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

Average score: 169.85/28 = 6.07

 

The Good

Freedom Flight/Needmo/Treaty of Vontor/slavery subplot: Slavery, Holonet, and the Hutts have been around since the beginning of Star Wars, but it was great to see these characters/concepts used in a legitimately interesting subplot. While the Treaty of Vontor wasn't expanded on (that's a whole story in and of itself), it was well used, and I've always thought it's anullment would make for a great story. Perre Needmo is a really good non-traditional protagonist (i.e. not Jedi, rebels, smugglers, etc.), and I really hope the slavery story is fleshed out in full.

Tahiri's trial: Finally, this gets some spotlight! She's such an awesome character. Eramuth B'wattu, like Needmo, is another great non-traditional protagonist, and they need to get a pic of him, pronto! The visit from Han and Leia, with closure about Anakin was, IMO, the best part of the book, and got me a bit choked up. The thing about the Moffs at the end was interesting, and will probably tie in nicely with Jag's story.

An abundance of aliens: Seeing how Legacy of the Force was so human-centric, it's been a thrill to see the amount of alien characters in this story. In this book alone, we've had the usual fare of Mon Cals, Hutts, Bothans, and Twi'leks, but also many underused species like Chagrians, Klatooinians, and Chevin. I hope this trend is kept up in the future.

Small details: One thing I've enjoyed about Fate of the Jedi, and Christie Golden does this well, is the small details that make the universe more believeable. Things like the Perre Needmo Newshour, along with Han, Leia, and Allanna's hot chocolate tradition, Threepio's droid equivilant of a mid-life crisis, Anji, Dorvan's lunches with Raynar, and even Kani's rep as Kenth's pet.

Ben/Vestara: Great relationship. Love the similarities between Luke and Gavar Khai, in their mutual distrust of each other's child. I predict Ben killing Khai to protect Vestara.


The Bad

The Sith: When Fate of the Jedi began, I was really impressed how the Lost Tribe seemed to be different from past Sith. They were sane, somewhat honorable, and even likeable. Now, Gavar Khai, I like as being antagonistic, but the rest, who I had hopes for, seem to be becoming run-of-the-mill Sith. I hope Vestara breaks from this mold, as she is a very sympathetic, likeable, and original character, who I would like to see her in the future, alongside Ben.

Pettiness: Is it just me, or were most of the characters in this book very petty and immature? It sort of worked with the story, but it was pretty annoying.


The Crappy

Lando: Why was he even in this? Apart from a quick appearance to give Luke the ship, he shouldn't have been in a larger storyline. It just didn't make sense, and took away from the story.

"Fake Jedi": Again, why? One, B'attu was a good character who didn't need to die. Two, if they were weaker than Jedi, they probably weren't Sith, and between Daala, Mandos, Sith, and Moffs, it seems a bit lame to include new, surprise antagonists at this point. It would've almost been better to have them as actual sick Jedi.

Overall, Allies was a good read, nd a decent midpoint for the story. I give it 7/10.

 

Though it certainly had its problems, for me, Allies was an improvement over Backlash. The story actually progressed, and most of the characterizations were pretty good, I thought.

I was surprised to find that I liked the Vontor/slavery/Freedom Flight subplot. I hope it won't be forgotten in the next book, because as others have said, it has a lot of potential. I was engrossed in Tahiri's trial and liked the addition of her attorney, Eramuth B'wattu, which was also unexpected. Most of the Luke/Ben/Sith parts were entertaining.

The Jaina/Jag breakup didn't bother me as much as it bothered others, mostly because I was never thrilled with them as a couple in the first place. Also, I don't like the fact that so many things already seem to be written in stone because of the existence of the Legacy Comics. For me, anything that can put some twists and turns into the years between FotJ and Legacy is welcome. I would actually prefer to see Jaina's future child marry Jag's future child. Probably though, they'll end up just having Jaina and Jag get back together and marry by the end of this series.

