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

The JC Lit Reviews Special: FORCE HERETIC II: REFUGEE (REFUGEE spoilers)

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Caine, Apr 30, 2003.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Well, this is a first. Weeks since a SW book has come out, and not only have I not bought it, but I haven't even been interested in buying it. Remnant was pretty bad, and the even worse reviews for Refugee have not inspired me. I'll probably read it and Reunion back to back shortly before TFP comes out.
     
  2. TahiriSoloFan

    TahiriSoloFan Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 20, 2003
    8/10

    I really enjoyed the Tahiri stoyline and expect this to get even better in the next book. The books in Chiss space were great, & seeing how I'm not wild about Danni, I was tickled to see Jacen's attention so easily diverted by Wyn. ( By the way, as close as Jacen & Jaina are, another set of sibs might be the best possible choices for them. ;) ) I would have liked a little more time with the Fels in Csilla and Jaina didn't seem as..proactive as usual. Some people have complained about how this book doesn't seem to move along. I think you're comparing it to the wrong sort of storyline. If this had been a stand-alone trilogy you probably wouldn't have noticed, but since it's in this whole story arc, it may feel as though it's not getting us the information we want fast enough. Wait until Reunion is out and see how you feel about the trilogy as a whole.
    I would have perferred chapters, instead of sections, but that's just because I'm a busy mom and I only get to read a little at a time so a chapter is a little easier for me to squeeze in, but that's just a preference, not really a problem. Overall I enjoyed it a lot.
     
  3. lightsaber_wielder

    lightsaber_wielder Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 24, 2002
    9/10.

    All in all, a pretty well told tale and a nice bridge novel for the Force Heretic Trilogy. The character development was very good, especially on Tahiri's part. It was nice to see some explanations in her split personality department, but I am still interested in finding out what the lizard chasing Riina is. Finally - we see Jaina slide even more back into her pre-PMS personality, taking on a mission to hook up with Malinza Thanas, and acting appropriately for a Jedi Knight. Jag was great, and his concern for Jaina (and his finally giving up reservations about public affection) was well handled. Also nice to see Luke get some proper Jedi action and stay true to character. I just want to comment now, the scenes on Csilla were great. :cool: It was cool to get even more of an insight into Chiss culture, and to meet the rest of Jag's family. My only gripe about this is that Syal doesn't even mention Wedge, though perhaps that's another story. ?[face_plain] Not much progress made in the Zonama Sekot department, though how can there be when it seems that negotiations there will be long and difficult? Nice to see Bakura and the Ssi-ruuk again, along witht the rebellion of the P'w'eck at the end. I'm also beginning to feel that the leader of the Ryn spy network is Droma. Overall, the characters were handled very well in Refugee, and the authors did a good job of keeping a bridge novel interesting, setting the scene well for Reunion.

    :D

    Oh, I almost forgot: Nom Anor. Very interesting character development here, especially his musings about the Force and coming to understand it. I enjoyed Yu'Shaa's scenes very much.
     
  4. Caine

    Caine Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2002

    Counting 26 reviews.

    JC Lit Average Rating of REFUGEE = 212.75/26 ~ 8.18/10
     
  5. sidious618

    sidious618 Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 20, 2003
    Just finished Refugee:


    The Good
    1)Nom Anor- I find that this was the most interesting plot in this book.
    2)The Return of Shimmra- With only a few books left we still don`t know Shimmra well. He wasn`t even in Remnant. So his small but good aperence boosted the story
    3) Chiss Libray- It was just...really cool.
    4)Rinna-It left me wondering how it will end up. I definatly like Tahiri more after this novel.
    5)Leia- I really like the fact that L:eia fought with her saber.
    6)Ssi-ruuk Yuuzhan Vong- I liked that the General was actually a Yuuzhan Vong. Good turn around.

    The Bad
    1) Little Luke-What happened? Why is Luke mentioned so little? He is the star after all.
    2)Dragging-This book was a little too long as there was not enough plot to sustain 397 pages.



    Grade:8/10

    Much better than Remnant`s 6/10
     
  6. Caine

    Caine Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2002

    Counting 27 reviews.

    JC Lit Average Rating of REFUGEE = 220.75/27 ~ 8.18/10
     
  7. Caine

    Caine Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2002

    [ Bumped ]
     
  8. masterskywalker

    masterskywalker Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2001
    7.5 out of 10.

    Eh, it was okay. Not bad, just okay.
     
  9. Qonas

    Qonas Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 12, 2003
    7 out of 10. It would be an 8 or 8.5, but my utter hatred of Malinza Thanas and her little group brings it down a point.
     
  10. sido-diuus

    sido-diuus Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2003
    9 out of 10 - great book, just a little too long
     
  11. Anakin_Solo73

    Anakin_Solo73 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 2001
  12. Caine

    Caine Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2002

    Counting 30 reviews.

    JC Lit Average Rating of REFUGEE = 244.25/30 ~ 8.14/10
     
  13. RubberDuckyfromSpace

    RubberDuckyfromSpace Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 28, 2002
    Well, I've stopped reading Refugee somewhere in the middle, this was about a week ago to finish reading a much better book, The Brothers Karamazov. I'll probably start again, but I feel I've read enough that, unless the book gets substantially better, I am able to review it:

    I do not like this book. Don't get me wrong, there are things about it I like, but as for the rest, I either don't like it at all, or don't care. For example, I do not like that Malinza Thanas who could have been an interesting character is a boring Mary Sue instead. Although I generally dig it when characters in a novel are going insane, a la Ivan in Brothers Karamazov, but somehow Tahiri's madness fails to interest me in the least. However, I do actually like the storyline about Luke & co. in Chiss territory and the library. Though I am slightly annoyed that Baron Fel and Syal Antilles are portrayed as basically petty and childish in nature (at least thus far). So all things considered: 3/10, very disappointing.
     
