Force Heretic I: Remnant

Star Wars: The New Jedi Order #15

by Sean Williams, Shane Dix

As the bloodied and weary galaxy faces battle once more, the Jedi take on the formidable task of bringing the last of the Empire into the light. . . .

From the ashes of the New Republic, torn to shreds by the savage Yuuzhan Vong forces, the newly formed Galactic Alliance has risen, determined to bring peace to the entire galaxy. But first the Yuuzhan Vong must be contained once and for all. And so Luke Skywalker seeks a world long lost to legend: Zonama Sekot, a sentient planet believed to have repelled an invasion by the Yuuzhan Vong decades ago. Deciphering the enigmatic secrets of Zonama Sekot just might turn the tides of a relentless war.

Aboard the Jade Shadow, Luke, his wife Mara, Jacen Solo, and other Jedi head off into the Unknown Regions, where rumors and clues suggest Zonama Sekot might be found. Yet the mission has barely begun when the searchers stumble into a horrific battle. The Imperial Remnant, in retreat from the mighty Yuuzhan Vong, is about to be destroyed. It would seem those aboard the Jade Shadow have little choice but to leave the Empire to its fate. But these are no ordinary space travelers, they are Jedi. . . .

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, War, Space

413 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling Sean Williams lives with his family in Adelaide, South Australia. He’s written some books--forty-two at last count--including the Philip K. Dick-nominated Saturn Returns, several Star Wars novels and the Troubletwister series with Garth Nix. Twinmaker is a YA SF series that takes his love affair with the matter transmitter to a whole new level. You can find some related short stories over at Lightspeed Magazine and elsewhere. Thanks for reading.

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of a long running series that contains many, many books. This book continues the struggle against the Vong as the tide seems to be going in favor of our heroes.

This book has three different plots as we continue the fight against the Vong. Han and Leia are investigating a planet where their communications are not working. We also visit the Vong character Nom Amor and his struggles after his fall from grace. And the last story line deals with the Vong attacking the remnants of the Empire and Luke and Mara assisting them. Not much was resolved with these three different plots as this book is a set up book for the final arc of this series. I believe each plot will be explored in subsequent novels. The first two were just okay. They could lead to something more interesting in the upcoming books. I absolutely loved the plot of the Vong attacking the Empire and Luke assisting them. I am an Empire guy so I might be bias. That being said I find it interesting how the Empire has to now be involved in the war and what this means for the upcoming books. Also, I am here for Grand Admiral Palleon calling Luke his friend. It is basically the adage of the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

This isn't my favorite book of this series. It is enjoyable. I will say one thing though. It feels like Star Wars with the Empire and the space battles and the use of the force. It has that going for it which is more than can be said for the current novels in the Disney timeline.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story that could have benefited from better formatting.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Remnant" by Sean Williams and Shane Dix is the fifteenth book in the New Jedi Order series and the first book of the Force Heretic trilogy. It's definitely not the best of the series, but it's definitely not the worst, either.

The Yuuzhan Vong, whose forces were seriously depleted at the Battle of Ebaq 9 (see "Destiny's Way"), are desperate for soldiers. They are currently on a mission to kidnap as many infidels throughout the galaxy to turn into slave-soldiers.

Luke Skywalker heads a mission into the Unknown Regions to find the legendary "wandering" planet known as Zonama Sekot. Long believed to be a myth, the planet may hold the key to ending the war with the Yuuzhan Vong.

Unfortunately, on the way, Luke and his team pass through the Imperial Remnant, which has been devastated by a sneak attack. Admiral Gilad Pellaeon has been injured, but he still has some fight left in him. If only he can convince the Moffdom that the only way to survive the Yuuzhan Vong would be to join with the Galactic Alliance and the Jedis…

Meanwhile, the Yuuzhan Vong traitor known as Nom Anor is running for his life on what was once Coruscant. When he stumbles upon a growing sect of Jedi-worshipping Yuuzhan Vong slave caste, he decides to use it to his advantage…

And something is going on with Tahiri, who keeps having weird blackouts and visions…

While Williams/Dix are a talented writing team, parts of this novel seem to plod endlessly. I personally thought the parts with the Imperial Remnant were the best parts, but I am biased as Admiral Pellaeon is one of my favorite characters within the SWEU. Hopefully, Williams/Dix can pick up the momentum in the next two books...

[Steve Holm · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty good one. Interesting first book of a trilogy that has enough going for it to stand alone, but with enough buildup for the next ones. I liked the focus on Tahiri and I think she is one of the most interesting characters to come out of this series, hoping for more of it. Just overall a solid read and 15 books deep in the series I am still enjoying it very much. Excited for the next one. We are closing in on the end game now.

[Caleb Likes Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was decent but probably one of my least favorite NJO books so far.

As far as good stuff, there were some bits here I enjoyed. I liked Leia and Tahiri’s visit to Galantos, and some of the stuff going on with Nom Anor. I also absolutely loved the ending of the book—basically everything in Part 3 and the epilogue. The one Pellaeon scene at the end (you know what I’m talking about if you’ve read it) is a top tier moment in NJO, I think. There are also a lot of really interesting hints to where things will go in the next two Force Heretic books.

However, I don’t have much else to say here. A lot of the book felt kind of like a slog to me—not bad, just not terribly interesting. There were nuggets of good things in here but overall it doesn’t leave much of an impression on me.

I hate to say that’s all I have to say about the book, but that really is about it. There’s some good stuff and I enjoy the setup for future books, but it gets bogged down a lot by just being kinda uninteresting at a lot of points. I hope I enjoy Force Heretic II and III more.

Rating: 6/10

[CS · Rating 2 out of 5]

The difference between reading this book and gouging out my eyes is slim

The Galactic Alliance is still in the nascent stages. Cal Omas sends Han, Leia, Jaina, and Jag off on their merry way to get communications back with disconnected planets. Meanwhile, Luke, Mara, Saba, Jacen, and Danni head out to the Imperial Remnant to finally drag them into the Galactic Alliance and to research on this living planet thing that apparently Vergere talked about last book.

NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.

I had this crazy dream not too long ago. I don't really remember what was happening or what I was doing, but I remember one crazy thought: that Sean Williams always has to have one ridiculously over powered Marty Stu in his novels. Somehow, that thought stayed with me when I woke up, and, as I was listening to this book, I had to agree. In The Force Unleashed, it was Starkiller. Here, I would lay my bets on Jacen Solo.

But relating dreams and picking at Marty Stus, although fun for me, do not a review make.

This book was painful. From characters to story to plot to writing to pacing, there was so much pain, I begged for mercy. Fortunately, the Force granted me the audiobook, which spared me the horribly boring Nom Anor scenes (what was the point of them honestly?) and the rather unimportant, dull Han/Leia "touring the galaxy" subplot.

This book is just dull. Stupid in places and dull.

