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

I'd give the book about an 8. It fits with how I feel about FOTJ so far, which I'm gonna post here.


FOTJ pleases me because it acknowledges that the only way to out-villain Palpatine is either to A) bring him back to life or b) come up with something so unusual that it just makes everyone sit back and wonder what the hell is going on.

Anybody else notice that Daala (as of Backlash) is seeming to become quite multi-personality, with her ditherings about whether she's doing the right thing or not? Hmm, just like that failed mess of a Sith last series...


Plus, I like how this series is just taking it's time. LOTF was three or four books that got spread over nine and it showed. Or, well, that's not very accurate; I suppose a better assessment would be that it's big event of Jacen turning took place right in the first book. And after that, it was practically a foregone conclusion as to what was going to happen.

Sorry to keep going on about how great FOTJ is, but I really want to emphasize how great it's relaxed pace is. FOTJ is evidently going to be the last long series for awhile, and it definitely shows-the authors aren't rushing us on the grand tour of the various Force-using cultures/groups, or into the Legacy comics timeframe and situations, as some have feared.

I think this is probably the first novel series where we're already halfway through the series and while we've seen alot of interesting/exciting things, nothing really HUGE has happened yet. And I like that.


Good: Abeloth, Sith Lords who aren't Baneites, the general "what's going on?" vibe, the Netherworld of the Force. Clearly alot of imaginative thought being put into this series.

Bad: Why the hell couldn't LOTF have been this good?

 

I finally finished reading Backlash. While there were a few good action sequences, overall, I was very disappointed in the book.

I thought the Mando raid on the Jedi Temple sequences were excellent. It was great to see Raynar in action as a Jedi again, even if he was somewhat unorthodox. This was a great Jaina part too, as was the scene with the second attack on Jag Fel and on the Solo family at the restaurant. However, I don't understand why the Jedi and the Solos were so willing to let this pass and still negotiate with Daala afterwards. Luke didn't seem to have any reaction at all to hearing about the raid on the Temple. There was no huge outcry by the public either. None of that made any sense.

Daala was terrible in this novel. Before I read the book, I had thought from the title, that Daala was going to do something really terrible (and the raid on the Temple could have been that terrible "something"), that was going to turn everyone totally against her to such a degree, that she was going to be forced to resign or worse. OR, I thought that there was going to be such terrible chaos in the galaxy that both she and the public were going to plead to the Jedi for help. But all the "backlash" seemed to amount to was that the public opinion pols seemed to be starting to go against Daala.

I really didn't like that Daala was written fairly "sympathetically", as though she was really trying her best to improve the galaxy and to do what was best for it and the people. I haven't forgotten that Daala was an IMPERIAL war criminal or that she has done some really terrible, evil things in the past. I really find it hard to accept her as such a "changed woman", one who has the best interests of everyone at heart. I find it really hard to believe that she's the best person to be CoS and that so many people in the galaxy would be willing to accept this former Imperial villain as the head of the Galactic Alliance. I know that *I* find it extremely incredible and can't get past it. It is simply wrong for her to be the CoS, in my opinion. I don't want to have to accept her as "good" for the galaxy.

I found all of the political stuff with Daala checking her polls, etc, to be really boring. As was this book's loss of another young Jedi to the paranoia sickness. :::Yawn::: I also don't find much "magic" in the Jag/Jaina romance. I would love it if the authors would throw us a curve and have them break up. I really don't like that so many dots have already been connected from LotF to the Legacy comics. I'd like to see some real surprises instead. Unfortunately, I know that's not going to happen.

I enjoyed Han's scene with the flamethrower and the sparkflies and the Solos' rescue of Luke and Ben, but otherwise, I didn't much like what was done with Han and Leia in Backlash. I really thought that they were beyond foolish to leave Allana alone with only the two droids for a week or more. What decent parents would do that to their child???? The Social Services would be after them for sure. Why couldn't they have simply had Zekk and his friend stay on the Falcon with her??? Or one of them could have stayed on the Falcon with Allana while the other went with Dyon and the others. Allana is more their responsibility than Luke and Ben, so she should have been their first priority.

I also didn't like that they were willing to sit down with Daala and be the intermediaries between her and the Jedi Order, especially after the attack on the Jedi Temple.