I hated the Jedi/Mandalorian plot. The Jedi were acting like bickering children, and I can't believe that people who are supposed to be so talented and resourceful could so easily be surprised by the Mandalorian attack in the first place. But I especially find it hard to believe that these supposedly powerful, smart, and wise people, who have the Force to guide them, were so easily trapped in the Jedi Temple and powerless to do anything about it. I mean the Mandalorians effectively neutralized the entire Jedi Order in a few minutes, making them totally useless and vulnerable. I found it hard to believe that their best chance lay in the hands of a young girl, who was sent out to negotiate, and was immediately killed. That plot was TERRIBLE. Plus, this is the second time that we've gotten a Mandalorians attack the Jedi Temple plot in back-to-back books.

I also would have thought that Kani's tragic and very public death would have led to such a public outcry that Daala would have been forced to call off the Mandalorians at the very least, or even to abdicate her postition as CoS.


But the state of the Jedi Order is truly sad. I was hoping that while Luke was off on his journey, the Jedi would get their collective acts together and show that they have grown and *can* manage without Luke holding their hands every minute. Sadly, this hasn't happened yet.



The Han/Leia plot was silly... I mean sending in rats with notes and medicine? Really??? That just seemed ridiculous. Weren't Han and Leia supposed to be Daala?s intermediaries with the Jedi? So why were they hiding in a secret place for fear of being arrested?


I agree that the editing was pretty bad. The misspellings, typos, and the mix-up of the slave and slaver names were irritating. There was also a part where Lando is supposed to be surprised that Luke and the Sith have left Klatooine. However, not that many pages earlier, Luke spoke to Lando in a holo-message TELLING him that they were going to be leaving Klatooine, but that they would wait for Lando before they went into the dangerous part of the Maw... which they did. So Lando shouldn't have been surprised that Luke and most of the Sith were no longer waiting at Klatooine. If anything, Lando should have been surprised that two Sith ships stayed behind.

And then there was the shikkar knife that Gavar gave to Vestara at the beginning of the novel and yet it seemed to be forgotten. But I blame the editors and not Ms. Golden for the editing errors.. They really made her book seem far less polished than it could and should have been.


As for the sexist complaints... I'm a woman and I didn't find that to be a problem. Han and Leia looked equally silly with the rats. I thought Mahdl Vandt was strong, smart, and brave, while that nasty male reporter finally got what he deserved. There was a male and female who were leaders of the freedom train and a boy on Klatooine an

 

A rather strange book. I'm not sure where it went or where the rest is going.

I was surprised at how quickly Abeloth was dispatched. After the whole buildup to the battle with her, I was expecting something a good deal more dramatic. And suddenly she's dead? I have the distinct feeling that this isn't the last of her. Though I never expected the Callista twist. I do expect that Abeloth will be back- she seems like she's causing a bit much chaos to be permanently gone.

Jaina and Jag's breakup didn't seem quite right. I'm fully expecting them to get back together again by the end of the series; it seems that the powers that be are convinced that they're going to end up together, and so be it. It seems odd that after so long of swearing that their relationship can deal with all the politics, they suddenly split up over politics... I honestly wish they'd end it permanently, but I have a feeling that I'm in the minority of the fandom over that.

Daala confuses me. I want to like her, and she just keeps going crazier and crazier. I'm expecting her to meet some kind of horrible end by the end of the series, as usual- not that she'll die, of course. It seems like her character is just getting more and more twisted. In Revelation, I was thinking that for once someone would try to write her like she was a normal(ish) character, and now this... I don't really know what to make of her. Also, her and Nek? Why does this sound like a brewing political scandal and that one of them is using the other?

I like the note on which Tahiri's trial was ended, and her lawyer is wonderful. However, it seems like she's going to end up in plenty of trouble as a result of that recording. And bringing up what her relationship is with Caedus? I certainly wasn't thinking that way at all during LOTF (I see no reason why they would be in a relationship), and honestly that's rather irrelevant. Otherwise, the courtroom scenes are fantastic and I quite enjoy them.

The slavery plotline intrigued me. It came out of nowhere, but shows plenty of promise. I'm looking forward to seeing where that's going to go.

Maybe it's just me, but I'd like to see Ben and Vestara get together. Even if it ends badly. It might not.

