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melsage1823's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A sequel that immensely improves upon its predecessor and includes huge high stakes as well as good character development for our core cast.
I was willing to give up on this Trilogy after reading and rereading Aftermath but Life Debt for the most part easily improved on the flaws of Aftermath and created a very emotional and action packed sequel. I now have high hopes that Empires End has the potential to be even better. It was much more easier to follow the three main plot narratives and as a result it turned out less messier than the last book's attempt. Another thing I appreciated is that it breaks the middle trilogy and it actually did all the world building Aftermath should have done.
Despite it being a major improvement I do believe there's still something that majorly let it down. The pacing was absolutely atrocious, like Aftermath tons of plotline is crammed into the very last third of the book and as it results it minimises the impact of the twist and ending of the book. Life Debt could have easily done with at least 100 more pages to let the sudden twist settle and so the narrative plot could develop and shift without being hindered. A part 6 would have really helped raise my enjoyment of the story and it's quality. I'm hoping Wending took fans feedback and actually made Empires End a decent pace.
The pacing links into the factor that apart from Han and Mon Mothma, most of the orginal trilogy cast were done dirty in this novel. Leia and Wedge didn't get anything proper to do until the last third of the novel and although it was exciting it was also very annoying. I like Wedge but Leia is one of my favourite characters and I didn't get how she didn't go with the crew as it would have in small ways benefited the character dynamics and upped the stakes at the very beginning. Wedge just only seems to be there as a plot device for the Wexley family. I hope our og cast get treated better in Empires End if they are in it.
Now with the negatives out of the way it's time to finally get onto the main positives for this novel. First I have to praise the fact that the series is finally doing what it was meant to do. Life Debt truly takes us into the heat of the Aftermath of ROTJ and not only shows how fractured the Empire are but also how easy it is to crumble the New Republic. The politics are truly the most fascinating part of this normal as it blurs the lines on the pacism vs war debate. It shows us the importance of being peaceful but also what happens when you don't have anything to defend yourself. We fully get to understand in this novel what a fractured Empire and a peaceful New Republic really means for the galaxy and I love that. It approached the politics in a really thoughtful, philosophical way.
Next I have to praise the incredible story arcs for all the characters that were absolutely worth caring about. In the first one I felt like the character arcs were very shallow and basic but here in life debt they're expanded on and are absolutely relatable. Norra fears change and if full of guilt but its also worried about her son becoming like her, Jas is conflicted about her purpose as a bounty hunter and making friends and 😘, whilst Temmin is still haunted by what happened to his Dad and Sinjir is of course conflicted about his morality after betraying the Empire. I won't spoil but even Han, Leia and Chewy get good arcs. Jom being a new addition to the cast faired really well too. Each character for the most part is done very well and it's a major improvement that I actually sympathise with the struggles are characters are facing. The character development and arcs are worth it for picking up this novel alone.
Finally the stakes. The first book felt pretty basic in terms of trying to make the imperial reminisce a major threat but in this book they absolutely are. I found Sloane a really interesting villian but I felt like she was more a Vader level threat and that we needed more of a Palpatine level threat and we get one through Gallis Rax. Rax is perfect and his role in the novel as the puppet master ups the stakes of the whole novel. He's in the novel like a slow virus ready to infect and he definitely poses a huge challenge for our cast of hero's even Sloane. I can't explain myself without spoilers but the action is dialed up and there's more urgency to fix everything. It's aesthetic is very Empire Strikes back lack. Despite the terrible pacing I felt like there was actually more to loose thanks to how well developed the threat of the imperial reminisce was. I was actually invested and scared for all the characters. The fake out deaths generally had me fooled. The Empires plan creates a Winter Solider like twist that will leave you reeling.
Overall it's a much better sequel and a very good middle trilogy book. It does the job of what the first novel should have done even better. It shows the chaos of transitioning political power and the consequences of war. It also sets up the finally perfectly. Despite its pitfalls I highly recommend this book and promise reading Aftermath to get to it is a hundred percent worth it. This book proves Wending style can work if he takes on the right feedback.
I was willing to give up on this Trilogy after reading and rereading Aftermath but Life Debt for the most part easily improved on the flaws of Aftermath and created a very emotional and action packed sequel. I now have high hopes that Empires End has the potential to be even better. It was much more easier to follow the three main plot narratives and as a result it turned out less messier than the last book's attempt. Another thing I appreciated is that it breaks the middle trilogy and it actually did all the world building Aftermath should have done.
Despite it being a major improvement I do believe there's still something that majorly let it down. The pacing was absolutely atrocious, like Aftermath tons of plotline is crammed into the very last third of the book and as it results it minimises the impact of the twist and ending of the book. Life Debt could have easily done with at least 100 more pages to let the sudden twist settle and so the narrative plot could develop and shift without being hindered. A part 6 would have really helped raise my enjoyment of the story and it's quality. I'm hoping Wending took fans feedback and actually made Empires End a decent pace.