We start out where Luke chastises Random Jedi #67 for wanting to press the advantage on the Yuuzhan Vong while the Yuuzhan Vong have been defeated. Of course, this is bad because Luke says it is bad, and when Luke says it is bad, IT IS BAD. Oh, and because of that aggression and genocide stuff that I thought had been resolved in last book, but apparently, the authors did not hit each other up on email to pass that bit along. Because why bother with continuity when you can drive the same plot point into the ground until people want to throw bricks at you. After RJ#67 has been soundly defeated by Jedi Master Luke, he happily walks off, never to be seen again.

Bye, RJ#67! It was great knowing you!

Next up, let's have a meeting with Cal Omas, Releqy A'kla (daughter of the deceased Elegos A'kla), Leia, Luke, Mara...and that's about it. I don't know about you, but this meeting feels a little...er, partisan, shall we say? Towards, I dunno, the Skywalker-Solo clan? Glad to see that our most powerful mafia--I mean!--Jedi family has SO MUCH influence on the government! NOT!

The meeting that ensues is boring. It's boring and so obviously the setup for the next two books, it's sad. It's also sad to see supposedly "wise and pacifist" Releqy get a knock down from resident know-it-all, Leia, about peace. "Peace at any cost is not peace". I'd think a pacifist would know that, Leia. In fact, she should be the one saying that, not YOU.

So off our heroes split, along random lines just because, what the hey, let's throw together the supposed Sword of the Jedi, Jaina, into stupid diplomatic missions and not out in the battlefield where her skills could be used. Let's toss Tahiri with Leia and Han, when she previously went on a mission with Luke and Mara. And just to up the angst, let's bring along Jagged Fel. Sounds like a great party.

Luke and Mara beg and plead and sacrifice the never-present Ben Skywalker to the drama queen, Saba Sebatyne, who is whining and complaining about killing her people and she can't go because *GASP* she might kill others. Oh, please, stop acting like a three-year-old who dropped her ice cream on the ground. You are a freaking Jedi Master. Act like it. To round out the group, Luke and Mara bring Jacen and Danni.

Oh, Danni, Danni, Danni...how much do I loathe you! From being way too young to do the job you have (weird Star Wars ages be damned!) to switching ALMOST OVERNIGHT from being an astronomer to a xenobiologist WITH NO PROBLEMS to stampeding over the previous relationship between Jacen and Tenel Ka, to being a FREAKING JEDI, you, Danni, have far overstayed your welcome in this galaxy. You are the next one that deserves to be on the chopping block. In fact, I hope by sacrificing your sorry corpse, we can bring back Anakin from the dead.

At this point, the audiobook is kind to me. It completely removes the Leia/Han mission and those strange sections where Nom Anor, who is still NOT DEAD, mopes around Yuuzhan'tar and incites heresy in the Shamed Ones. I do have a few memories of these, and I'll summarize. The Leia/Han mission was forgettable, but I do miss the Tahiri character growth (though, why did it take so long for her to finally have to come to terms with her Vong-forming?). As for the Nom Anor stuff...no tears shed here!

So our heroes jump to Imperial space, and OH NO! They jumped right into a Yuuzhan Vong-Imperial battle! Good thing our heroes with one X-Wing and the Jade Shadow are there, so they can save the day and all those Imperial lives! But then, nasty, evil, doing his job Keten tries to get them to be boarded. OH NO!! How could you do that to our precious, omnipotent Jedi! Mara tries to get them to come on board, so that *GIGGLES* she can use a Jedi Mind Trick, but apparently Keten is not that stupid of an Imperial (there aren't many in that boat!). "I'd sooner stick my head in a drive tube than take my chances with your Jedi Mind Tricks." (Can I please stick my head in a drive tube instead of reading this book? PLEASE?!)

No worries! A good female Imperial captain (because all female Imperials are good and sensible and all Imperials that side with our heroes will ALWAYS make sure they aren't boarded according to rules!) comes on and puts Keten in his place. Shame on him for doing his job and obeying the rules! Oh, right, our heroes are above the rules! Silly me!

Our heroes are then paraded in front of a wide range of Imperials. We have stupid, fat Imperials that Jacen is able to wriggle his nose at and convince to do what the heroes planned, we have good Imperials that like our heroes and do whatever they want with little convincing (like Paelleon), and we have angry Imperials. What a diverse place Imperial space is!

There is a little tension when Paelleon might be dead, but no worries, because he can do everything from inside a bacta tank! So Paelleon and the heroes plan up a nice Yuuzhan Vong battle, and Jacen wants his Deus Ex Machinas, I mean, the YVH droids to help out. LULZ. OH NO! It looks like the Yuuzhan Vong aren't falling for the trap...oh, whew! No worries, they did! Thank God they behave exactly how we stereotype them too. It would be too hard to have our heroes have to come up with a Plan B on the fly.

Of course the heroes win (frak, does Paelleon make a stirring speech, though to the retreating Yuuzhan Vong), and of course, the Imperials gladly join the Alliance, with only ONE of their members having a second thought. Because, of COURSE, the Imperials are easily persuaded to join when you have the awesomeness of the Jacen with them. And we close with some giggles and hints at how Danni and Jacen LIKE each other because what Star Wars book is complete without some young adult reject Romantic Plotlines?

So, yeah, I didn't like this book, I thought the characters, minus Tahiri and occassionally Paelleon, went from meh to terrible. The Imperial story wasn't bad, but I can't believe that only one Imperial would protest about joining the Galactic Alliance. It was a shame that Luke didn't actually get any closer to finding Zonoma Sekot, which feels like a HUGE Deus Ex Machina for the entire series. I understand why Leia and Han went on their mission, but I really think it wasn't worth my time, and the same with the Nom Anor plot. The writing is rather pedestrian and boring, occasionally filled with really stupid similes (such as "Flennick's features went from startlingly purple to deathly white in the time it would have taken light to cross the room"--talk about unwieldy!!). Overall, this book is a huge disappointment, and I do not recommend reading it AT ALL.

[elef · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved the story! the alliance between luke and the empire, tahiri's arc and solo family were all written pretty good! i also loved saba's story. i've never interested in her that way before but i liked how she dealt with the loss of her people and found hope at the end.

my only complaint in this book was the long chapters. why would you write a book with FOUR PARTS and each chapter is longer than 100 pages?? it annoyed me so much that i took one star from my rating! it should've been 5 stars book if it had proper chapters im sorry

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my least favorite books in the series so far. After a few months of trying to get past the first 20 pages unsuccessfully, I decided I needed to try the audiobook instead. It was definitely the right choice. The audiobook was a lot easier to get through, and although it was abridged I doubt I missed anything important as it seems this book is a lot of filler. I've heard that the next two books are similarly hard to get through, so I think I'm going to stick with the audio versions for those as well before moving back to my paper copies for the last two NJO books.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll lean towards 4 stars -- there's still a great deal of action writing that goes on for too long, but there is a palpable sense of things moving forward in monumental fashion, and it's only book one of three. Here's hoping the trilogy can maintain this solid momentum.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Filler.

[Jesse Fleet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one and its tour of planets visited in previous books. The characters were brilliant, especially the Heretic arc.

