Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way

This is a great book. A new enemy has entered the universe and they show just how tough and determined they are. They are here to take over, believing that the Republic is theirs as told to them by their gods, and they will do anything to anyone that they consider inferior to themselves. There is a major character death in here, but it is necessary to show just how dire the threat of this new enemy, the Yuuzhan Vong, is and to let readers know that this is one fight that the Republic may or may not win.

I've been a SW fan since Episode IV was first brought out and have read every book printed, excluding Young Jedi Knights and graphic novels. There have been a few that were a little weak, but none as bad as this. I felt like I was reading a several hundred page video game synopsis. The plot was lame and predictable, you knew what was going to happen well in advance. I felt that there was barely even lip-service paid character development and what efforts were made were transparent and flimsy. This is the first SW novel I have read that became a chore to read, I felt like I wasted money on it. I work 24/48 hour shifts, so I spend a fair amoutn of time reading, but this one really left a bad taste. It panders to merchandising and I feel that it really does an injustice to the entire line of SW novels. In fact, I had to double-check to verify that it was, indeed, a legitimate and SW-approved book. Save your money and time by just playing the video game or reading one of the plethora of other, much better-written works. This was a true disappointment and quite a let-down.

Three little words on page 290 of Destiny's Way make it worth reading....ACKBAR IS BACK! I found myself cheering right along with the troops. With one of the coolest characters in the Star Wars universe returning, the New Republic can finally do some real Vong Butt-kicking.
In edition to this momentous event, we also witness the return of Jacen Solo, the restoration of the government and Jedi Council, and some surprising answers to the enigma that is Vergere. There are also refernces to Star Wars' past that are also connected with its future. The reunions are touching, the action intense, and the political maneuverings intriguing(courtesy of the infamous Lando Calrissian and Talon Kardde). All In all, an excellent edition to this well written series.

What can I say about this book? I waited desperately for this book to come out in paperback, buying any of the ones that came after it consecutively but were published in paperback before it was, and shelving them because there was no way I was reading them out of order. And I was finally able to purchase the book and I think I ran through it in about a week - and not because it was bad - but because I DIDN'T WANT TO PUT IT DOWN.
Many of you already know that someone dies, but I refuse to say who for those of you who may not know. I found out someone died long before I got my hands on the book and I was in suspense the entire way to find out who it was. In the back of my mind I kept thinking about who it could be and why they would kill the character off and I became so engrossed in the book that when it happened I literally started crying. I'm a Star Wars freak, and now I know just how big of a freak I am.
I admit that some of Denning's battle sequences leave much to be desired. They are confusing in many places, though I admit I usually breeze through the battle sequences in any book, keeping half a mind on who lives and dies as the other half vaguely struggles to comprehend why, if you have skips coming at you from all sides, you can't just jump into hyperspace down below you. . . .
And yes, some of those side plots could have been put to better use. The book really should have been made into a trilogy - three 300 page books giving depth to some of the side plots we wanted to see. Anakin and Tahiri. Jacen and Tenel Ka. Han and Leia even, now that they are finding their way back to each other. And I REALLY wish there had been a scene between Han and Anakin (with Leia, Jacen, and Jaina) before the young Jedi left on their mission where they became a family again, or at least said the right things to start them on the path. Would have made what happened in the book that much more poignant.
But read it. And don't stop reading NJO just because you don't like the way Denning tackled his assignment. Whether you read them or not Luke, Leia, and the rest of the gang are still out there.
And to the one person who I saw who also mentioned this, and thank you for mentioning it because it's been preying on my mind too - YES. THERE WAS A VERGERE IN ROGUE PLANET, SHE WAS A JEDI, ANAKIN (the first one) WAS SEARCHING FOR HER WITH OBI-WAN, AND SHE DID DISAPPEAR MYSTERIOULY WITH A NEW SPECIES AND GOT THEM TO LEAVE THE GALAXY WITH HER. That's one of the reasons I'm still going to read the series - I desperately want to know what the link is between all that.

I tried my best to read this book, but just could not stick to it, which was a disappointment to me bacause I really like Salvatore. It was too wierd. All these new aliens these Yuuzhan Vong things are a little too freaky for me. Are they supposed to be the new Sith?

In general I am not in favor of the NJO series. For some reason they just do not seem as convincing as the original Jedi to me. It's almost as if the Solo/Skywalker family are the only true Jedi in the series. IT was also too long and the plot took too long to develop, which I have noticed in a lot of the NR and NJO books. At first, I was really upset over the death of Chewie but I realized that the death bought a sense of reality to the novel...everyone has to die-no one lives forever. I am very picky about what I read, and I have only enjoyed a few of the New Republic books, my personal favorite being The Courtship of Princess Leia, although it took Han and Leia long enough to tie the knot.

If you are into the NJO books, then you will probably enjoy this one. It is written by my second favorite Star Wars author, my favorite being Matthew Stover. However, you would not be too lost if you skip this one, since the others came out first, after all.

I started reading this book right before September 11, 2001. It is a dark book and after this I could not contiune it. It is now 3 year later and I pick it up and read it again from begining to end. It is not nearly as dark as I remember. The characters are potrayed the way I feel they would be in this situation. This books also has its light funny moments that add so much when it looks like things will just get worse. The only real problem I had was Danni Quee. Lucus and his staff should have killed her. I know I have to deal with her throughout the series, but I only hope she gets better.

I've never read a Star Wars book with so many continuity mistakes! What are the editors paid for? Certainly not for preventing mistakes. WJW practically ignored the 4 books that came out before DW!
Some characters have been messed up so badly it hurt (Kyp, Jaina), the only one I liked in DW was Vergere, but they had to get rid of her, too, like they do with all the interesting characters.
The Yuuzhan Vong intelligence is decreasing more with each book. When they were introduced as such powerful enemies I thought the people responsible for the NJO had a good idea of how they would still loose at the end, but unfortunately my expectations were too high, again.
DelRey should get a new team for the SW novels...

i enjoy star wars books i know charecters can not live forever charecters have to die sooner or later i know charecters can not live forever i love the new jedi order book series because its seriously dark and scary i love reading long book series but the new jedi order book series has got to be my all time favorite book series along with legacy of the force/fate of the jedi/the amazing x wing book series

This book suffers from trying to cram too much into just a single novel. It is massive by most Star Wars novels at nearly twice the length of other tomes. If I was to edit this book in context of the entire New Jedi order, it should be split at least into two, maybe three. What would be my major divisions: the young ones would be off on their mission while the prelude to the invasion of Coruscant was happening; it would conclude with the death. The second part should be the young ones escaping the world ship and the fall of Coruscant.

The only other major negative is that Denning does have his favorite characters that he can bring life to (the Barbel's and Aleem Rar), while the rest are just filler/reflections. This is nothing new. The various authors have handled the whole array of characters differently over the entire EU, it just seems to amplified here.

That said, does this book tell the story of important parts of the story arc? Yes. Does it do it well? No. Is it terrible? Not really. If not for the Barbel humor it would rate much lower.

Well, when I first read this I was only 14 and I had already readed all of the Star Wars books of the Cclone wars, the Empire, the Rebellion and the New Republic. It was OK with the Empire, specially with the Hand of Thrawn. But Daala, the Yevetha, Waru... even the Young Jedi Knight (which I liked) were more than enough. The war was over in the novels and the precuels were here. We need something new. For a person who is starting to read Star Wars Novel, I don't recommend this one. It will look as a very non-Star Wars story. But for those who already knows the characters and want to see new foes, Jedi again, Luke and Mara, and think about real moral troubles... that's their book.

I like the Yuuzhan Vong idea. It could be that further in the series they might seem too simple and evil, but it's fanatic religion. It does exist. Are we surprised? Haven't we seen people who love pain? Who would kill everyone for salvation? Who think their race is the only one? Yeah. The idea it's fresh. So let's get into "goods" and "bads".

The goods are the modern view of the Jedi and the reality of war. I know some have called it "too dark", "not star wars". Well, it's more Star Wars than Ashoka-whatever. Finally the characters have their ages. Han Solo is concerned with his children and it's getting old, new politicians are acting... Luke is the Master of a growing Order. It's over the time where the only Jedi where Skywlkers, Solos and Kyle Katarn. Well and those wizards (Ti, Streen)... The new Jedi order is real, has trouble on the inside... There is Wurth. And yeah, it's dark. That's war.

I cannot accept that this tone is keept all along (Dark Nest, Legacy of the Force, Legacy). No society can be at war forever, but that one was needed. We don't need to have all important character to be killed or acting like idiots to have new enemies (Caedus), but Chewbacca's was necessary. And boy, dying because a moon falls over you when you are saving your best friend's son it's the most impresive dead he could have ever had. It's impossible that after all those years all of theme were alive. And Star Wars is dark and has drama too (see episode 3, 5...) It's also good to see the new Jacen and Anakin. I love Jacen on this series and their philosophical problems interest me a lot. I feel sympathetic. Much of what he say it's true. There is also plenty of good action.

The bad things? Well, I can't belive that after all those years of pain, war and dictatorship and after the corruption of the Old Republic, Fey Lya and his gang are ruling over millons. They are also corrupted and we'll see more of this. It's also true that the autor does not know very well all of the characters. Even though, in the case of the children this is the best that could have happened. This way they can have real personalities, not the stupid ones that Anderson gave them. But I don't know... The rest are much alike, they don't difference too much between themselves.

Briefing, I recommend the book for every Star Wars fan who has read any previos Empire book. But also to non Star Wars readers. The philosophical problems of the series and the book made me think a lot when I was young.

This was without a doubt, THE WORST book I have ever read!

The author had NO feel for the characters, NO familiarity in the SW genre, and frankly NO writing style.

You killed Chewie. How dare you just waltz into a genre that you don't belong in and kill off one of the best characters?

And what is with the Vong? Did he even READ anything about the nature of the Force? Life creates the Force. The Vong shouldn't be invisible on in, if anything they should RADIATE the Force since everything they have is biological in nature.

Ugh, this was just so terrible, I had to FORCE myself to finish reading it.

Do yourself a favor and pass this one by.

I don't believe that R.A. Salvatore has ever seen the Star Wars Saga. He doesn't seem to have a grasp of anything in the Star Wars Universe.
In particular, he doesn't seem to understand the Jedi philosophy. At one point, Luke tells Leia and Han that they are "raising Jedi. Adventures, Warriors." Didn't Yoda say in Empire Strikes Back, that "Excitment, Adventure, a Jedi craves not these things." and didn't he lecture Luke about warriors and "Wars not make on great."
While I initially thought that the way he discussed different ways of looking at the force was insightful, I didn't like the way he portrayed the events, i.e. that the Solo children express them. It wouldn't have been so bad, but he confuses their personalities which are very well set in the Young Jedi Knights and Junior Jedi Knights books. (These are listed in the timeline and so I am considering them canon. But Salvatore's work is not consistent with the portrayal of the children from the other novels either.) Jacen is the more passive of the twins, and the peacemaker, yet Salvatore portrays Jaina this way, and Jacen as if he is of the mindset, that his way is the only way, the best, most correct way. Also off base is their regard for their uncle and for their parents-- based on all the other novels.
I consider his portrayal of Kyp Durron off base as well. And while he makes reference to some of the other storylines, he apparently didn't read the novels they came from because it is as if they have been just put in their to say, "See here is my homage to the other novels." These passages are out of context for where they came from and where they were put.
The ultimate topper though had to be one major event. Their are some things that are sacred in the Star Wars Univese. Their are some things that you just don't do. And let me say, that Salvatore just better pull off a miracle in the next one. (I will be happy to answer you. ) Otherwise, in the words of Jar Jar Binks, "count me outta this one. "
I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the Star Wars universe, having seen the original trilogy films over 100 times each and the Phantom Menace 17 times, as well as having read ALL the novels revolving around Luke, Leia, Han and the children. (In other words, I have not read the Tales of ... series or the X-wing books, but all others.) Let me tell you, Salvatore has no concept of the Star Wars universe, it's philosophies, or it's characters, and he has no respect for the fans.

This novel disappointed me for several reasons:
1) the way the New Republic defeats the Praetorite Vong by freezing their underwater base makes no sense. By that I mean that it's a violation of physics laws. No big deal maybe, since a lot of physical laws are already mistreated by the Star Wars universe, but still: the idea is absurd.
2) it's dark. I personally find it too dark for a Star Wars novel. The good-spirited Star Wars movies seem to me very different from the dark tone of this novel.
3) some details make no sense: how can the Solo kids be Jedi knights at their young age? Is killing a lot of enemies with a lightsaber and displaying acrobatic skills in starfighter piloting the only skills required to be a Jedi knight?
4) it's poorly written. Sorry, maybe I'm asking for too much, but compared to other Star Wars novels, I find both the style and the vocabulary poor.
Overall I would not recommend this novel.

As much as I love Star Wars, I can't recommend this book. First, the main character, Starkiller seems too powerful. I don't believe at any time he even broke a sweat going against any non force user. I mean I know the Jedi/Sith are very strong, but come on! He performed stunts I don't think even Yoda could do on a good day!

Also, the books are supposed to harmonize. From my understanding, the Rebellion had its initial beginnings long before the time this book seems to make it (in the old Han Solo triliogy, the Rebels already had a small number of ships, and were trying to come together into an alliance.) In this book, it seems as if Starkiller did a few things that spanked the empire, and Bail Organa said, "that's cool-maybe we can rebel too!" It just seemed very unbelievable to me.

Another gripe I have with this book is that it seems to have no real idea how to make characters. I mean take the second Jedi that Starkiller went after. If you are in hiding from a galactic government that is eager to kill all Jedi, would you build a mock Jedi temple on a planet filled with scavenging scum who would sell information condemning their own mother for 2 credits? And, yes, he was obviously...unhinged, but I don't believe that explanation holds water for someone who has had the mental disciplines to be a Jedi anyway.

The only redemptive qualities of the book in my opinion are the droid Proxy (the idea of the holograms was cool!) and the Jedi Rahm Kota. His personality and fleshed-out characterization was interesting.

Another thing, why would Starkiller need a pilot? Darth Maul traveled alone, Vader can pilot a starfighter, and so it seems can any trained person. Wouldn't having another person knowing of a secret apprentice be a bad thing?

I'm sorry, but to me there are just too many plot holes for me to put this as part of Star Wars canon in my mind (like how if Bail Organa was already known as a rebel, why did Leia try to bluff her way with Vader at the beginning of a New Hope-the list goes on and on)

hey, this book was a perfect 5 stars, until the untimely demise of the major character that ruined my thoughts for the entire book. When i read a book, i get wrapped up in the storyline, and when something this major happens, it tends to ruin the reading experience. But, besides the major charcters death, i was rather diasppointed in the amount of other deaths. However, i accept them, as i accept (major character's name)'s death. and i will read on in the series when the next book comes in february. i encourage you to as well.

I truly enjoyed this book. I was leary of Salvatore at first but when I got into the book--about 3 pages--I changed my mind. He's not Zahn or Stackpole but it was an enjoyable experience. The story moves rapidly and is very hard to put down. You feel Han's pain as well as young Anakins heart break. This part had me in tears--books just don't usually do that to me. For Mara and Luke fans this is a good one. And as one of the other reviewers stated this story puts more emotion in the men. Happy reading

Force Unleashed II was another game based novel but I will say the author did delve more into the thoughts of the characters than in the first novel. Gave you more of an attachment to the characters and allowed you to care what happens to them. Overall, not a bad novel and definitely one for those who don't play video games.

A triumph, no less. Troy Denning has continued what he started in the D&D genre, truly engrossing books. You'll notice that this is one of thickest by far of the NJO series. But as Yoda once said "Judge me by my size do you? As well you should not!" This book is the epitomy of that. From the start I was taken in by the sheer empathy Denning brings to the reader. You WILL feel what the Jedi are going through. This book is undoubtedly where the cow pattie hits the fan. It's all come down to this sports fans. Action, emotion, thick plot; it has it all. Don't hesitate!

I have read lots of online reviews, but I haven't been motivated to write until now. This was the worst SW tape I have every heard (and I have them all)! The narration was up to par, but the story matter was pathetic. This author was out of touch with key elements of the SW universe. I found myself talking to the tape, saying things like...'that can't happen....but what about the...no way... that character would never do that...'
The character interactions were dull and unimaginative, the aliens were evil just for the evil's sake. No real reason was ever given for the invasion. (I guess they just felt like it!). Yes, they had really cool(?)bio-weapons. But what about their culture and their society, their motivation?
This author has a background in horror and it is apparent in this story. Many think sci/fi and horror go together, I'm not one of them. You can have a good story, a good plot, with intrigue and suspense, without the horror element. The SW series has proven that time and time again.
I can't end this review with out a comment on Chewie's demise. I'm not whinning about the loss of a 'favorite' character, but in the movies and most of the books, death has served a purpose. It was essential to the telling of the story. That was not the case here. (It was more like 'Oh gee,I'm a first time SW author and I want to leave my mark. I know, I'll kill off someone important. Now who will it be...okay Chewie drew the short straw, tough luck.) In the wonderful world of fiction, anything is possible. Maybe Chewie was somehow rescued and is recovering on a distant planet. Then he come charging in at a crucial point in the future to save the day. That would be this story's only redeming factor only time will tell.

As Star Wars books go, this one is a breath of fresh air. A NEW enemy, NEW allies, NEW planets, NEW weapons (for both sides... nice to know that the New Republic does advance after 20 something years). Long-time character's death (sorry if that's a shocker, but if you haven't figured it out by now....) is apt and sets up for a whole slew of new character developments. All-in-all, a nice beginning, which should leave you interested in all of its continuation.

I truly enjoyed this book. I was leary of Salvatore at first but when I got into the book--about 3 pages--I changed my mind. He's not Zahn or Stackpole but it was an enjoyable experience. The story moves rapidly and is very hard to put down. You feel Han's pain as well as young Anakins heart break. This part had me in tears--books just don't usually do that to me. For Mara and Luke fans this is a good one. And as one of the other reviewers stated this story puts more emotion in the men. Happy reading

Force Unleashed II was another game based novel but I will say the author did delve more into the thoughts of the characters than in the first novel. Gave you more of an attachment to the characters and allowed you to care what happens to them. Overall, not a bad novel and definitely one for those who don't play video games.

A triumph, no less. Troy Denning has continued what he started in the D&D genre, truly engrossing books. You'll notice that this is one of thickest by far of the NJO series. But as Yoda once said "Judge me by my size do you? As well you should not!" This book is the epitomy of that. From the start I was taken in by the sheer empathy Denning brings to the reader. You WILL feel what the Jedi are going through. This book is undoubtedly where the cow pattie hits the fan. It's all come down to this sports fans. Action, emotion, thick plot; it has it all. Don't hesitate!

