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Star Wars: The New Jedi Order #3
Dark Tide II: Ruin
The alien Yuuzhan Vong have launched an attack on the worlds of the Outer Rim. They are merciless, without regard for life - and they stand utterly outside the Force. Their ever-changing tactics stump the New Republic military. Even the Jedi, once the greatest guardians of peace in the galaxy, are rendered helpless by this impervious foe - and their solidarity has begun to unravel.
While Luke struggles to keep the Jedi together, Knights Jacen Solo and Corran Horn set off on a reconnaissance mission to the planet Garqi, an occupied world. There, at last, they uncover a secret that might be used to undermine the enemy - if only they can stay alive long enough to use it!
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!
While Luke struggles to keep the Jedi together, Knights Jacen Solo and Corran Horn set off on a reconnaissance mission to the planet Garqi, an occupied world. There, at last, they uncover a secret that might be used to undermine the enemy - if only they can stay alive long enough to use it!
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!
292 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2000
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June 18, 2009
"Well, it is only Star Wars," I tell myself as I review my complaints with Dark Tide 1 & 2. Half of me views Star Wars as something extra-literary, a thing of high mythology, but also trivial as bubble gum. To that half, it makes no more sense to critique Star Wars than it does to critique Homer's Illiad or a Saturday morning cartoon. What would be the point? Somewhere between irrelevancy and pure silliness lies any serious critique of Star Wars.
But so what if it's "just" Star Wars? The other half of me makes no excuses for the Holy Trilogy, and that half of me inevitably wins.
So, on the plus side, Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin Solo are interesting characters. Each is taking a diverging Jedi path that complements their family history and allows for a new spin. Jacen struggles with favoring the contemplative and monastic sides of the Jedi over his combative duties. Jaina pursues her career as a full time X Wing pilot for the legendary Rogue Squadron, and faces challenges fitting in as both a Jedi and the famous offspring of the Galaxy's "first family". Anakin seems perhaps the most talented Jedi of the Solo children, and the wisest, too. But his sensitive nature cripples him with guilt and grief over his role in Chewbacca's death.
On the other hand, the Solo children are the only interesting characters. Han is almost entirely irrelevant, understood to be drowning his sorrows over Chewbacca. Since Han is apparently such a one-dimensional person, Chewbacca's death is the only variable in his life. So he sits around passively depressed... for two whole books. What presence Leia has is dominated by politicking and exposition. Saddest of all is the flattening of the Skywalkers, Luke and Mara. Luke is the wooden voice of reason and compromise. The usually wonderful Mara, Emperor's assassin turned firebrand Jedi, serves only to prop up Anakin's character, providing him confidence and conscience. Besides the Solo children, the only character with even a hint of a developing arc is that of Ganner Rhysode, dashing and arrogant Jedi who humbles himself after learning the true meaning of Christmas or something. Seriously, his change of heart is so unambiguous and simplistic it's even not worth discussing.
After three books in the New Jedi Order series, I find the Yuuzhan Vong a thoroughly uncompelling villainous race, with little more depth than Darth Maul. The Vong's dogmatic anti-technology crusade is never explored to even the slightest satisfaction, even when a couple of Vong serve as primary point-of-view characters. That the Force is impotent against them strikes me only as a cop-out, as if someone (Lucas, Salvatore, or Stackpole) simply got bored with the Jedi approach to conflict and decided to nullify their raison d'être for the duration of the New Jedi Order series. And then there's the Vong's use of black holes for shielding. The amount of B.S. technobabble and rulemaking that idea necessitated only serves to rob the Vong of credibility in my eyes.
A villain should have a method to his madness. He should present not just a threat, but a credible one (e.g. Thrawn). The villains and conflict in Star Wars are best embodied in the Dark Side of the Force: any of us could be a Darth Vader or a Palpatine, metaphorically speaking, if we give ourselves over to the easy, seductive, quick route to satisfaction. We can quibble over which virtues and vices lead to Dark Side or Light, and how, but that we could quibble at all says something about the interestingness and universality of that conflict. We all walk that line between good and evil. But the Vong do not.
And so for that reason I question whether the Yuuzhan Vong could possibly be redeemed as a credible Star Wars villain. They're so darkly sado-masochistic, so personally violent, and so mindlessly aloof to the good vs. evil dualism, that they have no place to fit in the Star Wars universe. They are thoroughly inhuman because there's no bridge between their point of view and the reader's. The Vong haven't given in to their evil impulses; they simply carry out their inexplicable, fundamentalist anti-technology crusade... just because.
This is not to say that the Vong are a wholly useless idea, but simply that they do not work in the Star Wars equation. There's another sci-fi action story, somewhere, in which the Yuuzhan Vong would do well. With Star Wars, it's just a poor coupling.
Finishing Dark Tide, I wonder now if it's worth continuing the New Jedi Order series (entirely dominated by the Yuuzhan Vong war as I understand it) or skipping to the next series. If I am able to sustain interest in New Jedi Order, I hope it's not because I'm continually reminding myself, "Well, it is only Star Wars."
But so what if it's "just" Star Wars? The other half of me makes no excuses for the Holy Trilogy, and that half of me inevitably wins.
So, on the plus side, Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin Solo are interesting characters. Each is taking a diverging Jedi path that complements their family history and allows for a new spin. Jacen struggles with favoring the contemplative and monastic sides of the Jedi over his combative duties. Jaina pursues her career as a full time X Wing pilot for the legendary Rogue Squadron, and faces challenges fitting in as both a Jedi and the famous offspring of the Galaxy's "first family". Anakin seems perhaps the most talented Jedi of the Solo children, and the wisest, too. But his sensitive nature cripples him with guilt and grief over his role in Chewbacca's death.
On the other hand, the Solo children are the only interesting characters. Han is almost entirely irrelevant, understood to be drowning his sorrows over Chewbacca. Since Han is apparently such a one-dimensional person, Chewbacca's death is the only variable in his life. So he sits around passively depressed... for two whole books. What presence Leia has is dominated by politicking and exposition. Saddest of all is the flattening of the Skywalkers, Luke and Mara. Luke is the wooden voice of reason and compromise. The usually wonderful Mara, Emperor's assassin turned firebrand Jedi, serves only to prop up Anakin's character, providing him confidence and conscience. Besides the Solo children, the only character with even a hint of a developing arc is that of Ganner Rhysode, dashing and arrogant Jedi who humbles himself after learning the true meaning of Christmas or something. Seriously, his change of heart is so unambiguous and simplistic it's even not worth discussing.
After three books in the New Jedi Order series, I find the Yuuzhan Vong a thoroughly uncompelling villainous race, with little more depth than Darth Maul. The Vong's dogmatic anti-technology crusade is never explored to even the slightest satisfaction, even when a couple of Vong serve as primary point-of-view characters. That the Force is impotent against them strikes me only as a cop-out, as if someone (Lucas, Salvatore, or Stackpole) simply got bored with the Jedi approach to conflict and decided to nullify their raison d'être for the duration of the New Jedi Order series. And then there's the Vong's use of black holes for shielding. The amount of B.S. technobabble and rulemaking that idea necessitated only serves to rob the Vong of credibility in my eyes.
A villain should have a method to his madness. He should present not just a threat, but a credible one (e.g. Thrawn). The villains and conflict in Star Wars are best embodied in the Dark Side of the Force: any of us could be a Darth Vader or a Palpatine, metaphorically speaking, if we give ourselves over to the easy, seductive, quick route to satisfaction. We can quibble over which virtues and vices lead to Dark Side or Light, and how, but that we could quibble at all says something about the interestingness and universality of that conflict. We all walk that line between good and evil. But the Vong do not.
And so for that reason I question whether the Yuuzhan Vong could possibly be redeemed as a credible Star Wars villain. They're so darkly sado-masochistic, so personally violent, and so mindlessly aloof to the good vs. evil dualism, that they have no place to fit in the Star Wars universe. They are thoroughly inhuman because there's no bridge between their point of view and the reader's. The Vong haven't given in to their evil impulses; they simply carry out their inexplicable, fundamentalist anti-technology crusade... just because.
This is not to say that the Vong are a wholly useless idea, but simply that they do not work in the Star Wars equation. There's another sci-fi action story, somewhere, in which the Yuuzhan Vong would do well. With Star Wars, it's just a poor coupling.
Finishing Dark Tide, I wonder now if it's worth continuing the New Jedi Order series (entirely dominated by the Yuuzhan Vong war as I understand it) or skipping to the next series. If I am able to sustain interest in New Jedi Order, I hope it's not because I'm continually reminding myself, "Well, it is only Star Wars."
October 13, 2015
Michael A. Stackpole concludes his exciting Dark Tide duology in “Dark Tide II: Ruin”, which pits New Republic forces, with the help of the Imperial Fleet led by Admiral Pellaeon, against the Yuuzhan Vong.
Within the Galactic Senate, resentment and fear of the Jedi continue to grow, based primarily on a misguided belief that the Jedi, if given more political power, would usurp the Senate and declare galactic martial law.
Growing reports of Yuuzhan Vong attacks throughout the Outer Rim are making the government take the alien threat more seriously. Temporarily, the Senate has decided to put aside their mistrust of the Jedis in order to utilize the Jedi strength to bolster the military.
Most of the Jedis, however, are extremely aware that their actions are being viewed under the lens of a very unforgiving microscope.
The primary figure in the Dark Tide duology is Corran Horn, a character that Stackpole popularized in his “X-wing” series. Horn, a Force-sensitive X-wing pilot, has become a Jedi Knight. Unlike some of his more trigger-happy Jedi comrades, Horn is trying his best to put the Jedi Knights in a good light, as a peace-keeping force and NOT a tool for the military.
Unfortunately, a series of events has led Shedao Shai, the leader of the Yuuzhan Vong forces, to target Horn---along with his friends and loved ones---out of a vengeful spite. A climactic showdown on the planet Ithor leads Horn to do something that will have drastic impacts for the New Republic, the future of the Jedi Knights, and the Yuuzhan Vong.
Fast-paced, with a convoluted plot, Stackpole’s Dark Tide duology carries on the New Jedi Order series into the edgier, darker, and more mature direction started by R.A. Salvatore in “Vector Prime” in 1999.
To be clear: The use of the word “mature” here is not intended to be offensive. I don’t mean to disparage the lovers of “Star Wars” by insinuating that their love of “Star Wars”---borne, most likely, from the 1977 original film created by George Lucas---is in any way childish.
Lucas, a baby-boomer who grew up in the 1950s, created “Star Wars” out of a nostalgic love of his childhood and the kinds of entertainment that he grew up with: westerns, war movies, Saturday afternoon sci-fi serials. It’s fair, I think, to say that there was almost a child-like innocence about the baby-boomer-era entertainment; a simplistic black-and-white worldview in which the good guys were incorruptibly good and the bad guys always lost in the end.
The Vietnam/Watergate era of the late-1960s/early 1970s fundamentally altered that worldview. Society became more cynical and jaded. Things once looked at as black and white issues now had a lot more grey area.
“Star Wars”, which premiered in 1977, harkened back to a simpler time. Free from cynicism, politics, deep social commentary, Lucas’s film was a straightforward narrative about good vs. evil and about good winning in the end. It was a much-needed message for the late-‘70s, which is part of the reason why it became so popular.
Sustaining that level of innocence throughout the rest of the series, however, was a task that Lucas couldn’t---and most likely shouldn’t have been expected to---tackle adequately.
His prequel films---starting with “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” which premiered in 1999---were critical flops (albeit financial successes) due primarily to Lucas’s attempt to replicate the same level of innocence as his original film; a tone that may have been refreshing in the late-‘70s but seemed almost insulting for a late-‘90s audience.
“Star Wars” needed to change with the times.
In the publishing realm, the Star Wars Expanded Universe (SWEU) was still garnering praise thanks in large part to a variety of science fiction writers carrying on the storyline that ended with the 1983 film, “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. Talented writers such as Timothy Zahn, Kevin J. Anderson, Kathy Tyers, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch all brought their own unique perspectives and interpretations of the SWEU. Even so, the series steadily grew stale.
The New Jedi Order series started by Salvatore’s “Vector Prime” was a much-needed shot in the arm to the SWEU.
Well, for some fans, at least. For other fans (Lucas “purists”), Salvatore’s novel was sacrilege.
Primarily, Salvatore had the audacity to kill off one of the major characters of the original film---a decision that many die-hard purist fans still find unforgivable. Their main argument is that the decision was based on sales figures rather than furthering the narrative arc of the SWEU. It is a dubious controversy that still continues to rage within the circles of Star Wars fans.
“Vector Prime” nevertheless jump-started an incredibly popular series-within-a-series that has generated roughly 20 sequels and several other series since.
I am not a Lucas purist, but I sympathize with those fans who are. Still, the level of writing talent has certainly not diminished within the New Jedi Order series, and Salvatore and Stackpole continue to prove that tackling socio-political issues that resonate with current events in our own galaxy can be done successfully within the SWEU.
