Like pretty much every month this year, there are a great number of interesting and exciting titles released. Nobody has time to read them all, however, so one has to make the hard choices as to what to read. With that in mind, here are my (much-delayed) selections for my most-anticipated six novels published this April.
Fate of the Jedi reaches book eight
As this is the eighth book in the season, I’ll re-work the usual review structure to avoid spoilers.
The Fate of the Jedi series has seen the Star Wars universe taken in a number of new and interesting directions, following the game-changing events of the previous nine-book story arc (Legacy of the Force). Luke Skywalker, his family and the Jedi Order are faced with a number of growing and implacable foes.
This eighth novel ups the ante, and brings the various story threads closer to being tied off. The novel ends on quite a bang, and should whet readers’ appetites for the final book in the series, Apocalypse. The Fate of the Jedi series has been another entertaining chapter in the larger Star Wars saga, but it remains flawed despite some great developments. If you’re caught up with the series, read on for more information about this novel – I warn others that there are some minor spoilers after the break.
The Fate of the Jedi series continues, takes things up a notch
As this is book seven in the series, I’ve structured the review a little differently. There are some spoilers, below, so if you haven’t read the first six books in the series and don’t want any surprises, you may want to proceed cautiously.
Allston has written a solid addition to the series and franchise (the second half was particularly great, after a bit of a slow start), and Conviction starts the final three-book mini-story-arc within the series quite well. The nine-book approach is still not my favourite format, but Fate of the Jedi continues to offer up enough action, amusement and great Star Wars fun to keep fans coming back for more.
Backlash, the fourth in the Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi series, will be published on March 10th in the UK. In case you missed my original review of the book, I’ve posted a truncated and slightly tweaked version, below. Looking back on it, I still remember it as being one of the best ones in this new series so far.
If you’ve read my other Fate of the Jedi reviews, then you know I’m a little on the fence about the wisdom of continuously releasing nine-book stories, as the momentum can often be seriously effected in the middle – even when the publishers and authors promised surprises and major events in the middle volumes of previous large story-arcs, often it’s not enough to satisfy all fans (true, something that is never possible). I do wish they would hone their vision a bit, though – make the story-arks shorter, which would allow for tighter plotting and greater excitement and broader appeal. But maybe that’s just me.
[If you’ve not read any of this series, I should warn you that there might be some minor spoilers contained in the review.]
Book Six in the on-going Fate of the Jedi series
In a stunning turn of events, Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben, joined forces with members of the Sith armada sent to kill them – and turned their combined might against the monstrous being Abeloth, whose power was causing young Jedi Knights to go insane. With Abeloth gone and the Knights sane again, the Sith reverted to form, making a treacherous attempt on Luke’s life.
Luke and Ben have no time for retaliation. A new and even more insidious threat is rising, one that endangers not only the Jedi but the entire Galactic Alliance. Unless the Skywalkers survive to sound the alarm – and to pass along the secrets they have learned about Abeloth and the Sith – the galaxy will suffer as it has never suffered before. But the reinforcements they need remain grounded on Coruscant, where the political battle of wills between the Jedi Council and Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala has reached a boiling point.
Now Luke and Ben must go on the run, taking along the inscrutable and dangerous Sith apprentice, Vestara Khai. With a host of Sith warriors in hot pursuit, the Skywalkers soon find themselves trapped on the moon Pydyr, caught between their former allies and a mob of angry Fallanassi. A new truce may be their only hope. But can a Sith ever be trusted?
With the Jedi’s most famous father-and-son team outnumbered and outgunned, the countdown to galactic disaster has begun – and time is running out.
Vortex throws you straight in at the moment the previous volume, Allies, ended. It’s been a while since I read that novel, so it took a couple pages to remember everything that had gone on leading up to this point, but after that I found myself sinking into the story again and my reading pace picked up considerably. I should say at the outset that I did enjoy reading Vortex a good deal – I’m an unapologetic post-Return of the Jedi Star Wars novel fanboy. However, it was not without its faults...
