Dark Journey (Star Wars, The New Jedi Order #10) [Mass Market Paperback]

Elaine Cunningham (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 29, 2002

The New Jedi Order continues as Jaina Solo struggles with anger and despair after the Jedi Knights' harrowing adventure behind enemy lines.

Though the Jedi strike force completed its deadly mission into Yuuzhan Vong territory, the price of success was tragedy: not everyone made it out alive. In a daring getaway, hotshop pilot Jaina Solo stole an enemy ship, taking along her fellow survivors--and leaving behind a huge piece of her heart.

With the enemy in hot pursuit, Jaina is forced to seek haven in the unprotected, unfriendly Hapes Cluster, where the Jedi are held responsible for a past tragedy--and where the royal family has grim plans for their famous Jedi guest. Even more sinister are the intentions of the Yuuvhan Vong, desperate to capture Jaina for a hideous sacrifice.

Grief-stricken and obsessed with revenge, Jaina is blind to these threats--and to the overpowering evil dangerously close to consuming her. In the coming conflagration, Jaina will be fighting not for victory or vengeance, but fore her very being . . .

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The New Jedi Order continues as Jaina Solo struggles with anger and despair after the Jedi Knights' harrowing adventure behind enemy lines.

Though the Jedi strike force completed its deadly mission into Yuuzhan Vong territory, the price of success was tragedy: not everyone made it out alive. In a daring getaway, hotshop pilot Jaina Solo stole an enemy ship, taking along her fellow survivors--and leaving behind a huge piece of her heart.

With the enemy in hot pursuit, Jaina is forced to seek haven in the unprotected, unfriendly Hapes Cluster, where the Jedi are held responsible for a past tragedy--and where the royal family has grim plans for their famous Jedi guest. Even more sinister are the intentions of the Yuuvhan Vong, desperate to capture Jaina for a hideous sacrifice.

Grief-stricken and obsessed with revenge, Jaina is blind to these threats--and to the overpowering evil dangerously close to consuming her. In the coming conflagration, Jaina will be fighting not for victory or vengeance, but fore her very being . . .

About the Author

A former music and history teacher, Elaine Cunningham has written more than a dozen fantasy novels and many short stories. She is best known for the Songs & Swords books, particularly Elfshadow, a mystery in a fantasy setting. She lives with her family in a coastal New England town.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 301 pages
• Publisher: LucasBooks; First Edition edition (January 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345428692
• ISBN-13: 978-0345428691
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Complete filler material for Star Wars fans March 7, 2002

By Jayson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Despite the great ramp up and action packed novel that Star By Star was (book 9 in the New Jedi Order Series), I felt this sequel did nothing to advance the overall plot of the Yuuzhan Vong war.

Hopefully you'll continue to read the rest of my review with an open mind on why I am critical on this latest adventure. First and foremost, there is nothing wrong with the writing style; it is easy to read and descriptions are colorful and fun enough, but it's the actual lack of content that disapoints me.

After events in Star By Star, Jaina Solo, Zekk, Tenal Ka, Ganner and Lobacca have escaped the clutches of the Vong by using Nom Anor's analog frigate and eventually find there way to the Hapes Cluster (introduced way back in the Courtship Of Princess Leia). Once here, Jaina is briefly re-united with Han, Leia, Luke and Mara, but the reunion doesn't last long.

Fearing Jacen Solo met a simliar fate of that to Anakin, the main plot line of this book is the seemingly downward spiral of Jaina towards the Dark Side. Vengance is on her mind, and she demonstrates how cunning she can be by starting to taunt the Yuuzhan Vong into comming to get her. However, this is done at a cost of self-discovery and maybe some heightened tesion between her and her Jedi peers. Ironically, through all this, it is once rouge Jedi, Kyp Durron, who finally sees the errors of his ways over the last few years and decides now he needs to get back on track and bring Jaina back in line as well.

Tied into this is a political scandal with the ex-Queen Mother of Hapes and her bid for power of the Hapes thrown. And if she can't have it, she will find a suitable Queen to be her puppet (enter a typical re-hashed plot of Prince Isolder being manipulated and Han being bumped out of the way).

It was also kinda silly to see that the Vong war-masters son, Khalee Lah, was introduced into the series as someone who may capture Jaina. Well, it could have been a good idea if he was actually utilized much more than he actually was.

Han and Leia play some minor roles in this novel (namely at Anakins funeral which was very anti-climatic for a Star Wars novel), with Luke & Mara playing absolutely none. None of the rest of the familar cast was even present. By the way, with such a large war going on where is the Imperial Remanent, Hutt's, Peace Brigade, etc..etc..? A total lack of any mention or presennce in this novel really detracts from the overall feeling of the war.

The only interesting points in this novel were these: 1) A slight tease of a possible relationship between Jaina and Jag Fel (Baron Fel's son)...which never ends up going anywhere so I have no idea why it was included, and 2) Jaina and Lobacca discover a way using Vong bio-technology to confuse the enemy ships in battles. This may have a dramatic effect on future novels and how the war progresses.