Within the Galactic Senate, resentment and fear of the Jedi continue to grow, based primarily on a misguided belief that the Jedi, if given more political power, would usurp the Senate and declare galactic martial law.
Growing reports of Yuuzhan Vong attacks throughout the Outer Rim are making the government take the alien threat more seriously. Temporarily, the Senate has decided to put aside their mistrust of the Jedis in order to utilize the Jedi strength to bolster the military.
Most of the Jedis, however, are extremely aware that their actions are being viewed under the lens of a very unforgiving microscope.
The primary figure in the Dark Tide duology is Corran Horn, a character that Stackpole popularized in his “X-wing” series. Horn, a Force-sensitive X-wing pilot, has become a Jedi Knight. Unlike some of his more trigger-happy Jedi comrades, Horn is trying his best to put the Jedi Knights in a good light, as a peace-keeping force and NOT a tool for the military.
Unfortunately, a series of events has led Shedao Shai, the leader of the Yuuzhan Vong forces, to target Horn---along with his friends and loved ones---out of a vengeful spite. A climactic showdown on the planet Ithor leads Horn to do something that will have drastic impacts for the New Republic, the future of the Jedi Knights, and the Yuuzhan Vong.
Fast-paced, with a convoluted plot, Stackpole’s Dark Tide duology carries on the New Jedi Order series into the edgier, darker, and more mature direction started by R.A. Salvatore in “Vector Prime” in 1999.
To be clear: The use of the word “mature” here is not intended to be offensive. I don’t mean to disparage the lovers of “Star Wars” by insinuating that their love of “Star Wars”---borne, most likely, from the 1977 original film created by George Lucas---is in any way childish.
Lucas, a baby-boomer who grew up in the 1950s, created “Star Wars” out of a nostalgic love of his childhood and the kinds of entertainment that he grew up with: westerns, war movies, Saturday afternoon sci-fi serials. It’s fair, I think, to say that there was almost a child-like innocence about the baby-boomer-era entertainment; a simplistic black-and-white worldview in which the good guys were incorruptibly good and the bad guys always lost in the end.
The Vietnam/Watergate era of the late-1960s/early 1970s fundamentally altered that worldview. Society became more cynical and jaded. Things once looked at as black and white issues now had a lot more grey area.
“Star Wars”, which premiered in 1977, harkened back to a simpler time. Free from cynicism, politics, deep social commentary, Lucas’s film was a straightforward narrative about good vs. evil and about good winning in the end. It was a much-needed message for the late-‘70s, which is part of the reason why it became so popular.
Sustaining that level of innocence throughout the rest of the series, however, was a task that Lucas couldn’t---and most likely shouldn’t have been expected to---tackle adequately.
His prequel films---starting with “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” which premiered in 1999---were critical flops (albeit financial successes) due primarily to Lucas’s attempt to replicate the same level of innocence as his original film; a tone that may have been refreshing in the late-‘70s but seemed almost insulting for a late-‘90s audience.
“Star Wars” needed to change with the times.
In the publishing realm, the Star Wars Expanded Universe (SWEU) was still garnering praise thanks in large part to a variety of science fiction writers carrying on the storyline that ended with the 1983 film, “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. Talented writers such as Timothy Zahn, Kevin J. Anderson, Kathy Tyers, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch all brought their own unique perspectives and interpretations of the SWEU. Even so, the series steadily grew stale.
The New Jedi Order series started by Salvatore’s “Vector Prime” was a much-needed shot in the arm to the SWEU.
Well, for some fans, at least. For other fans (Lucas “purists”), Salvatore’s novel was sacrilege.
Primarily, Salvatore had the audacity to kill off one of the major characters of the original film---a decision that many die-hard purist fans still find unforgivable. Their main argument is that the decision was based on sales figures rather than furthering the narrative arc of the SWEU. It is a dubious controversy that still continues to rage within the circles of Star Wars fans.
“Vector Prime” nevertheless jump-started an incredibly popular series-within-a-series that has generated roughly 20 sequels and several other series since.
I am not a Lucas purist, but I sympathize with those fans who are. Still, the level of writing talent has certainly not diminished within the New Jedi Order series, and Salvatore and Stackpole continue to prove that tackling socio-political issues that resonate with current events in our own galaxy can be done successfully within the SWEU.
February 3, 2022
So, this book continued the story of Shedao Shais campaign in the outer rim. I enjoyed it as I did the first two times. My favorite bit was Elegos living with the Yuuzhan Vong for awhile. I thought it was a very brave act for him, trying to bridge the two societies. Of course he's killed and made into an ornament. Definitely a brutal scene.
Then there's the battle for Ithor, and Corran Horns duel with Shedao. That was short but sweet fight too. It's a shame they immediately devastated the planet, which was then set on fire shortly after by their crashing ship.
Also, Pellaeon fighting with the Republic briefly was awesome as well. Won't see them team up again until near the end of the series, if I recall correctly.
Solid books. I'll get around to reading Agents of Chaos again soon too.
Then there's the battle for Ithor, and Corran Horns duel with Shedao. That was short but sweet fight too. It's a shame they immediately devastated the planet, which was then set on fire shortly after by their crashing ship.
Also, Pellaeon fighting with the Republic briefly was awesome as well. Won't see them team up again until near the end of the series, if I recall correctly.
Solid books. I'll get around to reading Agents of Chaos again soon too.
December 17, 2024
Stackpole is a unique author, but in this book it felt like we got all of his negative aspects and very few of the positive. Usually stackpole is a very clever writer, and while he wrote some of the military strategy quite well, pretty much everything else was a let down. Without going into spoilers, I'll leave it at this.
Too many plot points hinge on poorly thought out moments. I've never seen so many fanatics willing to go to war for their beliefs who then seem to contradict them at every turn quite like in dark Tide
The jedi are so indecisive that it truly becomes an annoyance. After 20+ years of the new jedi order, they're still divided
More of stackpoles terribly awkward dialogue, but this time with minimal plot. There wasn't stackpoles usually well thought out plot coming together at the end here, instead the story centered mostly on his own original characters, while one of his own biggest plot points is essentially forgotten about and swept right past as it comes to a close.
Terribly convenient writing. This goes with the hypocritical characters I mentioned, but more than that, there was an instance where the war is greatly influenced by a conclusion that had absolutely no business being drawn. The answer was pulled out of thin air. It was one of the most aggravating scenes I've ever read in any book, and it could have been avoided very, very easily. Actually, there could have been a whole arc in another book about it if it hadn't been written the way it had.
I liked stackpoles other books. He's not my favorite author, but his books are still enjoyable. That said, I am very, very relieved that he doesn't have any more books in this series.
Too many plot points hinge on poorly thought out moments. I've never seen so many fanatics willing to go to war for their beliefs who then seem to contradict them at every turn quite like in dark Tide
The jedi are so indecisive that it truly becomes an annoyance. After 20+ years of the new jedi order, they're still divided
More of stackpoles terribly awkward dialogue, but this time with minimal plot. There wasn't stackpoles usually well thought out plot coming together at the end here, instead the story centered mostly on his own original characters, while one of his own biggest plot points is essentially forgotten about and swept right past as it comes to a close.
Terribly convenient writing. This goes with the hypocritical characters I mentioned, but more than that, there was an instance where the war is greatly influenced by a conclusion that had absolutely no business being drawn. The answer was pulled out of thin air. It was one of the most aggravating scenes I've ever read in any book, and it could have been avoided very, very easily. Actually, there could have been a whole arc in another book about it if it hadn't been written the way it had.
I liked stackpoles other books. He's not my favorite author, but his books are still enjoyable. That said, I am very, very relieved that he doesn't have any more books in this series.
June 2, 2020
Special thank you to my goodreads pal Crystal Starr Light for sending me this entire book series! An important update on my New Jedi Order Reading project: I started working again at the start of this month, so I didn't have the time or energy on weekdays to read this novel.
That being said, I also had trouble mustering up the motivation to read this book on weekends as well. I probably would have finished this book at least a week ago had Dark Tide II: Ruin not been slow building up to the better stuff towards the end.
I found this book particularly disappointing and frustrating because of how much I liked Dark Tide I: Onslaught. I was so excited going in after how much potential Michael A. Stackpole set up in his previous NJO novel, but unfortunately his sequel proved to be a let down by comparison. While Dark Tide II wasn't bad, I was expecting far more given Stackpole's legendary status among fans of the original Star Wars Expanded Universe, as well as Dark Tide I turning me into an immediate fan of his.
THE STORY: After being told that the evacuation of Dantooine was a disaster, our core heroes are scrambling for a way to slow the relentless advance of the Yuuzhan Vong. Leia travels to the imperial remnant with Danni Quee in hopes of gaining their help in the escalating fight. Senator Elegos A'kla goes to Dubrillion in a last ditch effort to reach a peaceful, diplomatic resolution with the Vong before more lives are lost. With division in the jedi order continuing to foment, Luke, Mara, and Anakin Solo pursue rogue jedi Deshara'cor, who has gone on a mission to find a superweapon that could give the New Republic and the jedi a fighting chance. Corran Horn's past membership with Rogue Squadron has lead him to being drafted into the New Republic Military once again, so he is sent to Garqi on a scouting mission. Jacen, Jaina, and Ganner Rhysode accompany him, but a major revelation there brings everyone together to defend the next planet slated for conquest on the Yuuzhan Vong warpath.
THE BAD: Dark Tide II takes a long time to get going, and the first third in particular is a total drag. Despite having a 4-10s work schedule that allows me to have every friday off, I struggled to find the drive to get through the first 100-150 pages of this book.
The plot is probably the worst part of the book. It does a passable job to move the overarching story along and the actions of the characters make sense in the given context, but it still wasn't very interesting for a large portion of the novel. Why? Because a large part of it was painfully repetitive from the first book. We already saw the characters trying to scout around for more information about the Yuuzhan Vong. We already saw Leia and Danni trying to forge alliances. Because we already saw Leia in a storyline like this in Dark Tide I, somehow Stackpole manages make a story about the New Republic trying to reconcile tensions with the Imperial Remnant so they can unite against a common enemy boring. How in the galaxy is that possible? From MICHAEL FREAKING STACKPOLE NO LESS! The scouting mission to Garqi is also boring until Chapter 19, feeling like a tired retread after TWO scouting missions from Dark Tide I (one with Luke and Jacen, the other with Corran and Ganner).
I was also disappointed with the characterization after how much I loved it in Dark Tide I. It wasn't actively bad and nobody acted out of character, but I felt let down after Stackpole's amazing work in this regard from Dark Tide I. I was particularly bummed with Mara Jade, where her amazing character arc about coming to terms with her disease is seemingly abandoned and she just sinks into the sidelines of the ensemble. Speaking of which, what the heck happened with her disease? it was a major problem for her character in the first two NJO books, but I don't even recall a mention of it here! Jacen still gets to contemplate is role as a jedi but there wasn't any tangible progression like there was in Dark Tide 1. Luke and Leia remain static in their characterizations but don't have the memorable moments that they did in Dark Tide 1.
For me, Jaina Solo has been the most frustrating case. I'm still confused as to what this series wants to do with her character. Jacen and Anakin have gotten well-defined personalities and clear, coherent arcs set up from the start, even if Jacen's story wasn't progressed much in this novel specifically (I'll get more into Anakin later). Unfortunately with Jaina, it feels like the writers so far have been just throwing potential threads and ideas at the wall to see what sticks. Jaina actually was given something interesting in the previous dark tide book about finding her place in the galaxy, and it was a good way to give her an interesting storyline that wasn't the same as Jacen's or Anakin's. But that isn't built upon at all here, and so far all I'm getting is, "oh lets just put her in rogue squadron, that will be badass!" or, .
My last issue is that there are multiple scenes that seem to just stop the plot in its tracks to offer references to previous EU works that came off as pointless fanservice. The introduction of Jagged Fel is particularly clunky in this regard, especially given that he was a brand new character introduced for the first time in this novel. I can forgive the references to the earlier EU stories in the first book because it was delivered as quick backstory/exposition to offer context on the arcs that the EU favorites would be getting in these books, but here it got to a point where it was actively distracting.
THE GOOD: If you can get past the total drag that the first half of this novel is, the second half gets better, and the last third in particular is a strong payoff from both this book and the previous one.
The writing is still pretty strong with exciting action scenes and good dialogue between characters. The fight sequence in chapter 25 was particularly well done, but I was pretty surprised with the ominous ending.
By far the biggest improvement "Ruin" made from the first Dark Tide book was the portrayal of the Yuuzhan Vong. With "Onslaught", it felt like Stackpole put too much focus on providing wish fulfillment to the readers by concentrating on how cool and badass the heroes were, at the cost of making the villains come off less intimidating. Here though, Stackpole strikes a better balance, and the Vong feel more like the legitimate threat we were promised by the NJO creative team and their introduction in Vector Prime. This is bolstered by the subplot with Shedao Shai and Senator A'kla, which saves the first half of this novel. Shedao Shai is sophisticated, delights in his evil actions, and is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. He was teased at the end of Dark Tide 1 and his increased presence in Dark Tide 2 pays off well by making for the best supblot in this book pretty easily. I also like how Shedao Shai functions as an audience character for us to learn more about the Vong (similar to Yomin Carr in Vector Prime), but he still offers a fresh perspective because we learn about different aspects of the Yuuzhan Vong society and culture from what Yomin Carr offered us previously.
