do echo the concerns of those who feel that the authors are "pushing" to hard to make her and Ben Skywalker a couple, I do think she is a fascinating character with alot of potential.

*Pro-Jedi public. Thank you, Ms. Golden. Thank you for finally making the people of the Galactic Alliance love and respect the Jedi again. Every time I read about pro-Jedi people I smiled with delight. In addition, thank you for showing how anti-Daala the galaxy is becoming. Let's just hope that she can be removed by legal means, as I cannot stand another assassination of a Chief of State.

The Bad

*Another Temple Siege. Frankly, I am so tired of this type of storyline. In fact, I would take "Temple Siege" and put it in the same coffin that I would bury the "Bad Chief of State" storyline. Overused and shows a real lack of originality.

*Mandos. I don't hate em, don't love em. However, I am tired of them appearing. Give them something interesting or unique to do, or simply don't use them.

*Jaina Solo's Characterization. Golden just doesn't have a knack for writing Jaina.

*Luke Skywalkers's Characterization. As with Jaina, Ms. Golden doesn't have a knack for writing Luke. He doesn't come across the way he should on the page.

*Lando. I hate to say this, but Lando was pointless. I love Lando Calrissian, but it felt a little forced to include him in this book. I get the feeling that they simply were looking for a way to "use Lando", but that it didn't work. I want Lando to become a part of the storyline, but he needs to be used in a better way.

The Ugly

*Spelling errors! Good God, doesn't anyone edit these books? "Correllian". "Durran". There were other pages where it appeared that words were accidentially deleted, making the sentences flow unnaturally.

*Lack of Coruscant Political Plotine. NO Unification Summit. NO scheming Kuati senator. NO traitorous Chief of Starfighter Command. NO bad Moffs. I knwo that these are mostly covered in Allston's books, but I feel like they completely are dropping the ball by not even mentioning these events.

*Daala. I cannot abide another chapter that paints Daala as someone who wants to do good but is misguided. S

 

Average score: 136.85/21 = 6.52

 

It's hard for me to place a score, simply because even with the worst offerings of LOTF(which by my reckoning were Karen Traviss' offerings, especially the last two) didn't rip me out of the story the way this one did. I enjoy the books while I'm reading them, I do the same with movies as well. I usually enjoy them while I'm watching but my criticisms later emerge after pondering. For instance, I hated Transformers so much I refused to give Transformers 2 a shot, but that only emerged a few hours after I watched it.

So I enjoyed the book while I read it, mostly. Except for the editorial problems, which ripped me right out of the thing. Jaina's constant railing on being "Sword of the Jedi," give that poodoo a rest already! I'm sick of hearing about it all the stanging time. Furthermore, I'm sick of hearing about how this title prevents Jaina from fulfilling her romance with Jag. Seriously... that was old in DNT, it's not any better now. Furthermore, that whole duty to the Order crap was one of the many problems of the Old Jedi Order in the PT.. that was a main point of the PT and the resolution in the OT was about love conquering all including overcoming what is an apparent duty. If Luke had simply followed his duty as told to him by Obi-Wan and Yoda the Force would not be balanced and Darth Vader would be dead and Anakin Skywalker would never have become the hero he always should have been. So Jaina doing all this crap because of that "role" is boring, stupid and pointless... furthermore, within the book itself the actions she took because of her attachment to that role were ultimately pointless because she sacrificed her engagement for the sake of doing literally nothing to help her Uncle but hang out with the equally pointless Lando.

Abeloth wasn't nearly as badass as she was made out to be, unless of course she's not really gone. Which I honestly hope is not hte case. THen again, I als hope the Lost Tribe are not the primary villians going foward because they are borning. The story of their origins as told in Lost Tribe of the Sith by JJM are interseting and pretyt great, their presence in FOTJ however is boring and annoying. Let's let Luke find other problems to deal with out there besides these Sith, resolve to find what happened ot Jacen, then come back breaking the exile and put Daala in her place after the Jedi in the Temple wiop out her insane Mando mercs.

4.2/10

 

I thought it was the most enjoyable of the series so far, although certainly not without flaws.

I Liked:

Ben/Vestara- It did seem a little rushed, but i found their dynamic an interesting one and it certainly has potential for the rest of the series. Their story could easily end either perfectly happily or tragically, and I like this wide range of possibilities.

