Customer Reviews

Dark Journey (Star Wars, The New Jedi Order #10)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

In a recent interview, author Elaine Cunningham vehemently declared, "This isn't a romance novel," despite the girly pink cover DelRey gave it.

Elaine couldn't be more right. This most certainly isn't a romance novel. Romance novels have more insight into the heart and soul of a young woman blossoming into her own in one paragraph than this is able to muster up in 300+ pages.

Romance novelists would also rather run screaming into the hills than allow their names to be associated with such cliched groaners as "Jaina's heart nearly lept out of her low-necked gown." Be careful when reading; the trite prose causes great rolling of eyes.

And no romance writer worth his/her salt would ever include such a hackneyed fractured fairy tale plot as the deluded queen mother forcing the sweet young maiden to wed the widowed king - father of the maiden's best friend and her mother's ex-beau, to boot. I admire the author's ability to synthesize the most cheesy of plots, but perhaps some workdays spent away from "Days of Our Lives" should be encouraged. Not to mention that this plot was swiped from "The Courtship of Princess Leia." It wasn't all that realistic then, and in a book series whose editors trumpet its "realism" as a marketing tool, it is even less so.

Jaina is a cypher, the apparent result of an author who couldn't make her mind whether Jaina was really going to fall to the Dark Side, or "just be a LITTLE Dark." Like being a little pregnant, it just doesn't wash. The author's inability to commit damages the character, who bounces back from her trip to the Dark Side like it was just a lost weekend in Vegas.

But this cardboard slip of a girl is still lucky enough to have TWO love interests, one a taciturn fighter pilot straight out of "Sleepless in Coruscant" - or at least he would be if his dialogue wasn't trying so hard to be so cutesy it would get kicked out all but the most "B" of Hollywood romantic comedies - and the other a former Dark Sider turned apparent savior of the universe twice her age. No wonder Jaina bounces back so quickly from the Dark Side - she has Kyp as her Dark Siders Anonymous sponsor. (Psst! Hey, Luke! Remember that Jedi Council you talked about WAAAY back in NJO Book one? Guess what? KYP is declaring that HE's gonna start it!)

As for the former hero of Star Wars? Luke's obviously too busy to form the Council. Kowtowing to his unrecognizable wife Mara and making cute with the wisecracks even though they are dealing with his nephew's recent death keep what little page space he gets disrespectfully occupied. Shame on the author and the editors for continuing to abuse and waste this character.

I do recommend this book - but only if your eyes need a good workout from all the rolling they'll do. Otherwise, save your money.

I have read all of the published NJO novels and Dark Journey is the worst. A character's wants create the action from which a well-written story line flows. Star by Star establishes why Jaina Solo turns to the dark side of the Force. Dark Journey does not add anything new. There is no answer to this pivotal question in the story: As a Dark Jedi, what does Jaina do, say, or decide that makes a bad situation for the New Republic better or worse? Instead, Jaina spends most of the novel snapping at other characters and working upon the Trickster. Furthermore, the story line does not explain how or why she reaches her turning point--the return to the light side of the Force. The story lacks action, character development, and a climax.

I don't understand the direction this series is going. First they kill Chewy, and then Anakin who was the biggest character. Now this book deals with Jania leaning to the dark side. Thats it, for 301 pages all it's about is Jania's struggle with the dark side. It's nice to see Kyp do some good for a change but we will see if that lasts. I really expected more form this one. One last note. I thought a jedi knight was suppose to dissapeer when they died? They did'nt even get that right. Save your money and lets hope the next one is a little better.

This book was neither good nor bad... inconsequencial, really. While I enjoyed Elaine Cunningham's writing style and her careful character manipulations, it didn't really movie the story arc an further. Any one who has read "Star by Star" should be able to skip "Dark Journey" and not really miss anything. Through the course of the book, the Jedi whiz kids escape on the ship they stole at the end of Star by Star and land on Hapes. Jaina develops a new small tool against the Vong. That's pretty much it. The rest is all character development.

Not that character development is bad... it's a much needed commodity in the New Jedi Order arc. However, the plunge to the Dark Side promised at the end of Star by Star was never really followed up apon. Still does a few unethical little things, but nothing trully mind numbingly bad. What fight scenes there were felt rushed, and were less clear than usual.

At the end of the day, this book is as good of a distraction as any. Nothing more, nothing less.

I was very disappointed with this latest installment of the New Jedi Order series. The focus was primarily on Jaina, my least favorite of the Solos and the weakest. This would have been ok had the book explained some things better, like what happened to Jacen! Although I never cared for Anakin's character much before Star By Star, I was beginning to really like the character when he was killed off! Now, my favorite character, Jacen, appears to have perished as well and the arthur never eludes as to how! This makes no sense as the Vong, particularly Tsavong, were adamant to take the twins alive for their sacrifice!

The book does have its good points though. I like how the new Jedi characters are used more and, going back to the Hapes to see what the fallout was as a result of what happened at Centerpoint was a good move as this was never addressed very well before. However, I think it would be better if the younger Jedi interacted more with the original characters: Han, Leia, Lando, and Luke. Also, I was glad to see Kyp start to make a change and not be so bad. He has a lot of potential.

I can see potential for this book to be great but it depends upon the next installment of the series and what actually happened to Jacen. If Jacen truly did perish then the series has become very limited, which makes me truly sad due to the potential lost. I don't think the series can withstand losing another major character.

I'm not really sure what to give this book. Nothing really tremendous happened, and I felt as though something big -should- have happened. I mean, following "Star by Star"--a book with a lot of very BIG events--I expected "Dark Journey" to deal with the major issues from the previous novel.

I'm not a long time Star Wars reader (when compared to some people), but I -am- a huge fan. Frankly, I think Timothy Zahn, Greg Keyes, and Michael Stackpole should do more work on this series--especially Zahn, who hasn't done anything.

Anyway, back to this novel. I'm not sure, but I think I caught several grammatical or spelling errors here and there. Wasn't this book editted?

All right, I think I've covered the cons. Now on to the pros.
The story was fast-paced and flowed very fluently. It started off right were "Star by Star" ended, and Cunningham's writing style seemed to emulate Denning's and even Keyes' (who I think have done the best work in the NJO series thus far).
I truly enjoyed her bringing Kyp Durron out as one of the main characters. I love that character and have been intrigued by the potential relationship between him and Jaina that was introduced in Keyes' "Rebirth".
"Star by Star" didn't follow up on that relationship, but this book did. I found it to be -very- interesting. And the comic relief was also -very- amusing.

What I didn't understand was why she kept including Luke and Mara here and there. The scenes with everyone's favorite couple weren't important at all. There was no significance and it seemed as though they forgot that they lost Coruscant and Anakin. They were making jokes instead of mourning...
Considering Luke's behavior in the previous book, I think he would have remained somber or at least brooding rather than producing witty remarks--and the same goes for Mara.

The scenes with Han and Leia were very good, as were the ones with Jagged Fel Baron--who I am really starting to like now.

To sum it up, it's a good read. I only give it three stars because it doesn't really live up to my expectations, but I still consider it worth buying (and reading, of course).

I liked a book about Jaina, merely because female heroes in Star Wars are as always fewer. There were some parts which just didn't work, like for example why would any parents just leave behind their only remaining child. Also Jag Fel needs to be written by someone else, I don't want him to be so sacharrin. But most important for any Star Wars novel - there just wasn't enough action.