Stackpole builds upon Corran Horn's large role in Dark Tide 1 and gives him an effective character arc in Dark Tide 2. I already liked him as a fun, entertaining character in the previous novel despite not reading Stackpole's X-Wing books or I, Jedi, but in this book he actually gets a pretty effective dramatic arc that makes his inclusion in this duology worthwhile. Stackpole struck a good balance between giving the fans of his previous star wars books their fun with a fan-favorite character that he created, but not letting him take over the overall story that is supposed to be lead by the Solo Kids and the Big 4.
By this point, Anakin Solo has firmly established himself as my favorite character in this series by an increasingly wide margin. Once again, Anakin gets a subplot that progresses his character and his story arc in new and interesting ways that add more layers to who he has become. Whereas the other lead characters have been hit or miss with character development so far, Stackpole finds another new way to challenge Anakin's perceptions and outlook as an altruistic young jedi in his interactions with Chalco and Deshara'cor. Once again it, is written pretty well and increases my investment in this popular character despite not having read the Junior Jedi Knights books.
Lastly, I'll give a shout-out to the scene early on in the book where Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin are all together with Han Solo. That was an emotionally effective scene, and improved from Han's cameo role in the previous book.
THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 3.5 stars, rounded down because of how hard it was to get through the first third/first half of the novel.
This was a frustrating book for me. It still has good action, a plot that moves the NJO storyline forward, and some of the characters are very well written. It also handles the Yuuzhan Vong better than the otherwise very solid Dark Tide I: Onslaught.
But it is hampered by a slog of a first third and characterization on many of the major players that falls short from the strong foundations in Stackpole's first NJO entry.
The last third makes up for it though and ends the book on a promising note that hooked me right back in. After I finished Dark Tide I: Onslaught, I was a bit disappointed to learn that Stackpole was originally going to get a Dark Tide trilogy before "Dark Tide: Siege" was cancelled in favor of expanding Agents of Chaos into a duology. After reading Dark Tide II: Ruin, I'm actually fine with Dark Tide being only a duology, both for better and for worse- I do enjoy Stackpole's writing style and the Dark Tide novels got me interested in checking out his earlier Star Wars work in the future. However, they also got repetitive at times and "Ruin" in particular failed to follow up on many of the more engaging subplots from "Onslaught" in a satisfying way.
That just about wraps it up for Michael A. Stackpole's contribution to the New Jedi Order series. It was nice to finally experience this beloved Star Wars Author for the first time, even if they weren't with his most famous books. I don't know when I will finally get to them, but my next post-RotJ novels after the NJO will be his X-Wing books. But for the time being, next I will move forward and see what James Luceno's take on this story will be with Agents of Chaos.
That being said, I also had trouble mustering up the motivation to read this book on weekends as well. I probably would have finished this book at least a week ago had Dark Tide II: Ruin not been slow building up to the better stuff towards the end.
I found this book particularly disappointing and frustrating because of how much I liked Dark Tide I: Onslaught. I was so excited going in after how much potential Michael A. Stackpole set up in his previous NJO novel, but unfortunately his sequel proved to be a let down by comparison. While Dark Tide II wasn't bad, I was expecting far more given Stackpole's legendary status among fans of the original Star Wars Expanded Universe, as well as Dark Tide I turning me into an immediate fan of his.
THE STORY: After being told that the evacuation of Dantooine was a disaster, our core heroes are scrambling for a way to slow the relentless advance of the Yuuzhan Vong. Leia travels to the imperial remnant with Danni Quee in hopes of gaining their help in the escalating fight. Senator Elegos A'kla goes to Dubrillion in a last ditch effort to reach a peaceful, diplomatic resolution with the Vong before more lives are lost. With division in the jedi order continuing to foment, Luke, Mara, and Anakin Solo pursue rogue jedi Deshara'cor, who has gone on a mission to find a superweapon that could give the New Republic and the jedi a fighting chance. Corran Horn's past membership with Rogue Squadron has lead him to being drafted into the New Republic Military once again, so he is sent to Garqi on a scouting mission. Jacen, Jaina, and Ganner Rhysode accompany him, but a major revelation there brings everyone together to defend the next planet slated for conquest on the Yuuzhan Vong warpath.
THE BAD: Dark Tide II takes a long time to get going, and the first third in particular is a total drag. Despite having a 4-10s work schedule that allows me to have every friday off, I struggled to find the drive to get through the first 100-150 pages of this book.
The plot is probably the worst part of the book. It does a passable job to move the overarching story along and the actions of the characters make sense in the given context, but it still wasn't very interesting for a large portion of the novel. Why? Because a large part of it was painfully repetitive from the first book. We already saw the characters trying to scout around for more information about the Yuuzhan Vong. We already saw Leia and Danni trying to forge alliances. Because we already saw Leia in a storyline like this in Dark Tide I, somehow Stackpole manages make a story about the New Republic trying to reconcile tensions with the Imperial Remnant so they can unite against a common enemy boring. How in the galaxy is that possible? From MICHAEL FREAKING STACKPOLE NO LESS! The scouting mission to Garqi is also boring until Chapter 19, feeling like a tired retread after TWO scouting missions from Dark Tide I (one with Luke and Jacen, the other with Corran and Ganner).
I was also disappointed with the characterization after how much I loved it in Dark Tide I. It wasn't actively bad and nobody acted out of character, but I felt let down after Stackpole's amazing work in this regard from Dark Tide I. I was particularly bummed with Mara Jade, where her amazing character arc about coming to terms with her disease is seemingly abandoned and she just sinks into the sidelines of the ensemble. Speaking of which, what the heck happened with her disease? it was a major problem for her character in the first two NJO books, but I don't even recall a mention of it here! Jacen still gets to contemplate is role as a jedi but there wasn't any tangible progression like there was in Dark Tide 1. Luke and Leia remain static in their characterizations but don't have the memorable moments that they did in Dark Tide 1.
For me, Jaina Solo has been the most frustrating case. I'm still confused as to what this series wants to do with her character. Jacen and Anakin have gotten well-defined personalities and clear, coherent arcs set up from the start, even if Jacen's story wasn't progressed much in this novel specifically (I'll get more into Anakin later). Unfortunately with Jaina, it feels like the writers so far have been just throwing potential threads and ideas at the wall to see what sticks. Jaina actually was given something interesting in the previous dark tide book about finding her place in the galaxy, and it was a good way to give her an interesting storyline that wasn't the same as Jacen's or Anakin's. But that isn't built upon at all here, and so far all I'm getting is, "oh lets just put her in rogue squadron, that will be badass!" or, .
My last issue is that there are multiple scenes that seem to just stop the plot in its tracks to offer references to previous EU works that came off as pointless fanservice. The introduction of Jagged Fel is particularly clunky in this regard, especially given that he was a brand new character introduced for the first time in this novel. I can forgive the references to the earlier EU stories in the first book because it was delivered as quick backstory/exposition to offer context on the arcs that the EU favorites would be getting in these books, but here it got to a point where it was actively distracting.
THE GOOD: If you can get past the total drag that the first half of this novel is, the second half gets better, and the last third in particular is a strong payoff from both this book and the previous one.
The writing is still pretty strong with exciting action scenes and good dialogue between characters. The fight sequence in chapter 25 was particularly well done, but I was pretty surprised with the ominous ending.
By far the biggest improvement "Ruin" made from the first Dark Tide book was the portrayal of the Yuuzhan Vong. With "Onslaught", it felt like Stackpole put too much focus on providing wish fulfillment to the readers by concentrating on how cool and badass the heroes were, at the cost of making the villains come off less intimidating. Here though, Stackpole strikes a better balance, and the Vong feel more like the legitimate threat we were promised by the NJO creative team and their introduction in Vector Prime. This is bolstered by the subplot with Shedao Shai and Senator A'kla, which saves the first half of this novel. Shedao Shai is sophisticated, delights in his evil actions, and is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. He was teased at the end of Dark Tide 1 and his increased presence in Dark Tide 2 pays off well by making for the best supblot in this book pretty easily. I also like how Shedao Shai functions as an audience character for us to learn more about the Vong (similar to Yomin Carr in Vector Prime), but he still offers a fresh perspective because we learn about different aspects of the Yuuzhan Vong society and culture from what Yomin Carr offered us previously.
Stackpole builds upon Corran Horn's large role in Dark Tide 1 and gives him an effective character arc in Dark Tide 2. I already liked him as a fun, entertaining character in the previous novel despite not reading Stackpole's X-Wing books or I, Jedi, but in this book he actually gets a pretty effective dramatic arc that makes his inclusion in this duology worthwhile. Stackpole struck a good balance between giving the fans of his previous star wars books their fun with a fan-favorite character that he created, but not letting him take over the overall story that is supposed to be lead by the Solo Kids and the Big 4.
By this point, Anakin Solo has firmly established himself as my favorite character in this series by an increasingly wide margin. Once again, Anakin gets a subplot that progresses his character and his story arc in new and interesting ways that add more layers to who he has become. Whereas the other lead characters have been hit or miss with character development so far, Stackpole finds another new way to challenge Anakin's perceptions and outlook as an altruistic young jedi in his interactions with Chalco and Deshara'cor. Once again it, is written pretty well and increases my investment in this popular character despite not having read the Junior Jedi Knights books.
Lastly, I'll give a shout-out to the scene early on in the book where Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin are all together with Han Solo. That was an emotionally effective scene, and improved from Han's cameo role in the previous book.
THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 3.5 stars, rounded down because of how hard it was to get through the first third/first half of the novel.
This was a frustrating book for me. It still has good action, a plot that moves the NJO storyline forward, and some of the characters are very well written. It also handles the Yuuzhan Vong better than the otherwise very solid Dark Tide I: Onslaught.
But it is hampered by a slog of a first third and characterization on many of the major players that falls short from the strong foundations in Stackpole's first NJO entry.
The last third makes up for it though and ends the book on a promising note that hooked me right back in. After I finished Dark Tide I: Onslaught, I was a bit disappointed to learn that Stackpole was originally going to get a Dark Tide trilogy before "Dark Tide: Siege" was cancelled in favor of expanding Agents of Chaos into a duology. After reading Dark Tide II: Ruin, I'm actually fine with Dark Tide being only a duology, both for better and for worse- I do enjoy Stackpole's writing style and the Dark Tide novels got me interested in checking out his earlier Star Wars work in the future. However, they also got repetitive at times and "Ruin" in particular failed to follow up on many of the more engaging subplots from "Onslaught" in a satisfying way.
That just about wraps it up for Michael A. Stackpole's contribution to the New Jedi Order series. It was nice to finally experience this beloved Star Wars Author for the first time, even if they weren't with his most famous books. I don't know when I will finally get to them, but my next post-RotJ novels after the NJO will be his X-Wing books. But for the time being, next I will move forward and see what James Luceno's take on this story will be with Agents of Chaos.
April 15, 2021
For 2021, I decided to reread Del Rey’s first attempt at a multi-author book series in the Star Wars universe: The New Jedi Order, which was published between 1999 and 2003. This shakes out to 19 novels, two eBook novellas, three short stories, and a tangentially-related prequel era novel.
This week’s focus: the second book in the Dark Tide duology, Dark Tide: Ruin by Michael A. Stackpole.
SOME HISTORY:
John Harris is a British artist who has illustrated many sci-fi covers (from Orson Scott Card to John Scalzi to Ann Leckie), but he’s only done three Star Wars covers: Michael A. Stackpole’s Dark Tide duology, and Death Star by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. Harris’s artwork is beautiful, with watercolor-esque colors and a fascinating sense of scale and scope--and I greatly prefer them to the digital art found on most of the NJO covers. (You should check out Harris’s artbook from 2014: The Art of John Harris: Beyond the Horizon!) Dark Tide: Ruin made it to number nine on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of June 25, 2000.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered the horror of Elegos’s fate and the Battle of Ithor, but little of the preceding plotline.
PRINCESS LEIA COSTUME COUNT:
Leia takes a backseat in this story, initially petitioning Admiral Pellaeon for help against the Yuuzhan Vong but then disappearing from the narrative. Which is a long drawn-out way of saying no, no memorable outfits. ⋋_⋌
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
While the New Republic military allies themselves with their former foes and Luke Skywalker struggles with division in the Jedi Order, Jacen Solo, Ganner Rhysode, and Corran Horn set off on a reconnaissance mission to the Yuuzhan Vong-occupied planet of Garqi. They uncover a secret that could be used to undermine the enemy—if only they can stay alive long enough to use it.