  14. Kyp

    Kyp Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2003
    could anyone provide an exact definition of Mary Sue?

    Refugee gets a 7/10, not as good as Remnant.
     
  15. RubberDuckyfromSpace

    RubberDuckyfromSpace Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 28, 2002
    Well, it's kind of an inexact term since there are so many different kinds. And I find I'm never really satisfied with the explanations of Mary Sue-ism that I give, so I'll let someone else field this question.
     
  16. MariahJade2

    MariahJade2 Former Fan Fiction Archive Editor star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2001
    Read this to answer your question.
    Mary Sue

    My review. 6/10 Meh. Luke is invisible, the kids are still the focal point of the story to the detriment of any other character that happens to share page space with them and the only character that was of any interest was Nom Anor. Why was Tahiri even brought along in the first place when she should have been put in a hospital in the last book? The Ryn somehow become a spy network and know things they weren't even present for. The meeting with the Chiss was, as usual, a wasted opportunity to come up with a good plot thread. I can't wait till this is all over.
     
  17. Caine

    Caine Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2002

    Counting 33 reviews.

    JC Lit Average Rating of REFUGEE = 260.25/33 ~ 7.89/10
     
  18. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    I didn't like this book. I didn't terribly dislike this book. And therein lies its biggest problem: I just didn't care. There wasn't any intensity, any urgency to it. The prose worked but wasn't particularly pleasant to read; it was just word after word after word, dull and without any energy to it. The characters at worst were a bit out of character - Jaina in particular displayed very conspicuous stupidity many atime in this novel - and at best were without character, their dialogue just an extension of the paragraphs, without much distinctness. Most of what any character said could have come out of any character's mouth, and a lot of times I found myself thinking that a given character would never utter a line he or she'd been given in this book. And the same lack of urgency applies even to the fight scenes. From the very first page, with the Jedi on what should have been a frantic run for their lives on that planet, it was instead pages and pages of drudgery. When characters are in such dire straits, with the adrenaline and the speed of the action, I as a reader should not be bored. It reminds me of Signs - how am I as a viewer supposed to take the characters' plight seriously if they manage to fall asleep while their home's being invaded?

    Unlike others, I didn't have a problem with the Ryn spy network. I got the feeling that it was a pretty new thing, and I would be very unsurprised to find that the High Leader guy is Droma. Very unsurprised.

    I did enjoy the bits with Nom Anor and Tahiri marginally more than the rest of the book, which is good, because in REMNANT I found Tahiri's segments in particular quite tedious.

    It was cool to see the Fels, although I think Soontir's size was a bit off - even though he looks big in the comics, let's face it - giants simply do not fit in TIE cockpits.

    One of my other gripes was with the story: I appreciate the cleaning up of loose plotlines. I really do. But now's not the time. We've had book after book of the Vong War, and finally we get this big trilogy, leading up to the penultimate chapter of the NJO saga, and suddenly the war's on the backburner?!? In terms of story structure, this simply doesn't make sense. It does look like there will be some good Vong action in book three, but still. . .I don't know. And speaking of story structure, my biggest complaint for several of the NJO books has been that they've had far too much packed into too few pages. Quite the opposite here. Relatively little happens, and it takes 400 pages to get there. Between that and the dull prose, the book just dragged.

    I also don't think that the authors have a firm grasp of Jedi. In my review of REMNANT I remember commenting on the scene where Jaina and that other Jedi spend so long picking mouse droids up off the floor, and thinking that maybe they should have just used the Force. There's lots more of that here. Would a Jedi really not be able to tell that the governor wasn't human? Would a Jedi really be so constantly taken by surprise, over and over again? These Jedi, after having been through so much, just seemed like complete wimps to me, normal people who every once in a while suddenly remembered to turn on the Force. In my understanding, it doesn't work like that.

    And I'm certainly neither a geologist, a planetologist, nor a physicist, so in this case I don't know the facts, but it certainly sounds very, very unlikely to me that solar systems just "acquire" new planets like that. Especially, what was it, something like 40 in the past half century or so?

    This book did have its moments. There were some interesting bits, a few moments that I enjoyed. But overall I just found it 400 pages of unecessary tedium. I have hope for book three, but this one just didn't cut it.

    IIRC, I gave REMNANT what I called a generous 6/10.

    REFUGEE gets 3.5/10
     
  19. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 34 review: 263.75/34 = 7.76/10
     
  20. -KypDurron-

    -KypDurron- Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2002
    I give it a 3.
     
  21. NJOfan215

    NJOfan215 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 17, 2003
    i give it a 7

    273.75/36=7.60
     
  22. Caine

    Caine Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2002

    Counting 36 reviews.

    JC Lit Average Rating of REFUGEE = 273.75/36 ~ 7.60/10
     
  23. jonng

    jonng Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2003
    I give it a 6.

    279.75/37=7.56
     
  24. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Counting 37 reviews: 279.75/37 = 7.56
     
  25. J_K_DART

    J_K_DART Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2001
    reminds me of Signs - how am I as a viewer supposed to take the characters' plight seriously if they manage to fall asleep while their home's being invaded?

    I do admit, Signs was a film I absolutely loved :D Different tastes lol!
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.