I have read lots of online reviews, but I haven't been motivated to write until now. This was the worst SW tape I have every heard (and I have them all)! The narration was up to par, but the story matter was pathetic. This author was out of touch with key elements of the SW universe. I found myself talking to the tape, saying things like...'that can't happen....but what about the...no way... that character would never do that...'
The character interactions were dull and unimaginative, the aliens were evil just for the evil's sake. No real reason was ever given for the invasion. (I guess they just felt like it!). Yes, they had really cool(?)bio-weapons. But what about their culture and their society, their motivation?
This author has a background in horror and it is apparent in this story. Many think sci/fi and horror go together, I'm not one of them. You can have a good story, a good plot, with intrigue and suspense, without the horror element. The SW series has proven that time and time again.
I can't end this review with out a comment on Chewie's demise. I'm not whinning about the loss of a 'favorite' character, but in the movies and most of the books, death has served a purpose. It was essential to the telling of the story. That was not the case here. (It was more like 'Oh gee,I'm a first time SW author and I want to leave my mark. I know, I'll kill off someone important. Now who will it be...okay Chewie drew the short straw, tough luck.) In the wonderful world of fiction, anything is possible. Maybe Chewie was somehow rescued and is recovering on a distant planet. Then he come charging in at a crucial point in the future to save the day. That would be this story's only redeming factor only time will tell.

As Star Wars books go, this one is a breath of fresh air. A NEW enemy, NEW allies, NEW planets, NEW weapons (for both sides... nice to know that the New Republic does advance after 20 something years). Long-time character's death (sorry if that's a shocker, but if you haven't figured it out by now....) is apt and sets up for a whole slew of new character developments. All-in-all, a nice beginning, which should leave you interested in all of its continuation.

This is an excellent book. This book is based on the video game, Force Unleashed. The Republic is now a memory. Palpatine and Vader rule a bit uneasily. Vader's secret apprentice has been asked to prove himself. In so doing, the apprentice sets out on a path sure to either save or destroy the empire. What will be the ultimate choice of the apprentice? And what will be the cost? There is a huge cost with either choice, unknown fully by any player in the deadly game.

After a string of sub-par Star Wars extrapolations, Salvatore has recaptured the feel of the original series by Timothy Zahn. The action sequences in the book are particularly well-executed, and Salvatore's interpretation of the main characters is true to the original movies. Unfortunately, there are a few plot elements that seem to be introduced prematurely. For example, Mara Jade's illness is introduced on the first page of the book, yet it has almost no influence on the outcome of this portion of the saga. The effect is one of "Hey, Mara's sick, don't forget it because it will be important in the next book." It also seems as though Luke and co. went to see Lando just to "run the belt", even though the purpose of the trip was to link certain New Republic leaders to smuggling activities. In an attempt to set up the final battle, Salvatore puts the bigger picture on the back burner. Overall, a fine effort. The pace and realism more than compensate for the subtle failures in the plot.

Well, I think that's the BEST starwars book since Thrawn's Trilogy. The novel is very controversial because of the appearance of aliens from outside the galaxy, the death of a main character and the fact that this new author in the Starwars' universe must compose with the courtship of Mara and Luke. I found he succeeded pretty well in it and I think that we should give a chance to Salvatore. If the same book as been written by Zahn, I'm sure everybody would have give a five star to this book but, only because a new author dared kill a character and try new things, a lot of people are denigrating it.
All along the book, you really cannot predict the end because of the incredible amount of new things, strategies, technologies and specially because of the originality of the author. I'm glad to see new things in StarWars universe and only new blood could have brought it. The alien technologies made me breathless. Almost everything is new and I'm glad of the way Salvatore made Mara's mentality. He succeeded pretty well. If you find some differences between the Mara from Vision of the future's book and this one that's because of her serious illness.
I bought the book and I finished it the same day. There is a lot of action since the first page and I give ALL my congratulations to the author who dared to make changes to the StarWars universe.

Like most people, I was devastated when Anakin was killed. Yeah, yeah, it was in a blaze of glory and all and he will be remembered for all time, blah, blah, BUT COULDN'T THEY HAVE JUST KILLED SOMEBODY ELSE?!?!?!? I recognize the need to kill a major character every once in a while, but Anakin was the wrong person to kill. Jacen and Jaina are not the ones you want leading the next generation of Jedi (and who knows what the Vong are going to do to Jacen now that they have him). A part of me is still hoping that Anakin is still alive, even if they have to bring him back in the cheesiest way possible, I really don't care. Anakin used to be the one that was ignored while the focus was on the twins, but now that he had finally stepped to the forefront and achieved his potential, why kill him? Kill Jacen instead. Anakin's ending would have been perfect for Jacen. Anyway, the only reason I will continue to read this now ruined series is to find out what happens next.

Having read the graphic novel first, this 300+ page book serves basically as an extended version with little more depth, outside of an extended pair of sequences on Raxis Prime and the Death Star.

Based on the upcoming video game, aptly titled "The Force Unleashed," this book serves as a rough outline of the canonical story and ending of the game. This book follows the views of two main characters, the apprentice and Juno Eclipse. Within the first one hundred fifty pages the apprentice has already completed three of his missions to kill jedi, who get about three sentences of dialog apiece before being dispatched.

Little development is given to any other character, whether Darth Vader, the Emperor, or Ram Kota, each is virtually treated as a cardboard background to the shallow musings of the apprentice or Juno Eclipse. Given that it is a novel, it would have been refreshing to have seen the treatment given to novels of the prequel trilogy, whether the fishing scene between Jango Fett and his son Boba in the Attack of the Clones novelization, or the private musings of the Emperor and Vader which are explored in the Revenge of the Sith novelization. The novel explores no further than the graphic novel, and I'm sure it follows word for word the cut scenes of the video game.

It would have been nice for the author to have gone a bit deeper and given us a different vantage point to experience the story, whether from Darth Vader's point of view, or the Emperor's point of view. The novel is forgettable, and wasn't even as enjoyable as the worst of the Legacy of the Force novels.

Shadows of the Empire was also based on a video game, but at least it went a bit deeper than this book did. A novel gives the author the freedom to explore beyond the video game/movie - and it is sad when you can get virtually 100% of the experience this novel gives you from the 50 page graphic novel. I do not recommend this book for anyone outside of the most rabid of Star Wars fans who must get their hands on everything, and would point you to the graphic novel which at least is narrated by Proxy and gives a slightly different point of view to the story.

Sean Williams can write very well grammatically speaking, but artistically he expressed nothing more than could be expressed through pictures and comic bubbles. He should think about expanding beyond his source material for whatever he decides to write next time.

Save your money.

I'm over halfway into this book, and all I can say is that the Yuuzhan Vong (the enemies, if you haven't read the book) are pretty dumb. What is their point? Why don't they have a plan? They're pretty stupid in the book - just kill one guy, then go and kill the other.
I wasn't able to read this book before because it was too boring, and then I picked it up again and started reading it. I have no idea what Yomin Carr was supposed to be doing, nor what Nom Anor is trying to do. It just doesn't make sense.
Maybe this book fell short of my expectations, but I think it's due to the fact that it was ringed with a lot of hype. It's just a new series! So why get so excited?
If you want an exciting and *sensible* Star Wars book, read the Hand of Thrawn novels.

Though I haven't finished the book, I can tell right now this the author didn't really research the Star Wars Universe. The way the characters act is totally out of character. He tries to through in these little romantic hints into the Luke/Mara Han/Leia relationships and doesn't pull them off very well. I also get this feeling that he never read any of the other NJO books, but merely consulted the "script" for the series. The story isn't too bad, but the attention to detail makes this a tough read for a truly dedicated Star Wars fan. I would constantly have to stop and correct him, which made for a very bumpy read.

The Force Unleashed made an excellent game. The story was pretty compelling for something in the action genre. I really enjoyed the cutscenes and the character development. Unfortunately the book is pretty much just an amalgamation of all the cutscenes from the game. It's hard to turn a fairly railroaded action game into a compelling novel. There are a few changes and obviously there are differences with the game since the different game versions also had differences.

The neatest thing about the book was that it was mostly from Juno Eclipse's point of view.

I enjoyed reading this book, but if you've played the game, you're not gonna find much new suff here.

Some books based on games can be really good, see the Battletech, ShadowRun, Halo (except for The Flood novel), Wing Commander, and Hellgate London series among others. Some books based on games read like a guide on how to play the game see Halo: The Flood and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

As cool as this sounded in theory, the book reads little more than a primer on how to play the game. They should have allowed the author who is not a newcomer to the Star Wars universe more freedom in writing this book. Unfortunately Vader and the Emperor have no shining moments and the main character is little more than a cardboard cutout.

The action sequences are a little over the top, and not in line with what we've known of the force before.

If you have to have all the Star Wars books, then go ahead and pick this up. Otherwise do not feed the beast, borrow it from the library, a friend, or just bypass the wasted hours altogether.

"Vector Prime" not only is the first Star Wars novel under Del Rey's wing, it is a rebirth of Star Wars literature into a bold new direction, with a multi-book "story arc" that is unlike anything seen before with the saga. And when R.A. Salvatore has the first shot, he certainly goes for broke. "Vector Prime" was easily the most controversial Star Wars book EVER, considering what happens inside (which you, O Fearless Reader, I shall not deprive of the shock if you do not yet know) Most controversial, but also one of the best ever! This AIN'T the safe, cozy galaxy we came to love during the '90s. This is Star Wars for the new millennium... older, rougher, nastier. Reader beware: a disease is coming, and they call themselves the Yuuzhan Vong. And before too long ALL your Star Wars heros are gonna be running, shooting and screaming for their lives... if they haven't lost already. Hell comes a'knockin' for the galaxy, beginning with "Vector Prime". Who will be left standing is anyone's guess...

I have not previously read Salvatore's work before but am familiar with his work as I am also a reader of his obviously preferred genre. He should stick with it. I resent the significant departures from established characterizations rampant through the book. The nearly omnipotent capabilities of his organic menagerie were ridiculous, and his concept of physics, as particularly demonstarted in the defeat of the "war coordinator" and the bugs that fly through space, nonexistant. SW is SCIENCE fiction and some liberties are taken but most have some plausibility for future technology. But cooling a planet through evaporation by adding energy....back to physics 101 guy. Or stick to demons and devils where you can make up anything you want.

I am an avid Star Wars but I always strayed away from the books and I don't know why. I picked up a copy of VP in a Newark Internation Airport book store on my way to Italy. I began reading it immediately and found it to be quite good. I find the Vong to be a quite formidable foe. And after reading several other books (including the Thrawn trilogy and DT: Onslaught) I fear that the New Republicmay fall to the Vong.
To address the people that say that what happened in the book was wrong. What happened in this book was necessary. It proved our heroes are not invulnerable and it proved how deadly the Vong truly are.
I found the book to be very easy to get into and very easy to read. I had fun reading it and found that this something that can hold me over until SW2. While it's no substitute for the real thing it will do.
What I don't like is what they have done to Mara. After reading the other books I feel like Mara is being poorly represented in this book and I have no doubt that she can cure whatever ails her. I look forward to the rest of the NJO.

Warning do not continue if you have not been reading the NJI books!
Well if you are like me you got into the NJI books, and had no idea what you were up against, I mean really, the Jerks killed Chewie, Anakin, and some other new folks that we all kinda liked. Well this book is kinda a breather, at the end of Traitor we find out that Jacen makes it and yadda yadda, and we finally see that this situation might just be winnable. If you are a big SW action fan then this book is not the read for you, there really isn't that much spine tingling stuff going on. Desiny's Way does wrap up a few things though. All the folks you have been wondering about(i.e. Leia and Han, Lando, Talon Karrde, and the like) show up and you find out what everyone has been up to. However, as far as things go, a lightsaber isn't even ignited until the last few pages of the book, and even then, it isn't that exciting. One suggestion, if you haven't read the E-book Ylesia yet, don't...You will know when to stop reading and read the e-book...) At any rate Destiny's way is a pretty decent read, and it gives you at least some closure so you won't be on pins and needles 'till January. So until then my friends, May The For....you really thought I was going to say it, didn't you??? Take care!! ;-) PB

I'll keep this simple: I have read Salvatore before and regardless of fantasy or science-fiction genres, this was a poorly written book. -- awkward sentences -- overly used phrases, adjectives -- typos! **Leia ditching her body guards was very stupid. They are practically invisable, and are sworn to protect her. Why does she ditch them?
**In addition the alien race was very flat. An alien race is nothing new; Salvatore did not give us the details to make them interesting. Do they feed their creatures? How do they train them? Raise them? Is the whole society warriors? Do they feel any emotion besides anger? How exactly did they make it in to the galaxy? WHY DO THEY NOT FEEL/GIVE OFF THE FORCE?
One more thing. There was much more, but you have read it all before. However, the Death could have been done better. It was very campy and stupid. He dies saving one more kid on a planet with millions dying? He is a hero, but not stupid. Again: I have read Salvatore before, I am a writer, I tutor writing and when I read this book I was annoyed at the writing style. Mr. Salvatore had to work with what was given to him, and he had to fill in as much as he was allowed to, but the writing could have better. Borrow it from a friend who will glad to let you read it.

No stars for this book... Salvatore has repeatedly defended his reasons for having the need to kill off Chewbacca in this book in many recent interviews. They say that they want to keep people on the edge of their seats, and bring back the wonder of if the character would survive or not. They say that people automatically assume that the main characters would never die, and that good always finds a way to beat evil. To me, and I'm sure many others, star wars was a fantasy I would like to step into, away from the many burdens of life. I enjoyed the fact that I knew good always beat evil. It was part of the Star Wars fantasy. It was a relief from the drama of life where good does not always beat evil. Star Wars was all about the good guys always winning, and that's what always kept me going with it. By allowing beloved characters such as Chewbacca to be killed, it's the death of the fantasy as well. I was sadly dissapointed in this book, not only because I loved Chewie, but in the death of the fantasy. On top of that, Salvatore had a very peculiar writing style. He would start with writing first person with one character, and then without much of a warning, he switches to first person with another character. I thought this book was a sad edition to my Star Wars collection, and I cannot imagine anyone having positive thoughts about this book. So many things left unsaid, no depth to the characters. I did not get the feel for any one character. I didn't feel any concern for Mara Jade's illness from Luke at all. He would just keep reminding himself that she is an independent woman, and that it justified for him to let her do whatever she wants. We all know Mara is an independent person. And for the first book following Vision of the Future, I was hoping to see some sort of connection between Mara and Luke, and I scarcely felt any. The words salvatore used were repeated also. It's as if he never had heard of a thesuarus in his life. Words like "amazing" and "ominously" were used several times, and in the same chapter in most of the cases! I got no feeling from this book, it was very cold. I know that it is just the way he writes, but if this is the way he writes, I suggest Lucas finds someone else to write Star Wars books, because all these people chosen to write the books are chosen by him. I hope I never see another Star Wars book by R.A. Salvatore in my life. It would be the staw that broke the camel's back. In short, this book was horrible.

I didn't like this book. I can cite a lot of reasons for this. There was far too much dialog. This slowed the book down and so much of it was irrelevant, or stating-the-obvious. People explained things that were all too obvious. It's pointless and unrealistic. We know why Mara loves Luke. Timothy Zahn told us. Salvatore doesn't have to remind us every other section. The charachterisation is appalling. In any given situation they will all react in exactly the same way, no allowances being made for personality or any of those other trivial little things best left to Timothy Zahn. The plot is an undirectioned chain of events that never appears to be affected by sanity at all. One thing follows another for no real reason. Little niggling details catch the mind's eye, like 'so how come no-one worries about anyone catching Mara's plauge then?' or 'would any sane parents have let their teenage children go out and kill people?' Then there's all this fuss over Chewie's death. Well, Star Wars charachters kill people so it's about time one got nuked. But, big question now, why? Couldn't be Lucas organising a clear out prior to Episode Seven, surely? I'm quite sure he wouldn't just have Mara Jade bumped off in the next book or the one after to avoid the difficult job of explaining her prescence to millions of moviegoers, or murder Han to liven the place up a bit. But Timothy Zahn was always far too good with personalities to write them all out. So we're stuck with Salvatore. Then there's the worst crime of all. WHAT HAPPENED TO MARA JADE? She's pathetic. Hands up all those who loved the tigerlike homicidal maniac who charmed us in Heir to the Empire. Did anyone out there not pray to the Star Wars God that she would pull the damn trigger and end Luke's pointless life? To see someone blessed (by Timothy Zahn) with a personality she could (and sometimes did) hit people with reduced to the flat, dull shade she becomes in Salvatore's hands brings tears to my eyes. The real Mara would have shot Anakin if he dared to address her as 'Aunt'. Christ, she even LAUGHS in one scene. Just bring back Zahn and it'll all be OK. Or it's bye-bye Mara. I make a genuine prediction that she'll be dead within a year if Zahn can't watch over her. On the bright side, I notice the publisher has changed. A lot of non-Bantam Star Wars storylines have been abandoned and forgotten about over the years - the Republic HQ left Coruscant once, and there was a version where Luke and Mara stayed single. Maybe we can reduce this tripe to a mere sideshoot of the main plotline. But there's only really one guy good enough to sort it all out. Help us, Timothy Zahn. You're our only hope...

r.a salvatore has started what i would say i the most exciteing starwars book for ages, maybe the best after heir to the empire by timothy zahn. the book vector prime is the contined story of old and new characters like leia, han , luke , c3po, r2d2 and new ones like mara jade, the jedi twins jacen and jaina solo and anakin solo. the book starts 21 years after return of the jedi. the new republic is struggeling to maintain order and peace troughout the galaxy. The new republic is focused on the troubles brewing in the rhommamool system, where a man named nom anor is driving two planets into war. The conflict has drawn the likes of mara jade skywalker and leia solo to the conflict. while the republic is occupied with the rhommamool system the jedi led by luke skywalker is thinking of re- establishing the jedi concil.And both are neglecting the outer rim which is slowly being presented with a mysterious enemy, first belived to be smugglers gaining some powers and wanting to take on the republic... but it's far more complex then that.. The new treat is far superior, and seems to be without any means of mecanics... The life forms are far superior to the new republics fighters and cruisers. The treat is being ignored by the republic and that leaves it to our friends leia, luke, han and the others to alert and prepare for the coming onslaught.

