The JC Lit Reviews Special: LEGACY OF THE FORCE: TEMPEST (Spoilers)

Quickie Review - Denning is even more agenda-rised than Traviss. Tempest feels more like an endnote to the Dark Nest Trilogy (which, by the by, I am yet to read), than a continuation of Legacy of the Force. The political edge present in Betrayal and Bloodlines is gone...hopefully it'll be back for Exile. The weakest of the three so far. 7/10.

 

Average score: 346.35/43 = 8.05

 

I give the book a 9/10.

While I'm not in love with the series, I thought Troy Denning could at least make his entries exciting. And after reading it, I'm convinced the people at LucasBooks knew what they were doing by giving Denning every third book. I think Denning is an excellent writer anyway (and easily the best working in Star Wars novels), but compared to Aaron Alston and Karen Traviss, he's Shakespeare. To me, Denning's cohorts in Legacy of the Force are possibly the two worst authors I have ever read. I really can't be any clearer; their prose is well below an amateur level, and I don't believe they've ever heard the word construction.

Anyway ... back to Tempest. Once again Denning has crafted a work that simply FEELS like Star Wars. I'm not sure it's just because he keeps R2-D2 and C3-PO in the action, or what, but the action crackles, and the story zips from chapter to chapter.

This is also because Denning is a great writer. I think in the entire book, I counted two or three heavy-handed similes, but even they weren't distracting. Heck, there were probably a dozen ridiculous similes in Alston's excerpt alone: I remember one that said something was like a pile of Corellian spice jelly, or something like that! What a hack.

Not with Denning ... he gets it. NEVER write like that -- it's the first sigh of a bush-league writer. Denning commands the language so he projects what he wants to say or a feeling through command of the language and action words.

I wish Denning could write all of the post-ROTJ material. Oh well -- at least he gets to end this series. To me, the fact that he can clean up the mess of two books, and mold a decent series, shows just how good he is.

The only complaint I have about the book, is that I feel some of the story elements could've been moved around a bit to maximize their impact. Still ... one of the best Star Wars books I've read.

Bravo, Troy Denning. Keep up the good work.

 

I must say I was really happy with Denning's work. The action was excellent and the plot was engaging. This was by far, the best of the 3 Lotf books out so far.

9.5/10

 

Average score: 364.85/45 = 8.11

 

I definitely agree; I've really missed that dynamic from YJK, and now it's back. It's good to see the underused characters get some page time. Let's hope they all make it through the series. I can't wait for the Jacen/Jaina fight. Allana and Tenel Ka were welcome, although I hope the latter doesn't pull a Padme and go all wimpy later on.

Overall, I actually enjoyed this book, which for the EU of late is really saying something. It was better than Betrayal, although that was also good, and much better than Bloodlines. It has its problems--one of whom is Alema, who should have stayed dead--but overall it's very good. I give it 8/10.

 

I chucked my review over at the SOS Skywalker thread...I gave it 7/10

I'd just like to add: Ackbar >>>>>>>>>>> Niathal.

 

Average score: 379.85/47 = 8.08

 

Finally finished it. Impressive overall, a nice way to stretch out the main plot by detouring to Hapes but still having several important story elements in it. Troy's best work since TUQ and maybe TJK.

9.4

 

Average score: 389.25/48 = 8.11

 

Im tempted to give it a 10 just for ridding the galaxy of that mass of carrion (AKA the world brain) may the rest of the scarheads join it quickly in hell.

However, I'm annoyed by the return of Alema (again).. but will only deduct minor since Hiss Hiss.. I have no character other than Hissing, didnt jack the story, nor did the Squibs show up. Another minor quibble was the retelling of TG (but it was in cliffs notes version). I'm also glad they finally killed the Noghri, explosive decompression is a great way for a lot more people to go. Also major kudos for not writing Luke "I'm GOD" Skywalker just Jedi Master Skywalker. it seems that hes toning it down from DN and its Anime-esque feats. (a very bad thing). He also referenced some other minor characters from the earlier works and wove the story tighter together as a whole.

9

 

Average score: 398.25/49 = 8.13

 

This book was a disappointment to me. I rate Denning very high among the current SW authors and had really high hopes about Tempest, but those hopes were not fulfilled.

This novel has several problems. First it has the same kind of style like TSW and feels abridged as we move quickly from scene to scene and cover a lot of terroritory and characters and much action is told, not shown and the end result feels shallow. The novel lacks depth.

Secondly, the characters often act like idiots. The talks that the Skywalkers have about Jacen and the inner thoughts of Tenel Ka are good examples of this: The Skywalkers are pretty certain that Jacen works with Lumiya, that he betrayed and set them up etc, but still they suddenly find reasons not to truly confront him about his dealings. And Tenel Ka explains his dark deeds away too easily. This is of course the result that the book has in the series, it really can not have these kind of epic moments, but then the author perhaps should have found another way to avoid the confrontation.

