The JC Lit Reviews Special: LEGACY OF THE FORCE: BETRAYAL (spoilers)

Just a few more days until Betrayal, the first book in the Next Big Thing, comes out! You know how it works: rate Betrayal on a scale of 1 to 10, supplementing your rating with a review if you feel like it. But please do not rate the book until after you've read the whole thing. Thank you.

Links to previous threads:
Outbound Flight, by Timothy Zahn
Republic Commando: Hard Contact, by Karen Traviss
Republic Commando: Triple Zero, by Karen Traviss
Shatterpoint, by Matthew Stover
The Cestus Deception, by Steven Barnes
Medstar I: Battle Surgeons, by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
Medstar II: Jedi Healer, by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
Jedi Trial, by David Sherman and Dan Cragg
Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, by Sean Stewart
Labyrinth of Evil, by James Luceno
Revenge of the Sith, by Matthew Stover
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno
Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine, by Veronica Whitney-Robinson
Tatooine Ghost, by Troy Denning
Survivor's Quest, by Timothy Zahn
Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream, by Aaron Allston
Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand, by Aaron Allston
Traitor, by Matthew Stover
Destiny's Way, by Walter Jon Williams
Force Heretic I: Remnant, by Sean Williams and Shane Dix
Force Heretic II: Refugee, by Sean Williams and Shane Dix
Force Heretic III: Reunion, by Sean Williams and Shane Dix
The Final Prophecy, by Greg Keyes
The Unifying Force, by James Luceno
Dark Nest I: The Joiner King, by Troy Denning
Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen, by Troy Denning
Dark Nest III: The Swarm War, by Troy Denning

 

It's great to see you back posting these threads, Mas.

 

yay, I dont have to make one for this like it did Triple Zero... MASTAGE.

 

Mas!!! Welcome back!!

I'll be finished with the book sometime tomorrow. I'll have to check the spoiler guidelines to see if I'll be able to post my review then.

edit: doesn't look like it. I'll just do it on the 30th then

 

just upping this for anyone who might want to review the book

I'll post mine later tonight

 

Well I got the book a couple of days early, so I actually finished it Monday night. It started off a little too rushed for me. But by the middle of the book it really picked up.

Good Points

- Ben Skywalker- I like how they are developing him, I liked his humor as well as how he seemed able to handle things adult Jedi would have trouble handling.

- Wedge and Tycho- I was actually worried when i heard they were going to be on opposite sides of a war, but the scene where they first spoke showed me that they might be on opposite sides but nothing will end their friendship.

- Lumiya- I never read the Marvel comics, so I didn't know what to expect, but the way she strung everyone, especially Jacen along was great. "I've won" is a great line because it shows she is manipulating probably the second strongest Jedi in the galaxy, into becoming a Sith.

Bad Points

- Luke and Han- The opposite of Wedge and Tycho. I understand where Han is coming from Corellia being his home. But I just dont see Han turning his back on his friendship with Luke, and also bringing Leia with him. Though it was nice to see how hard he tried to keep the victory for Corellia and not kill Syal, Wedge's daughter.

- Jacen- What a chump. I actually liked his character somewhat. But he is just hearing what he wants too. Since Traitor, Jacen has cared about getting power, i.e his 5 year Force odyssey. So when Lumiya tells him, "Oh, you can be a Sith and not be evil, Vergere was training you to be a Sith." He totally bought it, because he wanted to hear it. I sort of hoped his Sith transformation would take place over the first few books, and he would fully declare being a Sith by the 5th. I just hope Ben doesnt get too corrupted, or be chosen by Jacen to be his Sith apprentice.

Overall I enjoyed the novel, though it did seem rushed at the beginning. Also Allston's humor seemed to have vanish until the end.

I give Betrayal a 8 out of 10.

 

I really enjoyed this book. Alston does a good job at making jacen's fall believible. I liked how he show cased han and wedge as well as the jedi. Thracken is just a hatable as ever.