Vector Prime introduces a new species and element into Star Wars, the Vong! They seem to be the Borg of the Star Wars Universe. This book is really well written. The book shows an old Luke Skywalker, leading a Jedi order that is not sectioned by the New Republic. This book had so many different sub stories that are going on, that it draws you in. This book is a

This is one of the longest Sar Wars novels so far, I was wondering why until I noticed it was packed with lots of stories that converge in one explosive ending and besides it includes a novella (Recovery) by the same author. SPOILER ALERT! I was sad when Anakin died, he is by far my favorite Solo sibling and I knew, reading other books, that he was going to get killed in the New Jedi Order at some point. I knew Jacen Solo's destiny as well but I wasn't expecting to read all of this in just one novel! I'm eager to continue the good storyline of the NJO.

The first of the New Jedi Order series is a page-turner...well-constructed plot leaves room for expansion, continues development of established characters, and introduces a slew of new ones. Has the New Republic finally met its match? Probably not. At least not until fans lose interest and sales revenues drop drastically...It's Star Wars...if nothing else, it should be entertaining, correct? This book is ample entertainment for the cover price...cheaper than a movie and you can read it more than once...

While I am not one to critize, my 11th grade education does not qualify me for that, I would just like to say that Vector Prime dosent exactly jive whith the rest of the stories.... I have no qualms with the plot or any of the creative ideas that Mr. Salvator has introduced, with the exception of diseased Mara (this in my opinion is a terrible idea, but one that adds plot depth)and some of the alien technology (how exactly does a gravity well cancle out shields and lasers). My biggest complaint is whith some of the characters, most notably Jacen. Since when has Jacen been a philosopher, and what has all of a sudden made him hate the academy. The other characters arent quite as bad, but they are a little off.... And since everyone else has talked about it, I feel I need to mention Chewbacca. His death didnt do that much, his character was dead a long time ago, being as most of the authors dont realy have him do anything, just be there (with the exception of the Thrawn Triliogy). Over all his death did little to the books over all appeal. This was definitly worth reading though.

A friend of mine introduced me to the world of Star Wars books, being an old fan of the original movies myself. I started out with the Timothy Zahn books, some of the best science fiction I've read, and have worked my way through the timeline to the New Jedi Order series.
I have been an avid reader of these books since I finished the first of the series, Vector Prime, and I'm still reading, nine books into it. What really sets this series out from the rest of the Star Wars stories is the unique characters. While the old cast is still around (Luke, Leia, Han, etc.) a new group of characters has arisen and grown throughout the series, making you become somewhat attached to them, which is why I think this series is such a good read.
The story starts where the Edge of Victory books leave off. Anakin Solo, Han and Leia's son, decides to lead a Jedi strike team into the heart of the Yuuzhan Vong to destroy a new organic weapon the Vong have created to counter the Jedi. Along the way, we experience the bonding and emotional struggles the team faces, as well as the side story of the Vong mounting their final push coreward.
Overall, I highly recommend Star by Star. Troy Denning does an excellent job of keeping the story smooth throughout the myriad of various authors in this series. It has action, emotion, politics, everything you need in a good book.

I just finished this book and I'm so sorry it's over! This was the first book in a long time (and I'm a passionate reader) that has really kept me hooked from beginning to end. Yes, parts of it absolutely read like a video game, but the characterization is strong and the plot well executed. I only wish the relationship between the apprentice and Juno was a little more developed, but what was there was believable. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that this was a very good novel and I would look forward to more along the same lines.

In the last year I have started reading the New Jedi order Series, which I have enjoyed enormously since the first installment (Vector Prime) and the Yuuzhan Vong introduction.
These books have captivated me, and Compelled me to read on hardly putting a book down once started. As with any series I have grown to have favorates within the stories, understanding and bonding with certain charters.
However once I finished reading STAR BY STAR (Troy Denning). The Sense of loss and confusion was immense, I dont understand why after such a build up with a number of books, where he was a priciple character Anakin solo was killed off.
He was the deepest Charator in the books by far in my eyes. There was a love interest with Tahiri the dark side in him, the unique aspects to his force control, the most interesting, deepest charator in any of the books as far back as the Corillian trilogy, The fact he harbored the sorrow and still blamed himself for the death of Chewbacca was another twist in his story creating a trully Great charater.
Does the individual author have sole rights on what takes place in the book or is there a set script to follow that is layed out by a governing body?
If this is the case, I would really apriciate an address or an email address so as I might write or Email Troy Denning and Congratulate him on a great book. but also ask some questions and reason why he felt Anakin Solo should pass away.
I have read the terms and conditions and am aware that My Review will not make it because of the "Spoilers"
However I had to air my view because I felt so strongly for this book. It was great (The BEST yet) but it still may have ruined the Series for me. Why should I feel upset at the end of a fiction novel, Thats for real life.

Alright, I know that there are a lot of people who disagree with Salvatore's debut in the SW world. However, I am inclined to agree with SLIPKNOT in his retort to all those who have voiced their unrest. "Vector Prime" is a great book. He's opening up this new chapter in the lives of our heroes that not everyone was ready for. This book is a lot like "Return of The Empire," in that it places the characters in these horrible positions that they now have to find some way out of. Now, admittedly, I have yet to read the next books in line, but I can already tell that this story is going places. My one regret is this, Chewie. Now, I know that this is an obvious scapegoat for downing Saslvatore, but I'm not. He's a great writer, not perfect, noone is, but he is a welcome addition to the SW world. I question, however, whether or not it was his place to kill one of the main characters. I mean, it was an inevitable occurance, these characters are all mortal, there's no getting around death. And Chewie's demise was unarguably noble, but I wonder at Salvatore's status as a newcomer. The way I see it, if one of the main characters is to be terminated, the honor of telling the tale should be left to someone who has been in touch with the charcter longer. Personally, I feel that the task should have been left to a veteran writer, maybe Stackpole, or Anderson, or even Zahn himself. My fear is that Salavatore will now forever be tainted as the "pompous new guy who came an killed the loveable Chewbacca." He doesn't deserve this, but it's gonna happen. In the end though, there's no changing it, it's happened, and there's nothing anyone can do about it, so there's no use bitchin' about it. And, one has to admit that Salvatore dealt with Chewie's death with class and honor. It was unexpected and shocking. Also, it didn't involve him dying in some fiery explosion fighting against the Empire or something old and familiar. That, I believe, would have greatly downplayed Chewie's courage and nobility. Being crushed by a falling moon was a brilliant stroke that noone could have forseen. Also, the image of Chewie, his arms raised defiantly, his mouthe open wide with the characteristic roar, all silhouetted against the huge maelstrom of the oncoming, firestorm of the fallen moon is etched into my mind. I regret his death, as anyone would, but I accept it. On a lighter note, I own the softcover version of the book, and the picture that they decided to include of Salvatore on the back doesn't agree with me. None of the other SW books I own include pictures of the authors, I don't really think that it agrees with the idea of the SW world. The whole basis of the SWs books is that the worlds exist in our own minds. Yes, there's the underlying structure given by the movies, but other than that, it is left to our own imaginations. Whichis why I also mildly disagree with the map of the galaxy. Helpful, yes, but needed? Anyway, I like the book, and I will definitely head to the the sight mentioned by Slipknot and take a look at the interview with Salvatore. I'm curious about his explanaitions and how they'll affect my opinion of him.

It's been over 3 months since I read this book and I'm still upset. After investing YEARS of time (and money) into these characters through books and movies, it was extremely shocking to lose a character with so much potential---Anakin Solo.
Feeling rather like a contemporary of Han and Leia's, their children have grown up with mine; I've mentioned their names to my kids and attempted to explain the universe of Star Wars beyond their only knowledge which is of Episode One.
I think I felt betrayed as I bought this book without checking the reviews---I was anxiously waiting for it to hit the stores and couldn't wait to read it.
Strangely, up until Anakin's death, I was totally immersed in the action---there were hits and misses with things (a very negative storyline for one), but I was enjoying the growth of the Solo children---thinking, foolishly, that they would be the next "generation" of heroes to read about. Anakin's death felt abrupt and disjointed---I also checked the end to be sure he really was dead. Then I tossed the book on a shelf---where it still sits, not completely read.
I can't bring myself to continue reading about losses like these---I want my heroes pure and untainted (also a big problem with this series) and living, if not forever, then at least a good, long while...

While I was reading this, it was the best book in the world. But then...they killed Anakin. WHERE THE... WHERE... in the WORLD... did they get the idea "Oh, let's make a book where the Main Hero/Little Brother, Anakin, gets KILLED!?!?!? In this review, I am expressing my opinion only, and am not trying to stop you from reading the book. This was indeed a great book (and many people agree with me), but the death of a major character who had yet more to develop and grow... That's what ruined this book for me.
The Junior Jedi Knights series, written for kids, was based around Tahiri and Anakin's adventures together. Even in the Young Jedi Knights series, he was somewhat major. And in Rebirth, he was FINALLY developing a relationship with Tahiri. Then, a book later, they kill him! Now, many of you may understand why am slightly ticked off, and many of you may want me to stop whining. But, this is merely my opinion of the book.
There are those of you who are...irritated at my revealing of a major event in the book, but I would like to point out the fact that I am not the first to tell this secret, and I have only given away this one. There are those of you who are irritated by my "selfishness" in wanting Anakin to live. My only comment on that is that I am entitled to my opinion and you to yours.
And my opinion is that they have ruined all future Star Wars books that future authors who stick to the timeline may want to write.
This book has actually had such a big impact on my life, that i think I may become a writer, just to fix this problem. And many may hate the books I write, for their restoration of those heros, such as Anakin.
This book was a great book, forgeting that Anakin was killed, and i must thank the author, now matter how much i may disagree with him/them, because he has ultimately helped me decide what I am going to do when I grow up (I'm only 13).

Played the game, read the book, wish the game followed the book's plot and story. If you played the game and walked away feeling like Starkiller was a little childish and the story was very weak then read the book. The Starkiller in the book is a completely different Starkiller than the game, more depth.

One of the things I have liked about Star Wars novels was the importance placed on continuity between them and the movies. The collaboration between authors, publishers, and Lucas, has resulted in something rather unique in modern literature. For fans like me who read the books, it's been fun reading.
Because I was relatively late in getting into Star Wars novels I don't know if DelRey pulled the same stunt with the X-Wing series that they've now done twice with the New Jedi Order series with Balance Point and Star By Star. That is, release pricey hardcover installments in the middle of a serial line of stories, most which were released as paperbacks.
DelRey delayed the softcover release of Balance Point by six months. That was bad enough. Star by Star was published as a hardcover in October, 2001. According to their website, the paperback version won't be released until October, 2002!
They apparently are counting on the fanatically addicted, those who have some illusion of future collectible value, or some with more money than brains, to guarantee sales revenue. Well, I won't be suckered and neither should you.
Like Balance Point, I read Star By Star at a library or one of the big book stores, keeping track of the page I left off in each visit. When the paperback comes out, I won't have need to buy and they'll have lost a sale.
Star By Star is one of the better books in the New Jedi Order series, desite the events that some fans found so objectionable.
But, I will not spend $...+ for a Star Wars book.

Troy Denning's work is indeed a good deal longer then any other NJO book, but I never felt that it "ran long" and became boring. In fact, the last half of the novel really kept me on the edge of my seat, particularly one story arc.

I do like how Denning kept track of details, and his depictions of the characters. No one seemed "different" then I had expected and all in all this was one aspect of the book I was really pleased with.

As others have said, there is a major death in this book, and I realize this was not a decision made solely by the author. That said, this was the character I had most come to enjoy. Without this person I found myself struggling to finish the book. So much development has gone into this individual, that without him/her I suddenly realize how little has gone into some of the others. Worse though is that I find myself either uninterested in most of the others, or down right disliking them to the point that I'm not sure I'll even finish the series at this point. I have to admit I'm highly tempted to simply read the the store reviews on the rest of the series and call it a day.

Another irritation I have is that one character close to the deceased is hardly even mentioned post tragedy. Everyone else close to the recently departed has a good deal of time devoted to the psychological effects the death has on each of them. Yet this one character in particular is given roughly a single sentence and then nothing.

As good as the book itself is, my final rating is colored by the weakness of the series as a whole that the "major death" has exposed. That weakness, at least for me, is my apathy (or in some cases extreme dislike) towards the remaining cast. I understand the point was to make the death scene all the more emotional, but I fear there was a lack of foresight concerning the amount of interest the remaining cast would generate.

This installment of the NJO, really hits the Solo family hard. It's an emotional book of family, with the death of Anakin and Jacen being handed to the Vong. This book moves very well through each event.

To me this book has an empire strikes back feel. The good guys win, but at high cost.

I highly recommend this installment.

There are so many things wrong with this book it is hard to find a place to begin.
First of all, you have this new race from outside the galaxy, not a bad idea, but Jedi find that they are devoid of the Force. Wasn't the Force supposed to be in every living and non living thing. So how can these aliens even exist?
The next big problem is all this organic technology. Their ships are living corral but they feed off of rocks. Give me a break. Oh, and the snake staff that can get hard enough to parry a lightsaber. Didn't Salvatore see Episode I with the lightsaber cutting through a blast door? The aliens also have gravity generators that make anything the New Republic has seem like a toy. What is astonishing is that no one can seem to pick up their gravity generators with sensors. Even today, if a gravity well was projected to pull our moon down, so one could find it fairly easily.
Now to my favorite complaint, the Solo children. They are 15 and 17 and they already proclaim themselves to be Jedi Knights. They think that "Jedi Master" Luke Skywalker is wrong in a lot of his decisions so they do it how they want it done. Later, Luke realizes that they were right and he was wrong. They seem to be all powerful. It is a good thing Darth Vader and the Emperor are already dead because they wouldn't stand a chance against the Solo children.
Bring back the old feel to Star Wars. Make the characters act like they should and find a write who knows about the Star Wars universe

I loved the story line except for a few libertys the author took with the charactors that were uncalled for. I loved the new addition of the Solo children as main charectors and the plot was good although a little reminecent of "Truce at Balkura". However the author while he might be an acclamed fantsy writer has obviously never writen sci-fi before. Also a very important book in the ongoing series and a MUST READ for any and all fans.

I enjoyed reading this, though a lot of it was tormented thinkings of Starkiller and shameless cameo's (wedge). it wasn't predictadable but it was not much of a surprise except in capturing darth vader? Wow! That was a twist for me. Very intense action scenes and they way the tables were turned, very good. THough odd visions of the clones of himself though..

Walter Jon Williams is one of the best sf writers, and his latest novel (first in a series) The Praxis is currently available only from the store UK as it's not yet published in the States. Great galaxy-spanning story, with overtones of Foundation and The Lensman Series. I finished this late at night on a cross country flight, and I was almost having heart palpitations when the Naxids were preparing to board Martinez' ship! Williams always has great female characters, and Carolyn Sula is one of his best. If you're an sf fan go to the store UK and pick this one up -- you'll have a year head start on the chumps this side of the pond!

This installment of the NJO, really hits the Solo family hard. It's an emotional book of family, with the death of Anakin and Jacen being handed to the Vong. This book moves very well through each event.

To me this book has an empire strikes back feel. The good guys win, but at high cost.

I highly recommend this installment.

There are so many things wrong with this book it is hard to find a place to begin.
First of all, you have this new race from outside the galaxy, not a bad idea, but Jedi find that they are devoid of the Force. Wasn't the Force supposed to be in every living and non living thing. So how can these aliens even exist?
The next big problem is all this organic technology. Their ships are living corral but they feed off of rocks. Give me a break. Oh, and the snake staff that can get hard enough to parry a lightsaber. Didn't Salvatore see Episode I with the lightsaber cutting through a blast door? The aliens also have gravity generators that make anything the New Republic has seem like a toy. What is astonishing is that no one can seem to pick up their gravity generators with sensors. Even today, if a gravity well was projected to pull our moon down, so one could find it fairly easily.
Now to my favorite complaint, the Solo children. They are 15 and 17 and they already proclaim themselves to be Jedi Knights. They think that "Jedi Master" Luke Skywalker is wrong in a lot of his decisions so they do it how they want it done. Later, Luke realizes that they were right and he was wrong. They seem to be all powerful. It is a good thing Darth Vader and the Emperor are already dead because they wouldn't stand a chance against the Solo children.
Bring back the old feel to Star Wars. Make the characters act like they should and find a write who knows about the Star Wars universe

I loved the story line except for a few libertys the author took with the charactors that were uncalled for. I loved the new addition of the Solo children as main charectors and the plot was good although a little reminecent of "Truce at Balkura". However the author while he might be an acclamed fantsy writer has obviously never writen sci-fi before. Also a very important book in the ongoing series and a MUST READ for any and all fans.

I enjoyed reading this, though a lot of it was tormented thinkings of Starkiller and shameless cameo's (wedge). it wasn't predictadable but it was not much of a surprise except in capturing darth vader? Wow! That was a twist for me. Very intense action scenes and they way the tables were turned, very good. THough odd visions of the clones of himself though..

Walter Jon Williams is one of the best sf writers, and his latest novel (first in a series) The Praxis is currently available only from the store UK as it's not yet published in the States. Great galaxy-spanning story, with overtones of Foundation and The Lensman Series. I finished this late at night on a cross country flight, and I was almost having heart palpitations when the Naxids were preparing to board Martinez' ship! Williams always has great female characters, and Carolyn Sula is one of his best. If you're an sf fan go to the store UK and pick this one up -- you'll have a year head start on the chumps this side of the pond!

In the end, I only thought it was so decent. As many have stated, the death of Chewbacca was a mistake. The Star Wars genre in my mind was really about keeping the main characters alive--immortal if you would. To kill one off for 'shock-value' doesn't serve much purpose and I disapprove. (As a fan I'm allowed to)
On a different note, the plot itself was rather nice. (Though too dark for SW, in my opinion.) What I found annoying was the grammar structure, with too many sentences that could have been easily cut into two or three seperate ones. (the short-description; WAY too many commas in WAY too many sentences. I was expecting a lot to end with "that lives in the house that Jack lives.")
I hear this is the beginning of a series of seven novels for "A New Jedi Order." As this one was decent enough, I am still not too interested in continuing to read the rest of Salvatore's series. In a lot of ways, the writing felt like it was from an amatuer, even if plot was decent. (And I am aware of the writer's past writings. My opinion still stands)
If you are looking for a Star Wars book like none other, than I guess this hits your spot. If you want something more 'traditional,' then stay away.
Long live Chewie!

