main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

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

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Havac , May 25, 2010.

  1. carr3107

    carr3107 Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 8, 2008
    The only reason I did not throw this book repeatedly was fear of hitting the passenger in 27E and being escorted off the plane by federal marshals.

    The Plot: the main baddie, the all-consuming Abeloth goes out with a forgettable lightsaber stab after a back and forth Jedi-Sith alliance that just made me confused. Completely forgetting about any previous development and encompassing their entire appearance Han and Leia tie tubes on rats. Off page. The scheming moff plot? AWOL, along with so many other things I like about the SW EU.

    Many months ago, there was a thread about women and LOTF. As I recall, I argued that the SW EU wasn?t deliberately highlighting women as weak victims or cackling villains. After this book, I am very much afraid that I was wrong. There is an underlying current of sexuality throughout the entire book. There?s always been sex in SW, and that?s not been a bad thing. There was no need to spell out that Jacen?s exploitation of Tahiri extended to the sexual. Observant readers figured it out. We have a father telling his sixteen year old daughter to seduce Ben Skywalker. I was doubly perturbed to discover that under the laws of Vestara?s Sith culture, she is still an apprentice ? not even an adult. Then we have Luke having dream sex with Mara, who?s really Abeloth pretending to be Callista. And Golden?s Luke isn?t savvy enough to figure out that his dream lover isn?t Mara until she tells him. This sex is all about coercion, and blatant sexual coercion has no place in the SW EU.

    As for women, Leia?s appearance is limited to calling up rats, Tahiri?s been everybody?s victim, Vestara is being put forth as an underage Lolita by her father, Kani is marginalized by an offensive nickname and then left like roadkill while Wynn Dorvan has lunch with the King of Strange, there?s plucky girl reporter Mahdi Vedt (even if she is a Devaronian) and then there?s Jaina. Jaina, who went and did the Jedi Order?s dirty work in killing her brother. Jaina, who until she has a knee jerk break with good sense, had finally figured out that she deserved to be happy and deserved to make her own choices about what she wanted. Instead we?re going backwards into Jaina-has-a-nervous-breakdown territory. I?m not buying it. The character is strong enough to do what has to be done with her brother. She?s strong enough to stand up to the Master?s council. To have her have a breakdown now is offensive to the character.

    Many, many valid things have been said about Jaina, Jag and The Breakup. Speaking of which, these characters have been there and done that with ?duty vs love.? Every other SW couple figured out how to make duty and love coexist in under 15 books. No, instead we have the next generation?s lead female hero making the same self-destructive choices she did 10 years ago. What I resent the most is that after holding out hope for 40 books, we breathed a sigh of relief when Jaina and Jag got engaged. Ultimately, SW is also about more happy endings than unhappy ones. Then came the sucker punch for poorly contrived, repetitive ?drama.?

    The typos and poor editing made some second-rate fanfics look good. There is absolutely no excuse that the hundreds of typos and misspellings got through a professional writer and at least two professional editors. It?s like no one cared enough to spend the time to notice or make the corrections.

    Bizarrely enough, I found myself liking Ben and Vestara?s interaction. The scene where the two of them are waiting patiently for their fathers to come retrieve them from jail is my favorite scene.

    My personal rule is to buy hardcovers only if I plan to read them more than once. I am very glad that I got Allies from the library.

    3/10
     
  2. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 282.55/45 = 6.28
     
  3. Kietharr

    Kietharr Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 18, 2010
    I'm going to give this one a big fat 4/10. I take one point away for everything that I thought was exceptionally bad and give one point back for anything that struck me as exceptionally good.

    The chronically bad (-4)

    - Daala and the Mandalorians. Consistently unbelievable poorly thought out 'action' in back to back novels. Seriously? It appears that LOTF's stupid plot is doing its damnedest to ruin this series as well.

    - Jag and Jaina. OK, they're broken up now. Let's NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN. EVER. Too bad that won't happen, eh? Nope, they'll still get back together after that OMG BIG SHOCKER was dropped on us. Then we get to hear about this stupid grab ass level relationship for another series or two. Awesome.