8.9

 

8/10

Overall, I thought this book was pretty dang good and im very intrugied by the story....some of my problems with it

1) What has been happening the last 5 years. This book just dives into new problems with very little back ground on some of the effects of the Dark Nest Trilogy. For example, Jacens kid, luke being grand master, the state of the jedi, the jedi numbers, jacen and ben apprenticeship......alil back ground regarding the goverment, jedi order and characers would have been nice

2) Couldnt we have had just a story of the Legacy of Luke Skywalker, maybe some minor conflicts, some adventures and watch the jedi and government grow....of nope!...instead they decided to pick on the family that started with tragedy with Darth Vader, lost Chewy, lost Anakin Solo and now has Jacen Solo becoming sith...Luke, Han and Leia have gone through enough....they are just making star wars a sad tragic story instead of an upbeat adventurous story...with that said it should be interesting-sad but interesting

3) I also have a very hard time believing Han would fight for his cousins cause...i think he would speak to his people on why not to listen to him opposed to actually joining them...weak plot point....

4) Where was all the "heros of the new jedi order"...this was a book about Jacen, Luke, Han, Leia and Mara and alil Ben and Jaina....

 

Counting 4 reviews: 33.7/4 = 8.43

 

8

Pretty good way to kick off a book series. Just the right amount of action, intrigue and angst to keep it interesting or at least will keep us coming back to find out what happens next. But the space battles bored me, as they tend to do, and I never thought the first battle on Corellia would end. Props to Allston for not making me completely hate Jacen this time around. Now I KNOW he's evil so it's alright if he does terrible things because that's what he's supposed to do. AI-Anakin was ..... interesting and I'm not quite sure what Allston's point with it was. Hopefully we'll get an answer to that in a later book.

I loved Lumiya and was surprised that Allston did a good job with her. I was afraid that she'd just turn into the standard maniacal warlord of the week but that's clearly not the route being taken with her. She's using her old intelligence spy tricks to string idiot Jacen along. I respect that

He also did a really great job with Nelani. Introducing a character that you can actually care about in such a short amount of time is no small feat. It's too bad her only point was to be murdered by Jacen

All in all, a decent book

 

Very good, both as a book and as an intro to the new series. The conflict was handled extremely well. My only trouble is with Han and Wedge helping the Corellians. It's not that I don't believe they could do it, it's just that I don't think we were shown well enough why they were. Overall, though, this is an extremely good read, and has me eagerly anticipating the rest of the series.

9.6/10

 

8.5/10

One of the better SW novels I've read in a long time. Definitely worth the hardcover price. Only a few things bothered me, but overall they don't greatly affect the story.

 

I got it yesterday and finished it in about 4-5 hours. It was quite good and set up the series really well.

THE GOOD
-Ben Skywalker. He has grown up so much since DNT, yet he is not obnoxious in any way, the way some teenagers can be. He is going to be a star of not only this series, but future series as well if he is written like he was here.
-Syal Antilles. It was good to see how Wedge's family have grown up and she was portrayed fantastically well. Struggling to come to terms with her famous name she manages to be likeable. I hope she is kept going throughout the series and is not just an Allston only character.
-Wedge and Tycho. Terrific banter, and just terrific to have them back, even if they are on opposite sides. The only thing I don't get is why Tycho is back in the military after he retired in TUF.
-Pellaeon. He is a god. Enough said.
-Jaina and Zekk. This was done much better than in the DNT. Although she still acts superior I've come to terms with that and I actually liked her portrayal in this one. Zekk had some good one liners as well and doesn't seem to be just Jaina's lapdog.
-Jacen. Yes I know he has been an idiot, but his fall was shown really well, especially the end with Nelani (who was a great character for one only introduced 100 pages before the end only to be killed off).
-Lumiya. Marvelous. She will be the best villain since Thrawn. I didn't even feel in the dark anout her despite never having read any of the comics she was featured in.
-Thracken. As slimy and evil as ever, but he will probably fade into the background as the series progresses. Still, well portrayed.
-Han. I didn't like him in the begining, but by the time he reached Corellia and was paired with Wedge he became the Han we know and love. His dilemma over Syal showed that he was still not totally behind Corellia
-All the new ships. Finally something over than constant X-Wings

THE AVERAGE (nothing was bad)
-Luke. Just felt a bit weak in his portrayal, but this book was more about Jacen and Ben so I get the feeling that he should improve as the series goes on. Especially if Mara is the one to die in Sacrifice.
-The Corellian Crisis. Felt a bit forced.
-Leia. Was a bit meh' for me.

