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

Average score: 386.9/55 = 7.03

 

Unlock and bump.

 

Quite honestly, Backlash might be the height of the Fate of the Jedi series to this point.

Aaron Allston managed to do something with this novel I haven't seen from the post RotJ era since portions of NJO, craft a novel that could be described as fun. Since the Dark Nest and the Legacy era began, I've felt that the EU has shifted away from the adventuring grandeur that brought me into the fandom in favor of settling for an overly gritty, dark, and oppressive tone.

Backlash was a welcome break from that, almost a callback to the Bantam Spectra days.

The plot on Dathomir was a blast. Allston, as always, writes exciting and easy to follow action that never outstays its welcome.

Characterization was surprisingly competent, another welcome development. For the first time in I have no idea how long, I didn't find myself despising the actions of the Solos. Han actually resembled the character he used to be before Troy Denning got his hands on him. I think out of the current batch of EU authors, Allston might have the best grasp of his character. There were moments where I was getting Solo Command vibes, which was definitely a good thing (The flamethrower bit, anyone?

Leia, while not exceptional in this book, didn't come off as out-of-touch and incompetent like she has for the last several years.

Even Allana, who I've been completely and utterly indifferent to coming into this novel, was enjoyable this time around.

Of course, I'm obligated to mention that every plot on Coruscant was absolutely miserable. That has been the great failing of this series and if Allston can't make it tolerable, there's really no hope for it. One small positive for this area, however, was Allston's handling of Natasi Daala. At least someone in this writing crew is willing to portray an antagonist with some depth.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and that's something I have not been able to say for a long time. For breaking away from the wangst and absolutely horrid characterization that's plagued the EU since Dark Nest, I give Backlash a solid 9/10

 

Average score: 404.4/57 = 7.09

 

Aaron Allston wrote half of the X-Wing series, the Enemy Lines duology, and Betrayal. Starfighters of Adumar is, according to the Lit Forum hivemind the best work of the EU ever.

Aaron Allston is better than this.

Star Wars is not a realistic franchise. No one expects realism from it. However, in order for a fantastic story to work, it must be internally consistent and plausible within the bounds of its fantastic elements. In order to make a story with magic and impossible technologies work, you must clearly define and limit the fantastic elements in a consistent way. It's foolish to expect something like Star Wars to be true to the real world, but not to expect it to be consistent within the bounds of its own "reality". Mr. Allston does a good job of this, certainly a better job than a lot of other EU authors, but that is not all that a fantastic story needs in order to work.

In order for the characters to be taken seriously, especially when you're trying to set them up as clever, savvy operators (*cough*Vestara*cough*), you must have them make decisions that make sense within the framework of their "reality". If they just make nonsensical decisions with only a handwave explanation superficially based on the fantastic elements of the setting, then that is simply bad writing. The fantastic elements of a setting like Star Wars make for compelling stories when they provide the background for a plausible plot with characters who act like real people would if they lived in a fantastic world. When the fantastic elements simply provide buzzwords to be used in trite contrivances to move the plot forward in an implausible direction, then you've just got a fantastic montage of nonsensical and poorly connected (or entirely disjointed) events.

That is to say, you get the Fate of the Jedi series in a nutshell.

* In the very first chapter of the book, we have Vestara running from the Skywalkers and deciding to hide on Dathomir, because there, Force use on her part won't attract attention. This is idiotic. It's a planet full of people who will be instantly able to sense any Force use on her part, whereas if she had fled to a planet without any Jedi or other Forcely people, so long as she didn't start blasting away with lightning in front of a crowd of people, she could have used subtler powers to her heart's content with almost zero risk of being caught.

*This is a blatant and transparent contrivance to get Vestara on a planet that's already a relatively big name in the EU, and to throw some more filler-- I mean, put another exciting examination of alternate Force philosophies in the Ben and Luke plotline, which totally isn't a pointless sideshow to help pad out the plot to nine books, honest!

*Once we're actually on Dathomir, it's almost criminally under-utilized. Wolverton gave the place a lot of depth and development in The Courtship of Princess Leia, almost all of which is totally ignored. If you're going to recycle someone else's world-building, the least you can do is actually use it. Aside from the Rancors and witches, they might as well be in Florida, given all the depth and impact of dumping the characters on Dathomir.