    - Wynn Dorvan. Slightly more interesting after actually doing something more than talking to people, still the least interesting character in the history of star wars. Pocket is still annoying and completely needless. Actually, if those cringe inducing needless details concerning Pocket were omitted I just might have dropped Wynn from my list of grievances, where he has been firmly planted since his introduction.

    - Journalists. Don't care. Oh my goodness, I do not care. I cannot put into words how little I care, this is reminiscent of medstar duology level of not care. I realize a lot of people enjoy this kind of stuff, so go write a different book about it. This sort of constant interlude ends up having the book paced almost as poorly as Episode I's ending. There is too much going on, too many asides to effectively tell us the main story here. It's OK to tell separate stories in the same novel so long as they effectively intertwine in a meaningful way.

    The plain ol' bad (-4)

    - Vestara and Ben. We drop one boring and inane grab ass level relationship and gain another. Seriously, secret agent Ben is devolved into a complete idiot just because she's a pretty girl? Sorry, I was a teenage boy once and though upon seeing a pretty girl momentary idiocy was indeed a possibility, upon finding she was a manipulative *expletive*, I would always come to my senses. A lot of the small talk dialogue is believable yet the premise in itself tends not to be.

    - While Golden has greatly upped her game when it comes to the details (oh lordy Omen was terrible in this respect), there are still areas where she elaborates too much about things that honestly nobody probably cares about and leaves other areas blank. For example, describing, in detail, the wardrobe of a throwaway character who we will never see again while doing the cop out 'luke was moving like, REALLY fast, so fast i couldn't even tell what was going on then abeloth died' during the CLIMAX of the book.

    -Kyp Durran, Dyon Stad. Please get a new editor. Whoever edited this one needs to find a new job. Hell, I could have fixed this entire problem if you just mailed it to me as a word document before publishing. Control F, Kyp Durran > replace with > Kyp Durron > replace all. It's ok to see one instance of a name misspelled, but EVERY instance of the word in the entire novel? Please.

    - And then Luke thought back to the time he was...

    The I'm not really sure what to think of

    - Slavery plot. Has potential, but again, this, like the Journalism stuff, might be a bit of a needless aside. I'd have no qualms about this sort of thing if it were in its own book, but does it really fit in this series?

    - Lerscen. Not sure if I care that he was COMPLETELY absent in this book. I never liked him nor did I ever think much of his machinations. But still, the disappearance of a somewhat major antagonist without explanation is strange, to say the least.

    - Abeloth. I'm not convinced she's dead, but it did seem very anticlimactic. Perhaps they wanted to sweep her aside earlier on to focus on the Lost Tribe and their conflicts with the Jedi, or to wrap up the insane Jedi subplot in order to make room for more focus on Slavery (which may have been another reason that Lerscen was dropped in this book). Maybe she was just killed off so Ben and Luke could return to the retrac
     
  4. fanboyskywalker

    fanboyskywalker Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2008
    I found Allies to be tremedously exciting, captivating and well paced. I thought it was the right length and, unlike Allston's work, I enjoyed that Golden's subplots don't feel like a third wheel.

    I found the book to hold many awesome surprises (Callista's fate, Abeloth's death, Jag/Jaina break-up, K.P.'s shocking death, among others) and was like a jolt in the arm for this series. Finally, things feel like they are happening and slowly simmering plotlines boiled to the top of the pot.

    I only wish Callista's return wasn't spoiled for me in advance, but I still appreciated the context in which she was brought back. It was a clever way to make Abeloth more personally connected to the characters and to make Abeloth more relatable to the audience. I also thought Golden did a great job of selling this mysterious, dark being that has been trapped in the maw for a long, long time and even wrote her as more dangerous and threatening than even Denning. I think there is a bit of a missed opportunity with Callista having been killed, but it made sense and without knowing what the writers have in store for Luke maybe it is for the best. Besides, just because she's dead doesn't mean Ben doesn't have a half-sibling running around the galaxy. ;)

    Also, Abeloth's death totally floored me. Was not expecting her to go mid-way through the series, but I have to say I am glad. It's not that I didn't like her, it's just that I was wondering and hoping that they would amp up the Daala/Lost Tribe stuff and with Abeloth out of the way the writers are free now to do just that. While some people are complaining about the lack of a clear threat, I think it's pretty obvious that it isn't just one threat we a re facing, but an assortment that somehow are going to link up in the end. I really, really like that unpredictability. Anyway, Abeloth was a great MacGuffin and with the Jedi healed maybe Valin and Jysella will come back into play.