Major points deducted for poor editing and proofreading as well as poor style. Don't make me take my red pen to this book; I may run out of ink. Also, the writing style in general isn't that great- I honestly shouldn't measure all of my Star Wars literature against Matthew Stover's style, but this is really not a great writing style. Yes, the plot gets communicated, but it's a bit confusing and not as entertaining as many of the other authors' styles. Speaking of plot, it's tough to follow- if this is supposed to be the pivotal book, what's coming ahead? Hard to tell where things are going.

TKeira_Lea, your points on sexuality and gender are absolutely valid. Not something I've ever seriously looked at before- but now, quite glaring. I wasn't surprised at all that Vestara was told to seduce Ben- in fact, I half expected her to do that of her own accord. However, I'm sick of authors writing Jaina like a bad romance heroine. Jaina is smarter than that, and in general, the women of this novel were either crazy (Daala) or not that useful (everyone else). I'd like more well-written female characters.

Not what I was expecting and not sure where it's going from here. But I'm curious enough to stick with the series and write this off as an anomaly. 5.5/10

 

Average score: 189.35/31 = 6.11

 

What I liked:

- Top notch action here, when we actually did get it. I especially liked the scene where the Sith try to steal samples from the fountain.
- Also, the fight with Abeloth was pretty good.
- The slavery subplot- actually I'm pretty mixed about this one. On the one had I thought it was interesting but I don't really see what it added to the story other than to add just another problem to Daala's plate.
- I was genuinely shocked when that Jedi apprentice was murdered by that mando.

What I didn't like:

- Jaina and Jag suddenly splitting up. It's been built up over the past few books that they trust each other and they can make it work.... then suddenly they can't?
- The fight with Abeloth and the crazy Jedi. I know I said I liked the fight but didn't it happen too soon? Shouldn't that fight have been saved for later in the series? There was all this build up to it with the young Jedi going crazy and then... it's all over now that Abeloth is dead? Poof? I honestly thought the crazy Jedi idea was pretty cool and I wanted Cilghal to do some more analysis with it. I'm sad to realize now that it was just a macguffin
- Daala- I still hate her.
- What in the world was Lando and Jaina doing there anyway? They didn't exactly add much to the story... although maybe that was just to set up what they'll be up to in Vortex *shrug*

All in all:

This was a mostly entertaining read in spite of the problems I have with it. 7/10

 

The Ewok's review at the main TF.N site is online now (alongside Yobi and TC's) - I loved this one!

Head over there and check it out to see why!

(3.6/4 = 9/10!)

- The Imperial Ewok

 

My review.

On Abeloth:
No what the funny thing is. I predicted awhile ago (after Abyss came out) that 'Abeloth/Callie/Dyon whatever' was some sort of Force-vampire that sucked out life energy. I was a little disturbed by Luke's intimacy. He probably was too when he found out it wasn't Mara. I was a little angry when they just killed her off. I thought she was more powerful than that. Hopefully the next book will reveal something.

On Ben/Ves:
Ben's aware that she's trying to seduce him in the first part. And then when he finds out from the recording, he's like 'she's been trying to seduce me. I so didn't know because her beautiful looks blinded me from the truth.' During the whole market crisis, he seemed to be a hopeless romantic, completely awestruck by Ves.
But he is a teenager and he's had very few friends. But their relationship might not be handled well by Golden. I still support though and I found the person commenting that their 'litter' would be very great or something amusing.

On Tahiri:
What... the... kriff.
Everyone must hate her. First they make her a pedophile, an emo, and now they're saying she was sexually involved with Jacen Solo. I found this a little sick.

On Daala/Jedi plot thingy:
I read it but I hated it. Daala's a fricking idiot.

On Golden:
Needs a better editor. I saw numerous typos, which were annoying.
This is actually the first SW book I've seen with the word 'bast***'. I'm not really against cussing (I cuss), but had I been reading this three years ago when I was not even a teenager, I would have been disturbed.
immature adults irk me. I already watch Invader ZIM with has enough of that.

