The Force Awakens

The Force Awakens

   I did not know what to expect with this movie. Disney was making a gamble on this. The prequels were hated by so many. (not by me) It's not like Star Wars fans will love anything labeled Star Wars.
   To me I have read 40+ EU novels so now the future of those become uncertain. Jaina, Jacen, Mara Jade... what will happen to these beloved Old EU characters? (I'll call it OEU for short)
    I know this review comes late. I saw TFA when it was still in theaters but now I have watched it a number of times and have noticed a number of details I missed at first. Looking at it through the eyes of an OEU fan...
    In TFA the New Republic apparently didn't rise like it did in the OEU. In the OEU Coruscant once again becomes the Capital of the Republic. Mon Mothma it's leader and eventually Leia takes her place. The fall of the New Republic comes with the Yuuzhan Vong. This would take place before TFA so I guess you could use that to explain why Coruscant is no where to be seen in TFA but what I got from the movie was the New Republic never took hold and this First Order is what rises from the fall of the Empire.
    As in the OEU Luke Skywalker starts a Jedi school where he does teach his niece and two nephews. Jacen and Jaina (twins) and Anakin. In TFA so far we know he has a nephew named Ben not Jacen but clearly the actor was cast to look a bit like Jacen who also ends up falling to the Dark Side. There is a Ben in the OEU but it's Luke's son whom he has with Mara Jade who is one of the most beloved character's in the OEU.
    That brings us to Rey. A girl left on a planet that is quite reminiscent of Tatooine but it is not. So what happened to Tatooine? Anyway... I love when they show she lives in an AT- AT walker and made a doll that looks like a rebel solder! So who is Rey? We know she is force sensitive and is waiting for someone to come for her. Later Leia tells her they won't come but she should seek out Luke... well, that crosses Luke off the list of who was coming back for her. Also at one point she states "Thought Luke Skywalker was a myth" this is puzzling if she had been in his Jedi school and doesn't know he is even real. So I cross Luke off the list. Is she Han and Leia's daughter? Ben's sister like with Jacen and Jaina? This is puzzling too cause wouldn't Leia and Han have known this was their daughter and told her? Leia just simply says that Rey knows who was coming back for her wasn't coming back... which makes me wonder... who can not come back? Yeah, Han. So is this their daughter? Leia nor Han seem as emotionally connected with her then with Ben. I really believe she is either a Skywalker or a Solo but not sure which.
    Just a personal tidbit: Rey looks so much like my mother at that age it is CREEPY! Since I look a bit like my mom I guess I found my Star Wars look a like :-) Rey costume in the works!
    Sticking with Luke Skywalker it seems in TFA his school failed and he split. This is very typical for Luke in the OEU as well. He constantly battled the idea of what if one of his students fell. He also ran off for this reason in the OEU. He does so in one of my favorite trilogy The Dark Fleet Crisis. He also has students fall, one being his nephew Jacen Solo. But is Luke running here or more looking for something? Could he be searching for information about the Jedi? In the OEU he had little to go on but his short time with Yoda and Obwan. In one series there was a holocron with the secrets of the Jedi. Could he be searching for something like that?
    OK, here's the thing... I've been into Star Wars for years and have read many books (I've even played KOTOR)... who on earth are The Knights of Ryn!?! I missed this somewhere... I see people talk about them like they are old news and I've never heard of them nor heard of any knights in Star Wars other then Jedi Knights, so you got me on that one....
    Snoke. I've heard this and that on who Snoke could be. First I cross Darth Vader off the list. "Why?" Well, think about it. In Return of the Jedi we she Anakin as a force ghost showing he was indeed saved. As may times as the first trilogy was messed with I don't think they are going to mess with that. I will admit I've heard some interesting theory but I just don't think they are going to go in that direction. Let's look at the OEU. Who does come back? Emperor Palpatine. In the comic series Dark Empire Emperor Palpatine returns using cloned bodies to live in. His gole is to take over the body of Leia's unborn child Anakin. Also Luke gets pulled under by the dark side and is really never the same in the future because of it. But my point is, I would lean to this being Emperor Palpatine. In the Rogue One movie coming in Dec. Someone pointed out the Emperor kneeling at a bakta tank in one of the clips... interesting... could this be his old master... or maybe a body he has cloned to move into like with the OEU Dark Empire. Mara Jade later on doubts the Emperor ever returned being she would have felt him if was alive but that may have been just to cover up and inconsistency.
    Speaking of inconsistencies. In the OEU Jedi could not read your thoughts. Only feel your emotions. Vader was able to discover Leia was Luke's sister not by reading his mind but reading how he felt about her. So Kylo Ryn seeing the map in Rey's head would not be possible.
    Another thing is with the release of TFA they started using the term "the light side" in fact that was not a real term before. There was only the "Dark side"
    Random notes. Starkiller sound a lot like Star Crusher which destroyed stars. In the OEU a student of Luke's, Kyp Durron turns to the Darkside and runs off with this weapon.
    Anyone ever wonder if Finn was related to Lando? And come on, Fin likes Rey. Fin is not gay. I think they threw that out there just to get people talking knowing people would.
    Who is Poe anyway? I don't know what part he really plays in all this...
    Captian Phazma... no. Why? Just trying to get another female in the cast? Yeah, everyone was just dieing to see a female storm trouper finally, weren't you? They can lose her if you ask me. I don't see the point. She's just annoying.
    One thing had me puzzled, why did Kylo Ryn keep hitting his blaster woud? Was there a meaning to that? Coolist effect in the movie... the frozen blaster bolt! I'm not kidding, I though that was really cool!

