Book 3) - Ruin (Star Wars, The New Jedi Order

this book is awesome this book series keeps getting better and better and better stackpole is one amazing author!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this author always amazes me he amazed me with the x wing books now hes amazing me with the new jedi order books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stackpole does a fine rendering of this new enemy in the SW universe. The book is composed of a great plot, decorated with astounding battles and supported by an amazing development of characters. There are a lot of nonsense Star Wars books out there, this is completely the opposite of those.

This is by far the most JEDI action filled starwars novel. I love the way each character's strength and weaknesses are addressed. The Vong are a great hybrid of samurai\S&M\evil kind of an enemy, and I really enjoyed the cultural exploration of the Vong. I think the best starwars novels are the ones with plenty of jedi action. Way to go Stackpole! Buy this book! It Rocks!

this book series seriously is amazing from the very begining to the very end and the new jedi order book series = the best of the best star wars eu books = the best of the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stackpole is definately a great Star Wars author but this book has been a little predictable. I feel like i waited an eternity for the book to come out and to find it wasd only 292 pages was a dissappointment. i would love to see more developement of the jedi. who are they, why are they of one side or the other. Jacen has almost become a whiner, Anikan and Jaina have solid conflict and direction, maybe Jacen will be the next "Luke." i love the book but i wanted a more adult oriented read not a short stepping stone or set up book for the rest of the story. i am also wanting more Han Solo i need him and his struggle needs to be dealt with but i guess i have to wait till august for that.

This is an interesting story. It continues the New Jedi Order series. Almost all of the old favorites are back. Han is dealing with the loss of Chewie. Luke is trying to keep the Jedi together. And then there is Mara's illness.

Stackpole wrote an impressive book with Ruin, developing the Yuuzhan Vong culture more in this book. However, this was not one of his better Star Wars books. Don't get me wrong, it is still a good book, and one that I could not put down. However, it did seem lacking in some areas.

I very much enjoyed this book, and I certainly would like to see what conclusion the writer is going to make of this!!

A fairly good story, it is allways a winner to do battle between good and evil, just make sure it`s a happy ending!

The continuation of the Dark Side series is a book that every Star Wars fan must read. Michael Stackpole writes a great book, and anybody who likes Star Wars should get this and Onslaught. Star Wars lives on!

As usuall, Michael Stackpole does a great job in rendering characters and continues the fluent well written paragraphs that Star Wars fans are accustomed to. There is nothing wrong with the plot - you probably won't put this book down until you finished it (or get too tired!) The problem is the ending is not as uplifting as one would expect from reading Stackpole's earlier book, Dark Tide: Onslought. I would usually have no problem with this if Stackpole was to write the following book, but can I trust the next author to fix up a _lot_ of loose holes with "Hero's Trial"? If only Stackpole or Zahn were to finish the series, this would be among the greatest SW books ever...however, since this is not the case, we can only wait with a certain degree of trepidation for the next release.

The conclusion of the Dark Tide Duology, Michael Stackpole's Ruin resumes the Corran Horn-centered storyline started in Onslaught. Unlike that first volume, here Mr. Stackpole frequently writes scenes from the Yuuzhan Vong point-of-view. Their war leader Shedao Shai has become fixated on the remains of his ancestors that were desecrated by Corran in the prior volume (from Shai's perspective). In the grander scheme of things, the Vong invasion continues to roll into the galaxy while the Senate squabbles and the Jedi attempt to define their role in countering the assault.

Ruin delves further into the overarching Vong philosophy. We are introduced to the Embrace of Pain, a ritualistic torture device they use to become closer to reality. In the most gripping storyline of the book, pacifist Caamasi Senator Elegos A'Kla journeys to meet with the Vong and foster understanding between the Republic and the invaders. The interplay between Elegos and Shedao Shai is fascinating as it reveals key cultural differences which appear insurmountable. The tension is high, as Elegos is well aware he could meet with a violent end at any moment, and the final end point of the relationship is the most memorable scene in the book.

Ruin's primary action piece centers on the invasion of the peaceful jungle world Ithor. It is well-written but the tone of these stories continues to be somewhat oppressive when compared to earlier "high-adventure" Star Wars tales. Planets burning, numerous decapitations, constant mentions of pain, droids being destroyed en masse: it is grim stuff. The New Jedi Order authors were simply working within the larger framework of a story designed to bring "darkness" to the galaxy far, far away, but there is a sense of diminished fun overall, and here it is noticeable when compared to Mr. Stackpole's earlier works.

Other story elements work fine within the larger plot: Luke and Mara set off after a rogue Jedi seeking a superweapon, Han is still locked away grieving on Coruscant, and Leia negotiates with the remnants of the Empire to gain their assistance in the war. The return of Admiral Pallaeon is certainly welcome and seeing the New Republic and Imperial Remnant work together to repel the invaders is gratifying when taken in its in-universe historical context. The net result is Ruin certainly continues the story of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion capably enough, but beyond the plot focused on Elegos A'Kla, it does not prove to be one of the more memorable entries.