I give it a 7.5

 

Average score: 212.85/34 = 6.26

 

I listened to the audiobook, so I can't comment on the books editing. I liked the Ben/Vestara interactions as well as the interactions between the respective fathers. A Lando appearance is always welcome, but I don't think he was totaly in character. The confrontation with Abeloth was abit of a let down, but at the same time believable. Overall it was ok, but I just don't fell a whole lot happened. 7.2.

 

Average score: 220.05/35 = 6.29

 

Finished this book last night. After reading a lot of the criticism of it beforehand on this board, I was expecting a train wreck, but I actually liked Allies better than Backlash. In fact, I think its my favorite book of the FOTJ series so far.

The Good:

-I liked the pairing of Lando and Jaina. I don't recall seeing them really working together before so that was neat. I also liked the back channel relationship formed by Hamner and the admiral. For once, Hamner didn't come off as a complete tool.

-I'm enjoying Vestara's development. And how her and Ben are growing closer, though it does seem like Golden sped up the relationship from the close of Backlash, but I didn't care all that much. Why draw it out when everyone knows the writers are heading in that direction?

-Han, Leia, and Allana took a very needed backseat so that was good. I often find their chapters hard to read.

-Tahiri's characterization was pretty good. Hopefully this will start a trend for her character. I also liked Eramuth.

-I was starting to like the admiral. Oh well. I'm guessing this is leading somewhere, maybe the Imperials had something to do with it.

-Big stuff happened. But I don't think it was as consequential as Sacrifice was to the LOTF.

The Not-So-Good:

-That being said, there were things that concerned me. I wonder where FOTJ is going after this book. They spent time building up Abeloth and now what are they going to do for the other half of the series? Hopefully she's psyching them out because she was dispatched way too easily for such a being of immense dark side power. If she doesn't come back, I think that was a big waste. And she was defeated too easily, a lightsaber slash, really? Abeloth was so unique I was hoping they did something to defeat her that hadn't been seen, or rarely seen.

-The Lost Tribe. I liked how Golden wrote Gavar Khai and High Lord Taalon. Faal's treachery was delicious to read, but for the most part the LT come across as fairly subpar again. They gave up to the Hutts fairly quickly and I think having so many Tribe-Sith gives the writers a temptation to use them as cannon fodder, and each time they go out like punks, I think it diminishes their overall badassness.

-Jedi Council came off as very ineffectual, but this has been going on at least since LOTF. I'm really surprised that the Jedi don't have their own PR people to get their side out there, or pro-Jedi Senators or other people who would be speaking out. I can't see how Daala's attack in Backlash went unchallenged or unanswered by the Jedi and that they didn't at least try to come up with a plan to do something in the event that Daala struck again. I'm also surprised that there aren't any grumbling from the GA military, with Daala going to the Mandalorians instead of them.

-Daala. I didn't like her becoming Chief of State, and since I think her actions deserve serious Senate oversight in FOTJ. She is acting very much with an iron hand and I wish the writers would show more of a push back to her high-handedness. This Jedi crisis is largely of her making and it's becoming harder for me to accept her as a competent chief executive the more irrational, dictatorial, and paranoid she gets. How could there not be a firestorm over the murder of an unarmed woman, Jedi or not, by the Mandos? And Dorvan should be fired for not telling Daala how dangerous her plan to stop a slave revolt, enlisting a company to provide cover for Mando mercenaries, would be to her administration, if not to the democratic government of the GA. What happened to the idea of transparency?

I think some of my issues with the COS role could've been avoided by creating a new character instead of using a renegade Imperial. It still boggles my mind that people would accept her as COS, a military renegade to lead them right after Jacen and Niathal's junta. It seemed like the people would've gone in another direction. I wish the COS had been a neutral character who becomes anti-Jedi for 'legitimate' reasons, not someone with a grudge already.

-The slavery plotline is interesti

 

The Bad:

-At one point, Jaina got frustrated and said 'that's poodoo!' Really? The adult Jaina, slayer of a Sith Lord, ever-rebellious high-strung individual says that? It's comparable to Indiana Jones saying 'you're a dummy-head!' Incredibly poor characterization, I almost put the book down and stopped reading there -- really for something that small it really bothered me

-The proscecution at Tahiri's trial admitted that they couldn't blame her if she was under a direct order? Umm...WTF?! Anybody who knows anything about the military, knows that you're never expected to do things that are wrong, even if it is a direct order. That is NEVER a defense. The court-scenes in general were pretty terrible as far as realism went, the author REALLY needed to spend more time learning about the basics of the judicial system.