    OK. Now the BIGGIE! Before they decided to do this last trilogy it was common knowledge that Harrison Ford would not be in another Star Wars film unless they killed him off. They were going to kill him in The Empire Strikes Back but didnt. So yeah, I even told my friends this when they asked me about what did I think might happen in the new movie. I don't know what was wrong with me. I sort of forgot that fact when I started watching it. He was so good in the part! When it happened I was kind of shocked! They really killed him! They REALLY killed him! Wow... that was a little hard and I was never even that big of a Han Solo fan though he was winning me over a little.

    Last but not least. The whole silent Luke deal is Epic! Top billing, no lines, and a couple of minutes of film time... how much did he get paid for this? You know it's funny after Star Wars Mark Hammel became a voice actor... back to Star Wars, no lines....

( I came across this on Wookiepedia. I wondered why they only gave Luke a minute of screen time in TFA. I liked the fact it made Han more of the Star and Luke gets the next film but here is what they say...
'"Luke's minimal screentime in The Force Awakens was decided by screenwriter Michael Arndt, who felt whenever the character entered his draft of the script, he would upstage Rey and the audience would cease caring about her. Ultimately, he, J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan agreed Luke would have to withdraw from the story and become a plot device instead.[42] Hamill still attended the cast's script reading, thereby concealing Luke's role, and was assigned to read the stage directions. "It was a way of having [him] be part of every scene, every moment, not just spiritually or thematically or narratively, but actually," Abrams said. "Having his voice in it made the read through a better experience for everyone.")

Force Heretic #1 Remnant

    After a bit over half way through I'm at last sold on the New Jedi Order Series! It's turning out to be pretty awesome! Sadly, I'm also missing the next book in this trilogy, Force Heretic. Since I have been unable to get my hands on the next one I have gone back and reread parts of a number of books. Where I am now, really makes the past books much more interesting. They did a really good job on this series! Unlike a lot of the novels before were stand alone and written in a somewhat random order. The New Jedi Order is obviously planned out even though a number of authors were involved. This makes it possible to keep a coherent story going! THANK YOU! Actually they are bringing a number of story lines from pass books into The New Jedi Order, tying up lose ends.
   Force Heretic is written by two authors Shane Dix and Sean Williams. Have not seen that done before in the Star Wars EU.