[Lance Shadow · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the previous book in the New Jedi Order, Destiny's Way, infused the New Jedi Order series with a strong momentum that built up excitement for me to finally complete this very long book series.

Then the Force Heretic trilogy comes along and ruins all of that forward momentum to remind me why I may very well be getting tired of the Yuuzhan Vong and this exhausting, overly bloated storyline from Star Wars Legends.

THE STORY: Let's see... so building off Destiny's Way, some of the heroes-Luke, Mara, Jacen, Saba Sebatyne, and Tekli, go to the Empire to try and validate the newly formed Galactic Alliance by solidifying their partnership against the Yuuzhan Vong (Even though they were already working together earlier in the series no problem).
Tahiri's grief over the death of Anakin Solo is really starting to take its toll on her (or maybe it has always been this bad, we just finally get to focus on it more here. I don't know.). Either way, she tags along with Han and Leia on... a diplomatic mission (oh come on, we're doing this again??).
Jaina Solo and Jag Fel stay behind so they can continue defending the remnant New Republic against the Yuuzhan Vong.
Speaking of which... lastly we have Nom Anor. He's just hanging out on Coruscant because he's an outcast now. He joins up with the other Yuuzhan Vong outcasts, the Shamed Ones. Whatever.

...wait a minute... what about the search for Zonama Sekot? Vergere told Jacen about it in the previous book, and in this mentions to Luke it could be a catch all solution to ending the war with the Vong. But then they forget about it until the last 10 pages, so again, why should I care?

THE BAD: Oh. MY. GAWD. What the hell happened here?
"Force Heretic 1: Remnant" drags, and drags, and DRAGS. From pretty early on in the book I knew that the events of this novel was just meant to be part 1 of the Force Heretic arc. And that wouldn't be a problem if this book was much shorter. But no- somehow, Sean Williams and Shane Dix managed to stumble their way through OVER 400 PAGES OF TEXT. WHAT THE KRIFF. "Destiny's Way" wasn't much longer than this book and yet that book actually EARNED its length. In fact, Destiny's Way fit so much in that I almost wish it was longer. "Remnant" on the other hand has so little going on that I quickly checked out and never got hooked back in.
Thanks to thin plot, the characters are incredibly bland and are left with no development. Han and Leia are stuck with basically the same boring diplomatic mission subplot that Leia constantly got stuck with in the first 3rd of the series. Even though Luke/Mara/Jacen/Saba/Tekli were supposed to go find Zonama Sekot, somehow Williams and Dix managed to get THEM stuck with ANOTHER boring diplomatic subplot- and theirs is EVEN WORSE because it's LITERALLY REPEATING THE EXACT SAME SUBPLOT about going to the Empire for allies that Leia was given in Dark Tide II: Ruin it even has the SAME RESOLUTION as Dark Tide 2 with Pellaeon insisting the Empire must put aside ideological differences and political games and focus on the existential threat of the Yuuzhan Vong. GAAHHH . This wouldn't be so bad if earlier books in the series had set up any sort of rift between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic that had to be mended just in time for the big finale of the series (ok, it would still be pretty bad because WE DID THIS PLOTLINE ALREADY, but it would at least make more sense from a narrative perspective). But no. They were working together just fine up through Star by Star, then the empire disappears from the narrative, and now the series is trying to trick me into thinking it's this big hurtle again.
Lastly, I hate how Tahiri's storyline about grief is handled- or at least, how it opens. The way Shane Dix and Sean Williams attempted to convey it was just so, very, very wrong. Anakin is trying to kill Tahiri beyond the grave? WTF. This is completely out of character both for Anakin, even after he's dead, and its out of character for Tahiri to even THINK that Anakin would do this to her. Why couldn't they just present it as survivor's guilt? And while it becomes more bearable as the book goes along, it's still boring because nothing is progressed.
Then there's Nom Anor. Like I keep saying over and over in these reviews, why is he still around? Dix and Williams just do a less interesting rehash of Viqi Shesh's storyline from Enemy Lines, but they fail to make it interesting because they do not have the level of writing talent that Aaron Allston does.
Lastly, the writing in general is painfully dull. Dix and Williams do nothing to make these filler storylines feel important, and the action was tedious; there's not a single fight or battle sequence that I enjoyed reading. And while the scene transition actually isn't bad (despite the absence of chapters), it makes the lack of important events and character arcs in this book even more pronounced.

THE GOOD: There's only a couple of redeeming qualities that I was actually able to find here, so I'll point them out.
Despite how boring most of the character interactions are, I really liked how the romantic chemistry between Jaina and Jagged Fel is handled. Don't get me wrong, both characters are just as boring as everyone else when they are on their own. But whenever they are together, those passages are the only parts of the book I actually found engaging. The angle that Dix and Williams take with the Jaina+Jag romance is interesting; you don't see fictional couples intentionally avoid PDA all that often, but Dix and Williams do a good job illustrating that it is still difficult for them. And it's a great contrast when they are actually alone and get to just be themselves.
Anything else...? Not really, nope.

THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 1.5 Stars. The only reason I'm rounding up is that I can give this book some benefit of the doubt. While I do not have faith in the ability of the next two Force Heretic books to build on "Remnant" in a satisfying way, it could still happen.
And it's not the worst book in the series so far either. Sure I hated it, but it didn't make me quite as annoyed as Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse. While Jedi Eclipse was a tacked on continuation of the Han Solo grief arc and drained any emotional impact from that part of the series, "Remnant" was just a slow, bloated opening to an arc that still has time to course-correct and end on a better note.

That being said, I dreaded the Force Heretic Trilogy from the day I started reading the New Jedi Order and "Remnant" did absolutely nothing to quell those fears. Let's just get Force Heretic II: Refugee and Force Heretic III: Reunion done with so I can finally get to the end of this exhausting book series and move on to other Star Wars content. *Sigh*.... I hope it doesn't get any worse than this.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only giving it 3 instead of 4 because it was so annoying not having chapters but 100 page sections. I hate this writer.

[Adam Kiewel · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of, if not the least favorite book of the series so far. i was very, very close to ranking it as 2 stars mostly because the 3/4 mark dragged so badly. thankfully the ending was actually pretty good but I had to remind myself of some of the earlier story arcs.

the nom anor arc was actually the best. overall it was just dry and felt like it was a lot of fluff and setup

it also follows my least favorite trend in the series, where the vong are seemingly facing defeat and then suddenly they're an overwhelming force again. it also follows my second least favorite, dragging things out through multiple books which could be done in less.

something tells me this is going to be an unbearably long trilogy as NJO finally comes to a close

[Wade Schacht · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow, but had some interesting plotlines that will be great for continuation in future books. SPOILER ALERT - Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium terminated by a multi-colored god? Hmm.

[Meggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 first book in the Force Heretic trilogy, Force Heretic: Remnant by Sean Williams and Shane Dix.

SOME HISTORY:

Sean Williams and Shane Dix first met when they were both writing short stories for Australian fanzines, and by February 2003 they had published over six novels together. Williams would write the first draft, Dix would edit it, and then Williams would do a final polish of the text. Their last collaboration was in 2006--Williams is still writing, but Dix doesn't appear to have an online presence. Force Heretic: Remnant made it to number ten on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of February 23, 2003, and was on the NYT list for two weeks.

MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:

A confession to make: I never finished the Force Heretic trilogy, and I'm not sure I even read all of Remnant! I read Destiny's Way in 2002, but then I missed most or all of the 2003 paperback releases.

A BRIEF SUMMARY:

From the ashes of the New Republic, the newly formed Galactic Alliance has risen--but first the Yuuzhan Vong must be defeated. While Han Solo and Leia Organa head towards the Koornacht Cluster to investigate communication outages, Luke Skywalker and other Jedi leave for the Unknown Regions, in search of the mythical world of Zonama Sekot. Yet the Jedi’s mission has barely begun when they stumble onto the Imperial Remnant under attack...

THE CHARACTERS:

In Remnant, our heroes split up, so we jump back and forth between the Solos on one mission, the Jedi on another, and Nom Anor ingratiating himself into a Shamed One community on Yuuzhan’tar.

Han Solo, Leia Organa, Jaina Solo, and Jagged Fel (along with Tahiri Veila, who is decidedly not doing well) head off for Galantos, to check on the status of the Koornacht Cluster. (And in the audiobook, they promptly vanish from the narrative!) Compared to Luke’s mission to find Zonama Sekot, Han and Leia’s mission seems less important. They tie up loose ends from the Bantam era books, but they’re not accomplishing anything vital here. As we've seen in the past few books, Han and Leia's relationship has improved and grown. They still argue with each other, but it’s not malicious; you can still tell that they have fond feelings for each other, and they honestly enjoy arguments!

Jaina, Twin Suns Squadron, and Jag are assigned to accompany Jaina’s parents; Jaina thinks this is a ruse to take her off active duty, and in a way it is--Jaina hasn’t had many chances to decompress after everything she’s gone through, and on the surface her parents’ mission looks like a simple, calm expedition. Jag is rather suspicious of Tahiri--he's not sure of her motives, so he accompanies Han and Leia down to Galantos to keep an eye on her. But he also approaches this mission as an opportunity to spend more time with Jaina, particularly after they were separated for most of Destiny’s Way.

Tahiri has gone through a lot: being captured by the Yuuzhan Vong, shaped by Mezhan Kwaad and Nen Yim, and then watching Anakin die on the Myrkr worldship starts to take a toll on her psyche. There are a number of scenes in Tahiri’s mindscape, where she’s running from something with her own face named Riina, who in turn is being chased by some scary reptilian figure. Han and Leia bring Tahiri along to keep an eye on her, and she has several catatonic episodes in this book. It will be interesting to see what happens with Tahiri in the rest of the trilogy, and whether she’ll be able to reconcile this other part of herself.

However, Luke Skywalker decides that the Jedi must track down the living world of Zonama Sekot, and assembles a group consisting of himself, Mara Jade, Jacen Solo, Danni Quee, Saba Sebatyne, and Tekli to investigate those rumors. Their first stop is the Imperial Remnant’s capital of Bastion, where they discover the Imperial Remnant in chaos. Luke has a very strong feeling that Zonama Sekot will be the key to solving the conflict with the Yuuzhan Vong, and Mara is the pilot (they’re on the Jade Shadow, after all), but they take a backseat to the other members of the team. Danni is interested in a mission to find Zonama Sekot, even if she doubts it exists, and the romantic tension between herself and Jacen makes a reappearance here. Jacen is trying to figure out the role he wants to play within the Jedi Order, and ends up serving as negotiator between the Jedi and the Empire.

The prologue opens with Saba Sebatyne returning to her homeworld of Barab I, only to discover that it’s been devastated by the Yuuzhan Vong. She takes out her anger on a few Vong ships, only to realize that one of them was a slave ship containing her people. Saba is heartbroken by the role she played in their deaths, and doesn’t think she’s worthy of this mission. But Luke insists, and Saba is an integral member of the team. The final climatic rescue of Imperials aboard another slave ship all comes down to Saba: what she’s willing to risk, and what she’s able to accomplish in the end.

Nom Anor is always an interesting fellow, because he doesn’t subscribe to the Yuuzhan Vong’s stark, fanatical viewpoint. Nom Anor doesn’t believe in their religion or their hierarchy or their politics, he just believes in himself. He’s willing to backstab anyone and everyone to get what he wants, and after the trap in Destiny’s Way that destroyed Tsavong Lah’s forces, he retreats into the depths of the old Coruscant. When we run into him again in Remnant, he needs help (granite slugs are not a balanced diet!) and fortunately ends up in a community of Shamed Ones. He gets a really good look at the Jeedai heresy that sprang out of Anakin Solo’s actions on Yavin IV--which are interesting to me, because they’re such disparate stories that have survived solely through word of mouth--before that community is destroyed...not because of the heresy, but because of thefts. His plot line concludes with Nom Anor deciding to track down the source of this heresy so he can get back into Supreme Overlord Shimrra’s good graces, and taking the new name of Yu’Shaa—"The Prophet.” We encounter other Yuuzhan Vong in the other subplots, but Nom Anor is our main focus here.

Han and Leia’s mission concerns the planet Galantos: they haven’t had any communications from them, and they’re awfully close to the Koornacht Cluster, home of the uber violent Yevetha of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy. The Fia on Galantos are not very helpful; Jaina and two of the Chiss pilots investigate what’s going on with the Yevetha, and find that they’ve been completely destroyed. Apparently the Fia made an agreement with the Vong (destroy our enemies and we’ll side with you), so the Yevetha have been annihilated. I wish we could have seen that attack, because learning about their fate offpage feels like a bittersweet end to their species, but it makes sense to me that the Vong would get rid of the Yevetha. The Yevetha’s mindset is very similar to the Vong--they’re xenophobic and incredibly violent--and I can’t see the Yuuzhan Vong allowing someone like that to live in “their galaxy.”

The Imperial Remnant is in bad shape: Bastion is lost, and Grand Admiral Pellaeon is grievously wounded during the fighting. He’s only saved through the help of Tekli--and side note here, but multiple characters called Pellaeon by his first name (“Gilad”) and it felt really rude to me! He deserves your respect! Jacen’s role as negotiator shows how much he’s picked up from his mother, even if I wondered why a more senior Jedi wasn’t filling that role. Saba saves the slave vessel; Pellaeon and the Jedi defeat the Yuuzhan Vong fleet; Luke leaves them with important information, and Pellaeon pledges his support for the Galactic Alliance. Luke and company finally leave for the Unknown Regions, so I guess book two will depict the Jedi meeting the Chiss.

ISSUES:

Remnant is divided into a Prologue, 4 Parts, and an Epilogue. But there are no chapters, just scene breaks. That’s usually not a problem for me--I have read a lot of Terry Pratchett books sans chapters, and there are much odder stylistic quirks to adopt. (Looking at you, Cormac McCarthy…) But at the same time, I was reluctant to put down Remnant until I could get to the end of a Part, because I felt uneasy stopping after a scene break--like I was going to miss something, or not be able to reorient myself in the story when I picked the book back up.