-Honestly, the entire first half of the novel. It was pretty boring and terrible. At one point we were reading Ben and Vestara flirting, while buying fruit on a desert planet. And that took up an entire chapter. Ben's actions/feelings toward Vestara at the beginning didn't make any sense to me either, I wasn't buying it.

The Good:

-I was worried we wouldn't see the action with the Sith/Jedi/Abeloth, the chapters were dragging on, going very, very slow. But the pace quickened A LOT towards the end, back to back to back chapters with Luke/Ben/Abeloth's world. It took me a few days to make it 2/3 of the way through this book, but the remaining third was entertaining enough that I finished in one sitting.

-Callista. Didn't end up being a very story-changing thing, but it was a nice little twist, all the same.


The ending of this book saved it for me. It went from being mundane and boring to eventful and worthwhile, and leaves me excited for the next book. 8/10

 

Average score: 236.05/37 = 6.38

 

Although I too have been irked at the many typos and the Chev/Chevin mixups, I found this book very engaging. The four major plotlines were paced well. I do think there are some problems with the Jedi temple plotline. I am getting tired of the whole Jedi order being trapped in their temple. The Tahiri trial seemed a little too close to our own judicial system, the judge, 12 jurors, etc. I loved the Ben/Vestara plot and the Luke/Callista plot may not be complete yet so I will be patient. I don't really care if Jaina ends up with Jag or not, so no problem there. I am looking forward to the slavery plotline introduced. And finally, the Lost Tribe seems at times a great threat, then at other times totally naive and rather helpless. Not sure what to think there. Overall, it had nice pacing and I am certainly looking forward to the future books so it did its job.

8/10

 

Average score: 244.05/38 = 6.42

 

The fourth novel in the Fate of the Jedi series, Allies by Christie Golden, fell flat in multiple aspects. From mechanics to plot, this book is an unfinished product.

Mechanics

The writing in Allies demonstrates the importance of using clear, correct and accurate writing in published works. Writing needs to be clear and understandable to the reader. By allowing such erroneous writing to be published, Del Rey insulted consumers everywhere. Charging any amount of money for such a literary disaster is inexcusable. You wouldn?t want to pay to watch a poorly edited movie, would you? It?s the same idea.

In any work, one or two typos or misspellings are forgivable. Several pages in Allies carry multiple typos and misspellings. Multiple misspellings display laziness. For example, Kyp Durron?s last name is spelled Durran through the entire book. Dozens of books and websites exist that would have provided Golden with the correct spelling. This is also an example of the importance of research.

Inconsistencies are also a problem in this book. When facts or statements are constantly changed, it confuses the reader in a bad way. For example, the names ?Chev? and ?Chevin? are frequently interchanged with each other. On page 142, the Chevins are called the slaves. On page 143, the Chevs are the slaves. Such inconsistency is sloppy. This is the type of mistake that should have been caught immediately by a second read or editing team.

A significant portion of the words in this book are unnecessary. It?s redundant to repeat the same fact. For example, on page 8 Vestara Khai is referred to as a Sith three times. Reading the same phrase repeatedly is like having the same conversation three times in an hour; it?s exasperating and annoying. Another unnecessary phrase? Nonalcoholic water. Not only does Golden feel to need to point out that the water is nonalcoholic, but that it is clear. Readers shouldn?t be murmuring, ?Duh? under their breaths as they read.

Perhaps the worst structural mistakes in this book are the constant changing point of views. Readers go from Allana to Leia, from Luke to Ben and more. It?s confusing and pulls the reader out of the story. Instead of visualizing what is occurring on the page, the reader has to change to another character and re-imagine the scenario.