The pacing links into the factor that apart from Han and Mon Mothma, most of the orginal trilogy cast were done dirty in this novel. Leia and Wedge didn't get anything proper to do until the last third of the novel and although it was exciting it was also very annoying. I like Wedge but Leia is one of my favourite characters and I didn't get how she didn't go with the crew as it would have in small ways benefited the character dynamics and upped the stakes at the very beginning. Wedge just only seems to be there as a plot device for the Wexley family. I hope our og cast get treated better in Empires End if they are in it.
Now with the negatives out of the way it's time to finally get onto the main positives for this novel. First I have to praise the fact that the series is finally doing what it was meant to do. Life Debt truly takes us into the heat of the Aftermath of ROTJ and not only shows how fractured the Empire are but also how easy it is to crumble the New Republic. The politics are truly the most fascinating part of this normal as it blurs the lines on the pacism vs war debate. It shows us the importance of being peaceful but also what happens when you don't have anything to defend yourself. We fully get to understand in this novel what a fractured Empire and a peaceful New Republic really means for the galaxy and I love that. It approached the politics in a really thoughtful, philosophical way.
Next I have to praise the incredible story arcs for all the characters that were absolutely worth caring about. In the first one I felt like the character arcs were very shallow and basic but here in life debt they're expanded on and are absolutely relatable. Norra fears change and if full of guilt but its also worried about her son becoming like her, Jas is conflicted about her purpose as a bounty hunter and making friends and 😘, whilst Temmin is still haunted by what happened to his Dad and Sinjir is of course conflicted about his morality after betraying the Empire. I won't spoil but even Han, Leia and Chewy get good arcs. Jom being a new addition to the cast faired really well too. Each character for the most part is done very well and it's a major improvement that I actually sympathise with the struggles are characters are facing. The character development and arcs are worth it for picking up this novel alone.
Finally the stakes. The first book felt pretty basic in terms of trying to make the imperial reminisce a major threat but in this book they absolutely are. I found Sloane a really interesting villian but I felt like she was more a Vader level threat and that we needed more of a Palpatine level threat and we get one through Gallis Rax. Rax is perfect and his role in the novel as the puppet master ups the stakes of the whole novel. He's in the novel like a slow virus ready to infect and he definitely poses a huge challenge for our cast of hero's even Sloane. I can't explain myself without spoilers but the action is dialed up and there's more urgency to fix everything. It's aesthetic is very Empire Strikes back lack. Despite the terrible pacing I felt like there was actually more to loose thanks to how well developed the threat of the imperial reminisce was. I was actually invested and scared for all the characters. The fake out deaths generally had me fooled. The Empires plan creates a Winter Solider like twist that will leave you reeling.
Overall it's a much better sequel and a very good middle trilogy book. It does the job of what the first novel should have done even better. It shows the chaos of transitioning political power and the consequences of war. It also sets up the finally perfectly. Despite its pitfalls I highly recommend this book and promise reading Aftermath to get to it is a hundred percent worth it. This book proves Wending style can work if he takes on the right feedback.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Blood, and War
carlyoc's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The small adventuring party formed by chance in book one now regularly undertake missions together for the New Republic. Nora Wexley leads the team made up of her son Temmin, ex-imperial torturer Sinjir Rath Velus, bounty hunter Jas Emari, and a new character, New Republic soldier Jom Barell. They go on a mission to find the missing Hab Solo and instead end up liberating a secret prison full of Resistance/New Republic captives.
Meanwhile, Rae Sloane is leader of the imperial forces only in name as she is being manipulated by her mysterious advisor Gallius Rax, who has a very different vision for the future of the empire than she does.
Meanwhile, Rae Sloane is leader of the imperial forces only in name as she is being manipulated by her mysterious advisor Gallius Rax, who has a very different vision for the future of the empire than she does.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Torture, Violence, and War
galacticvampire's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
"We are all just asteroids, tumbling into one another."
Life Debt brings a new layer of sophistication to the themes of war, loyalty and what turns the gears of a political system.
Read after Bloodlines, it's very interesting to see how the seeds of the fall of the New Republic are already there from the start. The bureaucracy and compromises, although understandably a fundamental part of democracy, tying the hands of people who want to do good for the galaxy.
The book also turns up a notch on violence and cruelty, always a good reminder on how integral exploitation is in an Empire. The New Republic might need to deal with things better, but the author never uses that to falls back into a "maybe the Empire had SOME good" argument.
I can appreciate the maturity of the narrative in not pretending the plot twist was a huge reveal, and relying much more on the consequences of it. It was a very natural progression for the story, and the author seemed to realize a good portion of the audience would see it coming and dealt with the situation accordingly.
My only draw-back still is the constant pov shifting, a bit heavy handed for my personal taste, but still considerably better executed than in the previous book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy