Book Review: Star Wars Fate Of The Jedi: Apocalypse - Troy Denning

In the stunning finale of the epic Fate of the Jedi series, Jedi and Sith face off—with Coruscant as their battlefield. For the Sith, it’s the chance to restore their dominance over the galaxy that forgot them for so long. For Abeloth, it’s a giant step in her quest to conquer all life everywhere. For Luke Skywalker, it’s a call to arms to eradicate the Sith and their monstrous new master once and for all.

In a planetwide strike, teams of Jedi Knights take the Sith infiltrators by swift and lethal surprise. But victory against the cunning and savage Abeloth, and the terrifying endgame she has planned, is anything but certain. And as Luke, Ben, Han, Leia, Jaina, Jag, and their allies close in, the devastating truth about the dark side incarnate will be exposed—and send shock waves through the Jedi Order, the galaxy, and the Force itself.

STAR WARS Expanded Universe books are fickle creatures for me. Sometimes they suit my mood and other times they don’t. I have mentioned in previous SW Book Reviews that I feel that the 9-book series they’ve done have been mostly long-winded and padded, really affect pacing and the overall narrative. This is to the degree that I actually SKIPPED the 7th and 8th books in the series and jumped straight to the 9th (and final) book, Troy Denning’s STAR WARS FATE OF THE JEDI: APOCALYPSE…and I’m none the worse for it as the things I needed to know I caught up on over at Wookiepedia. Is that a disservice to the other two authors’ of the series? Certainly. Do I feel bad about it? I suppose a little, but whenever I feel that way my brain clicks onto the fact that a quick 10-minute perusal of the synopses of those two books at Wookiepedia told me everything that happened in over 600 pages worth of material. That’s a lot of filler as far as I am concerned, and this series and the LEGACY OF THE FORCE series before it are known for such padding. So I skipped some of it.

This is a terrible way to begin a review for a book I actually loved.

Sorry.

APOCALYPSE was one of the best SW EU books I’ve read in a very long time. Whether that was because of plot threads that were tied up that have been going since the Dark Nest Crisis (2005), or because of the finale-like action set pieces, or simply just because there was a definite feeling of “moving forward” occurring in the pages, I don’t know. All I know is that Denning had me rapt from page one until the closing chapter 440+ pages later.

Note: Beware, as the last book in a 9-book series, this review is going to have some minor-to-heavy spoilers. Unavoidable.

So basically this book wraps up exactly who Abeloth is, and I was a little stunned and impressed to find out how she ties into the overall STAR WARS universe; that she ties into the strangest episode arc of the 3rd season of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS where Anakin and Obi-Wan visit a strange world called Mortis where three very powerful force beings (A Father – Balance, A Daughter – Light Side and a Son – Dark Side) live. The Father is dying and asks Anakin to take his place as Balance (who obviously refuses)…it turns out that Abeloth has to do with them, and they have more to do with the Force as a whole than previously thought. Jedi Grand Master Luke recalls hearing the story from Yoda and after checking it out in the Jedi Archives on Coruscant finds the mission his father and Obi-Wan undertook did indeed take place. This also ties into what Jacen Solo (prior to his turn to the dark side and death) found out from the Killik’s who simply referred to these beings by different names, but the mythology was the same of a Son and Daughter at constant war and the father who kept them in balance.

Basically Denning has not only tied this story into the past (and other SW media) with the above points, but also has Jagged Fel and the Imperial Remnant tied into the future as well (the LEGACY comics which take place 137 years ABY), leading me to believe that Jaina and Tahiri may be the first of the future Imperial Knights (Red-Armored Jedi who defend the Fel Emperor)…who knows. Still, it's nice to know that the people behind the curtain at LFL take continuity into things when ideas are raised.