And Han and Leia went to Dathomir because Ben was worried about Luke's exhausted state. Yet, the Solos and Skywalkers never discussed that. In fact, after being apart for so long, there wasn't much dialogue or interaction between the families at all. It was disappointing. I had been looking forward to having them together again, but we didn't even get a decent discussion between them. I was also displeased that Luke, Ben, and the droids didn't get a scene together either. Prior to reading the book, I was hoping that Artoo would rejoin Luke and would continue the rest of the s

 

Average score: 316.4/42 = 7.53

 

10/10

 

I just finished Backlash and I was surprised by how much I liked it. It was far superior to Omen and Outcast, and more enjoyable than Abyss. Abyss was intense and intriguing, but something in the Maw adventure ? and far more in the journey into the Force netherworld ? struck a sour note with me.

The characterization in this novel was solid all around. Star Wars novels are an endless cause of complaint from fans who believe that our heroes have been mishandled, but Allston did justice to them. Ben's detective schtick annoyed me a bit, but overall I'm enjoying his character. The one complaint I have of Luke's portrayal was that he let his fight against a massacre be crippled by following the law to the last, stupid letter. Law and order is one thing, but that's an almost religious devotion to governmental authority.

I was relieved that Allston didn't dwell on the mad-Jedi subplot, as that obviously is not going anywhere until we delve back into the Maw. I was also happy to see him largely drop Luke's pursuit of the mystery of Jacen's fall, because I always thought that was dumb. This, in a nutshell, is what happened with Jacen: A fairly decent person went bad. This has happened approximately one billion times since history began, and there's no need to act as if Cain just murdered Abel.

The plot was also solid, with some good twists and interesting elements. I liked the Treen-Lecersen conspiracy; it introduces a factor unknown to the major players and throws off their calculations.

As for the Dathomiri adventure, I enjoyed it. The setting, the story, and especially the characters ? it was a good ride. I can't remember the last Star Wars subplot that was supported by such a high-caliber cast of characters. It was tied up with the Vestara subplot, of course, but with the capture of the Nightsisters and the introduction of Dyon, it managed to bring in new elements for later books.

The reintroduction of Zekk, much as I appreciate it, was not well-done. It was anti-climactic, ultimately pointless, and made Zekk look like an incompetent to boot. Throughout the whole Allana sequence I kept wondering where Zekk and Taryn were. My guess is that Allston brought them in for the protector role solely to keep Han and Leia from looking like child-neglecters. He obviously didn't want them to actually play it.

I was also annoyed by Zekk apparently picking up a girlfriend immediately after LotF. As soon as Jaina picks Jag, Zekk picks somebody else! Isn't it nice how that always works out in fiction? Isn't it nice to be able to drop people without feeling like a heel and reject them without hurting any feelings? Authors who can kill characters left and right are strangely reluctant to let rejection and failed romance be painful.

The book's glaring weakness was the Mandalorian attack on the Jedi Temple. We all know the Mandalorians. Mercenaries, bounty hunters, among the galaxy's most fearsome warriors, a threat to Jedi and a terror to everyone else. The veneration of Mandos went from the fringe to mainstream SW in the LotF saga. Darth Caedus was brought down with Mando training, and many passages were devoted to extolling Mando awesomeness. In Abyss the Jedi were alarmed at the news of Daala employing Mandalorians against them, and when they attacked Jaina thought with dismay that the government was being serious and smart. And so the Mandalorains finally came, with collapsing walls and gunfire and beskar armor.

And what a bunch of pants they turned out to be. They were whipped by four Jedi ? one an apprentice, one noted for her deficient Force abilities, and one who had spent the last several years locked in the Jedi basement, dealing with myriad physical and psychological issues. In the face of such awesome resistance, the Mandalorian offensive collapsed. They had one hour of blood, sweat and tears. Then they pulled out their troops and scampered away, like the overrated bunglers in jazzy armor they apparently are.

The attack on the Jedi Tem

 

Average score: 322.9/44 = 7.57

 

2/10

I'm thoroughly convinced that after the first draft of this novel there was about 150 pages of material, and in order to beef it up, the editors had Allston add the lame and pointless subplots re: Allana and the Imperial Remnant.

Seriously, is this what people find interesting in Star Wars novels these days? Can anyone honestly tell me they gave a crap about Allana's little adventure? Or the B.pants. assassination scenes re: Jag? Talk about phoning it in.

