What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Wars: Dark Nest #1
The Joiner King
Seven years after their daring assault deep inside enemy territory (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Star by Star), Jaina Solo and her fellow survivors answer a mysterious call for help and vanish into the Unknown Regions.
Soon, the Jedi Council learns that the group has undertaken a mission that will drive a wedge between the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances and its skittish ally, the Chiss Ascendancy. The investigation leads Luke Skywalker and his companions (Mara Jade Skywalker and Han and Leia Solo) on a perilous journey into the uncharted void that lies between what is right and what is wrong.
Soon, the Jedi Council learns that the group has undertaken a mission that will drive a wedge between the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances and its skittish ally, the Chiss Ascendancy. The investigation leads Luke Skywalker and his companions (Mara Jade Skywalker and Han and Leia Solo) on a perilous journey into the uncharted void that lies between what is right and what is wrong.
528 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
156 people are currently reading
2457 people want to read
About the author
Troy Denning
186 books662 followersAlso known as Richard Awlinson.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Den...
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Den...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
May 31, 2016
The war with the Yuuzhan Vong is over. The galaxy is in ruins. Planets once teeming with life are radioactive wastelands. Survivors all across the galaxy are gradually picking up the pieces of a shattered life. The Galactic Alliance, with the help of the New Jedi Order, is trying to stabilize the galaxy and keep the peace. Pockets of lawlessness are inevitable.
When several young Jedi Knights disappear to answer a message of distress in the Force, Master Luke Skywalker, his wife, Mara Jade, and Han and Leia Solo decide to investigate. Traveling to the Outer Rim, in the Unknown Regions, they stumble upon a border dispute that is seconds from becoming all-out war.
The aggressive alien species the Chiss are having problems with an intelligent insect species that lives in a hive-like collective called the Colony. The Killiks (long thought to be extinct) are normally isolationist and peaceful, but they have, for some reason, begun telepathically controlling humans and other species to act as virtual slaves. Luke fears that these Killik followers, called Joiners, are what has become of the missing Jedi Knights, which includes his niece and nephew, Jaina and Jacen.
Troy Denning's "The Joiner King" is the first book in his Dark Nest trilogy, the first series after the New Jedi Order series.
Denning's contribution to the NJO was "Star by Star", probably my favorite book in the series and the most pivotal. Besides the fall of Coruscant, the book also included the disastrous but successful Jedi mission to Myrkr, which resulted in the death of Anakin Solo and the capture of Jacen Solo by the Yuuzhan Vong.
Denning resurrects some of the narrative threads from "Star by Star" that had loose ends, including the fate of the injured Jedi Raynar Thul and two Dark Knights, who escaped in a ship thought to be destroyed. Their fate has vital significance to the events in "The Joiner King".
Obviously, this book will probably be confusing to anyone who hasn't read the NJO. Denning also populates the book with a ridiculous number of new characters, as if keeping track of the original characters wasn't hectic enough. It's a crazy jumbled mess of a book, made readable by the fact that Denning is actually a good writer.
Still, "The Joiner King" isn't nearly as good as "Star by Star" was, but it's good enough to pique my interest for the next two books in The Dark Nest trilogy.
When several young Jedi Knights disappear to answer a message of distress in the Force, Master Luke Skywalker, his wife, Mara Jade, and Han and Leia Solo decide to investigate. Traveling to the Outer Rim, in the Unknown Regions, they stumble upon a border dispute that is seconds from becoming all-out war.
The aggressive alien species the Chiss are having problems with an intelligent insect species that lives in a hive-like collective called the Colony. The Killiks (long thought to be extinct) are normally isolationist and peaceful, but they have, for some reason, begun telepathically controlling humans and other species to act as virtual slaves. Luke fears that these Killik followers, called Joiners, are what has become of the missing Jedi Knights, which includes his niece and nephew, Jaina and Jacen.
Troy Denning's "The Joiner King" is the first book in his Dark Nest trilogy, the first series after the New Jedi Order series.
Denning's contribution to the NJO was "Star by Star", probably my favorite book in the series and the most pivotal. Besides the fall of Coruscant, the book also included the disastrous but successful Jedi mission to Myrkr, which resulted in the death of Anakin Solo and the capture of Jacen Solo by the Yuuzhan Vong.
Denning resurrects some of the narrative threads from "Star by Star" that had loose ends, including the fate of the injured Jedi Raynar Thul and two Dark Knights, who escaped in a ship thought to be destroyed. Their fate has vital significance to the events in "The Joiner King".
Obviously, this book will probably be confusing to anyone who hasn't read the NJO. Denning also populates the book with a ridiculous number of new characters, as if keeping track of the original characters wasn't hectic enough. It's a crazy jumbled mess of a book, made readable by the fact that Denning is actually a good writer.
Still, "The Joiner King" isn't nearly as good as "Star by Star" was, but it's good enough to pique my interest for the next two books in The Dark Nest trilogy.
February 4, 2019
An exciting, though strange, followup to the New Jedi Order series. It also has ties to Revenge of the Sith.
December 4, 2007
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Better than average "further adventures" title, September 23, 2005
About my 3-star rating: I must admit to having read all of the Star Wars "expanded universe" adult novels, along with many of the children's and young adult books too. But just like someone who eats a lot of hamburgers, I can also recognize a good steak. Only the best of the Star Wars books would rate 4 stars from me, so this is not a cut in my book. I'd have to rate this title at the level of a burger. A good bar & grill burger.
Star By Star was one of the very best of the NJO novels, so I know what Denning is capable of. Joiner King nearly holds up to this standard, but not quite. The plot is excellent, a real page-turner. Scene changes would be annoying at first, but within a couple paragraphs I would be captured again. As I believe RA Salvatore said, Denning is great at balancing all the parts of a complex story.
Another good point is the presentation of the collective mind of the alien insect race, very insightful. There is a mystery plot point that really draws you in, and is very well done. Raynar Thul is resurrected from Young Jedi Knights, and was a great choice. I find the Jedis' new Force sensibilities to be less than pleasing, but it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment here. At the end of the book, Leia is portrayed as finally ready to commit to some Jedi training. I sure hope that is the case.
The main problem I had was occasional treatments of the traditional, Lucas-created characters. Denning was too obvious at times in trying to recreate their auras. For example, too many references to Han Solo's different quirky facial expressions. And there were at least two places where he evoked certain character qualities, only to follow with a behavior or some dialog that was contradictory to what had just been described. Sure, these characters have evolved over time, but then why evoke traits that should now be less prevalent?
That said, I can't imagine how hard it must be keeping track of everything that has been written about these characters, and writing in such an established arena.
I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy the Star Wars expanded universe. Also, for those who have yet to read the NJO series - although this series takes place after the NJO, I think it can stand alone, if you would like to try these first.
Better than average "further adventures" title, September 23, 2005
About my 3-star rating: I must admit to having read all of the Star Wars "expanded universe" adult novels, along with many of the children's and young adult books too. But just like someone who eats a lot of hamburgers, I can also recognize a good steak. Only the best of the Star Wars books would rate 4 stars from me, so this is not a cut in my book. I'd have to rate this title at the level of a burger. A good bar & grill burger.
Star By Star was one of the very best of the NJO novels, so I know what Denning is capable of. Joiner King nearly holds up to this standard, but not quite. The plot is excellent, a real page-turner. Scene changes would be annoying at first, but within a couple paragraphs I would be captured again. As I believe RA Salvatore said, Denning is great at balancing all the parts of a complex story.
Another good point is the presentation of the collective mind of the alien insect race, very insightful. There is a mystery plot point that really draws you in, and is very well done. Raynar Thul is resurrected from Young Jedi Knights, and was a great choice. I find the Jedis' new Force sensibilities to be less than pleasing, but it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment here. At the end of the book, Leia is portrayed as finally ready to commit to some Jedi training. I sure hope that is the case.
The main problem I had was occasional treatments of the traditional, Lucas-created characters. Denning was too obvious at times in trying to recreate their auras. For example, too many references to Han Solo's different quirky facial expressions. And there were at least two places where he evoked certain character qualities, only to follow with a behavior or some dialog that was contradictory to what had just been described. Sure, these characters have evolved over time, but then why evoke traits that should now be less prevalent?
That said, I can't imagine how hard it must be keeping track of everything that has been written about these characters, and writing in such an established arena.
I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy the Star Wars expanded universe. Also, for those who have yet to read the NJO series - although this series takes place after the NJO, I think it can stand alone, if you would like to try these first.
August 22, 2019
This Star Wars book is book one in the Dark Nest trilogy and it has the original cast in it, which consists of my favorite Star Wars characters. As usual, I listened to the audio and I highly recommend them. They are fun with all of the sound effects. If you have never listened to even one in audio, you should try it.
I listened to all three books in the trilogy today, so I'll only write this one review for all three books. I'm not sure where one book stopped. They all kind of ran together for me.
I love the characters....so that is the second thing I loved. As far as the story goes, it was just okay for me. The first book covered most of the alien bug details, and I was grateful, that detail wasn't continually repeated in the other two books. I wasn't particularly grabbed by this, but I enjoyed listening to them. I also enjoy seeing the family unit in these. Luke has his family. Han and Leia have theirs. I love the interaction there. So 3 stars.
I listened to all three books in the trilogy today, so I'll only write this one review for all three books. I'm not sure where one book stopped. They all kind of ran together for me.
I love the characters....so that is the second thing I loved. As far as the story goes, it was just okay for me. The first book covered most of the alien bug details, and I was grateful, that detail wasn't continually repeated in the other two books. I wasn't particularly grabbed by this, but I enjoyed listening to them. I also enjoy seeing the family unit in these. Luke has his family. Han and Leia have theirs. I love the interaction there. So 3 stars.
June 29, 2010
I wasn't overly impressed with this first installment. It lags and wanders and frankly, the entire story should've been limited to this one book.
October 20, 2022
For 2022, I decided to go back in time and reread all the Prequels Era novels published between 1999 and 2005, plus a smidgen of other novels (like Survivor's Quest and the Dark Nest trilogy) released during that time frame. This shakes out to 21 novels, four eBook novellas, and at least thirteen short stories.
This week’s focus: jumping ahead to the post-NJO era, with the first book in the Dark Nest trilogy: The Joiner King by Troy Denning.
SOME HISTORY:
When Troy Denning was asked to write a trilogy about Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker, he knew that it needed to be different from the nineteen book New Jedi Order series that preceded it. When the series concluded with The Unifying Force by James Luceno in 2003, the entire galaxy had suffered five years of war at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong. So Denning made the decision to set the Dark Nest trilogy five years after the conclusion of the NJO, so that there was a definite break between the galaxy-wide events that occurred then and the smaller scale events of his trilogy. That also meant that he had to figure out what had happened to the galaxy and the Jedi Order in those intervening five years—and since the Dark Nest trilogy was released in the second half of 2005, with The Joiner King coming out in July of that year, there are some prequel-era revelations as well.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered there were bugs, and I don’t particularly like bugs! (I am with Han here.)
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Luke Skywalker is worried, for seven young Jedi Knights, including his niece and nephew, have disappeared into the Unknown Regions following an unknown cry for help. Now the Chiss have lodged a formal complaint with the Galactic Alliance that the Jedi are meddling into a border dispute between the Chiss and an unknown aggressor. So Luke and his family head off to the Unknown Regions to uncover out what's going on. But the situation they stumble into is even more mysterious and dangerous than they had imagined…
REBUILDING THE GALAXY AND THE OPENING PLOT:
Since the Dark Nest trilogy picks up five years after The Unifying Force, a lot of things have changed in the galaxy in the meantime. And I really appreciated that! You can't just pick up where things left off when Coruscant was partially terraformed into a new world, planets were decimated, people were displaced, and the Yuuzhan Vong had to be relocated to Zonama Sekot. Some of my favorite stories involve the logistics of what happens after the big battles are over. (There is a The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe fanfiction called Carpetbaggers which is one of my favorite stories, because it details how much work is involved after you’ve defeated the evil Witch.)
In the beginning of The Joiner King, I liked getting to see that that there are corporations who will find unpopulated planets and making a profit off of it; that Han and Leia are desperately trying to find a new home for the Ithorian people, even though the loss of their homeworld was one of the first great tragedies of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion; that Luke has relocated the Jedi Academy to Ossus, yet the Jedi headquarters are on Coruscant and he’s starting to wonder if the Jedi are too closely intertwined with the Galactic Alliance; that the Jedi Knights are spread too thin peacekeeping and it’s building to tensions in the Jedi Order. Unfortunately, a lot of that stuff is dropped from the forefront once the book focuses on the conflict between the Chiss and the Killiks.
So essentially the plot is this: seven young Jedi who were all part of the Myrkr mission run off to the Unknown Regions because they've been hearing a cry for help. The next thing the Jedi Order knows, the Chiss show up on Coruscant asking the Jedi to please leave their border conflict alone. Unsure what they’re talking about, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker, their young son Ben, and Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne (plus separately Han and Leia) head off to figure out what is going on. They discover that the Killiks (long extinct insectoid species first mentioned in Tatooine Ghost) are still alive, and for the past seven year their population has been exploding. They’ve been taking over new planets, and they’re butting up against the Chiss territory.
THE CHARACTERS:
The leader of the Killiks—the titular Joiner King—is Raynar Thul, who was missing/presumed dead in Star by Star after the dark Jedi stole the strike team’s shuttle. He is rather different than we last saw him, and not just because he has some grievous facial wounds from surviving a fire. He's part of the Killik hive mind, and he no longer sees himself as a separate person. At one point it's like he has a psychotic break between the Raynar that was and the UnuThul that speaks for this big Killik group.