    Golden did a great job with the characters. In fact, she wrote SW as if she has been writing for a long time. It was seemless. She clearly did her research with the continuity, but I love the new facets of the characters she explored, particularly Lando, who made a welcome return. I liked the pairings that we were given, from Lando and Jaina to Wynn and Raynar to Luke/Ben/Vestara and Gavar. That plotline, I tell you, did not disappoint in the least. I really got a kick out of seeing the father/child dynamics play out and to see the different parenting styles play out. I can't tell you how excited I am to see what happens next for Ben and vestara, and how Gavar and Luke will play into their relationship. Hopefully, Ben and Vestara will have some hard choices ahead of them.

    Other things that I like was that Dyon Stad was still involved and that he lived. I also liked that Ben refered to him as a "friend" at one point. :) Jaina breaking off her engagement. Good. About time. This book made crystal clear that her and Jag no longer belong together. In fact, they don't even really seem like they are in love. He can no longer afford to be patient with the "passionate" headstrong Jaina and their duties have torn them apart. I do think the book could have made the break up a bit more sad, but with a character as stiff as Jag that's not an easy thing to accomplish. Plus, Jag made it clear he had his duty. Also, he came across early on as something of a jerk when Jaina netered his chamber without an appointement and he got after her.

    This break up was awesome in that it allowed Jaina to run off on her own to save the day. I did want her to go down with Luke and Ben because I think that would be an awesome pairing, especially the way Golden is writing everyone and the way they play off each other so well. As for Jag, he was kept to a minimum thankfully and when he was used it advanced his character. No silly flight simulator, training sessions or VIP dinners here.

    The slave stuff surprised me. It's about time that the EU did something with this topic and my hope is that this is more than a mere subplot for GO
     
  5. Darth_Wilahelm

    Darth_Wilahelm Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2009
    Over all I liked Allies and think it a good addition to the Star Wars EU.

    The editorial problems have been mentioned before so I wont go into that save to say that the people at Del Rey need to get on the ball with it. I can let it go once since it wasn?t so bad that it took away from the overall story but if it persists or gets worse it will make me reconsider getting the rest of the series.

    There has been some concern that this book was sexist to its female characters. I don?t see this for a few reasons. I have read Golden?s work before and can say she has always done right by the female characters in them. The best example for this would be her Star Craft: The Dark Templar Saga trilogy. The main female character in this story is described as being small and petite. She also happens to be a hard core mercenary that kicks ass and takes names. Golden seems to subscribe to the Josh Whedon school of female characterization. Make them look weak and helpless but actually have them be among the strongest people in the room.

    Now I agree this was not really shown with the characters in this book but there are some reasons for that. This is only Golden?s second book as part of the Star Wars universe so I think she is holding back a bit. Also she is not writing this story on her own but as part of a team. She not only has to move the story forward but also set things up for the other authors to deal with later. Her role as the middle writer almost guarantees that a lot of what she does will be set up for future events. This probably constricts her but I think she did alright with what she had.

    Leia didn?t do much in this book but that really didn?t bother me. I happen to one of those that think its long past time that the original trilogy heroes retired and left the galaxy saving to the younger generation so her toned down appearance was ok for me.

    Poor Kani tried her best to do her duty despite getting no respect for it. She could have stayed safe with the rest in the temple but didn?t. She also went out to face the Mandalorian?s unarmed knowing that there was at least a fifty fifty chance that she would be killed. She did it anyway to try to help the Jedi. That takes guts.

    Tahiri is a prisoner on trial so that she doesn?t do much also is fine to me. Remember only a fool represents themselves at trial. Letting her charming attorney do all the work is what a smart defendant is supposed to do. Not sure what to make of the fact that she might have slept with Jacen. They were both deep in the dark side at the time and that never helps with making smart decisions on anything. I always liked Pellaeon so was sorry to see him go and do want him to get justice. Tahiri is someone who lets face it is guilty of the crime she is accused of. She does regret what she did and it is clear Daala is using this trial as a way to hurt the Jedi but that doesn?t change the fact that she is still guilty. I?m not sure what punishment she deserves for what she did but I do thing she does deserve one.

