Customer Reviews

Destiny's Way (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 14)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is not a bad novel, but one that will probably disappoint the NJO fans - like myself. If you are following the series, then you have to read it - or you 'll miss a lot of important plot points.

But even though the overall NJO story-arc is served very well, the Expanded Universe in general, is not. The problem seems to be that this should have definatelly been a much longer novel - perhaps even a trilogy. As it stands the book feels very rushed.

The story begings strongly, from where Traitor left off. Indeed, the first half does an amazing job of tying up a lot of lose ends, both in particular subplots and the more abstract aspects of the NJO series:

We learn Vergere's story; we find out what happened to Bel Iblis, Kre'fey and Wedge Antilles after Star by Star and the Enemy Lines duology; we witness the developing situation on Coruscant (Yuuzhan'tar), Nom Anor, Chavong Lah, Nen Yim and the rest of scarhead gang; and finally, after four books (since Star by Star) we catch up to the larger state of affairs in the New Republic.

Also, the war seems to reach equilibrium: for thirteen books now I 've been thinking that , the element of surprise aside, there is NO way that a small extragalactic force can beat a galactic scale republic; in all warfare, resources will ultimately determine the outcome, unless the bigger of the two combatants is swiftly eliminated right on the outset. (see WWI, WWII etc.) In Destiny's Way the story finally reaches this rational stage. The New Republic is pulling itself together and switching to war footing, swinging the momentum back.

So the first 200-or-so pages are great. However, after that the story falls apart; or, rather, it gets too rushed, even with the two chapters that became the eBook "Ylesia" ending up being cut. The story seems to get pushed to its predetermined conclusion and the play-by-play becomes color commentary. Diverse characters are used briefly to facilitate the needs of the action and then dropped without explanation. Williams switches from a day-by-day narrative to an event-by-event one, skipping between places and situations with dizzying speed.

The final 200-odd pages should have been 200 + a 400 page Dastiny's Way II. That would have made this a 5-star effort, on par with Star by Star.

The other big disappointment with Destiny's Way (probably related to the lack of space) is that A LOT of the best characters, suspiciously almost all of them having been created by either Timithy Zahn or Michael Stackpole, are portrayed very badly. They following favorites are all out of character:

[ SPOILERS ]

- Grand Admiral Pellaeon, acting like a stiff Imperial biggot all of the sudden, even though he is already Leia' s friend.
- Soontir Fel, who is momentarily referrenced as Jag Fel's father, "an Imperial Baron". Surely, there is waaayyy more to Fel than that! How about the Chiss and their part in the war? the relationship to Antilles? to Garnd Admiral Thrawn and his views on the galaxy?..
- Bel Iblis is asked by Luke to save the day, in a final titanic battle, as the New Republic is still short on ships. He shows up, gets not a single line and seemingly hands control of his entire fleet to Luke. I had to read it twice to try and figure out whether he was present at all.
- Antilles himself, the hero of Borleias, who has more or less singlehandedly changed the momentum of the war, is completely left out. Apparently he is in Kuat with Tycho. He is not recalled for the final battle, despite the fleet's shortages.
- Wraith leader Garik "Face" Loran makes a cameo, says "understood, Major" over his com unit and fades back into annonymity...

.. which brings me to the final (perhaps minor) problem. The technical details of the Expanded Universe, which authors like M. Stackpole use so artfully to bring their stories to life are way off and inconsistent. Here Williams didn't do enough research.
- Fleets are called "squadrons", squadron flights are called "sections", warships are generically "cruisers" or "frigates", the Wraiths are flying "super fast snoopships", whatever that is and the author becomes infatuated with A-Wings.
- Apparently, two (!) new Super Star Destroyers are in existence, yet they are NOT used for anything, inspite the aforementioned ship shortages. Thank God for Booster's Errand Venture, the only Destroyer-class vessel that sees any action.
I realise that these are rather esoteric points, yet consistency and continuity are what has made Star Wars' Expanded Universe so addictive. This novel felt strange and a bit alien, like a PC user experiencing a Macintosh for the first time - to uncomfortable to be fully satisfied.

I would still recommend this any Star Wars fans, but I do wish the editorial staff at DelRay would do a more thorough job in the future.