And can we get any LESS creative with the use of the Force here? Everything Luke and Ben do is either a slash with a lightsaber, a back flip, or a kick to the head. Can we please get Michael Reaves as a consultant on this series to help with the creativity dimension? Now there is a guy who has fresh ideas on the nature of the Force. If all Luke is going to do is run around swinging his lightsaber, he might as well just have a sword - all he is and has been in these novels is a good swordsman, not a grandmaster of the *Force*. How about he picks up a pants.D. half a mountain and smashes in a rancor's face. Nope, can't do that - instead we have to read about the 8 times Luke tries to cut into the rancor's hide but can only go so deep. Yet the Sith warrior didn't have any problem cutting off a rancor's *entire stupid head* WHILE FLIPPING THROUGH THE AIR! I mean WTH makes Luke such a great and powerful Jedi? We never see anything to justify it. Because he found some Force thread hanging in the air and threw some rocks? Gimme a break.

And did we really need 3 (!!!) pants.D. rancor attacks on the stupid hill? I'm reading the exact same scene 3 times in a row. What kind of editing effort is going on? This is crappy storytelling. How did anything that happened in this book advance the overall story arc?

Furthermore, can anyone honestly tell me they can picture people actually talking like the characters in this book? The dialog is so mechanical and formal; its too hard to believe - people don't talk like that.

Everything just seemed so lazy. I mean look at the final battle between Luke/Ben and the Sith. Only the Sith leader was given any sort of identification, a name and a skin color (he wasn't even explicitly identified as Keshiri!!!) - the other three people were masterfully identified as... Sith male, first Sith female, and second Sith female. ... ... ... So what kind of description do we get: 'Ben rushed the Sith male and backflipped over the first Sith female as the second Sith female came rushing in behind the Sith male next to the second Sith female.' That's not good writing - that's not creative - that doesn't paint a picture or allow me to conjure images of the scene. It would be hard to make that scene any more sterile.

This is not an objective system.

2/10.

 

Average score: 324.9/45 = 7.22

 

Finished it last night overall I enjoyed it as I do most Star Wars novels, but this like the FotJ books so far is far from the best SW has to offer. More than ever this book convinced me that this is indeed the series Luke will be dying. He seems to be toned down quite a bit to the point he's "winning" a duel with a "Sith Lord" but not being able to kill him. Ben's role is much increased this seems to be the passing of the torch series now. They're going out of their way to set up a romance with Vestara since no SW characters of opposite sex can be anywhere near each other for more than 15 minutes without falling in love eg Carrack and Ylisa(sp) in this very novel. Daala once again makes Fey'la look like the Abe Lincoln of Chiefs of State with her stupid decisions. I continue not to care about Jag/Jaina whatsoever and why Lecersen isn't killed at this point I don't know. Allana is annoying and not believable. But still I enjoyed it overall there's a few moments of humor that had me laughing out loud. The action is well written and interesting. Worth reading but probably not for the hardcover MSRP.

I'll give it a 5.5/10.

 

Average score: 330.4/46 = 7.18

 

I just finished Backlash yesterday and I really enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed as much as Abyss .

Ben was fantastically written and Allston made Vestara a more interesting character, but she really got on my nerves. I guess that shows that she was really well written. The Dathomir part was enjoyable and seeing these sith again was cool. What was cool is that Han and Leia got to join them, but leaving little Allana behind was way off! Allana - a real brat! lol Her parts weren't as interesting, maybe because of her age??? Daala's character seemed really off- she was not shrewd and ambitious as she should be, instead she was rather sympathetic.

Another great part was the Mandalorians and Raynar. Good to see him back in action.

my rating: 7.5/10

 

Average score: 337.9/47 = 7.19

 

Definitely the weakest of the first 4 books. Up to this point, I've loved the FotJ storyline. My biggest issue with Backlash was the fact that the author dragged the whole medieval tribe thingy out way too long. I felt like I was reading some sort of Renaissance Fair book...ugh.

That being said, the book really picked up and became a fun read once the Lost Tribe of the Sith arrived on Dathomir. From that point on, I was glued to the book.

Thankfully Allies should be much more enjoyable now that the series has moved on from Dathomir and heading back into the Maw.

3/10

 

Average score: 340.9/48 = 7.10

 

I continue to like the series--and am liking how it is continually and gradually picking up speed. it continue to follow a loose pattern of the Odyssey. I am enjoying how each book explores a different Force-using culture.