Vortex has a number of plot-threads that run through the novel – most of which have appeared in at least one of the other Fate of the Jedi novels. However, the structure of the novel can sometimes be frustrating. After a long pair of opening chapters that focussed exclusively on a pirate-ambush of Jaina and Lando, the novel gave us a couple of chapters on the Luke-Ben-Vestara story. After this, however, the novel jumps more frequently, and never really gives us the time to sink into the story – just as we’re getting comfortable in one setting, the perspective changes to another. This was somewhat frustrating.
The political machinations on Coruscant are not the strongest thread of the story, as the pace is rather slow and it’s not entirely clear why certain things are happening or why, in the case of the slave uprising, governmental reactions are so exaggerated. Some questions are answered as the novel comes to its more action-packed and exciting conclusion, but it’s difficult to ignore some of the shaky progressions over the course of the whole series.
Tahiri’s trial for the assassination of Imperial Admiral Pellaeon is still going on, but each time the books visits it, it just feels like it’s treading water (although, her lawyer’s inaction did provide a moment of levity at one point). The trial does picks up, just as every thread does, but it still feels a bit drawn-out. I really like the idea of a Star Wars-based courtroom drama forming a greater portion of a future novel – when the trial was unfolding on the page, it felt quite like a well-written contemporary courtroom drama. I’m not sure how this would actually work, but I think it would have considerable cross-over appeal.
This was rather distressing, actually, as in earlier novels, Han and Leia storylines were frequently the more interesting (for example, Dave Wolverton’s The Courtship of Princess Leia, Roger MacBride Allen’s Corellia Trilogy), with Luke’s threads sometimes becoming a little repetitive. I also think the courtroom element had potential to be explored in greater detail and at greater length. Towards the end of the novel, however, Han, Leia and Jaina Solo stage a prison break for two ‘mad’ Jedi who have been frozen in carbonite by Chief of State Daala. It’s a nice, if over-long, action sequence to wake us up after being a rather slow-going plot-thread.
After many long years of war, the galaxy is mostly at peace, and Chief of State Daala is doing everything in her power to keep it that way – including overreacting. Partly this is due to her understandable fear of the Jedi, an order she still doesn't fully understand, and - as we all know - the fear of the unknown can make even the most rational actor to do something irrational. The development of this story thread has been a bit uneven over the past five novels, and because less of Vortex is from Daala’s perspective, events seem to devolve rather quicker than one might expect.
The ‘Crazy Jedi’ epidemic that marked much of the trouble in the first five novels of the series seems to have been brought to an end, thanks to the apparent demise of Abeloth. Vortex at first feels like a post-action lull, but when Luke and his Sith allies realise they have been duped, they must race across the galaxy to an unexpected destination from Luke’s past, and learn more about Abeloth’s horrific nature. Sith apprentice Vestara’s allegiance and loyalties are frequently tested as she continues to spend time with Luke and Ben, and experiences the considerable contrasts between their working relationship and the one she “enjoys” with her father and Lord Taalon (the Lost Tribe expeditionary fleet’s commander). Despite Vestara’s constant betrayals, and Luke’s recognition of her Sithly ways, she is repeatedly able to take advantage of either Luke’s sympathy for her, or Ben's obvious and growing attraction and affection for her:
“though he remained convinced that forbearance was wasted on Vestara or any of the Lost Tribe Sith – Luke could not help admiring the [Ben]’s compassion and determination to give others a second chance, or even a third.”
The problem is, with this being book six, and the third with Vestara featuring prominently with Ben and Luke, the back-and-forth betrayals and eternally-noted distrust between the Jedi and Sith, was becoming a bit tediously cyclical. Thankfully, some pretty momentous events happen, which sets the series up for a possibly action-packed final three novels. (The final Fate of the Jedi novel, also by Denning, is titled Apocalypse, so one assumes things are going to kick off between the Jedi and growing Sith forces.)
There’s a real surprise with regards to the Jedi leadership on Coruscant (Luke was exiled in the first Fate of the Jedi novel, Outcast). This was a big surprise (I won’t spoil it). Hamner’s evolution as a character has been a bit strange, from the dependable sage and warrior, to a paranoid, not-particularly-adept political operative – it also suggests Luke has seriously bad judgement. His squabbles with the rest of the Jedi Council form a good deal of the novel, and events come to a head towards the end of the novel.