THE CHARACTERS:
Luke continues to deal with disunity in the Jedi Order by not really addressing it. Mara still struggles with her illness, and repeats her desire for children. They head off on a rather pointless plotline to stop Daeshara’cor, a Twi’leki Jedi, from digging up old Imperial superweapons—I say pointless, because there’s nothing left in the Maw Installation, they can’t find any record that a second Eye of Palpatine was produced, and Qwi Xux reiterates that she’s never making weapons again. (The Bantam era is dead, long live the Del Rey era. You’ll notice, though, that no one mentioned Centerpoint Station...)
I like Anakin’s plot, though. He’s trying to be a good Jedi, yet he blames himself for Chewbacca and later Daeshara’cor’s death. He wants to listen to his uncle, but he also doesn’t want to be coddled and treated like a child. I liked his declaration in Chapter 25, that he gives up self-assuredness—he’s on a journey that will continue even more in Edge of Victory I: Conquest. He may not be overtly questioning Jedi philosophy like Jacen, but he still needs resolution—and a hug.
Jacen, meanwhile, felt like he’s flailing a bit in this book. I liked that we got cursory nods to his connection with his twin, but perhaps because of the canceled second book, Stackpole didn’t delve much into their reunion afterwards. Jacen struggles to live in the present instead of constantly looking ahead, but he’s shaken when his uncle allows Corran to take the blame for the Battle of Ithor. His view of the Force owes little to the Jedi Order’s political reality, and is more focused on its esoteric philosophical qualities.
Ganner finally fights the Yuuzhan Vong, and has his confidence in his abilities completely shaken. I found him pretty insufferable in the first book, but I also found his change of heart here a little too fast and sudden. He defects from Team Kyp to Team Luke in the span of a few chapters.
In typical Corran fashion, I felt like I flipped from appreciating his maturity and mellowness in book 1 to becoming absolutely frustrated with him in book 2. Yes, they needed to allow time for the Ithorian herdships to escape safely, but a personal duel against Shedao Shai with huge stakes in the balance would not be the approach I would advocate! The only person who expresses discomfort with this plan is Borsk Fey’lya, and he’s so self-serving that we’re not meant to take his accusations seriously. But surely most people would have pointed out the issues with this plan, instead of cheering him on? If Corran wins, he gets Ithor; the implication being that if he loses, the New Republic would just hand the planet over to the Vong. This is completely bonkers! The ending felt right for his character, though: that he had taken things too far, come too close to the Dark Side, and needed to step back from the Jedi Order for some time.
We get a little more insight into Jaina’s character, but she’s still underdeveloped compared to her brothers. She realizes that the New Republic doesn’t owe her any special treatment because of her family’s service, and while she mourns the death of her wingmate, Anni Capstan, she also realizes how little she had tried to learn about her. Jaina has so much potential, I keep waiting for her to spring to life—but alas, this is not her book either.
Wedge Antilles and Tycho Celchu return to active duty, but they’re decidedly minor characters here. (I did appreciate Wedge pointing out how little data they still have on the Yuuzhan Vong’s culture and mindset.) We’re introduced to Jagged Fel, the son of Baron Fel and Syal Antilles/Wynssa Starflare, and he’s interesting, if a bit of an irritatingly know-it-all presence. He definitely needs to loosen up! (His introduction hasn’t aged well, though…)
Side tangent: I find it very sad that Luke and Mara met Baron Fel on Nirauan, knew he was still alive, and apparently never alerted Wedge to the fact? Maybe he knew (I certainly hope so), but this book was the first time he met his nephew, and he’s been worried about his sister and her family for YEARS. He had retired from the New Republic military command, so surely he could have known about their existence.
In the last book, I wanted someone from the New Republic to parley with the Yuuzhan Vong and try to negotiate with them, and Elegos A’Kla takes that role upon himself. Things do not go well for Elegos, and the book makes it clear that the Vong do not want a dialogue with the inhabitants of the GFFA and will not back down. Our villains in Vector Prime were from the intendent caste (their equivalent of politicians), and the bad guys in the Dark Tide duology are the warrior caste. Commander Shedao Shai views the NR as “infidels” and their dependence on technology as disgusting weakness. We get references to gods, but no deep dive into their religion—I believe that the Agents of Chaos duology will feature the priests more closely.
Side tangent: Shedao Shai is a nightmare boss, he physically assaults Deign Lian, so I am not surprised that the latter was two-timing him with the Warmaster Tsavong Lah (who won’t fully appear until Kathy Tyers’s Balance Point.
ISSUES:
Two favorite bits, filled with horror and dread: the return of Elegos’s shuttle, and the destruction of Ithor. I knew things were not going to end well for poor Elegos, but the unease and wrongness that Wedge and Corran feel as they head inside is tangible even to the reader. The Yuuzhan Vong destroyed Sernpidal, and our heroes destroyed Helska IV in Vector Prime—but the wanton killing of all life on Ithor is a game-changing event, like Chewbacca’s death, and it drives home how serious the stakes have become.
Juicy insider publishing info! I’ll link to an interview Stackpole did with the YouTube channel State of Star Wars in September 2020, but basically we now have a more detailed explanation of why Dark Tide: Siege was canceled: Del Rey wanted loads of revisions to Dark Tide I: Onslaught, Stackpole didn’t agree with those changes, he wanted out, and so he wrapped up the story arcs intended for Siege and Ruin into just one book.
Bearing that in mind, I can see the seam in this book very clearly: the mission to Garqi would have been the main plot behind Siege, and Ruin would have been dominated by the Battle of Ithor. As it stands now, the transition from Garqi to Ithor is surprisingly abrupt. Our Jedi team realize that the pollen from the bafforr trees negatively affect the Vong, they burn the Xenobotanical Gardens and get ready to leave Garqi, and then bam, they’re putting together a mission to defend Ithor.
It felt like there was a dropped thread with the reason they attacked the Vong on Garqi in the first place; after realizing that the Vong are experimenting on their human slaves, Corran’s team try to capture a few subjects in case they can reverse the changes, but we don’t hear anything further. Ithor dominates the latter half of the story (and rightfully so).
I also felt like Ruin wasn’t as tightly constructed as Onslaught, perhaps due to all these internal changes. We had several missions in the first half (Leia talking to Admiral Pellaeon; Luke, Mara, and Anakin chasing after Daeshara’cor; Corran, Ganner, and Jacen being dispatched to Garqi), but those characters were eclipsed by Corran in the latter half of the book. And while I enjoyed reading about Corran in Onslaught, he once again began to irritate me in Ruin, particularly in how he dealt with Shedao Shai.
I wish Stackpole had examined the ethical complications in the New Republic allying with the Imperial Remnant (surely some of the older officers involved in the fight against the Empire might have struggled to accept them as allies? And they might not be the Empire as ruled by Palpatine, but they’re still...the Empire.) I also would have liked a little more nuance in the depiction of the New Republic political leadership, instead of “they’re wrong and the military is right.” Borsk Fey’lya comes across as a ranting incompetent, and I wish the NR leadership was more reasonable--and the military worked with them more comfortably--rather than Admiral Kre’fey using the threat of a military coup as a spur for political action.
Finally, while I thought there were multiple great conversations in Onslaught (particularly between Mara and Anakin), Ruin was chock-full of...awkward dialogue, plus a return to Stackpole’s overuse of epithets (“the young Jedi” or “the green-eyed man”). Luke and Mara’s interactions make me cringe, and I actually love them as a couple! The voices of other characters also felt off to me. I guess it came down to this: if you read Stackpole’s dialogue out loud, there are parts that absolutely do not sound natural, and it bothered me in this book.
IN CONCLUSION:
I really liked parts of Dark Tide: Ruin, but it felt more scattered than the first book. I suspect that a lot of the connective tissue between scenes was excised when Stackpole cut his plot down from two books to one. Time moves very quickly here, and I wish we could have lingered longer with some of the characters.
Next up: the first book in the Agents of Chaos duology, Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial by James Luceno.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/uTHl8ozuhuM
State of Star Wars - Michael A. Stackpole Interview (timestamp starts at discussion about Dark Tide: Siege): https://youtu.be/iI7H8jC_qBk?t=2033
“A Galaxy in Ruin: An Interview with Michael A. Stackpole”: https://web.archive.org/web/200502042...
This week’s focus: the second book in the Dark Tide duology, Dark Tide: Ruin by Michael A. Stackpole.
SOME HISTORY:
John Harris is a British artist who has illustrated many sci-fi covers (from Orson Scott Card to John Scalzi to Ann Leckie), but he’s only done three Star Wars covers: Michael A. Stackpole’s Dark Tide duology, and Death Star by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. Harris’s artwork is beautiful, with watercolor-esque colors and a fascinating sense of scale and scope--and I greatly prefer them to the digital art found on most of the NJO covers. (You should check out Harris’s artbook from 2014: The Art of John Harris: Beyond the Horizon!) Dark Tide: Ruin made it to number nine on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of June 25, 2000.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered the horror of Elegos’s fate and the Battle of Ithor, but little of the preceding plotline.
PRINCESS LEIA COSTUME COUNT:
Leia takes a backseat in this story, initially petitioning Admiral Pellaeon for help against the Yuuzhan Vong but then disappearing from the narrative. Which is a long drawn-out way of saying no, no memorable outfits. ⋋_⋌
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
While the New Republic military allies themselves with their former foes and Luke Skywalker struggles with division in the Jedi Order, Jacen Solo, Ganner Rhysode, and Corran Horn set off on a reconnaissance mission to the Yuuzhan Vong-occupied planet of Garqi. They uncover a secret that could be used to undermine the enemy—if only they can stay alive long enough to use it.
THE CHARACTERS:
Luke continues to deal with disunity in the Jedi Order by not really addressing it. Mara still struggles with her illness, and repeats her desire for children. They head off on a rather pointless plotline to stop Daeshara’cor, a Twi’leki Jedi, from digging up old Imperial superweapons—I say pointless, because there’s nothing left in the Maw Installation, they can’t find any record that a second Eye of Palpatine was produced, and Qwi Xux reiterates that she’s never making weapons again. (The Bantam era is dead, long live the Del Rey era. You’ll notice, though, that no one mentioned Centerpoint Station...)
I like Anakin’s plot, though. He’s trying to be a good Jedi, yet he blames himself for Chewbacca and later Daeshara’cor’s death. He wants to listen to his uncle, but he also doesn’t want to be coddled and treated like a child. I liked his declaration in Chapter 25, that he gives up self-assuredness—he’s on a journey that will continue even more in Edge of Victory I: Conquest. He may not be overtly questioning Jedi philosophy like Jacen, but he still needs resolution—and a hug.
Jacen, meanwhile, felt like he’s flailing a bit in this book. I liked that we got cursory nods to his connection with his twin, but perhaps because of the canceled second book, Stackpole didn’t delve much into their reunion afterwards. Jacen struggles to live in the present instead of constantly looking ahead, but he’s shaken when his uncle allows Corran to take the blame for the Battle of Ithor. His view of the Force owes little to the Jedi Order’s political reality, and is more focused on its esoteric philosophical qualities.
Ganner finally fights the Yuuzhan Vong, and has his confidence in his abilities completely shaken. I found him pretty insufferable in the first book, but I also found his change of heart here a little too fast and sudden. He defects from Team Kyp to Team Luke in the span of a few chapters.
In typical Corran fashion, I felt like I flipped from appreciating his maturity and mellowness in book 1 to becoming absolutely frustrated with him in book 2. Yes, they needed to allow time for the Ithorian herdships to escape safely, but a personal duel against Shedao Shai with huge stakes in the balance would not be the approach I would advocate! The only person who expresses discomfort with this plan is Borsk Fey’lya, and he’s so self-serving that we’re not meant to take his accusations seriously. But surely most people would have pointed out the issues with this plan, instead of cheering him on? If Corran wins, he gets Ithor; the implication being that if he loses, the New Republic would just hand the planet over to the Vong. This is completely bonkers! The ending felt right for his character, though: that he had taken things too far, come too close to the Dark Side, and needed to step back from the Jedi Order for some time.
We get a little more insight into Jaina’s character, but she’s still underdeveloped compared to her brothers. She realizes that the New Republic doesn’t owe her any special treatment because of her family’s service, and while she mourns the death of her wingmate, Anni Capstan, she also realizes how little she had tried to learn about her. Jaina has so much potential, I keep waiting for her to spring to life—but alas, this is not her book either.
Wedge Antilles and Tycho Celchu return to active duty, but they’re decidedly minor characters here. (I did appreciate Wedge pointing out how little data they still have on the Yuuzhan Vong’s culture and mindset.) We’re introduced to Jagged Fel, the son of Baron Fel and Syal Antilles/Wynssa Starflare, and he’s interesting, if a bit of an irritatingly know-it-all presence. He definitely needs to loosen up! (His introduction hasn’t aged well, though…)
Side tangent: I find it very sad that Luke and Mara met Baron Fel on Nirauan, knew he was still alive, and apparently never alerted Wedge to the fact? Maybe he knew (I certainly hope so), but this book was the first time he met his nephew, and he’s been worried about his sister and her family for YEARS. He had retired from the New Republic military command, so surely he could have known about their existence.