We also finally get the public reveal of Allana Solo as Tenel Ka and Jacen Solo’s daughter (instead of the masquerade as the elder two Solo’s adoptive daughter Amelia) thus making her VERY strong in the Force and Hapan royalty in line for the throne. But naturally she’s also in line for another throne…one of balance. I think it will be very interesting to see a more grown up Allana training as a Jedi and taking up the mantle of hero from her grandparents. Ben and Vestara get an ending I wasn't expecting and it was kind of refreshing since I assumed that they would follow a certain path with their relationship than how it ends up. Which brings me to my last story point, the Jedi have finally (in a council decision) decided that the best thing for the Jedi Order is to separate themselves from the Galactic Alliance and leave Coruscant (for the academy training world of Shedu Maad) to its own devices and political squabbling.  I like that a great deal and see it as a long time coming since the New Republic and the subsequent Galactic Alliance have never fully trusted the Jedi and why would any group stay and defend people who didn’t trust them? I think Luke has the right idea in making the Jedi become a more autonomous entity beholden to no one but themselves. I’m also really ready to return to the Jedi Academy type locale. That was one of my favourite things about the Academy when it was on Yavin 4, that there was nothing else going on there. No political infighting, just Jedi training. Love that. It will be a welcome return to see the new fresh Jedi rise up and become knights and not have to worry about what is going on with the Order.

Denning has done an incredible job wrapping up the plot points that truly needed wrapping up. There are some complaints that there are still open threads left hanging at the end…but then that only means we’ll be seeing more of our friends in future. I don’t mind those open threads, because like anything of this type of story, enough was solved for me personally in the end and it’s always nice to have things to look forward to that connect to the past.

The one thing I am looking forward to the most: The squad of Ten Jedi Knights who are sent out to find the wandering planet of Mortis and hopefully the Force-imbued dagger that can kill a celestial. That’s going to be very Outbound Flight-ish methinks.

If you’ve been reading this series, then APOCALYPSE should satisfy you much more than INVINCIBLE did in the last series. A great book, and definitely one of the best Main-series books I’ve read since the NJO.

Star Wars Expanded Universe Rant

Okay, I have always been somewhat of a proponent of supporting the STAR WARS EXPANDED UNIVERSE in the literature vein. I’ve read a solid number of the books. I’ve made mention in previous reviews some of the major issues I had with the 9-Book LEGACY OF THE FORCE (LotF) series, and I’ve even gone into my issues a bit with the slightly better follow-up 9-Book series FATE OF THE JEDI (FotJ).

After trying to get into the 6^th book in that most recent series VORTEX I’ve had a few major realizations about these long series. We all know they are padded with filler. That’s no secret. LotF was the same, as was portions of the NEW JEDI ORDER (NJO) series that preceded it (though not to the same degree). That brings me to my first point in this somewhat rant-ish post.

I’ve actually come to EXPECT filler in my STAR wars books! 

What a thing to realize. Seriously, I don’t think it is too much to ask to have a SW series that isn’t 9 books long just to make money. Let’s face facts, LotF and now FotJ could very well have been tightly written trilogies. Hell, even NJO didn’t really NEED to be 19–books long. Why someone decided (I don’t know who) at Del Ray that the STAR wars universe of books was going to be populated by a spat of interesting stories that are quite seriously dwarfed by the amount of pointless filler stuff I’ll never know.

NOTE: Spoilers for up to at least the LEGACY OF THE FORCE series below.

Second point. Someone needs to sit down at Del Ray and write this sentence in big block letters on the blackboard with every author who writes in the universe in attendance:

STOP WITH THE REPETITIVENESS.

As it was with the LotF books, so I am finding that at the 6^th book into the FotJ series, EVERY DAMNED book has the same essential plot throughout.

1.     One (or two) Jedi(s) go mad VIA some plague that makes them think every one else is a fake copy, even family.

2.     Chief of State Daala continues to try to get her hands on all the mad Jedi and imprison them, making boneheaded decisions along the way, and using the media to make the Jedi look bad.

3.     Han and Leia (and sometimes Lando) with young Allana Solo in tow either stay at home and try to thwart Daala, or travel to another planet to thwart Daala.

4.     Allana (in one of the above two situations) gets into some sort of Solo-like mischief with 3P0 and R2 in tow, only to need saving.

5.     Exiled Luke and Ben meet with, are wary of, ally with, fight against a Lost Tribe of Sith, including blatant and poorly disguised future Ben love interest/poor copy of Mara Jade character Vestara Khai. (Seriously, I am just waiting for her to have a Blue Lightsaber at the end of the series)

6.     A Force being (Abeloth) stuck in the Maw is making all the above happen to probably conquer the galaxy.

Next book in the series? Rinse and Repeat the above while adding a few tweaks to disguise that this is actually what is happening. Making us think we should be buying the same hardcover book nine times.