I love that novels in the Star Wars universe are still being released: I’m a huge fan of the original trilogy of movies, and I’ve read almost all of the post-Return of the Jedi novels and quite a few of the graphic novels (thanks to my sister and her former boyfriend for introducing me to them, back in the late 1990s) – revisiting the setting from time to time is like spending time with an old friend for a while. Indeed, while I don’t read much sci-fi, I would happily say that some of my favourite novels in that genre are from this universe (specifically, those written by Kevin J. Anderson and Timothy Zahn).
The novel threatened to be pure filler for the first half; the second half of the novel saw a lot of threads come together with some good action and writing; and the final 150 pages of the novel are packed with action and a couple of stunning revelations and events – it really picks up on all fronts, which was very pleasing as I had been starting to get frustrated (as you can perhaps tell from much of this review).
Overall, this is a good Star Wars novel, by one of the best authors writing in the setting. However, this is book six of nine, and despite some good content and writing, it feels too much like filler, and while reading it I knew there weren’t going to be any proper conclusions. I will certainly be reading the final three volumes in the Fate of the Jedi story, but I am once again left feeling like this novel was a lot of hurry-up-and-wait. Shorter overall story arcs are, I think, advisable.
Die-hard fans will lap this up, and it’s a good and enjoyable addition to the series. It’ll be interesting to see where they take the story next.
Series Chronology: Outcast, Omen, Abyss, Backlash, Allies, Vortex, Conviction (May 2011), Ascension (August 2011), Apocalypse (November 2011)
Third in the latest series released in Mass Market Paperback, June 29th
With the paperback release of Troy Denning’s Fate of the Jedi: Abyss, I thought I’d just post a quick link to my earlier review, rather than post the whole thing again. With a slightly darker feel to it, Abyss is a good addition to the Fate of the Jedi series, with the Lost Tribe of the Sith playing a bigger part in the plot and Vestara (an integral character in both Backlash and Allies) starts to feature more. Here’s the synopsis of the novel:
Luke and Ben Skywalker arrive in the mysterious part of space called The Maw in search of more clues as to what caused Jacen Solo’s downfall into the dark side.
They are not, however, the only ones exploring The Maw: a Sith Master and her apprentice arrive there, too, having followed the delinquent ancient Sith ship found by Ben in The Legacy of the Force – and they’re thrilled to find Luke there, because they are determined to kill him.
But there’s another powerful being hiding in The Maw. It's enormously strong, purely evil, and it has its own plans for Luke Skywalker...
As just a taste of what I thought the first time around, here are a couple of paragraphs from the review with my overall impressions of the novel:
“Denning’s prose are fluid and tightly-written, the plotting is very fast-paced (I read this book very quickly indeed), with a healthy balance between action, occasional wit, and ever-more detail of the Star Wars universe and those who inhabit it. I would have preferred if the plot and series as a whole were more focused on Luke and Ben’s journey, as I believe all three writers for this series have managed to create and maintain an interesting dynamic between father and son hitherto unexplored in much detail. It’s clear that Ben is going to be a major (if not the major) character in the future, so it would make sense to develop him further…”
“Sci-fi action in the classic style we’ve come to love and expect from the Star Wars brand, mixed with a greater attention to the political and philosophical (though without becoming pretentious or Trek-y)…”
So, if you’d like to read the rest of the review, you can find it here.
The Fate of the Jedi continues, with a most peculiar alliance…
What began as a quest for truth has become a struggle for survival for Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben. They have used the secrets of the Mindwalkers to transcend their own bodies and speak with the spirits of the fallen, risking their very lives in the process. They have faced a team of Sith assassins and destroyed them, but the sole survivor, apprentice Vestara Khai, has summoned a fleet of Sith frigates to engage the embattled Skywalkers. An unprecedented proposition brings Jedi and Sith together in an alliance against an evil even more ancient and alien.
While the Skywalkers and their Sith allies set off on their joint mission into the treacherous Maw region, Han and Leia Solo risk arrest and worse to aid the Jedi imprisoned back on Coruscant. Chief of State Natasi Daala has issued orders that will open a permanent schism between her government and the Jedi Order — a schism that could turn all Jedi into renegades and wanted criminals.
In the depths of the Maw the future of the galaxy will be decided. There, the Skywalkers and their Sith allies will come face-to-face with a staggering truth.