Characterization

Golden demonstrated in this book that she has no idea who these characters truly are. As a reader, I expect the author to have knowledge of characterization and history. Even her Luke Skywalker leaves much to be desired. Luke?s beliefs and behaviors bounce all over the place. One minute he is the Luke we know and love and the next he is some stranger. Another character who undergoes a similar chaotic jump is Allana Solo. She jumps around from acting intelligent and somewhat mature for her age to a three-year-old. Her thoughts on Jacen change from book to book. We need consistency if we are supposed to understand her character.

Golden?s portrayal of Lando Calrissian makes me wonder if she has actually seen the Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. Lando?s awkward lines made him feel like some type of bitter old man. A simple reworking of his dialogue would save this character.

The worst character assassinations, however, occurred to Jaina Solo and Jagged Fel. Golden clearly has no idea who these characters are, what they are like or their history. The two scenes involving Jaina and Jag are almost identical. Jag is portrayed as annoyed that Jaina bursts into his office, which seems highly far-fetched. He doesn?t notice when she walks in the first time because he is observing a reporter. As a former starfighter pilot, it?s necessary for him to be aware of his surroundings. In addition, he would not have survived the Moff Council this long had he been spacing out over pointless things. Jaina?s character is reduced to a spoiled, manipulative shrew that uses sex to get her way. Where Golden found this characterization, I don?t know, but she needs to throw them in the garbage where they belong.

In addition, Jaina breaks up

 

The Good

-The A Plot: The concept of the Sith allying with the Jedi to defeat Abeloth is original and fitting for the new breed that is the Lost Tribe. Some may argue about the execution of this plot, but I'm not one of them. Golden did a fantastic job with Luke, Taalon, and Gavar Khai's interaction.

-The B Plot: The slavery storyline was performed masterfully and the way Golden wove in The Treaty of Vontor, Tatooine, Vinsoth, Klatooine, and new worlds like Blaudu Sextus shows that she is a fast learner of the Star Wars EU. This has been a vastly under-developed theme in the Star Wars universe, particularly as it received such intense focus in Episode I. I'm glad to see it being addressed in-universe. It'll be very interesting to see how things develop and whether or not the Klatooinians, Nikto, and Vodrans shake their oppressive Hutt masters once and for all.

-The C Plot: Tahiri Veila's trial was amazingly well done. As was her character development. Loving Eramuth as well.

-Continuity: Despite some repeated editing mistakes (Durran, Stad, etc.), the continuity was seamless from Backlash. Where Legacy of the Force was more or less a train wreck due in large part to Karen Traviss' novels, Fate of the Jedi perfects the coordination and continuity that took shape in the New Jedi Order. I've noticed some people are upset with Ben and Vestara's rapid romantic development, but I wasn't taken aback at all. And I literally picked up Backlash, read it, and then started immediately on Allies as I've been out of the U.S. for quite a while.

Plus, I felt Allies was the first novel to really address the impact of the Yuuzhan Vong War. We had mention of Klatooine not being hit hard by the Vong, of yorik coral still infesting the Coruscant undercity, and of the Hutts still reeling from the beating they took from Nas Choka.

-Characterization: Golden nailed Luke, Lando, Abeloth, Ben, and the Khais. I could hear Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams as I was reading Allies. That doesn't happen very often.


The Bad

-Jaina: Having her break up with Jag was ridiculous. There's no way to spin it. I'm thinking she needs to become a bit more attuned to her biological clock.

-Abeloth's Death: There's speculation as to whether or not she's really dead. I sure as hell hope she isn't or that there's a lot more development to be done about who she was, where she came from, and how she was spreading the psychosis. Thankfully, I believe Denning will pick that up in Vortex as the Jedi-Sith Alliance is to remain in the hopes of discovering Abeloth's origins. And Denning, seeing as how he really created Abeloth in Abyss, will probably do that particular plotline justice.

Overall

8/10

 

Average score: 254.05/40 = 6.35

 

Well, my first post here (although long time lurker...), having just finished Allies I actually felt like posting even if it is just rehashing a lot of what has already been said.

The past 4 books of FOTJ have, whilst having various problems of there own, been immensely more enjoyable than LOTF. Allies fits this general pattern in my view. It has a lot of problems, more than any other book in the series so far, but it was at least reasonably enjoyable to readand didn't put me off finishing it for months like Invincible did.