As to story points, ignoring things that stand out like sore thumbs from the previous series...Daala as Galactic Alliance (GA)Chief of State choice when she is a bloody super villain and a war criminal…Boba Fett's inclusion had NO BEARING on the plot WHATSOEVER...Jacen’s fall to the Dark was worse than anything in the entire EU thus far, was silly, overly political and ultimately a pointless waste of a good chaarcter other than the jump start a reason for things to happen in the FotJ series (and make another Skywalker/Solo turn to become a Sith)…FlowWalking (Jedi In-The-Mind-Time Travel), really, REALLY?...I could go on.

Essentially this series is expounding itself on the “why” of Jacen’s eventual turn and it happens as Luke and Ben SLOWLY visit every planet Jacen had visited during a sojourn he took years back from which he returned altered (leading Luke to believe it holds the answer to why he went bad). One Jacen-visited planet/people per Book. Seriously, that is the algorithm. Not joking. Adding in things like the Lost Tribe Of Sith, or A Nexu pet for Allana (the cat thing from the arena on Geonosis during EPISODE II), or Mandalorian commandos, the Nightsisters on Dathomir, or even a team-up between Jedi and Sith to defeat a bigger threat is all totally falling on deaf ears to me now. If the plot hasn’t REALLY moved forward in 6 books time…there is a problem and no amount of treats you include in the narrative are going to make me any less frustrated.

Abeloth. The theory is that this tentacled, female, dark force presence (mentioned a number of times prior to this series) that is stuck in the Maw (and is our Big Bad in FotJ) attempting to grab the galaxy by the crotch VIA the Jedi is actually a Celestial. A race of ancient beings who existed before the galaxy was colonized who created things like Centerpoint Station and Sinkhole Station, and may even have created/used the Maw to contain Abeloth’s evil. Now to me, if you WANT to make Abeloth interesting then here is a genius idea…EXPLORE her past. Xenoarcheology about the Celestials would be pure WIN. Luke and Ben should have switched gears after book 2 or 3 and started investigating the Celestials. What an amazing plotline that would have been, with them slowly discovering and unraveling a vast web of mysteries surrounding the creatures that existed before time began, through ruins and archeological treasures. That sort of millennial archeology is what makes the Space Opera’s by people like Alastair Reynolds, Peter F. Hamilton and James S.A. Corey so incredibly compelling! You could spend books on discovery alone and it would never need to repeat itself or become stale. You don’t even NEED the Galactic Alliance plotline. The Jedi’s are mad on Coruscant, so allow the Jedi Council to contain them with Ysalamiri creatures (force negation) and be done with it. Once caught they can’t harm anyone, and Luke is looking into the “why” of it as it obviously has to do with Abeloth’s reach and therefore the Celestials imprisonment of her. No seriously, we all know that is where we are headed, and I'm convinced it's going to be explained away with a sentence or two in the last book when it could have been SO much more! Why the political plot-stream at all in fact? Daala and her machinations, the GA and people of Coruscant and ESPECIALLY the non-starter, lame as hell News Media characters, none of them need to exist at all aside from basic gov’t running. It’s no secret that the majority of the political aspects of the entire series are basically just BORING.

Also, LET JAINA DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN FAWN OVER JAGGED FEL! No honestly, She's supremely badass, has been fighting in wars since she was 14, so why as an adult is she relegated to the role of indecisive fiance/girlfriend of Fel and not much more. Let her DO something FFS. Her plotline is the most disappointing to me in this series.

I honestly don’t think that it’s that difficult to come up with something that isn’t the same, repetitive stuff series in / series out. In fact, while I am on the subject, why does EVERYTHING that happen now in the SW EU have to be some Galaxy-threatening, society-ending, apocalyptic event or problem? What’s wrong with self-contained standalone issues? Why does everything have to be all or nothing these days? There is only so much that one book series can take. If you think about it chronologically, the STAR WARS universe has been under some kind of galaxy-threatening evil (not including Vader and Empire) for…42 years in their timeline (almost continuously) and over 20 years in ours. At what point do they get the peace they have sought since before the Clone Wars? Just because there is no Galaxy-threatening menace doesn’t mean we can’t have great little standalone (or even duology or trilogy) stories or smaller menaces. When does Del Ray realize that they can’t keep shoving the same book at us over and over and over again.

