| Title | : | The Final Prophecy (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, #18) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0099410435 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780099410430 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | First published September 30, 2003 |
The troubles for the embattled living planet Zonama Sekot have just begun. As Luke Skywalker and Jacen Solo negotiate its place in the galactic struggle against the Yuuzhan Vong, one of its organic ships is taken by the alien invaders. Scientist Nen Yim is ordered to use the captive to find weak spots in Zonama Sekot’s technology. But what Nen Yim discovers about the planet and its mysteries shocks her to the core. Clearly her people have gone terribly astray. For the peace-loving planet harbors not only the key to its own destruction, but the long-forgotten secrets of the Yuuzhan Vong themselves.
Meanwhile, General Wedge Antilles, commanding one fleet in a three-pronged campaign to retake the Bilbringi system, is suddenly stranded deep in Yuuzhan Vong space, cut off from all contact. Wedge and his ships must rely on trickery and brilliant battle tactics if they are to survive long enough to ensure the success of one of the deadliest and most crucial missions the Galactic Alliance forces
have ever seen. . . .
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!
The Final Prophecy (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, #18) Reviews
-
The Final Prophecy is one of the penultimate books of the New Jedi Order series. This book makes me wish the author wrote the entire series, especially the Force Heretic three book miniseries (a lackluster attempt at entertainment).
Not a verbose novel, this story is focused and entertaining. The storytelling has depth and the writing smooth. Taking into account the trials occurring around the galaxy, Final Prophecy omits the mundane unnecessary details, assuming you have already read the 17 other books leading up to this one. Okay, so a refresher isn’t inherently bad, but please don’t review the entire Vong-campaign when opening every novel in the series.
Tahiri is fantastic, the character depth is wonderfully done and interactions with her fellow Jedi and friends is spot on. The paradox of her new self is more fully realized and subplots are tied up from when she was captured and shaped on Yavin 4. To me, Tahiri and Jania are the superstars of the New Jedi Order books. Without them the entire series would decompose to a pile of dust.
The Vong aren’t one big happy family, and that is also explored in this book. I’m impressed with the development of the alien race and potential for additional clarity to be revealed in the final book.
Alluding to the overarching conflict, this focused and enjoyable story really proves there are plenty of ways to tell a story in the Star Wars universe without constantly jumping from one dual filled with parries and juking and jinking. A smart approach to a world with much potential for story development. -
The Good: This penultimate volume in the New Jedi Order series features the same action, drama, and heroism that we've come to expect. The epilogue is appropriately dramatic, and sets the stage for what is hopefully an explosive conclusion. After reading the series in its entirety up to this point--well, minus the e-book short stories, anyway--I'm curious to see how it finishes.
The Bad: As good as this was, it still felt a little lackluster; maybe that's because the fireworks won't begin until the final book.
Content Concerns:
• Sex: A reference to an illicit affair. 4/5
• Nudity: None. 5/5
• Language: Occasional usage of euphemisms (i.e., "Sithspawn!") and the British profanity "bloody". 4/5
• Violence: Sci-fi action throughout, as you'd expect from this series. 3/5
• Drugs: None. 5/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: The Yuzhaan Vong are scary, as usual. 4/5
• Other: The usual flaky Force theology that has been present in this franchise from day one. 4/5
Score: 4/5 -
i have exams i don't have time for this
and by the way where are the Mandalorian in all of this ? -
3.5 stars
For 2021, I decided to reread Del Rey’s first attempt at a multi-author book series in the Star Wars universe: The New Jedi Order, which was published between 1999 and 2003. This shakes out to 19 novels, two eBook novellas, three short stories, and a tangentially-related prequel era novel.
This week’s focus: the penultimate volume in the New Jedi Order series, The Final Prophecy by Greg Keyes.
SOME HISTORY:
Terese Nielsen was originally contracted to create the cover art for the Knightfall trilogy by Michael Jan Friedman. But when those books were cancelled, she ended up creating the covers for Greg Keyes’s three NJO novels instead. Her works layer different mediums on top of each other--oils and acrylics, colored pencils and airbrushed paint--and feature vibrant, rich colors. (She previously did a lot of art for the Magic: the Gathering card game, but...err...Wizards of the Coast ended their relationship with her in 2020, as her social media featured
alt-right/conspiratorial views.) The Final Prophecy made it to number thirteen on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of October 19, 2003.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I’m pretty sure that I read The Final Prophecy back in the day, yet I remembered very little of it--in particular, I had no memory of Wedge and Jaina’s plotline.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
The troubles for the embattled living planet Zonama Sekot have just begun. Scientist Nen Yim is ordered to use a captive ship to find weak spots in Zonama Sekot's technology. But what Nen Yim discovers about the planet shocks her to the core. Meanwhile, during an attempt to retake the Bilbringi system, General Wedge Antilles and his fleet are suddenly stranded deep in Yuuzhan Vong space….
TWO MAIN SUBPLOTS:
The Final Prophecy features two main plotlines: one which I found engrossing, and one which is probably necessary for future plot developments in
The Unifying Force but which I found not as interesting to read.