Spoilers/Thoughts:

   As for story: As it is now something is happening to Tahiri, nearly a member of the Solo family due to her relationship with the youngest Solo, Anakin. You can clearly conclude that she in her dreams is being chased by two beings.

 Questions: Who are they? Or more like who and/or what do they represent and how real are these dreams? Do they represent the past, future, or actually happening for real?

   The best I can come up with is the being with a face that is her face is her but a changed her, possibly the person the Yuuzhan Vong created for her to be..... the lizard... well, hmm... Anakin? Could some part of Anakin still be around? When she talks to Jaina she tells her he is trying to kill her... what?! I've read and read over again and can't figure out where they are going with this.

    We do know as I noted with Traitor that Jacen sees Anakin in a much higher pain level then he is. That made me wonder if Anakin in some way still being held by the Yuuzhan Vong. But why he would be chasing Tahiri in her dreams wanting to kill her I don't know. In Traitor Anakin (real or not) keeps showing up to save his brother. We are also seeing there is a way to sense the Yuuzhan Vong through the force but not through it... In Destiny's Way Jacen actually tries to show Tahiri how to do it being she had a slave implanted in her as well. He believes that perhaps it is the reason he has this ability. The result is not what he hoped. Tahiri feels nothing... or did she and denied it? In Remnant she feels that she will be hated for what is happening to her. She knows Jacen can sense them as well so why would it scare her since that is what Jacen was trying to do. So many unanswered questions!!!


Solo children's last mission

   Then there is Jaina. This girl has issues. It's understandable that she lost it when she believed both Anakin and Jacen were dead. Before it was known that Jacen was alive she went into a state of despair. Being shocked when learning he was alive she feels guilty that she was responsible for losing contact, blocking him of a way to reach her as she tipped to the dark side. Jacen has a much better reason for not reaching out to her. She would have looked for him if she had known he was alive which is what the Yuuzhan Vong wanted. But Jacen has reasons other then this for not contacting her, as she is, he's ashamed as well at how close he got to losing it. These two have some healing to do.

Star by Star

   One of the longest Star Wars books I have read! over 600 pages in the hard cover. I think the one that comes close is I, Jedi. I read that one in a paper back. I seem to remember it was around 600 pages as well but being paper back I don't know if it would be more or less in hardback.
   One thing I do not like in The New Jedi Order series is the intense gore. After a while I really feel uncomfortable reading the sadistic rituals of the Yuuzhan Vong. Really I feel this is an attempt to make The Black Fleet Crisis into a whole series. When I first read The Black Fleet Crisis I felt it should have been longer then just three books. The Black Fleet Crisis remains one of my favorites. The Yuuzhan Vong feels like a knock off of the Yevetha... I mean the names are similar! The Yevetha were disturbingly blood thirsty as well but the Yuuzhan Vong has topped them. Ugh...
   But I knew something happened in this book cause I thought I had heard a spoiler before I stared reading it... I didn't get it quite right so, well I guess I was somewhat taken off guard and confused when things were not going as I thought...



Anakin and Tahiri

Spoiler ALERT right here...

______________________________________

   The death of Anakin! Some how I thought he turned to the darkside before his death and his death would take place in Star by Star. Got it half way right! I knew he died at some point in the series but I didn't know which book. I tried not to find out but I accidentally did.
   I'm really going to miss Anakin! He was one of my favorites.

Fey'lya's last stand.
( Isn't his fur white in the book?)

   Another thing I didn't see coming was the fall of Coruscant and the death of Chief of State Fey'lya!!! As surprising as these deaths and events are I think it is a smart move because it does add an extra edge for the reader cause you know they will go as far as killing someone! Someone who's a pretty important person! Hate to say I'm glad they knocked him off! I don't know how many books Fey'lya has been in but he's been annoying the Solos & Skywalkers for YEARS! An irritating character! But he did sort of die as a hero so I can give him that. In the end he truly did care about the New Republic and not his own hide.
   One thing I greatly disliked about this book was how long it was!!! I love long books... but there was just too much of unneeded information that was boring! Less battles and more depth! I mean with a 600+ page novel you'd think they would have plenty of room for both...