I have no shame in the fact that I've always been a geek at heart. I used to gleefully buy the next Star Wars novel - unbelievably excited to see what direction the universe would swing in now. And then came Vector Prime.

I understand the need the author must have felt to bring in a new villain. The Empire was certainly getting old - by any standard. But everything about this book was disappointing. I'm not here to complain about a character death - in reality, I'd been waiting a while for something like that to happen. All the characters had been too lucky for too long, that it had become something of a conundrum with me. Realistically, one of them should have been dead by this point. And yet, I didn't want anyone to die. I think the demise of one of the beloved characters was handled with grace in this novel.

That being said, however, I can't help but see Vector Prime as the beginning of the end. Things seemed to go downhill quickly - culminating with shocking betrayals and Dark Side conversions that should never have happened. I've found many of the resulting plot lines to be ridiculous, and have since stopped reading any Star Wars books. There are a select few like Tatooine's Ghost that have offered some hope, but I refuse to get sucked down the dark and depressing path that seems to be happening in the novels now.

When looking back at what went wrong, I can't help the conclusion that it all started with Vector Prime. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Star Wars wasn't broken before this was published. It is now.

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.

This Book, it took me two weeks to read, and I held out on getting to the 43rd chapter. But it seems to be the obvious turning point in the series although I Do not agree with the motive of the Authors on killing half the Expanded Universe Cast and some of the old cast to the Movies. The book is good, brining the cast from the Young Jedi Knight series,from my favorite wife and husband duo Anderson and Moesta. I looked forward to reading onto the Dark Journey and many more.
As far Vergere..what can i say about the birdie, shes sneaky I am expecting much from that character as far as turning points go and look forward to a weird history coming in a upcoming trilogy. Anakin and the other Solo's could have learned so much from each other now they are split, on all sides. And the only hope is for the eremaining come together for one final trial like many they hadve faced thus far.
If none of this makes sense i suggesyt you read the book, the book shows the ups and downs of being a jedi Knight more so then the previous NJO series books. The Death count is also bigger so if you have a real heart connected to any characters beware,, it'll become worse as you read this book. Till the end the.

When I read this book, I was on a drive to the coast(no.I wasn't driving), and I just could'nt put it down! The suspense just keeps you on pins and needles, because you don't know what happens next. I gave this book 4 stars,even though it's really a 5 star book, but they went and killed off Anakin. In an earlier book, Master Ikrit told Anakin and Tahiri that they were stronger together than apart, which indicated to me that big things were in store for these two, as a couple. So I was really surprised and disapointed that they killed him.I thought "you can't kill Anakin!! He's the hero of the story!!!" But it is an excellent read, and shows how bad things can happen to good people.I know they cremated his body in "Dark Journey",but maybe they'll find a way to brinh him back. I highly recommend this book, and all the other New Jedi Order books as well.

I must say that when i first read this book i was shocked to hear that one of the main characters died. At first I didn't want to read any more and i wished that i had never bought the book but then i realized that none of the characters are invulnerable and that it does get boring when the bad guy always dies and the good guy doesn't. And also in a way this book was great for that fact that Troy Dennings might have killed one of the characters but he also wrote a book with all the other characters. These books were getting a little too boring because we kept on seeing new characters and none of the old ones. We never heard the names like Antilles or Celchu since vision of the future. Horn's been there in some of the books but what about the rest...they are also part of the Star Wars Saga. In this book, Troy Dennings brought back characters like Wedge Antilles and Garm Bel Iblis (out of retirement), Tycho Celchu (Rogue Squadron veteran), Ganner Rhysode, Gavin Darklighter and General Rieekan. He even had Cooran Horn in it. I have read all the Star Wars books and from all of them only Micheal A. Stackpole writes books about Horn, other writers only mention him once or twice but Troy Dennings gave him an active role in this book...This book might be a sad one but it has its good points too and also i think that this book is the best from all of them... I have yet to read another book better than this one.

To make a long story short, neither R. A. Salvatore or Vector Prime will be remembered for its written and narrative brilliance or that the book is the first installment of Star Wars' New Jedi Order series. No, the author will be forever remembered as the man who killed Chewbacca. And it's a shame. It should be remembered instead as an excellent read-- one of Salvatore's finest, and an epic truly worthy of the name Star Wars.
As for the death of one of Star Wars' most beloved characters, remember that LucasFilm gave the publishers the green light. So while you blame Lucas, praise him instead. Like the Star wars magazine said, Luke and the gang were kidnapped too many times. It would be predictable to bring the gang back alive. Instead, LucasFilm and Salvatore decided to break that "safety bubble" and turn a seemingly predictable galaxy into one that Han Solo calls at the end of the book "a dangerous place to live". Now, a lot of Star Wars fans might throw rocks at me for saying this, but I hope Chewbacca-- and I like the character-- stays dead.
Because, in the words of Dennis O'Neill (Batman writer and involved in the death of Robin), "it would be a sleazy stunt to bring him back [after killing him off]."

Many that have read this book have mixed reviews. Earlier someone posted Anakin's death was a canceling of the previous sacrifice that Chewbacca gave.
I've read this book 2 times already and as I dig deeper into it I do see the Star Wars in it that many miss. The orginal trilogy happend in a dark time. Many characters did eventually die. I.E. Obi Wan in Ep IV and Qui Gon in Ep 1.
We do know that the Jedi are exterminated by Palpatine from previous sources. History does repeat itself and much of what is happening can also be seen from the point of view this is what happens when your children go to war.
What was Troy's motivation? Who knows you'll have to ask him but I'm seeing alot of people complain from etither side of the fence. This is a repeat of the "Dark Times" of the galaxy where each day can be your last to simply put it.
Lets see what's came out of the NJO series up to present day. Jacen, Jaina and Anakin are now showing independence and leadership skills as young adults. With Anakin's death it throws a mix of realizm into it that shows latter especially in Rebel Dream. Skywalker now with a baby boy must look towards makeing the future safe not just for the galaxy but his own son.
I personally LOVE the Vong's Religious Fantical approach to this war. And signs are starting to arise in the books that open up alot of plot points that can be exploited further down the line.

I don't know about you, but I have a great love for sci-fi. I've watched nearly everything there is of Star Wars, Star Trek, you name it! But this particular book seems almost a copycat of a two-part Star Trek Voyager episode called Scorpion. Both stories deal with an alien coming from an unknown place that uses organic technology to fight with. Also, in both books, one of the charactors comes down with a mysterious illness. Coincidence?

So this book had a lot going on with it. There were video games and merchandise associated with it. The best thing to me though and worth buying was this book. It gave the most information and the best experience. With characters such as darth vader and starkiller, this is an awesome, action packed book!

In this book we see a new threat to the alliance a new race of bio-warriors from beyond the rim whose delight in pain and wish to show the alliance the true and only way to live, and thats without tecknology. Is this the end or the begining of more suffering.As the solo famamily mourns the loss of a long time friend and hero of the rebellion,dark forces are at work as distrust and resent builds towards the jedi. as old and new heros try to prevent this but will they. my thoughts This book is missing somthing i don't know what but it feels bland.despite the fact chewie dies (fare thee well) and the characters in some areas act diffrent (i can live with that everyone dies an change). also what ever happened to the other jedi studying with the solo kids and were is jacen gift with pets and jania desire to build and repair and ankins ablity to make thinks work. to the author: nice try hope to see you in more star wars books you'll get better writing them oh welcome to the star wars history congrads :)

I have to say, this book was disappointing, but..... STOP WHINING PEOPLE!!!! Personally, I liked having the YJK's back. I didn't like having HIM die, he was the hope for the future, but we need to get over it and keep reading. This book combined humor, action, excitement, tragedy, romance, and a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat plot. I think that a book needs to be well-balanced, and this was a great example of a well-balanced book.
Above all, fellow Star Wars fans, remember this: don't give up on Star Wars because of one book. Keep reading, it has to get better.

I recently reread through the NJO series again in order to prepar for the next novel, and just as the first time, Star By Star stood out in my mind the brightest. Ive seen many people totally panning this novel for its use of dark themes and for killing a major character, but these people obviously arent understanding what this series is about. The New Jedi Order series was created in order to take the Star Wars series in a whole new direction. No longer do we have the old enemies coming back and creating anothe huge weapon only to be foiled by Luke and co. again. We have a new enemy, an incredibly powerful enemy, and this enemy IS winning. These are dark novels, they arent the happy novels like before. Everyone is not invulnerable, people do die, people do grieve, and people arent perfectly mentally stable. This is exactly what the Star Wars universe needed.
I am a disappointed as any about Anakin dying, I had a lot of hope for the character, but how often do people in real life die at a convienient time? This was done masterfully by Denning, he created a very well written book. Besides, anyone who has truly understood the New Jedi Order up until now knows what I know and isnt completely in despair.
If youre an idealist who only enjoys fairy tales with a happy ending, you wont enjoy this book. Its not supposed be for you. The whole NJO series isnt for you. If you have a deep love for the Star Wars universe though, and have a realist view upon the world, you should love this book as much as I have.

Vader trains Starkiller to be his apprentice. He entrusts him to find and kill remaining Jedi. But the Emperor finds out and orders Vader to kill him. Vader runs his lightsaber through Starkiller, but is he dead? Can Darth Vader disobey the Emperor? Just the beginning of a great plot in this book

In the oft-crowded league of Star Wars novels, few stand out as triumphant victories for the spectacular series George Lucas brought us in 1977. Actually, many of the spin-off series (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, the Corellian Trilogy, the Dark Empire series of comics) bring shame to the very name they rely upon for profit. Despite the reckless, harsh, and in many cases unfounded complaints of many Star Wars fanatics, this book is hardly a blemish on it's namesake. R.A. Salvatore is a magnificent author that brings a new imagination to a storyline very aged and bland. The Yuuzhan Vong are an intriguing foe, reminiscent of the Illithid of his Dark Elf Trilogy, with more character and power than every pseudo-emperor since the enigmatic Thrawn. I rate this book, hopefully the beginning of a new era, among the ranks of Shadows of the Empire, and the Heir to the Empire trilogy. Since my disappointment with the previous Timothy Zahn works, rushed and under-developed re-hashings of old ideas in my humble opinion, this book rekindled my faith in Star Wars novels. I highly recommend it, to all those like myself, who long to read more but were ashamed of what had become of Star Wars. Give this book a chance.

this book is really something I can't really right all that much about it without ruining the surprises, first a lot of charicters bite it in this one, including one that well have a far greater effect in the future than Cewbacca's. The Jedi and the New Republic score some victorys, but they lose just as much, the worse blow being scored against the Solo's.
Lots of stuff happens, and it leaves you wanting more, the next book in the timeline comes out in Feb. so we got a bit of time to wait.

(...)This was by far the best book yet in the New Jedi Order series. Some people are having a little problem with the death. I've noticed comments about bringing him back. I don't know if this means they think he isn't really dead or that he will be ressurected. I feel fairly sure that he is dead. Certainly they would have noticed after retrieving his body if he wasn't. As for a ressurection, that I can handle as long as it's done well and not corny. I myself can't think of anyway to bring him back(Unless of course he has a Vorlon inside of him...). I myself can handle it either way. If he comes back great, if not, life goes on. I just don't want him returned to us in a stupid fashion. Perhaps we should consider that he was killed for a reason, Luke Skywalker now has a son. Perhaps they just want to clear the field of anyone strong enough to block his light when he gets a bit older. Who knows? The death was much better written than that of Chewbacca. Everyone was outraged by the death of Chewbacca, but it just wasn't emotional to read. This was. Very well written. Loved the book. Excellent plot twists. I hope this level of good writing continues through out future books. Vector Prime to me was disappointing, the Agents of Chaos duology was mediocre. Stackpole did an excellent job of repairing some of the damage done by Salvatore. Keyes was excellent was well. Tyers should never be allowed to write anything else Star Wars for as long as she and I both live. I look forward to Zahn hopefully writing a book(or several). Though I expect if he writes it will be near the end of the series. He makes an excellent closer. In "Visions of the Future" he did an excellent job cleaning up the mess that certain other writers had been making of the Bantam series for years.
Great read, can't wait for the next one!

I like the book, a lot. everything they've done with the whole series is great, but looooooong. I've been reading it since the beginning and now i'm just getting tired of it. nothing ever really happens. after about 2 books the yuuzhan vong dominated and stayed that way. if they just ended it i'd be happy.
its not dynamic in anyway, other than that they keep killing characters off. i got over the lack of chewie (in my opinon the best star wars character) simply because i recognize the attempt and need to provoke an emotional response.
Maybe if it wasn't such a one-sided conflict i would be satisfied, but it isn't.
I still suggest reading it though. it's well written and much more emotionally provoking than most star wars series. just long. i can't quite stress that point enough. maybe im just not patient enough. i will continue reading, but this is a series not for the impatient.

This novel, Vector Prime, and the beginning of the New Jedi Order era are a flop. There was great expectation for this, but the choice of Salvatore as the author of such a critical phase of the timeline was a big mistake. He achieves to write a very thin plot, to trivialize the characters (even Zahn's Mara), and to continue the awful competition among Star Wars authors of "the galactic menace of the month", and "my menace is bigger and meaner than yours". This does not help Lucas'own narration of Palpatine's and Anakin's story. Vector Prime tries to be a "dark" novel, but its darkness comes out thin, unconvincing and artificial. Salvatore makes even the death of you-know-who seem as trivial as slipping in the shower. The problem with a saga-series such as this is that characters DO get tired and worn. Remember the Dune and the Riverworld series, which won large criticism for Herbert and Farmer after they overexploited their worlds. This time it is much worse for Star Wars in the hands of several incompetent writers. They should have left Zahn (the best in the lot) finish it with a trilogy instead of the duology, and retire those characters quietly. The next problem is that the Solo kids have turned into awful characters thanks to Kevin J. Anderson, another of the awful authors in the Star Wars stable, and his young Jedi series. If Lucas Films and Licensing wanted to pander to high schoolers, promoting the Solo kids as typical american (not galactic) teenagers, they should have left the older (Luke, Mara and the senior Solos) characters retire to a deserved rest in a nice planet. At a certain age, saving the galaxy every week is a little too much. The full saga is alive thanks to George Lucas and Episode 1, (in spite of Brooks), and up to the Campbellian mythical standards of the first film trilogy, but the New Jedi Order era will hardly merit an exhibition in the Smithsonian if it is continued by mediocres such as Salvatore. Star Wars, in certain ways, surpasses Asimov's Trantorian empire; but good authors (Benford, Brin and Bear) are revivifying Isaac's world in the new Foundation trilogy. I hope Star Wars follows this good example. Dr. Enrique Perez - Castillo Ph.D. (Comparative Literature)

This book is written very well. I have to admit, tho, that it really upset me. The Star Wars series is really going to have to step up to replace what we lose in this book. I hope they are capable of this challenge. I'm trying to not give too much away so this is somewhat vague. I just feel the need to express my anger at some of the events in this particular book. I actually threw the book across the room and did not pick it up again for a week. On this note I feel it important to point out that no book has ever evoked such emotion in me. I have to say this is one of the most important "must read" books in the Vong era of Star Wars. The suspense, action and beautifully depicted use of the force are excellent and really set your imagination off and running. I don't think I'll ever forgive Troy Denning for doing what he did. What transpires in this book is worse thatn in Vector Prime. I'm sorry for the mixed review but it pretty much represents my feelings for this book. Troy would have gotten 5 stars for this book from me but he really ticked me off.

this is by far the the best in the NJO series since the first and it is also the most epic of all the books so far but the one problem with this book is the fact that wether or not they meant to do it ... when it comes to the character that dies. what was the intention when they came up with that dumb idea. alot of other hardcore star wars fans i ve met are mad at the series and have lost interest in them completly because of the beloved characters that keep dying. i really wish lucas would have told them to stop messing up the universe he began.some people try to make excuses for the people who made this dicision ... what is the point of having a main character for the previous couple books when your going to have him killed. shock. lets hope they had a better reason then that for killing two of star wars most beloved characters. this book was great aside from that detail. just dont think of it as star wars, because everything kind of falls apart and that could really make the everyday fan mad. lets just hope nothing happens to luke, jacen or corran and maby they can save this series that only gets worse despite this book. i dont see how they'll get fans back but maybe they can keep from losing more.

Sean Williams' novel The Force Unleashed is part of a multimedia blitz from Lucasfilm centered around the release of a multi-platform next-gen videogame. This particular project was started in 2005 and has the twin goals of providing a unique and trail-blazing gaming experience while simultaneously adding an important new chapter to the overall Star Wars saga. I've followed the development of The Force Unleashed with a certain degree of skepticism, centered around my doubt that a storyline so focused on creating an over-the-top, ultra-powerful gaming experience would be able to also sustain a compelling narrative.

Now that the novel is here, it appears my concerns were well-founded. The book reads like a summary of a videogame. Yes, that's what it is, but that doesn't lend itself to a well-rounded story. The characters in the book are thinly sketched, the plot is a series of "missions" that end in what are clearly boss fights in the game, and the bigger storyline has such a fundamental impact on the overall story of the saga that it undermines itself by being too rushed. Large expanses of the chapters are devoted either to tedious action sequences or the inner monologues of two of the characters, so not much room is left for meaningful exposition or more exploration of the plot's impact on the other main characters.

The two characters that get the bulk of the attention are Darth Vader's secret apprentice, a boy he has raised to eventually help him overthrow the Emperor, and Juno Eclipse, an Imperial pilot with misgivings about the side of the war she has chosen to fight for. The secret apprentice is the main character in the game, and his missions have a bizarrely amoral bent to them. Since Vader wants him to remain completely secret from everyone in the galaxy, that entails the apprentice slaughtering every single person that crosses his path, even his supposed Imperial allies. It feels like the storyline creators (while Sean Williams wrote this novel, it is based on the overall story from Haden Blackman), were concerned that this character might be too evil if he only wiped out good guys, and so they alleviate that by having him kill everybody. I find it hard to reconcile the apprentice's massive killing sprees with the vastly different role he is placed in at the end of the book.

The other difficulty with the apprentice's missions is the lack of tension during the action. He mows down any number of any enemies he encounters with no problems. His ability to tap the Force is close to unlimited, which is an interesting concept but it certainly doesn't make for a gripping fight scene. There are many descriptions of piles of bodies, people flying into walls, waves of Force power rippling through rooms, but the sequences are so nebulously depicted that they don't have enough impact. He does struggle some in the boss fights, but fans of Darth Vader as he was portrayed in the original trilogy are probably not going to like how his fight with the apprentice turns out here. I also was surprised how quickly his battle with Jedi Master Shaak Ti was resolved. Here is a leading Jedi who had survived sixteen long years since Order 66: it felt like there was a lot more story left to be told. Not to mention her apprentice, who essentially turns bad, fights the apprentice, and runs off, again feeling too much like a scene from the game and not a fully-realized story.

Williams describes the settings well and it is easy to visualize the distinct locations the story rapidly moves through. I enjoyed the brief appearance of a certain Rebel original trilogy character, and the apprentice's droid sidekick Proxy is an innovative concept. Proxy has a hologram technology that allows him to appear as anybody he has in his database, which has interesting ramifications for communications, fight training, and potentially for the apprentice's spy missions. He also provides a few nice moments of comic relief.

I won't spoil the end events of the story, which have a significant impact on the original trilogy of movies. Suffice it to say that they open up some interesting ideas, but I sorely wish Williams could have been freed to spend most of the book on this plotline and a whole lot less on action sequences. After reading the book, I am optimistic that the game itself may be a very engaging experience, but I would mostly recommend the novelization to hardcore fans who, like myself, want to know all the ins and outs of the larger saga.

I am extremely disappointed in the New Jedi Order series of books. I have been an avid Star Wars fan for years, and I have read all of the previous novels published by Bantam, as well as the abysmal new ones from Del Ray. I was amazed by Spectre of the Past and Vision of the Future, both by Tim Zahn, that ended the series published by Bantam. I want to know more about the Chiss, and the Unknown Regions; I want to know what's hiding out there.
But alas, I cannot. Instead, I must sit through incompetent descriptions of technology that doesn't make sense. The battle scenes are confusing; Denning tells you *what* they are doing, but very rarely does he tell you why. People are right when they say there's a lot of action in this novel: that's ALL there is.
The characterization is seriously lacking. The descriptions of Luke and Mara's relationship is excellent, as well as the characterization of Jaina and Anakin, but that is it. There are a whole bunch of new characters we've never heard of before that I simply didn't care about. I've even lost Han and Leia: their relationship has become such a routine that I've lost their individual personalities.
Mostly, though, my complaint is about the Vong. Greg Keyes' NJO novel did a bit to help this problem; his characterazation of Anakin and his humanization of the Vong made me enjoy his book immensely and led me to try purchasing this one. No dice. This book returns to portraying the Vong as nothing but torturing monsters, or inhumanly perfect fighting machines, or as groups of warriors simply to be mowed down by lightsabers. That was one of the great strengths of the previous series: the enemy wasn't *always* the enemy. The enemy could be redeemed. Wasn't that the whole theme of Star Wars, from the beginning? Redemption? In the NJO series, there is no possible chance for redemption, and the villian has become so routine; I don't CARE what happens to the Vong. I don't care if they live, and I don't care if they die. Look at Ysanne Isard, for example: she was a villian you could love to hate. I cared what happened to her: I wanted her to die, for Corran and for Mirax and for Tycho. Here, though, even Jaina's righteous anger towards Nom Anor seems forced.
I would like to point out, however, that I don't necessarily disagree about killing main characters. That is something that has value; death *is* a part of life. However, I was extremely upset with the choice of deaths: Anakin Solo was the only one of the characters in the novel I felt truly connected to, thanks to Greg Keyes. He really was the only one I cared about; now, I have little or no reason to pick up the next book.
Overall, I think that the NJO series is simply too wide in scope: the authors have to do too many things at once. Greg Keyes' novel was good because it was specific, and focused. It still managed to portray galaxy-wide events, but through the eyes and actions of one person. It made the book much more human and realistic. I was hoping that Star by Star would be a continuation of that; I was sadly disappointed.
I would not recommend this series of books to anyone. Even Mike Stackpole's two books in this series fall flat, and I have great respect for his other work. I, Jedi was incredible, as was the X-wing series.
If you want a Star Wars fix, I highly suggest you read the series published by Bantam, either in chronological order or starting with Tim Zahn's Heir to the Empire. If you've already read them, read 'em again.
But don't waste money on the New Jedi Order.

If you do want to read this, read some of the stuff before it, for the alien invaders are rather flat here, but if you know their background, and previous descriptions, their flatness is easily overlooked. It probably also helps to read at least one of the Jedi kids books where a great deal of the characters originate and developed.
It would seem the reviewers are divided into two camps, those that think the books are too depressing, and people like me. Me, I stopped reading Star Wars books long ago to escape their repetitve drivel. But now reality is finally returning to Star Wars. Characters are facing realistic conflicts and an intriguing opponent that is not as black and white as it has been in the past. I'm sad that they killed the character that they did, he was finally starting to be able to see beyond the mere black and white world that was presented to him. Death and destruction must take place to make way for the new. And the Star Wars world has been made to fester and stagnate for far too long by people who just want to relive the movies over and over. I just wish they'd put poor Luke Skywalker out of his misery. The poor guy's been worked over and over, by so many people, that his character is flat as a pancake. The only time I ever saw any chemistry between him and Mara was way back when Mara was first introduced. And now Mara is married to a sad silhoette of a man, whose actions are sadly predictable. (such as his son's name) Maybe nearly all the books between Zahn's trilogy, and the current series never took place, there might be some hope...

Jacen is still alive and returns to his family. Vergere is with him, but which side is she on? Admiral Ackbar comes out of retirement. The Chiss have developed a superweapon to destroy all Yuuzhan Vong life. Will the Jedi and the New Republic allow an entire species to be wiped out?

This is by far the best book in the series. Chock full of suprises, and i just mean a ton of suprises. Not only is it written in great detail, but also follows the charecters personalities. Troy Denning has written a masterpiece. And better yet, they bring in charecters from the past: Corran Horn, Wedge Antillies(brought out of retirement), Garm Bel Iblis (also brought out of retirement), and Lando. You think with this line of New Republic personal the Yuuzhan Vong would be stopped cold in their traks, then Denning throws another curve ball at you. Throughout the entire series i thought the Yuuzhan Vong would lose at Coruscaunt, and start getting beat back, but not with Denning as the author. I felt moved when somebody on the New Republic died. I felt overwhelming joy when a Vornskr(read the book to find out) was killed. I have never expierienced this in a book before. I read all 600 pages in 4 days. If school was'nt going on, i would have had it in 2 days. The best book yet.
[...]

This was probably the best in the NJO so far, but also the most shocking- even compared to "Vector Prime". Well written, the characters are strong and interesting, and the story is well written, though so much is going on that it becomes confusing at times.
I warn you, have your tissues ready at the end, you're in for a major disappointment. I hope that Dennings will have a few more to contribute to the Star Wars books, because this one was awesome.

I had been long awaiting this new Jedi saga. What I got was another in a long string of mediocre Star Wars novels. The characterizations were awful, I felt myself wincing every time one of the old guard spoke. Han, Luke, Lando, and even Leia could have been interchangable. And a 16 year old questioning the whole order of the Jedi? I don't think so! And Mara and Leia sisterly bonding? The only well developed characters were the original ones including the Mara Jade knock off Danni.
The beginning was very bloody and a bit gory. The ending was too easy. And the tragedy was basically uncalled for.
Not to mention everything in the preceeding novel was ignored. What happened to Mara and Luke's future in the Outer Rim or what they found in Thrawn's outpost? How long have they been married? When did Mara met Nom Anor?
As usual another Star Wars novelist missed the point. It's not about weapons, technological or biological, it's not about battles, it's about people and the Force that binds them all together. Let's hope that the rest of the series has some decent authors.

From what I've read so far, here's my idea- anytime a new author is introduced into the Star Wars universe, Timothy Zahn must tutor them for a minimum of 20 hours on exactly how to create 3-dimensional characters and how to create a believable sci-fi plot. As for the writing of Mara Jade- I say that Salvatore should have left blank spaces in the Luke/Mara and "just Mara" section in the manuscript and sent the whole thing to Zahn so that Mara Jade wouldn't turn out to be just another VERY flat character. I pity her-that's scary. As for Chewie dying- I think it could have been handled better, in a more valiant way, but it was necessary. Something had to shake up the Star Wars universe (besides "new and improved" Death Stars, Sun Crushers, etc.). After reading almost all the Star Wars books so far (haven't gotten to Onslaught), I'd have to say that no one can compete w/ Zahn. NEWS BULLETIN: for those new to the Star Wars universe- Mara and Luke are married in case you couldn't tell or didn't know. I apologize for any confusion you might have had due to this book.

I am a sucker for anything in the Star Wars milieu and the overall arc of the plot is very compelling and kept me engaged. But this was a terribly written book. It's so bad I found it distracting; I wanted to get out a red pen and make corrections. The plot too goes off or seems especially silly--even suspending your disbelief far enough to get you into a Star Wars novel. I'm not just talking about the famously controversial plot turn, which although satisfying has a certain authenticity to it. But many of the characters actions just don't make much sense. I put the book down several times in frustration.

I really liked where the story was being taken in this series, the introduction to new allies, enemies, and species as well as the ghosts of old ones. If you are unsure where to to start when beginning with the new republic stories I would recommend this book. It full of action and twists and your favorite characters doing what they do best.

Interesting story concept, but not well written.

It is obvious that the action sequences were clear in the author's mind, but they didn't seem to come clear to the reader.

The larger plot seemed to drag a bit.

Lastly, whenever the author was at a loss for how to transition the story he drew in a character from the larger Star Wars universe to try to bridge the gap for him. The result was a series of jerky transitions and poorly placed "celebrity cameos".

As much as I enjoy science fiction - and Star Wars in particular - I just never got drawn in to the story.

I am an ardent reader of the NJO series and this is the first time I have read a book by Denning. I have long anticipated the next book in this series and when SBS was released, I could not wait to buy it. But, although it was well written and brought together quite a few of the popular characters from the other Star War series in some substantive roles, I was still very disappointed with it.
Firstly, I thought that now, perhaps finally, we will be moving into the mold where the jedi will start being triumpant over the usurpers - the vongs. I guess I was led to this expectation by the name - Star by Star. I immediately assumed that they will now be reclaiming some of those lost stars from the vongs. Instead, all we saw was the jedi destroying some of the vong's ships (and playing into the hands of the warmaster), while the vongs went on to score another major victory by capturing the seat of power of the New Republic.
Secondly, I was very angry and depressed when I read of the death of Anakin - why him? He is one of the more dynamic, charismatic and interesting characters of this NJO series and to me, by killing him off, they are killing off the series. He was the only one, along with Tahiri, who was having any kind of success with the vongs and causing them to sit up and take notice. They were the bright hope of this series. Now, without characters like him, you just seem to have a lot of mediocre characters left who don't seem able to use their flaunted jedi ability to turn the tide of this war. Either they are debating whether it is right or good to take this or that action (while millions are being slaughtered), or they are struggling with other stuff that seems to detract from the war going on. It is frustrating that no one seems able to strike a decisive blow to the vongs. Why do these authors seem bent on protraying these usurpers as almost invincible?

ANd, why pick continually on the Solo family? Have'nt they have enough trouble since this NJO series began? And now, Denning is turning Jaina into a dark jedi? Come on!
It is time the tide of this war changes. I think the next book in the series should address this or risk getting more people turned off from it. ANd, they better do something about Anakin's supposed death (I hope) or raise up another dynamic figure, one who is as endowed in the force as Anakin. And please, do not let us have to wait for Ben to grow up and be it!
Maybe Luke Skywalker can start being a warrior once more with some punch to him.

This is the most pathetic excuse for a Star Wars novel in the history of George Lucas' wonderful saga. The plot was stale and stangnant, the majority of which didn't grip my attention in the slightest. The characters were all wrong, with Han Solo, Luke, and Leia acting completely out of character, the rise and fall of action and events was screwed up, and the death of one of the most beloved characters was nothing more than a petty attempt at making the name 'R. A. Salvatore' remembered as "the author that killed Chewie." Well, all that it has done is made a lot of people very angry. As an author-in-progress of Star Wars novels, I dissavow any knowlege of this work. In short, the book that I am writing takes place after this horrid piece of trash does, and I will utilize none of the events from this novel in my book. The Yuzhan Vong will never be mentioned, nor will Mara's disease, and by the Force, I will have Chewbacca alive in my story! That is the level of deep dislike that I have for this book, and the measure of disregard that I hold for the author in general. All in all, Vector Prime is a complete waste of money. It's still a waste even if you get it for free, because it's taking up valuable space that could be used for a far better book (unless it's holding up one end of your couch).

I think that Vector Prime was a very well written book and I would recommend it to any of the Star Wars fans out there who are wishing to see what is still going on in the Star Wars universe. It introduces a new evil that the Jedi of course are going to have to face and conquer without the help of the rest of the galaxy. I think that this book will speak to the rest of the people, who like me, have read many of the Star Wars. The Yuuzhan Vong are altogether creepy, individually, and as a whole, they are a wierd race but they have the advantage. History is basically repeating itself as yet another group of people is trying to take over the galaxy and the galaxy's only hope is the Jedi. However, at this stage in the game, it is unable to ascertain whether or not the Jedi can overcome their distinct disadvantage of not being able to sense the Yuuzhan Vong. Even if you didn't like this book, the rest of the books in the series are well worth the read.

I remember when I first saw this book. I was at Springfield Mall with my dad, looking for something...passed a book store and saw this book. I was immideatly hypnotized and noted to remember the title. Then I got and read it...and it was very slow. First of all, the chapters were very long. There's so much hype about the inavsion of the Vong, you get really tired about hating about and dread reading another chapter about the conquest of the Vong. 2nd, there's Chewie's death - an event no star wars fan could ever predict. 3rd, this is the only good part in my opinion, Jacen gets a love interest, Danni Quee. And 4, Luke considers reasserting the Jedi Council as a leading body, which is what the entire series is about...but there is no conclusion to his decision. Will he or won't he? Over all, it was very dissappointing, not very note-worth moments or qutoes for that matter. Basically like reading the Corellian trilogy. One page after another of detail detail and more detail. ~~~Very boring~~ but luckily the next two books aren't like that. I've already read them and I rate them high on the Star Wars scale :)

I have to admit that when I started this book, I wasn't too thrilled. It sounded too much to put in a 350 page book. However I found the book well paced and everything needed to make a good Star Wars book.It was nice to at least see the Solo kids front and center after what I consider the mediocre appearence of those kids in the Young Jedi Knight series. The new alien technology was very interesting and has plenty of potential. The only thing that I could have done without was Mara's disease. It did not advance the story at all for me and it would be a shame if she died.

Well, let's see...where to begin? This book has it's good POINT, and it's bad POINTS. Let's start with bad: first and foremost on everyone's mind is the death of Chewbacca. I feel that this is an insult to what the Star Wars universe is all about. Star Wars has always been about immortality, and yes, although many characters have died before, (i.e. Ben Kenobi, Owen and Beru, Yoda), they were never as influential as Chewie. Chewie has been there since the beginning. What's up with that?
The second thing on everyone's mind is this business with the Force. Salvatore hardly ever mentions it. When Mara was battling Yomin Carr, Luke should have immediately sensed that she was in danger, he shouldn't have had to have R2-D2 come and tell him! The Force is hardly mentioned in this book, and the Force is one of the main principles of the Star Wars unverse! That is all I care to write about the bad points, there are just too many to list.
As for the good POINT, well, uhhh...hmm, let's see, uhh, let me get back to you on that.
I sincerely hope that the publishers and future author's can bring some sense of ORDER into the New Jedi Order series...thankfully Mike Stackpole is writing the next 2 books in the series, and he is a seasoned veteran when it comes to Star Wars. I trust in the Force that he will do all he can to revive this magnificent universe we call Star Wars.

Well, Chewwie died in the first book. I could take that. Then things begin to look up. Ah, Anakin Solo is going to get us out of the Vong wars. So, I picked up this book expecting Anakin to lead his striketeam to victory. Well everything is going well. But suddenly I am reading and Anakin dies. So I re read it. I was sure I was mistaken. Afterall, a good writer like Troy Denning would never kill the hero. I read the sentence again. Holy Smokes! I was right. He died. Besides that a bunch of minor Jedi die, and Jacen is captured. But I can not say what I really think. Last time I went so overboard bashing Troy Denning that it was never published. But I will say that if you this: if you read New Jedi Order you have to read this. It is very eventful in the series. But not eventful in a good way.

A little long but fabulous. When I shut the book I just thought to myself...can the next one live up to it?
Amazing story. The author was able to tell several stories at once which was very impressive. We now have to add another Solo to the pile of the dead...
I recommend this book to all Star Wars fans. The story was excellent and it is very well written. This incredibly long book is easier to get through that you would think.
Fey'lya's final sacrifice was a bit out of character, but good.

Well I must say that the people that brought us Star Wars have done it again. The addition of R.A Salvatore to the ranks of authors for this Galaxy far far away was a smart move. I love this book. The character developement is excellent, the plot was straight forward; it didn't leave you running around in circles as some of the other SW novels that I have read.
However, I must say that I was more than a little upset that some of you that have read this novel had the gull to reveal a tragic and most important aspect of this book. That just wasn't proper to do that. I still love the book, but it ruined the entire experience for others.

A couple of months ago, my friend let me borrow his copy of Heir to the Empire. I was impressed and considered it the best book I have ever read.
Until now.
The Empire is no longer the enemy. Thank goodness! I was getting sick of Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters. Instead, a race of aliens called the Yuuzhan Vong (or Vong for short), have decided, "Oh, this is a good galaxy to invade." It seemed kind of boring in the first chapter, but as soon as I got to the second and saw Yomin Carr's (a Yuuzhan Vong agent) point of view, I wanted to stay up all night and read it. And suddenly, Salvatore kills a main character! Don't let this distract you from buying the book, it's an incredibly good read. You may not think it's as good as some other SW books, but, believe me, it'll be near the top.

Troy Denning closes an amazing tale with his conclusion in Star by Star. One of the best of the 80 or more Star Wars novels released so far. He handles a difficult plot with sensitivity, and gut-wrenching pain with a dark sense of truth. I don't think its possible to read through this book, after knowing the characters for some eight years, to not have a powerful emotional response. Ignore the petty reviews of people who think that novels are made to create joy as you read them. The universe gets stale far too quickly, and needed a shake-up. Get used to it. I wouldn't be surprised to see more pain in the future. Nothing is more perfectly beautiful than a fallen hero.