The first involves the Shaper Nen Yim’s interest in the living planet of Zonama Sekot; Nom Anor in his guise as the Prophet making a prophecy that the Shamed Ones and the Jedi would walk together on a planet that would be the Yuuzhan Vong’s salvation; Nom Anor asking the Galactic Alliance for passage to Zonama Sekot; the Galactic Alliance dispatching Tahiri Veila and Corran Horn to pick up first the Prophet, and then Nen Yim, and even Harrar the priest. They travel to Zonama Sekot, crash on the planet, and start to discover things about the planet.
Meanwhile, in the other plotline, the Galactic Alliance is beginning to recapture Core worlds that they lost in previous books. As the book opens, we see Wedge Antilles and his forces attacking the Yuuzhan Vong on Duro--but it’s a ploy, and instead other forces retake Fondor. Of course, the shipyards at Fondor aren’t much use to them yet, so they decide to retake Bilbringi as well (intelligence suggests that those shipyards may be more intact). Wedge’s fleet heads to Bilbringi, with the other two fleets--Admiral Pellaeon of the Imperial Remnant, and Admiral Kre’fey of the Galactic Alliance--waiting for word from Wedge to join the ambush. Except the Yuuzhan Vong have taken out all the Holonet transmitters, and so no one can talk to anyone. Wedge is stuck; Han and Leia end up being dispatched as communication couriers; and during the fiasco at Bilbringi, Jaina wanders into a pirate trap.
THE CHARACTERS:
I liked seeing Wedge (commanding forces really well), but the attack on Bilbringi didn’t feel hugely important to the overarching series. It felt like they needed to tick a “space battle” box, and set things up for
The Unifying Force. This battle could have been devastating for Wedge and Jaina...except for the fact that I know there’s one more book, and I don’t think anything bad is going to happen to them here. The Yuuzhan Vong’s method of taking out the Holonet transmitters was innovative, and a good idea: so many of the Galactic Alliance’s plans come down to communication across very long distances, and that was a great way to disrupt it. But it also made me wonder why it was so important in
Force Heretic III: Reunion for Han and Leia to rush off to Esfandia and get that station up and running when one book later, the Yuuzhan Vong were going to knock out communications again in a completely different way.
I sometimes wonder if the authors don’t know what to do with Jaina, and thus we have Jaina captured by pirates. Stuff like this happens to Jaina a lot, where she has to use her Force skills and cunning to think her way out of a situation, but Jaina’s honestly not good at scheming! Let her stay in her starfighter, because she's much better at flying than skullduggery.
But fortunately the other plotline (for me) made up for the Bilbringi attack’s shortcomings. I liked Tahiri’s plotline in the Force Heretic books, but I wasn’t sure how the unification of Tahiri and Riina would work. In The Final Prophecy, this personality union came together a lot better for me: her Yuuzhan Vong memories come naturally to her, but so too do those aggressive, prone-to-anger responses. Tahiri’s trying to balance them with her Jedi training, but she’s still a teenage girl who’s been struggling for years and has had to figure a lot of things out on her own.
As the book opens, Tahiri is on Dagobah to visit the Cave again--Anakin Solo had a vision of her as both a Dark Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong, and she wants to figure out if her merge with Riina has sidestepped that potential future or made it more likely. She makes a Shamed One a promise to tell the Prophet of the “promised world” (not Dagobah, but Zonama Sekot), and when she returns to Mon Calamari she’s dispatched with Corran Horn to pick up the Prophet on Yuuzhan’tar and take him to the living planet.
At first I wondered why Corran? But in
Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, Keyes paired Corran up with Anakin and Tahiri, so I think he likes that pairing of mature but grumpy Jedi + over-eager teen. Corran doesn’t trust Tahiri, but Corran really doesn’t trust anyone. I like the development later on, where Tahiri asked him to be her master (and why he hasn’t stepped up sooner), because Corran hasn’t really trained anyone at this point aside from maybe Ganner Rhysode in the Dark Tide duology. Corran’s been a bit of a lone wolf in the Jedi Order, and I think teaching others would be good for him.
But Corran and Tahiri don’t go to Zonama Sekot with just Nom Anor; they also bring along Nen Yim, now a Master Shaper, and the priest Harrar. There’s an interesting dynamic at play between them all, because Corran and Tahiri don’t trust the Vong, but the Vong don’t trust each other either. Yet as they spend more time on Zonama Sekot, Nen Yim and Harrar learn more about the planet, and we start to see connections being formed between the Jedi and the Yuuzhan Vong. That’s part of what I liked so much about
Edge of Victory I: Conquest: while the Yuuzhan Vong worldview is absolutely incorrect and the Vong do horrible things, the reasoning behind why they did those things was understandable and sympathetic at times.
Nen Yim in particular is such a strong character in Keyes’s books. At her core, Nen Yim just wants to save the Yuuzhan Vong, because she believes they’re headed down a path of endless, fruitless war. Her research into Zonama Sekot’s technology seems to hold the key to ending the conflict. Nen Yim’s a different kind of heretic than the Shamed Ones--they’ve replaced their gods with the Jedi, and revere the Jedi to an uncomfortable extent. (The Jedi aren’t gods, they’re all too fallible!) But Nen Yim doesn’t think the gods even exist, and suspects the Vong have been told countless lies to cover something up that their culture does not want to address. She comes to Zonama Sekot originally with the intent of eliminating it as a threat, but instead comes to realize that the planet has a deep connection to the Yuuzhan Vong somehow.