Remnant also felt a little slow to me. Our heroes split up around the 100-page mark, about a quarter of the way through the story, but the pace didn’t subsequently take off for me. Han & Leia’s mission seems to be about tying up loose ends from the Bantam era; which is an interesting concept, but doesn’t feel particularly vital to the Yuuzhan Vong war effort. Luke and co. are in search of Zonama Sekot, but they’re just leaving for the Unknown Regions by the end of book 1. Again, I think that seeing the Imperial Remnant under attack by the Vong--and thus forced to join the galaxy at large, after twelve books of isolationist strategies--is an important development to the series, but it’s a side quest compared to the Jedi’s real goals.

IN CONCLUSION:

As Remnant ends, Han and Leia and co. leave for Bakura, thanks to information from the mysterious Ryn; Luke and the other Jedi are headed towards the Unknown Regions, hopefully to meet with the Chiss; and Nom Anor has remade himself in an attempt to dig deeper into the Jeedai heresy. While I thought that all these separate journeys were interesting, I questioned the structure that Williams and Dix chose, and I also struggled at times with this story’s slow pace. But the authors stated in interviews that they enjoyed writing Force Heretic II: Refugee the most, so I’m hoping that book 2 takes things up a notch.


Next up: a short comic from Star Wars Tales (1999-2005) #21, featuring Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors: “Equals & Opposites” by Nathan P. Butler and James Raiz.

My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/4OAnFhmptmg

February 4, 2003 TheForce.Net interview with Sean Williams and Shane Dix: http://theforce.net/jedicouncil/inter...

December 23, 2003 TheForce.Net interview with Sean Williams and Shane Dix: http://theforce.net/jedicouncil/inter...

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have no intentions of surrendering--not now, not ever. You may win the occasional battle against us, Vorrik, but the Empire will always strike back. That I promise you.

The New Jedi Order has entered its final stretch with Remnant, the first in the controversial Sean Williams and Shane Dix-penned Force Heretic trilogy. On the outset, there's a lot going for this novel: the higher page count - 400 as opposed to the other novels' ~300 - gives a) more leeway for important developments, a fact which is b) elevated by the (relatively) more relaxed state of the universe after Destiny's Way; all of that should, then, be prime material for c) the somewhat unusual situation of having two authors tackle a Star Wars novel together. Now, Williams and Dix do approach this potential in a largely satisfying manner, and I do like Remnant more than most seem to, but there are nevertheless a couple of hiccups along the way which I wish to comment on.

As with Destiny's Way, Force Heretic I: Remnant has a couple of instances of what I'd consider sloppiness in its writing. First off, I caught more typos in here than in any other New Jedi Order novel. Although they seem to get less common as the novel progresses, coming across both "all to [sic!] easily" and "ironicallly [sic!]" within the same ten to twenty pages is nevertheless rather demotivating. Similarly - and, to be fair, this is a stylistic choice and not a gaffe - Remnant lacks conventional chapters, instead being split into four parts of around 50-150 pages as well as a prologue and epilogue. Now, God knows this isn't the first chapter-less novel I've read in my life, but I am still not sure why they decided to go this route...? I really can't think of any reason for Remnant to not make use of chapters when the likes of Rebirth, a similarly structured NJO book, managed to retain them without the experience suffering in any way (indeed, that had more to do with the story side of things :) ). Force Heretic I does not justify its lack of chapters. What's similarly controversial is the authors' propensity to use epithets. On multiple occasions and more than anything else I have have seen fans voice their dislike of the use of "Anakin's father/mother/parents" when referring to Han and Leia specifically. Now, I didn't mind it at first, believing it to be a rare, if not one time-only thing. However, it quickly became apparent that Sean and Shane like use it as a crutch whenever they write a scene with Tahiri as the focalizer... I know and appreciate the value of character voicing, but resorting to the same epithet to hammer in her perspective over and over again just seems lazy. The prose is otherwise fine, and does have its moments. But all these issues build up over time, leading to a reading experience which is decidedly "less than".

Just as contentious in the fandom as the writing itself is Force Heretic's supposed problem with continuity and characterization. Let's just get the obvious out of the way: Nom Anor "discovers" the Jedaii Heresy on Yuuzhan'tar for "the first time" in this novel, which is the biggest continuity flub in this series so far, the one instance in this book where I can see what others mean when they talk about FH's lacking continuity. Characters suddenly adapting a completely different outlook a la Tre'fey in the last book is one thing, something you could maybe even defend as consistent with your interpretation of the character, but an open contradiction like this is unprecedented. It is the New Jedi Order's low point of cohesion, and I hope nothing in the remaining four books manages to outdo it. However, and unlike in Destiny's Way, Remnant is surprisingly tight on characterization. After his out of character appearance in said novel, it is a great delight to see Pellaeon back in top form again. He's a man of the Empire to be sure, someone who prefers authority over plurality, but not a bumbling social darwinist. Williams and Dix get this right: Pellaeon acts as an uncompromising autocrat in the political sphere, but is more pleasant on a personal level. He even has great chemistry with Jacen Solo of all people, another character who makes a good impression in Remnant. After his summer vacation and Vergere's death in DW, Jacen... still doesn't do anything too defining. But, just like with that very summer vacation, I think this is only a good thing. The NJO clearly still has more than enough potential for further storytelling at this point, and immediately following Traitor with the series conclusion would have undermined all of that. Jacen in here is empathetic, as we see with Tahiri, he's a man of action, as is proven multiple times during his subplot with the Imperials, and he even takes after his uncle in being terrible at romance! Now that they're both adults of similar maturity I do like his pairing with Danni Quee quite a bit. Overall, though I would not say he's as interesting as in Traitor (though, let's be real, did anyone expect that?), Jacen in Force Heretic is great nevertheless. The character who gets perhaps the most surprising amount of attention, however, is Saba Sebatyne. After kind of exterminating the majority of her own species (whoops!) in the prologue, she falls into a personal crisis concerned with her role as a jedi and how it may or may not be reconcilable with her inherent brashness. I liked the Barabels quite a bit in previous works, incessant sizzling and all, and Remnant going the extra mile and giving both her and Danni the spotlight for a subplot of their own is very much appreciated. Their adventure through the Yuuzhan Vong slaveship has perhaps the most memorable imagery in all of Force Heretic I, and if I had to guess it's also the most self-contained of the storylines in here (more on that later). It's subplots like these through which you notice that, despite all the obvious focus on the SkySolos, the New Jedi Order series still represents an era of galactic society, one full of multitudes of different, unique characters. There's a lot you can criticize in here, but the characterizations are on point.