Review Destiny's Way by Walter Jon Williams

First off, would it not have been possible for Del Rey to have found an author that knew more about Star Wars than snoozing through the movies, and getting a friend to tell him about the EU. I mean HELLO...I think RA Salvatore had a better grip on the characters than this guy, and Vector Prime was the third worst book of the series. This guy did not even know that Winter was married to Tycho, and had to add a blurp in after the fact that made the story become choppy.

He portrays Jaina as a `Damsel in Distress', having her in a total panic in the middle of not one but four furballs. I mean HELLO, I am married to a Fighter Jock, and I know from his history and common sense, that you NEVER panic in a furball, if you do, you die. Also the man can't write a space battle to save his life, `Extend foils'? Did this man even see Star Wars? Extend means to move out, and the S-foils on an X-Wing do not extend they separate.

As for Mara in this book, well he has her closer to her personality, her personality from the Thrawn and Jedi Academy Trilogies. Since the birth of Ben, she has shown a lot more restraint in her actions, so as NOT to make him an orphan. I just don't see her ramming a Vong spy's sub with hers, I see her keeping them occupied while someone else gets there with weapons to destroy the Vong sub, but ramming? Also, I'm sorry, but having been married to a Sub Jock (Yeah been married a couple of times) it takes YEARS to be able to pilot a sub to the point of getting a missile on your arse to think your opponent is you.

Also where all of a sudden did Luke acquire all this information about the old Jedi and another Holocron? When Luke is talking to Vergere, he knows entirely too much about the old order, information that had been destroyed by the Emperor, and lost for all eternity. He would not know that Jedi were not allowed to marry and procreate, nor that they were taken from their homes as infants. Also the last Holocron was destroyed by Exar Kun in the Jedi Academy Trilogy.

Now onto Leia, in the other books, (Dark Journey, Rebel Dream and Rebel Stand), Leia approved of Jaina's parrying with Jag Fel. Now all of a sudden she does not, thinking that having an Imperial Baron in the family would be just to confusing (paraphrase from the book). Leia would not think that way, mainly because there are too many ex-Imperials that have joined the New Republic. Also he is Wedge's nephew, and is much more like his uncle than his father. I just cannot see Leia wanting to daunt her daughter's happiness for the sake of protocol. If she were going to do that, she would have married Isolder not Han. Then at the end of the book, there is a scene in which Luke is trying to encourage Han to rejoin the military to lead the group from the Smuggler's Alliance (which had been disbanded before the end of the Thrawn Trilogy). During this, Leia is attempting to convince Han NOT to do this. Now if this isn't out of character for Leia, I have no clue what her character is like. Also there is a scene in the book where she tells an Imperial Commander "Wisdom is knowing when you've given all you can." Sorry but this is not Leia like. Leia would be back in the heat of things, as is her personality.

Now here is one I really like. Mr. Williams has written Tsvong Lah as a sniveling idiot, not fit to command a garbage hauler much less be a warmaster for the Yzuuhan Vong. I was extremely disappointed in the Yuuzhan Vong Supreme Overlord Shimrra. He is a whimp. HAS MR. WILLIAMS EVEN READ THE NJO? The Vong are so caught up in courage and bravery that they take it BEYOND the extreme. There is no fear of death or pain, they EMBRACE it, they WELCOME it. I mean these people relax in the `Embrace of Pain' this is their form of recreation.

Personally I feel that this book though written well, was written by someone who has no clue what Star Wars is. I would definitely suggest to anyone wanting to read this book, that they just check it out of the library and save your money for more meaningful things, I sure wish I had.

To be sure, the books of the NJO have been a mixed bag. But, for the most part, the hardbacks have held their own and a few of the paperbacks, like Traitor, have been extremely enjoyable.

Destiny's Way changes all this...and not for the better. Why oh why did the editors think that Williams would be a good choice for such an important book? His writing is so simple and blase you'd think he was turning it in as a junior high homework assignment. Entire chapters consisted of narrative dribble: "Jaina got up and went to work. Jacen went swimming." Indeed, simple writing concepts such as climax and plot twists seem as alien to him as the Yuuzhan Vong do to our Star Wars family.

Of course, what is truly unpardonable is his obvious lack of familiarity with the characters' personalities. Not a single character is well written and some of them, like Luke and especially Vergere, are just plain terrible. Apparently, Williams believed that the better strategy was just to throw in as many characters as he possibly could, include a few who have been absent for far too long, and then hope the readers would love him for it. Clue in, Walt: lots of characters don't make a good book--truly understanding your characters and helping the reader to does (see Traitor).

In the end, you have to read it because it's supposed to be "the turning point" of the series. But, don't expect too much. It's a simple story written by a simple author.

Well, I've just finished reading Destiny's Way (the fourteenth book in the ongoing New Jedi Order series). I finished the book feeling that, while overall an entertaining read, it suffers from a plot has no true focus; it seems to be compiled of a number of events that could of taken place between books. The whole "turning point of the war" (sorry if I spoiled anyone, but come on, we all knew the good guys would start winning sometime) that author alludes to, seems more like "the prelude of the turning point of the war". All the main character running around, setting up things to come in future books, or finishing tasks started in books past. It never has a big event that, the other hardcovers, mainly Vector Prime and Star By Star, had.

Now I do like this book, though it may seem otherwise. It has some good writing and does have some important events: Jacen's return, the election of a new Chief of State, the reestablishment of the Jedi Council (it's called the High Council now), and the deaths of a few main\semi-main characters (as happened in the other three hardcovers of the series) and finally a book that's based on Luke! Though Han and\or Leia fans will be a bit disappointed; the two are absent in most of the book.

The book also has the introduction of a handful of new characters:
Supreme Overlord Shimrra, (sorry if it's spelled wrong) who probably have the most impact in future books, A few new senators, an alderaaian senator, Cal Omas, will have the most impact of these, and some new governmental (and Vong) officials.

Overall I think this is a good edition to the series, though it could have been the best if the plot was more centralized.

On...the Author admits to never reading ANY of the previous books except for Traitor and a Star Wars who's who book.
It comes in loud and clear while reading the book. Please don't write another Star Wars book if you don't care enough to be consistant. I'm definatly reading part of the next book at the store before buying it.

Even though I am a big fan of the New Jedi Order series, I was not impressed by Destiny's Way. Unlike other books in the series, which were written by authors who were Star Wars fans and kept up with the other Star Wars novels, Williams came to the series having never previously read a Star Wars novel. This lack of familiarity shows itself in the way he uses the characters. They just don't seem to be the same characters we've been following these past few years. For example - Jacen had a major trial in the last book, and now he seems to be back to the same old routine as if his life hadn't profoundly changed. It was also unsettling to see Warmaster Tsavong Lah, the main enemy character so far, take a such a minor role in the book. Without giving away an important plot point, I feel like so much character building was wasted.

Ultimately this book was a let-down. If you're a New Jedi Order fan, you know you need to pick this book up. If you're new to the series, don't start with Destiny's Way - go back and read Vector Prime (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 1).

After the extremely personal events of Traitor, the New Jedi Order series gets back to galactic adventure in Destiny's Way, by noted science fiction author Walter Jon Williams. Things are reaching a turning point as the Yuuzhan Vong are stretched almost to their limits, but the New Republic is too, and both sides are delivering weaker and weaker blows. Williams does a good job with this, though the politics in the book slow things down quite a bit. Also, some of the characterization seems off, though not to a huge degree. Still, it's another winner in this series, and with five books to go, things are starting to move toward a conclusion.

Jacen Solo is on his way back to the Republic, with new-found friend (possibly) and mentor Vergere coming with him. In Destiny's Way, Vergere reveals the truth about who she is and how she came to be with the Vong, and she also sows the seeds to what might end up being the solution to all of their problems. Meanwhile, the New Republic needs a leader, and Luke Skywalker wants to re-establish the Jedi Council, and he finds a good ally in Cal Omas. If Cal can win the support of the majority of the senators, he may be able to help Luke with his goals as well. Meanwhile, the Vong are discovering just how many resources they've expended in this relentless war, and they have to decide whether to regroup or go for a final assault. Admiral Akbar, retired military expert, comes up with a plan that may draw the Vong into a final assault that they cannot win, with hordes of Jedi (along with the most important ones, the Solo twins) as bait. Will things go off as planned, or will the Vong do something completely unpredictable and ruin everything?

Destiny's Way starts out with a bang, with Han and Leia facing off against a bunch of Vong coralskippers as they travel to the remnants of the Empire to ask for help. There, they discover that, while some help is better than none, the Empire may be waiting to see who wins. This, along with a mission proposed by Jaina Solo to decapitate the leadership of the Vong with one shot, gives the book a bit of excitement, as there isn't a lot of action after this (other than an assassination attempt and a another ship battle with Jaina) until near the end. Of course, any Star Wars fan loves spaceship battles with the Falcon, so Williams started out with the good stuff.