At a certain point this STAR WARS fan is going to have to simply say “no more”. If I have to sit through one more boring, repetitive book I think I might give up. I had high hopes for the FotJ series feeling that anything could be better than LotF, but aside from a few interesting things it’s been more of the same…just dressed up with some fancier clothes with some more badass plot-points to make it seem like I’m not being tricked. I’ll be finishing the FotJ series, but I won’t be buying it in Hardcover anymore and in fact I might just buy them for my Kindle instead cause no one should have to pay $35+ repeatedly for the same damned book.

/end rant

To end on a lighter, more happy note: The books written by Matt Stover, Michael Stackpole, James Luceno and of course Timothy Zahn are normally fantastic and those guys seem to produce some of the most successful enjoyable books in the entire EU

Cover Art: Star Wars Fate Of The Jedi: Ascension

I'm a big fan of this series, and for the most part I've liked the cover art (the art for the 2nd OMEN is my fave)....

...and I REALLY dig this one!

I've only read up to BACKLASH (will be getting the next few for my Kindle soon), but I assume that is Ben and Vestara on the cover. These covers are nice, not too much, not too little. The tonal values in the colours chosen are just right.

Book Review: Star Wars Fate Of The Jedi Backlash by Aaron Allston

Note: So as to avoid spoilers, I am not including the synopsis as I usually do.

There is, in the acknowledgements for this 4^th book in the Fate Of The Jedi series, mentioned of the fact that author Aaron Allston suffered a heart attack and a subsequent quadruple bypass while on the promotional tour for the first in this series that he wrote OUTCAST. A terrible and nasty thing to have happen to anyone, I just wanted to start this review by saying that we are all glad he pulled through.

BACKLASH is, like I said, the 4^th book in a 9 book series. It is at this point in the last series that the books started to follow a pattern and a rut that it didn’t get out of till the final volume. Thus there was a lackluster aspect to that series because of that. I won’t say the same here. All three authors have one book (of their three each) under their belt and the stage is pretty much set, so we can go onto the action and plunge the story forward right? Well, yes it does.

One of the nice things in this book is that a few of the old tropes from the first two books (starting the book out with another Jedi going insane, or having the Skywalkers going to yet another place that Jacen went to before going bad only to discover something else needed solved there) are thankfully left behind as book starters, as it is clear that they would have been trying for a fourth book to begin thusly. Allston MOSTLY avoids this altogether in the book. His first few chapters are quite evenly distributed between all his plot threads and characters, which was a great way to go about the opening. What else is good is that we basically pick up where we left off, Skywalkers hunting down young female lost tribe Sith Vestara Khai, Solo’s offworld keeping the insane Jedi’s in the transitory mists away from the reach of Daala and her GA cronies, a dangerous Moff and Republic Senator plotting to even send Daala down a dark path in the hopes to unseat her, and Imperial Remnant COS Jagged Fel continues to get undermined and doesn't know who is trying to kill him.

The Skywalkers and Solos come together in this one, on the Force-sensitive-heavy world of Dathomir and while trying to swindle Vestara away from female Dathomiri witches fall into a tribal war and end up fending off attacks from the enigmatic dark side Nightsisters (you’ll recall Clone Wars-era assassin Assaj Ventress was one of those). Allana who is alone in the Falcon with C3PO and R2D2 (although she is being watched unknowingly by old Jedi Knight Zekk and his wife) spends her time proving her Solo/Skywalker heritage which was a clever way to ease off the dark tension that builds everywhere else in the novel, while at the same time growing Allana as a character. On Coruscant, the embattled Jedi are finally starting to be viewed by the public with a bit of sympathy and Daala and her cohorts attempt every avenue to turn that tide of sympathy to themselves. I think that this is the book where Daala stops making good decisions. She actually sends a company of Madalorian Commandos against the Jedi Temple. Stu-pid lady.

Allston has all his traits present here and it fires on all cylinders, but I think goes far to trump even his normal efforts.  The pace is clean and easy. The action is nicely spread out and there is even a nice sized battle to revel in. The addition of Dathomir and the Nightsisters is clearly a calculated one, as those characters have only recently shown up in the Clone Wars TV series, and this will show that watching that or reading this will give both TV and book fans more insight into them. A clever move on the authors (or Del Ray’s) part indeed.

