Customer Reviews

The Joiner King (Star Wars: Dark Nest, Book 1)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It has been five years since the Yuuzhan Vong invasion was ended. The new government, the Galactic Alliance is working, along with the Jedi community, to restore war-ravaged worlds and bring back peace and order to the galaxy. In the midst of these efforts comes an unusual cry for help through the Force, heard by only a select few Jedi Knights. Hearing this strange call, eight Jedi have departed for the Unknown Regions. Tahiri and Tekli leave their work on Zenoma Sekot; Jaina, Zekk, Lowbacca, Alema, and Tezar discontinue their assignments from the Jedi Council; and even Jacen has ended his journey in search for the meaning of the Force to answer the call.

Luke Skywalker and the rest of the Jedi Council are uncertain why the Jedi have left their current duties to go on an unsanctioned mission of their own. When the Chiss come to the Galactic Alliance to demand an explanation for a group of Jedi becoming involved in a Chiss border dispute, the government asks to Council to investigate. Concerned, Luke, Mara, and Saba, with 8-year-old Ben Skywalker in tow, go to the Chiss border. Worrying about their children, Han and Leia also join the Jedi Masters to look into these claims. There they find more than they bargained for, including an amazing revelation connected to the Myrkr mission (from NJO: Star by Star) to destroy the voxyn queen.

The Star Wars universe continues with another exciting series, featuring the characters from the New Jedi Order. The story quickly plunges into the adventure and continues the whole way through with a fast pace plot. Luke, Han, and Leia are given a large part of the story- good to see these characters back in action again. I haven't bought into the new `enlightened' view of the Force (no absolutes- dark and lights are relative) but this isn't talked about in-depth. The Joiner King was very interesting and enjoyable to read. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author does in the next book, which promises to be just as exciting.

This is, arguably, the first serious STAR WARS novel in almost two years. That is, we've had the CLONE WARS books and the LABYRINTH OF EVIL/REVENGE OF THE SITH duology, which ranged from really really great down to actively awful. These books, for better or for worse, were mostly action-adventure romps wherein all the pieces are put back at the end for the main characters, we don't see the minor characters again, and there's no overall plot to speak of.

Meanwhile, though, we had THE NEW JEDI ORDER. While the CLONE WARS novels are merely set during a war, and don't really have any macroscale importance, THE NEW JEDI ORDER *was* the war; it took us from beginning to middle to end. Sure, there may have been some missteps along the way... but in the end, it was one giant space opera, in a manner that even the more serious (in terms of trying to be science-fiction, instead of a fairy-tale in space) STAR WARS movies were never really able to pull off. It's this series that DARK NEST is the successor to. Not the sequel--it doesn't touch on the plot of the NJO, and leaves the unanswered questions unanswered, though character threads were picked up.

So, if the CLONE WARS are a fairy tale, and TNJO is a massive space opera, then what's DARK NEST?

Both, to be honest.

The tone of the story is definitely more in line with the STAR WARS movies, or the CLONE WARS novels, than THE NEW JEDI ORDER was. At the same time, though, while it's a fast-paced adventure piece it continues the trend we've been seeing for a while now that really came to a head in THE NEW JEDI ORDER: it acts like a serious piece of science fiction, right down to the *groan* technobabble.

THE JOINER KING gets into some relatively heavy material for an "adventure" novel: the whole concept behind the titular Dark Nest, mainly, but also the continued ponderings on the nature of the Force extending from TRAITOR.

Perhaps my main complaint about the book is that it's started down a slippery slope of technology. The Falcon now carries war droids (and they don't even have interesting personalities a la HK-47 to justify thier presence); we have R9s now for no apparent reason; and one or two other pieces along those lines. More, none of this was actually necessary in the story. But it makes me fear a literal deus ex machina later on, beyond the minor not-so-literal one in the ending of THE JOINER KING.

Over the last five years, the Jedi have also been sliding down the slippery slope of morality as well. Most of them--even Luke--have twisted "the only 'dark side' is that within you" to "the ends justify the means". Seeing how this has affected the characters we've come to know is a bit of a shock; not everyone is as pure as you might think....

Overall: good plot, good writing as I've come to expect from Denning. Some interesting background was developed, and several moral questions were raised that aren't going to go away anytime soon, both of which mean the other two books are very promising indeed. But some bits that seemed like lazy writing (the technology that was introduced) were somewhat offputting.

Star Wars Dark Nest I: The Joiner King does what i thought was impossible, it moves on past the Yuuzhan Vong invasions conclusion and provides an interesting threat that does not try to out do the Yuuzhan Vong but gives a situation that allows us to get a feel for how the galaxy is recovering and see how the Jedi Order are moving back towards being peackeepers not soldiers as they have been called to be in the New Jedi Order series.

