Customer Reviews

Abyss (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, Book 3)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First and foremost, my expectations for this book were pretty low. Denning's somewhat lackluster conclusion to the Legacy of the Force series, coupled with Christie Golden's plodding second entry to FOTJ gave me reason to wonder if Star Wars Legacy literature had run out of steam. However, upon finishing Abyss I was pleasantly surprised in many respects.

Denning has managed to set the series back on track and given it potential as another enjoyable read in our favorite mythos. For once this series begins to feel like the epic it is meant to be. Luke and Ben finally discover something on their journey that may directly impact the destiny of the jedi, and the galaxy itself. More importantly, we are introduced to a true villain for the first time in this series. Not to give too much away, but it's a character that will genuinely send a chill up your spine. And for those of you frustrated with lingering plot threads left over from previous series, don't you worry, there are some neat little surprises tucked away near the end of the book.

While the second half of the novel has some great scenes of action involving some of our favorite Supercommmandos and an intriguing, but unsettling journey 'beyond shadows,' the first 200 pages or so are more formulaic and predictable. However, the payoff is more than worth the trip for any Star Wars fan. Take a deep breath, and leap into the abyss.

Troy Denning resists his demons from past Star Wars novels and writes a story that I couldn't put down. Chapter Twenty-Two by itself is worth the 4-star rating. A refreshing change from that Dark Nest crap!

The book doesn't get 5 stars from me b/c Denning is still giving in to old habits that we saw during the Vong series. Namely, he keeps trying to UNwrite the books the preceded his, by writing open threads into dead-ends. AND, he keeps trying to inject the aforementioned Dark Nest crap back into this series. Stop it, Troy! Nobody liked it! If you just let it go we won't be upset.

[SPOILER!!!] Like you all, I'm sure you shuddered when you saw a key character on the cover of a Denning novel. Fear not my friends! He manages to not kill-off anyone you love in this book. Perhaps he has learned that doing so is not worth the resultant animosity from the public? We'll have to wait and see....

I've been a Star Wars fan ever since I originally saw the saga begin as a little boy in 1977. I've followed just about everything I could since then including the expansion of the mythos into the "Expanded Universe" where these books are included.
I enjoy the direction this series is taking particularly that it delves deeper into the mystery of the Force and that its not as simplistic as Dark and Light. Just as our worlds religions are not just a single or duel faceted.
My only complaint is that the books are coming in at longer intervals. If it was a single author, such as the fantastic Mr. Denning (who wrote Abyss) then I could understand the 8 month to a year delay between each book, however that is not the case, there are several authors, just as in Legacy of the Force, that are working on the series.
Maybe its a financial tactic by the publisher? ANyways, for a Star Wars fan, it is another solid series... But if you are reading the series, you already know this!

The book is a fine read and keeps the story going, which has been covered in other reviews, I'm just taking two stars off for "noobing".

So Jaina mentions how Jagged Fel is "noobing" a guard.

Since when is it alright for current slang to be used in Star Wars books?
In the Clone Wars series Obi-Wan mentions that droids are a "dime a dozen".
In the start of one of the New Jedi Order books it compares a ship to a "Spanish Man of War".

This kind of thing just really takes me out of a book. I know we have the same langugage but start putting current slang in there and suddenly you're not in a galaxy far far away anymore, also it won't age well.
I imagine you might think this is nit-picking, but I don't want to hear Luke Skywalker say:

"Pwn those noobs!!! LOL!!!"

After a promising beginning with "Outcast", the tempo of the "Fate of the Jedi" series slowed somewhat in the 2nd installment, "Omen". However, Troy Denning has got the series back on track with a action-packed third installment, "Abyss".

Action lies on different fronts. On Coruscant, the battle between the Jedi and Chief of State Natasi Daala continues to escalate. More and more Jedi are falling victim to a strange psychosis, and Daala has it in her mind to bring the Jedi under State control before the psychosis becomes an epidemic. However, Han and Leia Solo, along with the rest of the Jedi order, are determined to oppose Daala, overthrow Master Hamner's leadership, and restore stability to the Jedi. Still, no cure has been found to heal the affected Jedi and, with Daala and her mercenaries breathing down their necks, how long will it be before the remaining Jedi succumb to her tactics?