In the last book, I wanted someone from the New Republic to parley with the Yuuzhan Vong and try to negotiate with them, and Elegos A’Kla takes that role upon himself. Things do not go well for Elegos, and the book makes it clear that the Vong do not want a dialogue with the inhabitants of the GFFA and will not back down. Our villains in Vector Prime were from the intendent caste (their equivalent of politicians), and the bad guys in the Dark Tide duology are the warrior caste. Commander Shedao Shai views the NR as “infidels” and their dependence on technology as disgusting weakness. We get references to gods, but no deep dive into their religion—I believe that the Agents of Chaos duology will feature the priests more closely.
Side tangent: Shedao Shai is a nightmare boss, he physically assaults Deign Lian, so I am not surprised that the latter was two-timing him with the Warmaster Tsavong Lah (who won’t fully appear until Kathy Tyers’s Balance Point.
ISSUES:
Two favorite bits, filled with horror and dread: the return of Elegos’s shuttle, and the destruction of Ithor. I knew things were not going to end well for poor Elegos, but the unease and wrongness that Wedge and Corran feel as they head inside is tangible even to the reader. The Yuuzhan Vong destroyed Sernpidal, and our heroes destroyed Helska IV in Vector Prime—but the wanton killing of all life on Ithor is a game-changing event, like Chewbacca’s death, and it drives home how serious the stakes have become.
Juicy insider publishing info! I’ll link to an interview Stackpole did with the YouTube channel State of Star Wars in September 2020, but basically we now have a more detailed explanation of why Dark Tide: Siege was canceled: Del Rey wanted loads of revisions to Dark Tide I: Onslaught, Stackpole didn’t agree with those changes, he wanted out, and so he wrapped up the story arcs intended for Siege and Ruin into just one book.
Bearing that in mind, I can see the seam in this book very clearly: the mission to Garqi would have been the main plot behind Siege, and Ruin would have been dominated by the Battle of Ithor. As it stands now, the transition from Garqi to Ithor is surprisingly abrupt. Our Jedi team realize that the pollen from the bafforr trees negatively affect the Vong, they burn the Xenobotanical Gardens and get ready to leave Garqi, and then bam, they’re putting together a mission to defend Ithor.
It felt like there was a dropped thread with the reason they attacked the Vong on Garqi in the first place; after realizing that the Vong are experimenting on their human slaves, Corran’s team try to capture a few subjects in case they can reverse the changes, but we don’t hear anything further. Ithor dominates the latter half of the story (and rightfully so).
I also felt like Ruin wasn’t as tightly constructed as Onslaught, perhaps due to all these internal changes. We had several missions in the first half (Leia talking to Admiral Pellaeon; Luke, Mara, and Anakin chasing after Daeshara’cor; Corran, Ganner, and Jacen being dispatched to Garqi), but those characters were eclipsed by Corran in the latter half of the book. And while I enjoyed reading about Corran in Onslaught, he once again began to irritate me in Ruin, particularly in how he dealt with Shedao Shai.
I wish Stackpole had examined the ethical complications in the New Republic allying with the Imperial Remnant (surely some of the older officers involved in the fight against the Empire might have struggled to accept them as allies? And they might not be the Empire as ruled by Palpatine, but they’re still...the Empire.) I also would have liked a little more nuance in the depiction of the New Republic political leadership, instead of “they’re wrong and the military is right.” Borsk Fey’lya comes across as a ranting incompetent, and I wish the NR leadership was more reasonable--and the military worked with them more comfortably--rather than Admiral Kre’fey using the threat of a military coup as a spur for political action.
Finally, while I thought there were multiple great conversations in Onslaught (particularly between Mara and Anakin), Ruin was chock-full of...awkward dialogue, plus a return to Stackpole’s overuse of epithets (“the young Jedi” or “the green-eyed man”). Luke and Mara’s interactions make me cringe, and I actually love them as a couple! The voices of other characters also felt off to me. I guess it came down to this: if you read Stackpole’s dialogue out loud, there are parts that absolutely do not sound natural, and it bothered me in this book.
IN CONCLUSION:
I really liked parts of Dark Tide: Ruin, but it felt more scattered than the first book. I suspect that a lot of the connective tissue between scenes was excised when Stackpole cut his plot down from two books to one. Time moves very quickly here, and I wish we could have lingered longer with some of the characters.
Next up: the first book in the Agents of Chaos duology, Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial by James Luceno.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/uTHl8ozuhuM
State of Star Wars - Michael A. Stackpole Interview (timestamp starts at discussion about Dark Tide: Siege): https://youtu.be/iI7H8jC_qBk?t=2033
“A Galaxy in Ruin: An Interview with Michael A. Stackpole”: https://web.archive.org/web/200502042...
December 12, 2025
This was a really great read! It was almost like Empire - it was well rounded, super well thought out, and had a dark/sadder ending that doesn’t leave you all fuzzy. The character development for people like Ganner, Jacen, and yes Corran (because Stackpole) was great. It was also great to see more of the Vong culture and characters developed. The character who really shined in this book was Elegos. The whole book felt like the movie Alpha Dog. The wholesome person, gets stuck with the bad guys the whole book, they start to like him and you’re just waiting for the bad thing to happen - you don’t want it to, but you know it’s going to.
November 21, 2025
chat we’re so cooked
October 29, 2024
lack of lukemara, leia and anakin povs drove me crazy
April 15, 2014
Matters get a bit more intense in this third book of the New Jedi Order series, but the fuse is still a bit long. Like Left Behind, I think this series could have been much shorter.
January 22, 2020
What this novel does fairly well compared to its predecessors (at least in its first half) ist that it gives us some insight into the Yuuzhan Vong. By having someone actually interact with them outside of a violent confrontation, Stackpole makes us understand their way of thinking a bit better.
Of course, none of the information gained makes its way to anyone within the New Republic and after this little plot line is concluded, the Vong are back to their old game - being mindless killing machines who have come to the galaxy to wreak havoc.
For me personally, this book has been able to spark some interest in the Vong, which the previous ones could not. And I hope we get to learn more about them in the following installments as the most pressing question remains unanswered: Why did they venture into this galaxy that is from their point of view riddled with heresy and ruled by blasphemous machines in the first place?
Plot wise this novel is just as big a mess as its predecessor. The Jedi are all over the place putting out fires (many of which they first set themselves). The missions they set out on don't really seem to be following some logical course of action but to be stemming from mere whims of Luke.
Overall, I feel that everyone depends a whole lot on the Solo children. This is puzzling to me as Luke has been instructing Jedi for quite some time now and should have a considerable number of full fledged adult Jedi at his deposal to be sent on dangerous missions (at least many more than the handful that are introduced). Sure, the kids are strong in the force and certainly able to contribute but is ist really wise to send them on the most dangerous missions, at the very front of the confrontation?
Compared to her children, Leia plays a rather negligible role in this novel. I still think it's weird that within the conflict between the senate and the Jedi she is being accused of being biased because of her Jedi relatives and not at all because of her own abilities. The suspicion held towards her may explain why she doesn't appear in quite a few situations where she seriously could have helped (e.g. acting as mediator between Borsk and the imperials). Honestly, throughout a good part of the novel I have no idea what she is up to.
As with Dark Tide I, what really bothers me here is Han's behavior. While this enormous threat to the New Republic is happening, he remains on Coruscant wallowing in self pity. He stated himself that the death of his best friend has shown him just how much he is at risk of losing and that he is terribly afraid of losing his family. From this perspective the logical thing to do would be the exact opposite of hiding away and drowning one's sorrows. It would be for him to head out and try to protect the ones he loves (which would also be consistent with all of his previous behavior). Instead he chooses to stay behind while his whole family is in grave danger (I'm just assuming Leia is also in danger, I have no clue what she's doing 50% of the time). I can hardly put into words just how out of character this behavior feels to me.
With all of its shortcomings, however, this novel is far from bad. It is a quick read and offers some interesting insights. Personally, I felt the plot was a little rushed towards the end and that the conclusion happened a bit too fast. Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to continue reading this series.
Of course, none of the information gained makes its way to anyone within the New Republic and after this little plot line is concluded, the Vong are back to their old game - being mindless killing machines who have come to the galaxy to wreak havoc.
For me personally, this book has been able to spark some interest in the Vong, which the previous ones could not. And I hope we get to learn more about them in the following installments as the most pressing question remains unanswered: Why did they venture into this galaxy that is from their point of view riddled with heresy and ruled by blasphemous machines in the first place?
Plot wise this novel is just as big a mess as its predecessor. The Jedi are all over the place putting out fires (many of which they first set themselves). The missions they set out on don't really seem to be following some logical course of action but to be stemming from mere whims of Luke.
Overall, I feel that everyone depends a whole lot on the Solo children. This is puzzling to me as Luke has been instructing Jedi for quite some time now and should have a considerable number of full fledged adult Jedi at his deposal to be sent on dangerous missions (at least many more than the handful that are introduced). Sure, the kids are strong in the force and certainly able to contribute but is ist really wise to send them on the most dangerous missions, at the very front of the confrontation?
Compared to her children, Leia plays a rather negligible role in this novel. I still think it's weird that within the conflict between the senate and the Jedi she is being accused of being biased because of her Jedi relatives and not at all because of her own abilities. The suspicion held towards her may explain why she doesn't appear in quite a few situations where she seriously could have helped (e.g. acting as mediator between Borsk and the imperials). Honestly, throughout a good part of the novel I have no idea what she is up to.
As with Dark Tide I, what really bothers me here is Han's behavior. While this enormous threat to the New Republic is happening, he remains on Coruscant wallowing in self pity. He stated himself that the death of his best friend has shown him just how much he is at risk of losing and that he is terribly afraid of losing his family. From this perspective the logical thing to do would be the exact opposite of hiding away and drowning one's sorrows. It would be for him to head out and try to protect the ones he loves (which would also be consistent with all of his previous behavior). Instead he chooses to stay behind while his whole family is in grave danger (I'm just assuming Leia is also in danger, I have no clue what she's doing 50% of the time). I can hardly put into words just how out of character this behavior feels to me.
With all of its shortcomings, however, this novel is far from bad. It is a quick read and offers some interesting insights. Personally, I felt the plot was a little rushed towards the end and that the conclusion happened a bit too fast. Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to continue reading this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2017
Lots going on in this one and although this series persists in half the Jedi being brash, insubordinate and just over-the-top childish, the excitement on several fronts covered for it.
First, a Twi'lek Jedi named Daeshara'cor decided that it was Jedi-like to go and find a superweapon that could wipe out planets, because that's the best way to handle the Yuuzhan Vong. So Luke and Anakin went to track her down. Second, Corran, Jacen and Ganner head to the planet Garqi for some research on the Vong. Third, Leia heads to the Imperial Remnant where we get re-acquainted with Admiral Paellaeon. She tries to recruit Paellaeon and the Empire to their cause.
When Corran and Jacen discover a substance that can harm the Vong - and that it's grown on Ithor - it's only a matter of time before the Vong attacks Ithor. And everyone gathers there for the big final battle. The action was plentiful, there was more nostalgia as we run into familiar characters from prior novels, but the push to make the Jedi into outcasts can be a little distracting. It can still be done without going quite so overboard.
A very enjoyable story nonetheless.
First, a Twi'lek Jedi named Daeshara'cor decided that it was Jedi-like to go and find a superweapon that could wipe out planets, because that's the best way to handle the Yuuzhan Vong. So Luke and Anakin went to track her down. Second, Corran, Jacen and Ganner head to the planet Garqi for some research on the Vong. Third, Leia heads to the Imperial Remnant where we get re-acquainted with Admiral Paellaeon. She tries to recruit Paellaeon and the Empire to their cause.
When Corran and Jacen discover a substance that can harm the Vong - and that it's grown on Ithor - it's only a matter of time before the Vong attacks Ithor. And everyone gathers there for the big final battle. The action was plentiful, there was more nostalgia as we run into familiar characters from prior novels, but the push to make the Jedi into outcasts can be a little distracting. It can still be done without going quite so overboard.
A very enjoyable story nonetheless.
January 2, 2021
The saga continues with the war between the New Republic and the Vong. Stackpole does better with character development, and conflicts with emotions on the part of the Jedi. We are seeing the younger characters mature, but at the same starting to see the older favs fade somewhat. Again as in book 2, Han Solo is barely mentioned, but sure that will likely change in the next few books.
There is still no distinct plot on why the Yuuzhan Vong are after except just to conquer more worlds, and they are dead-set against technology and droids.
Each of the Jedi play a role, and we also see a return of the Empire Remnant, but whose side will they be on.
Still a good read overall, not the best, not the worst.
There is still no distinct plot on why the Yuuzhan Vong are after except just to conquer more worlds, and they are dead-set against technology and droids.
Each of the Jedi play a role, and we also see a return of the Empire Remnant, but whose side will they be on.
Still a good read overall, not the best, not the worst.
October 12, 2022
Pretty decent book. You get to see or hear about fan favorites such as Pellaeon and the Chiss. My copy was abridged, but I also think Parck is mentioned or in the book. Thrawn is mentioned at least twice. You also get to know more about the Vong.
January 24, 2022
This is not my favorite NJO novel. Corran and Mirax are some of my favorite Legends/EU characters. I like the ending of the Onslaught better.
February 6, 2017
Raing of 3.5
February 17, 2024
Better than the previous one, I enjoyed it. Stackpole is good at building a story and creating tension, but the 3rd act feels a bit rushed once again but not as much as the previous one.
We are still getting to know more about the Vongs and the Solo kids and the overall main story feels like it's still in its infancy. Space combat is great as usual in Stackpole books. It's a fairly short one and I felt like it was well paced. Not much more I feel like I need to say about this one and I'm excited to continue the series.
I give this somewhere between 3.5 and a weak 4.
We are still getting to know more about the Vongs and the Solo kids and the overall main story feels like it's still in its infancy. Space combat is great as usual in Stackpole books. It's a fairly short one and I felt like it was well paced. Not much more I feel like I need to say about this one and I'm excited to continue the series.
I give this somewhere between 3.5 and a weak 4.
April 14, 2011
"It is only through functioning together that we can succeed"
The war against the Yuuzhan Vong continues. Leia attempts to bring Paelleon and the Imperial Remnant into the fight, while Luke and Mara try to keep the Jedi Order together. And Corran, Ganner, and Jacen go on an important fact-finding mission to Garqi.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
I went into Ruin with eager expectation, on a high after reading Onslaught, which was probably a bad thing. Not the reading order, just my unrealistic expectation. It would explain my "meh" reaction at finishing this entry into the New Jedi Order series.
Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book, by no means. Stackpole's worst is better than many authors' best (Kevin J. Anderson? Barbara Hambly?). But nonetheless, I couldn't help the wandering mind as I listened.
Character-wise, we get some nice growth from people like Corran, Jacen, and Ganner. Particularly Ganner. I really like the direction that Stackpole took him. Even Corran's arc was nicely done. I love how he ended up being the scapegoat and having to leave the Order to save face. Nice bit of political manuevering there. Even the ever-ambivalent Jacen is pretty nice, as he temporarily sets aside his need to figure out his destiny. When I first read these books ages ago, he had irritated me. "Why are you thinking about where you belong when there's a war going on?" would be a common complaint bouncing around in my head as Jacen hemmed and hawed. Now, I kinda understand what he's going through (ah, aging, it does wonder to your life).
However, other characters end up on the chopping block. Han is barely present, and only there to remind us that he is still mourning. Leia secures Paelleon's help and then promptly disappears from the narrative. Luke and Mara are reduced to propping devices for Anakin's character development. Two new, very minor characters (Daeshara'cor, a Jedi Knight investigating superweapons, our favorite plot device, and Anni Capstan, Jaina's wingmate) are barely given any time before they are dramatically killed. In Daeshara'cor's case, her story was boring; in Anni Capstan, not enough time was spent on developing her as a good friend to Jaina, so when she died, I was like, "So what?"
Even the storylines were more boring this time around. Leia goes to Paelleon to ask for aid. Whoopee. Luke and Mara hunt after Jedi 372 who wants to use a superweapon. Been there, done that. Even the interesting new character, Chalco, only serves as a surrogate Han to poor Anakin. And then, suddenly, everyone has to hurry to Ithor (ah, how I dislike abridged audiobooks) to have a fight on the surface (but aren't weapons banned from the surface?). We could also go into how characters (Ganner, Corran, Daeshara'cor) tend to monologue about their revelations and their views of the Force, but I don't want to come across as beating a dead horse.
Fortunately, Corran and Ganner's mission isn't boring and was kept me interested. I loved how Ganner was brought down to size, and even how Corran learned a lesson in humility. What happened with Elegos was heart-breaking and the devastation of Ithor was even worse. And, as I said above, I liked how Corran had to bear the burden of fault for Ithor. Nice "messianic" vibe from a non-Skywalker.
So, if you adored Onslaught, just be wary opening Ruin; you may not exactly get what you expected.
The war against the Yuuzhan Vong continues. Leia attempts to bring Paelleon and the Imperial Remnant into the fight, while Luke and Mara try to keep the Jedi Order together. And Corran, Ganner, and Jacen go on an important fact-finding mission to Garqi.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
I went into Ruin with eager expectation, on a high after reading Onslaught, which was probably a bad thing. Not the reading order, just my unrealistic expectation. It would explain my "meh" reaction at finishing this entry into the New Jedi Order series.
Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book, by no means. Stackpole's worst is better than many authors' best (Kevin J. Anderson? Barbara Hambly?). But nonetheless, I couldn't help the wandering mind as I listened.
Character-wise, we get some nice growth from people like Corran, Jacen, and Ganner. Particularly Ganner. I really like the direction that Stackpole took him. Even Corran's arc was nicely done. I love how he ended up being the scapegoat and having to leave the Order to save face. Nice bit of political manuevering there. Even the ever-ambivalent Jacen is pretty nice, as he temporarily sets aside his need to figure out his destiny. When I first read these books ages ago, he had irritated me. "Why are you thinking about where you belong when there's a war going on?" would be a common complaint bouncing around in my head as Jacen hemmed and hawed. Now, I kinda understand what he's going through (ah, aging, it does wonder to your life).
However, other characters end up on the chopping block. Han is barely present, and only there to remind us that he is still mourning. Leia secures Paelleon's help and then promptly disappears from the narrative. Luke and Mara are reduced to propping devices for Anakin's character development. Two new, very minor characters (Daeshara'cor, a Jedi Knight investigating superweapons, our favorite plot device, and Anni Capstan, Jaina's wingmate) are barely given any time before they are dramatically killed. In Daeshara'cor's case, her story was boring; in Anni Capstan, not enough time was spent on developing her as a good friend to Jaina, so when she died, I was like, "So what?"
Even the storylines were more boring this time around. Leia goes to Paelleon to ask for aid. Whoopee. Luke and Mara hunt after Jedi 372 who wants to use a superweapon. Been there, done that. Even the interesting new character, Chalco, only serves as a surrogate Han to poor Anakin. And then, suddenly, everyone has to hurry to Ithor (ah, how I dislike abridged audiobooks) to have a fight on the surface (but aren't weapons banned from the surface?). We could also go into how characters (Ganner, Corran, Daeshara'cor) tend to monologue about their revelations and their views of the Force, but I don't want to come across as beating a dead horse.
Fortunately, Corran and Ganner's mission isn't boring and was kept me interested. I loved how Ganner was brought down to size, and even how Corran learned a lesson in humility. What happened with Elegos was heart-breaking and the devastation of Ithor was even worse. And, as I said above, I liked how Corran had to bear the burden of fault for Ithor. Nice "messianic" vibe from a non-Skywalker.
So, if you adored Onslaught, just be wary opening Ruin; you may not exactly get what you expected.
September 14, 2019
One of the interesting aspects of this series is seeing how each author approaches telling the story, and the characters they focus on. As expected, Stackpole puts a much stronger emphasis on pilots: Corran Horn, Rogue Squadron, even Jaina to a degree. I like that over the course of Dark Tide he makes the attempt to show how different characters handle grief, even if sometimes it feels a bit oversimplified.
Something I did not expect, and felt a little out of place in Star Wars (more of a classic sci-fi concept) was the "alien vs human" dynamic. Not that it was done poorly, but a bit of a weird choice I thought. I think focusing more on the New Republic vs Imperial might have been a more interesting dynamic to focus on. That said, the story was engaging with a satisfying (though sad) conclusion.
Something I did not expect, and felt a little out of place in Star Wars (more of a classic sci-fi concept) was the "alien vs human" dynamic. Not that it was done poorly, but a bit of a weird choice I thought. I think focusing more on the New Republic vs Imperial might have been a more interesting dynamic to focus on. That said, the story was engaging with a satisfying (though sad) conclusion.
April 11, 2023
3.5/5
Releitura após mais de dez anos.
Um ponto de vista dos Yuuzhan Vong definitivamente fez a diferença neste livro. O POV do Shedao Shai é essencial para entender como eles se comportam, as motivações e o que nos aguarda no futuro da série.
Achei o plot da Daeshara'cor foi bem largado e só serve para enfatizar que os jedi tão a maior bagunça. É insubordinação pra todo lado e Luke tá lá só olhando a merda acontecer. Juro que não entendo como tem gente que fica babando o ovo do Kyp Durron, o cara é insuportável.
"Being Jedi is what we are. It's not the power we weild or the weapons we carry. [...] We serve the Force, whether our enemies are part of it or not." um dos poucos momentos em que o Luke faz alguma coisa nesse livro.
O foco no Anakin foi interessante e apesar da Jaina estar um pouco escanteada nesse livro, as cenas em que ela aparece são memoráveis. Temos a introdução do Jag Fel (não lembrava que ele aparecia tão cedo) e eu tinha a impressão que a gente entrava em mais detalhes a respeito da família dele então ver só as informações meio jogadas foi uma surpresas.
"If we go out there thinking we're invulnerable, we'll get stupid. Stupid people die, and all too often, they take friends with them." Gavin Darklighter só disse verdades.
O Jacen nesse livro tá bem chatinho com todo o rolê filosófico dele mas é uma jornada que vale a pena acompanhar, mesmo eu revirando os olhos diversas vezes com os monólogos internos do moço.
O retorno do império foi incrível e tô amando a abordagem pós a paz que acontece ao fim da duologia Hand of Thrawn. A relação do Império com a Nova República e essa ameaça de fora da galáxia é sensacional. Borsk Fey'lya continua sendo um grande insuportável e o autor conseguiu retratar bem o personagem, me fazendo querer entrar no livro e dar uns bons tapas na cara desse ridículo.
Enfim, uma história sólida com um ótimo desenvolvimento de personagens mas com uns diálogos meio estranhos e plots que podiam ter sido ou deixados de lado ou melhor abordados. O plot twist é excelente mas me pareceu um pouco sem desenvolvimento anterior.
Releitura após mais de dez anos.
Um ponto de vista dos Yuuzhan Vong definitivamente fez a diferença neste livro. O POV do Shedao Shai é essencial para entender como eles se comportam, as motivações e o que nos aguarda no futuro da série.
Achei o plot da Daeshara'cor foi bem largado e só serve para enfatizar que os jedi tão a maior bagunça. É insubordinação pra todo lado e Luke tá lá só olhando a merda acontecer. Juro que não entendo como tem gente que fica babando o ovo do Kyp Durron, o cara é insuportável.
"Being Jedi is what we are. It's not the power we weild or the weapons we carry. [...] We serve the Force, whether our enemies are part of it or not." um dos poucos momentos em que o Luke faz alguma coisa nesse livro.
O foco no Anakin foi interessante e apesar da Jaina estar um pouco escanteada nesse livro, as cenas em que ela aparece são memoráveis. Temos a introdução do Jag Fel (não lembrava que ele aparecia tão cedo) e eu tinha a impressão que a gente entrava em mais detalhes a respeito da família dele então ver só as informações meio jogadas foi uma surpresas.
"If we go out there thinking we're invulnerable, we'll get stupid. Stupid people die, and all too often, they take friends with them." Gavin Darklighter só disse verdades.
O Jacen nesse livro tá bem chatinho com todo o rolê filosófico dele mas é uma jornada que vale a pena acompanhar, mesmo eu revirando os olhos diversas vezes com os monólogos internos do moço.
O retorno do império foi incrível e tô amando a abordagem pós a paz que acontece ao fim da duologia Hand of Thrawn. A relação do Império com a Nova República e essa ameaça de fora da galáxia é sensacional. Borsk Fey'lya continua sendo um grande insuportável e o autor conseguiu retratar bem o personagem, me fazendo querer entrar no livro e dar uns bons tapas na cara desse ridículo.
Enfim, uma história sólida com um ótimo desenvolvimento de personagens mas com uns diálogos meio estranhos e plots que podiam ter sido ou deixados de lado ou melhor abordados. O plot twist é excelente mas me pareceu um pouco sem desenvolvimento anterior.
January 15, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book. The action pack, makes you feel like you are in the storyline with them. It makes you really intrigued to read what happens next. It shows you the view of different characters, which I really enjoyed.
Luke Skywalker, the republic, and the empire were discussing a plan on how to defend Ithor from the Yuuzhan Vong. They knew that the Yuuzhan Vong were going to attack Ithor, because its trees could kill them. During the fight a jedi named Daeshara'cor died. Everyone was shocked and sad because of this tragic event. During the fight though all the Yuuzhan Vong were killed, but the planet Ithor was lost.
Luke Skywalker is a jedi knight. Leia Solo is Han’s wife. Han Solo is Leia’s husband. Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin are Han and Leia’s kids. Mara Skywalker is Luke’s wife. Daeshara'cor is a Jedi knight who dies in the battle of Ithor
One of the major settings was Ithor. Another setting was Garqi. Those settings intertwine because of what took place on Garqi. The time period this book takes place in is, 8 ABY.
The theme of this book was bravery. The Jedi where very brave to take on that many Yuuzhan Vong ground troops by themselves. The republic and empire were also very brave on taking on that many Yuuzhan Vong ships by themselves. The Jedi, republic, and empire were very brave taking on the unknown enemy called, the Yuuzhan Vong.
I think ages 17-32 should read this book. It’s very adventurous and action packed. I think both genders should read this book. I would recommend this book. It has a very good story line.
Luke Skywalker, the republic, and the empire were discussing a plan on how to defend Ithor from the Yuuzhan Vong. They knew that the Yuuzhan Vong were going to attack Ithor, because its trees could kill them. During the fight a jedi named Daeshara'cor died. Everyone was shocked and sad because of this tragic event. During the fight though all the Yuuzhan Vong were killed, but the planet Ithor was lost.
Luke Skywalker is a jedi knight. Leia Solo is Han’s wife. Han Solo is Leia’s husband. Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin are Han and Leia’s kids. Mara Skywalker is Luke’s wife. Daeshara'cor is a Jedi knight who dies in the battle of Ithor
One of the major settings was Ithor. Another setting was Garqi. Those settings intertwine because of what took place on Garqi. The time period this book takes place in is, 8 ABY.
The theme of this book was bravery. The Jedi where very brave to take on that many Yuuzhan Vong ground troops by themselves. The republic and empire were also very brave on taking on that many Yuuzhan Vong ships by themselves. The Jedi, republic, and empire were very brave taking on the unknown enemy called, the Yuuzhan Vong.
I think ages 17-32 should read this book. It’s very adventurous and action packed. I think both genders should read this book. I would recommend this book. It has a very good story line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2021
Action, adventure and the force. The Jedi knights, the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant race to save planets from the consuming domination and oppression of the Yuuzhan Vong.
I really enjoyed reading about how the Jedi work and the evolution of the Solo kids. They find themselves in very real, very dangerous, and very lethal situations. It’s an education as they realize for themselves what it means to be a Jedi.
Corran Horn is featured as one of the leaders of the New Republic defense. His Corellian lineage is front and center but he never loses sight of the main goal and never gives up. He is quickly becoming my favorite Jedi. (He’s featured in the X-Wing books and “I, Jedi”, a book about his time at the Jedi academy on Yavin 4. )
I really enjoyed reading about how the Jedi work and the evolution of the Solo kids. They find themselves in very real, very dangerous, and very lethal situations. It’s an education as they realize for themselves what it means to be a Jedi.
Corran Horn is featured as one of the leaders of the New Republic defense. His Corellian lineage is front and center but he never loses sight of the main goal and never gives up. He is quickly becoming my favorite Jedi. (He’s featured in the X-Wing books and “I, Jedi”, a book about his time at the Jedi academy on Yavin 4. )
December 31, 2014
Another lights out book in the New Jedi Order series.The threat of the Yuuzhan Vong continues.All the storylines are compelling.Especially those that have to do with Jaina,Jacen,and Anakin Solo.So far its right up there with The Fate Of The Jedi series.
May 15, 2018
The end of this book really launches the scale of war this series will present.
October 14, 2015
It's getting dark up in here.
February 24, 2025
Stars: 3
Re-read: Necessary for the New Jedi Order Series, so yes.
Recommend to: People who want to take on the 19 book series.
This is better than Stackpole's previous installment, but it is still far from the strongest entries in the series.
The biggest problem with this book (and really the first three books) is that the authors can't come up with a realistic response from the New Republic to the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. We constantly read about how powerful they are and people will say things like, "if they aren't stopped soon, we won't be able to stop them at all." But then the New Republic gives the absolute minimum effort in fighting.
Another major problem with Stackpole's contributions to the New Jedi Order are insanely stupid moral quibbling. It's always been dangerous territory to dig too far into the light side/dark side debate. Stackpole takes it to a whole new level of stupidity. In this book, Luke argues that they have to be a purely defensive force. If the Jedi go on the offensive, they would fall to the dark side. Why? It isn't that they can't fight in battles, but that they can only fight in battles if they are the defending force. So by this logic, destroying the first Death Star was fine, but it was evil to destroy the second Death Star. The climactic battle in Vector Prime was also an action of the Dark Side. Luke even has to obnoxiously correct Kyp and say they shouldn't call it a council of war, because that signals aggression. Give me a break. The Jedi should apparently just be scouts and help people evacuate. It's just stupid semantics. It's retarded to act like the Jedi can't fight a defensive war, only a defensive battle. How does that even fit with the events in this book that are apparently okay with Luke?
Stackpole continues his unfortunate reliance on ridiculous characters having the most absurd perspectives only for them to have a complete epiphany and now be totally reasonable.
Other things:
- It was really nice to have portions of the story told from the Yuuzhan Vong perspective. Omitting this was a critical error in the previous book. That said, we still don't know enough about them.
- I didn't like the justification for the entire subplot
- Stackpole comes up with a truly stupid scene
- I continue to be nonplussed about the Yuuzhan Vong version of organic technology. It just seems impossible to have living creatures do some many different things and be so effective. It also just seems like the authors will just create some new creature every time they want some very specific thing to happen. Who can take seriously creatures that have enough intelligence to identify and track incoming threats and create sort of a mini-black hole to absorb all of the energy while fighting a space battle?
- One of the big moments at the climax was really dumb.
Previous Reads: 3 Stars 2003/2006
Re-read: Necessary for the New Jedi Order Series, so yes.
Recommend to: People who want to take on the 19 book series.
This is better than Stackpole's previous installment, but it is still far from the strongest entries in the series.
The biggest problem with this book (and really the first three books) is that the authors can't come up with a realistic response from the New Republic to the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. We constantly read about how powerful they are and people will say things like, "if they aren't stopped soon, we won't be able to stop them at all." But then the New Republic gives the absolute minimum effort in fighting.
Another major problem with Stackpole's contributions to the New Jedi Order are insanely stupid moral quibbling. It's always been dangerous territory to dig too far into the light side/dark side debate. Stackpole takes it to a whole new level of stupidity. In this book, Luke argues that they have to be a purely defensive force. If the Jedi go on the offensive, they would fall to the dark side. Why? It isn't that they can't fight in battles, but that they can only fight in battles if they are the defending force. So by this logic, destroying the first Death Star was fine, but it was evil to destroy the second Death Star. The climactic battle in Vector Prime was also an action of the Dark Side. Luke even has to obnoxiously correct Kyp and say they shouldn't call it a council of war, because that signals aggression. Give me a break. The Jedi should apparently just be scouts and help people evacuate. It's just stupid semantics. It's retarded to act like the Jedi can't fight a defensive war, only a defensive battle. How does that even fit with the events in this book that are apparently okay with Luke?
Stackpole continues his unfortunate reliance on ridiculous characters having the most absurd perspectives only for them to have a complete epiphany and now be totally reasonable.
Other things:
- It was really nice to have portions of the story told from the Yuuzhan Vong perspective. Omitting this was a critical error in the previous book. That said, we still don't know enough about them.
- I didn't like the justification for the entire subplot
- Stackpole comes up with a truly stupid scene
- I continue to be nonplussed about the Yuuzhan Vong version of organic technology. It just seems impossible to have living creatures do some many different things and be so effective. It also just seems like the authors will just create some new creature every time they want some very specific thing to happen. Who can take seriously creatures that have enough intelligence to identify and track incoming threats and create sort of a mini-black hole to absorb all of the energy while fighting a space battle?
- One of the big moments at the climax was really dumb.
Previous Reads: 3 Stars 2003/2006
October 15, 2022
The harvest of pain brings bounty for all...
Dark Tide II: Ruin brings the New Jedi Order series' Dark Tide duology to a close, and with it Michael A. Stackpole's tenure as a Star Wars writer. Though he did write a three-page comic strip and a short story shortly later, Ruin is, for all intents and purposes, his last "big" Star Wars EU work. Although it doesn't reach the heights of some of Stackpole's other works - I, Jedi, The Making of Baron Fel, and Dark Tide I: Onslaught come to mind - it's still an enjoyable SW novel and a fair way to go out.
Everyone knows Dark Tide as a duology these days but it was supposed to be a trilogy including a middle chapter called Dark Tide: Siege initially. Apparently Stackpole disagreed with the story beats that Del Rey presented him with after Onslaught and decided to cut the final two novels into one instead - Ruin. What we're left with is a book that, much like Isard's Revenge, attempts to cram a lot of story into the confines of just 300 pages. A lot of the story beats here are fairly interesting in of themselves: Ganner being humbled, the reintroduction of the Imperial remnant, and Daeshara'cor storyline do wonders for furthering the overarching NJO story. 300 pages are just too little space to give everything Ruin attempts to do the proper attention. Daeshara'cor's tale especially seems... lacking, with sufficient initial buildup but inadequate payoff. Further, the way Stackpole portrays the Remnant kind of just rubs me the wrong way. I have no issues with the NR senate and especially Borsk Fey'lya being more of a hindrance than an asset to our protagonists, but does Pellaeon really need to seem more reasonable than every NR politician in this novel...? I'm aware that Elegos A'kla exists - and he's just as great here as he was in I, Jedi - but I'd have wished for, say, Cal Omas to remind us that not every senator here is an awful person. I feel like if Stackpole had been given more time, or even that third novel, he'd have been able to salvage a lot of the more awkward elements present in the final product.
Speaking of awkward: Stackpole's prose. Now, Michael Stackpole is one of my favorite Star Wars writers, and I usually enjoy his writing. In fact, I thought both Isard's Revenge and Onslaught were a lot more technically solid than his previous entries. Ruin, however, might just be Stackpole's roughest novel on a technical level: weird dialogue, awkward choice of words, and the aforementioned pacing/structural problems make for a decisively weaker product than Dark Tide I: Onslaught was.
Ruin's greatest strengths lie in its last third, which is marked by shocking developments. Despite my reservations with Ruin as a whole, this entire sequence is perhaps the highlight of the first three NJO books: always exciting, with great character moments, shocking twists, and exhilarating action scenes.
It's a shame that the Dark Tide story never got to reach its fullest potential after how brilliant its beginning was. Nevertheless, what we did get in Dark Tide II: Ruin is a solid novel which, despite its shortcomings, still serves as another worthwhile entry in the New Jedi Order series. Thus ends Michael A. Stackpole tenure as an EU writer. Never perfect but always fun, he was one of the Star Wars Expanded Universe's most important and distinguished creative minds from 1996 to 2000. It is fitting, then, that the next two New Jedi Order books were written by a similarly prominent author who would define the EU from this point onward: I am, of course, talking about James Luceno and his Agents of Chaos duology, which will be the next part of my NJO readthrough after a short diversion - Greg Bear's Prequel Era and NJO tie-in novel, Rogue Planet.
Dark Tide II: Ruin brings the New Jedi Order series' Dark Tide duology to a close, and with it Michael A. Stackpole's tenure as a Star Wars writer. Though he did write a three-page comic strip and a short story shortly later, Ruin is, for all intents and purposes, his last "big" Star Wars EU work. Although it doesn't reach the heights of some of Stackpole's other works - I, Jedi, The Making of Baron Fel, and Dark Tide I: Onslaught come to mind - it's still an enjoyable SW novel and a fair way to go out.
Everyone knows Dark Tide as a duology these days but it was supposed to be a trilogy including a middle chapter called Dark Tide: Siege initially. Apparently Stackpole disagreed with the story beats that Del Rey presented him with after Onslaught and decided to cut the final two novels into one instead - Ruin. What we're left with is a book that, much like Isard's Revenge, attempts to cram a lot of story into the confines of just 300 pages. A lot of the story beats here are fairly interesting in of themselves: Ganner being humbled, the reintroduction of the Imperial remnant, and Daeshara'cor storyline do wonders for furthering the overarching NJO story. 300 pages are just too little space to give everything Ruin attempts to do the proper attention. Daeshara'cor's tale especially seems... lacking, with sufficient initial buildup but inadequate payoff. Further, the way Stackpole portrays the Remnant kind of just rubs me the wrong way. I have no issues with the NR senate and especially Borsk Fey'lya being more of a hindrance than an asset to our protagonists, but does Pellaeon really need to seem more reasonable than every NR politician in this novel...? I'm aware that Elegos A'kla exists - and he's just as great here as he was in I, Jedi - but I'd have wished for, say, Cal Omas to remind us that not every senator here is an awful person. I feel like if Stackpole had been given more time, or even that third novel, he'd have been able to salvage a lot of the more awkward elements present in the final product.
Speaking of awkward: Stackpole's prose. Now, Michael Stackpole is one of my favorite Star Wars writers, and I usually enjoy his writing. In fact, I thought both Isard's Revenge and Onslaught were a lot more technically solid than his previous entries. Ruin, however, might just be Stackpole's roughest novel on a technical level: weird dialogue, awkward choice of words, and the aforementioned pacing/structural problems make for a decisively weaker product than Dark Tide I: Onslaught was.