Tahiri's Trial/Eramuth Bwa'tu- I found these sections very moving, and Bwa'tu was a brilliant new charecter, i hope we see more of him.

Slavery plot- This was an interesting introduction to the series and I particularly liked the section from the POV of the young slave on Tatooine, it will be interesting to see where this goes.


I disliked:

The whole 'K.P' thing- It Seems very very childish, especially in context of her fate.

Jaina/Jag- Seemed a little 'You won't give me a fleet so i won't marry you'. I don't think her feelings and reasons were well explained at all, to the point where it almost seemed random.

The Ending- The battle was well done, but Abeloth was defeated awfully easily, I hope there is more to come from Luke and Ben's 'investigations' on the planet.

Overall: I enjoyed it, but it was not a classic.

8/10

 

I truly did not enjoy Omen, Golden?s first foray into the Star Wars Universe but I pleased to say I found this book a much more interesting read. There is a lot going on in this book, a lot of characters get touched on. There is a lot of action, a lot of plot movement and a lot of, frankly, fun stuff.

There are also problems, main characters getting minimal screen time, a million typos and flat out bad spelling and some over simplification of some complex emotional scenes.

I guess I?ll start at the beginning, seems like the best place. I very much enjoyed the entire Klatooine/slave plot. It felt very fresh and very new in comparison to a lot of recent Star Wars novels. Perre Needmo is back, with a correspondent named Mahdl Vandt, both of whom I enjoyed a great deal.

I loved how Christie Golden actually used many of the characters from the series in this book instead of just focusing on her favorites ? something that seems to happen so very often in recent times.

In addition to characters like Perre and Wynn Dorvan was also get the return of Dab(if only briefly), the inclusion of Dyon Stadd, even Lando and more. It made it feel more like it was actually the same series as opposed to simply a collection of books where certain members of the supporting cast only appear every third book.

In addition to Lando we get a few more little drops that I enjoyed, in particular Ackmena, Wuhur, Nek Bwua?tu, Raynar Thul ? not that there was a lot to any of them but I still enjoyed the mentions.

So as mentioned I really liked the Klatooine section of the story. I loved the way the Fountain was built up, the way the planet and its populace was presented, the treaty of Vontor, basically all of it. It was very interesting to see the Hutt government (if that?s the word for it) jumping into action.

I felt Golden did an excellent job of portraying both sides of the equation, just giving facts about the Treaty of Vontor without really passing judgment on it, showing it in the complex light that would no doubt surround it.

Tahiri?s trial was also presented fairly well, with the possible exception of Jag?s involvement. I would have thought that a lawyer recruited by Jag might well have been Chiss or Imperial in origins??not Bothan. That said, aside from the recruitment method, I enjoyed Eramuth a great deal. I admit I never felt his case was very strong but he was presented as cunning and wise. All in all he is a fun addition to the Star Wars universe.

Han, Leia and Allana never really surface in this novel but I thought they worked as background characters and liked the family moment of them sitting around watching TV.

As to the breakup of Jaina and Jag, not much I can say about that one. I thought for a moment that maybe Abeloth had taken over Jaina?s mind?????The mere idea that every time someone in a relationship doesn?t get their way they have a fit and break up the relationship is a weak one at best.

I really liked how Golden delivered with Belok Rhal. Finally a FOTJ Mandalorian gets a name, a description, details about his armor ? and even some characterization. He?s certainly on the Ghez Hokan side of the Mandalorian fence, and that makes him interesting. I hope we see a lot more of him. Even following the siege he could be a thorn in the side of the Jedi for a long time.

As for Kani, I found myself very much feeling for her and the situation that ended in her demise. Perhaps that was because of the awful Kyp lead bullying and gossip that was floating behind her back, which I thought was awful. The idea that ?some? of the Jedi Masters(presumably more than just Kyp by the way its worded) saw fit to mock her behind her back was a horrible presentation of the NJO Masters.


Abeloth vs Luke and the Sithlings, this was surprisingly good. I think I enjoyed it because Golden decided to ground Abeloth a little more than in her past appearances ? she wasn?t presented as godlike here, just extremely powerful, and I liked the switch. I doubt very much this is the end of her story ? either she isn?t a

 

Average score: 156.85/24 = 6.54

 

I really hate to do this ? it's lazy and boring ? but there's absolutely nothing I can bring to this thread that TKeira_Lea hasn't already illustrated in her wonderful review.

It makes me happy to see someone else picked up on the POV shifts that jarred me from the narrative. Any self-editing book on the market will show how to handle this device, so it shocks me to see that this book floated through the entire editorial process without any polish at all. I just started editing my first novel, and I can't believe how much Allies read like my first draft.

Take a few minutes to read TKeira_Lea's review if you haven't done so ... it's enlightening.

3/10

 

Average score: 159.85/25 = 6.39

 

(I read Outcast when it first came out; I read Omen and Abyss over the past month, and I just read Backlash and Allies back-to-back)

Here's one element that stood out to me - the ending. I feel that there are two good kinds of endings to a Star Wars book - a cliffhanger, or a general resolution. For the latter, think of TESB - things aren't really resolved, but we hit a climax and then things quickly wind down and there's a nice clean ending point while we wait for the next installment. Backlash gave us a nice cliffhanger with the arrival of the Sith fleet, which I noticed because strong cliffhangers aren't especially common in these books. More often we get a general resolution (of varying quality from book to book): a quick check-in and wind-up with each of our parallel story lines before the book ends.

That's a nice enough winding down. Unfortunately, it comes on page 256, and the book doesn't end until 345. And that's the LAST we hear from them, less than 3/4 of the way through the book. It would be one thing if the last part of the book was devoted exclusively to the Luke/Ben thread, but no - after the climax we check back in with Hamner, Daala, and Tahiri.

Oh yeah, I have to add a score - eh, 5/10. Quick, more or less enjoyable read, but (like almost everything Del Rey) not worth revisiting except to clear up continuity.

 

I will say I felt there were a few bright spots of humor, but sadly the overall feel of the book was dissappointing. Here's what probably bothered me the most....

Why on earth did we spend so much time with Madhi Vaandt? First of all, why was Jag so absorbed in watching every detail of this random female that he doesn't even know to the point that he missed that Jaina walked into the room? Secondly,I'm not overly impressed with whole journalist storyline. Thirdly,I have a very hard time getting attached to new characters anymore. 95% of the time they are killed before the end of the book, the rest of the time the next author forgets their storyline entirely or kills them off in the next book. Maybe 1% of the new characters lives to actually become someone I can become invested in anymore. Do I sound depressed or cynical? I'm not normally, but I'm being forced into that position. In this same journalist vein, I was glad to be rid of the tabloid stories of Tyrr (blech!) .... unnecessary to begin with. And while I appreciate the concept of a news show with standards & morals, The Needmo scene drug on and on to the point of annoyance. It was much more effective in Allston's book, when the Solo's merely made mention of the standards instead of the self-reflective preaching of this book.

Speaking of which, was it necessary to repeat things over and over?
Vestara is a Sith. She is a Sith. Ves is a Sith. Why did she have to be a Sith? Vestara was born a Sith. She came from a planet of Sith. Vestara was raised a Sith. I think it was pretty obvious she was a Sith....got it.

Jaina was the Sword of the Jedi. Send the Sword. This is a job for The Sword. We need the Sword of the Jedi. You are the Sword of the Jedi. The Sword of the Jedi fights Ship. I am the Sword of the Jedi. :doh:

Durran. Durran. Durran. Durran. Durran. (Oh sorry....that one is supposed to be a "typo." :grrr: ) Sorry...not getting a long time character's name right through the whole book is just plain lazy.

Abeloth/Callista This whole ending bothered me. Luke has been mourning Mara for almost 2 years IU and while it would not be unacceptable for him to be considering a new relationship, that is not the mind set we have seen from him in any way, shape or form. So this idea that Abeloth would use any supposed former feelings he might have for Callista to manipulate him is very upsetting and disorienting. It implies that his relationship with Mara was less than 100% faithful through their marriage (which was not what we were ever shown!) The end of chapter 32 & chapter 33 read like a very bad romance novel....and I hate romance novels (one of the few styles of writing I refuse to read anymore.)


Typos I'm not getting into a lot of detail on this one. Many others have mentioned it.