The problem is that it starts to bog down a little after that. Some of the conversation is interesting (I loved the scene on the Imperial Remnant, with both Leia and General Pellaeon dancing around diplomacy as they have dinner and visit with each other), but some of it wasn't so much. I found the politics around the new Republic head of state to be rather dull (assassins notwithstanding, as well as a cool Lando scene). The new Jedi Council has some interesting possibilities, but only two of them (Luke and one other) really grabbed my attention this time, even as they wrestled with some serious issues. Thankfully, Williams' writing always stands up, even when the plot isn't that intriguing. While the pace slowed, it never stopped, and that's down to his prose.

The other slight problem was the characterization of Jaina. Perhaps it's because of Jacen's return, but she seems to regress from the previous couple of books, and I thought she had come out of her dark shell more than Destiny's Way portrays. She was still gloomy, but this book has the return of her "I'm going to die anyway, so why should I care about anybody?" shtick. That was really the only characterization fault that I had. Jacen seems to have matured from his ordeals in Traitor, the changes in Luke's attitudes are clearly created by what's happened to him and what he discovers with Vergere (in fact, the scenes between the two of them are probably my favourite in the book), and everybody else is captured fairly well too.

The ending of the book is wonderful, though. Lots of action, reverses as things don't go quite as planned, heroics, and starships blasting each other out of the stars. There's a lot to like there, as everybody gets involved in one way or the other. It'll be interesting to see where the series goes from here, given what happens at the end. Williams' writing shines in these sequences, as he shows he can handle starship combat with the best of them. It's not quite as frenetic as Stackpole and Allston can be, but they are masters of the craft. I'm not familiar with Williams' writing (other than a couple of short stories, and The Courtship of Princess Leia, a book that didn't really contain too many ships), but he definitely has a clear way of handling it.

The New Jedi Order is entering its stretch run of books, and Destiny's Way is another high point. It's just not as high as some of the other books around it have been. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next one, though I haven't heard the best things about them. Here's hoping that the quality keeps up.

David Roy

I just finished Destiny's Way, and all I can say is "WOW"!! The book does finally offer a lot of explanations that have not been explained before, such as the true origin and goals of Vergere. The Republic finally is able to turn the tide and have some hope of winning the war, and the book even gives some small shadings of what the next chapter in the Star Wars universe may entail. My only disappointment is in the final battle of the book, the Warmaster has a confrontation that could have been better, and should have been with somebody else other than who it was. All in all, though, a very good read and highly recommended to any other Star Wars fans.

After volume 13 which focused on Jacen's struggle with the Yuuzhan Vong, Vergere and himself, the focus returns to the war at large, which hasn't been going well. However, there may now be some light. New Republic forces are learning more and more about not only Vong biotech, but also their culture, and are picking up some weaknesses along the way.

However, the infighting and lack of confidence among the locals have been their greatest weakness. Politics has been the downfall of the New Republic thus far.

Will Luke and Cal Omas be able to turn the political tide? Will the work of Ackbar and Jaina produce the tactics needed to win the war? Will Danni and other scientists produce the advances needed to outgun and disrupt the Vong?

All of these questions are hanging through this volume. Some questions will be answered, but more than enough is kept lingering for future volumes. This read is one of the hardest in the series to put down. Williams does a masterful job of transitioning from one theater of the war to another (including the political and religious theaters of the Republic and Vong respectively) to keep you turning the pages.

The jedi themselves are beginning to come to order, but will that order be on the old lines of the Old Republic of Vergere OR will there be a new Jedi order? If it is the later, what form will it take? Read on!

Looks like i have some re-rating to do. In this book, destiny's way, Jacen Solo has escaped the clutches of the Yuzzan Vong, with some help from the mysterious Jedi Vergere, who, in my opinion, is an awesome character. it is supposedly the turning point for the entire war. unfortunately, the new republic has developed a new weapon designed to wipe out the Yuzzan Vong...perhaps forever. now the Jedi must prevent the weapom, called Alpha Red, from being used.

as I said in my previous review, this book is great. has nice cover art, too.

and you adults think THIS is bad.