The young Jedi who answered his call have also become part of that hive mind, and they’re called Joiners. They can pick up on each other's thoughts as well as the thoughts of the whole Killik hive. That’s really creepy to me, especially how it plays out with Jaina and Zekk’s relationship. Since the NJO books, Zekk has had unrequited feelings that Jaina (obviously) doesn’t reciprocate, but with the Killik it’s almost like they become one mind. They finish each other’s sentences, and there’s one super uncomfortable conversation with Jagged Fel. It also makes me as the reader uncomfortable, because Jaina is a very strong-willed person whose individuality has been swallowed up in this hive mind. She pushes back against it, but Raynar/UnuThul is so strong that he just overpowers her most of the time, and it makes her appear weak. Jaina is a lot like Han, and she has perhaps been one of the hardest Solo kids to reason with, so to see her completely unlike herself and subsumed by this hive mind was upsetting for me to read.
Some of the Jedi are facilitating UnuThul’s business (like Tesar meets with Raynar’s mother to negotiate stuff), and even though Jacen gets the Hapans allied with the Killik, he seems the only Jedi able to separate himself from this hive mind stuff. One detriment of jumping forward five years in time, though, was that we missed out on Jacen’s galaxy-wide journey of self discovery. At the end of The Unifying Force, Jacen wanted to learn from other Force traditions, but in The Joiner King we don’t see any of that, just the moment he leaves the Fallanassi and Akanah’s tutelage to answer the call. We see some of the abilities he’s picked up in the intervening years—like this ability to view the past and future—but I felt a sense of regret that the story of Jacen’s Force odyssey is missing.
I know that she becomes a villain as the books progress, but I was disappointed by Troy Denning's portrayal of Alema. Luke refers back to a dreadful line from Star by Star, that Alema is going to fall to the dark side—it’s not a question of if, but when. Look: to say that a character is destined to fall takes away any personal responsibility for their actions. That’s not how the Force works! In addition, Alema is super sexualized, more so than any other character in this book. It's written off as oh, she's a Twi’lek, oh she was a slave, this is just how she is. But it made me uncomfortable to read, that Alema’s character is not fleshed out beyond her constant state of partial undress. (No pun intended.) In one scene when Leia and Alema have to put on hazmat suits, Alema puts on one that's purposely two sizes too small so that it's skin tight. Why?? It’s a hazmat suit!
Luke and Mara—but really all of the Jedi—seem very angry, and they use their anger to power their Force abilities. They justify it by saying that Vergere taught that the Force is not divided into light and dark so Jedi can use that whole spectrum of emotions—I will save my main beef with this concept for the Issues section, because I have major problems with this development. I did appreciate that they weren’t pushing their son Ben to use the Force, but letting him decide on his own terms what he’s comfortable with. They were more lenient with him than I expected, though, especially when they discovered he’d been hiding one of the Dark Nest Killiks. Perhaps having the example of how Han and Leia raised their children (which was definitely part of their living/career situation at the time) means Luke and Mara have adopted the opposite approach and tried to involve Ben in most things? Still, I couldn’t help feeling that Ben needed to be reprimanded even if I could see why his parents weren’t doing so.
I think that Denning writes Han and Leia very well, and I suspect that they’re his favorite characters. One of the reasons I liked Tatooine Ghost was because I felt like Denning had a good grasp on their relationship and dynamic, so I’m glad that after the drama of the NJO they’re settled back into a strong, supportive pairing. Han is worried about Jaina and he's understandably upset that there are bugs, and Leia’s there for him to vent. He also fears that she’s being held back from greater political things, but Leia gently nixes that idea in the end. It’s nice to see one functional relationship!
ISSUES:
There’s a lot going on here, and a number of characters and situations are introduced. But I wasn’t really crazy about any of these new additions to the cast? For instance: Jae Junn the Sullustan and his Ewok co-pilot are Han and Leia’s introduction to the Killiks, and then they just linger through the rest of the book. There’s a running gag where Jae Junn tries to do everything by the book so Han and he don’t get along super well, and I felt like his continued presence in the book was a downside to me. (YMMV, of course.)
But a major issue: I don’t like bugs. I avoid bugs. The concept of human-sized bugs plus the Joiners letting bugs crawl around in their clothes is straight up nightmare fuel for me. The hive mind makes me uncomfortable. The Killiks go to some harem cave, and it’s implied the Joiners do as well. I absolutely do not want bug orgies in my Star Wars. And sometimes it feels like the only character pushing back against the wrongness of all this is Han, which worries me a little!
On a violence scale of Tatooine Ghost to Star by Star, The Joiner King isn’t up to Star by Star’s level but it’s a bit darker than I would like. We have Saba getting into a fight with Welk and ending up with part of her brain exposed; we have Alema’s arm just dangling from her shoulder; towards the end when Luke and Mara are fighting the Dark Nest, Mara gets a giant hole in her abdomen. And then thinking about the fact that Raynar and Lomi and Welk went through a terrible fire and ended up with horribly disfigured faces gets a little too close to body horror for my taste. (Plus bugs! Ugh no.)
My biggest issue is Denning's looming moral dilemma of how the Jedi are moving in the wrong direction thanks to Vergere’s view of the Force. Everything is building to this boiling point, and Something Will Have to Change. I felt like Denning was interpreting Vergere’s philosophy differently than I did, and I don’t know if I’m right or Denning is right or if Stover had a completely different idea in mind. How I saw it was that yes, the Force itself is not dark or light; it boils down to your actions. You can’t put Force abilities on a list and separate them into Light and Dark—what really matters are your motivations. Why are you doing this? Are you using the Force for selfish reasons? Are you trying to hurt or dominate people?
That's why the Jedi being angry and using their anger to fuel their abilities sat wrong with me. I can understand that after five years of war, there were some Jedi who did questionable things and skirted close to the edge—that they have started to use the argument that “the ends justify the means,” so it doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get the right outcome. But I always thought that what Vergere taught Jacen was less about allowing you to do whatever you want as long as you are doing the right thing, and more that Jacen was so worried he was going to inadvertently fall to the dark side that he wasn't willing to take any action at all. Vergere taught him that it’s all on you. The Force is not divided right down the middle, you can’t accidentally fall, and you have to take personal responsibility for your actions and their outcomes.
I can see why Denning has the Jedi Order behaving in this way, as it’s rife for dramatic possibilities. But that’s not how I interpreted Vergere’s view of the Force, and I can’t buy into how the Jedi Order has developed because it feels (IMO) out of left field after Traitor and The Unifying Force.
As the Joiner King ends, we have a conclusion for now: Welk is dead, the border dispute with the Chiss was avoided, Zekk and Jaina and Lowbacca are kicked out of the hive. But the Jedi Knights are still Joiners and we never actually saw Lomi, so presumably she (and Alema and the Dark Nest) have escaped to cause more mayhem.
IN CONCLUSION:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I re-read the Dark Nest trilogy, because I had forgotten a lot of it. (Understandably so, as I hate bugs.) Bugs aside, it was more violent than I would like, and I found the Joiner/hive mind aspect of the story uncomfortable to read. But at the same time, I do like Han and Leia's arc here, and I liked getting to see Luke and Mara and Ben together as a family even if I do have some quibbles about that. My main warning for The Joiner King is that even though the NJO concluded five years ago, a lot of that darkness still carries over. This may not be a galaxy-wide conflict, but it’s not light and fluffy.
Next up: the second book in the Dark Nest trilogy: The Unseen Queen by Troy Denning.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/iGiIJEr5Sak
“Troy Denning Builds a Dark Nest” (August 2005): https://web.archive.org/web/200511040...
This week’s focus: jumping ahead to the post-NJO era, with the first book in the Dark Nest trilogy: The Joiner King by Troy Denning.
SOME HISTORY:
When Troy Denning was asked to write a trilogy about Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker, he knew that it needed to be different from the nineteen book New Jedi Order series that preceded it. When the series concluded with The Unifying Force by James Luceno in 2003, the entire galaxy had suffered five years of war at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong. So Denning made the decision to set the Dark Nest trilogy five years after the conclusion of the NJO, so that there was a definite break between the galaxy-wide events that occurred then and the smaller scale events of his trilogy. That also meant that he had to figure out what had happened to the galaxy and the Jedi Order in those intervening five years—and since the Dark Nest trilogy was released in the second half of 2005, with The Joiner King coming out in July of that year, there are some prequel-era revelations as well.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered there were bugs, and I don’t particularly like bugs! (I am with Han here.)
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Luke Skywalker is worried, for seven young Jedi Knights, including his niece and nephew, have disappeared into the Unknown Regions following an unknown cry for help. Now the Chiss have lodged a formal complaint with the Galactic Alliance that the Jedi are meddling into a border dispute between the Chiss and an unknown aggressor. So Luke and his family head off to the Unknown Regions to uncover out what's going on. But the situation they stumble into is even more mysterious and dangerous than they had imagined…
REBUILDING THE GALAXY AND THE OPENING PLOT:
Since the Dark Nest trilogy picks up five years after The Unifying Force, a lot of things have changed in the galaxy in the meantime. And I really appreciated that! You can't just pick up where things left off when Coruscant was partially terraformed into a new world, planets were decimated, people were displaced, and the Yuuzhan Vong had to be relocated to Zonama Sekot. Some of my favorite stories involve the logistics of what happens after the big battles are over. (There is a The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe fanfiction called Carpetbaggers which is one of my favorite stories, because it details how much work is involved after you’ve defeated the evil Witch.)
In the beginning of The Joiner King, I liked getting to see that that there are corporations who will find unpopulated planets and making a profit off of it; that Han and Leia are desperately trying to find a new home for the Ithorian people, even though the loss of their homeworld was one of the first great tragedies of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion; that Luke has relocated the Jedi Academy to Ossus, yet the Jedi headquarters are on Coruscant and he’s starting to wonder if the Jedi are too closely intertwined with the Galactic Alliance; that the Jedi Knights are spread too thin peacekeeping and it’s building to tensions in the Jedi Order. Unfortunately, a lot of that stuff is dropped from the forefront once the book focuses on the conflict between the Chiss and the Killiks.
So essentially the plot is this: seven young Jedi who were all part of the Myrkr mission run off to the Unknown Regions because they've been hearing a cry for help. The next thing the Jedi Order knows, the Chiss show up on Coruscant asking the Jedi to please leave their border conflict alone. Unsure what they’re talking about, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker, their young son Ben, and Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne (plus separately Han and Leia) head off to figure out what is going on. They discover that the Killiks (long extinct insectoid species first mentioned in Tatooine Ghost) are still alive, and for the past seven year their population has been exploding. They’ve been taking over new planets, and they’re butting up against the Chiss territory.
THE CHARACTERS:
The leader of the Killiks—the titular Joiner King—is Raynar Thul, who was missing/presumed dead in Star by Star after the dark Jedi stole the strike team’s shuttle. He is rather different than we last saw him, and not just because he has some grievous facial wounds from surviving a fire. He's part of the Killik hive mind, and he no longer sees himself as a separate person. At one point it's like he has a psychotic break between the Raynar that was and the UnuThul that speaks for this big Killik group.
The young Jedi who answered his call have also become part of that hive mind, and they’re called Joiners. They can pick up on each other's thoughts as well as the thoughts of the whole Killik hive. That’s really creepy to me, especially how it plays out with Jaina and Zekk’s relationship. Since the NJO books, Zekk has had unrequited feelings that Jaina (obviously) doesn’t reciprocate, but with the Killik it’s almost like they become one mind. They finish each other’s sentences, and there’s one super uncomfortable conversation with Jagged Fel. It also makes me as the reader uncomfortable, because Jaina is a very strong-willed person whose individuality has been swallowed up in this hive mind. She pushes back against it, but Raynar/UnuThul is so strong that he just overpowers her most of the time, and it makes her appear weak. Jaina is a lot like Han, and she has perhaps been one of the hardest Solo kids to reason with, so to see her completely unlike herself and subsumed by this hive mind was upsetting for me to read.
Some of the Jedi are facilitating UnuThul’s business (like Tesar meets with Raynar’s mother to negotiate stuff), and even though Jacen gets the Hapans allied with the Killik, he seems the only Jedi able to separate himself from this hive mind stuff. One detriment of jumping forward five years in time, though, was that we missed out on Jacen’s galaxy-wide journey of self discovery. At the end of The Unifying Force, Jacen wanted to learn from other Force traditions, but in The Joiner King we don’t see any of that, just the moment he leaves the Fallanassi and Akanah’s tutelage to answer the call. We see some of the abilities he’s picked up in the intervening years—like this ability to view the past and future—but I felt a sense of regret that the story of Jacen’s Force odyssey is missing.
I know that she becomes a villain as the books progress, but I was disappointed by Troy Denning's portrayal of Alema. Luke refers back to a dreadful line from Star by Star, that Alema is going to fall to the dark side—it’s not a question of if, but when. Look: to say that a character is destined to fall takes away any personal responsibility for their actions. That’s not how the Force works! In addition, Alema is super sexualized, more so than any other character in this book. It's written off as oh, she's a Twi’lek, oh she was a slave, this is just how she is. But it made me uncomfortable to read, that Alema’s character is not fleshed out beyond her constant state of partial undress. (No pun intended.) In one scene when Leia and Alema have to put on hazmat suits, Alema puts on one that's purposely two sizes too small so that it's skin tight. Why?? It’s a hazmat suit!
Luke and Mara—but really all of the Jedi—seem very angry, and they use their anger to power their Force abilities. They justify it by saying that Vergere taught that the Force is not divided into light and dark so Jedi can use that whole spectrum of emotions—I will save my main beef with this concept for the Issues section, because I have major problems with this development. I did appreciate that they weren’t pushing their son Ben to use the Force, but letting him decide on his own terms what he’s comfortable with. They were more lenient with him than I expected, though, especially when they discovered he’d been hiding one of the Dark Nest Killiks. Perhaps having the example of how Han and Leia raised their children (which was definitely part of their living/career situation at the time) means Luke and Mara have adopted the opposite approach and tried to involve Ben in most things? Still, I couldn’t help feeling that Ben needed to be reprimanded even if I could see why his parents weren’t doing so.
I think that Denning writes Han and Leia very well, and I suspect that they’re his favorite characters. One of the reasons I liked Tatooine Ghost was because I felt like Denning had a good grasp on their relationship and dynamic, so I’m glad that after the drama of the NJO they’re settled back into a strong, supportive pairing. Han is worried about Jaina and he's understandably upset that there are bugs, and Leia’s there for him to vent. He also fears that she’s being held back from greater political things, but Leia gently nixes that idea in the end. It’s nice to see one functional relationship!
ISSUES:
There’s a lot going on here, and a number of characters and situations are introduced. But I wasn’t really crazy about any of these new additions to the cast? For instance: Jae Junn the Sullustan and his Ewok co-pilot are Han and Leia’s introduction to the Killiks, and then they just linger through the rest of the book. There’s a running gag where Jae Junn tries to do everything by the book so Han and he don’t get along super well, and I felt like his continued presence in the book was a downside to me. (YMMV, of course.)
But a major issue: I don’t like bugs. I avoid bugs. The concept of human-sized bugs plus the Joiners letting bugs crawl around in their clothes is straight up nightmare fuel for me. The hive mind makes me uncomfortable. The Killiks go to some harem cave, and it’s implied the Joiners do as well. I absolutely do not want bug orgies in my Star Wars. And sometimes it feels like the only character pushing back against the wrongness of all this is Han, which worries me a little!
On a violence scale of Tatooine Ghost to Star by Star, The Joiner King isn’t up to Star by Star’s level but it’s a bit darker than I would like. We have Saba getting into a fight with Welk and ending up with part of her brain exposed; we have Alema’s arm just dangling from her shoulder; towards the end when Luke and Mara are fighting the Dark Nest, Mara gets a giant hole in her abdomen. And then thinking about the fact that Raynar and Lomi and Welk went through a terrible fire and ended up with horribly disfigured faces gets a little too close to body horror for my taste. (Plus bugs! Ugh no.)
My biggest issue is Denning's looming moral dilemma of how the Jedi are moving in the wrong direction thanks to Vergere’s view of the Force. Everything is building to this boiling point, and Something Will Have to Change. I felt like Denning was interpreting Vergere’s philosophy differently than I did, and I don’t know if I’m right or Denning is right or if Stover had a completely different idea in mind. How I saw it was that yes, the Force itself is not dark or light; it boils down to your actions. You can’t put Force abilities on a list and separate them into Light and Dark—what really matters are your motivations. Why are you doing this? Are you using the Force for selfish reasons? Are you trying to hurt or dominate people?
That's why the Jedi being angry and using their anger to fuel their abilities sat wrong with me. I can understand that after five years of war, there were some Jedi who did questionable things and skirted close to the edge—that they have started to use the argument that “the ends justify the means,” so it doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get the right outcome. But I always thought that what Vergere taught Jacen was less about allowing you to do whatever you want as long as you are doing the right thing, and more that Jacen was so worried he was going to inadvertently fall to the dark side that he wasn't willing to take any action at all. Vergere taught him that it’s all on you. The Force is not divided right down the middle, you can’t accidentally fall, and you have to take personal responsibility for your actions and their outcomes.
I can see why Denning has the Jedi Order behaving in this way, as it’s rife for dramatic possibilities. But that’s not how I interpreted Vergere’s view of the Force, and I can’t buy into how the Jedi Order has developed because it feels (IMO) out of left field after Traitor and The Unifying Force.
As the Joiner King ends, we have a conclusion for now: Welk is dead, the border dispute with the Chiss was avoided, Zekk and Jaina and Lowbacca are kicked out of the hive. But the Jedi Knights are still Joiners and we never actually saw Lomi, so presumably she (and Alema and the Dark Nest) have escaped to cause more mayhem.
IN CONCLUSION:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I re-read the Dark Nest trilogy, because I had forgotten a lot of it. (Understandably so, as I hate bugs.) Bugs aside, it was more violent than I would like, and I found the Joiner/hive mind aspect of the story uncomfortable to read. But at the same time, I do like Han and Leia's arc here, and I liked getting to see Luke and Mara and Ben together as a family even if I do have some quibbles about that. My main warning for The Joiner King is that even though the NJO concluded five years ago, a lot of that darkness still carries over. This may not be a galaxy-wide conflict, but it’s not light and fluffy.
Next up: the second book in the Dark Nest trilogy: The Unseen Queen by Troy Denning.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/iGiIJEr5Sak
“Troy Denning Builds a Dark Nest” (August 2005): https://web.archive.org/web/200511040...
August 25, 2016
"Who else can we trust to wield our power? We must follow our own consciences."
Five years have passed since the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, and some of the younger generation of Jedi Knights, including Jaina and Jacen, have left for the Unknown Regions. They have been summoned by a strange new alien race--one that has the Chiss carefully protecting their borders. When Han, Luke, Leia, Mara, and Saba head out to find the young Jedi Knights, they learn that not everything is as it seems...and secrets are everywhere.
I Liked:
One of my biggest complaints against Bantam era novels is how they often had some galaxy spanning crisis of the moment. I love my epic stories, but a single novel or a trilogy can't really give you the room to really make a conflict epic. Here, Denning doesn't try to make this conflict affect the galaxy in such an intimate way. Sure, the Jedi don't want to tick off the Chiss because the Chiss do help in border patrol, but again, this isn't "Life or Death" of the galaxy. It's just politics.
Also, it's a whole lot of fun to see our favorite characters post-NJO. Han, Luke, Leia, and Mara are all well done, with appropriate growth from NJO and the five years. I thought Denning did a good job with all of them, to make them consistent and yet grow. Newer characters, like Jaina, Tesar, Alema, and Jacen, are equally well-done. I particularly wanted to read more about Jacen, as it seemed he had a lot of interesting insight. And kudos to Denning for the Tenel Ka/Jacen romance, brief as it is. Saba, who hadn't been my favorite character in the past, was extremely well-done. I love the effort Denning put into making her distinctly non-human. Her thoughts, actions, and words were most definitely Barabel and a much appreciated departure from "humans with rubber foreheads" you tend to see in scifi. And I thought Denning did a fairly good job revealing Luke and Leia's parentage (though read below).
The new aliens were pretty cool as well. I liked seeing the connection between the aliens and the Killik Twilight, an Alderaanian moss painting first seen in Tatooine Ghost. I love authors who drop things like this in books and then get a chance to return to them. I also like how it made the galaxy seem bigger and with a greater history.
The best things in the novel, however, are the Killik Hive Mind and the government vs Jedi. The Killik Hive Mind is an interesting concept, one that hasn't yet appeared in Star Wars. It's always interesting to look at "independence" and the Jedi Battle Meditation and see what new things can be learned. Similarly, I was very intrigued with the relationship between the government and the Jedi. Half the Jedi believe in supporting the government; the others believe in following the Force. Yet both still take money from the government coffers. Luke comments on the new "Grey" Jedi beliefs: that there is no Light and Dark side, only a Light and Dark side of a person (individual choice). I love new discussions, and it's cool to see Jacen's findings from NJO in this new arena.
I Didn't Like:
Tons of characters. Take a brief look above at the names I mentioned then tack on about a half dozen to a dozen more. I do love how Denning avoided making all the parties human, but did Han and Leia and Luke and Mara and Saba and Jaina and Jacen and...and...ALL have to be involved? Kinda hard to get invested in characters when they hardly appear.
Speaking of hardly appearing, let's talk about R2-D2 and his revelation. As I said above, generally I love it. However, it completely, and I mean completely, drops off the face of the book about 200 pages from the ending. I understand throwing in a scene where Luke learns more about his mom in the middle of a battle wouldn't work, but I still felt somewhat confused when there wasn't even a hint of it in the epilogue.
The pacing also is all over the place. The story tends to get bogged down in this sudden "Let's explain exactly how the Millennium Falcon goes into hyperdrive" (huh? When did we start doing this?), scenes where everyone and his/her mother (sometimes literally!) join up to go somewhere, or odd battles. I had a particularly hard time near the beginning when Jaina and Jacen and the others are fighting with the Taat against a Chiss force. I kept wondering where they were going, what they were doing, and what the whole point of the scene was. Speaking of "what the whole point was", there's also this strange, out of left field scene where Saba goes hunting. The scene is important to show that a baddie is still alive and to establish Saba's alienness, but overall, I couldn't help reading this and wondering, "Why is this here? Isn't there a different way to show this baddie???"
While the story is interesting, it's easy to start questioning how quickly the Jedi become Joiners. Isn't Jaina the Sword of the Jedi? Why is she so easy to sway? I didn't think she was THAT close to SPOILER...
Lastly, gore. Denning loves to gross us out with body functions, vomit, and body parts. It's not the worst I've seen, but I did get tired of hearing about so-and-so avoiding his vomit on the floor.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Star Wars slang at worst.
Tenel Ka and Jacen consummate their relationship. The Killiks have a mating dance, which several of the Jedi Knights participate in. Yet another ex-girlfriend of Han's is revealed.
Kinda gory at places. Decapitations, arm removals, explosions, goring, and more may be found.
Overall:
After the epic NJO, it's nice to have something more low key. And I love how this book explores the Killik's Hive Mind, the changes in the Jedi Order and the rising bickerings between the government and the Jedi. But the book was a challenge to finish. The pacing is funky, there are a ton of characters, and it isn't always easy to see what the point of a scene is. Good, but not great.
Five years have passed since the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, and some of the younger generation of Jedi Knights, including Jaina and Jacen, have left for the Unknown Regions. They have been summoned by a strange new alien race--one that has the Chiss carefully protecting their borders. When Han, Luke, Leia, Mara, and Saba head out to find the young Jedi Knights, they learn that not everything is as it seems...and secrets are everywhere.
I Liked:
One of my biggest complaints against Bantam era novels is how they often had some galaxy spanning crisis of the moment. I love my epic stories, but a single novel or a trilogy can't really give you the room to really make a conflict epic. Here, Denning doesn't try to make this conflict affect the galaxy in such an intimate way. Sure, the Jedi don't want to tick off the Chiss because the Chiss do help in border patrol, but again, this isn't "Life or Death" of the galaxy. It's just politics.
Also, it's a whole lot of fun to see our favorite characters post-NJO. Han, Luke, Leia, and Mara are all well done, with appropriate growth from NJO and the five years. I thought Denning did a good job with all of them, to make them consistent and yet grow. Newer characters, like Jaina, Tesar, Alema, and Jacen, are equally well-done. I particularly wanted to read more about Jacen, as it seemed he had a lot of interesting insight. And kudos to Denning for the Tenel Ka/Jacen romance, brief as it is. Saba, who hadn't been my favorite character in the past, was extremely well-done. I love the effort Denning put into making her distinctly non-human. Her thoughts, actions, and words were most definitely Barabel and a much appreciated departure from "humans with rubber foreheads" you tend to see in scifi. And I thought Denning did a fairly good job revealing Luke and Leia's parentage (though read below).
The new aliens were pretty cool as well. I liked seeing the connection between the aliens and the Killik Twilight, an Alderaanian moss painting first seen in Tatooine Ghost. I love authors who drop things like this in books and then get a chance to return to them. I also like how it made the galaxy seem bigger and with a greater history.
The best things in the novel, however, are the Killik Hive Mind and the government vs Jedi. The Killik Hive Mind is an interesting concept, one that hasn't yet appeared in Star Wars. It's always interesting to look at "independence" and the Jedi Battle Meditation and see what new things can be learned. Similarly, I was very intrigued with the relationship between the government and the Jedi. Half the Jedi believe in supporting the government; the others believe in following the Force. Yet both still take money from the government coffers. Luke comments on the new "Grey" Jedi beliefs: that there is no Light and Dark side, only a Light and Dark side of a person (individual choice). I love new discussions, and it's cool to see Jacen's findings from NJO in this new arena.
I Didn't Like:
Tons of characters. Take a brief look above at the names I mentioned then tack on about a half dozen to a dozen more. I do love how Denning avoided making all the parties human, but did Han and Leia and Luke and Mara and Saba and Jaina and Jacen and...and...ALL have to be involved? Kinda hard to get invested in characters when they hardly appear.
Speaking of hardly appearing, let's talk about R2-D2 and his revelation. As I said above, generally I love it. However, it completely, and I mean completely, drops off the face of the book about 200 pages from the ending. I understand throwing in a scene where Luke learns more about his mom in the middle of a battle wouldn't work, but I still felt somewhat confused when there wasn't even a hint of it in the epilogue.
The pacing also is all over the place. The story tends to get bogged down in this sudden "Let's explain exactly how the Millennium Falcon goes into hyperdrive" (huh? When did we start doing this?), scenes where everyone and his/her mother (sometimes literally!) join up to go somewhere, or odd battles. I had a particularly hard time near the beginning when Jaina and Jacen and the others are fighting with the Taat against a Chiss force. I kept wondering where they were going, what they were doing, and what the whole point of the scene was. Speaking of "what the whole point was", there's also this strange, out of left field scene where Saba goes hunting. The scene is important to show that a baddie is still alive and to establish Saba's alienness, but overall, I couldn't help reading this and wondering, "Why is this here? Isn't there a different way to show this baddie???"
While the story is interesting, it's easy to start questioning how quickly the Jedi become Joiners. Isn't Jaina the Sword of the Jedi? Why is she so easy to sway? I didn't think she was THAT close to SPOILER...
Lastly, gore. Denning loves to gross us out with body functions, vomit, and body parts. It's not the worst I've seen, but I did get tired of hearing about so-and-so avoiding his vomit on the floor.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Star Wars slang at worst.
Tenel Ka and Jacen consummate their relationship. The Killiks have a mating dance, which several of the Jedi Knights participate in. Yet another ex-girlfriend of Han's is revealed.
Kinda gory at places. Decapitations, arm removals, explosions, goring, and more may be found.
Overall:
After the epic NJO, it's nice to have something more low key. And I love how this book explores the Killik's Hive Mind, the changes in the Jedi Order and the rising bickerings between the government and the Jedi. But the book was a challenge to finish. The pacing is funky, there are a ton of characters, and it isn't always easy to see what the point of a scene is. Good, but not great.
July 29, 2025
LUKE SKYWALKER IS PUSHING 50 AND STILL SMOKING FOOLS BABY RAAAAAHHHH
June 6, 2011
I enjoyed this book, though it did have some problems. This book has more typo's than any Star Wars book I have read in years. It also seems like, the people in charge of the stories told the author. Hey Star Wars is grown up now, put in some swearing and the author made up his own swear words. This is a bit crazy to read because of all the weird swearing that has no precedent. They keep telling Ben they are bad words, but to us they have no meaning so they have no effect. The last one is Ethmane. Ethmane is obviously an anagram for methane, a word already mentioned several times in the book, so a bad choice for an anagram. Ethmane is also mention constantly in the section where Ethmane is a major feature on the ethmane moon. Ethmane is mentioned at least once in every Ethmane paragraph in the Ethmane section. As you can see that gets annoying rather quickly. Despite these faults (really the section with the annagrammed frozen gas is brief.) I quite enjoyed the book.
February 22, 2012
Star Wars... with bugs. That's about what every other review says, and I will echo it here. This isn't the best Star Wars book I've ever read, nor is it the worst. But I'm not about to rush out for the rest of the trilogy.
I listened to this book as an audio book and, as usual, really enjoyed the production of the reading. Star Wars audiobooks have great sound effects, music and the readers tend to have a lot of fun with the voices. Unfortunately, the crashing sounds of some of the battles made me jump several times while I was in traffic... not the best, first thing in the morning.
I listened to this book as an audio book and, as usual, really enjoyed the production of the reading. Star Wars audiobooks have great sound effects, music and the readers tend to have a lot of fun with the voices. Unfortunately, the crashing sounds of some of the battles made me jump several times while I was in traffic... not the best, first thing in the morning.
June 6, 2025
Given how much I’d loved The New Jedi Order and how excited I was to continue the EU story, I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it did not quite land for me, though I wouldn’t say it’s bad.
There are things this book did well for me. I enjoyed the initial plot setup and inciting incidents, which essentially include the younger Jedi being called away to the Unknown Regions for some mysterious reason, and a conflict brewing between two alien races. I thought these were both pretty interesting ways to set up the story. The character work is also good, though nothing special; the likes of Luke, Mara, Ben, Han, Leia, Jacen, Jaina, and more are all fun to see interact and get some good material. The action is plentiful towards the end of the book, and is also well done.
Sadly, this book just did not draw me in very much behind the initial setup. There are moments throughout it I enjoyed when it came to things like action scenes or character interactions, but the plot never really engaged me all that much. I think I liked the idea of the story and the setup for it more than the story itself.
Overall, not many thoughts on this one. I think it’s pretty firmly “just okay” and little more—not bad, but not all that good either.
Rating: 6/10
There are things this book did well for me. I enjoyed the initial plot setup and inciting incidents, which essentially include the younger Jedi being called away to the Unknown Regions for some mysterious reason, and a conflict brewing between two alien races. I thought these were both pretty interesting ways to set up the story. The character work is also good, though nothing special; the likes of Luke, Mara, Ben, Han, Leia, Jacen, Jaina, and more are all fun to see interact and get some good material. The action is plentiful towards the end of the book, and is also well done.
Sadly, this book just did not draw me in very much behind the initial setup. There are moments throughout it I enjoyed when it came to things like action scenes or character interactions, but the plot never really engaged me all that much. I think I liked the idea of the story and the setup for it more than the story itself.
Overall, not many thoughts on this one. I think it’s pretty firmly “just okay” and little more—not bad, but not all that good either.
Rating: 6/10
July 15, 2022
Not to take anything away from Troy Denning's abilities as a writer (his writing, tone, characterization, and pacing felt leagues better than the writers who made up the New Jedi Order series (and yes, I know he wrote one of the novels)), but I think part of the reason I liked this book so much is that it didn't feature the dang Yuuzhan Vong. Plus, books where individualism can be crushed or swayed the way it is in this book resonate with me in a frightening way.
November 13, 2024
I hated this one the first time I listened to it, but when it first came out it was only available as an abridged audiobook. Although I don't love it now, it is certainly much better and more coherent as an unabridged book. Thanks to Decade Bird I had the chance to listen to the whole thing. Normally I only relisten to books as I'm falling asleep, but as I approached the end, I started picking this one during the day over the main book series I am on right now. And I'm eager to continue the series, even though I'm not in love with it.
January 27, 2021
It wasn’t horrible. I would give it 3.5.
It was interesting a good setup for the rest of the trilogy I hope.
It was interesting a good setup for the rest of the trilogy I hope.
July 23, 2023
This was rough in a lot of spots, but damn I'm excited for Leia (no spoilers).
April 11, 2021
Not that it really matters, but I have had this book for a long time and never got around to reading it. However, a classmate in an online course I am taking really chatted it up to the class and got me interested in reading it. I found myself enjoying it quite a bit but could not decide if it was because of the relative familiarity of the characters (considering how long it has been since I have read any original EU books) or how "bad" the new Disney Canon has been (more likely a combination of both). It felt like visiting an old friend, on the one hand, because of the large number of familiar characters. The character development was interesting, I guess. I thought the author did an interesting job of delving into how the Jedi have changed after the galaxy-wide war with the Yuuzhan Vong. The author also did a nice job of creating an alien race of insects and helping to keep their alien-ness truly alien (it probably helped that they cannot communicate orally like humans and other humanoid species do; their communication is more pheromone-based and movement-based, although Threepio does communicate with some of them via a droid language or two).
It had a lot of humor in it, which surprised me.
There were some things that “stood out to me” that I felt were kinda weak.
It was a fun book to read; it was different and original and I thought the author did a nice job with describing this alien insect species and building their society, their “world.” I realize most of what he did was “merely” extrapolating ant colonies and other insect colonies on earth and applying them to the Star Wars EU, but I still think he did a good job with what he did. It was fast-moving; it held my interest; I did not like having to put it down but I was always able to pick back up where I left off and get back into the flow of the story, so that is pretty good writing to me. I don’t know if I would quite rate it a 4-star book; maybe 3.5 stars rounded down? In any case, I am glad that I took a chance and read this book.
It had a lot of humor in it, which surprised me.
There were some things that “stood out to me” that I felt were kinda weak.
It was a fun book to read; it was different and original and I thought the author did a nice job with describing this alien insect species and building their society, their “world.” I realize most of what he did was “merely” extrapolating ant colonies and other insect colonies on earth and applying them to the Star Wars EU, but I still think he did a good job with what he did. It was fast-moving; it held my interest; I did not like having to put it down but I was always able to pick back up where I left off and get back into the flow of the story, so that is pretty good writing to me. I don’t know if I would quite rate it a 4-star book; maybe 3.5 stars rounded down? In any case, I am glad that I took a chance and read this book.
December 7, 2023
"Bugs!" Han groaned and shook his head. "Why did it have to be bugs?"
If you have spent any amount of time participating in, or even just looking at discussion of the post-Return of the Jedi Star Wars Expanded Universe, you have probably come across the term "Denningverse" - referring to the main thrust of Star Wars sequel publishing after the 19-book New Jedi Order epic, named after (ostensibly) its main creative mind, Troy Denning. "Denningverse" is not a complimentary term. The argument tends to go that the eponymous author's influence on the franchise was a destructive one, that he subverted the previous works' core themes and messages in favor of an interpretation of the franchise characterized by excessive nihilism and violence. All of that goes back to Denning's 2005 Dark Nest trilogy of books, and its first entry, The Joiner King.
Having spent an unhealthy amount of time reading discussions on decade-old Star Wars novels I had never read before, I knew all about this controversy, and thus approached The Joiner King with specific expectations in mind. Would I come to dislike this novel like so many others do? Or would I be able to appreciate it on its own terms, perhaps even seeing in it a worthy follow-up to the brilliant New Jedi Order novels?
No matter what, the novel certainly makes a great first impression: Immediately the reader is hooked with an intriguing exposition, as the Young Jedi Knights we followed in Denning's Star by Star novel are all touched in the Force by a disturbing, yet familiar voice - we see Jaina Solo in the aftermath of a peacekeeping mission, Tahiri Veila negotiating between two Yuuzhan Vong of newly equal rank, and Jacen Solo finishing his training with a Force sect as part of his sojourn through the galaxy. That's multiple perspectives on this new, post-Yuuzhan Vong War setting immediately established, all the while setting up both the concrete (via the voice) and philosophical (by way of Jacen) conflict in just nine pages. Maybe I'm looking too deep into this, but I do find that the entire novel is surprisingly well-crafted. A problem I tend to have with SWEU trilogies is that many seem to never quite have enough fuel for three whole novels, oftentimes feeling like one novel stretched into three parts that do not work on their own. The Joiner King does work on its own. Every chapter pushes the plot forward, developing both conflicts continuously until everything comes to a head in the final, climactic confrontation. It's not perfect - one theme in particular is ham-fisted into characters' thoughts rather than organically brought up more often than not. Moreover, the comic relief characters of Jae Juun and Tarfang in particular could have been dropped without losing much in the way of cohesion (or comedy...). Still, for whatever flaws I will bring up, I cannot deny The Joiner King is solid work.
The main conflict comes down to a border dispute between the Chiss - Thrawn's people - and the Killik Colony. The Chiss play the role they seem to always be put into, that being ultra-paranoid, quasi-xenophobic isolationists, who fear the expanding Killik Colony for more than one reason. The Killiks are an... infamous part of this trilogy, an insectoid hivemind that inadvertently lures members of other species in to join their nests, in the process developing a hive conscious. The infamy comes down to the fact that, well, a good chunk of TJK is spent dealing with descriptions of said bugs and their way of life. Entomophobic readers may not apply. Personally, I am generally far from a fan of bugs, but didn't mind their shenanigans in here. It's less creepy crawling and more chest-beating, as well as a surprising amount of mentions of their "feathery antennae"; rather than feeling disgust I can't help but wonder how exactly their different colors and sizes would look like.
Far more interesting than the Killiks' clicking sounds, though, is their way of life, which catapult the species into being one of the best Star Wars antagonists. I mentioned psychic linkage with a nest as being an inadvertent effect rather than a malicious plan, and indeed, it would be wrong to ascribe genuine malevolence or even particular antagonism to their doing (even if they are the narrative's antagonistic force). Rather, the Killiks' centrally controlled mind cares only to preserve any and all sentient life - including its own, in the case of it being threatened - all the while operating on a rigid sense of truth. How do you deal with an entity that acts with the most benevolent of intentions, yet cannot be argued with due to its mechanical indenture to "protocol"? Can their doing even be condemned, given their lack of individual thought and ability to reason? Being the first in a trilogy, TJK only gives a first hint at an answer. But as far as building up an interesting, unique threat for the Star Wars cast to deal with, it does an immaculate job.
Another positive I wish to mention pertains to Troy Denning's narrative descriptions. I found his previous works, Star by Star in particular, to suffer from a disorienting sense of place, which lead to the action scenes especially to be hard to visualize and follow. His second novel was better in that regard, but it is with The Joiner King that Denning manages to create not just coherent, but visually rich settings. Be it colorful Killik architectures or ice jungles speckled with gas crystals, there is a lot to commend here.
Having said that, the prose is also full of what I would like to neutrally refer to as Denning-isms. Authorial quirks are what distinguish one novelist from the next, sure. I cannot deny, however, that some of the stuff in here took me out of the story; in particular, it's the sheer amount of sexual references I'm thinking of. Luke gets harassed by two aliens who incessantly wish to get into his pants. Mara negotiates some private time with the aforementioned jedi master. The Killiks, including their Joiners, are said to literally engage in orgies after a ritual dance. Alema Rar. Now, I'm far from a prude when it comes to Star Wars literature - they're called adult novels for a reason. Works like I, Jedi, Destiny's Way, and even Denning's own Tatooine Ghost are only made stronger by the inclusion of some raunchier allusions, but does it have to be one every twenty pages or so? Worst of all is when the novel engages in some weird species determinism, such as when Leia attributes Alema's licentious behavior on her being a Twi'lek, and a former slave dancer at that. Yikes.
Leia becoming callous in her judgement of other people like that is evident of a larger issue at play here: The way previous characters are portrayed, and the explanation in the narrative for that. In the New Jedi Order series, the galaxy at large, including our main cast, went through some of the biggest challenges of their lives, initially dealing with personal and societal loss, only to come through the entire ordeal as stronger people in the series' second half. This is not followed up on logically in Dark Nest. Rather, everyone seems embittered and depressed, having lost the battle against their inner demons in a war far more grim than the previous series ever depicted it as. Han Solo gets turned from a scarred but ultimately content old man to a nihilistic geriatric; Cal Omas is no longer a well-meaning yet ultimately flawed politician, but rather a pseudo-authoritarian misanthrope (presiding over ); and the Jedi are a story of their own entirely. Was this utter heel-turn of a retcon truly necessary? Or, to put it another way: Does anyone who read the Dark Journey through The Unifying Force run really think that adding this layer of angst to everyone's characterization constitutes natural, or even interesting development? Heck, - if you know, you know. If you were to ignore the previous five years of Star Wars publishing, this could seem an interesting turn to take the characters in, sure. Denning is a solid writer. But, to reiterate, dealing with trauma was quite literally the entire point of, say, Han Solo's arc in New Jedi Order. It's pointless to do the same thing here, and robs that which came before of its point.
Let's recap the previous saga once more, this time looking at the Jedi. Met with this new order's biggest threat yet, they go through an identity crisis early on in the story - is committing to war truly something you can reconcile with being Jedi? Following Jacen Solo's journey of self-discovery, the reader and cast alike learned that you can meet the Universe and all its pain with fear, hatred or despair; or choose to meet it with love, and be astonished to learn that it loves you back. Everything in the Force is one, and to combat the Dark Side one does not need fear a bogeyman, but simply be cognizant of the self, and act. In harmony. In The Joiner King, this is interpreted as the jedi having lost their ways, adopting an ends-justify-the-means philosophy in which amoral acts are valid so long as they serve a higher purpose. Hogwash. Denning constructs a counter-textual strawman of the previous works and then tries to argue against it, ultimately wasting everyone's time in the process. This is The Joiner King's biggest problem, and one which reflects on its other elements as well. I stand by my opinion that this book does a good job with gradually developing its core themes, but to what degree can I truly commend that when the themes themselves are utter nonsense in any context but that of just this novel taken by itself? Oh, and if Han, Leia & co. are "merely" subverted in their characterization, then what happened to the Jedi is complete and utter character assassination. All I need to bring up here to make my point is that Cilghal Sure, Luke ultimately comes to the realization that doing evil stuff is, in fact, evil, but does that really matter? As with the problems with the characters, I can't help but reiterate: What is the point?
A short addendum to the jedi-characterization problem: One thing I found fascinating was just how pleasant Jacen came off compared to the rest of the cast. It is through his character that we are introduced to the concept of the Jedi having left utter moral righteousness, sure, but Jacen himself is never once singled out as a casualty of sorts of Vergere's supposed teachings. Instead, he's a Mystery Man, coming right off his five year sojourn with many an unorthodox Force ability at the ready. While interacting with others, he's polite, if not downright charming, as with little Ben Skywalker. As for the other Jedi, well, if anything Jacen disagrees with how they are handling things by arguing for a more mystical approach a la New Jedi Order, stealthily mocking Cilghal's scientific experiments in the process. Secondly, he speaks out for choosing to act, disagreeing with the Council's inertia. Finally, Jacen quotes what is a fairly NJO-friendly interpretation of the Force to another character, before being "ensnared" by their plotting. I'll talk about Jacen in the next big post-ROTJ novel series more when we get there, but for now, I have to say that while categorically too different from his TUF-self to be an exception to the rule of the Jedi being misrepresented here, this Jacen does not yet seem to embody what he was going to be in Denning's later work.
The Joiner King's controversial reception is well-deserved. Taken just by itself, this book works quite well: great pacing, a unique antagonist that raises interesting moral questions, and memorable descriptions make for a pleasant reading experience. This is a decent, if not good novel. However, what keeps it from reaching the same heights as Denning's previous work is just how adamant it is about subverting, if not cheapening what the New Jedi Order series built up. The characters are set back multiple novels, as are the Jedi, and the galaxy as a whole seems... different from what it was before. Still, the novel's a good read in of itself and makes me eager to pick up the next volume. Talk about ambivalence.
If you have spent any amount of time participating in, or even just looking at discussion of the post-Return of the Jedi Star Wars Expanded Universe, you have probably come across the term "Denningverse" - referring to the main thrust of Star Wars sequel publishing after the 19-book New Jedi Order epic, named after (ostensibly) its main creative mind, Troy Denning. "Denningverse" is not a complimentary term. The argument tends to go that the eponymous author's influence on the franchise was a destructive one, that he subverted the previous works' core themes and messages in favor of an interpretation of the franchise characterized by excessive nihilism and violence. All of that goes back to Denning's 2005 Dark Nest trilogy of books, and its first entry, The Joiner King.
Having spent an unhealthy amount of time reading discussions on decade-old Star Wars novels I had never read before, I knew all about this controversy, and thus approached The Joiner King with specific expectations in mind. Would I come to dislike this novel like so many others do? Or would I be able to appreciate it on its own terms, perhaps even seeing in it a worthy follow-up to the brilliant New Jedi Order novels?
No matter what, the novel certainly makes a great first impression: Immediately the reader is hooked with an intriguing exposition, as the Young Jedi Knights we followed in Denning's Star by Star novel are all touched in the Force by a disturbing, yet familiar voice - we see Jaina Solo in the aftermath of a peacekeeping mission, Tahiri Veila negotiating between two Yuuzhan Vong of newly equal rank, and Jacen Solo finishing his training with a Force sect as part of his sojourn through the galaxy. That's multiple perspectives on this new, post-Yuuzhan Vong War setting immediately established, all the while setting up both the concrete (via the voice) and philosophical (by way of Jacen) conflict in just nine pages. Maybe I'm looking too deep into this, but I do find that the entire novel is surprisingly well-crafted. A problem I tend to have with SWEU trilogies is that many seem to never quite have enough fuel for three whole novels, oftentimes feeling like one novel stretched into three parts that do not work on their own. The Joiner King does work on its own. Every chapter pushes the plot forward, developing both conflicts continuously until everything comes to a head in the final, climactic confrontation. It's not perfect - one theme in particular is ham-fisted into characters' thoughts rather than organically brought up more often than not. Moreover, the comic relief characters of Jae Juun and Tarfang in particular could have been dropped without losing much in the way of cohesion (or comedy...). Still, for whatever flaws I will bring up, I cannot deny The Joiner King is solid work.
The main conflict comes down to a border dispute between the Chiss - Thrawn's people - and the Killik Colony. The Chiss play the role they seem to always be put into, that being ultra-paranoid, quasi-xenophobic isolationists, who fear the expanding Killik Colony for more than one reason. The Killiks are an... infamous part of this trilogy, an insectoid hivemind that inadvertently lures members of other species in to join their nests, in the process developing a hive conscious. The infamy comes down to the fact that, well, a good chunk of TJK is spent dealing with descriptions of said bugs and their way of life. Entomophobic readers may not apply. Personally, I am generally far from a fan of bugs, but didn't mind their shenanigans in here. It's less creepy crawling and more chest-beating, as well as a surprising amount of mentions of their "feathery antennae"; rather than feeling disgust I can't help but wonder how exactly their different colors and sizes would look like.
Far more interesting than the Killiks' clicking sounds, though, is their way of life, which catapult the species into being one of the best Star Wars antagonists. I mentioned psychic linkage with a nest as being an inadvertent effect rather than a malicious plan, and indeed, it would be wrong to ascribe genuine malevolence or even particular antagonism to their doing (even if they are the narrative's antagonistic force). Rather, the Killiks' centrally controlled mind cares only to preserve any and all sentient life - including its own, in the case of it being threatened - all the while operating on a rigid sense of truth. How do you deal with an entity that acts with the most benevolent of intentions, yet cannot be argued with due to its mechanical indenture to "protocol"? Can their doing even be condemned, given their lack of individual thought and ability to reason? Being the first in a trilogy, TJK only gives a first hint at an answer. But as far as building up an interesting, unique threat for the Star Wars cast to deal with, it does an immaculate job.
Another positive I wish to mention pertains to Troy Denning's narrative descriptions. I found his previous works, Star by Star in particular, to suffer from a disorienting sense of place, which lead to the action scenes especially to be hard to visualize and follow. His second novel was better in that regard, but it is with The Joiner King that Denning manages to create not just coherent, but visually rich settings. Be it colorful Killik architectures or ice jungles speckled with gas crystals, there is a lot to commend here.
Having said that, the prose is also full of what I would like to neutrally refer to as Denning-isms. Authorial quirks are what distinguish one novelist from the next, sure. I cannot deny, however, that some of the stuff in here took me out of the story; in particular, it's the sheer amount of sexual references I'm thinking of. Luke gets harassed by two aliens who incessantly wish to get into his pants. Mara negotiates some private time with the aforementioned jedi master. The Killiks, including their Joiners, are said to literally engage in orgies after a ritual dance. Alema Rar. Now, I'm far from a prude when it comes to Star Wars literature - they're called adult novels for a reason. Works like I, Jedi, Destiny's Way, and even Denning's own Tatooine Ghost are only made stronger by the inclusion of some raunchier allusions, but does it have to be one every twenty pages or so? Worst of all is when the novel engages in some weird species determinism, such as when Leia attributes Alema's licentious behavior on her being a Twi'lek, and a former slave dancer at that. Yikes.
Leia becoming callous in her judgement of other people like that is evident of a larger issue at play here: The way previous characters are portrayed, and the explanation in the narrative for that. In the New Jedi Order series, the galaxy at large, including our main cast, went through some of the biggest challenges of their lives, initially dealing with personal and societal loss, only to come through the entire ordeal as stronger people in the series' second half. This is not followed up on logically in Dark Nest. Rather, everyone seems embittered and depressed, having lost the battle against their inner demons in a war far more grim than the previous series ever depicted it as. Han Solo gets turned from a scarred but ultimately content old man to a nihilistic geriatric; Cal Omas is no longer a well-meaning yet ultimately flawed politician, but rather a pseudo-authoritarian misanthrope (presiding over ); and the Jedi are a story of their own entirely. Was this utter heel-turn of a retcon truly necessary? Or, to put it another way: Does anyone who read the Dark Journey through The Unifying Force run really think that adding this layer of angst to everyone's characterization constitutes natural, or even interesting development? Heck, - if you know, you know. If you were to ignore the previous five years of Star Wars publishing, this could seem an interesting turn to take the characters in, sure. Denning is a solid writer. But, to reiterate, dealing with trauma was quite literally the entire point of, say, Han Solo's arc in New Jedi Order. It's pointless to do the same thing here, and robs that which came before of its point.
Let's recap the previous saga once more, this time looking at the Jedi. Met with this new order's biggest threat yet, they go through an identity crisis early on in the story - is committing to war truly something you can reconcile with being Jedi? Following Jacen Solo's journey of self-discovery, the reader and cast alike learned that you can meet the Universe and all its pain with fear, hatred or despair; or choose to meet it with love, and be astonished to learn that it loves you back. Everything in the Force is one, and to combat the Dark Side one does not need fear a bogeyman, but simply be cognizant of the self, and act. In harmony. In The Joiner King, this is interpreted as the jedi having lost their ways, adopting an ends-justify-the-means philosophy in which amoral acts are valid so long as they serve a higher purpose. Hogwash. Denning constructs a counter-textual strawman of the previous works and then tries to argue against it, ultimately wasting everyone's time in the process. This is The Joiner King's biggest problem, and one which reflects on its other elements as well. I stand by my opinion that this book does a good job with gradually developing its core themes, but to what degree can I truly commend that when the themes themselves are utter nonsense in any context but that of just this novel taken by itself? Oh, and if Han, Leia & co. are "merely" subverted in their characterization, then what happened to the Jedi is complete and utter character assassination. All I need to bring up here to make my point is that Cilghal Sure, Luke ultimately comes to the realization that doing evil stuff is, in fact, evil, but does that really matter? As with the problems with the characters, I can't help but reiterate: What is the point?
A short addendum to the jedi-characterization problem: One thing I found fascinating was just how pleasant Jacen came off compared to the rest of the cast. It is through his character that we are introduced to the concept of the Jedi having left utter moral righteousness, sure, but Jacen himself is never once singled out as a casualty of sorts of Vergere's supposed teachings. Instead, he's a Mystery Man, coming right off his five year sojourn with many an unorthodox Force ability at the ready. While interacting with others, he's polite, if not downright charming, as with little Ben Skywalker. As for the other Jedi, well, if anything Jacen disagrees with how they are handling things by arguing for a more mystical approach a la New Jedi Order, stealthily mocking Cilghal's scientific experiments in the process. Secondly, he speaks out for choosing to act, disagreeing with the Council's inertia. Finally, Jacen quotes what is a fairly NJO-friendly interpretation of the Force to another character, before being "ensnared" by their plotting. I'll talk about Jacen in the next big post-ROTJ novel series more when we get there, but for now, I have to say that while categorically too different from his TUF-self to be an exception to the rule of the Jedi being misrepresented here, this Jacen does not yet seem to embody what he was going to be in Denning's later work.
The Joiner King's controversial reception is well-deserved. Taken just by itself, this book works quite well: great pacing, a unique antagonist that raises interesting moral questions, and memorable descriptions make for a pleasant reading experience. This is a decent, if not good novel. However, what keeps it from reaching the same heights as Denning's previous work is just how adamant it is about subverting, if not cheapening what the New Jedi Order series built up. The characters are set back multiple novels, as are the Jedi, and the galaxy as a whole seems... different from what it was before. Still, the novel's a good read in of itself and makes me eager to pick up the next volume. Talk about ambivalence.
June 8, 2025
3,5
weirdest experience i've been through
weirdest experience i've been through
May 19, 2022
The Joiner King is the EU first novel set in a post-Yuuzhan-Vong-war galaxy and marks the onset of an exciting new trilogy. Flashing forward five years from the events of The Unifying Force, it quickly becomes apparent that while the Galactic Alliance is technically in a time of peace and regaining a sense of normalcy, there will always be conflict where heterogeneous species with different interests coexist.
Here, conflict takes place at the very fringes of the known galaxy, i.e. in the Unknown Regions. Hailed by a mysterious call, the surviving Jedi from the fateful mission to Myrkr stumble upon an incipient violent confrontation between the Chiss and a newly introduced insectoid species, the Killik. The Killik share a collective mind and, in their efforts to avoid a full-blown war, the young Jedi come perilously close to becoming “Joiners”, i.e. members of a different species that lose their sense of individuality and the ability to have private thoughts to the collective mind of the swarm. Although their motives in helping the Killik are honorable, the Jedi are also desperately needed for the Galactic Alliance’s reconstruction effort. Hence, this prolonged absence of a considerable number of Jedi Knights is seen critically by the Jedi Order such that a group of senior Jedi, lead by none other than Luke and Mara themselves, head to the Unknown Regions to get them back. On this mission they are accompanied by Han and Leia, who – for once – let their concern for their children come before their duties (ironic, as the children are fully grown now).
Such is the setup of a very promising Star Wars story, in which not everything is quite as it seems. As the story unfolds, more and more things clarify and a number of interesting and often surprising connections to the past are revealed. Denning even delves into the realms of psychology a little by contrasting the impact of the conscious and the unconscious mind on the Killik’s actions. These aspects are accompanied by numerous well-written and gripping action scenes and both aspects contribute to turning The Joiner King into a fascinating, very fast-paced read.
Right from the start it is clear this story greatly contrasts the preceding New Jedi Order series. To me, in many ways it felt like The Joiner King returns to familiar territory giving us a regular Star Wars adventure in line with those that precede the NJO series, which I found kind of refreshing. This novel is characterized by a lighter tone, its stakes are nowhere near as high, and rather than having our heroes deal with a menacing enemy that exists beyond the Force we are presented with a new species that, while mysterious, does not represent a real threat to the Jedi or the galaxy at large.
More striking than all of these aspects, however, is the time gap between the conclusion of the war and this story. It took me a moment to wrap my head around the fact that Han is now in his sixties (!), the Solo twins are actual adults, and Ben is a real person rather than a non-talking accessory. Yet, these changes are easy to get used to. Han has lost none of his charm or capabilities to his advanced age, the twins being grown there no longer is this unsettling quality about them getting involved so heavily, and Ben’s presence provides some comic relief while contributing greatly to humanizing Mara. I also like that we get to see Ben act like an actual child. Having closed himself off to the Force he is able to do so, heavily contrasting the Solo children, who – from infancy on – we have constantly seen knee deep in some Force-lead Jedi shenanigans.
Similarly, it is fascinating to see the kinds of abilities a now full-grown Jacen possesses. He has spent the five-year-gap alienated from his family travelling the galaxy to enhance his understanding of the Force (a very Jacen thing to do). This way he has learned techniques unheard-of even by Luke, most impressively the ability to conquer the confines of time by receiving an accurate image of past events and in a mind-boggling display being able to communicate across time. Jaina, in contrast, is not really presented in the best light here as she seems rather susceptible to the influence of the Killik’s collective mind.
There are only very few things I do not like about this novel or that I found bewildering. Off the top of my head I can really only list three very minor grievances.
For one, there is Saba’s fight with Welk. Yes, it is well-written, epic, and surprisingly gory. However, the whole motivation of Saba going in to kill Welk is questionable at best. Sure, she is a predator on the hunt. However, once she realizes her target is a sentient being, a Jedi on top of that, shouldn’t she look for a different prey? I highly doubt it is the Jedi way to just randomly kill another Jedi for the sport of it.
For another, while I love the fact that the Luke and Leia maternity question pops up (completely unexpectedly, too), I think it is handled in a rather strange way. In showing the holo of Padme, Denning deviates from how this question is handled in other EU material, thereby causing some continuity issues. If I recall correctly, up until now she was supposed to be a nameless Fallanassi. Personally, I don’t mind this breach with the previous explanation at all and think it is really cool to reference the prequels like that. Nevertheless, I seriously doubt that Leia would not immediately recognize Padme in the holo, especially once her name is mentioned. Given her upbringing in the Imperial Senate, I cannot believe Leia never once came across the name of a historical figure as important as Padme must be due to her role in the Clone Wars. Plus, while Bail of course never revealed her mother’s identity, given their close relationship and how great a role model she should make for Leia I think he definitely would have mentioned her.
Finally, I think Han’s preoccupation with letting Leia go to pursue bigger things is beyond stupid. Why would he even need to get a new co-pilot if she were to get back into politics? What is making him fly around the galaxy anyways? He no longer is a smuggler and thereby should be free to locate wherever he wants. It is crazy that he never considers for a second to just settle down somewhere if need be.
Looking past these very minor issues, The Joiner King is an absolutely solid, suspenseful Star Wars novel. It is well-written and features all of the central characters in a meaningful and well-balanced way. However, it is important to note that this book is relatively heavy on references to other EU material, especially the NJO series, most importantly The Unifying Force. So heavily so, that I think one would have a hard time enjoying this novel without having a rough understanding of this series. I think at a minimum the cornerstone novels (Vector Prime, Star by Star, The Unifying Force) need to have been read to be able to properly place all the characters and events referenced. Coming from the NJO series, The Joiner King feels new and fresh. I gladly recommend it and am really looking forward to the rest of the series.
Here, conflict takes place at the very fringes of the known galaxy, i.e. in the Unknown Regions. Hailed by a mysterious call, the surviving Jedi from the fateful mission to Myrkr stumble upon an incipient violent confrontation between the Chiss and a newly introduced insectoid species, the Killik. The Killik share a collective mind and, in their efforts to avoid a full-blown war, the young Jedi come perilously close to becoming “Joiners”, i.e. members of a different species that lose their sense of individuality and the ability to have private thoughts to the collective mind of the swarm. Although their motives in helping the Killik are honorable, the Jedi are also desperately needed for the Galactic Alliance’s reconstruction effort. Hence, this prolonged absence of a considerable number of Jedi Knights is seen critically by the Jedi Order such that a group of senior Jedi, lead by none other than Luke and Mara themselves, head to the Unknown Regions to get them back. On this mission they are accompanied by Han and Leia, who – for once – let their concern for their children come before their duties (ironic, as the children are fully grown now).
Such is the setup of a very promising Star Wars story, in which not everything is quite as it seems. As the story unfolds, more and more things clarify and a number of interesting and often surprising connections to the past are revealed. Denning even delves into the realms of psychology a little by contrasting the impact of the conscious and the unconscious mind on the Killik’s actions. These aspects are accompanied by numerous well-written and gripping action scenes and both aspects contribute to turning The Joiner King into a fascinating, very fast-paced read.
Right from the start it is clear this story greatly contrasts the preceding New Jedi Order series. To me, in many ways it felt like The Joiner King returns to familiar territory giving us a regular Star Wars adventure in line with those that precede the NJO series, which I found kind of refreshing. This novel is characterized by a lighter tone, its stakes are nowhere near as high, and rather than having our heroes deal with a menacing enemy that exists beyond the Force we are presented with a new species that, while mysterious, does not represent a real threat to the Jedi or the galaxy at large.
More striking than all of these aspects, however, is the time gap between the conclusion of the war and this story. It took me a moment to wrap my head around the fact that Han is now in his sixties (!), the Solo twins are actual adults, and Ben is a real person rather than a non-talking accessory. Yet, these changes are easy to get used to. Han has lost none of his charm or capabilities to his advanced age, the twins being grown there no longer is this unsettling quality about them getting involved so heavily, and Ben’s presence provides some comic relief while contributing greatly to humanizing Mara. I also like that we get to see Ben act like an actual child. Having closed himself off to the Force he is able to do so, heavily contrasting the Solo children, who – from infancy on – we have constantly seen knee deep in some Force-lead Jedi shenanigans.
Similarly, it is fascinating to see the kinds of abilities a now full-grown Jacen possesses. He has spent the five-year-gap alienated from his family travelling the galaxy to enhance his understanding of the Force (a very Jacen thing to do). This way he has learned techniques unheard-of even by Luke, most impressively the ability to conquer the confines of time by receiving an accurate image of past events and in a mind-boggling display being able to communicate across time. Jaina, in contrast, is not really presented in the best light here as she seems rather susceptible to the influence of the Killik’s collective mind.
There are only very few things I do not like about this novel or that I found bewildering. Off the top of my head I can really only list three very minor grievances.
For one, there is Saba’s fight with Welk. Yes, it is well-written, epic, and surprisingly gory. However, the whole motivation of Saba going in to kill Welk is questionable at best. Sure, she is a predator on the hunt. However, once she realizes her target is a sentient being, a Jedi on top of that, shouldn’t she look for a different prey? I highly doubt it is the Jedi way to just randomly kill another Jedi for the sport of it.
For another, while I love the fact that the Luke and Leia maternity question pops up (completely unexpectedly, too), I think it is handled in a rather strange way. In showing the holo of Padme, Denning deviates from how this question is handled in other EU material, thereby causing some continuity issues. If I recall correctly, up until now she was supposed to be a nameless Fallanassi. Personally, I don’t mind this breach with the previous explanation at all and think it is really cool to reference the prequels like that. Nevertheless, I seriously doubt that Leia would not immediately recognize Padme in the holo, especially once her name is mentioned. Given her upbringing in the Imperial Senate, I cannot believe Leia never once came across the name of a historical figure as important as Padme must be due to her role in the Clone Wars. Plus, while Bail of course never revealed her mother’s identity, given their close relationship and how great a role model she should make for Leia I think he definitely would have mentioned her.
Finally, I think Han’s preoccupation with letting Leia go to pursue bigger things is beyond stupid. Why would he even need to get a new co-pilot if she were to get back into politics? What is making him fly around the galaxy anyways? He no longer is a smuggler and thereby should be free to locate wherever he wants. It is crazy that he never considers for a second to just settle down somewhere if need be.
Looking past these very minor issues, The Joiner King is an absolutely solid, suspenseful Star Wars novel. It is well-written and features all of the central characters in a meaningful and well-balanced way. However, it is important to note that this book is relatively heavy on references to other EU material, especially the NJO series, most importantly The Unifying Force. So heavily so, that I think one would have a hard time enjoying this novel without having a rough understanding of this series. I think at a minimum the cornerstone novels (Vector Prime, Star by Star, The Unifying Force) need to have been read to be able to properly place all the characters and events referenced. Coming from the NJO series, The Joiner King feels new and fresh. I gladly recommend it and am really looking forward to the rest of the series.
September 10, 2016
5 stars
Nice to see Han, Luke, Leia, and Mara Jade again. Also Jaina and Jacen. Star Wars never gets old.
On back cover:
Luke Skywalker is worried. A handful of Jedi Knights, including his nephew and niece, Jaina and Jacen Solo, have disappeared into the Unknown Regions in response to a strange cry for help that only they could hear. Now the alien Chiss have angrily lodged a formal complaint, accusing the missing Jedi of meddling in a border dispute between the Chiss and an unidentified aggressor.
Luke has no choice but to head to the Unknown Regions fors serious damage control. Han and Leia follow, intent on protecting their children from what could be grave danger. But none of them are prepared for what they find when they reach their destination.
A colony of mysterious aliens is expanding toward the edge of Chiss space. The leader of the alien nest is absolute. Adept in the Force, he is drawing old friends to his side, compelling them to join the colony and meld their Force-abilities with his, even if it leads to an all-out war....
Would recommend this book for all fans of Star Wars and science fiction.
Can't wait to read more Star Wars books!!!
Nice to see Han, Luke, Leia, and Mara Jade again. Also Jaina and Jacen. Star Wars never gets old.
On back cover:
Luke Skywalker is worried. A handful of Jedi Knights, including his nephew and niece, Jaina and Jacen Solo, have disappeared into the Unknown Regions in response to a strange cry for help that only they could hear. Now the alien Chiss have angrily lodged a formal complaint, accusing the missing Jedi of meddling in a border dispute between the Chiss and an unidentified aggressor.
Luke has no choice but to head to the Unknown Regions fors serious damage control. Han and Leia follow, intent on protecting their children from what could be grave danger. But none of them are prepared for what they find when they reach their destination.
A colony of mysterious aliens is expanding toward the edge of Chiss space. The leader of the alien nest is absolute. Adept in the Force, he is drawing old friends to his side, compelling them to join the colony and meld their Force-abilities with his, even if it leads to an all-out war....
Would recommend this book for all fans of Star Wars and science fiction.
Can't wait to read more Star Wars books!!!
January 7, 2020
I've been reading the old Legends Star Wars novels in chronological order, so I read this one immediately after finishing the New Jedi Order. After 19 consecutive novels from that series all dealing with a single enemy (the Yuuzhan Vong invasion) it was fun to see such a very different enemy; in fact, a very different type of enemy than we've seen in Star Wars in general. At times this novel delves into a more sciencey type of science-fiction than we're normally accustomed to from this franchise, particularly when the Jedi study the biological effect that the Killik have in reshaping the brains of their subjects. It's an interesting and refreshing change of pace, but it also leaves plenty of room for traditional Star Wars action and the further development of the characters we all know and love. It was also great to see Denning take characters whose fates were left open-ended in Star By Star (and whose fates I would not have been surprised to have seen remain open-ended) and not only explain what became of them, but integrate them into this new trilogy in unexpected and satisfying ways.
October 20, 2008
Meh. Typical Star Wars novel, but far more convoluted. Denning creates a whole new species in the Unknown Regions, about the only place you can do that in the Star Wars Universe these days, that is a hive mind and in conflict with the Chiss Empire. The problem is that the Killik hive mind has been attracting young Jedi to join their cause, causing them to lose their identity in the process. Denning models the species behavior on modern psychological understandings of the conscious and unconscious mind. But the whole explanation is never really clear and the relationship between the nests and which nests actually control the Will of the species is really confusing. Waiting for an improvement in the second book.
August 12, 2013
I just read the last few chapters after not reading this for almost a year. I just wanted it done, so I could move on in the series. The parts I did read were ok, but I'm really hoping that the series gets better.
March 15, 2025
5 years after the end of the Vong war, all the surviving jedi from the Myrkr mission get summoned out to the Unknown Reigons after hearing a call through the force. It turns out Raynar Thul, a jedi from the mission who got kidnapped by the dark jedi, survived and is now the "leader" of an insect species called the killiks. They have been expanding their territory towards Chiss space and now the Chiss are threating all out war unless they stop. The jedi decide to stay with the insects, having been brainwashed into becoming part of the hive mind thanks to their over-use of the mind-meld during Myrkr. The Chiss complain to the Galactic Alliance, GA Chief of State Omas complains to the Jedi, and Luke, Mara, Han, and Leia are forced to go find them. Along the way, they discover the dark jedi, Welk and Lomi Plo, also survived thanks to Raynar and they took over another nest and used their powers to influence the main next, creating a "Dark Nest". The Chiss end up attacking the colony and the insects are defended by the Hapans, led by Tenal Kal in exchange for convincing Jacen to sleep with her. (Seriously). Han and Leia manage to ease tensions by announcing that they found a new set of worlds for the killiks, far from Chiss territory, and Luke and Mara route out the Dark Nest and kill thousands of "Dark Killiks". Oh, and there's yet another jedi schism, Ben (Luke and Mara's son) is afraid of the force, and Han picks up a potential new co-pilot.
Within the first 100 pages of this new trilogy, Troy Denning gets right to work undoing all the changes from the New Jedi Order series. Suddenly, the "New Way" is evil, Jaina and Jagged Fel are broken up and she's hooking up with Zekk, Kyp Dorran is back to his old smug ways, there's fighting between the jedi masters, the Galactic Alliance is ineffectual and hostile towards the jedi, and the young knights are back to acting like petulant teenagers. Honestly, I don't know who in Lucasfilms gave him the right to be the spearhead for the EU from 2006-2014, but they made a bad call. Sorry, but Troy has no understanding of the Force and his writing of the characters is simplified at best, and restrictive and a step back at worst. He really seems to hate Kyp for some reason, he has no idea how to write Luke and Mara as being an ACTUAL loving couple (if you didn't know they were married, you'd think they didn't care for each other the way Troy writes. I honestly believe he [and a bunch of other authors from Lucasfilms] didn't like them getting married), and he inserts his own opinions about how the NJO series ended into the book, which makes it even worse. The worst part is knowing that I've got two more books to get through in this trilogy, to say nothing of the rest of the "Denning-verse".
Probably the only good thing was the little time he talked about Jacen's force journey, and some of the new techniques and views he learned. However, even then Troy barely touches on that, almost like Jacen isn't even relevant to the story. Jacen went from a main character to a cameo appearance.
Within the first 100 pages of this new trilogy, Troy Denning gets right to work undoing all the changes from the New Jedi Order series. Suddenly, the "New Way" is evil, Jaina and Jagged Fel are broken up and she's hooking up with Zekk, Kyp Dorran is back to his old smug ways, there's fighting between the jedi masters, the Galactic Alliance is ineffectual and hostile towards the jedi, and the young knights are back to acting like petulant teenagers. Honestly, I don't know who in Lucasfilms gave him the right to be the spearhead for the EU from 2006-2014, but they made a bad call. Sorry, but Troy has no understanding of the Force and his writing of the characters is simplified at best, and restrictive and a step back at worst. He really seems to hate Kyp for some reason, he has no idea how to write Luke and Mara as being an ACTUAL loving couple (if you didn't know they were married, you'd think they didn't care for each other the way Troy writes. I honestly believe he [and a bunch of other authors from Lucasfilms] didn't like them getting married), and he inserts his own opinions about how the NJO series ended into the book, which makes it even worse. The worst part is knowing that I've got two more books to get through in this trilogy, to say nothing of the rest of the "Denning-verse".
Probably the only good thing was the little time he talked about Jacen's force journey, and some of the new techniques and views he learned. However, even then Troy barely touches on that, almost like Jacen isn't even relevant to the story. Jacen went from a main character to a cameo appearance.
November 23, 2019
Troy Denning wrote the New Jedi Order book Star by Star, which I found tedious. The Joiner King picks up several years after the end of the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, and Denning brings in many of the characters from that previous novel. In this story, the first installment of a new trilogy, some of the young Jedi who were on the Myrkr mission feel called to the Unknown Regions, where they get involved with a colony of sentient but hive-minded insects who have a border dispute with the Chiss. When the Chiss complain about the Jedi's involvement to the Jedi Council, Luke, Mara, Han, and Leia head to the Unknown Regions to check things out.
Like Denning's earlier Star Wars book, I found this to be long and meandering. There are incidents and action scenes, but they don't always seem to add up to anything. The elder generation of heroes are attacked by mysterious blue insects whose existence the rest of the Colony denies. The attacks are a mystery to be resolved later, but instead they feel like a red herring. The fact that the young Jedi are becoming part of the hive mind as they serve the insects also feels like a distraction - and it's a thread that never fully resolves. The various pieces of the plot never coalesce the way I wanted them to.
One of the big moments in the book reveals the survival of a character from Star by Star, a character I barely remember despite having read the book recently. Denning supposes a level of intimacy and engagement with the earlier story that I simply don't have. And perhaps that is part of my issue with the current book.
I also don't care for the level of violence in Denning's books. He puts his characters through serious punishment (one character has half of their skull removed and survives) and some of the action scenes near the end of the book are panoramas of bloodshed and chaos. I have never seen a Star Wars writer use the word "gore" quite so often. Meh. Not my cup of tea, I guess.
This book isn't horrible, but it didn't inspire me. If the rest of the trilogy is like this, I'll be happy to finish it and leave these bugs behind.
Like Denning's earlier Star Wars book, I found this to be long and meandering. There are incidents and action scenes, but they don't always seem to add up to anything. The elder generation of heroes are attacked by mysterious blue insects whose existence the rest of the Colony denies. The attacks are a mystery to be resolved later, but instead they feel like a red herring. The fact that the young Jedi are becoming part of the hive mind as they serve the insects also feels like a distraction - and it's a thread that never fully resolves. The various pieces of the plot never coalesce the way I wanted them to.
One of the big moments in the book reveals the survival of a character from Star by Star, a character I barely remember despite having read the book recently. Denning supposes a level of intimacy and engagement with the earlier story that I simply don't have. And perhaps that is part of my issue with the current book.
I also don't care for the level of violence in Denning's books. He puts his characters through serious punishment (one character has half of their skull removed and survives) and some of the action scenes near the end of the book are panoramas of bloodshed and chaos. I have never seen a Star Wars writer use the word "gore" quite so often. Meh. Not my cup of tea, I guess.
This book isn't horrible, but it didn't inspire me. If the rest of the trilogy is like this, I'll be happy to finish it and leave these bugs behind.
July 10, 2023
How do you follow the epic conclusion of The Unifying Force? That is the question everyone will ask themselves after finishing the New Jedi Order and seeing that there are several additional novels following, what many would argue is, the true ending for Star Wars. Troy Denning's Joiner King attempts to continue adventures for our characters, but he unfortunately had to follow up on James Luceno's conclusion and he comes up short. Using a plot thread from Star by Star and Ghost of Tatooine, The Joiner King tries to present the next great crisis for the Galaxy.
Denning is able to present some characters in a good light, such as Han and Leia, but the way he handles Jaina and Zekk is questionable at best. The plot is very thin in this novel and isn't very much to catch your attention. There is a brewing war in the border of the Unknown Region and it escalates to Galactic Crisis because...five Jedi Knights are in the area. This crisis is presented with high stakes for the galaxy, but the build up and importance of the conflict pales in comparison to the Black Fleet Trilogy Crisis.
The novel takes place five years after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War and doesn't do much to explain that five year gap. Jacen's five year odyssey into exploring the nature of the Force would have made a much more compelling and interesting novel. Tahiri, for example, spent several years in Zonama Sekot and that's all the explanation we get for her last five years; a novel exploring her interactions with the Yuuzhan Vong during those years would have been much more productive than this novel.
It isn't Denning's worst novel ( Ghost of Tatooine), but it isn't as good as Star by Star. Ultimately, this first novel of the Dark Nest Trilogy/ Swarm War Trilogy doesn't present much to capture readers to invest in the trilogy, even though characters from the Young Jedi Knights take a more active role in this novel. You should only invest in reading the novel-and trilogy so far-if you're a completionist and need to read each Star Wars novel.
Denning is able to present some characters in a good light, such as Han and Leia, but the way he handles Jaina and Zekk is questionable at best. The plot is very thin in this novel and isn't very much to catch your attention. There is a brewing war in the border of the Unknown Region and it escalates to Galactic Crisis because...five Jedi Knights are in the area. This crisis is presented with high stakes for the galaxy, but the build up and importance of the conflict pales in comparison to the Black Fleet Trilogy Crisis.
The novel takes place five years after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War and doesn't do much to explain that five year gap. Jacen's five year odyssey into exploring the nature of the Force would have made a much more compelling and interesting novel. Tahiri, for example, spent several years in Zonama Sekot and that's all the explanation we get for her last five years; a novel exploring her interactions with the Yuuzhan Vong during those years would have been much more productive than this novel.
It isn't Denning's worst novel ( Ghost of Tatooine), but it isn't as good as Star by Star. Ultimately, this first novel of the Dark Nest Trilogy/ Swarm War Trilogy doesn't present much to capture readers to invest in the trilogy, even though characters from the Young Jedi Knights take a more active role in this novel. You should only invest in reading the novel-and trilogy so far-if you're a completionist and need to read each Star Wars novel.
November 23, 2018
[cue John Williams' theme]
EPISODE ! - THE NEXUS OF NOSTALGIA
NEARLY A FULL DECADE HAS ELAPSED
SINCE OUR HERO LAST READ A NOVEL
FROM THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE. SEEKING
TO REKINDLE HIS LOVE FOR A GALAXY FROM
A LONG TIME AGO AND FAR, FAR AWAY, HE
AGREED, AT THE BEHEST OF A CO-WORKER,
TO RESUME READING THE EXPANDED
UNIVERSE NOVELS RELEASED AFTER THE
UNSATISFYING 'NEW JEDI ORDER' SERIES,
TO WHICH THE DARK NEST TRILOGY IS
SADLY AND INEXTRICABLY LINKED.
JOINER KING, THE FIRST OF THE TRILOGY,
WAS A SAD REMINDER TO OUR HERO OF THE
WEAKNESSES OF MANY A STAR WARS NOVEL:
DOGFIGHTS, LIGHTSABER DUELS, ONE-
DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS, AND REFERENCES
TO JOKES FROM THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY. ALL
ABOUND IN THIS STALE, PLOT-BASED CIRCUS
FROM OCCASIONAL STAR WARS CONTRIBUTOR
AND DARK LORD OF THE SHIT, TROY DENNING.
UNCERTAIN OF THE MERITS OF HIS PAST
INTEREST IN STAR WARS, OUR HERO ASKS
HIMSELF IF DENNING WAS "ONE OF THE
BAD ONES," THOSE AUTHORS WHO WOULD
OCCASIONALLY DEFECATE UPON THE EXPANDED
UNIVERSE TO THE WOE OF ALL COMPLETISTS.
BEGRUDGINGLY FINISHING JOINER KING, OUR
HERO REMAINED FIRM IN HIS MASOCHISTIC
RESOLVE TO SEE THE DARK NEST TRILOGY OUT
AND "WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER."
AS IF TO CONSOLE OUR HERO AND REWARD
HIS SUFFERING THROUGH BOOK 1, THE MASS-
MARKET PAPERBACK INCLUDES A NJO-ERA
SHORT STORY CALLED "YLESIA" BY WALTER
JON WILLIAMS. THOUGH IT STILL LEFT
SOMETHING TO BE DESIRED, "YLESIA," WHEN
COMPARED TO THE BOOK IT APPENDS, IS A
FUN ENTRY IN THE EXPANDED UNIVERSE
WHICH THANKFULLY MANAGES TO COMPLETELY
EXCLUDE ALL OF THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY'S
PROTAGONISTS, THUS PROVING THAT SAID
PROTAGONISTS ARE NOT VITAL TO THE
SUCCESS OF A STAR WARS STORY, A FACT
WHICH AUTHORS SUCH AS MICHAEL STACKPOLE
REALIZED YEARS AGO.
EPISODE ! - THE NEXUS OF NOSTALGIA
NEARLY A FULL DECADE HAS ELAPSED
SINCE OUR HERO LAST READ A NOVEL
FROM THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE. SEEKING
TO REKINDLE HIS LOVE FOR A GALAXY FROM
A LONG TIME AGO AND FAR, FAR AWAY, HE
AGREED, AT THE BEHEST OF A CO-WORKER,
TO RESUME READING THE EXPANDED
UNIVERSE NOVELS RELEASED AFTER THE
UNSATISFYING 'NEW JEDI ORDER' SERIES,
TO WHICH THE DARK NEST TRILOGY IS
SADLY AND INEXTRICABLY LINKED.
JOINER KING, THE FIRST OF THE TRILOGY,
WAS A SAD REMINDER TO OUR HERO OF THE
WEAKNESSES OF MANY A STAR WARS NOVEL:
DOGFIGHTS, LIGHTSABER DUELS, ONE-
DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS, AND REFERENCES
TO JOKES FROM THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY. ALL
ABOUND IN THIS STALE, PLOT-BASED CIRCUS
FROM OCCASIONAL STAR WARS CONTRIBUTOR
AND DARK LORD OF THE SHIT, TROY DENNING.
UNCERTAIN OF THE MERITS OF HIS PAST
INTEREST IN STAR WARS, OUR HERO ASKS
HIMSELF IF DENNING WAS "ONE OF THE
BAD ONES," THOSE AUTHORS WHO WOULD
OCCASIONALLY DEFECATE UPON THE EXPANDED
UNIVERSE TO THE WOE OF ALL COMPLETISTS.
BEGRUDGINGLY FINISHING JOINER KING, OUR
HERO REMAINED FIRM IN HIS MASOCHISTIC
RESOLVE TO SEE THE DARK NEST TRILOGY OUT
AND "WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER."
AS IF TO CONSOLE OUR HERO AND REWARD
HIS SUFFERING THROUGH BOOK 1, THE MASS-
MARKET PAPERBACK INCLUDES A NJO-ERA
SHORT STORY CALLED "YLESIA" BY WALTER
JON WILLIAMS. THOUGH IT STILL LEFT
SOMETHING TO BE DESIRED, "YLESIA," WHEN
COMPARED TO THE BOOK IT APPENDS, IS A
FUN ENTRY IN THE EXPANDED UNIVERSE
WHICH THANKFULLY MANAGES TO COMPLETELY
EXCLUDE ALL OF THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY'S
PROTAGONISTS, THUS PROVING THAT SAID
PROTAGONISTS ARE NOT VITAL TO THE
SUCCESS OF A STAR WARS STORY, A FACT
WHICH AUTHORS SUCH AS MICHAEL STACKPOLE
REALIZED YEARS AGO.
May 9, 2023
Things got buggy!
This a “Star Wars” prose novel which is part of the “Dark Nest Trilogy” book series.
This trilogy is no longer canon of the “Star Wars” expanded universe but now considered as “Legends”.
BUG TROUBLES
This trilogy is set 6 years after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War.
Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo along with some others, aboard of the Jade Shadow and the Millenium Falcon, joined forces to look for Jaina Solo, Jacen Solo, Lowbacca and others young Jedi Knights which they are out-of-contact and possibly dealing with the Killiks, an insectoid race located too close of the Chiss Ascendancy frontier borders at the Unknown Regions, but also the Yuuzhan Vong are questioning why there is a Jedi team operating without Jedi Council approval in that volatile location.
Obviously the situation can escalate easily fast putting at risk the fragile new peace in the galaxy.
And certainly the Killiks aren’t going for any good intentions and the mental safety of the young Jedi Knights team is in peril.
This first book is setting the socio-political situation and the first encounters of Luke and company group against this Killik race, but hardly there is any big scenarion action, BUT I am sure there will be on the other two books of the trilogy.
While the cover of this first book is cool, I have to admit that my very reasons to engage into reading this now non-canon trilogy was due the awesome cool covers of the second and third book where you will find Leia using a lightsaber and Luke shooting Force lightnings!
So, while you shouldn’t judge a book for its cover, certainly cool covers sell books!
This a “Star Wars” prose novel which is part of the “Dark Nest Trilogy” book series.
This trilogy is no longer canon of the “Star Wars” expanded universe but now considered as “Legends”.
BUG TROUBLES
This trilogy is set 6 years after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War.
Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo along with some others, aboard of the Jade Shadow and the Millenium Falcon, joined forces to look for Jaina Solo, Jacen Solo, Lowbacca and others young Jedi Knights which they are out-of-contact and possibly dealing with the Killiks, an insectoid race located too close of the Chiss Ascendancy frontier borders at the Unknown Regions, but also the Yuuzhan Vong are questioning why there is a Jedi team operating without Jedi Council approval in that volatile location.
Obviously the situation can escalate easily fast putting at risk the fragile new peace in the galaxy.
And certainly the Killiks aren’t going for any good intentions and the mental safety of the young Jedi Knights team is in peril.
This first book is setting the socio-political situation and the first encounters of Luke and company group against this Killik race, but hardly there is any big scenarion action, BUT I am sure there will be on the other two books of the trilogy.
While the cover of this first book is cool, I have to admit that my very reasons to engage into reading this now non-canon trilogy was due the awesome cool covers of the second and third book where you will find Leia using a lightsaber and Luke shooting Force lightnings!
So, while you shouldn’t judge a book for its cover, certainly cool covers sell books!
February 17, 2023
Getting around to adding this to Goodreads and writing my review several months after finishing this book so this will be more of lingering impressions rather than an immediate reaction.
This is the first Star Wars novel I have ever read, having picked up a free copy randomly. I am a fan of the Star Wars movies but no die-hard aficionado by any means. There's quite a bit of backstory for all the major characters that would be found in previously published books. However, I didn't find that too much of an obstacle to my enjoyment of this book on its own.
Although there are several plot lines to jump back and forth between, I found the book very engaging and fun to read. An interesting cast of alien races involved, the ant-like Krillik being very interesting in particular. Plenty of action sequences, some good mysteries to be solved. An interesting (if somewhat broad) cast of characters. One thing I wasn't expecting to find was the exploration of relativistic morality and all the implications and complications of that. Really some deep stuff to contemplate stuck into the pages of a sci-fi adventure!
As this is the first part of the Dark Nest series, the book by necessity lacks a nicely wrapped up conclusion, but the climactic action sequence was top notch in my opinion.
A very enjoyable read for me. Sooner or later I intend to pick up the next book in the series!
This is the first Star Wars novel I have ever read, having picked up a free copy randomly. I am a fan of the Star Wars movies but no die-hard aficionado by any means. There's quite a bit of backstory for all the major characters that would be found in previously published books. However, I didn't find that too much of an obstacle to my enjoyment of this book on its own.
Although there are several plot lines to jump back and forth between, I found the book very engaging and fun to read. An interesting cast of alien races involved, the ant-like Krillik being very interesting in particular. Plenty of action sequences, some good mysteries to be solved. An interesting (if somewhat broad) cast of characters. One thing I wasn't expecting to find was the exploration of relativistic morality and all the implications and complications of that. Really some deep stuff to contemplate stuck into the pages of a sci-fi adventure!
As this is the first part of the Dark Nest series, the book by necessity lacks a nicely wrapped up conclusion, but the climactic action sequence was top notch in my opinion.
A very enjoyable read for me. Sooner or later I intend to pick up the next book in the series!
October 9, 2013
Star Wars: Dark Nest I- The Joiner King by Troy Denning. Five stars.
A surprisingly complex EU novel overshadowed by many in the fanbase.
Troy Denning earned task of writing the first post-New Jedi Order novel while preparing the groundwork for Legacy of the Force. In the large New Jedi Order-Legacy of the Force-Fate of the Jedi meta arc Dark Nest the short breather between parts one and two. The Joiner King is an accomplished first act in Del Rey’s most underrated series.
The Joiner King examines the mental fallout of the Yuuzhan Vong War five years after the war’s conclusion. Welk, Lomi Plo, and Raynar Thule, the main joiners at the center of the Colony and the titular Dark Nest, are physically scarred survivors of the Myrkyr mission from Star by Star while the other Young Jedi Knights carry the emotional scars. One of New Jedi Order’s central themes was the coming of age of the Young Jedi Knights’ generation. Notice how the joiners in the novel are suffering from existential ennui once the Vong War concluded. Jaina Solo starts her fat Lee Adama stage in this novel since she is a soldier who lost her war and her way. Jacen Solo and Tenel Ka as the two Myrkyr survivors who successfully resist the Colony’s call is an interesting choice, given their love child is conceived in The Joiner King. Jacen’s independence during his five year sojourn and Tenel Ka’s elevation to Hapan Queen Mother forced each of them to move on with their lives, but if this is for good or evil is too be seen in the continuing storyline.
Each of the Dark Nest novels focuses on a member of the big three, as shown by their appearance on the cover art. Han is The Joiner King’s pivot. Of the Big Three, Han has had the worst characterization in the post-ROTJ EU. Too many writers want to peg Han back into his Empire Strikes Back portrayal. Han as an old cranky man is humorous in a self-referential way given Harrison’s persona as an old cranky man, but the character suffers from little dramatic umph. Denning utilizes this interpretation of Han as a guiding light for the novel. Take Han’s dislike for bug species. Most writers would use this as a one shot joke referring to Indiana Jones. However, Denning uses Han’s reactions to the Killik, stemming from a religious racket Han started turned bad, as a post to use Han’s mild racism (or specieism?). Moreover, Han is very funny in this novel. His reference to breaking Raynar Thul’s mother’s heart, an event Luke or Leia is unaware of, is a great joke revealing Han’s character. On the whole, Denning employs a lot of humor to lighten the dynamics of the Chiss-Killik border conflict.
Luke must face the philosophical implications of the Jedi Order’s adoption of the Potentium over the traditional light dark dualism. Take Luke’s authorization of torture on the Jedi joiners to deduce the full effects of the Killik joining process. Luke watching Master Clighal inflict pain on Jedi he personally trained is a well-crafted scene illustrating his internal doubts against the necessity of the Alliance’s need to resolve the conflict between the Chiss and the Killik erupts into a full scale war. Additionally, Luke’s temporary aging after he uses the Force to create physical illusions is a nice stand-in for the sickness started to influence the Jedi besides setting a recurring motif in Dark Nest and Legacy of the Force.
Given the novel was released after Revenge of the Sith Denning is able to include the Artoo subplot revealing Padme’s identity to Luke and Leia. Artoo possessing actual character traits aside, the interludes allow Luke to gain some insight on his father’s mental disposition as a means resolve the conflicts of the present. Nice touch by Denning to include this in an artful manner.
Denning suffers an undeserved reputation for creating confusing battle scenes which leave the reader unable to follow the flow. No, Denning crafts intelligent and thought duels second only to Stover. The two times Welk appears in combat the blocking of the scenes forces the Jedi defenders, Saba Sebatyne and later Luke, to utilize actual strategy instead of mere blunt force. Mara’s duel with the Gorog on Ossus is an intense and humorous exchange. The two’s temporary ceasefire when Ben arrives is remincient of the opening fight in Kill Bill Vol 1. Perhaps Denning’s martial arts background is a reason for his unique interpretation of the lightsaber duel. Whatever reason he creates exceptional combat situations.
Cal Omas’ narrative arc turns into murky territory. His introduction in New Jedi Order is a strong supporter of the Jedi Order and opposition to the Yuuzhan Vong no matter the costs. The Omas in The Joiner King is a wearied, more experienced, more pragmatic politician. A comparison can be made to how history would have viewed Abraham Lincoln if he lived during Reconstruction. Most heads of state in the Expanded Universe are either paragons of morality or power hungry despots. Omas’ characterization in The Joiner King and the rest of the trilogy is the EU’s most nuance and realistic portrayal of a politician. Omas wants to finish the reconstruction of the galaxy after the Yuuzhan Vong War, and he wants the galaxy to stay in peace. His reference to a Jedi budget is his best line. One of the main advantages the novel form has over a film is prose’s ability to go deeper into issues than a film. Denning is one of the few EU writers to truly recognize this. From an outside perspective Omas is completely correct in his frustration at the seemingly autonomous actions of the Jedi Order. Kudos to Denning for making the EU readership stop for a couple seconds to think something over.
Dark Nest I: The Joiner King is an excellent novel starting an excellent series. Rereading the Dark Nest trilogy has been a pleasure. I highly recommend readers to pick up this novel, and for people dissatisfied with the trilogy initially given Dark Nest deserves a second look. The Killik are simply McGuffins, something for the heroes to shoot at. A rare five out of five for me.
A surprisingly complex EU novel overshadowed by many in the fanbase.
Troy Denning earned task of writing the first post-New Jedi Order novel while preparing the groundwork for Legacy of the Force. In the large New Jedi Order-Legacy of the Force-Fate of the Jedi meta arc Dark Nest the short breather between parts one and two. The Joiner King is an accomplished first act in Del Rey’s most underrated series.
The Joiner King examines the mental fallout of the Yuuzhan Vong War five years after the war’s conclusion. Welk, Lomi Plo, and Raynar Thule, the main joiners at the center of the Colony and the titular Dark Nest, are physically scarred survivors of the Myrkyr mission from Star by Star while the other Young Jedi Knights carry the emotional scars. One of New Jedi Order’s central themes was the coming of age of the Young Jedi Knights’ generation. Notice how the joiners in the novel are suffering from existential ennui once the Vong War concluded. Jaina Solo starts her fat Lee Adama stage in this novel since she is a soldier who lost her war and her way. Jacen Solo and Tenel Ka as the two Myrkyr survivors who successfully resist the Colony’s call is an interesting choice, given their love child is conceived in The Joiner King. Jacen’s independence during his five year sojourn and Tenel Ka’s elevation to Hapan Queen Mother forced each of them to move on with their lives, but if this is for good or evil is too be seen in the continuing storyline.
Each of the Dark Nest novels focuses on a member of the big three, as shown by their appearance on the cover art. Han is The Joiner King’s pivot. Of the Big Three, Han has had the worst characterization in the post-ROTJ EU. Too many writers want to peg Han back into his Empire Strikes Back portrayal. Han as an old cranky man is humorous in a self-referential way given Harrison’s persona as an old cranky man, but the character suffers from little dramatic umph. Denning utilizes this interpretation of Han as a guiding light for the novel. Take Han’s dislike for bug species. Most writers would use this as a one shot joke referring to Indiana Jones. However, Denning uses Han’s reactions to the Killik, stemming from a religious racket Han started turned bad, as a post to use Han’s mild racism (or specieism?). Moreover, Han is very funny in this novel. His reference to breaking Raynar Thul’s mother’s heart, an event Luke or Leia is unaware of, is a great joke revealing Han’s character. On the whole, Denning employs a lot of humor to lighten the dynamics of the Chiss-Killik border conflict.
Luke must face the philosophical implications of the Jedi Order’s adoption of the Potentium over the traditional light dark dualism. Take Luke’s authorization of torture on the Jedi joiners to deduce the full effects of the Killik joining process. Luke watching Master Clighal inflict pain on Jedi he personally trained is a well-crafted scene illustrating his internal doubts against the necessity of the Alliance’s need to resolve the conflict between the Chiss and the Killik erupts into a full scale war. Additionally, Luke’s temporary aging after he uses the Force to create physical illusions is a nice stand-in for the sickness started to influence the Jedi besides setting a recurring motif in Dark Nest and Legacy of the Force.
Given the novel was released after Revenge of the Sith Denning is able to include the Artoo subplot revealing Padme’s identity to Luke and Leia. Artoo possessing actual character traits aside, the interludes allow Luke to gain some insight on his father’s mental disposition as a means resolve the conflicts of the present. Nice touch by Denning to include this in an artful manner.
Denning suffers an undeserved reputation for creating confusing battle scenes which leave the reader unable to follow the flow. No, Denning crafts intelligent and thought duels second only to Stover. The two times Welk appears in combat the blocking of the scenes forces the Jedi defenders, Saba Sebatyne and later Luke, to utilize actual strategy instead of mere blunt force. Mara’s duel with the Gorog on Ossus is an intense and humorous exchange. The two’s temporary ceasefire when Ben arrives is remincient of the opening fight in Kill Bill Vol 1. Perhaps Denning’s martial arts background is a reason for his unique interpretation of the lightsaber duel. Whatever reason he creates exceptional combat situations.
Cal Omas’ narrative arc turns into murky territory. His introduction in New Jedi Order is a strong supporter of the Jedi Order and opposition to the Yuuzhan Vong no matter the costs. The Omas in The Joiner King is a wearied, more experienced, more pragmatic politician. A comparison can be made to how history would have viewed Abraham Lincoln if he lived during Reconstruction. Most heads of state in the Expanded Universe are either paragons of morality or power hungry despots. Omas’ characterization in The Joiner King and the rest of the trilogy is the EU’s most nuance and realistic portrayal of a politician. Omas wants to finish the reconstruction of the galaxy after the Yuuzhan Vong War, and he wants the galaxy to stay in peace. His reference to a Jedi budget is his best line. One of the main advantages the novel form has over a film is prose’s ability to go deeper into issues than a film. Denning is one of the few EU writers to truly recognize this. From an outside perspective Omas is completely correct in his frustration at the seemingly autonomous actions of the Jedi Order. Kudos to Denning for making the EU readership stop for a couple seconds to think something over.
Dark Nest I: The Joiner King is an excellent novel starting an excellent series. Rereading the Dark Nest trilogy has been a pleasure. I highly recommend readers to pick up this novel, and for people dissatisfied with the trilogy initially given Dark Nest deserves a second look. The Killik are simply McGuffins, something for the heroes to shoot at. A rare five out of five for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews