Star Wars Force Heretic 2 Refugee (v. 2) [Paperback]

William & Dix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003 | Series: Refugee (Book 41)

The second of a mass-market original trilogy charting the beginning of the galaxy's victory over the dreaded Yuuzhan Vong alien invaders. Under the leadership of Luke Skywalker and a combined Jedi-government council, the newly formed Galatic Federation of Free Alliances is doggedly fighting back--and winning. Luke is on a quest for a legend, in hope of bringing back the ultimate answer to the war. And a mysterious prophet has risen among the Yuuzhan Vong lower castes to turn Yuuzhan Vong culture on its ear. This adventure includes major storylines for favorite characters, both old and new.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sean Williams and Shane Dix are the best-selling and award-winning co-authors of the Evergence series; their latest novel. Echoes of Earth was published in January 2002 (the sequel, Orphans of Earth is due in January 2003). Individually, both have numerous short story credits to their names, and Sean is a successful author in his own right. His novels include Metal Fatigue and The Resurrected Man; his fantasy series, The Books of Change, will conclude December 2002.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Random House (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099410370
• ISBN-13: 978-0099410379
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,014,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

South Australian author and occasional DJ Sean Williams started writing in 1990 and has since published over sixty short stories across the speculative fiction genre and been reprinted in numerous Year's Best anthologies.

His novels have been compared to Peter Carey, Ursula LeGuin, Robert Silverberg, and the "Three Gregs" (Bear, Benford, and Egan). As well as fiction, he has written reviews, music (for which he won a Young Composer's Award in 1984), a stage play, and the odd haiku.

With Shane Dix he has co-authored the Evergence, Orphans and Geodesica series, and the New York Times-bestselling Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Force Heretic trilogy. Together, they have been described as the "Niven and Pournelle for the 21st Century".

A strong believer in giving back to the community, he has been a Chair of Australia's oldest Writers' Centre, a tutor for Clarion South, and is a judge for the Writers of the Future contest. He was recently awarded an MA in creative writing by his hometown university in Adelaide, South Australia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Save your money, May 11, 2003

By 

G. Swift "97jedi" (Southwestern Missouri) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Force Heretic II: Refugee (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 16) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is a waste of money. I cannot fathom how nearly 400 pages can contain NOTHING to advance a storyline. Even if you are a fan who would normally buy it for your collection, my advice is to skip it altogether.

As with the first book in this trilogy, there are numerous spelling and grammar errors (particularly split infinitives, which might be acceptable for speech, but not for narration), fixations on particular words and/or phrases (e.g., "Be that as it may..." is used WAY too often), and inconsistencies. I still am unaware whether CEDF stands for Chiss Expansionary Defense Force or Chiss Expeditionary Defense Force, since it switches between them repeatedly. Or perhaps there are two such bodies, one with each name, that share the same acronym; it certainly is not clarified in this book.

As with Remnant, book 1 of the trilogy, there are three separate storylines. One following Luke and others on a quest to find The Rogue Planet (see that book for a story actually worth reading), the second follows Han and Leia et al. investigating comm breakdown from former New Republic Allies, the third focuses on Nom Anor and his infidel uprising on the former Coruscant.

All three story lines go nowhere. For Luke, there is an absolutely pointless and unresolved conflict that occurs on the Chiss homeworld, which we don't even get to see on the star chart, with everything still referred to as the Unknown Regions. Nevermind that they mention many planets and such, leaving the reader to guess where they might be. For Han and Leia, on Bakura, there is about 100 wasted pages of poor exposition, again with battles simply for their own sake, serving no plot advancing purpose. The resolution is disappointing, again with no surprise. Meanwhile, NOTHING happens with Nom Anor except that he gains an informer.

Honestly, this story reads as though written both by AND for a twelve year old. It is insulting that this is included in the storyline populated by quality writing earlier in the series. The best thing this book might be used for is recycling.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Uninspired Filler for NJO, May 3, 2003

By 

Niko "lavrys" (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Force Heretic II: Refugee (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 16) (Mass Market Paperback)

There is really no point reading this book. If you are a fan, buy it for your collection. Otherwise just skip it altogether.
My problem with "Remnant" (part I of the Force Heretic series) was that it was totally predictable. This is even worse. Refugee is so forced its only purpose seems to be to tie up lose ends and set up the last two books of the NJO.

The worse subplot is the Han/Leia/Jaina/Jag one. Picking up where they left off in Remnant, they reach Bakura where they fumble around like clueless bystanders for a couple of hundred pages, completely fail to accomplish anything useful and in the end are actually defeated by the "bad guys". Then, suddenly, the situation reverses and resolves itself. Han Solo has no role whatsoever, Leia is limited to making clever diplomatic observations, Jaina runs around picking fights that lead nowhere and Jag Fel flies like your average space-jock. A total waste of ink.

The Luke/Mara/Jacen group fares a bit better. At least they get into a couple of scraps in the Unknown Regions and use their Jedi skills to prevail. Also a couple of old favorites make cameos, even though the long-awaited tour of the Chiss domain is a complete letdown. In the end, right as the book ends, Jacen has a flash of inspiration and the story is magically back on track.

The only half interesting storyline is the one involving Nom Anor. I found his incroporation of the Force and the Jeedi into his newly conceived Vong herecy quite interesting - creative even. Also, from the Yuuzhan Vong we get at leat a small glimse of how the war is going and what the rest of the Galaxy is up to.

That's it. This book needed not have been written. It would have fit nicely as a couple of extra chapters in the other two books of the trilogy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid NJO book but too predictable, May 12, 2003

By 

J. K. Moser "JKM" (Flemington, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Force Heretic II: Refugee (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 16) (Mass Market Paperback)

Force Heretic II: Refugee is very well-written, fast paced New Jedi Order story. Although it one of the longer books in the series, it is a very quick read. The storylines are good if a bit predictable. One storyline follows Jacen Solo on his quest to find a mustical living planet. Along for the ride are Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Saba, and Danni Quee along with some Imperial Remnant troops. They fly into Chiss space where typical, if a bit predictable and subdued, Star Wars mayhem ensues. The second storyline follows Han, Leia, Jaina, Jag and Tahiri to Bakura where anti-Republic sentiment masks a deeper more malevolant plot. The third storyline deals with Nom Anor and his Jedi heracy. This was actually a very interesting Vong subplot, usually I just find those subplots annoying but hearing Nom Anor preach about the Jedi was quite interesting. There is not all that much action to sustain the story and Mara Jade and Han Solo get nothing more than bits parts to play, while Princess Leia only shines occasionaly. Danni's relationship with Jacen, which seemed to be moving forward seems stalled in this book. It was interesting to return to Bakura and to see Chiss space, and the subplot involving Tahiri jumps forward and one of the better parts of the story. Overall, this book is not as good as Force Heretic I. It is well-written, but misses something that the first book had. There is less of the witticism and humor that are contained in the best Star Wars books. This is a solid addition to the NJO series and sets up the third book in the trilogy rather nicely.