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This whole series wasn't too bad. I've read most Star Wars novels and there are very few that aren't dry and boring. This one was in the middle somewhere. not great, but not a bad read either.
Nothing happens in this book, except to show you just how overwhelming powerful and smart the Sith are and just how stupid Luke and the rest of the Jedi are. This whole "Legacy of the Force" series has been just too boring and unbelievable from the beginning. This book brings the already poor series to a new low. If the Sith had all this power they would have taken over the galaxy years ago. Stupid plots, stupid conversations, stupid storyline.
This Star Wars series has been less than inspiring in many aspects, giving us a tour of various Star Wars authors, reaquainting us with their strengths and weaknesses, and all the while following a very slow moving master plot. This is saying a lot, because really, Han and Leia have a pretty exciting ride.Aaron's debut to the series was really a long way from the quality of this novel. I really feel like a lot of the good ideas for this series originated with Aaron, and perhaps he wanted to do too much with the plot of the first novel and forgot to just sit down and write a good book. Only if you read like a banshee, and get from books 1 to 4 in a flash, do you get find some things starting to move.Exile is the major turning point in the series, where motives are discovered, and we can begin to understand the focus of the master plot by simply having the characters figure it out for themselves. Clearly, Aaron should be the star writer of this series, and is very necessary to advance the main plot.This book was hard to put down, and vallidated my faith in the series. Not only that, but each character in the stories is given time to develop, strategize, and be tested in new and dramatic ways.In terms of who to look for in this book, Ben Skywalker is of the most interest, and Alema Rar is a close second on the "darkside" of the coin. When you are used to looking at the films, with their clear plot objectives and movement outlined with very little else, and then, with Legacy of the Force, are given vague plot objectives and movement with a whole lot of extraneous material, it has a tendency to have a diluting effect. This novel had heart, which the first one did not, and this novel had focus, while the first novel was completely scattered.
Jacen is clearly not the star of this book, but his parents, Han and Leia, along with old buddy Lando drive a good portion of the plot. While their story brings a lot of the old good buddy smuggler comradarie back into the story, given it a nice warm appeal, the things going on around Han and Leia are sometimes more interesting the things that they do themselves. This book was a success on a number of levels, and almost seemed to be an amalgam of the best traits of all the authors so far. Kudos to Aaron.Highly Recommended.
I thought the strained relationship between Jag and Jaina was refreshing to the series and brought back and personally well loved aspect from the New Jedi Order series. The main problem is that nothing really happens. Ben, now back at the Jedi Temple, receives a secret mission from Jacen to retrieve a powerful artifact and eventually ends up stranded on the Sith planet of Ziost. Between these points is some well-written filler, ending with a failed attempt by Jacen to infiltrate a conference of the new Corellian Federation. Don't get me wrong, the book isn't absolutely horrible; in fact, what is important is very well done and will most likely have a significant impact on future events.
I now wonder how the LotF can continue over five more books without becoming stale and uninteresting. I'm sad to say that this is probably my least favourite book of the series so far and, for the first time, I'm starting to doubt if the LotF can really span out over five more books and still stay interesting. Jag is back, seemingly for good this time, and has teemed up with Jaina and Zekk on a Jedi-aided mission to stop Alema from carrying out her evil intentions (and he introduces a nifty little invention the transfers things immediately into the long-term memory). Allston is a great writer and contributes great things to the Star Wars universe, but Exile just failed to deliver. Jacen attempts to infiltrate a conference of the new federation, failing miserably and abandoning his parents (who eagerly rush to his rescue) and other family members in the scuffle the follows his failure.There are also a few side plots unfolding. Now that Zekk has abandoned his infatuation for Jaina, I'm eager to see if the love that once existed between Jaina and Jag will be rekindled (I've always preferred that couple to the Jaina/Zekk pairing).
So far, I've rather enjoyed the Legacy of the Force series and have eagerly devoured the first three books of the series. There honestly isn't a lot that happens in this book; or nothing of great importance, at any rate. Alema, still on her quest to bring Balance to the galaxy, also secures a place on the Errant Venture and eventually squares off with some of the Jedi. Lumiya, in the meantime, has been setting up an alliance between Commenor, Bothawui, and Corellia, leading to the formation of the Corellian Federation. Still on the run from the Galactic Alliance and the Corellia system, Han and Leia find their way to Lando Calrissian, who repairs their ship and aids them in travelling freely via disguise. The main points are surrounded in filler and some interesting, but ultimately unimportant events (such as Leia, Han, the Antilles family, and Alema doing their thing on the Errant Venture). Somewhere in this line, Leia comes to the realization that only the unity of the Skywalker-Solo clans can bring the galaxy together and keep it at relative peace. Ultimately, the plot isn't really developed any further than it was at the end of the third book.
Spoilers follow. The ultimate failure or success of his mission is not yet known. The tiresome "Sword of the Jedi" prophesy returns, much to my dismay. Luke and Mara continue to play a rather small role in the grand scheme of things. From there, they meet up with the Antilles family and board the gambling ship Errant Venture in hopes of gaining access to Corellian space.
The planet pushes Ben to his physical and mental limits, testing him for his ability to become a Sith apprentice, while, at the same time, Ben struggles with wanting to please Jacen and wanting to fulfill his duty as a Jedi. I, for one, hope it either proves to be a deciding factor in the conflict (and finally proves its worth) or fades back into obscurity. Exile, however, took me almost two weeks to get through and then didn't leave me feeling particularly satisfied. It seems like a half-baked idea invented and brought back just for the sake of throwing something else into the mix. This idea didn't work that well in the New Jedi Order series and, honestly, I don't see it doing much for the Legacy of the Force, either. Despite not being a fan of Mara, I have to wonder why the two aren't stepping up and rising to the occasion like they usually do. Nothing really happens, the characters don't develop past where they were in the previous book, the plot doesn't really develop, and we still don't know why the Galactic Alliance has suddenly become so Empire-like or why the rift between it and Corellia has formed. The attempts on Ben's life are foiled by the young Jedi and he escapes the planet safely with the amulet.
The main points are Ben being sent on a secret Sith test, the Skywalker- Solo families coming together and realizing the significance of their unity, and the siding of a few key planets with Corellia. Whatever the reason, it seems odd that they more or less just sit in the background while the events of the first four books unfold around them. Predictably, no one is hurt, Alema flees once again, and everyone is right back to where they left off at the end of the previous book. Unbeknownst to him, the mission is really a test orchestrated by Jacen and Lumiya to determine whether or not Ben will make an acceptable apprentice for Jacen. They have the motive (their son possibly turning to the Dark Side and throwing the galaxy out of balance) and the skills; perhaps it's their age holding them back.
Book was a good read.Book arrived in a very timely fashion.Book arrived in excellent condition.
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