    Vestara was Golden?s creation and she handles her well. She is strong, cunning, and can hold her own. Her decision to try to use her body to try to get Ben to go dark side makes sense. One she is a Sith from a faction of Sith that venerate beauty so the fact that they take the ?seduction to the dark side? very literally isn?t all that surprising. Two it wasn?t her idea but her fathers who also happens to be her superior officer. Three she actually does like Ben but knows that they could never be together as long as he is a Jedi and she is a Sith so the idea of getting him to change sides would appeal to her on more then one level. And last she?s a Sith. Doing morally bad things is the basis of their entire civilization.

    Daala is the villain of this story so that fact that she is shown in a bad light is also logical. I also find it interesting how that have moved Daala as the series has moves forward. Daala is no saint and never has been but in Outcast when she made her argument to Luke about how the Jedi need to follow the rule of law she did have
     
  6. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 303.55/48 = 6.32
     
  7. fanboyskywalker

    fanboyskywalker Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2008
    I've been reading some of these old posts and some of the critisms against this book really don't make any sense. If you are upset about the direction of the series or the fact that they are doing another series that intentionally doesn't wrap up the plot at the end of the book, it's really not fair to lash out at the book or the author.

    For example, the book has no story??

    All women are portrayed offensively in this book??
     
  8. fanboyskywalker

    fanboyskywalker Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2008
    See, like right here. This is a review thread and all you do is say it's crap and leave. How about you give some examples of why you didn't like it. I'm guessing that it's a personal thing that SW isn't what YOU want it to be, and you aren't giving it a chance. What I mean is that it could be a great book, but because it's not the story YOU want you say it's crap. That's how it seems when you don't provide any examples.
     
  9. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    This thread is not for whining about other people's reviews.
     
  10. fanboyskywalker

    fanboyskywalker Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2008
    Then you knew I was going to do this.
     
  11. MistrX

    MistrX Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 20, 2006
    I liked this book quite a bit. It kept me reading, wanting to know what would happen next, to see if what I'd read in the discussion board was true. Which reminds me, I need to avoid spoilers in the discussion board from now on. Had I done that, I would think that what happened in the last few chapters would have had a bit more impact than they did. As it was, there was still some surprise and enjoyment, just to a lesser extent.

    First of all, the Skywalker/Sith alliance and more specifically the plot aboard the Jade Shadow between the three main characters on that vessel. This was my favorite part of the book, and I enjoyed the interaction between Ben and Vestara, the growing attraction that was both told and showed to us and Luke's presence over all of it. It was somewhat obvious that the betrayal would come, the question of course being when and how much Ben slipping information might be part of it. The only concern I have right now is how many indications we seem to have that Vestara will be on the good side by the end of this series. It seems so obvious right now that it'll be almost disappointing if she does. I'm sure the authors have a few more twists and questions before we reach that point, but it seemed that every action she took for the Sith, even those that directly impeded the Skywalkers was mixed with regret. Then again, there were a handful of Chekhov's Guns lying around that hopefully won't be forgotten.

    The GA/Jedi story picked up a little bit of steam this time, though part of it felt like more of the same. Still, things there seem to be coming to more of a head as Daala made a series of moves that are moving her closer to the tyrant we all think she really is, Tahiri faces the consequences of her dark side actions, Hamner continues to try to guide the Jedi through the crisis, and Dorvin tries to juggle supporting Daala and doing the right thing for the GA. When this plot did focus on the characters, it hit its strength. As her lover came to realize, Daala may be doing the wrong things but she's doing them for the right reasons, a tune we've heard many a time throughout the Star Wars saga. Daala's not going to fall to the dark side of the Force, though, so it'll be interesting to see if she can keep this reformed attempt alive. It's looking more doubtful by the moment. Dorvin continues to impress, doing many positive things for both sides of this crisis, though Han and Leia's discussion about him is something to think about. While it's good to see Tahiri reflecting upon her actions and truly regretting them and wonderful to see that she may be finally ready to move on from Anakin, it's difficult to see how she can get acquitted without some evidence being discounted. And if that happens, I wonder how readers would react to her winning the case but not quite for the "right" reasons?

