Tag Archives: The New Jedi Order - Page 3

Greg Keyes: Rebirth

Posted by Raphael on October 7th, 2010 Comments Off

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In Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, Keyes juggles five plot lines. Anakin, Tahiri and Corran go on a supply mission for the Errant Venture but are, of course, drawn into some Yuuzhan Vong plot. Jaina heads out in order to find allies for Kyp Durron who has located a Vong super weapon. Jacen helps his parents creating a refuge for Jedi; he gets second thoughts when they start pirating ships supplying the Yuuzhan Vong. Luka and Mara leave Coruscant, forestalling an arrest warrant. They head for the Errant Venture since their child is due. Last but not least, a Vong shaper introduced in Conquest struggles with her exile and questions her case’s dogmas.

I do not know why they sold Conquest and Rebirth as a duology; they do not have that much in common. In Conquest, the big plot around Anakin is concluded and only one minor line is really continued in Rebirth. Here, instead of focusing on only one story, Keyes spreads barely 300 pages over multiple plots. He actually manages to get away with it since the individual plots are small adventures rather than wannabe epics. Keyes writing is, again, to my liking although I liked the more focused style more. I guess you just cannot tell the tale of a galaxy-spanning war with as many characters as in The New Jedi Order without losing focus. Therefore, I think the respective authors should have taken more space, that is more pages, to give each plot line its time and credit.

Greg Keyes: Conquest

Posted by Raphael on September 30th, 2010 1 comment

26 ABY

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Edge of Victory I: Conquest by Greg Keyes is the seventh volume in the New Jedi Order series, not counting short story Recovery by Troy Denning. After the ultimatum issued by the Yuuzhan Vong in Balance Point , galaxy is slowly turning on the Jedi. Politicians distance themselves from the suddenly inconvient allies even more than before and the Peace Brigade openly hunts Jedi down to turn them over. The Academy on Yavin, cut off from Republic space by the intruders, is an obvious target and indeed discovered before long. Since the New Republic refuses to act and Luke Skywalker does not yet want to openly break with the state he helped form, nobody but his nephew Anakin and old ally Karrde take off for Yavin. Their timing of arrival could not have been tighter.

I liked Conquest a lot. Keyes largely focuses on telling the story of Anakin and his friend Tahiri. Anakin is tried once again and has to adapt his attitude and skillset in order to fight the Yuuzhan Vong effectively without turning Dark. This conflict is, in my opinion, well told; I want to read more about him on his search for balance. Along the road, we get to know much about the Vongs’ culture which appears well considered. The larger picture is not ignored like in Balance Point but driven forward in such a way that it does not disturb the main plot. Because the Vong have stopped invading for now, the break I have hoped for in this series has come. Furthermore, I cannot remember anything about Keyes’ style to complain about. All in all, Conquest is a recommendable book and certainly belongs to the better in this series up to now.

Kathy Tyers: Balance Point

Posted by Raphael on September 2nd, 2010 Comments Off

26 ABY

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The sixth volume of The New Jedi Order is stand-alone novel Balance Point by Kathy Tyers. It is set some months after Jedi Eclipse and mainly on Core world Duro. Leia succeeded in talking — and paying — the locals into accepting refugees onto the hostile planet’s surface. Refugees are organised in several dome-cities that protect them from the outside, but also isolate them. In the course of the book, the Solo and Skywalker families unite once again and start uncovering — and fighting — yet another scheme that might lead not only to the death of millions but to the Yuuzhan Vong having the perfect staging ground for an offensive on Coruscant, too.

I liked this book a bit better than the last one. Instead of telling a story on galactic scale, Tyers focuses on events on one world that are self-contained. Thus she can afford to do quite some character development. By neglecting the big invasion plot, she does not commit solely to the same pattern — intrigue, advance, conquest — the previous books drew out. But for the same reason she cannot break this pattern; the series has yet to develop. However, Balance Point is certainly worth a read and might, in fact, turn out to be pivotal for some characters.

James Luceno: Jedi Eclipse

Posted by Raphael on August 26th, 2010 1 comment

25.5 ABY

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The second book in Luceno’s duology Agents of Chaos, Jedi Eclipse, concludes some arcs that started in Hero’s Trial. Han and Droma concluding their quest is as thrilling and funny as in the previous novel. On the other hand, the ongoing schemes by Yuuzhan Vong, Hutts and some New Republic representatives are a little long drawn-out; although they find their climax for now in a big battle, it is strongly hinted that we will get more of their kind. Sadly, besides the strong plot around Han and the very scattered and thus not gripping scheming part, not very much is told at all. Leia is on diplomatic mission again, basically whining all the time, and the Jedi almost exclusively occur briefly in order to sort something out by Force — or to refuse to do so pointedly.

I think Luceno would have written a better book had he concentrated on the part he did well. He could have done in one book what he did in two then, but a lot smoother. It almost appears as if he wrote the rest only because he felt obligated to drive the big plot forward. But sadly enough nothing really happens: Yuuzhan Vong still advance doing the stuff they have been doing for four books now. We understand and feel the problem; now it is about time that solutions are presented. Given that I am only five books in a series of 19, I wonder how long the authors continue to paint a gruesome picture before they get to the fun part. Maybe they elaborate so much because it is the first time that something really bad happens to the Extended Universe galaxy? If so, I feel they have over-committed a little.

James Luceno: Hero’s Trial

Posted by Raphael on August 19th, 2010 2 comments

25.5 ABY

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Der vierte Band von The New Jedi Order ist der erste Band der Duologie Agents of Chaos von James Luceno: Hero’s Trial. Es geht in diesem Band hauptsächlich um einen Anschlagsversuch der Yuuzhan Vong auf die Jedi auf der einen und Han Solos Eskapaden auf der anderen Seite. Ersterer ist recht spannend, da hinterhältig umgesetzt, zumal in seinem Umfeld klar wird, dass es in den oberen Rängen der Neuen Republik Individuen geben muss, die mit den Invasoren kollaborieren. Das kommt für den Leser nicht wirklich überraschend, sondern ist nur logisch, heizt die Stimmung unter den Betroffenen aber natürlich an. Dass Luceno sich viel Zeit nimmt, den Charakter Han Solo nach der Tragödie aus Vector Prime zu entwickeln, finde ich gut. Um der Trauer Herr zu werden, fällt Han in seine angestammte Rolle als Soloabenteurer zurück, was mindestens Leia gar nicht gefällt. Die Szenen mit ihm und alten Bekannten sowie einem neu eingeführten Kameraden — natürlich nur temporär! — sind gewitzt und humorvoll. Ab und zu eingestreute Ausflüge in die Seelenwelt von C3PO sind etwas befremdlich — findet auch R2D2 –, aber ebenso niedlich und vielleicht überfällig gewesen. Ich bin gespannt, ob das noch aufgegriffen wird und wohin das führen mag.

Zwischen diesen beiden Hauptaspekten, die am Ende natürlich ganz zufällig zusammenfinden, findet das Buch eine angenehme Balance aus dem ernsten und verzweifelten Unterton, der diese Reihe zu prägen scheint, und einer etwas vergnügteren, freien Atmosphäre. An Lucenos Schreibstil, der sehr plastisch und graphisch, aber auch etwas hochtrabend ist, musste ich mich erst etwas gewöhnen; später gefiel er mir sehr gut. Einige großartige Schnitte, besonders Ende Kapitel 24, fördern Spannung und in diesem speziellen Fall auch Spaß. Insofern kann ich das Buch empfehlen und freue mich auf den nächsten Band Jedi Eclipse, der schon bereit liegt!