Harrar also realizes that Zonama Sekot is very important, but his aims feel more political in nature than Nen Yim’s. She is focused on saving her people, and while Harrar wants to end the bloodshed to an extent, he’s more interested in removing Shimrra from power. Apparently there is a faction (the Qorealists) who supported the previous Supreme Overlord; I wish this had appeared in previous books, because I think this should have been built up like the Jeedai heresy into a growingly prominent faction within the Yuuzhan Vong that do not side with Shimrra and perhaps think that they never should have invaded this galaxy. But instead it’s thrown on the reader with one book to go, and that’s not a lot to build on. Yet even Harrar (who back in the Agents of Chaos duology was trying to mass murder Jedi) has now come to respect them and even help them in the end.
But the wrench in all this is Nom Anor, that conniving little weasel. In the Force Heretic trilogy, Nom Anor became the Prophet of the Shamed Ones heresy, but by the end of
Force Heretic III: Reunion he was not doing well. He’d lost his insider into Shimrra’s court, he survived an assassination attempt, and his religious movement was losing momentum. So he comes out with this prophecy (that’s not a prophetic vision at all, just information that he had overheard), and while everyone else sees how important Zonama Sekot is and how it’s connected to the Vong, he sees an opportunity to get back in Shimrra’s good graces. He knows how much Shimrra wants the planet eliminated, so he leaks its location to Yuuzhan’tar and turns on Nen Yim and Harrar.
He murders Nen Yim, which was an absolute shock--she’s such a prominent figure that I didn’t see her death coming at all! He throws Harrar off a cliff--but we don’t see his death, so he’ll probably come back in the next book--and is picked up by Shimrra’s forces, apparently headed back to Yuuzhan’tar. I was a little disappointed that Nom Anor gave up so soon...he could have led the Shamed Ones to revolt, and come to power that way...but at his heart, Nom Anor is a coward. It’s why he always runs away, and won’t face people one-on-one. He has great ambitions, but when push comes to shove he doesn’t want to do the hard work to achieve his goals. He’d rather take the easy way out, and here betraying the Jedi and Nen Yim and Harrar is exactly that--just weaseling off like he always does.
ISSUES:
My biggest issue with The Final Prophecy is that it’s a short book! I felt like the scenes with Tahiri and Corran and the Vong could have been further fleshed out, and I would have loved to see even more with Nen Yim. Because as it stands, Part One is just Nom Anor making his prophecy, Nen Yim discovering things about Zonama Sekot’s technology and contacting Harrar, and Tahiri and Corran being assigned to this Coruscant mission. Part Two involves Tahiri and Corran arriving on Coruscant, meeting up with the Prophet, breaking Nen Yim out of Shimrra’s compound, and the two Jedi and three Yuuzhan Vong taking off for Zonama Sekot. And then Part Three details their time on Zonama Sekot; true, it’s half the book (the same size as Parts One and Two combined), but I felt like their plotline could have easily been expanded.
I think part of my desire for a longer book stems from my disinterest in the Bilbringi attack--this is a Star Wars book, so here’s your obligatory space battle that will set stuff up for the last book. (I found it interesting that the abridged audiobook completely omits the Battle of Bilbringi, and solely focuses on the Jedi and the Yuuzhan Vong.)
Maybe The Final Prophecy could have been two books instead of one? If we stole a book from the Force Heretic trilogy and turned it into a duology, this could have become a duology as well… Although it seems like Greg Keyes likes writing short, fast-paced books, because both
Edge of Victory I: Conquest and
Edge of Victory II: Rebirth are right around 300 pages--rather short for the New Jedi Order series.
IN CONCLUSION:
The Final Prophecy is a little uneven in that we have an amazing plotline with the Jedi and the Yuuzhan Vong, but a more tedious one with Wedge’s forces and Jaina. (I’m not sure if that’s because I was so engrossed in the Zonama Sekot sections that whenever we cut away to the Battle of Bilbringi, I just wanted to return to Tahiri and Corran’s scenes.) But I do appreciate how real Greg Keyes’s Yuuzhan Vong characters feel, because there’s a tendency in the New Jedi Order to make them two-dimensional villains and nothing more.
Next up: the final hardcover release in the New Jedi Order series,
The Unifying Force by James Luceno.
My YouTube review:
https://youtu.be/3_jPVr9g42Y
NJO Update: Keyes Returns (November 2002):
https://web.archive.org/web/200502041...
Interview with Terese Nielsen (2008):
https://web.archive.org/web/200810090... -
My quest to read through the New Jedi Order book series is nearly complete!
And at this point, both my opinions on the New Jedi Order AND "The Final Prophecy" are... complicated. Out of all the novels in this bloated series, this book may be the hardest to review for me.
THE STORY: Tahiri Veila encounters a member of the Shamed Ones while on Dagobah, and this leads to a quest to reach Zonama Seekot, following its recent redisovery by Luke and friends during the [ABSOLUTLEY KRIFFING TERRIBLE!!!!!]
Force Heretic Trilogy. Nom Anor heads to the planet with his heretics in tow to fulfil some prophecy as well. Corran Horn joins Tahiri on her journey as they run into a Yuuzhan Vong force that includes Nen Yim and Harrar.