-Possible Spoliers-

The Killiks are an alien species that are very different from the Yuuzhan Vong in many ways but are there quite obviously to show the Jedi Order something useful in regards to the nature of the force. The Killiks and their Hive Mind are described as naturally being a species that has had no interest in causing trouble however it is when the hive mind absorbed three force users from the ill fated Myrkr mission that it seems to taken on two sides and then the trouble began. The Jedi Raynar Thul does the least damage to the Killik hive mind but adds compassion creating in effect a Light side or a conscious side and the dark siders Lomi Plo and Welk create an unconscious side born from their fear and pain in effect a Dark Side to the Killik hive mind. It is this change to the Killiks, born from coming into contact with force users that makes the Killiks a situation for the Jedi and Galactic Alliance to handle.

The book also shows the ongoing developement of the relationship between Jedi Order and Galactic Alliance very well and this is left in a way that it will be developed in later books. There are also good scenes that take place in the Jedi Orders new facilities, one is in the new Jedi Temple on Coruscant near the start of the book and then later at the new Jedi Academy on Ossus. These scenes not only show the Order as being more structured but also address what has been going on with the Chiss as they are a large part of the Killik situation. Plus some intersting links to Episode III which i really enjoyed are included which will be extremely important to some of the main characters.

Troy Denning has created a fine addition to the Star Wars timeline that not only has great characterisations and an exciting plot but also has given me plenty to think about in regards to the nature of the force in the parallel which has been drawn with the Killik Hive mind. The Dark Nest Trilogy has an excellent first installement i cant wait to read the second.

Troy Denning has picked up the Star Wars universe where the New Jedi Order (NJO) left off with his 'Dark Nest' trilogy. After the NJO, the galaxy is recovering from the war against the Yuuzhan Vong. Coruscant is being rebuilt. The Jedi are establishing a new Jedi Academy on Ossus. In the meantime, a core group of Jedi Knights, lead by Jaina Solo, are receiving a distress call through the force. What makes this more mysterious is that it is coming from the unknown regions of space, yet it seems familiar to them.

Jaina and her Jedi Knight comrades take it upon themselves to answer the call. Its not too much later that Aristocra Formbi, from the Chiss Ascendency approaches Luke Skywalker to inquire why Jedi Knights are interfering in actions along the border of Chiss space. Luke feels compelled to investigate and sets off to the Unknown Regions. He is accompanied by Han and Leia Solo, Luke's wife Mara and their son Ben, and Jedi Master Saba Sabentyne. Soon, they discover that the young Jedi Knights have interwined themselves into the affairs of insectoid race that has a propensity of absorbing other sentients into a collective hive mind of sorts.

At first, I wasn't sure I liked the sound of where the Star Wars universe was headed. Although I enjoyed the NJO, I wasn't sure I wanted to see yet another strange new alien race with its own ideas of galactic domination. However, the Killiks are not the Vong. They don't rely on bio-technology, and they aren't out to overrun the universe. This in itself was refreshing. There is also the realization that Civil Wars have been done time and again in the Star Wars universe, and now that the Imperial Remnant is part of the Galactic Alliance, there wasn't many new directions for the Star Wars universe to go.

The novel does have its strengths. First, there are some pretty decent saber battles about midway through and at the end of the novel. There hasn't been a good saber battle featuring characters outside the prequel era in some time. Second, Denning has created some unique environments for the action of this novel to unfold in that haven't been overdone in Star Wars. Third, the characters have changed. Han, Leia, and many of the Jedi are harder more result driven people after the war with the Vong. The Jedi have embraced a new understanding of the force. This sets up a new subplot for Luke, who has become wary of the way the Jedi order is headed and has resolved to do something about it.

The biggest complaint I have with the novel is that will all that is new, Denning's style can make things confusing at time. New concepts and new settings are thrust upon the reader without much build up in many places or little introduction. It can be disorienting. I'm normally a quick reader but I found myself going back to reread things a couple times in an effort to understand what just happened. The other complaint I have, and it is minor, is that in addition to the lack of transition in places, there is a frequent lack of description. For instance, the Jedi are said to be flying "Stealth X's," in many places. Yet, there is no good description of what these look like, whether that be a standard X-Wing painted black or something else. The Star Wars univeres is visually interesting, and a bit more description would have been helpful in this novel.

Overall, its a good read. There is an intriguing subplot involving R2-D2 and holo recordings of Luke and Leia's parents. It has real potential to develop into something special for Star Wars fans in later novels of the trilogy. If you don't want to read the NJO, but are interested in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, this may be a good place to start. However, chronologically, there are many novels that take place before this one and provide a great deal of back story, that it might be better to start with them.