Sexuality I don't consider myself a huge feminist, but I was disturbed by the trend in this book toward women. There was as I mentioned earlier a "bad romance novel" vibe for me. Most of the women were continually described as small, petite, diminutive, tiny, delicate, etc. Everything about them was about their looks. I knew more about Kani's hair, smile, and unrefreshed make-up :eyebrow: than any other aspect of her.(Excuse me? When was the last time we lingered on the idea of a Jedi refreshing her make-up for the day? :headbanging: This is important?) So much came down to many of the characters needs, wants, etc. And it was very clear we weren't talking about food & drink. :


3/10

 

Allies is the 5th book of the Fate of the Jedi series and unfortunately it neither stands solidly on it's own nor fits in seamlessly with the rest of the series.

Normally when I read a Star Wars book I can't wait to get to the next page to see what will happen next. And while I felt that reading this book, it didn't come out of that same excitement - instead it stemmed from annoyance due to a book filled with redundancy, poor writing, and odd characterizations. Several breaks were required to make it through the whole thing. Overall, reading it felt like trudging through thick, knee-high mud.

The Quality of Writing... or Lack Thereof
I expect a certain level of quality from my Star Wars books. An occasional typo or incorrect eye color is disappointing yet acceptable. But frequent misspellings, sometimes only one line away from the correct spelling? Mixing up species names in the middle of an already slightly confusing plot piece? Frequently making complicated sentence structures that require some re-reading to really get the concept? Awkward and sometimes inaccurate word choices?

Jaina and Jag are watching stock holofootage of a live event (the Temple siege). Madhi Vaandt reports in front of an intoxicant establishment where she drank highly alcoholic liquor and nonalcoholic water. Nonalcoholic water?!?!?!

("Nonalcoholic water" was the point at which my tolerance for the poor writing fundamentals went out the window. That was only page 139 of a 345-page book.)

And these are just a few examples. It's not just any of these elements on their own but the fact that all of them are in the same book that is so disturbing. All these things together lower the quality of the work and make it more difficult to read and understand.

At times I even wondered if author Christie Golden was getting paid by the word or just trying to reach a certain page quota. It would explain all the repetition - whether it be repeating what happened in earlier books (in summary form instead of a passing reference) or explaining something multiple times, such as the Fountain of the Ancients (once even with the same information only pages after the info was originally given). I realize with the Fountain all the players had to be made aware of the background and rules, but that can be done without the reader getting a full-blown explanation every time.

I also don't need it spelled out for me in every exchange that we cannot trust the Sith because they are Sith. Although I got it and was tired of this point by page eight, it was hammered home many many more times throughout the book. Again, these are just a few examples of the poor writing.

The Plot and Characterizations: A Hot Mess
Allies dives into a new sub-plot about slavery in the GA, which would be fine if it weren't part of a series that has repeatedly introduced new characters and sub-plots only to have them ignored by the next book. At the end of this one, the slavery situation is left with the possibility of an uprising that could go very wrong for Daala & Co. Yet I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't even mentioned in the next book.

The Tahiri trial was refreshing in that it actually moved forward that inter-book plot line. It also lifted the pace of an overall monotonous and slow book. The Mando siege on the Jedi Temple would have also livened up the tempo had we not just had a Mando siege on the Jedi Temple in Backlash.

That kind of plot repetition even happens within the book. At one point the location changed from Klatooine to Tatooine, but I almost missed that fact because the book went from discussing upset slaves who want to be free to talking about... upset slaves who want to be free. Jaina and Jag have two scenes together in the whole book and they have pretty much the same conversation in both of them. Both times Jaina bursts into his office. Both times she asks him for a huge favor. Both times he responds with offering to do what he can given the big picture. But the second time, J

 

Wow. So Allies is "worse" than every single EU novel save:

5.97 Darksaber (Anderson)
5.95 Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine (Whitney-Robinson)
5.79 Shield of Lies (Kube-McDowell)
5.35 Legacy of the Force VIII: Revelation (Traviss)
5.20 Splinter of the Mind's Eye (Foster)
4.18 Children of the Jedi (Hambly)
3.81 Planet of Twlight (Hambly)
3.04 The Crystal Star (McIntyre)

 

It's still early. Plus there may be a case of jumping on the bandwagon here.

 

I personally think that it's less a criticism of this book than a knock against those ones.

 

Darth_Ghost, why do you think people are jumping "on the band wagon"? Just because we are seeing many of the same problems?