I could moan much more, but Tempest is not really a bad book. It is just a pretty average SW novel. It has some good interaction between characters, especially Han&Leia, and some decent fight scenes - even when the battle of Hapes probably could have been given a better and more engaged description, the simple fact that it was a big engagement with huge amounts of capital ships was a good thing. No Stackpole minimalism here, which is always a good thing.

I give it 7.6.

 

I found Tempest to be an interesting read, and while Denning doesn't have the expertise of Wolvertine (obviously) when dealing with the Hapans, I found the political drama on Hapes to be...well, not exciting, exactly, but definitely not skippable. The subplot of the Skywalkers was, IMHO, the best part of the book, from Luke's dealing with Jacen to Ben attacking Jaina (I may be wrong about that, sorry if I am), to Luke and Mara's duel with Lumiya and Alema, this subplot, along with Jacen's continual and terrifying descent into darkness, was what made the book bearable for me.
Which leads me to the bad stuff, namely one Alema "Crazy bugslut!" Rar, and Aurra "I'm Not Dead Yet!" Sing. Now, Aurra I can understand since LotF is pretty much the OT emulating the PT. However, that didn't make her tolerable by a long shot. I mean, she was about mid-twenties, early-thirties by TPM, and unless her species is as long-lived as Yoda's or the Neti, I can't see how she's still alive now. So far as Alema goes, listing my issues with her would simply be reiterating complaints that have been made this whole thread, so I'll simply say i wish that she'd died.
8.5/10
PS: Why is Jag listed in the DP if he only has a two pages or so devoted to him?

 

Average score: 414.35/51 = 8.12

 

7/10

I like the writing style, however, there are a whole lot of inconsistencies that ruin the flow from previous books.

Good:
The fights were pretty detailed especially the Jedi fights.
Characterization was done well.
Bringing in other Jedi Masters were awesome.
Killing a Jedi Master was a big plus.

Bad:
Portraying Luke as a dumbass (just a general comment on Bloodlines and ending of Betrayal). After several wars and being a Grandmaster of the Jedi, c'mon people.
For example:
Luke not using force lightning on Lumiya. C'mon, he knows she's more than half machine. There is no way a whip can block forcelightning either.
Screwing Jacen Solo when he was going to use force lightning on Aurra Sing. He did not use it because of it's darkside qualities? Doesn't Jacen believe in no light or dark?
Alema Rar not dying after Dark Nest trilogy and then being knocked out at a battle with Mara. They should have brought in Tahiri.

The conclusion was not done well for example ..
Jacen Solo not sensing if Lumiya is dead.
Jaina not having in all out verbal attack on Jacen.
Han or Leia not communicating with Jacen during his attack on the MF.
Leia needs to play a bigger role than just being Han's sidekick.

Can't wait for Exile

 

Average score: 421.35/52 = 8.10

 

Average score: 430.85/53 = 8.13

 

Finished it today.

Thumbs up for Denning. A story with more action than you could shake a shoto at, but one that still flows together very well.

Nice to see that there's still a little bit of decency in Jacen. My favorite part was the duel with Aurra Sing. When Allana peeks her head out the door and Daddy stops short of using Force lightning....good stuff, eh, Maynard?

Second favorite part was the showdown in the cantina. Lumiya's usage of bystanders and bombs was a plausible way to challenge the Grand Master. The effect was, I suppose, just what it was meant to be: blood-curdling and anger-inspiring. Very dirty, very evil....very cool.

I had mixed feelings about Alema's return, but in the end, I've got a soft spot for mentally unstable chicks. There's absolutely no excuse, however, for the mighty Mara to let herself get punked by a crazy bugslut. Bad Mara.

Tempest was suspenseful and fun, and the comic relief was just there enough to keep it from being depressing. I'm amazed how Han can keep his sense of humor even when the Falcon is falling to pieces around him. Not to mention his body and his family.

Tenel Ka, Hapes, and assorted other old favorites are utilized in a plausible and timely fashion to make Tempest one heck of a ride. If Denning keeps this up, I think we know to whom the gold medal for LOTF will go.

Rating: 9.0/10

 

Average score: 439.85/54 = 8.15

 

3 out of 10.

Major spoilers herein.

The bad:
Forced plot--The webs within webs, while potentially a rich feeding ground for compelling plots in a CIA novel simply does not work for Star Wars. Episode VI does not end with all of the heroes devising excuses in their minds to distrust each other and it's more than a tired feature in the EU novels; it has been a dead horse for a long time now. Inter-family distrust and hate has replaced the "kidnap/kill the most recent Force-baby" plot hammer and nail. Oh, but wait! It's not been replaced at all...