Overall, I felt that the first fifty or so pages lacked a bit but after that it really kicked into gear and became quite good.

8.5/10

 

10 out of 10

This really thrilled me to no end. I've never read a book in one day before, but I just coundn't put this down. I actually bought the audiobook so I could listen to it at work.

Is there any doubt that Ben is pure Skywalker, I hope Jacen's mind sweeps don't do permanent damage. By book nine he'll be showing Jacen what's up. Jaina and Zekk were 100% better characters in this. Han and Leia are as strong as ever, It's very heart warming. I can't wait until they try to bring up treason charges on Leia. Don't mess with Wedge, that wiley old vet still has it. "Remember refresher" So many laughs but two that stuck out were "Han shot first." and "Help me Luke Skywalker, your my only hope." All the prequel references were cool, Aayla, Dooku and Sidious. I wonder if we'll see Victivus(sp?) in Path of destruction. And then Luke not listening to Jacen's POV is sort of like how Anakin Skywalker felt in Labyrinth of Evil, just not giving him a say or just dismissing it right away. I'd feel resentful also. I was with Jacen until he turned on Nelani, if he didn't notice, he was also in all of his visions of the future. He could have been a man and killed Lumiya and turned his blade on himself. The ending gave me a ROTS vibe, Jacen picking a sith over a fellow Jedi. Bloodlines can't come soon enough.


Star Wars Legacy is off to a great start.

 

I was pleasently surprised by this book. Nice banter between Wedge and Tycho/Wedge and Han, and the overall dialogue didn't make me want to sleep (unlike the DN snoozefest... er, trilogy). The addition of Syal was something I was waiting to see, and Nelani was such a tragic character. I was also pleased with Lumiya, who I felt was well portrayed and explained. The weak points, as previously mentioned, seemed to rest mainly in Luke, who was more boring than usual. Also, I would like to see a rise in some of the secondary characters. Corran made an appearance, but where are all the other masters? Kyp? Kenth? Kyle? Anybody?! And finally, Jacen. His turn was masterful, and I was glad to see the procrastination was finally over.

My score? An 8.8 out of 10.

 

OK... I have to freely confess, ever since the EoV duology I've felt that the post-OT series was going in directions I didn't especially like. I hated killing Anakin Solo, especially, although TUF won me back to the NJO a lot more. In fact, my first encounter with Allston was in the EL duology, which I hated (a little less so now, thankfully, after multiple rereads). Reading some of Allston's other books - SoA for example - won me over a lot more to his writing, but I was still unsure what to expect.

What I got was, frankly, some of the best SW I've read in a long time.

Allston is no Timothy Zahn; nor is he Troy Denning; but what he is, is a very, very good writer, who knows how to put together a story that is so very, very fun. Yes, that's what this book was most of all; fun, sheer and simple. It was a laugh, with excitement and adventure, with brilliant situations twisted together in wonderfully enjoyable patterns. It had everything that SW should have; love, lightsabers, danger, Jedi, Sith, manipulation, in-jokes, starfighter battles (my only negative; a little too much for me)... It was great. So, time for the review in more detail. Why did I love Betrayal so much? I'll leave out the characters in 'the good, the bad, and the ugly', and go back to them after...

THE GOOD
Having said I'll leave out the characters, I have to say - characterisation was excellent.
Jacen's fall was excellently realised.
Many of the in-jokes were hilarious - especially when Jacen makes a throwaway comment that in his experience, anyone who says they think they're better than Luke Skywalker has to deal with his fans. As Allston knows all too well, since he was the one who wrote Kyp's sentiment that he was more powerful than Luke Skywalker, in EL.
The entire plot was excellently realised, with neither side in the wrong, and both sides thoroughly believable. Incredibly, I actually found myself rooting, not for any one side, but for both sides. I had the most sympathy of all for Leia; and the contrast between her quiet resolution at the end of the book and Jacen's re: attachment, was touching.
Many of the scenes were incredibly memorable, and so well-written they left me laughing so much my housemates thought I was going mad (only going..?)
*sighs happily* Star Wars is back.