While the aforementioned B plots work well on their own, it's what they're surrounded by that creates a light feeling of exhaustion. Our protagonists' story is essentiall divided into two halves here: Jacen, Danni, Saba, Tekli, Mara, and Luke are attempting to trace the whereabouts of Zonama Sekot, while Han, Leia, Jaina, Jag, and Tahiri attempt to reestablish contacts between the Galactic Alliance and different factions scattered throughout the Unknown Regions. As of writing this review I don't yet know what exactly all of this is going to lead to, but the existence of that overarching goal with the former and the scattershot quality of the latter both just make me feel like we're buying time for the series finale instead of using the storytelling potential to its fullest. Like, I already know Luke's not going to find Sekot in book 2, so what is there for it to do except provide another "filler" adventure? At least the developments we get with the Imperial Remnant are great. Just going by this first novel, I feel like we're back in the Bantam era, at the beginning of one of its many slow-paced trilogies. Funnily enough this feeling might actually be intended, as Remnant is nothing if not an ode to the 90s EU! Yes, Leia's subplot brings us back to the Koornacht Cluster of Black Fleet Crisis fame, and Bakura is teased as the setting of the next book. It goes without saying that this aimless memberberry hunt is even more filler-y than the Sekot plot, but I can't say I don't like it. It's just such a joy to see Koornacht again. And, wouldn't you know it, there's some more controversy here, this time surrounding the portrayal of the Yevetha. So, after the events of Tyrant's Test, it seems like these guys... remained just as isolationist as ever, only this time temporarily without the genocidal intent towards their neighbors due to their shipyards being broken. Our heroes can't seem to reach them, however, so Jaina and her squadron go visit N'zoth to figure out what is up only to find their entire culture eradicated, with the sole survivor proclaiming their refusal to stand down before blowing one of Jaina's pilots up and himself up. I'm a big fan of the Black Fleet trilogy, more than most other EU fans I'd wager in fact, and the Yevetha were among my most favorite parts of it. There's a surprising amount of parallels between them and the Vong, so having the two factions fight against each other is a logical choice, and I think the Yevetha fighting to their death is quite in character and ultimately makes for one of the most memorable facets of the entire Yuuzhan Vong conflict. But did it have to happen completely off-screen? The mystery of Koornacht's lack of communication was well done, and the survivor's reveal worked well too, but man, I would have just loved to actually see any of the action instead of only being told it happened. This would have been such a good way to reintroduce Nas Choka as the new Warmaster; as is, he's mentioned by name about two times and doesn't make an appearance of his own. Shame. Overall, a good albeit not completely satisfactory return to an older concept. Sadly the rest of Jaina and Jag's section here is kind of dragged out and doesn't accomplish a whole lot, same with Han and Leia. Both pairs have great chemistry, no doubt, but I feel like their scenes more than anything could have easily been trimmed without us losing anything much of note. They're here on a reconnaissance mission throughout the galaxy, sure, but why couldn't the whole lot of them just go to N'zoth immediately instead of roosting at some filler planet? Admittedly, there is one thing that makes all of it work, and it's Tahiri. I know for a fact I'll have more to say about her later on - if not in Refugee or Reunion then surely in The Final Prophecy - so I'll keep it brief: Tahiri's subplot in here, much like Saba's, is one of self-struggle, an attempt of one character to cope with (semi-)recent trauma. It is exhilarating, giving us scenes just as poignant (Jacen's note!) but arguably even better due to Tahiri just being a more interested and well-rounded character. Hers is one of the two subplots I'm looking forward to the continuation of the most, the clear winner of the Unknown Regions material.

There is just one more thing left to quickly discuss, and it is once more the Yuuzhan Vong side of things. Our sole point of view character here is the disgraced Nom Anor who, after "discovering" the Jedaii heresy for the "first time", joins up with some Shamed Ones living in the underground. His goal? To either sell out these rogue elements in order to achieve redemption before Shimrra, or take advantage of them to lead a societal revolution with him on top. One the one hand, this story is completely disconnected from everything else and is a blatant first act of a much bigger story. On the other, it's one third of an NJO novel dedicated to Nom Anor, his impressions and scheming, and Yuuzhan Vong society as a whole. The Shamed Ones he meets are a colorful group of rejects full of insight into this otherwise underrepresented caste, and I don't think I need to sing the former Executor's praises any more than everyone else, myself included, already has in the past. He is just such a delightfully misanthropic piece of Vong you can't help but root for him always. The ending's great, too: After most Shamed Ones are killed in what appears to be a completely coincidental raid by the Warrior Caste, Nom Anor and two other survivors get together in a meeting that ends in Anor proclaiming himself Yu'shaa, prophet of the Shamed Ones and workers. He actually became a religious figure, I can't believe it. Respect his name.

What all of this amounts to is a novel with a lot going for it - great, consistent characterizations, a fun "greatest hits" retread of Bantam, and two particular standout subplots in Tahiri and Nom Anor - as well as a lot going against it: a confusing structure, at times shoddy craftsmanship, and a lingering feeling of exhaustion; this book does not warrant its 400 page count any more than other New Jedi Order paperbacks (Ruin) could have benefited from it. It is for sure on the lower end of the NJO, but fun nevertheless. My final rating, however, will ultimately be influenced by how the other two Force Heretics fare - a great continuation could elevate the material here, whereas diminishing returns might make the whole thing seem utterly pointless. Either way, I'm looking forward to the next book quite fervently.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent beginning to the trilogy, so I'm looking forward to the next two books now. Space battles galore and all the characters act in character the entire book. For those of you who wondered where the Jade Shadow went, it's back (yay!). This book prominently features all the old favorites (Luke, Han, Leia, and even Pellaeon) plus all the new favs (Jaina, Jacen, Jag, Saba, etc.). There was an even balance struck between these sets of characters, better than any previously written.

*spoilers past this point* My favorite part is the developing story of Tahiri... just enough clues were dropped to be interesting, but not give everything away. It looks promising. Only two complaints: 1- if Jaina is the Sword of the Jedi, why are they shuffling her off on some peripheral diplomatic escort (even if it is her mother's mission)? and 2- What's with Jacen and Danni?!? No offense to a well-written character or anything, but Tenel Ka runs circles around Danni. I sincerely hope that they bring Tenel Ka back soon. Hopefully in the next book. Other than that, a good read (and a good size too). I can't wait till the next book in May!

[Bryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm reviewing the Force Heretic trilogy as a whole. This trilogy really felt like it was moving away from all of the build up that has been happening in the New Jedi Order series so far, which is strange considering it is almost at its conclusion. Most of the subplots followed in this trilogy suffered from poor pacing, and just didn't seem like they were contributing to the main story. The Nom Anor subplot was an unexpected highlight of this trilogy. With 3 novels (and significantly lengthier novels compared to the rest of the series) I expected the plot to be advanced significantly more.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember reading this as a teen and realizing that Star Wars books weren't for me anymore, or rather it was time for me to move on to other stuff. I think I came back for the rest of Stover's novels, and I checked out a few comics when the new movies started coming out a few years back.

Crazy to think how much of the brain worms of the Star Wars Expanded Universe have stuck with me over the years.