Vestara really shined in this book--excellent character. And the arrival of the Sith was a fun read.

And I have to agree with the general consensus of the Return of Raynar scene. That was just cool.

I happened to even like the Daala scenes and the political maneuverings as well.

8

 

I thought it was okay. Some good parts, some bad. I felt, as I had seen others say, the writing was... Odd. It was off. The story itself was enjoyable but the writing wasn't great. Zekk back... Not like I wanted. He never got a "real" part. Can't wait for Allies though. The exerpt looks awesome. Ben hearts Vestara... YES!!!
All in all I give it a 7/10.

 

Average score: 355.9/50 = 7.12

 

Average score: 363.9/51 = 7.14

 

2/10

Just a horrible book in my opinion.

Lets point out the stupid that hasn't been pointed out already I think
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-Zekk & his new girlfriend were asked by Han & Leia to watch over Allana but to not let her know she was being watched & they did exactly that, while her pet Nexu was getting it's head bashed in, while C-3P0 was getting swung around by his legs like something stupid happening that I couldn't believe I was reading, while R2-D2 had snuck past them & gone into Monarg's shop to never come out again. He's got a new girlfriend, I got that, the windows to their cockpit was steamy as Allana snuck past, I got that. They were getting it on, okay, obvious is obvious. Zekk & his grilfriend snuck into the hanger & did help, by using the force to throw Monarg off balance I think, or at least Monarg was wondering who did that to him. Why wasn't Zekk allowed to let it be known that he was watching over Allana, & then park his ship almost right under the MF? Why'd Han & Leia rush off of Dathomir without ever talking to Zekk & letting us know anything more, why'd Luke & Ben do the same without ever talking to Zekk? Did Zekk leave before they did & completely get ignored by the Sith waiting in space for the Skywalkers?

I only like the Lost tribe's fight against the Nightsisters at the end of this book, the rest of it including the Mandalorian Jedi temple attack that I was supposed to love, were garbage. Thank you public library system for allowing me to read this thing for free, cause I wouldn't have bothered with it at all. Tribeless Sha died & I never even knew why. R2-D2 got captured & I never even knew how. R2-D2 & C-3P0 didn't fly the Falcon away & save Allana & the day, I knew they'd done that before in some other book.

That was a weird book.

 

7/10

I finished Backlash about a week ago. I thought it was well written, but for the most part felt like a step back from the previous book. I had wanted to see more with the Abeloth storyline, but we got field day on Dathomir instead. I enjoyed a lot of the interplay between Ben and Vestara though, and I thought the idea of a Sith-Nightsister alliance was interesting-there need to be more female Sith, not to mention Sith of color (of human hues), but the Allana storyline bored me. Why didn't Han and Leia just tell Allana that Zekk would be watching after her. What's up with all the secrecy, and why was Zekk so slow to the rescue? I'm sure that was done for dramatic reasons, but it didn't make much sense to me that he would even let Allana get close to danger.

I did like the use of Han and Leia in this book, better than the other novels. For once, their shoehorning didn't feel so forced and I could see Daala bringing them in as emissaries. However, my feelings about Daala being the wrong choice for Chief of State continued to harden in this novel. She's largely created the political mess with the Jedi and BL showed her being politically inept in handling Niathal's death as well. Though the Mandalorian assault of the Jedi Temple was well written, it didn't make much sense for her to pull out the big guns like that so soon, it just made her come off as petulant or desperate. And then there was no follow up to that event. I like scheming, and so Lecersen and Treen were a highlight of the novel for me. I like how they are plotting against both Fel and Daala.

I'm growing tired of random Jedi going insane. At least pick someone the audience knows and might care about, or allow the insane Jedi to do real damage. Allston wisely didn't spend much time on the hunt for the Jedi, and Cilghal in action was cool. I guess its obligatory for each novel to have a crazy Jedi in it.

I think a lot of time was wasted until the end, I mean how many Rancor attacks do we have to read about? The last 15 or so pages were when everything really important went down. Though I'm disappointed that the Lost Sith continue to get their asses handed to them. Ben and even Dyon were taking them on no problem, and something didn't feel right about Ben just slicing a Sith apart like that. It felt callous. By throwing so many Lost Sith at Luke and Ben and having them be easily dispatched doesn't make them all that threatening. Vestara proved far more of a threat or hindrance, the way she was playing the Dathomiri, than the entire LS strike forces in the last book or BL. Perhaps that's the point, but I would still like the LS to be more lethal.