    As for Hamner, I enjoyed his arc in this one. As one would expect, he's trying to do the right thing, but the responsibility thrust upon him is showing the strain.

    The slavery story was also a nice new thing, addressing an issue that has inhabited the Star Wars universe for quite some time. One wonders why other efforts in the past have failed to bring the attention that this movement and reporting is now, but the fact that it's becoming part of the story is quite interesting. It even adds in a few subplots, such as the reporter making contact with the Freedom Flight, and Lando and Jaina helping arbitrate an entire planet's fate, that are smaller and contained and don't necessarily have that epic scale but still have widespread consequences. Hopefully, this is another plot that continues in the second half.

    It's not all perfect, though. While the Skywalker/Sith plot is enjoyable with its character building and random adventuring, it eventually becomes quite a bit of buildup with not as much payoff. Getting 3/4 of the way in and realizing they haven't even reached Abeloth's planet yet is not a good sign, especially when that is completely wrapped up here. Learning that Callista was
     
  12. DarthIktomi

    DarthIktomi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 11, 2009
    The good

    Luke being a badpants. Always good.

    The Ben/Vestara plot! I like that we can see that they both like each other, even if Ben's putting Draco in leather pants the whole time.

    Details. Ms. Golden's getting better at this, but I still don't know exactly how Luke killed Abeloth except that a lightsaber was involved.

    The Sith accidentally causing a galactic slave riot. So the Sith potentially did some good.

    The neutral

    The slavery plot. This is a meh. Could be a great Chekhov's gun, or it could be stupid.

    The bad

    Kyp Durran. I deuaxnt lyek theez mispelingz. A speltchekar wood bie greight.

    K.P. Really, a sacrificial lamb? I thought we were above that.

    7/10
     
  13. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 319.05/50 = 6.38
     
  14. AusStig

    AusStig Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2010
    I liked it. It was very good.

    8/10
     
  15. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 327.05/51 = 6.41
     
  16. xoubara

    xoubara Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2003
    So it has taken me a lot to write this review. There were as many good things as there were bad. However, I have decided that good predates the bad. Mostly. Overall, I think Golden has been more adventurous with the EU material. Lots of references, new characters and some parts really well written.

    Among the best is an excellent Luke that, except for his line about who deserves mercy, is written like the jedi master he is supossed to be. I am also getting fonder of Dorvan: I loved his interaction with Raynar, however random I found it to be. The treaty of vondor was a nice addition, so was the slavery plot. Finally, Tahiri's plot and Eramuth. The best in the whole FotJ so far. He is an incredible character and the trial has a lot of emotional impact. This could be the best plot in the whole series, IMO.

    The bad... I should start with the current jedi order. It is pitiful that the jedis can't do anything without Luke, and the K.P. thing was so unnecesary it hurted everytime I read it. Jag and Jaina's break up neither was handled well, nor was it beliable. I hope they get back together soon, for sure now, because it is starting to look like a bad melodrama. Lando's role in the book was nice, but I didn't feel like he was actually doing anything, if only because at the end Luke decides not to wait for him.

    What I am mostly indifferent is about Abeloth. I don't think she is dead, but it was rushed at the end and it was not particularly well written. Not bad either, but I wonder what Denning would have done with this. I liked how Luke could best them all and how it was seen through Ben, nonetheless.

    I am giving this a 6,8. I hope there are no more series after FotJ. They just don't entirely work and feels like a loss of money. I am finishing FotJ, but I don't think I will buy the next one, especially if they repeat the hardcover formula.
     
  17. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 333.85/52 = 6.42
     
  18. marmkid

    marmkid Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2001
    I'd give it a 7 out of 10

    not bad, kind of unfulfilling in some ways

    good:
    Luke was pretty good and completely on top of the Sith, showing he was far more experienced and skilled than they were, with both his actions and philosophy.