THE BAD
The only thing I didn't like was the conversation between Luke and Corran, which felt strained. Given the situation, of course, that's highly understandable. Oh, and I'd have liked to see some of the Jedi Council, too.

THE UGLY
Nothing, nada, nope, zip.

CHARACTERS
Luke
For the first time, I read Luke as Jedi Grand Master - and believed it. Here he is, Luke Skywalker, the most famous, beloved, and respected, Jedi in the Galaxy - and we can sure see why. Nowhere is the moral ambiguity about Luke that stalked DN; in fact, Jacen is frustrated to reflect that Luke is trusting Jacen's advice and views less and less. In spite of this, Luke is still, and always will be, Jacen's most beloved mentor. Luke's starfighter skills are enjoyable, his leadership is wise; in his attitude to the Corellian Jedi, Luke foresees problems before they arise. His Force senses are remarkable, with nobody bar Jacen even making an attempt to sense what Luke does; it's as though Mara especially knows full well not to bother, because she trusts his Force-sense much better than hers. And the beauty of Luke's Force-sense of this mysterious enemy taking form is quite remarkable; my favourite scene was in the attempt at a peace treaty, where Luke is walking along and Jacen makes a throwaway joke to Han about "If I ruled the Galaxy, dad..." It's merely a lighthearted reference, and yet just that is enough to make Luke freeze. Gorgeous. When Lumiya's phantoms cause Jacen and Luke to duel, it is Luke who demonstrates the wisdom to try to generate a conversation rather than fight, and it is Jacen's refusal to do so - how ironic, given his views - that prevents the matter being resolved without violence. In that one scene, Luke nearly shattered all of Lumi

 

10/10. Great book.

 

It?s a really good book?if it weren?t for Jacen?s unexplained characterization issues (key aspects of his personality just vanishing for reasons that either weren?t explained, or the explanations that were presented were just plain weak). As he was my favorite character (note the past tense; he?s not in this book) that?s a pretty major detriment. All the same, it?s still a good book.

7.9

 

I liked it quite a bit. Lots of good humor (but not too much as to overrun the story) and it was nice to see Jacen finally do what we all expected him to do. Just a couple minor issues overall which knocks a point off, but those are just minor. A great start to what will hopefully be a great series. 9/10

 

luke is gonna sacrifice himself to save jacen isnt he?

 

I give this a 9/10.

Readig the released dramtis personae, I never had a fit. Wedge has been one of my favorite characters in the EU for the longest time, and to think he would abandon a cause he's spent his whole life fighting for seemed impossible. THEN I read the book, and Allston created an untterly believable scenario that would put Wedge where he was, yet mainatin the character as he's been portrayed. Allston did a fantastic job in working out the reltionships between the charcaters, from the deep bond of friendship between Wedge and Tycho, the shorthand Han and Leia forged over their long marriage, and the adding in of new variables, like Wedge and Tycho bantering with Pellaeon and the Old Man joining in. Allston has crafted an excellent Star Wars tale, one that serves as both a good jumping on point for newcomers, but has plenty of hidden treasure for longtime followers. I can't give it a perfect ten, because a few minor points struck me as slightly off, however.

I look forward to his continued involvement in the series, and those of Denning and Traviss.

 

15 reviews: 133/15 = 8.87

 

Register an 8/10 from me.

 

9.5/10

One of my favorite Star Wars novels, behind Stover's work but only barely. Allston fits this Universe perfectly, and it was great to see him somewhat unleashed.

Best line (as I remember)- Han: I could get you assigned to take over Coruscant with 12 drunken Ewoks, two landspeeders and five tons of sand. Wedge: That'll be two weeks.

I can't waith for Bloodlines. I love Traviss and Fett.