Agents of Chaos 2: Jedi Eclipse

  The best part of this book was the preview of Balance Point by Kathy Tyers at the end... hmm... James Lucendo, still not a fan...

  I guess a lot happened in this book but it had little to nothing to do with the book before it, Agent's of Chaos I: Hero's Trail even though this is suppose to be part 2! One thing it did have in common was at the end there is a scene that goes through what you just read... but it really wasn't needed in this one. I was able to keep up with events for once.

  A lot of stuff ties in with previous books going way back.


Cover are of Lightsabers from the Young
Jedi Knight series where Tenel Ka
loses her arm

  First off, and yes again... The Courtship of Princess Leia. At last the guy Leia ALMOST married returns to the picture. Leia goes to Hapes to ask them for help with the coming invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong. Isolder now married to the Teneniel and having one Jedi daughter with one arm, Tenel Ka who apparently must have been in one of the junior novels or something due to the fact they speak of an event where Jacen cut it off and I completely have never heard that before. Unless they are doing to her like with Mara sick with no back story. Last I heard of the child Luke was giving some prophetic spill about what great things this child would do... I did not like The Courtship of Princess Leia. So is it my luck that the new films will be completely written around The Courtship of Princess Leia??? I mean this book inspired some of the stories in The Clone Wars TV show! WHY?!?! Anyway... getting back on topic...
   Ok, now I know (through a Google search that yes, her arm was cut off in one of the Young Jedi Knights books. ways to get adults to read a kids book? lol....
  While Leia is in Hapes Han in continuing to search for his new friend's family who has most likely either been capture/killed by the Yuuzahn Vong or made it to a refugee camp.

Ziro the Hut from The Clone Wars

  Ah, speaking of The Clone Wars, this book explained the Drag Queen Hut, Ziro! Turns outs Huts are both male and female! Who knew?! Well, somewhere I missed it at least. So... at some point in Jabba the Hutt's life he was female?? But wait... didn't Jabba have a baby in The Clone Wars? Was Jabba female at that point? I'm getting confused... I'll leave it at that....

  Now we are brought back to the The Corellian Trilogy with Anakin and Jacen. A war on morals are heating up and even Han's cousin is playing a part.

Balance Point

 I'm having to backstep here. I read a couple of books while on a work/vacation in Westchester NY. I had little to no internet so I have fallen behind on reporting on what I read last fall.


   Written by Kathy Tyers I was a little disappointed. This was not as good as The Truce at Bakura. It didn't capture the personalities like The Truce at Bakura. It did however end with quite a cliffhanger.
  I don't know how to say anything about this that is not a spoiler so... Fair warning. +Star Wars
_____

    I've been waiting for this for a while now! Mara and Luke discover they are having a baby... Mara has been so upset that she may never have one. She's been on the losing battle against an illness brought on to her from the Yuuzhan Vong. At last they found a semi-cure from the tears of Vergere a bird like creature that for reasons unknown left for Mara to help her.

  So when Mara notices the unknown being inside her she mistakes it as alien there to attach her life again but before destroying it she realizes she senses Luke in it and the pieces come together...

   So hears the thing that got me. She's wanted a child with Luke for so long and her first reaction is, NO! NOT NOW! and is considering for a moment even abortion?! What Mara Jade is this?!?! She'd be the biggest best mama bear in the galaxy!!!


 Ok, so in comes Luke after she abandons him during a mission... she lets him realize what is in her and he's happy... her? Nope. I will admit to a little fear that the child might not be well or even tainted by the dark side since she still hasn't over come her unknown illness... but really, that is not a Mara Jade reaction! Please bring the REAL Mara back!



Relaxing with a book, a costume I was making,
 and my lovey dovey plopped at my feet!

   Meanwhile Jacen is fighting a personal battle with his and everyone's future and now will no longer use the force. He holds out on this until his mother's life is in stake. This action leaves you at the cliff hanger. Because of the outrage over Jacen's actions all Jedi now have a price over their heads. Jacen having the highest.



Agent's of Chaos I: Hero's Trail

  And now another by James Luceno's ... he also authored Dark Lord The Rise of Darth Vader and Labyrinth of Evil Yeah, not a fan...
  This book was pretty dull the first half but it did pick up at the end. Mainly the story is about the Yuuzhan Vong attempting to exterminate the Jedi by slipping in a female Yuuzhan Vong  priestess Elan claiming to want to defect. She's actually carrying a toxic poison waiting for the right time to release it. At the same time Han goes his own way to the dismay of his family and the Wookies that want to take over Chewbacca's Life Debt.
  The author seems to want to show off the fact he knows all the novel VERY well. Some stuff must have been in the X-wing books cause I didn't know what they were talking about and it sounded like stuff I should have.

  I really don't have a lot to say about this one. So straight to the few Spoiler notes I can come up with...
________________________

  What on earth is a "familiar"?! You go through this whole book yet never get an answer to this question. Maybe that will be answered eventually or maybe it doesn't matter but this creature goes along with Elan to kill the Jedi yet in the end she goes out of her way to save Mara. If she is such a compationate being how has she followed along so long with Elan in this plan or did she just have a sudden turning point? One must have to guess she is in some way being held aganst her will. Maybe... kind of hoping more about her comes out in later books.
  Some parts felt like shuffling card keeping up with who was where and why! The funny thing is the
last or the second to the last chapter is an over view of what you just read! I mean, it was nice cause I what I just read was not clear in my head! Normally you need to do this in a sequel but this book did it in the same book at the end!
  Ah, these Yuuzhan Vong! They sound so grotesque!!! The illustration of Elan on the cover just doesn't look horrible enough. She too pretty! And who is the guy at the right? Is that the Ryn, Dorma Han hooked up with? Not the image I had in mind by the description I was getting in the book... maybe it's just me.
  Luke and Mara. This is a strange pair... perhaps only Timothy Zahn should be able to write about them. I think James Lucendo did ok at the end where Luke and Mara see who can drink the tears first and yes, I can see that Luke would try it first and that Mara wouldn't allow him to be that protective of her. The dialogue between then is a bit awkward after she takes the stuff. The sickening sweetness is a little much for the two of them in public.
  Since I disliked the image of Elan on the cover I did a little searching and found a fanart piece that I think is a better likeness.


Elan and Vergere by blue-but-beautiful on deviantART

Dark Tide II: Ruin

  Part two, Dark Tide: Ruin following Dark Tide: Onslaught by Michael A. Stackpole. He is also the author of I Jedi. Really not sure how I feel about this author...  does things I like, dose things I don't... and he has to have some form of first person speaking even when written in third... I came across one reviewer of this book who really disliked this (I lost his blog but I'll add it if I run across it) but I can't say I dislike it, more like I think it's just a little awkward to the flow since most other authors don't do.
  According to Wookieepedia this was first planed as a trilogy but the last two where combined. Good move, I don't see how you could get two books out of this and not drag it out too long. (I, Jedi might had been better split up though!)
  I remarked on the style of painting on Dark Tide; Onslaught. This one too has an impressionistic style. According to Wookieepedia the cover shows a ship that was planed to be in book two but apparently didn't make the final cut... yeah... after finishing the book I still was confused with the cover... now I know it wasn't just me... They kept talking about the planet that very few were allowed to actual set foot on... my best guess was that thing in the picture was where they lived... but still, that still didn't seem right! Why they chose to put a cover picture of something that isn't even in the book.... just, why?!

____Spoiler Alert________

   Some where I missed where Wedge Antilles broke up with Qwi Xux who first showed up in Jedi Academy Trilogy. I had been wondering what had happened to the two. It must have been covered in a X-wing novel, which I haven't read any of the X-wing books.