Though I will miss Chewie in the future, this book adds a touch of realism to the Star Wars saga. No one has as many lives as the core characters, not even Morris the Cat! This book also introduces a terrifying new foe to our heroes and the New Republic. I highly recommend this book to any Star Wars fan who can cope with the loss of a beloved character. For all of you who complain about this book, get a grip! This is just a new path in the never ending Star Wars saga, and it opens up the reader to a sense of suspense once again! Now we never know until the end of the novel if our heroes really will survive!

Following in the traditions of Troy Denning's Dark Sun novels, this book was an excellent piece of work. I have read all of the New Jedi Order books and have found the story line to be rather refreshing. This book in particular sparked a new light to fire that we call the Star Wars world, by killing off another rather important character and setting up an interesting cliff hanger. One aspect of the book that I found enjoyable was the fact that some Dark side characters entered the fight and possibly a major character turning to the powers of the mysterious and tempting dark side. I believe that if you enjoyed R.A. Salvatore's New Jedi Order opener, you will also find this non-traditional taste of Star Wars book authoring to be invigorating

"It is time," Yomin Carr said, and time it is, for a blast into an awe-inspiring subject no other Star Wars author has dared touch upon: an entrance into our galaxy from another. R.A. Salvatore certainly had his work cut out for him if he was to begin a saga about creatures from another galaxy and their anti-technology society. He had to make his aliens completely unreal, but not so outlandish as to enter into the cheesy. And do it he does, with flying colors! In the first few chapters, the plot is a little thin and hard to follow, which is almost all that keeps ths book from becoming absolutely perfect. However, when we finally learn enough about these characters, they bind together into one machine that would make George Lucas himself proud. I can almost imagine the nightmare of Jacen and Anakin's battles dealing with which side the Force will take, and then having Jaina blow them all away with her amazing record in "Lando's Folly" (Isn't that everything Lando does?).Kudos to R.A. Salvatore, and let's hope he keeps up to his new Vector in this Prime new saga!

Frankly, to echo some of the other reviews in this section, I am amazed at the illiterate readers who reviewed this book who are unable to see it for the shlocky, sloppily written piece of work that it is. This goes double for LucasFilm and DelRey, who apparently are so thrilled at pulling the collective wool over credulous SW fans' eyes that they have signed R.A. Salvatore to write the Episode 2 book. Let us pray that he buys that thesaurus he so desperately needs and that he learns that an overabundance of adverbs are a hallmark of weak writing that tells instead of shows before he starts it.
As for Vector Prime, I could care less that a character dies or that another is sick. Those are interesting plot twists that, in the hands of a talented writer, could actually go someplace. However, this book just zig-zags all over the place simply to suit the whims of the author, who couldn't plot his way out of paper bag. Could someone tell me the signifance of the scene in which Han visits his smuggling contacts? Did we get any information that we don't get again later on? This is just one example of the waste of page space on insignificant scenes, while scenes that would deepen characterization and make this book feel connected to those that came before it are missing completely. As a result, the characters are paper thin, and in some cases resemble nothing of their previous selves. The worst case is poor Mara Jade, who suddenly resembles a plucky little heroine tailor-made to be played by Jane Seymour or Judith Light on some bad movie of the week. Alas, poor Mara, we hardly knew ye! The death of a character was laughable in its absurdity and implausibility.
So if you like your action unbelievable, your characters wooden and cardboard, your plots dropped halfway through the book (such as Luke's desire to discover a connection between the rogue Jedi and the smugglers, which was a herring not so much red as a very washed-out pink), and your villians so cartoonish in their evilness that all that is lacking is a moustache to twirl with one hand and an eviction notice to clutch in the other: then by all means give Vector Prime five stars.
But if you like your literature to be worth the time, money and brain cells, then stay away. If you want to read a DelRey Star Wars book, you'll be much, much happier if you go directly to the Dark Tide books, Ruin and Onslaught, by Michael Stackpole. Unless you like to have your intelligence insulted. In which case, go for Vector Prime.

I would like to say that I have now read the book. Yes, it is sad that someone dies, but star wars was overdue. You can't expect everyone to survive every battle they ever face. It kinda angers me that people arn't more realistic. Sure, it's fiction, but there needs to be some sense of realism. Even disney movies have main characters die some times. That is sad when a childrens company has death more then something for older people. As for the content of the book, I say bout time the empire isn't involved. When you are reading these reviews, don't listen to them about it being a bad book. Read it for yourself. Most of the fools are just mad because someone got the axe, or the planet as the case may be.

R.A. Salvatore did an absolutely fabolous job on this very demanding and difficult task. He was selected to write a new Star Wars novel, to take the novels in a new direction. He had the daunting task of creating a new and horrifying foe, setting the stage for a whole new set of novels, and killing off a major character. This book is very different from other Star Wars novels, but is a fantastic voyage into the New Jedi Order.

George Lucas said he made Star Wars because we had no heros-all the money the Star Wars Universe has brought in made him forget I guess when he signed off on this series. DelRey looks down their nose at us fans (and in their interviews in Insider) and these (my fellow reviewers are lapping it up). Well, I would prefer live heroes myself and how long is the series going to last? At least with Bantam you didn't have to wait through more than 3 novels to see how it ends. Reminds me of some movies(like"Freddy's back")-excessive- over & over & over again. They should of just blew up everyone at one time - it would have been a lot easier to take. I'm not spending the money/nor are the books in my bookcase.

Forget everything you knew about Star Wars. This start of the New Jedi Order story arc is going to shake up the Star Wars Universe forever. I had high hopes for this book and I was not disappointed. It was exactly as I thought it would be.
The chracterisation was great, everything that was established in the Star Wars Expanded Universe already was not ignored and many elements of past events were acknowleged.
The only minor gripe I have is Anakin Solo's constant bratiness - it's quite obvious that he's going to grow up to be a Jedi villian and I think his parents pretty much chose his career when they named him. It would be nicer if it came as a surprise later on rather than us knowing it was coming.

This Has To Be The Best Introduction To A Star Wars Novel. The Jedi and New Republic Have To Face A New Alien Threat Unlike Anything They Fough Before. It Has Shocking Deaths Of Beloved Characters That Set Up In This New Series Anything Goes And No One Is Safe.

By all means, I belive this is the best Star Wars novel I've ever read after Dark Apprentice. It captures the horror element and almost perfectly merges it with sci-fi and fantasy to ultimately form a sci-fi/thriller. The only thing keeping me back from giving this a Five-Star rating, is the solomn event of Chewbacca's untimely death. I just have one question for Mr. Salvatore. What prompted him to kill Chewie off anyway? He wanted to write the story enough? He liked the money offer? What? My other gripe about the book was that we didn't get enough background in some areas. A little more background on Nom Anor or the Yuuzhan Vong(Please note that if this is percieved as a plot spoiler, it was not intended). Other than that though, I found this to be action-packed, intense, and a great read for Star Wars fans and for fans of fantasy books and thriller books. I hope the second one lives up to the expectations created by the first. J.V.S.

I have read a lot of series-type books and novels, not to mention countless comic books. I greatly enjoy long-arcing storylines. But, what usually disappoints me in the end with these books is that the main character always survives or comes back from the dead. In all the other Star Wars books, Luke, Leia, Han, their children, R2D2, C3PO, etc., always win out. The Empire is pushed to surrender by the Thrawn Duology. The Hutts are chased back to their planet. The New Republic thrives. This is very similar to other series. You knew Superman would come back from the dead, Wolverine always comes back from the dead, and other character who supposedly died never really did.
I say all this to tell you why I like NJO. Characters die. They don't come back. One of the themes is that the Solo "luck" might have run out and that the good guys don't always win. Chewie is gone. That wasn't a huge deal since he has always been a sidekick character. But Anakin? Wow. I was blown away. It makes me get into the books more because I am never sure of the outcome. Who wants to always read books where Luke always, I mean always, saves the day? That's fun for 2 or 3 books, but it was getting old. Plus, you throw in that Coruscant, center of the the New Republic, gets taken? Borsk becomes a martyr and a hero? That makes a great series.
My main question to the complainers is this: What would you rather have happened? Have a massive storyline where the writers bring in these savage aliens to conquer the galaxy where planets are crushed, fleets are destroyed and millions or billions of people and aliens die but not one main character goes down? Have Han, Leia, Luke, Mara, the children, Wedge, etc. be the heroes of the battles and never have a chance to die? To me, Anakin dying is a stroke of genius. War kills young people and the New Republic is at war. It gives the sci-fi series some reality.
Summing up, Star by Star is a great book. After reading the next 3 and just finishing Traitor, Star by Star is even better b/c of how the authors followed up on Anakin's death. Read it and love it.

I have been reading the Star Wars novels for quite some time now and I have been getting more and more bored with the stupid plotlines, unbeatable humans and an ever rebuilt empire. The few that actually had me gripped were "the Heir to the Empire trilogy","I, Jedi", "The Jedi Search trilogy" and "the Hand of Thrawn series". But now at last Mr. Salvatore has brought some realism back to the Star Wars galaxy. The characters are believable, the plot is interesting, the enemies are ugly, horrible and sick and the Solo children are now hero's themselves (rather than annoying little brats than turned the Star Wars galaxy into the Brady Bunch). The death of Chewbacca was excellent, the conflict between Anakin and Han was touching and Mara's disease couldn't have come at a better time to add to Lukes troubles. I know it will all end in happiness, but it's a nice change to get into the heads of the heroes when they are at their boiling points. I think the novel is excellent, though my only request is that Chewbacca does not turn up again in Book 2. Although his death is painful, it is also very very powerful.

Admittedly, Salvatore's work is superior to K.J. Anderson's, but this book left me unsatisfied nevertheless. A shame, too, because it had great potential.
Finally the New Republic/Jedi dyad meets a significant challenge instead of yet another pushover ex-Imperial warlord. The Y. Vong make cunning villains. The author does an admirable job of weaving the various newer characters in with the old standbys, too. BUT...
We are led to believe that Chewbacca is killed by a crashing moon? No way. This alone ruined the book for me. If he really is gone, Salvatore might as well have written off Anakin, too. To tag Chewie out instead of the interesting-as-cardboard Kyp is at least an oversight, if not an outright travesty. Denying readers the pleasure of seeing Miko get in a decent swing at the war coordinator is also maddening.
In a 387-page novel, we are asked to accept that our heroes figure out to dry-freeze the Y. Vong's planet-base all in one chapter, via a casual afternoon discussion? And they pull it off with a mere handful of shieldships? Sorry, that's too easy, and not very convincing. They master the use of the "mysterious technology" gnulliths and oogliths quicker than you can say "what luck." The Y. Vong come from an entirely separate and unknown galaxy (why didn't we learn more along the way about their galaxy and their motivations for taking over the SW one?), yet C-3PO has absolutely no difficulty pulling their extra-galactic language off his hard drive? Please.
Boba Fett escaping the Sarlacc was more believable than this. Yes, it's fiction, I know, but presenting the heroes with the solution on a silver platter leaves one disappointed.
I wish Brian Daley, who probably rolled over in his grave when those "Hurry up--gotta do something R.L. Stine-like" Galaxy of Fear books came out, could return and set things straight. Perhaps Mr. Stackpole puts us back on course with his follow-up to this novel. Heck, crash the next Y. Vong worldship somewhere in Ssi-Ruuk controlled space!
While this book has its moments, it is unsatisfying on the whole, and I am led to conclude that Salvatore is more adept with the gnomes, golems, and trolls of the D&D world.

When this series first started I was excited. Finally there would be a new enemy for the New Republic to face. I was quickly disappointed. This series only point so far has been to kill characters for no reason at all.
This book was no exception. This novel had very little story at all and dragged on. Countless characters were killed including two who were important to the novels.
For the past few years the novels have been developing Anakin and has even had him as the lead for the last few novels. Now out of the blue they decide to kill him pointlessly, like Chewbacca.
Personally I won't be buying any more of this series and I would recommend anyone who would want to read a good Star Wars story to pick up the Bantam Series.

"predictable hazing" is a good term for the reviews I've read here not favorable to Vector Prime...
I don't agree - to introduce and get readers to buy into a completely new plot line in Star Wars is no small task. I highly recommend this book to any SW fan, but be forewarned, the series is addicting. When I look back at how well this book foreshadows so many of the events, introduces new characters and shatters illusions about the invincibility of the standard SW cast of characters, I can only rate this a "high five" - :-)

I have read this book. It was hard to follow at first but after a while you get into it. The Yuuzhan Vong are an incredible warrior race like the Klingons. It is a book that shows how two different groups like the New Republic and the Vong can see each other. The N.R. sees the Vong as a barbaric race while the Vong see the N.R. as blasphemers for not following their beliefs. It cut into my soul when I found someone from the popular Star Wars group died. We didn't see a body, but it was one of those beyond a doubt no possibility of being alive situations. If you are a Star Wars fan and you want to know of the most epic battle the Star Wars galaxy has ever seen, read this book and the ones that follow. Otherwise, you are a blasphemer.

This book is so undescribably great! I loved this book so much! The characters were very well written and the story was top-notch. The action was very intense and exciting, and the death of Anakin (sad, I liked him very much, he was my favorite character) was, I guess, good for the story since in most books the main characters always stay alive. This book is a very great read, worthy of your time and money.

After reading Star By Star, I would have to say that this is the best and most exciting Star Wars novel ever! Full of action, ,drama, intrigue, and impending darkness, this novel successfully describes the New Republic's desperate battle with the ruthless aliens. The book was so fast-paced and chock-full of battle sequences, I couldn't put it down. Imagine all the battles in the original trilogy and Phantom Menace and put it all in one novel! Unlike the kiddie-like atmosphere in Phantom Menace, Star By Star reflects the darkness that the alien menace brings fully. The Jedi TRULY are the galaxy's guardians as they bring the battle to the aliens amid John Woo-like action. With the death of another MAJOR character, our original heroes will never be the same, with such a devestating loss. Also, at the end of the novel, the Star Wars galaxy as we know it from the films, will be forever changed. Planets that we know of are destroyed or in the enemy's hands. Read it. Cherish it. It is the New Republic's darkest hour.

The New Jedi Order has been a vast disappointment since its kickoff installment, the highly disappointing and amateurish "Vector Prime." The series has continued to delve deeper into mediocrity, with only the second hardcover, "Balance Point," showing any soul or thematic resonance.
At over 600 pages, "Star by Star" finally demonstrates that perhaps the DelRey editorial team realizes that they have readers with attention spans above a fifth grade level. And Troy Denning tries very hard to reward those readers with a story that is well written from a technical view. Unfortunately, what he can't cover up is that this is a soulless, designed to extort the maximum dollar from gullible fans series. Anyone hoping for a deeper look into the spiritual, philosophical side of Star Wars as the heroes face situations that tax their souls and beliefs will still have to look elsewhere. And anyone looking for the cheerful, Saturday morning serial exurbance of the original films would be best advised to stay far, far away from the NJO, with its boogeyman villians and slasher film gore. The NJO is the equivalent of a typical Hollywood blockbluster: designed by committee so that all originality has been leached out; substituting two-dimesional stereotypes for three-dimensional, flesh and blood characters; equivalenting violence for violence's sake with "realism;" ignoring true emotion in favor of calculated stunt events. And unfortunately, "Star by Star" is the poster child for the worst excesses of this series's tendency to pander. Not to mention that yet once more, plot holes the size of which the Errant Venture could sail through with ease pop up. When will we ever see a character in the NJO think logically for once?
After reading "Star by Star" at a bookstore, I can firmly say that I am sincerely glad to save the (dollar amount). If you are a Star Wars completist who just can't live without spending money on whatever is put out, then have at it. But if you require a little more thought, a little more resonance, a little more real emotion instead of manufactured, follow-the-dot plot events with characters acting stupid - or if you just want to have some fun while reading - spend the money on something else.

Having read almost every Star Wars book in the series, I approached this book with some trepidation, already aware of the ONE big event that happens in the course of the story. However, I found it to be quite good. Salvatore has a flair for characters and keeps the Star Wars gang true to form. The Yuzahn Vong are just plain scary, possibly the nastiest villians ever presented in this series. Unlike many of the Empire's remnants, the Yuzahn Vong are extremely dangerous and will stop at nothing; couple this with their alien technology and we now have some foes worthy of a Star Wars tale. Good show!

Well I finished the book last week and found it to be one of the poorest of the SW novels. I haven't read any of the Young Jedi series, so it's unfair to comment on the three Jedi youngsters, but I hardly recognised any of my beloved characters in this novel. Lando was a slimeball, Mara had none of her fire, and the rest of the well-known characters also lacked the recognised personalities. Before reading the book I didn't know about Chewie's demise and I hope desperately that he could make a return in the future, but I don't think he will. I won't dwell on this issue for long but I do think it's a shameless marketing ploy on the part of Lucasfilm and/or DelRey. I've read virtually all the SW novels, but this has to rate as a low. Apparantly the sequel is better, let's hope so! DEFINITELY skip this book if (like me) you're a Wookie fan.

This book almost made me stop reading the njo. The story isn't terrible, but this is as drawn out as the scarlett letter. Except Troy Denning for some reason feels its necessary to shove as many big, obscure words in his novel as possible. Turning what should be a 350-400 page book in 600+ pages. Plus he changes all the characters personalities to fit what he wants in his story. Basically says, the hell with the earlier books, I'm doing what I want.

One of the things that bothered me most was how he wrote Jacen. Jacen is one of my favorite characters and I like him because he is a deep, introspective character. Denning turns him into a weak, sniveling little peon. He hails Anakin through the whole novel and is very condescending to Jacen.

All in all this novel was enough to make me destraught, but not quite enough to make me stop reading the series, although I know many who have quit the series solely because of the book

I have been working my way through the NJO series and, for the most part, greatly enjoying them. This book has reached a new level, however. I had been enjoying the devolopment of Anakin Solo as a character and also his relationship with Tahiri (which I appreciated that it was underplayed - making it more intriguing). Anakin's fate left me breathless and - like another reviewer - I found myself in a state of disbelief and even flipping pages to find out if I had somehow misunderstood. This is the first Star Wars novel (and one of only two sci-fi novels ever) to elict a real emotional reaction from me (I had been deeply looking forward to seeing Anakin and Tahiri both continue to evolve as characters). At the risk of indulging in bathos, I must admit I was even mildly depressed for a couple days after reading said book. I am moving on in the series (as soon as Dark Journey arrives in the mail) and I can only hope that in addition to exploring Jaina and Jacen's fates that Tahiri will not be discarded undeveloped.