Ruin's greatest strengths lie in its last third, which is marked by shocking developments. Despite my reservations with Ruin as a whole, this entire sequence is perhaps the highlight of the first three NJO books: always exciting, with great character moments, shocking twists, and exhilarating action scenes.
It's a shame that the Dark Tide story never got to reach its fullest potential after how brilliant its beginning was. Nevertheless, what we did get in Dark Tide II: Ruin is a solid novel which, despite its shortcomings, still serves as another worthwhile entry in the New Jedi Order series. Thus ends Michael A. Stackpole tenure as an EU writer. Never perfect but always fun, he was one of the Star Wars Expanded Universe's most important and distinguished creative minds from 1996 to 2000. It is fitting, then, that the next two New Jedi Order books were written by a similarly prominent author who would define the EU from this point onward: I am, of course, talking about James Luceno and his Agents of Chaos duology, which will be the next part of my NJO readthrough after a short diversion - Greg Bear's Prequel Era and NJO tie-in novel, Rogue Planet.
January 12, 2022
Star Wars: The New Jedi Order Dark Tide: Ruin by Michael Stackpole is a media tie-in novel based on the Star Wars movie franchise, and the second book of “Dark Tide” NJO mini series.
Set in the Star Wars Legends timeline. Dark Tide: Ruin is set in the early days of the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion Of the Star Wars galaxy.
The Yuuzhan Vong have begun overrunning New Republic worlds on the edge of the Outer Rim, although the bureaucrats who run the New Republic have finally acknowledged the alien threat. An infiltration mission led by the Jedi Corran Horn uncovers a possible weakness of the invaders, which leads to a massive battle over the planet Ithor. Meanwhile, Leia Organa Solo negociates with the remnants of the old Empire to bring them into the war on the New Republic's side. While Master Luke Skywalker and his wife Mara Jade chase after a rogue Jedi seeking an alternative, forbidden method of striking back at the Yuuzahn Vong.
The best thing about reading a Star Wars book by Michael Stackpole is that it feels like you're going home to visit old friends. His long experience with the people and aliens of the Galaxy Far, Far Away, and his ability to relate the thoughts of those characters.
I was most impressed with many aspects of the book. Stackpole continues to brilliantly portray both space and ground combat, while at the same time not sacrificing character interest. Special highlight for me was definitely the characters of Elegos A'Kla, the alien senator who goes to try to negociate peace with the Yuuzhan Vong, even though he knows it may well mean his death. The characterisation of the Solo kids remains excellent as well, particularly Jaina (mainly because she seems more self-assured than her brothers and therefore is less annoying). Admiral Pellaeon of Timothy Zahn fame makes a welcome return, as pragmatic as ever.
Of the other characters that appear in Ruin, I thought Imperial pilot Jagged Fel was a good addition to the cast - I particularly liked his standing up to the New Republic politicians. The subplot with the rouge Jedi Daeshara'cor may seem superfluous, but it does actually have a point - how far should the New Republic go to protect itself? Would the Empire, less fettered by bureaucracy and grey-area ethics, do better against the Yuuzhan Vong?The ending was indeed downbeat, but it fit well with the generally gritty and realistic tone of the New Jedi Order series, reminding the reader that in real life, sometimes all the heroics in the world (or galaxy, in this case) can't save the day.
This book is a great addition to the NJO series and adds even more insight into the Yuuzhan Vong invaders. We also see Luke’s Jedi Order struggle to establish themselves as the guardians of peace and justice in a galaxy that’s on the verge of a new era of war. We see the various politicians of the New Republic try to struggle with politics on how to counter this new alien threat. We get great space combat action involving fan favorites of Rouge squadron.
Stackpole continues to bring the Star Wars expanded universe characters (such as Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, Wedge Antilles) to life and make them interesting. Whether it’s from the cockpit of a X-Wing Starfighter or Jedi leading a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Stackpole’s second book in the of the “Darktide” trilogy really captures what makes Star Wars.
All in all, NJO Dark Tide: Ruin is pretty good. Some of the ideas and plots are a little farfetched even for Star Wars, but I guess that just adds to the flavor. Michael Stackpole is an awesome author, so I like pretty much like everything he writes. In the book, you get to know some of the not-as-well-know characters and I think that is waht makes it most interesting. This is definitley a must read if you are a Star Wars fan.
Set in the Star Wars Legends timeline. Dark Tide: Ruin is set in the early days of the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion Of the Star Wars galaxy.
The Yuuzhan Vong have begun overrunning New Republic worlds on the edge of the Outer Rim, although the bureaucrats who run the New Republic have finally acknowledged the alien threat. An infiltration mission led by the Jedi Corran Horn uncovers a possible weakness of the invaders, which leads to a massive battle over the planet Ithor. Meanwhile, Leia Organa Solo negociates with the remnants of the old Empire to bring them into the war on the New Republic's side. While Master Luke Skywalker and his wife Mara Jade chase after a rogue Jedi seeking an alternative, forbidden method of striking back at the Yuuzahn Vong.
The best thing about reading a Star Wars book by Michael Stackpole is that it feels like you're going home to visit old friends. His long experience with the people and aliens of the Galaxy Far, Far Away, and his ability to relate the thoughts of those characters.
I was most impressed with many aspects of the book. Stackpole continues to brilliantly portray both space and ground combat, while at the same time not sacrificing character interest. Special highlight for me was definitely the characters of Elegos A'Kla, the alien senator who goes to try to negociate peace with the Yuuzhan Vong, even though he knows it may well mean his death. The characterisation of the Solo kids remains excellent as well, particularly Jaina (mainly because she seems more self-assured than her brothers and therefore is less annoying). Admiral Pellaeon of Timothy Zahn fame makes a welcome return, as pragmatic as ever.
Of the other characters that appear in Ruin, I thought Imperial pilot Jagged Fel was a good addition to the cast - I particularly liked his standing up to the New Republic politicians. The subplot with the rouge Jedi Daeshara'cor may seem superfluous, but it does actually have a point - how far should the New Republic go to protect itself? Would the Empire, less fettered by bureaucracy and grey-area ethics, do better against the Yuuzhan Vong?The ending was indeed downbeat, but it fit well with the generally gritty and realistic tone of the New Jedi Order series, reminding the reader that in real life, sometimes all the heroics in the world (or galaxy, in this case) can't save the day.
This book is a great addition to the NJO series and adds even more insight into the Yuuzhan Vong invaders. We also see Luke’s Jedi Order struggle to establish themselves as the guardians of peace and justice in a galaxy that’s on the verge of a new era of war. We see the various politicians of the New Republic try to struggle with politics on how to counter this new alien threat. We get great space combat action involving fan favorites of Rouge squadron.
Stackpole continues to bring the Star Wars expanded universe characters (such as Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, Wedge Antilles) to life and make them interesting. Whether it’s from the cockpit of a X-Wing Starfighter or Jedi leading a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Stackpole’s second book in the of the “Darktide” trilogy really captures what makes Star Wars.
All in all, NJO Dark Tide: Ruin is pretty good. Some of the ideas and plots are a little farfetched even for Star Wars, but I guess that just adds to the flavor. Michael Stackpole is an awesome author, so I like pretty much like everything he writes. In the book, you get to know some of the not-as-well-know characters and I think that is waht makes it most interesting. This is definitley a must read if you are a Star Wars fan.
February 11, 2024
Michael Stackpole continues to expand upon the Yuuzhan Vong in the second part of the Dark Tide duology. He adds new layers to the way these aliens work, as well as escalating the extent of the conflict in the galaxy.
Once again Corran Horn gets most of the focus and important plot points. He continues to be a better role model for Ganner than Kyp Durron is, culminating in his turnaround after he's scarred. He finally sheds his extreme pride and is able to really focus on what it means to be a Jedi in this time of crisis. I think the Jedi acted well at Ithor, and were right to place their faith in Corran. It's not their fault not all the Vong are not as honorable as Shedao Shai, or at least view honor in a different light. But of course the public is going to turn against the Jedi as a whole, mostly thanks to the efforts of Borsk Fey'lya, whose desire to hold onto his power will probably be the undoing of the entire New Republic. Though I have to give much credit to Jagged Fel. After two and a half books featuring ineffectual politicians, Fel steps in and tells Borsk and his supporters to shut the fuck up and actually listen to reason. Let's hope Borsk and the others learn from this experience. Their hunger for power is transparent, and all their pointing of fingers is meaningless, especially in the face of their real enemies.
The highlight of the book was the plot with Shedao Shai and Elegos A'kla. Elegos slowly learns that the Vong are too different from the denizens of the GFFA, and chances are there can be no peace between them without war. In general, though, we learn much about the Vong and how they look at certain aspects of the GFFA. Their actions at Ithor show that they do not all think the same way. They're all ruthless, but to different degrees. Some, like Shai, embrace pain and wish to subject all of the denizens of the galaxy to that pain, while others like Tsavong Lah apparently desire only conquest, no matter the cost. He doesn't care that Ithor is brimming with nature, he just wishes destruction to his enemies, which is better for the Vong, but more evil in intent than Shedao's actions. Though I have to say, "soothing sting of pain" is not a phrase I'd ever consider using. *shudder* The Vong are seriously messed up, lol.
The other parts of the book were pretty good. Anakin learns an important lesson about the cost of revenge as he helps reign in Daeshara'cor, a Jedi who seeks out old Imperial superweapons to use against the Vong. Considering Chewie was killed by the Vong equivalent of a superweapon, it shows how much Anakin has grown as a person. Jaina also grows, but this time from the loss of a fellow pilot. Friends often don't last in war, and Jaina needs to keep in the moment and grieve at another time. This also helps her get over Chewie's death, to an extent. Jacen didn't really contribute much in this novel, but he seems to have shed some of his own arrogance and self-assurance. It was cool to see how the war is affecting the Empire, and how Leia gains the help of Pellaeon. Even though Ithor is rendered inhospitable, at least Pellaeon and Kre'fey reduce the Vong flagship to molten slag. The heroes need some cathartic moments in such a dark conflict, so causing the death of the treacherous Vong leader brings them a minor victory.
I give Ruin 4/5 stars for another great book by Michael Stackpole. I also liked the references to the Bantam books in this duology; they were well-used and didn't feel tacked on at all.
Once again Corran Horn gets most of the focus and important plot points. He continues to be a better role model for Ganner than Kyp Durron is, culminating in his turnaround after he's scarred. He finally sheds his extreme pride and is able to really focus on what it means to be a Jedi in this time of crisis. I think the Jedi acted well at Ithor, and were right to place their faith in Corran. It's not their fault not all the Vong are not as honorable as Shedao Shai, or at least view honor in a different light. But of course the public is going to turn against the Jedi as a whole, mostly thanks to the efforts of Borsk Fey'lya, whose desire to hold onto his power will probably be the undoing of the entire New Republic. Though I have to give much credit to Jagged Fel. After two and a half books featuring ineffectual politicians, Fel steps in and tells Borsk and his supporters to shut the fuck up and actually listen to reason. Let's hope Borsk and the others learn from this experience. Their hunger for power is transparent, and all their pointing of fingers is meaningless, especially in the face of their real enemies.
The highlight of the book was the plot with Shedao Shai and Elegos A'kla. Elegos slowly learns that the Vong are too different from the denizens of the GFFA, and chances are there can be no peace between them without war. In general, though, we learn much about the Vong and how they look at certain aspects of the GFFA. Their actions at Ithor show that they do not all think the same way. They're all ruthless, but to different degrees. Some, like Shai, embrace pain and wish to subject all of the denizens of the galaxy to that pain, while others like Tsavong Lah apparently desire only conquest, no matter the cost. He doesn't care that Ithor is brimming with nature, he just wishes destruction to his enemies, which is better for the Vong, but more evil in intent than Shedao's actions. Though I have to say, "soothing sting of pain" is not a phrase I'd ever consider using. *shudder* The Vong are seriously messed up, lol.
The other parts of the book were pretty good. Anakin learns an important lesson about the cost of revenge as he helps reign in Daeshara'cor, a Jedi who seeks out old Imperial superweapons to use against the Vong. Considering Chewie was killed by the Vong equivalent of a superweapon, it shows how much Anakin has grown as a person. Jaina also grows, but this time from the loss of a fellow pilot. Friends often don't last in war, and Jaina needs to keep in the moment and grieve at another time. This also helps her get over Chewie's death, to an extent. Jacen didn't really contribute much in this novel, but he seems to have shed some of his own arrogance and self-assurance. It was cool to see how the war is affecting the Empire, and how Leia gains the help of Pellaeon. Even though Ithor is rendered inhospitable, at least Pellaeon and Kre'fey reduce the Vong flagship to molten slag. The heroes need some cathartic moments in such a dark conflict, so causing the death of the treacherous Vong leader brings them a minor victory.
I give Ruin 4/5 stars for another great book by Michael Stackpole. I also liked the references to the Bantam books in this duology; they were well-used and didn't feel tacked on at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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