The standouts in this book are clearly meant to be Ben Skywalker and Vestara Khai. He, a young Jedi reared by the grand master of the Jedi, and she a Sith apprentice reared by an altruistic sect of Sith who are untainted by the acidic “rule of two” relationship that the Sith were always assumed to have until the Lost Tribes’ appearance in the galaxy. This really does stand out and is one of the new threads that I was hoping would get explored. I think Vestara is bound to show that there is a grey area when using the force and Ben is bound to find it out. She is wonderfully fun and coy every time she is onscreen and is included in a nice twist that I certainly didn’t see coming. She is orders of magnitude better than any other recently introduced Post-RotJ villain because Christie Golden spent most of OMEN showing us her upbringing and the world she was raised in, and then Allston spends this book with her hiding everything in a great way.

One last thing I want to mention. There is a trials/contest portion with activities, running and other challenges in the book and what is nice is that it is done in passing. Those events happen, but serve as a backdrop for, in one case Ben having a discussion with Vestara. I was over the moon that I didn’t have to sit through Luke beating a Dahtomiri witch as the whole plot of the chapter. Well done indeed on Allston’s part.

What stands out most is that abandonment of the somewhat formulaic nature of the two first books, and it looks like Allston plans to follow Denning in that idea of "let’s do stuff we haven’t done before". I love that this series is still pleasing me on that level.

The books stands as a MUCH better volume than the first Allston wrote for this series OUTCAST, and is a real crowd-pleaser. From the minute the Solo’s join the Skywalkers on Dathomir and the story really gets going and the action ramps up, this book gives Troy Denning’s previous effort ABYSS a run for the best of the series so far. BACKLASH is not a perfect Star Wars book, but it and the book before it (the aforementioned ABYSS) are in the running for the best Star Wars EU books I have read in a long, long time. You won’t be disappointed.

Book Review: Star Wars Fate Of The Jedi: Omen by Christie Golden

 The Jedi Order is in crisis. The late Jacen Solo’s shocking transformation into murderous Sith Lord Darth Caedus has cast a damning pall over those who wield the Force for good: Two Jedi Knights have succumbed to an inexplicable and dangerous psychosis, criminal charges have driven Luke Skywalker into self-imposed exile, and power-hungry Chief of State Natasi Daala is exploiting anti-Jedi sentiment to undermine the Order’s influence within the Galactic Alliance.

Forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is on a desperate mission to uncover the truth behind Jacen’s fall to the dark side–and to learn what’s turning peaceful Jedi into raving lunatics. But finding answers will mean venturing into the mind-bending space of the Kathol Rift and bargaining with an alien species as likely to destroy outsiders as deal with them. Still, there is no other choice and no time to lose, as the catastrophic events on Coruscant continue to escalate. Stricken by the same violent dementia that infected her brother, Valin, Jedi Knight Jysella Horn faces an equally grim fate after her capture by Natasi Daala’s police. And when Han and Leia Solo narrowly foil another deranged Jedi bent on deadly destruction, even acting Jedi Grand Master Kenth Hamner appears willing to bow to Daala’s iron will–at the expense of the Jedi Order.

But an even greater threat is looming. Millennia in the past, a Sith starship crashed on an unknown low-tech planet, leaving the survivors stranded. Over the generations, their numbers have grown, the ways of the dark side have been nurtured, and the time is fast approaching when this lost tribe of Sith will once more take to the stars to reclaim their legendary destiny as rulers of the galaxy. Only one thing stands in their way, a name whispered to them through the Force: Skywalker.

Christie Golden’s first entry into the Star Wars Expanded Universe is a pretty solid little entry. Star Wars FATE OF THE JEDI: OMEN is all the things it needs to be to excite, enthral and drive the story forward.  Golden’s writing skill is very present as the chapters are well assembled, and the various threads running through the books are woven cleanly, making the pace just as fast as Allston’s OUTCAST. Golden was a deft hand handling the new Tribe Sith characters as well, mainly 14 & 16 year-old Vestara Khai, as she was the first to really mention them and bring some into this story. She does it well, and what was really interesting is how she was able to make these Sith (a tribe that has existed on the planet Kesh unknown for millennia) have all the traits of the Sith, but at the same time give them less of a caustic edge that the One Sith (1 Master & 1 Apprentice) always had. They use anger, hatred, fear ect. But it almost comes across as more yin-yang with the light side aspects. It’s hard to explain, and I suppose therein Golden has done her job swimmingly! Basically, instead of having the same tired “become anger, kill your master” Sith we have seen so far in the SW EU, we get a more controlled “use your anger and hate, they are strengths and will help you wield the force well to rule the galaxy”. It’s kind of a new way of looking at it, and certainly being able to watch it through Vestara’s eyes helps the reader get into it. Imagine a world where you trained as a legendary Sith (like a Jedi is trained), but no one ever really came out and said that the training you were undergoing was “evil or dark”....wouldn’t you think your way was right without being some seething monster like Palpatine, Vader or Cadeus?

So yeah, like I said Golden proves herself from the very get-go here. The best thing so far? She is following the plot threads that began in the Allston’s book well, and the book really does feel like a straight continuation of the story. That was something that LEGACY never had due to Traviss’s deviations. It makes the series much more enjoyable and connected.  It flows as it should.

Is it perfect? No. There are portions that feel like a bit like trodden ground as more Jedi succumb to the strange plague. While they always do so in different ways and it is very “all of the sudden”, at the same time the result is the same as it was in OUTCAST, the Jedi’s from the Temple try to get the sick Jedi first, and either they do or Chief Of State Daala and the Galactic Alliance do and there is arguments about where they should be kept and studied. It’s all kind of been there, done that. It’s not tedious mind you, just a bit repetitive and made for a boring chapter or two.

That said, I really, really enjoyed it, and I think Christie Golden was a splendid choice for the role of third author this time out. She has skills and she uses them. She is quite the storyteller and i applaud this outing. I enjoy her so much that I am tempted to read her Warcraft books as they seem like fun.

So, book 2 down and it was another good one. Next up in this series will be FATE OF THE JEDI: ABYSS by Troy Denning and I really am looking forward to seeing where this series takes me. So far, so good.

Book Review: Star Wars Fate Of The Jedi: Outcast by Aaron Allston

THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY OF THE STAR WARS GALAXY BEGINS HERE. . . .

After a violent civil war and the devastation wrought by the now-fallen Darth Caedus, the Galactic Alliance is in crisis–and in need. From all corners, politicians, power brokers, and military leaders converge on Coruscant for a crucial summit to restore order, negotiate differences, and determine the future of their unified worlds. But even more critical, and far more uncertain, is the future of the Jedi.

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 and his subsequent reign of terror as a Sith Lord. But it’s only the first blow in an anti-Jedi backlash fueled by a hostile government and suspicious public. When Jedi Knight Valin Horn, scion of a politically influential family, suffers a mysterious psychotic break and becomes a dangerous fugitive, the Jedi become the target of a media-driven witch hunt. Facing conviction on the damning charges, 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. And all the while, another Jedi Knight, consumed by the same madness as Valin Horn, is headed for Coruscant on a fearsome mission that could doom the Jedi Order . . . and devastate the entire galaxy.

I’ll be honest. Like most guys my age, I grew up on Star Wars. It’s always the most prevalent, nostalgic thing from my youth that I still remember with any vivid detail, aside from after school cartoons (Transformers, G.I. Joe, Thundercats ect.).  Whether anyone wants to admit it, the original trilogy is a generation-shaper, and if what I can glean from a few of the young kids who have grown up around the prequels is any indication, the new films stand to be that as well.

So it should come as no real surprise that I have read a number of the Star Wars EU (Expanded Universe) books and comics over the last few years. 

There have been many books in the EU over the years that take place after Return Of The Jedi. Some are good (Timothy Zahn’s THRAWN TRILOGY, THE COURTSHIP OF PRINCESS LEIA), some are absolutely brilliant (Mike Stackpole’s I, JEDI, BETRAYAL & EXILE by Aaron Allston, TEMPEST by Troy Denning) and some downright awful (THE JEDI ACADEMY SERIES, NEW REPUBLIC), but I think the powers that be over at the Skywalker Ranch have found out a neat little trick. Decide on a long arcing plot, nine books worth, and then assemble 3 authors to tell that story together. The LEGACY OF THE FORCE series that really did that first (the NEW JEDI ORDER series that precedes it had 16 different authors!). What makes this such a good idea is that there is less deviation from the subject matter with only three authors, as well the books can come out three at a time, thus getting the whole series out is only months in the making and not years.