[Vee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed General Admiral Gilad Pellaeon but I'll probably forget about him when I'm through with this series. So some one decided to flesh out Nom Anor, I'm surprised death did not claim him yet. Sigh. I have some reservations but this series but it is still fun.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it terribly boring except the bits where the empire was involved.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Any scene with Pellaeon is good, but the New Jedi Order is back to dragging. This series has overstayed its welcome.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing the streak. Excited where it's going.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 2 out of 5]

This whole book suffered from poor pacing. Took about 7 days to get through it but felt like 7 days too many

[Kasc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Force Heretic I: Remnant, the 15th installment of the New Jedi Order series, picks up a few months after the events of Destiny’s Way, where we have seen the Yuuzhan Vong suffer their first major defeat at Ebaq 9.
It becomes clear rather quickly that this defeat has not been as much of a setback as one might expect, because the Vong still have the resolve and resources to wreak havoc and devastate entire worlds. However, their focus has shifted from full-on attacks on essential New Republic strongholds to assaults on smaller targets that are vanquished easily and from which slaves may be reaped to fill up their ranks.
Apparently, the Vong consider the Imperial remnant such a target and ravage its capital, Bastion. Luckily for the Empire, Luke, accompanied by a number of Jedi, is on a mission to find the legendary planet Zonama Sekot and just happens to be on his way to Bastion for a quick stopover when the attack happens. The presence of the Jedi makes all the difference and utter destruction of the Imperial remnant is prevented largely due to their involvement and tactical advice.
Personally, I expected the Empire to be a worthier opponent and it surprises me just how easily Bastion is taken given their still considerable military might. I think their defeat has been made possible by a large portion of hubris, they never expected an enemy to have the audacity to hit Bastion directly and are thus overwhelmed when it actually happens. Given the Imperial’s prior comportment and reluctance to cooperate with the Republic, it is a little hard to feel sympathetic towards them, though. The one exception, of course is Gilad Pellaeon, the singular reasonable Imperial there appears to be. In the end, however, (most of) the Imperials in charge learn something from this encounter and reevaluate the role the Empire should play in the galaxy. They come to the realization that remaining neutral has never been a viable option in this conflict and are finally ready to bury the hatchet. It turns out that a serious crisis that affects the Republic and the Empire alike is what needed to happen in order for them to reconcile. Also, the question of how the old Empire would have handled the invaders comes up repeatedly, which I think is quite interesting and not straightforward.
Meanwhile Han and Leia head on a diplomatic mission trying to piece together what remains of the former New Republic, now Galactic Alliance. They are accompanied by a fighter squadron led by Jaina and Jag and take Tahiri with them, allegedly because they can use the Jedi support, but really because she has been having trouble recently and Leia wants to keep an eye on her. After receiving a mysterious invitation, the first stop is Galantos, where they are welcomed warmly, but where things do not seem to be quite right. The investigation that follows brings to light that the Yevethans, a former threat to Galantos and the galaxy as a whole, have been wiped out by the Vong who now want to enslave the Fia, native to Galantos. Of course, this threat is thwarted mainly due to interference by the Galactic Alliance emissaries. In the end, more clues are received from an anonymous informant and they resolve to head to Bakura next.
The whole mystery on and around Galantos is rather captivating and we get to see Leia wear her diplomatic suit, which is always enjoyable (especially when Han is around to play the charmingly undiplomatic counterpart). Plus, it is always fun to see things tie in with past events, which we get here via the connection to the Black Fleet Crisis. By returning to Bakura, things seem to continue in the spirit of continuity, which I am looking forward to.

Overall, I liked this book and my rating is probably closer to 3.5 than 3 stars. It is not mind-blowing or anything, but it does have some interesting set-ups, which are delivered adequately. As with Destiny’s Way I think this story could have been told in fewer pages as some parts are a bit lengthy. Its ending should serve as a promising point of departure for Force Heretic II: Refugee.

[Nick Antonoglu · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10
Not too shabby given my expectations, but nothing great.

I would say I overall enjoyed my experience with this book. The Force Heretic trilogy has a reputation of being a slog, and while yes, some parts of this book definitely are, the underlying story was quite engaging. I’ll get more specific.

The best part of this book is the story in the imperial remnant. Pellaeon is an amazing character here, and the empire’s struggle is really good. The fall of Bastion was a legitimate surprise, and I thought the eventual alliance with the empire was properly built up to. Any scene with the moff council discussing or debating the Jedi was great, and the last council leads to one of the best Mara moments in the whole series. I thought Saba’s arc was really interesting, Jacen and Dani’s relationship was fun, and even Tekli got some well-needed character moments. I have some issues with this story still, but I’ll go into them later.

The Galantos stuff was solid. Most of the time, it felt pretty low stakes, but I was okay with it given how charming it was to learn about the Fia and their culture. Tahiri’s arc definitely has potential to be interesting, but unfortunately this book really only serves to set up her plot. I liked the reintroduction of the Ryn, and felt the evolution of their role in the war was a great evolution of their previous situation. Jaina and Jag continue to be entertaining as well.

The Nom Anor plot really took me by surprise. This honestly is the most interesting he has ever been. Having him interact and befriend/manipulate shamed ones for his own shaky goals was great, and I loved seeing his internal struggle with the whole situation. I also loved hearing about the Jedi religion and the various interpretations of the events of Edge of Victory I. This plot definitely left me the most intrigued about where it was heading, with the whole “Prophet” situation, and I’m most excited to see how this one plays out.

The main negative of this book is its length. There is absolutely no reason for this story to need 409 pages. Traitor had probably ten times the amount of meaningful content in only 300 pages. AND THIS IS JUST BOOK 1 OF A TRILOGY!!! While I’m okay with spending extra time on character development and world building, a lot of these extra pages were simply filler, the worst offender being Saba and Danni’s overly long infiltration of the slave ship. Multiple times the narration cuts away from the action to redescribe the situation in agonizing detail, and state things that could obviously be gained from context. One egregious moment that stood out to me was when Saba repeatedly stated “if they catch us, they could kill us! Or maybe they’ll enslave us!” Like NO SHIT, I’ve read 15 OTHER BOOKS about these guys, I know what the consequences are! This book is fully of needless fluff that really hampered my enjoyment of certain parts, especially the climax.

While I didn’t mind this book as much as I thought I would, it leaves me very worried for the rest of the Force Heretic trilogy. The pacing and length of this book was frankly atrocious, and considering the other two books are LONGER than this one, I’m very worried about my ability to meaningfully engage with them. The writing wasn’t as bad as Destiny’s Way or Balance Point, but this trilogy is poised to lose my interest very quickly if some of the fat isn’t trimmed off. The story itself was pretty good, and the great moments are just that - great! However, I struggle to see why this story needs two more 400 page books to paint a complete picture. I have a bad feeling about this.

Up next is Force Heretic II - Refugee. I have been dreading this one for a while, as many of the sources I’ve read on this trilogy say this is the worst book in the whole series. I’m going to approach it with an open mind, as my opinions haven’t always aligned with the consensus (see Destiny’s Way and Dark Journey), but I can’t help but feel worried after finishing this one.