After Aaron Allston’s brilliant Backlash, there was a lot riding on Allies to maintain the quality and momentum of a series that was finally hitting its stride. I should say, right off the bat, that thus-far Golden’s contributions to the Star Wars series have not been my favourites. She has a style and approach that feels very different to that of Allston or Troy Denning. It’s not that she’s a bad writer – far from it: I have devoured all of her novels in the series just as I have other authors’. My main concern has been her propensity for schmaltz and a slightly higher tolerance for cheesy scenes (though, in fairness, Denning is not entirely immune to these, either). Nonetheless, Allies was an enjoyable read, with only a couple of things I thought I’d pick up on.
Luke Skywalker had a different feel in this novel. Where before he is highly analytical and cautious (occasionally to his detriment), he comes across as extremely hostile and cold in Allies. True, as the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, he’s not exactly going to be bosom-buddies with a flotilla comprised of an ancient Sith Tribe. Despite this, however, he lacks the caution and even-handedness that characterised his approach to pretty much everything in most, if not all, Star Wars novels that have come before Allies. In some ways, in fact, he acts like a Sith towards his less-than-ideal allies, at one points stating “Compassion is for those who deserve it”, after the accidental death of a handful of Sith. He does, however, voice his overall concerns succinctly and logically:
“We don’t know these Sith. We don’t know what motivates them, or what their game is, or why they’ve really chosen to ally with me. I know what they’ve said, but that shouldn’t be regarded as anything even in the vicinity of the truth.”
[The series of e-novellas by John Jackson Miller are a way for the reader to get to know the Lost Tribe of the Sith. All are available free from various sources, including StarWars.com and the Sony eBook store]
Since taking a more philosophical look at the Force over recent sequences, I must say the Jedi on Coruscant are starting to come across as rather feckless and effectively useless. They sit there as Daala tightens her noose, impotently discussing what to do, while the world outside moves forward without them. Daala is without doubt starting to repeat the mistakes of her predecessors, over-reacting on a rather weak premise (something I mentioned in previous reviews), and I was very frustrated with Kenth Hamner – the Master chosen to replace Luke while he was exiled. I remember him being a quiet, but forceful presence in the novels, and not the dithering incompetent he’s portrayed as here. Bureaucracy, apparently, is the scourge of Jedi just as it is of mere mortals…
It’s perfectly possible that I’m reading too much into it, but these are two things that really jumped out at me.
Ben Skywalker, on the other hand, seems to be getting rounded out even more as a character – his attraction to Vestara is interesting and adds some internal conflict that he’s not entirely capable of controlling all the time. I would not be surprised if he starts to be a more central character in future novels, as Luke (maybe) is slowly retired?
One new thread to the series is the issue of slavery in the Star Wars galaxy. At first it seems a non sequitur, not particularly relevant to the main thread of the story. Two-thirds of the way in, Lando and Jaina are thrown into a situation that might prove pivotal, but I was disappointed by the rather clunky approach, and it felt a little forced into the plot. It’s not a bad few chapters, by any means, it just didn’t quite fit in as well as other events of the series. Whether or not this will translate into something more important and/or profound in future volumes… well, we’ll just have to wait and see, but it does look like events on Blaudu Sextus will become important.
One thing that cannot be denied is the quality and pace of Golden’s prose – you can easily burn through pages and chapters of any Star Wars novels (with very few exceptions), and the author has done a good job of keeping the pace throughout. With Allies, Golden has stepped up her game, and the main series thread (surrounding Luke and Ben) has really kicked off, with a number of possibilities for the future – all of which promise good things.
While this review might give you the impression that I leaned towards not liking the novel, this is certainly not the case. The issues I describe above are there, and the reason I focussed on them was because I’ve written a number of Star Wars reviews now that don’t really mention short-comings of the novels (I’m usually too busy being swept up in the story to really notice anything I didn’t like as much). One truth about the vast majority of Star Wars novels is that they are fun and fast-paced adventures; the worlds and characters are familiar through the movies, the action frequent and not over-done, and the plotting is well thought out and gripping. I like that space dogfights are less prominent, now, as the New Jedi Order series was over-stuffed with them (there are only a couple of ways to write them, if we’re honest) – this allows for more options for action, intrigue and plotting.