I rated the book as high as I did because I had little expectations going in and I got it from the library, so I didn't spend any money on it. It was a serviceable book, but I wish it had been more consequential.

 

Average score: 372.9/53 = 7.04

 

I finished this today and I have to say I enjoyed most of it. A few things were unclear and lost to me. Why Leia and Han would leave a kid under 10 years old alone is beyond stupid parenting. Allana's scenes were fun and it's good to see her get some action. The Nightsister attacks on the camps and tribes of multiple names, was repeatitive, with the rancors and all, and I didn't get Ben's organization of the tribes like a Star Destroyer. The Mando's attack on the Jedi temple was well done IMO, they showed they could give the Jedi a fight. I like Daala finally doing some reasoning with the Jedi situation and being too dictorial. I enjoyed the Sith kicking ass, and the dynamic between Ben and Vestara. Luke's fight with Gaalan was too brief but I loved when Luke "smiled" at him. Overall I'll give this a 7/10

 

Average score: 379.9/54 = 7.04

 

I finished Backlash. I am on the latest freight I know, I had state boards - wish me well.

Allana IS the Darkest Man

This impacted me the most: Han and Leia leaving 8 year old Allana on the ship with the droids. I couldn't figure out how this idea would fly at any author meeting - or publication edit. Han and Leia have been bashed and grilled over their parenting for quite some time now and to add this little fiasco to their bill was really topping off the gas tank with a firetorch. Then I realized that it is because Allana is going to be the Dark Man on the throne - not the first one, but when Jacen saw her replacing that guy back in LOTF, it was her as his much more powerful replacement. Hence, she must have the similarly bad upbringing her father did, with neglectful parents and decision making based on what "Han and Leia" do and get away with (which never works out for their kids). I mean, based on what happened to Jacen, you would think Han and Leia would be supercajafragilistically careful with his spawn. Allana will become the next great evil, far worse than the antagonist in this series and ultimately be killed. Fits with Jacen's legacy...everyone can keep shaking their heads at him and his progeny...


Luke, Luke...where art thou?

The Jedi from the Maw are not going mad - there really ARE replacements. We saw this in the character of Luke. Except for a few selected moments, he was overall pretty docile, leaving all the real Jedi work to his son. Ben's youthful and zealous thinking as he went about acting where his father normally was - was a complete turn off. But no matter, they got the job done! Hopefully they kill this fake Luke off and bring back the real one in the next book...

The wonder of the ARA

Not Mara! I swear it is NOT mARA. But vestARA! You could have fooled me. The young, evil-but maybe not really - sith girl is showing some attraction to and for Ben. In this rinse and repeat tale, instead of being raised evil due to being chosen, we have a girl raised evil because of birthright. In either case the conclusion is the same: it wasn't their fault! Not their choice! Sadly, the interaction was similarly mundane between Ben and vestARA as it was between Luke and mARA. I know many enjoyed the relationship of the elder two, but I was never much amused by it, so this copy tale is simply making me roll my eyes. However - there is still hope that they won't go that way, so I hold onto that thin ray of hope...

Stad

Well a new character to like. A force using male, not too old, not too young and not a Jedi - but with a prowess that makes one feel the Jedi made a mistake in letting him go. (Why wasn't he sent farming like Obi Wan? Maybe he was and I missed it). I decided that I like him, but not to like him because I have a sneaking suspicion that he will be killed. They have made him very likeable, but have not really forged any connection with key players. That is a set up for death to me. Ahri was the last character I will ever allow myself to attach to in SW - his death angered me. Dyon's will make me laugh and be a real ego boost.

The nightsisters

Ah man - I expected so much more from these guys. Their mysteriousness has always intrigued me. I was led to believe from the past that they were a lot stronger than they turned out to be. These 10 pound weaklings had to use beasts to assist them. A retarted strategy, but worse, it cut their prowess to nil for me. I liked the sparky attack and actually I liked Han and Leia in that bit. It was a bit short though. In the end, they were fooled and taken down by the Sithly ones at the hands of vestARA actually. She is just that Crafty in her youth. You'd think she'd been out and about for years undertaking this sort of thing based on her success rate. But experience has no merit when it comes to young Force users - espcecially if they are potential candidates for Skywalkerhood.

I hate Dalla as COS

They need to off her. Enough said.

Jai