Meanwhile, Ben and Luke Skywalker continue in their search for clues about Jacen Solo's fall to the dark side. Having learned little from the Aing-Ti, Luke and Ben have journeyed to the mysterious Maw cluster, complete with black holes. Living amongst the black holes are the mind walkers; mysterious beings who have the ability to become one with the force. It is through the mind walkers that Ben and Luke have the ability to communicate with Anakin Solo, Mara Skywalker, and even Jacen Solo. But, will Ben and Luke find the answers they're looking for? Plus, there not the only ones who have journeyed to the Maw. Sith lord Lady Rhea, her apprentice Vestara Khai, and a host of other sith have followed Ship to the same location as the Skywalkers. Now, a battle of good vs. evil begins, but only one master can survive. Who will it be?

I've enjoyed reading the "Fate of the Jedi" series and, after a slight letdown, the series has picked up the pace. "Abyss" is a very good book that is full of action. The battle between the Skywalkers, Lady Rhea, and Vestara was one of the best parts of the book. I also enjoyed reading about Luke and Ben's mind walking and encountering Jacen, Mara, and Anakin.

This series continues to get better with each new book, and I'm already anticipating reading the next book in the series. This series is an essential read for all Star Wars fans.

There is not much more to be said about this 3rd installment of the "Fate of the Jedi" series than would I've said in my reviews of the two books that preceded this one. A repetition of the same story line -- young Jedi gone mad. Talk about beating a dead horse. I guess that there is no shame among these writers and editors. They just want your buck and will put out 2nd rate garbage to get it. However, I did like the funny chapter featuring Han and Allana in the Falcon near the end of this one. The thing that I hated the most was the "over description" of the settings. Some times less is more. Apparently, these authors and editors were out to lunch the day that topic was taught in creative writing. This book is a bore; don't waste your money.

Perhaps the worst author to ever write the words star and wars in the same sentence once again succeeds in whole new levels of annoyance and boredom.
I bought this book the day it was released. And as with all books written by Denning,I struggled to make it though. The story constantly ventures back and forth between somewhat interesting to completely boring and redundant pointless political drivel.
This Jedi insanity idea is idiotic and completely uninteresting.
Denning carries on Karen Traviss's annoying personal opinions in Admiral Daala, reserving several pages of dialog for boring and pointless anti-jedi rhetoric. It's one thing to have a Sith or Vong-like enemy talk about jedi as being in the wrong, but to have a politician do it makes it about as entertaining as filing taxes.
Denning has also managed to take Force powers and visions to a whole new level of WTF. The once spiritual seeming Force visions have been made to seem like a mix between a bad acid trip and a B-horror movie. It's just so ludicrous that I found it impossible to enjoy.
Once again Leia, Han, most of the Jedi Masters, and pretty much every character in the universe has changed their personality and are acting as if there were no books previous to this one. I'm seeing this as a continuing trend in Denning's books.

My advise would be to buy this book used and cheap. Don't waste good money on a terrible mediocre story.

The only reason this book got 2 stars from me instead of 1 was due to some interest in the side plot of Luke and Ben exploring the galaxy for clues to Jason's actions before turning to the darkside. I've always thought that this storyline could have been summed up in a single novel taking place between 2 series. It really seems that this series is for nothing but profit being that it consist of all short/hardback books. I'm tempted to skip this whole series and read the cliff notes in a couple years. would save me at least another $120 to do so.

I'm a huge Star Wars EU fan and have read every book published taking place after ROtJ. I have loved most of them. However, these story lines Denning has been coming up with are ridiculous, boring, and just plan strange to the Star Wars Universe. After the Dark Nest series Denning should have been shunned from the Star Wars universe. Every book written after that series has suffered from the damage he laid upon the Star Wars timeline. He seems to ignore all personality traits of each character and changes them book to book to suit his needs.