Overall Grade: 4.25 stars.

Star Wars Dark Nest I: The Joiner King is the start of a new set of Star Wars novels. There is the Dark Nest Trilogy and then the nine part Legacy of The Force series. The Joiner King gives this new set of novels a very good start. The Jedi have now established themselves again and are a valuable force for good in the Post-NJO Galaxy, however there are many problems that they will have to deal with in the next series of books. Such as clearly defining their role with the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances and refining their expanded view of the force, combined with getting back to a mindset of peacekeeping after the Yuuzhan Vong war had made them a little too ruthless in their methods. This is all good as it shows that the books that follow are going to be plot rich and valuable to the Star Wars universe. Troy Denning has the classic characters down extremely well but with enough development to show that the Yuuzhan Vong War shown in the NJO 19 book series had effected them. This shows respect towards these well loved characters but indicating that Del Rey and Lucasfilm Licensing are trying to show that events in past books are not forgotten and the consequnces are shown in later books.

The Joiner King has an exciting plot with potential for development over the next two books, where i expect a number of surprises will occur. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker has some good Lightsaber duels and him and leia get to learn more about their parents pasts. Really good Star Wars novel for people willing to accept that not everything is gooing to wrapped up at the end of this first book of a longer series.

About my 3-star rating: I must admit to having read all of the Star Wars "expanded universe" adult novels, along with many of the children's and young adult books too. But just like someone who eats a lot of hamburgers, I can also recognize a good steak. Only the best of the Star Wars books would rate 4 stars from me, so this is not a cut in my book. I'd have to rate this title at the level of a burger. A good bar & grill burger.

Star By Star was one of the very best of the NJO novels, so I know what Denning is capable of. Joiner King nearly holds up to this standard, but not quite. The plot is excellent, a real page-turner. Scene changes would be annoying at first, but within a couple paragraphs I would be captured again. As I believe RA Salvatore said, Denning is great at balancing all the parts of a complex story.

Another good point is the presentation of the collective mind of the alien insect race, very insightful. There is a mystery plot point that really draws you in, and is very well done. Raynar Thul is resurrected from Young Jedi Knights, and was a great choice. I find the Jedis' new Force sensibilities to be less than pleasing, but it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment here. At the end of the book, Leia is portrayed as finally ready to commit to some Jedi training. I sure hope that is the case.

The main problem I had was occasional treatments of the traditional, Lucas-created characters. Denning was too obvious at times in trying to recreate their auras. For example, too many references to Han Solo's different quirky facial expressions. And there were at least two places where he evoked certain character qualities, only to follow with a behavior or some dialog that was contradictory to what had just been described. Sure, these characters have evolved over time, but then why evoke traits that should now be less prevalent?
That said, I can't imagine how hard it must be keeping track of everything that has been written about these characters, and writing in such an established arena.

I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy the Star Wars expanded universe. Also, for those who have yet to read the NJO series - although this series takes place after the NJO, I think it can stand alone, if you would like to try these first.

"The Joiner King," the first "Star Wars" novel to take place after the "New Jedi Order Series," shows a galaxy in recovery after a huge conflict that tore the "Star Wars" Universe apart. I have to say that I've been disappointed with most of the new "Star Wars" literature, particularly those novels that take place after "Return of the Jedi." To put it bluntly, "Star Wars" has become bland, boring, generic science fiction.

"The Joiner King" continues to solidify my assertion that all the new characters that were introduced to replace the aging movie characters are undesirable, arrogant, self-righteous caricatures. They have no depth and no qualities that are particularly desirable. And even if they do posses some aspect that might cause a glimmer of affection from the reader, those good qualities are eclipsed by an extremely objectionable personality. The fact that the Jedi have become completely relativistic in their view of the Force doesn't help matters either. However, it does appear the author is setting the Jedi up to realize the error of their ways.

Having gutted the characters and the Force you'd think there'd still be an epic and engaging plot. Sadly, "Star Wars" has fallen into stagnation in regards to storytelling. Corrupt elements of the government and postwar relief corporations prey on the displaced and a "Bug Collective" threatens the outer regions of the galaxy. Hardly interesting or original.

One aspect of the novel which is somewhat satisfying is that the most of the plot is resolved. There are a few loose ends, but, for the most part, the story can stand alone. New Star Wars readers will be utterly confused by this novel. Thus, I only recommend this book to diehard fans who have to know every aspect of the "Star Wars" universe.