*Speaking of the witches: they're matriarchal Force users on an undeveloped planet. Some of them are all Sithly and called Nightsisters. There are some rancors hanging around, too. That is the total extent of both Allston's use of Wolverton's worldbuilding, and the total extent of the characterization and development of the Dathomiri witches.

* Oh, and when the Nightsisters lay siege to the hill camp, everyone is totally flabbergasted by the use of Rancors.

* I'm giving this two bullet points because, in a book full of contrivances, stupid plot points, and nonsensical decisions, this is quite possibly the single most idiotic part. This is a planet whose two biggest, most basic characteristics are Rancors and witches. In Wolverton's

 

Average score: 406.4/58 = 7.01

 

I’ve finished my biannual re-read of this book and I have mixed reviews.

I’ve had years to contemplate and analyze Aaron Allston’s writing style and I’ve reached several conclusions. Humor is his wheelhouse, albeit somewhat juvenile. This used to perturb me in my younger years. Nowadays I just roll my eyes and chuckle dryly. As an author, I find juvenile humor to be a bit tedious. These are adult novels and should be held to a certain standard.

Allston is also addicted to using similes. I find this to be overdone. Similes are useful tools, but they have their place. Allston uses these as a crutch, in my opinion, relying too heavily on similes to symbolize what characters are feeling, instead of just describing it directly.

I think the thing I find many of Allston’s characters to lack is a simple maturity. This isn’t pervasive to his work, but there are moments when the main characters are overly snarky or make juvenile jokes. These moments feel out of character to me. It’s something that jars me out of the story.

Overall, the story is fairly well written and paced. The chase to Dathomir, the long trek thought the jungle, the fight against the Nightsisters.

The story is meant to linger there, as the Skywalker once again have evil to fight. Just as they did on Dorin, there are foes to defeat on Dathomir so that the people there can thrive again. It’s the last time we see Dathomir in this universe, so I’ve come to appreciate the time we spend on this world.

The Coruscant plot line also progresses, albeit slowly. One thing that stands out to me here is a disagreement between Saba Sebatyne and Kenth Hamner. The former wants to launch the StealthX wing immediately and the latter overrules her. Days later, Mandalorians attack the Temple and blockade it.

This is an early example of how Kenth Hamner’s cautious leadership is failing the Jedi and foreshadows the eventual conflict between him and Saba.

Jaina and Jag’s relationship is something Allston had spent much time writing. What transpires between them here also foreshadows the coming conflicts they will face. Jaina keeps asking Jag for help, help that he is reluctant to provide. Relationships can’t be all take, and that is something that both of them will eventually learn.

Daala is another interesting character here. I think the characteristization of Daala is fairly consistent throughout this series and does its best to protray a progressive deterioration.

It was also nice to see Cilghal actually fight for the first time onscreen in decades. Overall, I think I’d give this a 7. It has good moments but there are plot lines that go nowhere and the juvenile humour starts to grate after a while. Allana’s solo adventure with the one-eyed mechanic is such a bore and really makes no sense to me. Why he wasn’t arrested for theft and assaulting a child still puzzles me.

 

Bi-annual read? I read all of FOTJ once and couldn't bring myself to ever do it again.

 

I think you mean "biennial", biannual means twice a year. Bi or semiaunnal means every six months.

 

Thank you, @AusStig . That is indeed what I meant. Biennial.

 

What did you think of Ben and Vestara in the book? I found Ben a lot of fun "so if a girl asks you to go behind the trees of certain death what doy ou do?" "I close my eyes and pucker up for a kiss?" "thats the skywalker survival instincts at work".

And Ves is very interesting in how she plays the nightsisters.

 

I found Ben and Vestara's interactions to be pretty indicative of what would come. They have a lot in common and their personalities mesh well. It's what we see Vestara do to the Nightsisters that really sets the two of them apart. Ultimately, Ben is compassionate and altruistic and actually cares about other people. Vestara is capable of love, but her defining trait is selfishness. She cares about herself first and foremost and is willing to betray anyone and anything to ensure her own survival. We see this in what she does to Halliava and Olianne and their people. This book shows us that Vestara Khai is a Sith through and through and is really incapable of being anything else. Not too surprising, since she was raised from birth to be one. It's very hard to shake off an entire life of indoctrination.

 

I view Ves as a trickster hero, while she lies to the Witches, she ends up helping them out by removing the Nightsisters. She wants to help people but she doesn't always be honest about what she is doing to help.