    Luke and Ben together as a team has been pretty satisfying so far

    The Jedi/Sith "alliance" was pretty great all around


    eh:
    slave sub plot- kind of random, but not terrible. Lando and Jaina being pulled in was ok, though a tad cheesy

    Callista's return.....if thats it, it was lame and a bad way just to throw a name out there

    Abeloth's death. Assuming she stays dead, this was a bit unsatisfying, though i give it points for Luke being the only one to see how to do it.


    bad:
    Tahiri's trial. I am losing interest fast with her, and being 30+ years old and still obsessed with her high school boyfriend. I get it, they have the force so the bonds are stronger. Still....

    Han and Leia and Allana and their "family" moments. Why are these being shoved down our throats like they are relevant story lines? Way too much time is spent showing that Han and Leia are trying to give Allana a normal life.

    Abeloth's death. I assume we will be learning more about her origins, as Luke and the Sith still have their alliance to find out more. But if she is actually dead, I fail to see how she was such a great threat to make Sith feel the need to join with Jedi, and vice versa. I withold final judgement though, since it doesnt seem quite over.

    The end scene at the trial. That didnt seem to be such a final climactic moment i guess it was supposed to be.

    Jag/Jaina relationship. Terrible from the beginning, yet this was just as bad if not the worst. Jaina really comes off pretty bad a lot of the time with the way they write her. Were we supposed to feel bad for her when Jag couldnt help her (despite how much he was actually doing, compared to Jaina and the Jedi)? They are written in a way that seems they have no chemistry at all. And Jaina expecting Jag to essentially go to war with Daala because of the Jedi thing is a bit over the top, especially when we have the entire order trying to make peace with Daala. I think this is just a continuation of the authors not knowing how to write Jaina's charactor
     
  19. Cindrollic

    Cindrollic Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 6, 2007
    Finally finished the book.


    The Good:

    Ben and Luke. Their teaming is the only storyline out of FOTJ that I've actually enjoyed. Their banter is sometimes fun, though sometimes its head-scratchingly dull.

    The Lost Tribe. If there's one thing this woman can write in the GFFA, it's them. Maybe more so then Denning or Allston. Its a different kind of Sith, and first appeared in Omean, and even though she doesn't get a lot of characters down, she dose get them right with their personality. Though, personally, I still don't see them as much of a threat.

    The Climax. Wait, something different actually happened in FOTJ? Is that allowed???

    The last 100 or so pages.



    The 'Eh':

    Tahiri. Honestly, I haven't liked her since NJO. A woman in her 30's is unable to get over what could be considered her high-school love? I know that it would hurt and I doubt it would leave her completely, but allowing it to just drag your life? I see more connections to Bella Swan from Twilight then I want to. It feels like they've just never known what to do with her, and are just now trying.

    Also, the trial, to me, was rather dull. I don't watch court shows like Law & Order, and never have cared for them, but perhaps if Golden had diverted from our own court system and done something actually creative in its place, I may have been more captivated. But she didn't. It was point for point, and didn't dare to go beyond that.

    Dyon. Well, what's there to say? Not much there and not all that much done with him.

    Abeloth. Well, honestly, her display at the end wasn't horrible, but after being told time after time that she was a 'Powerful, and ancient being' I inspected a little more in the way of combat then just manipulating the plant life, Force-Choking, Force-Lightning, and disappearing for a time. Also, her 'True Form' design is just laughably bad. When I read it, it sounds like a child's sketch on a rainy day.




    The Bad:

    The first 250 pages. Flowed like thick mud and it felt like that as I trudged through them.

    Pretty much any Jedi character. The Jedi Council, what are supposed to be the wisest and skilled of the Order, are incompetent to say the least, with the humor of school-yard bullies. Jaina felt very out of character in general, especially toward the end when she spots Ship and, just knowing it was a Sith Training device (did Ben tell her that the thing was alive as well? Maybe he left that part out), and she immediately opens fire after thinking about it for maybe a second. No reaching out and seeing if it had sensed her or to see if it was hostile. And remember, this is a person they're considering promoting to the rank of Master. Honestly, I don't see it.

    Jaina/Jag. Makes no sense, and is completely out of character for them and is only there to attempt to heighten the drama, which it fails spectacularly at. I haven't cared about Jaina's love life since NJO, as its been played to death, and at this point it just feels like their milking every last ounce they can get out of it.