Is this really the best they could come up with? Intelligent bugs? Sorry, evil Jedi intelligent bugs. Seriously, I can't believe that this is the follow up to the massive New Jedi Order series. That series was the only thing that kept me interested in Luke, Han, & Co. while George Lucas and his prequels were systematically destroying my love of Star Wars. The New Jedi Order was, to say the least, epic. There should have been major changes to the Star Wars Universe as a result, but they are barely touched on here. The only real change, and to my mind a terrible one, is Luke Skywalker's band of Jedi embracing the dark side of the force and hurling force lightning like the Emperor. They haven't turned evil. Apparently it's OK to use the dark side now, as long as your intentions are good. This is not a positive development, and it seems like a moral cop-out.

Sadly, the Joiner King is a disappointment. It is a return to the type of Star Wars novels that were released prior to the New Jedi Order, which means it was predictable and ultimately of no real importance. If you want to read about a group of aging heroes taking on a bunch of evil bugs, by all means pick this book up. Just don't expect much more than a lot of bug-crunching action sequences. The only reason I gave it three stars is the inclusion of the New Jedi Order short story Ylesia, which was previously unavailable in printed form.

This was a good start. Although sometimes I did not like the way Troy Denning was leading the galaxy, I must admit I loved this book. A thing I didn't like was that Luke's son, Ben, is shrinking away from the Force, which is not an appropriate legacy for the son of a famed Jedi Master. I also think it ridiculous how Jag and Jaina just fell apart. Now there seems to be a little chemistry between Zekk and Jaina, and Jacen is obviously feeling love for Tenel Ka (finally!).
A good start

Star Wars: Dark Nest-The Joiner King is an unusual and oftentimes frustrating addition to the SW saga. Picking up approximately five years after the events of The New Jedi Order series, Joiner King manages to avoid answering most of the questions left over by the previous series, instead focusing on a small cast of characters and taking the primary setting into a largely unexplored area of the galaxy.

The story begins when several Jedi Knights suddenly vanish, including Jacen and Jaina Solo, Lowbacca, and Tahiri, who were all experiencing a strange beckoning through the Force, calling for them to come to the Unknown Regions. Shortly thereafter, Luke Skywalker receives a complaint by the Chiss government that several of his Jedi meddled in a border dispute. Hoping to contain the damage, Luke and his wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, travel to the Unknown Regions with their son, Ben. Han and Leia Solo follow, intent on protecting their children. When the group arrives, they discover a colony of ancient and mysterious aliens led by an old ally thought dead, who is no longer the young and brave Jedi he once was.

Author Troy Denning makes the Joiner King a much more hardcore sci-fi novel than most other Star Wars titles, spending an unusual amount of time on the technical side of starships, and creating an enemy who is, to put it lightly, "out there." This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but coming on the heels of the New Jedi Order, it certainly is an unexpected direction.

Perhaps the best thing about this novel is that it highlights just how much things have changed in the SW universe since the events of Return of the Jedi. The characters we know and love have become much darker versions of who they once were, especially Han and Leia. These characters, as well as the new generation of Jedi Knights, are no longer capable of being placed in black or white categories, but instead live in a morally gray area. It makes for a more realistic version of George Lucas' universe.

For the most part, the dialogue is pretty spot-on, although Troy Denning does occasionally struggle with Han Solo, who is easily the most difficult of these characters to transfer to the printed page. The new characters, especially Jacen Solo, are given some heavy treatment as well, and the direction Jacen has gone since the New Jedi Order is both surprising and fitting.

Another fascinating element of this novel is seeing how much the Jedi Order has changed since the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. A potential schism has formed between the Jedi Masters, and hopefully this plot element gets more development in future novels. A Jedi civil war would be extremely interesting to read about.

However, there are a few negative elements to this book that bring my rating of it down. The first is Troy Denning's writing style, which can sometimes be clunky and juvenile. It takes a while to get used to his writing style, and the humor he injects oftentimes clashes with the darker tone of the story.

The plot itself, while certainly unique, is just not as interesting as one could've hoped for following the events of the New Jedi Order, and I never felt as if the Killiks (the new baddies) were that much of a threat, especially now that our heroes have faced villains such as the Yuuzhan Vong.

Overall, The Joiner King is an interesting but ultimately mediocre new start to the Expanded Universe. Hopefully the next two novels in the trilogy will pick things up a bit better, but for now, this'll have to do.

This book also contains the short story "The New Jedi Order: Ylesia," which was previously published in e-book format. Written by Walter Jon Williams, this story chronicles Jacen and Jaina Solo's viewpoints during a battle to retake a Yuuzhan Vong-held planet. Even though the story doesn't make much of an impact on SW canon, it's definitely worth a read. The author has a good grasp on the characters, the dialogue is perfect, and the action scenes are well-written. It's a quick read, but it's highly entertaining.