Denning's Abyss takes the reader on three separate but (loosely) related story lines that only barely come together in the last handful of pages. Denning sets up a complicated web of political intrigue, metaphysical questions and backstabbing Sith power struggles, but then does absolutely nothing with them. The central love story, complicated by Jedi and Empire politics, ends with a brief, schmaltzy "love conquers all" scene. Another set of characters escape to fight another day, but it isn't anywhere near as good as the older books with the same conclusions. Where any good work of science fiction has a strong central message, by the end of Abyss, with almost none of the loose ends tied up, the core message was "buy the next book."

I got the feeling at the end of the book that the author was running up against his page limit for the novel and just had to wrap the whole thing up as quickly as possible. It was a really disappointing example of mass-market, rush to print science fiction. Oh for the good old days of Asimov, Heinlein, and Clarke...

With 'Abyss,' Denning delivers a credible entry to the 'Fate of the Jedi' series, capably wrapping up the 1st third of the proposed 9 book series and paving the way for what promises to be an unexpectedly pivotal story arc in the Extended Universe. Although it seldom deviates far from the proven story formula, 'Abyss' manages to take in the reins after a lurching start (owing mostly to the uneven freshman entry 'Omen,' by Christie Golden) and sets the series on a more resolute foundation. In particular, the book's third movement finally manages to provoke some of the avid page turning that was missing from most of the 'Legacy of the Force' and the start of 'FOTJ.'

On the character front, Vestara Khai is shaping up to be one of the most fleshed out new additions to the dramatis personae in some time. I appreciated the touches of dimensionality Denning applied to her character in this installment, and I'm eagerly awaiting the inevitable second encounter between Vestara and the Skywalkers in 'Backlash.'

Speaking of the Skywalkers: I can't say that I came away from 'Abyss' feeling much better about Luke. While there has been a significant amount of work done by Denning and other authors in both 'LOTF' and 'FOTJ' to atone for the miscarried leadership of Grand Master Skywalker in the "Legacy" era, 'Abyss' has done very little to convince me that Luke Skywalker actually deserves to retain his title and reputation. Bluntly put, Luke has spent the majority of the last decade putzing around and generally being unaccountable for the atrocities that have happened on his watch. This notion of Luke building a potential weapon of mass destruction (i.e., reestablishing the Jedi Order) and then failing to effectively steward its acolytes (Jacen Solo being the worst example of this) has left the character of Luke Skywalker a shell of his former self. Coincidentally, or likely purposefully, this is exactly the way that he is portrayed throughout most of the 'LOTF' and 'FOTJ' series. I can't lay the blame for all of this at Denning's feet, so it doesn't really factor into my review, but if the publisher happens to be reading this then, please, either reveal your master plan for this character, or put him and the rest of us out of our misery.

All things considered, 'Abyss' has convinced me that not all hope is lost for the EU. With the introduction of Abeloth, 'FOTJ's' principal antagonist appears to have finally taken form and the stage is set for an intriguing, if not always exciting struggle between the forces of good and evil. Now it's time to settle in to a higher gear and see if Allston can sustain this momentum going forward.

I'll give it a mediocre score because that's pretty much all it is. It's not horrible, but it's certainly not even interesting through a good 90%. I listened to the audioCD and still couldn't handle huge chunks of it at once because it just driveled on and on about nothing.

Star Wars Expanded Universe books as a whole seem to be fizzling out. More and more they seem a greedy grab for money rather than a desire to tell good stories. The whole Sith subplot seems ridiculous at best and stupid at worst. I'm starting to like Vestara a little more, but not by much and she's dominated about two novels at this point.

The battle at the end of the book was cool. I wish they had Jaina, Jag, Tahiri, and the Coruscant Jedi doing more interesting things than battling the evil press and Daala's batty government. I totally agree with whoever was talking about the sheer stupidity of the whole "insane Jedi" subplot. *Gasp* You're not real, you impostor! I now have to run you through with my shiny lightstick thingy. (Me By This Time = AAAARRRGGGHHHHHH.)

Are there redeeming points? Sure, I happen to like the interaction b/t Han and Leia and Allana. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing her grow up. Ben Skywalker is still an interesting character, despite these authors of late dumping him in stupid places to rot for months or however much time passed. Luke can still fight well.

I did stop reading/ listening to that Coruscant Nights series. I may have to do the same here. I'm pretty sure I will stop buying them. I'll just grab the library's copy 6 months later.