LEGACY has its point and it succeeds in a lot of ways, but one of the authors, Karen Traviss, was pursuing her own agenda in her three volumes. She spent her time fleshing out an aging Boba Fett instead of the main plotline with the Jedi, and this makes that main plot thread suffocate during her books. So a series that was nine books could have easily been six and the yoke on Traviss should have been tighter as it seems she wasn’t working as a team with Allston and Denning. Still, Jacen’s story was worthy of telling and the LEGACY books are a pretty good read. It’s also kind of imperative to know what happened in those ones to know what is going on in this new FATE OF THE JEDI series as it deals with the direct aftermath of the LEGACY.

Sorry for the longer than normal preamble, but I wanted to give a little background before I go ahead and start reviewing these new books. Partially because they swapped out Traviss for the very good Christie Golden, so I am hoping that the new FATE series will fix LEGACY’s failures.

OUTCAST by Aaron Allston, the first entry in the aforementioned FATE OF THE JEDI series is a rollicking adventure and an easy to read book. His skill is always present in these books. He can tell a story that will satisfy even the most demanding Star Wars fan, while blazing new territory in the SW galaxy. This one concerns the direct aftermath of Jacen Solo’s fall to the Dark Side that was the story arc in LEGACY. A few Jedi are getting some sort of plague that makes them believe that those around them, friends and family, are not who they are. That they are in fact fakes, really clever copies or the real deal. Jedi Master Corran Horn’s (the hero from Mike Stackpole’s I, JEDI) son, Jedi Knight Valin Horn is the second to succumb and goes on a rampage to escape these “fake versions” of his family and friends. The Galactic Alliance government on Coruscant (now run by previous Imperial supporter Natasi Daala) starts a witch hunt, claiming the Jedi are too powerful to be left to their own devices. She uses Jacen Solo’s recent fall to the dark side and this new plague as evidence that the Jedi cannot be allowed to function as they have up till now. Grand Master Luke Skywalker chooses his own exile to give the rest of the Order a chance to survive this political upheaval, and Daala agrees. He is to stay away for ten years, only to return early if he can find a cure for this new plague, and a reason for Jacen's fall to darkness.

There are three plot threads here: Luke and his son Ben venture out of the system following Jacen’s trail when he went wandering studying the Force. Then there is the political situation on Coruscant between those left in the Jedi Temple (Masters and Knights alike) and Daala and her GA government Jedi persecution. Lastly, the third one is Han, Leia, and Lando attempting to find the source of groundquakes on the small planet Kessel.

Allston deftly moves between the three threads and gives you just enough in each situation to keep you reading. The pace is blisteringly fast (I read this first one in about a day and a half) and all three threads are interesting, fun, action-packed and all drive the larger plot forward. Now, this being the first book in a nine book series the whispers of the overarcing plot thread are still just that, but you can sense them there, which is nice.

What is great about books that have come out AFTER the release of all three prequel films is that the authors have MUCH, much more of a universe to tie into their stories than they previously had. So little things from prequel characters, species or places get nicely woven into these new books. Like the Kel Dor are a big one in this book (Jedi Master Plo Koon, a Jedi Master who died in the Order 66 Purge was a Kel Dor). The Jedi Archives are another, as is having Coruscant have visual representation, not to mention the Jedi Temple (the original council chamber is once again used by the Master’s of the Jedi Order). There is actually a little conversation where Threepio always says “thank the maker” when he is relieved, and Jaina Solo asks him who the “maker” was. We know it was Anakin, but Thrrepio doesn’t (had his memory wiped at the end of ROTS)…and Allston adds this in to give us a bit of nostalgia without being blatant. That’s skill in my eyes. These are little things mind you, but they have made the last bunch of books in this EU so much more enjoyable for me.

A great first entry into the series, OUTCAST has all the starfighter-flying, lightsaber-wielding, droid-chirping fun that makes this universe so enthralling, while at the same time starts to tell us a new story, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. Full marks.

Note: I am about 80 pages into the second book Christie Golden’s FATE OF THE JEDI: OMEN, and will likely have the review up for that in a day or two, so keep you eyes peeled.