However, despite these two small shiny spots, the novel was pretty slow, little action, and long on Hapes politics.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Sassy Journey July 27, 2003

By Nom de Guerre

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Enter woman author #2 in the New Jedi Order series, Elaine Cunningham. Unlike Kathy Tyers, who essentially handles a typical sort of Star Wars story involving all the major characters, Cunningham focuses on Jaina in order to create what she must have envisioned as a women's Star Wars book, by a woman and about a woman. Romance and powerful, consuming emotions take center stage, with Jaina as the sassy vixen around whom it all revolves.

I am a woman, and I am offended by this insult to the maturity and intelligence of my gender.

Where to begin? Cunningham's writing is atrocious. She has neither a sense of continuity nor of how characters should be expected to react emotionally to events. Han and Leia have just lost one, maybe two children, so they joke around and flirt. Then, later, we get a few sentences about how profound their sadness is. How trite, Ms. Cunningham. It's good to know that the Solos were officially upset while fooling around on the Falcon. Similarly, every male in the galaxy seems (completely irrationally) to have the hots for Jaina Solo, who, sassy vixen that she is, is not adverse to indulging their fantasies. The book opens with Star Wars Spice Jaina sitting on Ganner's lap and making lewd comments about it. In the middle, she manipulates the usually practical Kyp Durron with her womanly wiles and unbelievable Force powers. The book closes with a gushingly sentimental Kyp "saving" his soul mate Jaina, who's taken her sassiness a little too far. This is as over-the-top as Moulin Rouge, but with only a fraction of the emotional depth.

Cunningham's treatment of the Force is as simplistic and flawed as her treatment of human emotions. In a series that focuses on questioning the nature of the Force, this novel is completely out of place. The message here seems to be that you can be totally evil (Cunningham might say "sassy") without going over to the dark side. Also, it seems more okay for Jaina to be evil (than it is for other people). Cunningham rewrites history, saying that Kyp used the Force to convince Jaina to help him in Greg Keyes' last book (Rebirth; and I thought Jedi mind tricks only worked on the weak-minded). This is bad of Kyp. Jaina uses such mind tricks frequently, and this is something that "not even Jacen would question."

These problems are only the tip of the iceberg. The book is filled with emotional non-sequitors, massive errors in continuity, and bawdy exploitation of the concept of "woman." So is there anything to like? Well...by far the best thing about the book is that Cunningham doesn't get to write Jacen or Anakin (and mess them up). Second to that? The book is short and not quite as pathetically childish as a Kevin J. Anderson book. Also, I guess the concept that Jaina is an awful and disconnected person makes sense...the authors of the series have been building that from the beginning. Her reaction to her brothers' situations should probably be reprehensible. However, the way Cunningham exploits this opportunity to write Jaina as a bad girl is really uncalled for. She warps other characters almost beyond repair in the process (especially Kyp) and seems to revel in Jaina's badness rather than condemning it. What's worst is that she passes off the evil that Jaina does as "girl power." Maybe this speaks to teen angst or something (I might have liked the book more back when I was an angsty teen), but only in a destructive way.

Conclusion: readers who can't resist the guilty pleasures of bad romances and bawdy women, rejoice; readers who want a reasonable treatment of the aftermath of the devastation in Star by Star, you're out of luck--your best bet is to read this with a sense of humor.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated Story. Fine Addition to NJO Series February 19, 2002

By J. K. Moser

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

First, if you haven't read Star by Star, or if you don't want to know the vague storyline for Dark Journey, DON'T read this review.
This is a revision of my first revieww, because after I read this book a few times my perception of it changed. This story is another well written addition to the New Jedi Order series. It wraps up many of the loose storylines that James Luceno's NJO books started. The story itself focuses on Jaina Solo and the escape of the Jedi strike team from a Vong held world as told in Star by Star. With the recent death of Anakin and the capture of Jacen, Jaina is dangerously close to the dark side. As they strike force flees from the Vong, they go to the Hapan system where more intrigue awaits. Kyp Durron is prominately featured again, and he continues to evolve in a well rounded character. It is really up to Durron to make Jaina see how dangerous the line she is treading is. This story revolves around Jaina, Kyp, Jagged Fel and the Hapan Royal family. While the Skywalkers, Han & Leia all play minor roles, almost nothing is said of Jacen. None of the chapters are from his point of view. The reader hears about him early in the story, but nothing is confirmed. Again this is a good story, the characters are well written, but the lack of any of the story from Jacen's perspective is a bit of a let down. At first this story seems a bit lacking when compared to other NJO books, but that is simply not the case. Its a very subtle book, in perfect harmony with Jaina's first steps on the path to the dark side. Many readers dismissed this book out of hand, I encourage NJO fans to read this story. Its essential to the continuation of the NJO, and is really a good book on its own.