The Good:

Luke/Ben: This has been a high point in previous books, and it continues more or less here as well when it isn't centred on the 3rd member of the crew, Vestara. Their interactions that don't centre on the 'romance' are actually good and for the most part continue what has been established in the previous books of a Father/Son adventure.

Vestara: Vestara is actually a likeable enough character when it doesn't involve the 'romance', which is unfortunately far too rare. I'd much rather see more of her determined, cunning and independent side than her rather ridiculous 'I must get Ben' parts. The character however is a good one.

Abeloth: A sufficiently evil and intimidating villain, one of the better ones to come up since the NJO really, and one who I actually quite enjoyed. The mind games, the mystery all added to them and made it interesting to find out more. It is unfortunately let down by the handling of them at the end of this book.

Eramuth Bwua'tu: I love this character. Eccentric, old fashioned, yet amusing and lovable. The trial in which he is used is not particularly imaginative, but from his first appearance he is immediately likeable, and the jabs made by various people, including the judge, about his age only served to make me like him more as he doesn't stoop to their level.

The Overall Plot: The plot generally is enjoyable, which makes the flaws in the writing even more annoying. It had a lot of potential, with the tensions between Jedi/Sith, Daala/Jedi, Slaves/Hutts but it never really fulfilled it's potential.

The Slavery Plot: For something that has been part of Star Wars, the issue of Slavery has been ignored for most of the EU. Choosing to address it was a refreshing choice, but one I feel doesn't really fit in well with the rest of the book except as a means to demonstrate more of 'nutty Daala'. Whilst the stop at Klatooine is related somewhat to it, the book wouldn't have suffered without the overall Slavery plot, and the events on Klatooine would have been exactly the same regardless, so in the end it just feels like filler material to pad the book out. Still, it is a good element, just one that if it isn't developed further in the next book is better suited to a Standalone.

The Trial: It was unimaginative in terms of setting, but it served it's purpose reasonably well. There were some odd bits I'll address further down, but for the most part it was a good piece of examining what exactly was going on with Tahiri in LOTF.

The Bad:

Luke/Ben & Vestara: Unfortunately, a lot of the interaction between Ben and Luke revolves around the 'Ben/Vestara romance plot'. It's really quite disjointed at times, Luke is constantly switching, sometimes within the same paragraph between a confident stance of: 'Ben knows the darkside, he won't fall for Vestara's tricks' to a worried one of: 'I hope Ben knows she's playing him'. At the same time, Ben goes constantly back and forth between 'She's a Sith and she's using me' to 'She's not that bad Dad!'.

The 'Romance plot': I'm not opposed to the idea of a romance between the two characters, but the way it was handled here left a lot to be desired. Golden never misses an opportunity to remind us that Ben likes Vestara and Vestara likes Ben, it appears in almost every single instance of the two of them together. Really it feels like a missed opportunity for something more subtle to develop over the rest of the series. Golden effectively rams their 'romance' down the read

 

Since I don't really feel like writing it out again, here's my thoughts from the main thread:

(Obviously, the questions aren't asking to be answered here.)

 

Average score: 266.05/42 = 6.33

 

Even with this book being a bit longer at 345 pages it's still short. The entire Klatooine portion is almost pointless. At least half the book is almost a total waste of paper. I was more than halfway before I felt that anything had happened. Maybe one or two events in the first two-thirds of the book are memorable enough to even mention. The last one-hundred pages aren't that bad but they didn't blow my socks off either. There's no way a race built the Maw to trap Abeloth if she could be killed by a lightsaber by the way. She'll be on Ship now would be my guess. For a change the most memorable moments actually came on Coruscant this time though. With Kani's murder and Admiral Buwa'tu being attacked by fake Jedi assassins. Tons of grammar errors, misspellings, and mix-ups I don't even know what a Chev or Chevrin is at this point. Overall decent book in spots. 4.5/10

 

Average score: 270.55/43 = 6.29

 

When I finished the book I was very satisfied. There was a few slow paced sections in the beginning of the book but it took off after page 100 or so. I don't think we've seen the last of Abeloth. I'm glad the "surprise" was not a useless character death like the middle book of the last series.

9/10