  First Chewbacca and now another loved character is lost... Well, this character is fairly new. He showed up I believe in Spector of the Past (correct me if I'm wrong on that) Elegos A'Kla of Caamas was a very interesting character. If I remember correctly, it was said even the Jedi looked up to this race's wisdom. It just feels a little too soon to kill him off. Have to say he went in a very memorable and disturbing way though. It gave us an insight on this Yuuzhan Vong and their twisted since of honor.

"These bones here, I present to you so you may know the proper way to venerate fallen Yuuzhan Vong warriors." -Shedao Shai
 
  And yet, Elegos A'Kla did seem to die without meaning and his killer dies to make room for a worst enemy to take over. And Corran finds himself walking on the line of the darkside.

Dark Tide I: Onslaught

  This is the first book of two. This is just a continuation of Vector Prime by another author as I am guessing most of The New Jedi Order series will be. This one is written by Michael A. Stackpole author of I, Jedi. Stackpole has this knack of picking scenes in which he stops and describes in great detail that I don't understand why! This happened a lot in I, Jedi and I noticed it in this one as well but it was better then I, Jedi.
  For some reason they changed up the style of artwork on the cover. Very impressionistic.

  Not much I can say without giving much away from here... fair warning.




Battle of Dantooine

Spoiler Notes;

After killing Chewy in the last book, they did their trick. I really thought they were going to kill another one off in this one with Corran Horn! I was pretty convinced they had by the end of that chapter.

Jacen dropped quite a bombshell on Luke. I did not see that coming either, an interesting twist though it's pretty obvious he will continue on as a Jedi, partially after he up and runs out on his uncle after thinking he had a vision.

  How Anakin got the Alien on Dantooine to understand the bargain to bring them firewood is beyond me cause I read that scene over and over again and I could not figure out what he was telling him! And speaking of that tribe, what happened to them? Anakin sent them away but did they make it? Did the Vong find them? They were dropped from the story after that... maybe they will show up later.

“I placed quite a burden on Anakin, didn't I, by giving him that name." –Leia Organa Solo

  Anakin was given his name against Han's wishes for a Han Jr. in the graphic novel series Dark Empire which is the first Expanded Universe book I got my hands on. I have wondered since why Leia named him Anakin! Other then in Dark Empire does she do anything that shows she truly embraces who her father was or forgives him in anyway. Tatooine Ghost is as close as she gets to seeing her father as anything close to being human. And now at last it is questioned why Leia named Anakin after his grandfather! I'm surprised it took this long! I wish there had been a book where it gave the reaction of everyone when they found out about the Skywalker twins and who Darth Vader were! Cause you know, that would have been interesting. In the Truce of Bakura Leia is struggling with the fact that Vader was her father and at that point in time only Luke and Han knew.
  So her reasoning is that she is trying to redeem her father's name... I guess that's a fair explanation but I think it would have been better had they brought this up way before now! You hate your father but you name your child after him... well, I'm glad someone finally tried to give a good reason for this at least.


  Great, I don't have the next book! So... until I can fix that little problem I think I'll backtrack again by reading Slinter of the Mind's Eye I found a copy of not long ago with Survivor's Quest.
 

Vector Prime - The New Jedi Order

  I have finally reached The New Jedi Order! While Luke and Leia and the bunch are getting older. Now in their 40's, I think they went a little overboard in ageing Luke on the cover! (Just saying...)

  I have wonder a long time why these set of books fall into something called The New Jedi Order and in case you are wondering too in Survivor's Quest Zhan eased us into it. Luke has doubts that the way he has been training his Jedi and decides to make some changes. Vector Prime begins a few years later where Leia and Han's children Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin are now teenagers and under the apprenticeship under Luke and Mara. Becoming more like Jedi Padawans.

  I've never read a book by R.A. Salvatore. He's ok. Kinda has a style like Zhan. As for the amount of characters... Ah! There was a point when I was happy when they started knocking people off so I could take them off my list of people I had to keep up with and I was still confused a little but it got better. It wasn't till the end of the book where I realized Danni was human and not a Twi'lek. I guess someone that got knocked off was a Twi'lek and I got them confused... anyway...