The Fate of the Jedi series has been very good at meeting and even exceeding expectations – particularly in the paths it takes. There have been many surprises along the way, and they’ve all been interesting and engaging sci-fi action adventures.
Recommended, this is top-notch science-fiction.
Series Chronology: Outcast, Omen, Abyss, Backlash, Allies, Vortex, Conviction, Ascension, [Book 9 Title TBC]
The Fate of the Jedi continues
Repercussions from the dark side’s fatal seduction of Jacen Solo and the mysterious plague of madness afflicting young Jedi continue to wreak havoc in the galaxy.
After narrowly escaping the deranged Force worshippers known as the Mind Walkers and a deadly Sith hit squad, Luke and Ben Skywalker are in pursuit of the now-Masterless Sith apprentice. It is a chase that leads to the forbidding planet Dathomir, where an enclave of powerful dark side Force-wielders will give Vestara the edge she needs to escape — and where the Skywalkers will be forced into combat for their quarry and their lives.
Meanwhile, Han and Leia Solo have completed their own desperate mission, shuttling madness-stricken Jedi from Coruscant to a safe haven in the Transitory Mists, beyond the grasp of Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala. But the bold manoeuvre has intensified Daala’s fury, and she is determined to shatter Jedi Order resistance once and for all.
Yet no greater threat exists than that which still waits in the depths of the distant Maw Cluster: A being of pure, ravenous dark-side energy named Abeloth, who calls out across the stars to Jedi and Sith alike. For some it may be the ultimate source of answers crucial to their survival. For others it could be the ultimate weapon of conquest. But for all, it is a game-changing — and life-altering — encounter of untold magnitude and a tactical gambit with unimaginable consequences.
Backlash is the fourth book in a projected nine-book series, and one that has – for the main – entertained thus far. Just to get my main concern about the series out of the way quickly, let me just write this: Like all middle-books, it suffers from the expected (and delivered) lack of any conclusions. This is something that plagued the middle books in the previous nine-book sequence, Legacy of the Force, and does make me question the wisdom of sticking to the nine-book formula. In my own humble opinion, trilogies and duologies might prove the better routes to take in the future. That being said, I shall now return to my review of Backlash which is, thus far, the best book in the Fate of the Jedi sequence.
Like every book in the Star Wars series of novels, this one took a few chapters to get in to; not because Allston’s writing is in anyway deficient – far from it, he’s easily one of the best authors that have ever been attached to this universe (I bet he could have done a great job re-writing the scripts for episodes I, II and III, for example…). The problem is the size of the main cast of characters: there are now perhaps too many ‘main’ perspectives, which if you’re starting a novel you need to indicate and (re-)introduce to the readers. We have Luke and Ben Skywalker; Han and Leia Solo; Allana/Amelia Solo; Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala; Jedi Jaina Solo and Empire Chief of State Jagged Fel; some Imperial conspirators; and the Jedi under siege in their Temple on Coruscant. For the first 50 or so pages, the perspective of the novel shifted almost every page, which made it very stop-start and difficult to sink in to.
I think what bothers me most about the over-frequent switches in perspective is a comparison with the older novels, such as Kevin J Anderson's and Timothy Zahn's, which had smaller casts. Not by much (the ‘classic’ characters were all still there, of course), but enough that you got a story from maybe 5 perspectives, rather than 10+.
Anyway, that’s really only an issue for the first few chapters as, when Allston finally let’s the story flow, sticking with single perspectives for entire chapters or more, Backlash is utterly gripping and Allston’s prose drag the reader on through events. Whether it’s the tense events on Dathomir, back with the embattled Jedi order on Coruscant, or Daala’s and Fel’s continued troubles with conspirators, if given a decent amount of space, Allston's writing and plotting are exceptional and the reader will find themselves hooked. There’s plenty of action (for once there’s no dogfighting in space, which was overly-featured in previous sequences) and the pace never really lets up; after all, as Jaina Solo says herself in the novel:
“One good thing about the Solos and Skywalkers. We never run out of things to do.”
The Jedi and Galactic Alliance are only slowly coming to terms with the new, greater threat of the new Tribe of the Sith that at last made first contact with the Skywalkers at the end of Abyss, surprised at their different tactics and apparently guiding principles:
“Sith are at large in the Maw... But these do not follow the Sith Rule of Two. They apparently follow a Sith rule of However Many They Need.”
There are lighter moments in the novel, something that Allston does well and in all of his Star Wars novels, and they will make you smile from time to time: for example, when Han gets his hands on a flamethrower, or the single scene written from R2-D2's point of view.
Having referred to previous novels in the series, I should say that reading Backlash put me pleasantly in mind of reading other, older novels set in the Star Wars universe, with the same sense of adventure and excellent approach to action and intrigue. Specifically, and largely due to the setting of Dathomir, Backlash reminded me of Dave Wolverton’s The Courtship of Princess Leia (1995), as well as Roger MacBride Allen’s Corellian Trilogy (Ambush at Corellia, Assault at Selonia, and Showdown at Centerpoint) – this latter more to do with pacing and atmosphere, rather than the same setting.
Overall, Backlash is a satisfying and entertaining read that bodes well for the next in the series, Christie Golden’s Allies (published May 27th), especially given the cliff-hanger ending.
Recommended for all fans of the genre and overall series.
In the meantime, however, here’s Outcast again (originally published here)…
A new chapter in the saga begins…The Galactic Alliance is in crisis. Worse still, the very survival of the Jedi Order is under threat. In a shocking move, Chief of State Natasi Daala orders the arrest of Luke Skywalker for failing to prevent Jacen Solo's turn to the dark side. But it's only the first blow in an anti-Jedi backlash fuelled by a hostile government and a media-driven witch hunt.Facing conviction, Luke must strike a bargain with the calculating Daala - his freedom in exchange for his exile from Coruscant and from the Jedi Order. Though forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is determined to keep history from being repeated. With his son, Ben, at his side, Luke sets out to unravel the shocking truth behind Jacen Solo's corruption and downfall. But the secrets he uncovers among the enigmatic Force mystics of the distant world Dorin may bring his quest – and life as he knows it – to a sudden end.All the while, another Jedi Knight, consumed by a mysterious madness, is headed for Coruscant on a fearsome mission that could doom the Jedi Order... and devastate the entire galaxy.
Part Three of the Fate of the Jedi sequence
The search to understand Jacen’s slide into the Dark Side continues, as Luke and Ben Skywalker journey deep into the Maw – a deadly cluster of black holes, in the centre of which a powerful evil has taken refuge; it is enormously strong and has its own special plans for Luke Skywalker. Father and son are not alone in their quest, however, as a Sith Master and her apprentice (along with a ship-load of Sith warriors) have been tracking “Ship”, a Sith meditation sphere, as well as the Skywalkers, intent on killing the Jedi and recovering the sphere.
Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, the mysterious illness afflicting young Jedi continues to confound Leia, Han and the Jedi medical teams. Leads emerge, perhaps linking the illness to Shelter, the hidden base where young Jedi were protected during the recent galactic civil war (detailed in the events of the Legacy of the Force series), which was located in the Maw. While struggling to find a cure, our heroes (aided by Jagged Fel, the Chief of State of the Imperial Remnant) must also navigate Coruscant politics and the devious maneuvering of Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala, who remains intent on bringing the Jedi Order to heel. On top of this, a particularly unscrupulous and determined journalist has been shadowing Jedi, broadcasting every fault and slip.
Troy Denning is certainly one of the better authors working on the Star Wars series (and we can therefore forgive his tendency to come up with awful ‘futuristic’ swear-words), and Abyss lived up to my expectations in terms of the quality of the writing – in fact, slightly exceeding them. The novel takes a slightly darker turn, as Luke and Ben are confronted with some decidedly twisted, utterly alien and horrific things while in the Maw.
The thread involving the Jedi-sickness is finally linked with Luke and Ben’s journey, which will be of interest to those who thought it was becoming a little repetitive and aimless (after only two books); there are only so many times you can read that another Jedi has been struck demented, with no cure in sight, before it starts to look like a pointless plot device to keep Han and Leia in the story. This plot-thread does remain the weaker part of the series, it must be said (see later, though).
The increased attention given to Vestara and her Sith leaders and comrades is welcome, as we learn more about the Lost Tribe of the Sith and their motivations (introduced in the eBook novella series of the same name, reviewed here and here) – one thing that comes across here is that, if the Sith weren’t so intent on their personal Machiavellian politics, they might get a bit more conquering and subjugating done, instead of expending so much energy on bickering and infighting.
Denning’s prose are fluid and tightly-written, the plotting is very fast-paced (I read this book very quickly indeed), with a healthy balance between action, occasional wit, and ever-more detail of the Star Wars universe and those who inhabit it. I would have preferred if the plot and series as a whole were more focused on Luke and Ben’s journey, as I believe all three writers for this series have managed to create and maintain an interesting dynamic between father and son hitherto unexplored in much detail. It’s clear that Ben is going to be a major (if not the major) character in the future, so it would make sense to develop him further.
I still harbour a few doubts over the wisdom of a nine-book series, rather than taught trilogies – just compare the quality of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, Kevin J. Andersen’s Jedi Academy trilogy, and Roger MacBride Allen’s Corellian Trilogy to some recent novels (the Coruscant Nights trilogy comes to mind), and you’ll see a huge difference. The Fate of the Jedi series, it must be said, is proving far more interesting and intriguing, with more potential than its predecessor – while the Legacy of the Force was still a very good series, with hindsight I can’t avoid the impression that the story was dragged out a longer than necessary: the ending was a foregone conclusion, therefore nine novels seemed excessive. Abyss, however, has done a lot to persuade me that a longer, more-epic series like this can work, as Luke and Ben’s discoveries in the Maw (and a few surprises nearing the end of the novel) have considerable potential to drastically effect the Jedi and the galaxy.
Fate of the Jedi has, therefore, plenty of opportunity and scope to develop in a number of ways. This should make it an exceptional addition to the Star Wars canon, and keep long-time fans satisfied and coming back for more, while also gaining the attention of new or skeptical readers. Abyss does an admirable job of answering some questions while also posing new ones, ensuring interest in the series remains high, with Denning’s writing showing that this expectation is well-deserved.
Sci-fi action in the classic style we’ve come to love and expect from the Star Wars brand, mixed with a greater attention to the political and philosophical (though without becoming pretentious or Trek-y), Abyss is a very enjoyable read. I would certainly recommend it to all fans of the Star Wars franchise, and I think new fans will also get a great deal of enjoyment from reading this series.
Series Chronology: Outcast, Omen, Abyss, Backlash (Feb.2010), Allies (Apr.2010), Vortex (Aug.2010), Conviction (Nov.2010), FotJ #8 (Jan.2011), FotJ #9 (Apr.2011)
Luke Skywalker continues his search into the reason for Jacen’s fall, the Jedi Order remains in crisis, and a hidden enemy re-emerges
In Outcast, Luke Skywalker was exiled from his home, Coruscant; two Jedi knights were afflicted by an unknown illness; and the Jedi Order was sent reeling as they were assailed by the very people they have sworn to protect. Omen, the second volume in the Fate of the Jedi series, picks up right where the first finished, but ups the ante. The pall of suspicion hanging over the Jedi – a souvenir from the authoritarian reign of Darth Caedus, remains in place. The Chief of State, Daala, continues to search for ways to undermine and blunt the Jedi.
Jysella Horn, sister of one of the afflicted Jedi (Valin Horn), has succumbed as well. With three victims, the Jedi Masters are starting to notice a pattern – each victim has displayed mastery of a Force technique they had no business knowing in the first place. This leads Luke and the other Jedi to more urgency in their quest to recreate Jacen Solo’s Force pilgrimage, and to discover and understand why he turned to the Dark Side.
In Omen, We learn a little more about Jacen’s voyage, as Luke and his son, Ben, visit another planet of secretive and xenophobic Force-users; Cilghal and her team of researchers back at the Jedi Temple delve deeper into the mysterious Jedi-sickness, while acting Grand Master Kenth Hamner struggles to keep the politics and politicians at bay; the backstabbing politics and media of the Galactic Alliance encroach on the Jedi again as they are forced to dodge reporters and explain why their members are turning into destructive, delusional lunatics; Han and Leia foil another dangerous, rogue-Jedi scheme; and the mysterious Tribe, a group of Sith marooned millennia ago on the planet Kesh (described in the events of Precipice) emerge into the light of day, ready to reclaim the galactic dominance they believe to be their birthright.