[Todd Selby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are shaking up in this epic war. A new government has arisen from the ashes of the old, and the Yuuzhan Vong have been hit hard. But they're now more determined than ever to crush anyone who stands in the way of their total domination of the galaxy. The Force Heretic trilogy takes some time to examine several elements of this war, such as some key players, certain allegiances and a possible source of hope in these dark days.

Williams and Dix handled the dual plot very well. I liked the plot with Luke and Jacen better than the plot with Tahiri and the other Solos, but both had good elements. The Battle of Borosk was really cool, especially since Pellaeon was leading his forces from a batch tank the entire time. His banter with the Vong commander was great, especially the clever shout out to Episode V's title. This was a long book, though, and the battle seemed a bit stretched out to me. I really liked Danni and Saba's roles, especially the use of Saba as a POV character. She brings an interesting perspective to the table, given her reptilian way of thinking, and her anguish about her people is a good motivator for her to act bravely at Borosk. She really displays some great Jedi qualities here.

I think the most interesting part of this novel is Tahiri's plot. She's been affected by the war a lot more than most, and given her age it's amazing she didn't crack under the pressure a long time ago. Her struggle with the Vong elements of herself is a great yet scary way to see into the strange sciences of the Yuuzhan Vong. It's a heartbreaking story, but I think there's much in store for this girl. The Solos are the only family she has, so it's once to see them looking out for her this way. The rest of the plot on Galantos is interesting. These people are not quite as bad as the Peace Brigade, since though they greatly fear the Vong, they're not helping them quite as directly as the Brigade did. Still, they are responsible for the death of an entire species, even if the Yevetha, said species, are almost as bad as the Vong. The NJO is very good at referencing stuff from the Bantam books, so it was cool to see how the Yevetha ended up, even if they're likely gone forever now. But still, while the Yevetha are gone, the Ryn are back and better than ever. This is such a great plot element to make a comeback so much later in the series. Really ties things together, much like the return of the Empire.

Nom Anor is clearly the coolest of any of the Vong. The fact that he gets his own major plot shows just how important he is. Plus the fact that his story is the source of the trilogy title, while Gilad and the Empire provide the title of this particular entry. We've seen hints of this heretical movement since Edge of Victory, but now we really get a sense of how Anakin Solo and Vua Rapuung's actions have inspired the Shamed Ones. And of course Nom decides to twist this movement to his advantage, in order to obtain even more power than he had as Executor. And what a deliciously ironic name he chooses to be used as leader of the heretics.

I give this a 3.5/5 for some cool action and very interesting plots. Now the search for Zonama Sekot can really begin!

[Stephen Brayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot

As the bloodied and weary galaxy faces battle once more, the Jedi take on the formidable task of bringing the last of the Empire into the light.

From the ashes of the New Republic, torn to shreds by the savage Yuuzhan Vong forces, the newly formed Galactic Alliance has risen, determined to bring peace to the entire galaxy. But first the Yuuzhan Vong must be contained once and for all. And so Luke Skywalker seeks a world long lost to legend: Zonama Sekot, a sentient planet believed to have repelled an invasion by the Yuuzhan Vong decades ago. Deciphering the enigmatic secrets of Zonama Sekot just might turn the tide of a relentless war.

Aboard the Jade Shadow, Luke, his wife Mara, Jacen Solo, and other Jedi head off into the Unknown Regions, where rumors and clues suggest Zonama Sekot might be found. Yet the mission has barely begun when the searchers stumble into a horrific battle. The Imperial Remnant, in retreat from the mighty Yuuzhan Vong, is about to be destroyed. It would seem those aboard the Jade Shadow have little choice but to leave the Empire to its fate. But these are no ordinary space travelers – they are Jedi.

My Analysis

The Star Wars universe can’t do anything simple. Since the movies were done in trilogy form, the organization who decided to let authors write continuing tales figured out that more money could be made if they drew out any storyline. From Anakin’s childhood to this seemingly endless war with the Vong and all it’s storylines.

Thus, the first book in this series doesn’t even get close to the goal. Our heroes are on a mission to seek a legendary living planet…but first they are delayed by, what else, another lengthy battle with the Vong. Oh, yeah, and throw in those pesky Empire people.

Some familiar characters from other stories show up here. Saba, Mara, Jacen, CP30, and of course Luke and Leia and Han. There’s a side story with Nom Anor and his struggle to regain stature by teaming with a bunch of Vong rejects on Coruscant. This and the the white hats’ quest for assistance in the war will continue in future books.

This is stand SW fare with battles and strategy and plans. There are the obligatory comparison with aliens things: He’s was harder to defeat than a Jakarian blood dragon. (Not an actual example, but you get the idea.) These are fine up until the fourth or fifth comparison. At that point, you know the author is just screwing around.

While I try to keep storyline series in order, I don’t read everything in order. I am familiar enough with the timeline, I can catch up easily.

SW fans will enjoy these. I’m interested to see what happens when they finally encounter this legendary planet…in how many more books? I don’t know. I just read whatever comes up next in the lottery, so who knows when I’ll get to the second part in this storyline.

My rank:

Purple Belt

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yet another mediocre entry in the New Jedi Order series.

This one has three major plot threads. First, a group led by Luke and Mara has headed out to the Unknown Regions in search of the legendary living world known as Zonama Sekot. But instead they find themselves assisting the remnant of the Empire in a pitched battle against the Yuuzhan Vong. Meanwhile, another group, this one led by Han and Leia, is attempting to re-establish contact with some of the worlds that had been cut off during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, beginning with Galantos. During their time there, Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila begins to have strange fainting episodes, which may be related to the biological work that the Yuuzhan Vong did on her while she was in captivity. Finally, we also follow the disgraced Nom Anor, who is living underground on Yuzzhan'tar. He makes contact with a group of Shamed Ones who are part of a new fringe religion that worships the Jedi. He agrees to help them in promoting this religious ideal, but of course it is all for his own nefarious purposes.

I know there were things I liked about this novel, but the fact that I can't remember very much about this book just a few weeks after finishing it is not a good sign. The writing was a little choppy and overall the book did not read as smoothly as I would have preferred. This may simply be evidence that Williams and Dix were new to the Star Wars universe at this time or it could be because they were being forced to juggle so many story lines at once.

I did like the portrayal of Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, a figure who seems to have greater humanity and nuance than so many of the one-dimensional Imperial foils the Star Wars books have provided; his pragmatism, leadership and dry humor are a pleasure. And I think the out-of-body episodes that Tahiri is having are interesting, although they're clearly building to a bigger reveal in a later book, so the content here is largely expository. Ditto the scenes with Nom Anor, a character I am kind of tired of overall.

I'll be interested to see how I feel about the New Jedi Order when I've finally finished the entire sequence of stories. I confess to having found a number of these books quite dull and I can't tell if that is because the story has simply stretched on too long or if I'm uninterested in the basic premise or if the writing is just weak. The ones that I have enjoyed the most were almost stand-alone stories and/or didn't follow the usual formula (which seems to require at least one of the Solo children to be having a crisis of faith and for the book to resolve with a major space battle in the end), so maybe that is a clue. Four more to go in this series and then on to brave new worlds!