Hurt the Force baby-- Jacen's child in danger is an obvious and easy hook, but I remember a time when Star Wars novels prior to the NJO, and then again during the NJO, were completely ripped to shreds on these boards based on that overused plot thread. However, when it appears again in the Killik and Legacy series, the books are celebrated and this common complaint is now overlooked or forgotten? By the way, Ben is not exactly a Knight yet, and is just starting to edge out of "young Force user can be threatened easily" status as a plot element. However, it is in full swing here as Mara and Luke are still super-protective of their son, and thus, the plot element still exists for him. Do I have a solution for this problem? No. Can the problem be ignored and can we pretend that young Force users are never the target of evil doers? No, probably not. But maybe, this should be a signal that it's way past time for Star Wars fiction in novel form to take a lengthy vacation.

Luke gets 'punked' in a fight against someone he has beaten countless times--Yes Luke is sometimes too super, but forcing his competition downward or putting his ability into a mysterious retro-grade is equally lame. On a plus note, the environment was unique and interesting and contributed to my score for the book being moved up from one and allowed for *some* believability in Luke's limitations in the fight.

Space tactics--Too "scientific" on the one hand, "science" thrown out the window on the other. It seemed like Denning tried to do away with some of the silliness of absurd disbelief we are forced to digest in the films, but then he would turn around and have a Star Destroyer with one gun picking off the Falcon moving at insane speeds from what has to be hundreds of thousands of kilometers away. He seemed to be trying to be scientific to give himself some sci-fi credibility, but he still threw science out the window in the face of the plot he needed to spoon feed in order to set up the next book in the series.

Jacen's arrogance--It continues unabated and everyone just seems to sit back and say, "Ok. That's fine." What? Huh? Are you kidding? Oh, and I guess the Force Choke victim aboard the Anakin Solo just decides to never tell anyone that she was Force Choked, such as her Force Sensitive, former-Jedi, Queen? It's a forced oversight to advance a needlessly over-elaborate and forced plot.

Characters can never just go away in Star Wars--In this book we had role reprisals by tired old characters because new ideas must be too difficult to come up with. Also, it seems as if the fans clamor for this continuity web-work to tie literally everything to everything, and the authors and editors are happy to oblige; such as...

-Lumiya at all--Upset that she is still around at all, but that's hardly Denning's fault; thus I don't hold her presence against him in this work. What I do hold against him is 'no body.' I'm tired of this. She is defeated in battle by Luke/Mara for the ? time. I'm tired of every single character, especially every single villian, in Star Wars seemingly having James Bond's survival rate. Sadly, she'll be back. Luke and Mara almost die and this bizarre super-web continues to spin out of control because not a single trained Jedi can trust anyone; all for what? For nothing apparently because not even one villain is defeated utterly in this book (utterly = completely destroyed).

-Alema--Let's just cheapen past fiction and Leia's deeds by robbing them of their full meaning...again.

 

Average score: 442.86/55 = 8.05

 

2.

Oh look, YVH droids are back, and this time with more whacky variants because in a galaxy of that size, only ONE man has the enterprising spirit to invent combat droids!

And Stealth-X's! The most powerful fighters ever! Absent since, notably, Dork Nest but that's a coincidence, surely!

The Force! It's back, and this time in crutch form. No longer will characters need to rely on their wit, ingenuity, or just dogged determination - the Force will do it for them! Count the number of times someone uses the Force to restrain someone. Do it.

The Prequels! Yes, because Star Wars endured off the strength of this all-style-no-substance set of films and not the OT, it's therefore really necessary to shoehorn every prequel reference imaginable in. Of course the ugly Hapan lady flew a Naboo N1! It was int he prequels! Who cares about plausible. And Aurra Sing *had* to be there, because inventing another assassin/bounty hunter (who will only appear in books 3, 6, and 9) would clearly tear the galaxy apart.

Alema! Yes, because we really liked her so much as a villain before we wanted her to come back. She could be hit with the gorram death star laser, and still limp back. After all, so much effort when into creating her, it'd be a pity to you know, have to create someone to replace her when she dies. Therefore, bringing her back ad nauseum is definately worth it.

Troy Denning's writing works for some, not for me. He *IS* the new Kevin J Anderson, and no surprises here but I didn't like KJA's work either. Both authors, though, have one redeeming work which will always make their others seem like a real let down - TOTJ: Redemption for KJA and Star By Star for Mr Denning.

My main beef is with the Force-as-crutch school of thought. Tim Zahn proved Jedi don't need to bounce about like ninjas to be interesting; if this element was removed from Mr Denning's work it would be less offensive, IMO; but it might free him up to make bolder choices.

In any event, Legacy started out promising and just went downhill from Betrayl.

ES

 

Average score: 444.86/56 = 7.94