Omen, like every other major Star Wars fiction release has lived up to expectations. Christie Golden, a newcomer to the authorial fold, has penned an enjoyable story, picking up where Aaron Allston left off and making it her own. The story proceeds with quite a clip and I found myself burning through it faster than the norm, in part because of Golden’s writing style and also the excellent composition of the story. The author has delved a little deeper into the culture and traditions of the Keshiri Sith. Strangely (at least to begin with), the story thread for the Sith runs two years behind that of the main plot. Luke and Ben’s journey introduces us to more and deeper understanding of new aspects of the Force and how it works in the Galaxy. The new characters are interesting and well-crafted, the dialogue believable and well executed.
Overall, a very enjoyable read. If only they were releasing these books quicker…
Highly recommended to all fans of Star Wars and science fiction.
Series Chronology: Outcast, Omen, Abyss (August 2009), Backlash (January 2010), Allies (March 2010) – Volumes 6-9 as-yet untitled
A new chapter in the saga begins…
Outcast follows directly in the footsteps of the Legacy of the Force series. The Galactic Alliance is in crisis following the death of Darth Caedus and the end of the Second Galactic Civil War. New Chief of State Natasi Daala (who first appeared in Jedi Search) orders the arrest of Luke Skywalker for failing to prevent Jacen Solo’s fall to the Dark Side. Behind this order is a growing backlash against the Jedi, as a result of media-fuelled resentment, and an increasingly hostile government, who decide that every Jedi should be accompanied by a government observer, to make sure they don’t take the law into their own hands, as usual. (In fact, when Daala is explaining this to Luke, she makes some interesting points about the episode in A New Hope, when Obi-Wan’s immediate reaction in the Mos Eisley Cantina is to chop off some limbs…)
After making a deal with Daala, Luke is exiled for ten years from Coruscant and contact with the Jedi Order he created – unless he can discover the cause of Jacen’s fall, and also put in place policies to help prevent history from repeating itself. Accompanied by his son Ben (from whose perspective much of the novel is written), Luke attempts to recreate the journey Jacen took in between the events of the New Jedi Order and Legacy of the Force series. His search brings him first to the planet Dorin, where his quest could have dire consequences for his life and his order, ending before it really has the opportunity to begin.
Meanwhile, two Jedi Knights have been affected with a strange condition, making them believe all other Jedi have been replaced with imposters. The causes of this are not revealed in Outcast, but they first appeared in Millennium Falcon, which suggests they will play a major part in the rest of this series.
There’s quite a lot that is set in motion in just one novel, but Allston has done a brilliant job of setting the scene for the eight books to come in the series, revealing just enough to get our interest piqued for future volumes. While Luke and Ben don’t feature as much in the novel as would be suggested by the main premise, their relationship has grown closer over the years, ever since Jacen tortured Ben in an attempt to turn him into a Sith. As previously mentioned, Ben gets a good deal of attention in this novel, perhaps slowly replacing Luke as a key character? Without knowing exactly how the series will progress, it’s difficult to be sure. The thread of the story involving Han and Leia doesn’t appear particularly relevant to the main storyline, but the fact that it’s included again suggests that all will be revealed later in the series.
Allston’s writing remains top-notch, and his prose is still tight and well-paced. Even though it is the first of nine, Outcast is a very engaging read, populated by some of our favourite characters, all of whom have grown and matured since we last read about them. There are obviously story-threads being laid out for future volumes, but they don’t feel forced, and instead will pique the readers’ interest for the series.
As an opening salvo in the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, Outcast will do exactly what it was intended to: grab your attention and make you eager for more. Exceptional sci-fi writing, Allston has proved that the Star Wars franchise has plenty of life left in it, and Fate of the Jedi is a promising addition to the ever-growing Star Wars canon, improving on the quality of the excellent Legacy of the Force.
Series Chronology: Outcast, Omen, Abyss, Backlash, #5-9 as yet untitled
For those wanting to get up-to-date quickly without having to wade through the ever-growing range of Star Wars novels, Del Ray have handily created this PDF primer to help set the scene.