    Callista. I hope that there's more of a point to her death other then DR just saying "Well, we didn't know what to do with her, so we just killer her!". But I have little faith that it will.

    Lando. His entire presence in this novel could be axed and you would barely tell.

    The Editing. I won't tread, because this has already been covered to death. Simply put, this book doesn't feel edited whatsoever. It feels like a first or second draft rushed to print. The writing mechanics are probably the worst I've seen in a SW book in years. The constant point of view change was unnesesary, and about the 200 page mark, it got to a point where I was putting the book down and letting it sit on my desk for days on end. Dose DR even care about what it puts out now? Based off of this, they don't.



    Final score is 5.50/10. It's an decent middle book, and possibly has the least amount of filler in it, but like Havac said in his review
     
  20. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 346.35/54 = 6.41
     
  21. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    My reaction: Meh. It had some good, some bad, but mostly meh. Not the worse EU book, not the best either.

    7/10

    Golden has definitely improved, but she still has a way to go (am I the only one confused about Abeloth's "death"?). But I'm loving the new length.

    I loved Eramuth Bwua'tu and Tahiri's whole plot. Its definitely something different than we are used to seeing and I like it. Plus Eramuth's personality is great.

    Ben and Vestara's love is predictable (I've called it right from Omen: Vestara = Mara 2.0), but I think Golden does it well (being that age myself, I know).

    The lost tribe is awesome, even if they are just cardboard cut out sith. They are still sith!!

    Jaina`s and Jag`s break up really annoyed me. Sure I`m a J/J fan, but I'm also a Solo Jaina fan (aka, a single Jaina), but it was almost painful to read! [Jaina: give me your fleet. Jag: No. Jaina: Fine, I'm not marrying you. Jag: OK.] GGRRAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

    Daala is becoming Palpatine, and people are letting her, what else is new?

    AND we have a cold blooded killing!!!! Kenth's pet really didn't have to die, but it was awesome and so unexpected.

    the rest was just meh.
     
  22. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 353.35/55 = 6.42
     
  23. Darth_Furio

    Darth_Furio Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Apr 17, 2008
    The Good:

    - Luke was great and his attitude towards the Sith was spot on just because he knew these Sith were born and bred in the Dark Side from a young age, and that turning them wasn't an option. Some great exchanges.
    - Abeloth being revealed as Callista was unexpected as I stayed away from spoilers, and her fight against Luke and the Sith was weak and not explained well enough to get a good mental picture of it all. Abeloth in general though I liked and finally seeing her motivations was good too.
    - Ben in general is what I like most. He's growing up and actually said "I sense the good in her" (alla Luke in RotJ) which gave me goosebumps. The relationship with Vestara has potential as long as they don't over do it and force it down our throats. Ben and Vestara need to hang out more and then he can turn her which will probably happen.
    - Kenth Hamner had a better characterization. Emotional moment when his assistant died.
    - The Tahiri trail is great drama and Eramuth Bwua'tu is awesome.
    - Lando always cool. :cool:
    - Like the slave angle as well.

    The Bad:

    - "I'm the Sword of the Jedi" :rolleyes: enough already we know.
    - Jaina and Jag break-up scene was totally unrealistic. How do you throw away a marriage that fast. My wife and I had wars during our engagment, and managed to pull of a fun wedding. Brutal.
    - Ship was not used enough in my opinion and should have and maybe will be more essential to the story.
    - The Kerhiri Sith are pretty weak in terms of Sith Lords, their powers are under-whelming. At least Golden gave them individual personalities.
    - Not enough Han and Leia
    - Daala is totally all over the place, first she seems that she'll be sensible when she's talking to Bwua'tu, then she sends the Mando's to kill on site!
    - Another big thing for me is the Mando's dominance. How are they capable of scaring Jedi to the point where they're hiding in their temple. Can we really picture Kyle Katarn, Kyp, and Raynar, hiding from anyone with what they've accomplished?!

    Overall I liked the book, lots of technical errors as mentioned before, but I liked it. 7/10
     
  24. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Average score: 360.35/56 = 6.43
     
  25. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    7/10

    I liked it but not much to say more than that.