Danni

 This book came out in 1999. I do see parts of the pre-quells peaking through.
  I started this little mission of reading through the Star Wars Novels a number of years ago. 2010, I think. Way before the announcement of the next 3 movies to be made. So at the time I thought basically that these books were it... Now though, it almost makes me nervous cause I have to wonder how much of what I'm reading is going to play into the movies or are they just going to scrap them and totally rebuild. I HOPE that will not be the case and I'm sure there are a lot of fans out there that feel the same way. A lot happens in these book. Like I said in my past post HERE that there were guidelines and approvals on what authors could do in the books so, maybe...

  A lot happens in this book in it's self... so....

  There are spoilers ahead.... BIG ONES... so fair warning

  Mara Jade has been infected with a very deadly illness in which is a total mystery to what it is and where she got it. That isn't really a spoiler due to that is a fact you are given that fact from the very start of this book. I found that rather abrupt. Did someone plan to write a book about the backstory on this or did I miss something? But what really bothered me was after reading Visions of the Future and Survivors Quest both by Timothy Zhan, Luke and Mara's relationship and how their personalities interact with each other this book just is OFF. So, Let me get this straight... Mara has something that may kill her. She refuses anyone, including her husband to treat her as such. While I might can buy the latter but not with Luke. If they can be stronger together then apart then I would think Luke would at least try to help her with the healing. Doesn't seem like this even cross the authors mind as it is never explained. Plus, we know Luke is highly over protective. I think you'd have to knock Luke over the head with a light saber to stop him from worrying excessively! Sorry, just not plausible. As for Mara being that hard headed... yeah, maybe, but the rest... nope.

  In this book we are introduced to a new enemy, the Yuuzhan Vong. It leaves me thinking of the Yevetha from The Black Fleet Crisis by Michael P. Kube-McDowell Which is one of my favorite trilogies in the expanded Universe. It feel like the author was trying to make a ruthless enemy without coping the Yevetha. The name Yuuzhan Vong is obviously in homage to Timothy Zhan. Not sure how I would feel to have a enemy named after me, haha... anyway... I though the Yevetha was more intriguing then these Yuuzhan Vong are but they do have some unusual points like not using any electronics, which again sort of brings you back to The Black Fleet Crisis again with Lando aboard the Vagabond, a ship that seems to be alive.


Solo siblings
connect through the force

  This is the book where the new Jedi Generation of the Solo kids become main players. While every once and a while they were featured in books but this is the time their permanent personalities are going to be formed. (not including the book written for younger readers. I have not read them.)

(Click on names to see who was voted best to play them on film via TheForce.Net )
 Jaina: not a young version of Leia. She inherited all the good piloting skills that run in both of her parents and courage as well.


 

  Jacen: portrayed by this author to be in some type of war with his younger brother about being a Jedi. Jacen seems to be a little more calm in nature then his other siblings.

  Anakin:  This poor kid is a little bit of a mess... I should note that this author has seemed to drop the part about Anakin having amazing abilities with electronics that you see in earlier books like The Corellian Trilogy when he was still a young child.

 But going back to the Luke and Mara subject. The author actually uses to minds merging like Mara and Luke did in Zhan's books but he used the three siblings to do it!


  The biggest event in this book came as a surprise to me cause I honestly did not see it coming! I knew Chewy dies in The New Jedi order books but I did not think it was the first book! Wow...
  I honestly think it wasn't that bad of an idea to kill a main character off due to the fact that it puts readers on edge a little in not thinking everyone in the stories are safe just because they are a main character. Think of the Star Trek joke of the guy you don't know in the red shirt is about to die... I think the author managed a very honorable death for Chewbacca and Han putting his death on Anakin was a very interesting twist as well.





  I'm a bit late getting this review out due to the death of my Grandmother who died during the time I was reading this book. The loss of a family member can knock your brain for a loop for a while. So on a more serious note, in Memory of my Grandmother Irmalene Pierce Howell Parker....