Customer Reviews

The Unseen Queen (Star Wars: Dark Nest, Book 2)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A year after the events of The Joiner King, the threat of Dark Nest has appeared again. Sent to investigate, the Skywalkers and Solos visit the Utegeta Nebula, the new home of the Killiks. Confronting UnaThul with their concerns with Dark Nest, things go unexpectedly wrong when they find themselves accused of aiding in the mysterious attacks on Killiks nests. Han and Luke stay behind to look into the source of the attacks and find more answers about Dark Nests, while Mara and Leia are sent back.

Summoned by Queen Mother Tenel Ka to Hapes, Jacen Solo finds he is responsible to protect a special secret that she reveals to him. An attack by the former queen of Hapes in alliance with Dark Nest, alerts him to danger they face. Jacen is also the recipient of visions that show the looming disaster of another galactic war.

The Unseen Queen was an excellent second book in the Dark Nest series. The pace was a little slower than in the Joiner King but that's normal for a middle book. I love the way Denning has added the scenes where Luke discovers the recordings R2 has of Anakin and Padme. Leia's involvement in a more Jedi capacity has also been great to see. I'm looking forward to reading the final book in Dark Nest, The Swarm War.

In many subtle ways, Troy Denning analyses what it means to be a Jedi. Not out and out, like in "Traitor" by Matthew Stover , but in a far more elegant fashion.

The book first shows us how Luke Skywalker's life is a constant struggle against his weaknesses. Luke learns about his parents, thus neatly tying this book to ROTS. But mainly, two revelations: Luke learns that the only real limitation he has is DOUBT. He also learns that while he has a strong moral compass, not all the other Jedi do.
Luke's courage and faith in the Light shine through his actions in the book. His is the path of the True Jedi.By that, i don't mean necessarily the Jedi of the Old Republic. However hard everyone else has been trying to improve on the Jedi Order, Luke is THERE already-he's become the greatest Jedi Master in the Galaxy. And from the "Swarm War" synopsis, we see that he's going to show us what he is pretty soon.

We see a lot of Saba Sebatyne's quirkiness, Troy Denning really writes a MEAN BARABEL!! Leia is well on her way to becoming a
full fledged Jedi. Choosing Saba as her Master was the perfect decision to make. We're gonna see some character complexity from now on.
And also, we get to see a Han-Luke team-up, which I don't think we've seen for a looooong time.

We see that however greatly a Jedi understands the Force, he himself is still fallible. I'm talking about Jacen here, who has started to justify serving himself by saying that he's serving the Force, and that it's the same thing. By his own definition from Dark Nest I, Jacen's now slipping to the Dark Side. Will he be another Ankain Skywalker? Is the Force dooming these cycles of Light and Dark to repeat? First Anakin, then Luke, and now Jacen falling to the Dark Side after serving the Light for a long time... But the former two did pull back, successfully in Luke's case. And we know Jacen's an idealist-let's hope for the best!

Yeah,also, Ben Skywalker's potential is hinted at again and again. Remember, his is the legacy of the Force itself, after all, the Force birthed Anakin Skywalker. We can expect great things from this kid in books to come. He gives us a taste in this book.
I'm waiting on tenterhooks for the next book! Kudos, Troy!
A must-read!!

As with most trilogies, it is up to the second part to carry on the story, while setting up a satisfying conclusion. Indeed, The Unseen Queen does an excellent job of carrying on the story arc established in The Joiner King (unrest between the Chiss and Killiks, Leia taking up the role of Jedi, Luke's examination of the Jedi Order's responsiblities and moral code, and more). There were however a few moments where the reader is left wondering if we've been this route before. While I do admire Denning's incorporation of revelation from Revenge of the Sith, one has to acknowledge that some plot points mirror it a bit much (Anakin and Jacen's parenthood, Palpatine/Omas's attempts to control the counsel, justification of peace for commiting otherwise truly dark acts, etc.). As I've made mention, I for one appreciate it, and think the novel was quite well written. However for those who dislike cyclical plotpoints such as I've described may feel otherwise. All in all, an excellent read and a worthy setup for what looks to be a satisfying conclusion.

It's been one year since the encounter with the Killiks and the bugs are becoming a problem for the galaxy. They're blaming Han and Leia for issues with their new homeworlds, their "membrosia" is causing drunken stupors everywhere, and the Gorog "Dark Nest" is out to kill Mara. Looking for answers, our heroes travel to the new Killik world and adventures ensue.

This book starts out GREAT! It was giving me goosebumps to read some of the revelations. Luke views more of Artoo's hidden files, we learn something VERY interesting about Jacen, and Mara revisits her past exploits with the Emperor. All good stuff. But it doesn't seem to last. The characters aren't very deep here- there isn't enough about their reactions to shocking circumstances (especially Jacen- he's very nonchalant about something no one would be nonchalant about.) There's so much soap-opera drama potential that kind of gets shrugged off. The ending left me less than satisfied, but not in the good way the second in a trilogy often does. It didn't really leave me hanging, it just left me with unanswered questions.

I am ready for the third book, though. Overall, this trilogy is entertaining, and I couldn't ask for more!

Star Wars Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen is a brilliant entry into the Dark Nest Trilogy, it takes place one year after The Joiner King and shows that while a war between the Killiks and the Chiss was halted it was only a temporary solution. The Killiks have been relocated to the Utegeta Nebula however they are now causing trouble for the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances and Luke and Co go back to meet with Raynar Thul to see what is going on. This is the setup of The Unseen Queen and it again has great characterisations by Troy Denning with Luke, Han and Leia all acting spot on perfect.

The Unseen Queen shows that during the one year since The Joiner King Luke Skywalker has been showing the Jedi Order through his example the path back to being less severe and agressive in the way they tackle situations. However there is a very good subplot that shows that there is still room for a stronger leadership within the Jedi Order, for during the book with Luke being out of contact from the Masters Council the Jedi Order is split on what course they should take with regards to the Killik situation. Leia also is shown progressing with her Jedi studies under the guidance of Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne, with lots of humour and action it's great aspect of the book. These are just two of the plots of the book with many more interesting parts, including a startling revelation for Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker which is obviously a large plot point to be developed in future books. Troy Denning delivers a very enjoyable middle installment to the Dark Nest Trilogy, full of humour, intrigue, action and setup for the books to follow in the final book of the Trilogy and the 9 book Legacy of The Force series. Bring on Star Wars Dark Nest III: The Swarm War which is coming out very soon.

I really couldn't put this book down. What a great read. I wanted to start reading the next book right away but have to wait another 2+ months. I really wonder if we are going to see another death of a major character in the final book of the trilogy. I haven't heard anything, but just a feeling. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is also cool that Luke is finally learning more about his parents. Way to go Troy!

After a couple years of being deprived a post-NJO novel (Joiner King, aside) I was a little disappointed with the second installment to this trilogy.

The character interactions were a little stinted and some of the reactions to some pretty major revelations seemed to hit a little shy of their expected mark.

But that's all very subjective.

I love Troy Denning, I really do and I do look forward to the third chapter of this series, but I kinda felt held out on a limb at the end of Unseen Queen, which perhaps is the point.

I can already see that some of the micro fandoms in the Star Wars legions are going to burst with joy about a few things, and a couple more are going to grumble over some other things.

So far it kind of seems like this series has unraveled some of the happiness that was gleaned at the close of the NJO story arch, that the relationships that sparked so many fans kind of collapsed and only have people hoping to be rekindled.

Its really hard to pass a judgement on a story that really isn't finished yet, since this really could all just be considered suspense. But for me, in a few ways it didn't make me so much hanging on the edge in anticipation, as it did frustrate me.

Overall, it was a good book, with strong discriptions, diverse and intricate characters and quotable lines. In other words, Star Wars.

The Unseen Queen is the second book in the Dark Nest trilogy and like the first book I found it to be great adventure in the Star Wars universe. I particularly loved the way that Troy Denning cleverly continued the Killik hive mind/Force parallel that he began in The Joiner King, it really sets the Killik situation up to be a source of further understanding for the Jedi and for me a thought provoking new way to look at the force that still gels with the spirit of the films.

Troy Denning also shows great skill at writing interesting political characters for example Chief of State Cal Omas being portrayed as not a cardboard cut out straight out good or bad guy, but simply a man concerned about preserving the good he has done since taking office. The Unseen Queen also has a number of very funny subplots especially the part about Luke, Han, and Starship replicas which a I found hilarious, plus the action scenes are also good with all the major characters getting to show their skill in either fighting or flying. There are also some great examples of Dennings own characters such as Saba Sebatyne, Jae Juun and Tarfang playing important roles and being as interesting to read about as the classic ones. All these things combined with a exciting plot focusing on preventing the Killik blockade from boiling over into war makes for a great addition to the Star Wars story.


This book in my opinion is slightly better than The Joiner King as its pacing is improved with a more interesting beginning to the story, but my only negative point is that it eneded too quickly and i wished it could have been longer. Troy Denning again shows a great deal of skill at writing in the Star Wars universe and in my opinion the Dark Nest trilogy is up their with his other great books such as New Jedi Order: Star by Star and Tatooine Ghost.

Overall, this series has started of fantastic and I can't wait for the third book. The character development all the way around fir both old and new characters is amazing, especially Jacen and Leia. I say them because we see Leia struggling to accept a low position in the Jedi order as an apprentice to a stubborn, hardheaded yet very wise Saba and Jacen, who before NJO was a bit of a pacifist clouded by ideals while now he is a war hardened veteran with approach putting him close to the dark side. I thought Alema Rar transitioned into an outstanding villan. My only grip was that the whole bond between Jaina and Zekk was a bit annoying, as was Ben's whining. But we see a new side to Jaina as well. While we see Jacen slowly moving to the Dark Side, we see Jaina moving toward the light, wheras it was the opposite in the NJO series. I highly recommend this for all.

'The Unseen Queen' is the second novel of the 'Dark Nest Trilogy,' by Troy Denning. The novel takes place about one year after the events of 'The Joiner King.' The Killiks have moved away from the Chiss border and have taken up residence in the worlds discovered by Han Solo and Princess Leia.

However, all is not well in the galaxy. The worlds inhabited by the Killiks have started experiencing ecological disasters, and the Killiks accuse the Jedi of betrayal. A Dark Ambrosia, similar to that crafted by the Killiks, is spreading throughout the galaxy, and the Galactic Alliance accuses the Killiks of spreading a vile drug. In the Hapan Cluster, the Queen has summoned Jacen Solo to safeguard a very important secret.

'The Unseen Queen' is an excellent follow up to 'The Joiner King.' In many ways, it is superior to its predecessor. First of all, the story telling is tighter. The transitions are crisper and less confusing than those in the earlier novel. Second, the action sequences are clearer and better paced. Third, this novel feels more dramatic. The events that unfold in this novel seem to have larger galactic consequences than those in the first novel. In addition, these consequences don't rely on a "super weapon," ala the Death Star, like so many other Star Wars novels.

I have one minor pet peeve with this, and for that matter, many other Star Wars novels and tons of other science fiction novels and movies: every time an environmental suit is needed, whoever is wearing it is in danger of dying from lack of oxygen, etc. Its kind of cliche at this point. Almost a joke.

I highly recommend this novel and this series. This is a great Star Wars adventure. There are land and space battles, character development, and some great foreshadowing of things to come. I'm particularly interested to see what happens with Jacen Solo. The direction of his character has gotten very interesting over the course of this trilogy. This novel is best suited for Star Wars fans. Familiarity with earlier Star Wars novels is a plus, but not required to enjoy the book.

Overall Grade: 4.25 stars.