I love Star Wars. This was a shallow picture of the SW Universe. It had a contrived ending, more like Star Trek when you try the trinitron burst from the Sony zappalizer to bring all to a conclusion. And the lead character in the beginning of the novel was supposed to be a warrior but acted like a coward, stabbing everyone in the back. Luke, Han and the rest were one dimensional. Only good part of the book was the Starwars timeline and map.

I used to think that Karen Travis was the poorest writer among all of the Star Wars novels. Well I had no idea how bad it could get until I read this book.

It was obvious that the author's (Sean Williams) heart was not in this book. It showed poor research and editing. There were so many errors in the writing that this alone made me question whether or not to finish the book. Not to mention the blatant errors in continuity.

Character development was near non-existant. 90% of the time it was shown by literally saying the character had changed, not by taking you through the feeling and rationalizations the characters go through. That is about as in depth as character development gets.

Fights. There were many in this book, but they were all poorly written. In all of the other SW books it describes in depth the specific moves and reasons a foe falls in a saber duel. In Unleashed its "He swings. The foe swings back. The main character gets angry and his anger allows him to score a debilitating hit. The fight is over". That is how all of the fights went.

Don't read this book.

I first thought that this book was going to be totally different from what it actually is. Now I can not wait to see if they decide where they will go from here. I just hope that they find a way to make it look like a death was actually a trance. Otherwise I think many people won't want to go on reading the series. The characters in some cases definitly needed some help but overall it was a decent story line.

R.A.Salvatore has done it again. I have followed his work from the beginning and must say this is a plus for his carreer. I was worried that this story being of the Star Wars nature would not be as graphic as his other works, but boy was I wrong! You can see this entire story in your mind from beginning to end. For his first attempt at a Star Wars novel I think he did an excellent job. Mr. Salvatore, THE FORCE IS TRUELY WITH YOU.

From start to finish this is a hard book to put back on the shelf, it is nonstop excitement from Lando's Folly to the outskirts of the Helska System and back to the core planets. The threat seems real to the New Republic, but with the arrival of the three Solo children the outcome is never in doubt. I think that the plot was excellent and it is worthy of your time.

This book was a wonderful addition to the SW universe, RA Salvatore did a great job with everything...especially with the death of Chewie(since LFL told him to do it). It was well structured and flowed nicely from scene to scene. I wonder just what some people were reading...this book is much better then some of the others and starts the new jedi order just right and gives futur writers in this series a great start. To bad so many people don't realize this is George Lucas' universe and nothing happens unless he SAYS SO!(that's right...the boss said to do it!) The true SW fan will enjoy this book and see that this is just what SW needed to give it life again, you always knew the good guys would make it out alive...now you don't know what will happen and that's what makes a book worth reading and a series worth buying...hopefully people will see that and hopefully mr. Salvatore will be back.

I've read virtually every SW novel, and this is certainly one of the better ones. Salvatore is a skilled writer (unlike some of the other SW authors), who wrote a story that was interesting, and featured an alien race that I found to be a product of great creativity and imagination. I hope that the future books in this New Jedi Order are as good as this.

I never finished the video game because I got bored with it pretty quickly, so I figured the only way I could see how it ended was to read the book based on it. Man, was it a fun, action-packed read. Of course, it pretty much ended the way I was expecting, but still, it's the journey, not the destination. Right?

I just wrote a review on this book a minute ago, and now I realize that I went to easy on it. 1) Way to many run on sentences (even I,who flunked english can see that!). 2) Whats with diseased Mara? I mean God! when Luke finaly gets the girl she has to get this fricking disease! 3) And the Solo kids are suposed to be jedi? at15/16? And I'm supossed to belive that they are now better pilots than Han and Chewie ever were! Thats just not posible! 4) The Yuzhan Vong sound a lot like the Ssi Rukk from 'Truce at Bakura', they both can't touch the force. Yet the Ssi Rukk made more sense, considering they were better described than the Yuzhan Vong. I mean Salvatore hardly described them at all, the reader is as in the dark as much as the characters are. 5) And of course there's Chewie's demise, for that Salvatore should be banished from writing star wars books forever! It was not Star Wars! This may sound inferior coming from a 12-year-old,but its my opinion, and if you think diferently, you think wrong.

Not enough Star Wars. Too many authors.

We have about 20 books from the New Jedi Order series, and the first thing that you notice is the lack of continuity -- in story line, characterization, technology, weaponry... it's a mess. Using Star Wars character names makes the stories more aggravating, but it probably makes the books more marketable.

If you are a hard core Sci-Fi person who reads indiscriminately, well -- these are books, all right. You can read them.

Some authors do a better job than others with writing stories -- Timothy Zahn, for one example -- but out of the entire series, the bright spots are few.

R.A.Salvatore has done it again. I have followed his work from the beginning and must say this is a plus for his carreer. I was worried that this story being of the Star Wars nature would not be as graphic as his other works, but boy was I wrong! You can see this entire story in your mind from beginning to end. For his first attempt at a Star Wars novel I think he did an excellent job. Mr. Salvatore, THE FORCE IS TRUELY WITH YOU.

From start to finish this is a hard book to put back on the shelf, it is nonstop excitement from Lando's Folly to the outskirts of the Helska System and back to the core planets. The threat seems real to the New Republic, but with the arrival of the three Solo children the outcome is never in doubt. I think that the plot was excellent and it is worthy of your time.

This book was a wonderful addition to the SW universe, RA Salvatore did a great job with everything...especially with the death of Chewie(since LFL told him to do it). It was well structured and flowed nicely from scene to scene. I wonder just what some people were reading...this book is much better then some of the others and starts the new jedi order just right and gives futur writers in this series a great start. To bad so many people don't realize this is George Lucas' universe and nothing happens unless he SAYS SO!(that's right...the boss said to do it!) The true SW fan will enjoy this book and see that this is just what SW needed to give it life again, you always knew the good guys would make it out alive...now you don't know what will happen and that's what makes a book worth reading and a series worth buying...hopefully people will see that and hopefully mr. Salvatore will be back.

I've read virtually every SW novel, and this is certainly one of the better ones. Salvatore is a skilled writer (unlike some of the other SW authors), who wrote a story that was interesting, and featured an alien race that I found to be a product of great creativity and imagination. I hope that the future books in this New Jedi Order are as good as this.

I never finished the video game because I got bored with it pretty quickly, so I figured the only way I could see how it ended was to read the book based on it. Man, was it a fun, action-packed read. Of course, it pretty much ended the way I was expecting, but still, it's the journey, not the destination. Right?

I just wrote a review on this book a minute ago, and now I realize that I went to easy on it. 1) Way to many run on sentences (even I,who flunked english can see that!). 2) Whats with diseased Mara? I mean God! when Luke finaly gets the girl she has to get this fricking disease! 3) And the Solo kids are suposed to be jedi? at15/16? And I'm supossed to belive that they are now better pilots than Han and Chewie ever were! Thats just not posible! 4) The Yuzhan Vong sound a lot like the Ssi Rukk from 'Truce at Bakura', they both can't touch the force. Yet the Ssi Rukk made more sense, considering they were better described than the Yuzhan Vong. I mean Salvatore hardly described them at all, the reader is as in the dark as much as the characters are. 5) And of course there's Chewie's demise, for that Salvatore should be banished from writing star wars books forever! It was not Star Wars! This may sound inferior coming from a 12-year-old,but its my opinion, and if you think diferently, you think wrong.

This book has been one of the quickest reads I have bought. I finished it in four days and the last 150 pages you will not stop till the end. Long live Admiral Ackbar his genius has been missed. I also like the Bothan stand that they will not stop until every vong thing is reduced to atoms. This goes in the face of the new Jedi resolve to show mercy. I love the philosophical debates over the Force. Any Star Wats fan that has been reading the NJO books will think that this book carries the torch very well and leaves countless ways that the same torch could be passed.

I of coarse was very angry when a main charactor was killed off in this well written book. It was indeed interesting to see how much it affected me, and is a tribute to the previous few books at how well they charactorized this charactor. One thing that was VERY vexing however was the fact that there were many, MANY interesting charactors who we were just introduced to who also died. Interesting, young love stories stopped, small sidenotes just dropped off mid stride and so on and so fourth. I believe these moves to kill off many of the young jedi knights hurt the series a lot. And so far, looking back on it, the series has never been as interesting as it was before this great charactor died. The following books do NOT bring fourth another to fill that created void. In fact, i wish they would just kill the next antagonist, and pick yet another one.

Even better than the first one. This book is amazing! With a lot more lightsaber action and yet a lot more drama, this book is worth while.The plot line is very well orchestrated and you cant wait any longer without reading this!

I got this book once i had the opportunity. Truth is, my choice of reading was correct!

Every good Star Wars story must have a very dramatic story in it with a lot of action. This book was filled with this. I'm still surprised how the apprentice ended out. This book was so interesting and had so much action, I couldn't stop in the middle until i was through 100 pages of the book.

In addition, this book really does express the Force in an Unleashed state (that is why they named that the book), and in one chapter, he brings down a Star Destroyer using only the force! The book expresses the protagonist destroying everything and killing everyone in sight.

Compared to other Star Wars books (which are also great), this book is unbelievingly great, and I strongly recommend it.

Vector Prime is the beginning book of the New Jedi Order saga. It takes on a completely different twist on the Star Wars universe by introducing a brand new, extragalactic species called the Yuuzhan Vong. The book is packed with action scenes, and catastrophic sequences. It also gets rid of a beloved character, which might put some one edge. Overall, Vector Prime is a very good book. The Galactic map is a real neat addition, too.

*NO* SPOILERS:

While I have read a few of them, I don't normally read the Star Wars books because they're essentially all the same: main characters get into difficult and dangerous situations where their 'life is in danger', but they never die and always live to see another day, despite the odds. Rinse and repeat, and you essentially have every Star Wars novel ever written.

With all the hype surrounding The Force Unleashed, I couldn't help but pick up a copy of the book to read before playing the game. And I'm really glad I did. The story, while slow in the beginning, definitely does not disappoint, especially in the end. Like the title states, the Force is truly unleashed within this novel, as barely a chapter goes by without some fast-paced lightsaber action. And, really, isn't that the best part about Star Wars? The plot, while arguably predictable, really does bridge the gap between Episodes III and IV, and really shines a new light on the entire six movies, especially the last three films dealing with the Rebellion. There are a few twists and turns along the way, especially at the very end of the story. Truth be told, I haven't been this shocked (or satisfied) with a Star Wars plot twist since the first Knights of the Old Republic game.

If you're a fan of Star Wars, do yourself a favor and read this. Even if you aren't a huge fan of the Star Wars books, this is definitely one you aren't going to want to miss. My only 'regret' about The Force Unleashed is that it wasn't made into a movie of its own!

Finally, a Star Wars book where the enemy has a chance! Not a stupid plot about a new superweapon. There is a threat. The last time the Republic looked like it would have to actually pay attention to an enemy was with Thrawn, now there is someone else.
Bad: They make it a short book, then have a sequel so you pay more money. These new SW books just don't cut it. Back in the day... when Bantam published, they were longer and contained better stories. Now... it is meaningless to read them, but this one is interesting.

I've read every other SW hardcover and I found the writing style of this one bordering on annoying. There were too many occasions of jumping from one scene to another for no particular reason that I could discern. This is one of those books that I had to "hurry up and finish" not because I liked it, but because I didn't want to think I wasted my money.

Some interesting twists and changes the characters go through. Chewbacca's death was well handled and logical. That doesn't mean I like it. The dialogue seemed a bit stilted, and some stuff was brought in too quickly (Mara's illness, Kyp's Squadron). The villans seemed interesting enough, what with their organic technology. Anyone who has followed sci-fi/fantasy for the last 18 years, you can see that this is not an entirely new thing. Babylon 5 have the Shadows. Star Trek: Voyager had that species from a parallel dimension. But before all these, G.I. Joe the Movie had the Inhabitants of Cobra-La. Look it up in video, and like Indie Jones says; "Trust me"ÿ

I have read through all the reviews posted here, and i have one thing to say to all the "fans" who are grousing about how killing a main character is simply not star wars. here is a list for all of you who have obviously not seen the movies: Obi-Wan Kenobi,uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, A New Hope; Yoda,anakin skywalker, ROTJ; and Qui-Gon Jin; TPM. Some of you Star Wars illiterates even went so far as to suggest that Mr. Salvatore, who did an admirable job with this novel, needed to watch the movies. I would suggest that you take your own advice. Mr. Salvatore did a wonderful job with the action scenes, and handled the death of a major character with a sense of dignity and heroism worthy of Mr. Lucas himself.

Awful. Just awful, despite a masterful hand-off from Stover, who gave us the best NJO book thus far in Traitor. I hope the remainder of the series isn't this bad. This book has literally dozens of continuity errors, both major and minor, and terminology that is inconsistant with the rest of the universe ("A section? What's a section? It has 4 ships? Oh, he must mean a flight.").
None of the characters act or speak correctly (most notably Jacen and Vergere, who spent a whole book getting very deep treatment only to become shallow and boring in this one, and act nothing like they should). Every character in this book takes 10 steps backward in their personal development. How do you ruin Admiral Pellaeon? He's one of my favorite extended universe characters, but now he's written to be a completely different person.
And how do you screw up Jacen's reunion with his family? It should have been moving and touching, and instead it was boring, drawn-out, and clinical.
I'm fairly certain that Walter Jon Williams hasn't read ANY of the other NJO books. I don't even think he's read any Star Wars books period. In fact, he may even have slept through the movies. This is easily the worst Star Wars novel I've ever read, and I've read roughly 60 of them. A book this pivotal should have been handed to Timothy Zahn or someone instead, or at least someone who LIKES Star Wars.
It just kills me that this is such an important book in the series. The only section that's worth the ink it's printed on is Vergere's flashback, and I almost think it may have been written by someone else. At least the next few novels can't possibly be any worse.

I really enjoyed this book although I was shocked and saddened by the death of Anakin Solo. He died saving his siblings and fellow Jedi much like Anakin Skywalker did in saving his son, Luke at the end of Return of the Jedi. I felt that it was extremely well written and the darkness described in it kind of gives me a taste of what to expect in the remaining two Star Wars Prequels. One thing I hope is that more of these stories will become uplifting again. The series has become a little too dark for my taste. The Vong remind me of modern day terrorists who kill to justify religious beliefs and they like today's terrorists, should be defeated. I would love to see more triumphs of the Jedi. I enjoyed it, but it is starting to become too depressing. I hope the Jedi win at the end because they deserve to.

So... this book is hard for me to review. I loved it for starters. Salvatore did a great job on the characters. The book has its heart felt moments, as well has laughter, but... Star Wars fans beware.. this story takes a dark turn. I will not mention anything about it even tho many already know without reading the book. I do recommend this book, it is a great great read i couldnt put it down and definitely a great intro into The New Jedi Order series. But sadly it ends the role of on of the most loved characters in the Star Wars universe.

When I first bought this book, I thought it would be sonehow different to other star wars books, due to the time it takes place 20 years after return of the jedi, I thought the charactors would have changed considerably, but I was surprised to see little change, I dont know if it was dissapointment or releif. I was also surprised to see Nom Anor, since I have only seen him appear in Crimson Empire 2. I must admit I was shocked to see Chewbacca die, he was always my favorite charactor since I first saw Star Wars. These new aliens I also loved, even though I can barely pronounce their name and cannot spell it, I thought it different to see an alien race that does not use mechanical technology, and I hope to see more of them in future novels. But the one thing that confuses me is, does this book have a happy ending or not.

Star by Star is a fast paced book. It will keep you on the edge of your seat through out the entire work. However at times it can be a little difficult to follow. Denning jumps around a lot during the text.
However a main character was killed off, and this seems outragous. It was one thing for the writers to kill of Chewbacca but it is completly different to kill of this character. In my opinion it completly killed of the book. The events have made a lot of devoted star wars readers turn away from the new series, and I am almost tempted to do the same. The death was completly unneeded and made the book much more somber. If it were not for this part the book would be an excellent addition to the New Jedi Order, however now it just (...).
I ask Mr. Denning why? It held no point and upset a lot of devoted readers. Bad Move.

This book was another good addition to the Star Wars selection of books. This book opens a new chapter in Star Wars. I really like this new story arc but some parts are not so good. Like when a certain Main chacter dies. That is really sad. Over all a good read but go to the library or get the paperback addition. The nice thing is they are going to start releasing a lot of books straight into paperback.

I thought that this novel was well thought out and very interesting. It was good to see the New Republic being threatened by something other than the remnants of the empire. It was a shame that Chewbacca had to die but I am glad that it happened. I am looking forward to the rest of the story and I am sure it will get better.

This book is very, very good, and I would recommend it to anyone who has read any of the other NJO series books. It completely blew me away. I read it, slept, then read it more, and when I slept, I even dreamed about the Yuuzhan Vong. It just can't e put down.
But this book is where the battle gets serious. People die. Big characters die. In fact, my favourite character died. It makes you feel worried that someone might die, because you know that it is possible that they might die.
The only criticism that I would have is that the character that died had a lot of future potential for other books, and in the previous books their character had been building up layer by layer for the reader. But it does add an edge to the proceedings that is lacking in many other fiction novels.
If you are a SW fan, then this is a must-get.

Alright, let me set the record straight. I've loved the NJO
series up to this point, but frankly I can't take the gloom and
doom any more.
Without giving away any of the deeply depressing plot, the basic
things you will find in Star By Star is a combination of severe
disaster. The Vong are not only invincible again, but any weaknesses revealed in Edge of Victory are almost completely ignored. The rift between major characters gets worse and worse.
And, the final insult, one of the best personalities of the whole series dies in probably the most hopeless and frustrating way possible!
From my point of view, Troy Denning has sounded the death-nell
to the NJO series, and possibly the entire Star Wars Expanded
Universe! It's a shame! It was a great series. Now, there is
hardly anything left to salvage out of the gutted remains of Lucus' decimated "galaxy far far away" to write about now.

Where can they possibly go from here? Mass Jedi suicides!? Might at well just forget it and let the Vong win, they already have for all intents and purposes.
Well, this is one reader who's sick of it! And until the NJO authors stop the "endless wave of tradegy" garbage, I'm not going to waste another dime on their novels.
And unless you enjoy hopeless defeat, one-sided plot, nearly omni-present villans, and useless and frustrating deaths of great characters, then I suggest you not only avoid this book but
all those that come after it.

I can't say I would really recommend this book to anyone looking for a *good* Star Wars novel. The problem with this novel is that it's an adaptation of the video game, which means the reader is basically reading through a video game. As another reviewer stated, there seems to be a boss battle every few chapters, which will grow to be exhausting after a short while. While the narration is excellent, it just seems too difficult to make a valuable novel out of a high-impact video game; however, for those on a quest to learn everything they can about Star Wars, this book is worthwhile in filling a few chronological gaps.

I thought the whole point of writing this series was to get the Rebels to start losing again. Think about it. They've defeated every opponent they've ever faced for twenty some years without suffering any major loss. That gets really boring after a while. Giving the characters challenges like the Vong allows the series to have more depth, and makes the reader (well me, at least) feel more for the characters. As for Anakin dying, well...let me just point out that Obi Wan died in the first movie, and he hung out for eight years after the fact.
Overall, the book is good, and has a lot of twists and turns that hopefully this board hasn't ruined for everyone who hasn't read the book yet. It loses its flow somewhere in the last 200 pages, but you kinda expect that in a 600 page book. It definitely breaks interesting new ground for the series as a whole.

This is one of the most horrible books I have read in my lifetime; and yes, I managed to read the whole book. Why I wasted my time I'm not sure. I'm sure Salvatore can write well, but some authors can adapt to the SW universe and some can't (Salvatore being one of the later).That a particular character died was not the problem. Nor was the new enemy (though I think we all miss the Imperials). The book was just not suspenseful, not compelling, the characters weren't very well developed/captured...<sigh>. Part of the problem is that no author has yet given the Solo children well-written, interesting characters. Yes, they've been characterized, but they're not yet -characters-. Just works-in-progress (not even people in progress).

like the phantom menace movie, this is one of those star wars episodes i wish they could just take back. while many of the events that take place in the book are meaningful for the series as a whole, the writing is flawed, the delivery poor. mara suffers especially as a character (altho this is in no measure exclusive to this book), as does her relationship with luke. the storyline itself, while introducing the newest and greatest threat to the new republic, is not in itself significant except for the death of a principle character. the depiction of the Yuuzhan Vong also lacks depth. after the amazing hand of thrawn duology, this book the biggest disappointment of the written series. unfortunately, i can't recommend skipping it, for it has enough information to merit reading if you i intend to continue reading the new series.

I bought this book back in 1999 when it was first released and I barely got 100 pages into it before giving up. I just didn't like the book and as a result I never really got into the New Jedi Order series. Recently I decided to give the book, and the series, another try. This time I did manage to finish the book, but didn't like it any better. It took me three days to get through the last 80 or so pages. The Solo children are portrayed like spoiled children who are in desperate need of discipline. Han, Leia and Luke have become boring old people, even though they are supposed to be only in their 40's and 50's. Plus the battle scenes could put you to sleep. I'm not sure if it was Mr. Salvatore's writing or the storyline that I didn't like. I'll have to read a couple of the other books in the series before I make my final judgement on the series, but I sure do hope they are better than the first installment.

I have found the New Jedi Order series to be an exciting deviation from the nosediving extended universe literature that came after Zahn and Stackpole. Destiny's Way is no exception to the rest of the NJI series. Although I did read this book in less than six hours one afternoon, yet I never put it down. The plot of this series was clearly plotted out in detail by a myriad of authors who divided up the writing tasks and an excellent job they did. The only thing that bothers me is the mentioning of the Yuuzhon Vong in prequal books that take place before the 6 episodes. These seem to eclipse the real Star Wars story and kinda bummed me out as pathetic as that sounds. Anyway, I enjoy a good, well-written read but despice garbage printed for the money they bring. With my basis in mind, I recommend this book to any who dont want to wait till paperback.

Starting forthright, I'll say that bilingualism is definitely a pre-requisite for this book. I had to take notes to remember the difference between dovin basals and oogolith masquers--not to mention trying to analyze a cmpletely alien psyche. I'll probably have to re-read it to truly appreciate all of Salvatore's hard work- him being a rookie to my realm and all. I am really impressed with the sheer effort that he put into trying to please us SW fans. It's not an easy task keeping me happy. I've hated some of the other Extended Universe Novels. Vector Prime is worthy of spending some time on though. I'm not sold on Salvatore's style, but his content was certainly not lacking.

I must say I really was into the book. I think it was nice that for once there was a different enemy than the Empire. But I do not think that it was a good idea to kill Chewbacca. I would also have liked to see some of the Jedi from the Young Jedi Knight series like Zekk in the book. All together I think it good book and I had fun reading it.

Why was Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back the best of the first trilogy? Because it was not your typical good guys face a problem, good guys solve problem, good guys win movie. This latest installment of the New Jedi Order series harkens back to Empire. A reader can't go through this series thinking the good guys will always win - because in this book, they lose. Yes, a major character dies (I would actually say two major characters die). And yes, the book has a dark tone. But readers can't flip through the pages wondering how the good guys will get out of this one. The reader genuinely wonders IF the good guys will get out of this one. That's what makes this book thrilling from page 1 to page 606. I can't wait for the next one.

Okay, when you read this book you will probably feel the blow to ?????? when he/she is killed. I didn't want to believe someone had died but I cried all the same. Troy Denning captures the feelings of the charactors from shock, to disbelief, to uncontrollable sorrow. He tells a good and realistic story that shows that in a war no one is home free.

I have read every post ROTJ book released and have to say I didnt find this one that great. To me it lacked originality. Haven't we already had an alien race come in from another galaxy(Truce at Bakura)? Luke has had numerous women leave him because of some problem that they want to deal with by themselves and it happens again. Hasn't Lando set up numerous dodgy mining operations before and put Han in the middle of something?
Ignoring that, the story was OK. The new characters were pretty good(Is Danni force sensitive and if so, why was she working on a scientific oupost as she obviously new about it) and the move away from everyone surviving every battle was a good one although a little upsetting!

Consistency seems to be a major issue in this series. When we last left Jacen he had become a sort of super Jedi whom we expected to do great and marvelous things. Instead he becomes almost a side note in this book and appears to have become a wimp again. Furthermore, one of the characters that had great potential is squandered and killed (you will have to read it I an not going to spoil that) needlessly. Please have these authors read the series before committing to actually writing on it. Maybe then, be more pleasing to the fans. A good read none the less but it had the potential to have been a great one.

Look, people, give Denning a break. IT WASN'T HIS CHOICE! Neither was Chewbacca back in Vector Prime. Neither did it for personal glory. Salvatore said in an interview that they told him AFTER he signed the contract.
On to the story: The most sizable story in the New Jedi Order is also one of the most well-written. A fine balance is struck between the various plotlines. I can honestly say that this man's work is up to par with the best of what I've read in the Star Wars universe--though Stackpole, Allston, and Zahn occupy the uppermost levels.
Yes, the dead one was one of the most significant. However, this serves to make the future events even more significant. How will the New Republic fare without this hero? We are beginning to see, and I, for one, can only wish the series would last much, much longer.

The book was an incredible read. It became one of those books you literaly can't put down as I read it in one day. The new enemy is very well thought out along with the technology they use. Without giving away any of the plot, something that was bound to happen finally does, which makes this book a must read.

For all you people who seem to be so obsessed with Mara's illness, I have just a couple of things to say. First of all, Luke can't do everything, neither can the Force. Second, this disease is from another galaxy, so it can't be healed by the Force so stop bickering, and get on with your lives!

I found this storyline/plot quite interesting -- New characters / new twists.
I picked this up without reading any reviews about it -- It is Star Wars after all and I haven't read a Star Wars novel I didn't enjoy!
I am looking forward to the story continuing and a main character found alive !...

Vector Prime is a good solid read that moves the Star Warscharacters and the "expanded universe" forward. The bookmoves along at a brisk pace creating wonderful visuals in the mind. The feeling of "doom to come" permeates the story giving it a tense feel. Will our heroes figure out the threats before it is too late? Will they cure Mara Jade before she dies? The sequence on the doomed planet Serpidal is fantastic. The visuals created by R A Salvatore rival that of any computer generated movie work . . . This book was a perfect launch to the New Jedi Order series. Every journey begins with a first step. This was quite a memorable step indeed. The "expanded universe" of the novels and comics has left the movies way behind. George Lucas will be hard pressed to catch up at this point.

Star by Star was exciting and well written, and further reduces the Star Wars universe to a pointless endeavor. Personally, I have decided to exempt the NJO from my version of Star Wars--Vision of the Future was a great ending as far as I'm concerned. Star by Star (and other NJO novels) seems to make all other novels, and (more importantly) the movies obsolete. What does it matter if Han and Luke and the rest defeat the empire? Thirty years later the whole galaxy will be killed by the Yuuzhan Vong anyway. And due to the loss of major charactors, it's hard to believe any of the surviving charactors will ever by truly happy again. I'd stake my bets that the NJO series is old man Lucas' attempt to rake in some more cash for his own empire. But for me, it has just gone too far.

Okay, I haven't read this book yet, but from some of the other reviews, I have learned, that Chewbacca dies! Chewbacca is one of my favorite characters, he can't die! And anyways Mr. Salvadore or whatever havn't you read Kevin J. Anderson's and Rebecca Moesta's books - Young Jedi Kights, Chewbacca's alive in them and unless I'm mistaken which I don't think I am, young Jedi Knights, comes after Vector Prime. I was going to read this book, but frankly, now I don't think I want to. I am very dissapointed!

Salvatore really captures the characters in his writing style. I had read some of his fantasy and was hopeful that he would be able to write SF just as well. He more than exceeded my hopes and expectations. He has proven again his ability to write in a style that really brings the reader into the story - a great read.

Salvatore really did a good job of messing everybody up. And why the heck did Chewie have to die? I mean, come on! This was probably one of the worst Star Wars books i have ever read! Oh well........ At least Stackpole's written the new book. He's at least better than Salvatore. GOD! THe plot was messed, though I rather enjoyed the Yuuhan VOng, cuz they're completely resistent to the FORCE!Also, Mara Jade, Han Solo, all of them were messed up! DON'T BOTHER EVEN READINGTHISBOOK! I reccommend all of the Timothy Zahn books, especially his Hand of Thrawn Duology.

This book is one of the best "Star Wars" novels I've read so far. I'm a huge fan of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Series, but Denning's Star by Star is "darker" than most Star Wars novels, and a bit gloomy at times, but I think its worthy book. It marks the halfway point in the New Jedi Order series and there is plenty of fighting in space and on the ground. Granted, the NJO series is a bit long, and sometimes I felt as if some books shouldn't even have been made, but Star by Star is not one those. It is arguably THE most important book in the series, with plot twists everywhere. Buy it, but not before you read the previous novels or if you have some knowledge of the events in Yuuzhan-Vong war

R.A. Salvatore is not a Star Wars author and he is not a promising way to start a new series of books that are supposed to revive Star Wars. His structure is juvenile to say the least. His abuse of repetative words ("Up, up, up high above the ground"), hypenated interjections, and exclimation marks makes this work almost a pain to read.

As for the actual substance of the book he can not really be blamed for. Most of the material involving the Vuuzhan Vong is not actually Salvatore's doing and was agreed upon by the other authors. While not exactly believable, the new biological weapons that the Vong bring with them are no more obtuse than say, hyperspace technology, and ray shielding.

The true pain comes towards the end of the book though when Salvatore pretends that he has a physics degree and understands that which is only theoretical. Rather than ruin the end I would just like to say that evaporation is a process that involves wind and not heat. While such an act can be forgiven the final blow came when the author introduced a 4th state of matter. Not plasma, the inner makings of a star, but instead on the other end of the spectrum, at absolute zero. The shear ignorance of dabbling in something completely beyond his league and attempting to explain phenominon that was completely beyond his reach did the book in for me.

I am not rating it as 1 star though because this book introduces a new race. This new race kicks off a series of books that quite literally stands the Star Wars universe upon its head and while its unfortunate that an author lacking any apparent sense of taste began this series, the other authors more than make up for his shortcomings. Do not denounce the New Jedi Order just because it got off to a bad start. And everything deserves a second chance, especially anything involving Lucas.

This book was amazing. I don't know what it was about this book, but I thought it really rocked. Everybody should read this, even if they don't like Star Wars (although it probably helps to be a fan). I just couldn't put this book down. The only thing I hated was the fact Chewbacca died. Why the heck did Salvatore do that!?! I actually cried. That is very rare for me. I felt better after I looked at my Star Wars Insider magazine. In issue #50, they have a quote from a reader: "Please, take a moment of silence for our good friend Chewbacca, and remember all the times he snickered and growled." I saw that and laughed. All in all, the book was great, and I think you should read it.

This book is action packed. It's among the best I've ever read. This is not just a kids book, I recommend it for people ages eleven and up. You will not want to put this book down. The best part is that there are a boatload of sequells after this one and they're all just as good. This is a great book in an awesome series.

It is a solemn time for the New Republic, as the merciless Yuuzhan Vong continue their campaign of destruction. The brutal enemy has unleashed a savage creature capable of finding--and killing--Jedi Knights. And now Leia Organa Solo faces a terrible ultimatum. If the location of the secret Jedi base is not revealed within one week, the Yuuzhan Vong will blast millions of refugee ships into oblivion.

This book is probably the best NJO novel of all time! It's very large which in this case is a good thing. I'm sad to see Anakin go, but I'm impressed with Mr. Dennings' approach to the death of one of the fan favorite characters. You will either hate this book, or you will love it... I loved it and I hope that you do as well. Enjoy!

i have read all the books in the NJO series and i have to say that STAR BY STAR is, by far, the best yet! The story has all of the emotion found in the Empire Strikes Back x10. I will have to admit that due to it's gritty realism , this story is not at all for kids. There are deaths at almost every turn, annd trimes when the story gets extremely disheartening. But whhat do you expect it is afterall a war, and Troy Denning doesn't sugar coat. He delivers the story in such a way that you feel that this IS ACTUALLY A WAR , not STARWARS WAR where the main players eternally prevail. Despite the deaths of several mainstays,including Anakin Solo, my favorite character, this has still turned out to be one of my favorite stories in all of star wars .. and i am a 24 year old lifelong fan

This book was a bit odd? I HATED how he acted like Luke, Leia and Han were old! People in that galaxy live to like 164! So don't give that! But I found the author gave all the characters human emotions and reation to situations(exp Jacen dying of embarassment on the skirt he had to wear, don't worry Jacen is NOT a crossdresser) But this is were I need the Web comunity's help! Were it says "Did this review help you?" Click yes if you think This series should end with some new Jedi twin(Skywalker)

This book had huge potential but was completely ruined by the lack of accurate information. Maybe I'm just too much of a fan, but there are some serious contradictions to the already established Expanded Universe storyline. I feel like the creators of this story either didn't do any research or didn't care about the story thus far. I don't recommend this book to any of the bigger fans of Star Wars. I think the author made a decent attempt at writing a novel based off such a over the top video game, but the misinformation was too much for me.

If you haven't read the book and you want to, the rest of this review might spoil a little bit of the story so look away!

I won't go into much, but here are a few things I had problems with. Jedi Master Shaak Ti was killed in Episode III in every form of it. The deleted scene in the movie, the novel, even LEGO Star Wars. I did hear somewhere that the game creators just wanted to use her so they decided to overlook that small detail. Vader's helmet has red lenses. The book mentions how they are black. I know that this is a very small detail, and maybe I'm wrong about the Episode III Vader. But he I know he has red lenses in the original trilogy. At one point his helmet gets knocked off during a fight. He can't breathe without his helmet and In Shadows of the Empire he just gets to the point where he can breathe without it for 2 minutes of meditation. Meditation... Not during a lightsaber fight. The rebel leaders get rounded up and put on the Death Star and escape. The Radio Drama and the Han Solo trilogy by A.C. Crispin have already told us a little about how the rebellion was formed and how it found out about the Death Star. This was not it. Completely different. Plus, if Vader and the Emperor already knew who the rebellion leaders were, then why did they let them live after the events of this book?

I know this sounds a little picky of me, and some of my examples weren't very well written out or they weren't that important. But the contradictions just kept adding up and getting bigger and bigger until this video game based book became unbearable. So maybe this book is just better for the casual fan, and not the big Star Wars fan like me.

Despite my title, I think the book was well written. Troy Denning did a good job. This book has a lot interesting twists and it's never slow paced. After the Vong create a special creature that is bred to destroy the jedi, Luke finally gets it in gear and decides to "take the fight to" the Vong. We get to see a lot more of the older generation(Han, Luke, etc.)than we have for some time.
However, when my favorite character in the whole EU died I was really annoyed. Yes, it is a war, and in wars people die, but when I read a science FICTION book I'm not looking for a big o slap of unhappy realism, especially from Star Wars. The death damages part of what makes Star Wars better than other sci fi series. I still feel depressed. I hope NJO is going somewhere good with this, because otherwise all the death did was anger a lot of people. This is my opinion and I don't care what all those weird people who think the death was a good thing say. It ruined a great book.

Unfair to others I know Walters writing style from a vantage point. The book is not intended to give this episode a solid plot but more so the "Air" or atmosphere for future works, which I cannot wait for. This book has the feel of the time in question, the technology, the politics, the overall environment. The book is beautifully written, so when you get into this, remember Star Wars is a Saga, and at times the Saga cannot be compacted with theme or plot in a reasonably sized book, the best is yet to come and you'll need this material to appreciate it. Read it to enjoy the style, the time frame. If you like Star Wars as this and with Destiny in mind read SB: 1 by Karl Maddox, it's very good.

I won't go into any great detail as to the why's and wherefore's of the mistakes made in this book, but considering the rest of the series was pretty much dead-on with the representation of the characters we know and love and the ones who have been introduced since the conception of the New Jedi Order, this book dropped the ball horribly. I know it's nitpicking, but Han Solo is a GENERAL!! He's been a general since Return of the Jedi! If the author hasn't even seen all the movies, find a new author. Or make sure he does his research. Though I guess it comes down to the editor as well. In a series as popular and well-versed as the Star Wars saga, little mistakes like calling him Captain Solo make it tough to read a book. I also read the e-book (Ylesia) by Mr. Williams, and skimmed through it because it was the same stilted junk that Destiny's Way was. And I agree with the other reviewers that it was tough to follow up a book like Traitor. That was an amazing piece of writing. This book was just a bump along the way to hopefully better stories.

I really enjoyed this book. I played the video game first (the Wii Version) then read the book. Not only did the book give a lot more background information and give better insight to the characters (particularly Starkiller/Galen), it also made the game play much more enjoyable. On its own, this is a great companion book, as the story is wonderful and is a nice bridge between the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. I've heard rumors of the book becoming a new movie and if it is as good as this book is I will be in line for tickets on opening night.

I would highly recommend this book for any fan of the series.