Scan barcode
mickb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gapagrin's review against another edition
4.0
It's a bit difficult to be a guardian of peace and justice in the galaxy when practically the entire galaxy thinks you're responsible for everything terrible that happens. The major theme of this series seems to be that people are terrible and that democracy doesn't work. It's rather depressing, really. The New Republic still won't do anything about the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, leaving the Jedi to take care of all of it, except when they do, they get blamed for the problem in the first place. People they save are more than willing to hand them over to their enemies.
And the Jedi have got more problems of their own - many are arrogant (Kyp Durron), or selfish (Jacen Solo - your Force philosophy problem should probably take a back seat to helping fight the war that's killing everyone), or crippled with indecision (Luke). Apparently having an enemy that's invisible in the Force and the galaxy they're trying to protect blame and mistrust them isn't enough. You've got to have them mistrust each other as well. Even the 'good' Jedi have got problems of their own. Anakin's still understandably feeling guilty about Chewbacca's death, even though there wasn't any other choice he could have made, and Han is not making that any better by blaming Anakin for it and then basically abandoning his family. Mara's still fighting a Yuuzhan Vong-induced illness. Only Jaina seems to have anything good going for her, because she joined Rogue Squadron and is now more of a pilot with Jedi training than a full acting Jedi.
I thought, after Onslaught, that we might have a respite from this shitstorm, because it was discovered that an Ithorian plant caused an allergic reaction in all of the Yuuzhan Vong's organic 'technology', their armour, their ships, their weapons, etc. are all grown. This series is 19 books long, so I didn't expect this advantage to last long, but it would have been nice to have an advantage for any amount of time at all. At least the Jedi manage to come together to try to defend Ithor from the impending attack.
The early part of the book focused on the Jedi disagreeing about everything from methods to tactics, with some Jedi going off to track down a superweapon that had been destroyed years ago after Kyp Durron went a bit mad with it and destroyed a planet. I could understand a bit better wanting to protect everyone if the process of searching for said weapon hadn't included some rather dark methods, including knocking out and kidnapping Anakin Solo to have leverage over Luke Skywalker. This whole war is bad enough without the Jedi turning on each other, too.
It was a relief when we finally got to Ithor and the Jedi were finally able to work as a team again. The division in their ranks was starting to get annoying. We've got enough division, within the New Republic, within the Solo family. It was nice to see some unity for once, even if it still ended up failing spectacularly. Poor Anakin just can't catch a break - he manages to turn the whole kidnapping fiasco into a friendship and then it ends about as badly as the defence of Ithor. No wonder this duology is called Dark Tide.
And the Jedi have got more problems of their own - many are arrogant (Kyp Durron), or selfish (Jacen Solo - your Force philosophy problem should probably take a back seat to helping fight the war that's killing everyone), or crippled with indecision (Luke). Apparently having an enemy that's invisible in the Force and the galaxy they're trying to protect blame and mistrust them isn't enough. You've got to have them mistrust each other as well. Even the 'good' Jedi have got problems of their own. Anakin's still understandably feeling guilty about Chewbacca's death, even though there wasn't any other choice he could have made, and Han is not making that any better by blaming Anakin for it and then basically abandoning his family. Mara's still fighting a Yuuzhan Vong-induced illness. Only Jaina seems to have anything good going for her, because she joined Rogue Squadron and is now more of a pilot with Jedi training than a full acting Jedi.
I thought, after Onslaught, that we might have a respite from this shitstorm, because it was discovered that an Ithorian plant caused an allergic reaction in all of the Yuuzhan Vong's organic 'technology', their armour, their ships, their weapons, etc. are all grown. This series is 19 books long, so I didn't expect this advantage to last long, but it would have been nice to have an advantage for any amount of time at all. At least the Jedi manage to come together to try to defend Ithor from the impending attack.
The early part of the book focused on the Jedi disagreeing about everything from methods to tactics, with some Jedi going off to track down a superweapon that had been destroyed years ago after Kyp Durron went a bit mad with it and destroyed a planet. I could understand a bit better wanting to protect everyone if the process of searching for said weapon hadn't included some rather dark methods, including knocking out and kidnapping Anakin Solo to have leverage over Luke Skywalker. This whole war is bad enough without the Jedi turning on each other, too.
It was a relief when we finally got to Ithor and the Jedi were finally able to work as a team again. The division in their ranks was starting to get annoying. We've got enough division, within the New Republic, within the Solo family. It was nice to see some unity for once, even if it still ended up failing spectacularly. Poor Anakin just can't catch a break - he manages to turn the whole kidnapping fiasco into a friendship and then it ends about as badly as the defence of Ithor. No wonder this duology is called Dark Tide.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
4.0
"It is only through functioning together that we can succeed"
The war against the Yuuzhan Vong continues. Leia attempts to bring Paelleon and the Imperial Remnant into the fight, while Luke and Mara try to keep the Jedi Order together. And Corran, Ganner, and Jacen go on an important fact-finding mission to Garqi.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
I went into Ruin with eager expectation, on a high after reading [b:Onslaught|320343|Onslaught (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #2; Dark Tide I)|Michael A. Stackpole|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287347069s/320343.jpg|952200], which was probably a bad thing. Not the reading order, just my unrealistic expectation. It would explain my "meh" reaction at finishing this entry into the New Jedi Order series.
Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book, by no means. Stackpole's worst is better than many authors' best (Kevin J. Anderson? Barbara Hambly?). But nonetheless, I couldn't help the wandering mind as I listened.
Character-wise, we get some nice growth from people like Corran, Jacen, and Ganner. Particularly Ganner. I really like the direction that Stackpole took him. Even Corran's arc was nicely done. I love how he ended up being the scapegoat and having to leave the Order to save face. Nice bit of political manuevering there. Even the ever-ambivalent Jacen is pretty nice, as he temporarily sets aside his need to figure out his destiny. When I first read these books ages ago, he had irritated me. "Why are you thinking about where you belong when there's a war going on?" would be a common complaint bouncing around in my head as Jacen hemmed and hawed. Now, I kinda understand what he's going through (ah, aging, it does wonder to your life).
However, other characters end up on the chopping block. Han is barely present, and only there to remind us that he is still mourning. Leia secures Paelleon's help and then promptly disappears from the narrative. Luke and Mara are reduced to propping devices for Anakin's character development. Two new, very minor characters (Daeshara'cor, a Jedi Knight investigating superweapons, our favorite plot device, and Anni Capstan, Jaina's wingmate) are barely given any time before they are dramatically killed. In Daeshara'cor's case, her story was boring; in Anni Capstan, not enough time was spent on developing her as a good friend to Jaina, so when she died, I was like, "So what?"
Even the storylines were more boring this time around. Leia goes to Paelleon to ask for aid. Whoopee. Luke and Mara hunt after Jedi 372 who wants to use a superweapon. Been there, done that. Even the interesting new character, Chalco, only serves as a surrogate Han to poor Anakin. And then, suddenly, everyone has to hurry to Ithor (ah, how I dislike abridged audiobooks) to have a fight on the surface (but aren't weapons banned from the surface?). We could also go into how characters (Ganner, Corran, Daeshara'cor) tend to monologue about their revelations and their views of the Force, but I don't want to come across as beating a dead horse.
Fortunately, Corran and Ganner's mission isn't boring and was kept me interested. I loved how Ganner was brought down to size, and even how Corran learned a lesson in humility. What happened with Elegos was heart-breaking and the devastation of Ithor was even worse. And, as I said above, I liked how Corran had to bear the burden of fault for Ithor. Nice "messianic" vibe from a non-Skywalker.
So, if you adored Onslaught, just be wary opening Ruin; you may not exactly get what you expected.
The war against the Yuuzhan Vong continues. Leia attempts to bring Paelleon and the Imperial Remnant into the fight, while Luke and Mara try to keep the Jedi Order together. And Corran, Ganner, and Jacen go on an important fact-finding mission to Garqi.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
I went into Ruin with eager expectation, on a high after reading [b:Onslaught|320343|Onslaught (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #2; Dark Tide I)|Michael A. Stackpole|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287347069s/320343.jpg|952200], which was probably a bad thing. Not the reading order, just my unrealistic expectation. It would explain my "meh" reaction at finishing this entry into the New Jedi Order series.
Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book, by no means. Stackpole's worst is better than many authors' best (Kevin J. Anderson? Barbara Hambly?). But nonetheless, I couldn't help the wandering mind as I listened.
Character-wise, we get some nice growth from people like Corran, Jacen, and Ganner. Particularly Ganner. I really like the direction that Stackpole took him. Even Corran's arc was nicely done. I love how he ended up being the scapegoat and having to leave the Order to save face. Nice bit of political manuevering there. Even the ever-ambivalent Jacen is pretty nice, as he temporarily sets aside his need to figure out his destiny. When I first read these books ages ago, he had irritated me. "Why are you thinking about where you belong when there's a war going on?" would be a common complaint bouncing around in my head as Jacen hemmed and hawed. Now, I kinda understand what he's going through (ah, aging, it does wonder to your life).
However, other characters end up on the chopping block. Han is barely present, and only there to remind us that he is still mourning. Leia secures Paelleon's help and then promptly disappears from the narrative. Luke and Mara are reduced to propping devices for Anakin's character development. Two new, very minor characters (Daeshara'cor, a Jedi Knight investigating superweapons, our favorite plot device, and Anni Capstan, Jaina's wingmate) are barely given any time before they are dramatically killed. In Daeshara'cor's case, her story was boring; in Anni Capstan, not enough time was spent on developing her as a good friend to Jaina, so when she died, I was like, "So what?"
Even the storylines were more boring this time around. Leia goes to Paelleon to ask for aid. Whoopee. Luke and Mara hunt after Jedi 372 who wants to use a superweapon. Been there, done that. Even the interesting new character, Chalco, only serves as a surrogate Han to poor Anakin. And then, suddenly, everyone has to hurry to Ithor (ah, how I dislike abridged audiobooks) to have a fight on the surface (but aren't weapons banned from the surface?). We could also go into how characters (Ganner, Corran, Daeshara'cor) tend to monologue about their revelations and their views of the Force, but I don't want to come across as beating a dead horse.
Fortunately, Corran and Ganner's mission isn't boring and was kept me interested. I loved how Ganner was brought down to size, and even how Corran learned a lesson in humility. What happened with Elegos was heart-breaking and the devastation of Ithor was even worse. And, as I said above, I liked how Corran had to bear the burden of fault for Ithor. Nice "messianic" vibe from a non-Skywalker.
So, if you adored Onslaught, just be wary opening Ruin; you may not exactly get what you expected.
ldawg4545's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mstrox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
theengineer44's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
nexusgoblin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
adamkor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
tarmstrong112's review against another edition
2.0
A fairly unremarkable book. I found it fairly slow. I honestly don't have much to say about it. I'm hoping future books in this series pick up the pace and excitement.