Meanwhile, The rest of the Skywalker/Solo gang and the imperial remnant, partnership restored, is involved in this big space battle subplot thing and... holy kriff I don't care.
THE BAD: I will admit, much of my dislike for this book probably is bleeding over from my current lack of enjoyment with the New Jedi Order book series, and realizing how thoroughly dead inside I felt after finishing the Force Heretic Trilogy. That being said, even when looking at this book and what it contributes to the series, it is bogged down by useless side plots and this feeling that it had to save to much story and character development for
The Unifying Force.
My biggest problem with this book is the entire storyline with Han, Leia, Jaina, Admiral Pellaeon, and Wedge Antilles. It was BORING. I got the sense that this subplot was added into the book to make it feel "bigger", and perhaps because Greg Keyes didn't think he had enough story with Tahiri and the Vong characters to fill up the book. But this far into the series, I have absolutely no patience left for these filler space battle plots that don't develop the characters involved- ESPECIALLY when there's another more important storyline going on that is actually INTERESTING.
The other big problem I have is with Nom Anor. I've been fed up with the presence of this character for so long now, but I have to be honest, when I first started this book I had some hope that he would finally develop, and that his painful and terrible subplot from the Force Heretic Trilogy was finally going somewhere. But nope! He's still a boring villain with another boring scheme just like he's always been! And no, "be patient and give it a chance because The Unifying Force will tie it all together" is not an excuse that I will accept. After this many books and this many pages, I need more. Greg Keyes should have either been alowed to set up a redemption arc for him, or just killed him off. At this point, Nom Anor has gone from an irritating tumor to a full-on cancer that brings down this whole series.
The other problem I had comes with how Harrar was handled, but it wasn't so much an issue with this book specifically as to how Harrar's villain arc has been handled in the second half of the series.
THE GOOD: Pretty much everything I liked about this book comes from the plotline centered on Tahiri, even if the presence of the space battle subplot made this one feel undercooked.
Greg Keyes did a really good job with Tahiri in this book. It definitely feels like we didn't get as much as we could have because it needed to be saved for the final book, but what we got worked pretty well. I liked seeing Tahiri come to terms with the part of her that is now Yuuzhan Vong as she works alongside Harrar and Nen Yim to uncover Zonama Seekot's secrets. Even though Anakin Solo is now gone, I do like how Tahiri's story continues the themes of the
Edge of Victory duology in such a way that it still feels like a direct sequel to those books- an extended Coda to that storyline, if you will.
Speaking of which, I think Harrar and Nen Yim are used pretty well in this book. The former has served as a personification of the priest caste and the latter has personified the shaper caste respectively- they were introduced to show us new aspects of Yuuzhan Vong society. Now though, seeing both of them have their beliefs and values challenged by Tahiri, Corran Horn, and Zonama Seekot shows how the Yuuzhan Vong as a whole have potential for change. These themes about the Yuuzhan Vong not just being this monolithic, pure-evil force were initially introduced in
Edge of Victory I: Conquest, but I like how Greg Keyes expands on those themes here.
Corran Horn doesn't really have much development in this book, but he can still be a fun presence. I'm pretty sure fans of his character will be delighted to see more of him, and he does get one of the best moments in the book (one of the conversations between Jedi and Vong that leads to Harrar and Nen Yim start to question their beliefs).
Lastly, I will acknowledge that this book is the closest we have gotten to an interesting take on Zonama Seekot. I always found it as a concept to be great for Star Wars as a whole. Unfortunately, it was horribly squandered in almost every book it appeared in (
Rogue Planet,
Force Heretic). "The Final Prophecy" is the closest I've seen to a good book that effectively managed to take advantage of all that potential; I don't think it quite got there, but I do like how it was used as a plot device to somewhat progress several characters (both heroes and villains), as well as new revelations about the Yuuzhan Vong as a whole that will be sure to come into play in the NJO's finale.
THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 2.5 stars, rounded down.
After the absolutely dreadful Force Heretic Trilogy, I was sincerely hoping that Greg Keyes would work his magic again and reinvigorate the series. He managed to do that once before- my enthusiasm for the series was dying after the
Agents of Chaos duology and
Balance Point, but I became invested again after the Edge of Victory duology. Unfortunately, he didn't do that for me with this one.
I don't want to call this a bad book. The writing is competent- the action scenes work well as long as its connected to an interesting story and characters. He manages to continue the themes and character arcs of Tahiri and Nen Yim in interesting ways, and I like what he did with Harrar and Corran Horn.
But something about this book felt off to me. I'm not sure if it was because there wasn't enough of the quest with Tahiri/Corran/Nen Yim/Harrar(/and even Nom Anor), or that I'm just so tired of the series as a whole that I'm just left bored regardless of what it has to offer. I'm pretty sure it's a bit of both; because looking at this book it is pretty similar to
Edge of Victory II: Rebirth in many ways. Both books have one well-written subplot that includes Tahiri and Corran Horn, and the rest of the book is tedious and forgettable. But Edge of Victory II was in the middle of the series where I was more forgiving of subplots that felt extraneous at the time. "The Final Prophecy" is the penultimate book in a series that is already way too long and bloated for me to stay engaged.
"The Final Prophecy" has parts that progress the story and characters of the New Jedi Order in meaninful ways that set the stage for the finale of the series. But at this point, "parts" isn't enough. This novel needed to fire on all cylinders to renew my enthusiasm for the ending, and it simply didn't pull that off. It didn't actively make the New Jedi Order worse, but it didnt' do enough to enhance the series for me either.
I think your mileage with this novel is going to vary based on how much you have been invested in the New Jedi Order leading up to it. If you have been enjoying the series and you really care about these characters and this story, I think you'll enjoy this book perfectly fine. It's not going to be your favorite, but you'll probably be happy with the parts that actively progress and resolve various characters and subplots that have carried over throughout the previous books. But if that isn't the case, this novel isn't going to change your mind.
As for me? I was left utterly broken by The Force Heretic Trilogy, and "The Final Prophecy" pretty much solidified that I do not like this series anymore. Thank goodness there's only one entry remaining. -
"Yes, Lieutenant," he murmured. "I think I've just about had it with Bilbringi."
We have finally reached the penultimate New Jedi Order novel with The Final Prophecy, Greg Keyes' third and last Expanded Universe novel. Looking back at his Edge of Victory duology, one takes its place near the top of my NJO rankings; the other, near the bottom. So, let's see how well TFP fares both in comparison to the other Keyes books and as the lead-up to the series finale.
Vision
One thing which should immediately recall the Edge of Victory books is our main plot's two protagonists: Tahiri Veila and Corran Horn! Apprentice and master are reunited for the first time since Rebirth, and the events of Star by Star through Reunion have had a noticeable effect on their relationship. Tahiri, of course, went through hell and back after Myrkr, fighting with grief, loss, PTSD, and even the re-emerging of her Riina personality. Everything would culminate in both of her personalities merging together in the last book, but old Corran is nevertheless suspicious of her and... pretty much everything else in this book. I thought Keyes did a good job with Corran before but the character seems a bit too agitated and otherwise mistrusting in this book. Don't get me wrong, his interactions with Tahiri have some real highlights, his quips are still as funny as back in Dark Tide, and his willingness to get physical without losing his methodical approach is quite in-character. But can a character have too distinct a voice? I don't think Corran has ever been as outspokenly untrustworthy as he is here, in The Final Prophecy. Maybe it's just the loss of his constant inner monologues that characterized Stackpole's writing in such a unique way, but I don't think Keyes quite manages to get him here. He's much better with Tahiri. We don't get as direct of a look into her psyche as in the Force Heretics, but I do think Keyes' portrayal is the superior of the two. Maybe it's just that she doesn't exclusively have the Riina stuff on her mind anymore, but her characterization is just so much more versatile in this book than the previous three. She's happy, she gets angry, she engages in interesting conversations, she gets physical when she needs to. I think this sort of multifaceted characterization and just... personality is what FH lacked, making the reading experience even more dull. Tahiri's scenes in The Final Prophecy, however, are among the books' highlights, and especially her scenes with Nen Yim I'll get to later. No doubt, nobody writes her better than Keyes. Oh, if only we'd gotten a Tahiri/Corran short story adventure co-written by Keyes and Stackpole!
Passage
Another thing which reminds me of Edge of Victory II is Wedge Antilles' subplot, only this time it's that novel's lesser bits I'm thinking of. So much like in the X-Wing novels the New Republic (err, Galactic Alliance) under Wedge Antilles is slowly encroaching on the Core with missions over Duro and Bilbringi. Wedge himself is perfectly characterized, a veteran who is sick not just of visiting kriffin' Bilbringi again but also highly critical of the legendary status he's attained partially as a result of the Battle of Bilbringi during the Thrawn crisis. There's a scene concerning a couple of rogue elements under his command going against his orders, resulting in their own doom, and the aftermath of that - Jaina confronting one of their acquaintances - gave off real X-Wing vibes. As I said before, it's a shame that Keyes never co-wrote anything with Michael Stackpole or even the late Aaron Allston. There's another bit in here involving Pellaeon which really tugged at my heart strings; there's no question that Greg Keyes absolutely nails the character writing in this book. Nevertheless, I can't help but feel that he's falling into a couple of the same traps that plagued Rebirth here. This entire subplot is just something that.. happens, without much in the way of it tying into the main plot, or it even accomplishing anything, really. Sure, there's one important bit here: The new Warmaster Nas Choka is finally reintroduced properly and immediately shows himself to be a more competent figure than Tsavong Lah by supporting a more pragmatic approach to warfare and initiating what appears to be the Yuuzhan Vong's last military/strategic trick, . This plan is highly effective, resulting in a couple of pages of really engaging space warfare, but much like Rebirth I just can't help but feel like we're simply advancing the NJO on the story level, as opposed to the plot one. Jaina gets into this weird side trip involving a Golan II space defense platform which... certainly takes place, alright! These kind of fun filler diversions are stuff I would have expected in the Enemy Lines duology (think of Han and Leia's adventure in Rebel Stand) and not in the second to last book. By the end of it I'm not quite sure how everything here will tie into The Unifying Force, but more on that later. For all my complaints all of it thankfully only makes up like one third (?) of this book, and unlike Rebirth the main plot is very focused. So, fun stuff, but of questionable relevance.
Transfiguration
Much more relevant and truly series defining is the trip to Zonama Sekot. Well, the second trip, as Jacen's group in the FH trilogy obviously did the whole "prepare for and commit to a trip to Zonama Sekot" thing first. Yeah, that's the one criticism I have for this section; a decent chunk of this already very short book is dedicated to travelling to ZS again when we have already seen this sort of plot before. This journey is predicated on Tahiri (and thus the Jedi) finally making contact with the Shamed One heretics and establishing contact with Nom Anor under the disguise of The Prophet. Shimrra's fear of whatever it is that Sekot holds has become so severe that now even Nen Yim and the prophet Harrar have begun to act against him, all in the name of their people. So after a staged kidnapping in which Tahiri finally comes face to face with Nen Yim and an escape in the Sekotian ship which made Shimrra so neurotic in the first place, the two Jedi and three Yuuzhan Vong finally arrive on Zonama Sekot. As expected, the planet has a profound effect on the visitors, and they split into effectively three groups. Let's go one by one, and discuss what they're doing. So firstly, Corran and Harrar go look for a place of natural shelter - the planet is alive, so no cutting down boras or anything! - while discussing their people's philosophies and reflecting on the past. Much like Nas Choka in the other subplot, Harrar is a surprisingly reasonable Yuuzhan Vong character, a complete 180 from the likes of Tsavong Lah or even Shimrra himself in that he's able to openly discuss the differences between the Yuuzhan Vong and "infidels" without ever losing his cool. Even Vua Rapuung often lost his composure while debating Anakin. So for Harrar to not just Tahiri and Nen Yim make up the second group and are on even shakier footing, what with the Shaper scarring Tahiri for the rest of her life. So after taking samples from the planet, analyzing them, and coming to some conclusions, the two finally start getting closer and discover that
The third "group" is made up of just Yu'shaa aka Nom Anor, who as always never truly belongs anywhere. He certainly feels that something is up with Zonama Sekot and that, no matter what, it will play an important role in the near future, but he nevertheless remains the slimy snake he's always been. So, after being disgraced and establishing an entire Shamed One cult in the shadows, how will he choose to approach this new situation?
The Final Prophecy
(not actually the name of a section in this book, but it totally should've been!!!)
The Final Propecy is the best book of this series' final third (Destiny's Way onwards) so far. Great characterizations and story revelations, and the Keyes-typical ever present fun factor go a long way to make this a clear win for the NJO, and though it's not quite as great as Conquest, I do like it more than Rebirth. But does it do its job as the penultimate chapter in this sprawling epic? Well, nineteen books is big pile of content, and there is a lot still left unanswered. Quite frankly, I'm not sure if even James Luceno will be able to answer all of it, but just to give a perspective on things, here's everything I think is either a complete loose end or something that needs some more closure: The Yuuzhan Vong conflict as a whole. The Yuuzhan Vong themselves, especially the Shamed Ones. Shimrra and Onimi. Coruscant. The memory of . Jacen and the dhuryam. Luke and the jedi's role in the galaxy. Jacen's vision in Balance Point. Raynar and the dark jedi. The Ryn Network. Whatever the smugglers are up to. The future of the Galactic Alliance. And, I'm sure, a couple things more I'm currently forgetting. Giving a satisfying conclusion to all of this is a real mammoth task, no doubt, and at a first glance these last four books didn't do the best of jobs at doing some lifting for it. But despite that, I'm certain The Unifying Force won't disappoint. The New Jedi Order has been able to positively surprise me since pretty much page one of Vector Prime, so bring on your thousands of unresolved plot threads, one at a time or all in a rush. I don't give a damn. None shall pass the New Jedi Order. -
This is the second-to-last book in the Star Wars New Jedi Order series, and, while it has been a long haul (20 books total in the series), with only a few that I would call less-than-stellar, most of the books in the series have been excellent. Greg Keyes's "The Final Prophecy" is one of the better ones.
Keyes wrote one of my favorite books in his NJO Edge of Victory duology, "Conquest", which introduced many themes and events that had have had a significant impact on the direction in which the series has taken since. Many of those themes are explored more fully in "The Final Prophecy".
Young Jedi Knight (and love interest for the late Anakin Solo) Tahiri is dealing with her new-found personality, a result of a Yuuzhan Vong experiment that attempted to meld a Yuuzhan Vong mind with her own. (One of the significant events in "Conquest"). After Anakin saved her life, she has been suffering from a highly volatile case of multiple personality disorder. It was only recently that she and her Yuuzhn Vong personality, Riina, came to the conclusion that the only way to survive was to completely meld both personalities into one new one, which is what they did.
At the start of "The Final Prophecy", Tahiri is doing soul-searching on Dagobah, when she runs into a platoon of Yuuzhan Vong warriors. She rescues a Shamed One, who tells her about the Prophet's vision of a living planet that will bring the Jedi and save the other Shamed Ones. She makes a promise to return to Coruscant and tell the Prophet about Zonoma Sekot.
No one knows that the Prophet is actually the manipulative Nom Anor, who is using the Shamed Ones to eventually get back into the good graces of Warlord Shimrra.
Tahiri and Jedi Corran Horn make a daring run to Coruscant to spread the good word and escape with a shaper, a Yuuzhan Vong priest, and Nom Anor. From there, they travel to Zonoma Sekot.
Tahiri soon realizes that the shaper, Nen Yim, is the same shaper who experimented on her. Indeed, the implanted memories of Riina are, in fact, Nen Yim's.
Nen Yim and Harrar, the priest, begin to gradually understand the importance of Zonoma Sekot and its history with the Yuuzhan Vong. Unfortunately, Nom Anor plans on destroying Zonoma Sekot---which he sees as a threat to the existence of the Yuuzhan Vong---as a way to win favor with Shimrra.
Along with the action and suspense, Keyes takes up the fascinating spiritual themes he introduced in "Conquest", especially in regards to the Force and its relationship to the Yuuzhan Vong. Why and how is the Yuuzhan Vong completely absent of the Force? If all living things are a part of the Force, what does that say about the Yuuzhan Vong? What does it have to say about the Force?
I love the spiritual/philosophical aspect that Keyes incorporates into these novels. It adds that much more to an already superb book and series. -
This was so good! One of my favorite NJO books so far.
There are quite a few things I liked here. First, I loved a lot of the dialogue and character work, especially with the Yuuzhan Vong, Tahiri, and Corran. The discussions these characters all had were extremely interesting, especially once they all began to interact with one another. This is another thing I loved: this book shows Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong, while perhaps having some ulterior motives, working together. Seeing these two groups which have spent the whole series at war interacting and working together was fascinating. I also loved the setup for this part of the plot, with each group of characters separately. Zonama Sekot also continues to appear here after its series interdiction in the Force Heretic trilogy, and is super interesting. The whole concept of Zonama Sekot is fascinating and the ways it’s explored here were some of my favorite parts of this book.
As for negatives, I will say that pretty much anything not to do with Corran and Tahiri, the Yuuzhan Vong characters, and Zonama Sekot were less interesting to me. It’s good stuff, and it felt a bit less plentiful than the other main storyline stuff, but I often wanted to get back to Zonama Sekot anytime I was reading it.
Overall a fantastic entry in NJO and an exciting setup for the final book. I can’t wait to see how this series ends!
Rating: 9/10 -
The last two books could have easily been condensed into one as set-up for this one, in which significant events do actually happen. It ends a bit abruptly, but at least there's a story here that keeps you reading from start to finish. It's still strange to read or experience a Star Wars story which is 'hard' on both the science and the mythology angles in ways that the films (and now shows) really aren't. For some, this will be a pleasurable escape deeper into the Star Wars 'world'. For me, it's largely taking the name of Star Wars in vain, I'm afraid.
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bland.
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The end is in sight and I can't wait to get there!
Tahiri is on Dagobah when she meets a Shamed One that tells her of the heresy and of a prophecy: that a Living World (Zonoma Sekot) promises redemption to the Shamed Ones. This seems to be nothing, but then Nom Anor, in his disguise as the Prophet, asks the Jedi to take him, Harrar, and Nen Yim to this place. So Tahiri and Corran swing on by to Yuuzhan'Tar and the unlikely quest begins.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
Frak, was this a good book! I can't emphasize enough how much I loved this book, how it kept me on the edge of my seat, how I loved the characters, the plot, the avalanche of answers to questions, and just about everything in the novel. So, just to give you a hint, I'll try to make a list.
1. Characters. Ah, it's so nice to read characters that are REAL and actually GROW instead of reverting back to the status quo with each book (yes, I am looking at you, Jacen!). Plus, Keyes works magic when he writes Corran Horn (LOVE how he explodes and goofs up in this book!), Tahiri (LOVE how he advances her "split" personality), Nen Yim (LOVE the "Man of Science, Man of Faith" thing going on), Harrar (LOVE how he has become a heretic), and Nom Anor (LOVE how he is back to being somewhat powerful and a REAL enemy). The characters grow, learn, and generally are a pleasure to read about.
2. Plot. What the frak is Zonoma Sekot's importance? Well, you get a pretty damn good idea in this book, lemme tell you. While the full answers are coming in "The Unifying Force", Keyes takes the time to actually USE the damn planet we spent THREE books looking for (still upset about that, can't you tell?). I enjoyed how Corran and Tahiri had to team up with mortal enemies to find Zonoma Sekot and to learn what it was all about.
3. Philosophy. This book tackles a lot of questions like science vs. faith, the Force and the Yuuzhan Vong, what is Zonoma Sekot, why is it similar to the Yuuzhan Vong, and more. In some ways, it's like "Traitor": it answers a LOT of the burning questions you've been mulling over the last 18 books.
4. Action. Yeah, there's some talking (a lot, in places), but don't think this is just a boring book. Nuh uh, there are plenty of action scenes for us junkies: Corran and Tahiri escaping Yuuzan'Tar in a Sekotan ship (totally awesome), dealing with an Imperial interdictor and more.
5. Writing. Keyes writes in a way that I find VERY enjoyable and VERY interesting, not boring or dull in the slightest. It's quick paced, which works perfectly for the type of novel this is, and yet does have some really good flourishes (such as when Tahiri finds out who Riina was and during a certain character's death).
I don't really think I need to say much more, or I am going to look like a squeeing fan girl. I suppose this book wasn't as good as "Conquest", but damn, I wouldn't want to live off the difference. Let me just say, if the Force Heretic series scared you away, please reconsider coming back. This book is 314% better. -
This story gives the lead-in trilogy (Force Heretic) purpose. And while the aforementioned trilogy I found to be plodding at times, The Final Prophecy didn't really have that drawback. Then again, they didn't try to stretch The Final Prophecy into two or three novels.
The main plot line surrounded Tahiri and Corran as they, along with three Yuuzhan Vong (Nen Yim - the shaper, Harrar - the priest, and The Prophet - who was really Nom Anor) head to Zenoma Sekot. The tentative alliance was an interesting one, and the hatred-turned-friendship between Nen Yim and Tahiri was a relationship that drove the book. A good read, though I did have a problem with Nom Anor's ability to prevail in one-on-one battles and his ridiculously constant good fortune. I also struggled with Sekot's lack of ability to find and confront these new 'invaders', because in prior novels Sekot seemed to be able to do pretty much anything and was aware of pretty much everything. Inconsistencies such as those prevented this from five stars. -
Nice lead-up to the finale, and got the story back on track after the boring Force Heretic Trilogy. A few secondary characters got some love in this book, which is always a nice change of pace from the constant Skywalker/Solo-fest. A short, easy read.
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Star Wars: The Final Prophecy by Greg Keyes is the eighteenth book in a nineteen volume “New Jedi Order” saga taking place more than two decades following the destruction of the second Death Star at Endor. In ‘The Final Prophecy.' Keyes' novel shifts the focus of the story away from the most familiar characters in the Star Wars universe and places it in the hands of some lesser knowns. The result makes for an excellent read. The story features Tahiri and Corran Horn. Tahiri is still integrating her two personalities: her old self, the Jedi student, and a Yuuzhan Vong personality engrafted into her by the shapers of the invading Yuuzhan Vong race. Tahiri has become one of the most interesting, if not the most interesting, characters of the NJO. She is not a cliched Jedi character. Many revelations into her character are made over the course of the novel. Corran Horn is familiar to most readers of Star Wars novels. He has played a part in many of the best novels to date. He agrees to lead a mission to Coruscant to retrieve the shaper Nem Yin and the Prophet of the Shamed Ones of the Yuuzhan Vong, and to take them to the planet of prophecy--Zenoma Sekot. Tahiri joins him primarily because she made a promise to a dying shamed one that she would find the planet, and because her Vong abilities and knowledge would be of particular use on the mission. The relationship between Tahiri and Corran Horn is classic Star Wars. There is a sense of mistrust at the beginning of the novel, but the two characters settle into a mentor/student relationship nicely. Keyes' ability to write a novel that feels like Star Wars without relying heavily on the classic characters of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Princess Leia speaks well of his abilities. The interaction between the Jedi is one of the great strengths of the novel. Another strength is the action sequecnes. Keyes does a superb job with both the hand-to-hand, or light saber to amphistaff, combat as well as the detailing the fight between General Antilles' fleet and that of the Vong in space. Clocking in at 300 pages, “The Final Prophecy” is a brisk and purposeful story. Here, most of the pages are spent following Tahiri, Corran and their Vong fellow travelers to Zonama Sekot, and it’s surprising that we don’t check in with Luke, Jacen and company as soon as they arrive at the planet.
We also get a thread where Wedge leads a battle at Bilbringi that goes sour when the Vong knock out the HoloNet. Keyes delivers acceptable battle writing – and there’s a good side yarn where Jaina gets waylaid — but this thread pales next to Tahiri’s adventure, and I lost track of the point of the Bilbringi engagement anyway. Also, it’s odd that our heroes reinstated communications to the Unknown Regions on Esfandia in “Reunion,” and now communications are down again because of the Vong’s off-page development of drone voids that eat HoloNet relays. As such, the Esfandia mission meant nothing; it’s not the “NJO’s” tightest example of plotting.
Overall, I highly recommend this novel. Star Wars fans will enjoy it. Those that prefer reading about the classic characters would be better off reading a different novel. I'd still recommend reading the NJO from the beginning, which is R.A. Salvatore's 'Vector Prime,' and I'd recommend reading 'Rogue Planet' in order to understand the prequel era tie-in. However, this novel could be read without leaving a new reader too confused. -
After the slightly less than satisfactory Force Heretic trilogy, the future of the New Jedi Order series looked rather bleak. I feared the few remaining books would be lacking in quality, serving merely to drag the series out longer than it needed to be. However, The Final Prophecy proved to be a decisive, significant novel that began to answer questions posed earlier and bringing the long series to a close. This review does contain spoilers.
The Final Prophecy actually seems to suffer from the exact opposite problem that plagued the Force Heretic trilogy. Whereas the trilogy took three books to accomplish very little, this book accomplishes in one what could have easily spanned over two or even three novels. Not to say that the book was bad...far from it...it just could have been that little bit better had there not been so much crammed into one 305 page novel. Then again, that appears to be Keyes's style. The Edge of Victory duology was comprised of two of the shortest books in the NJO (292 pages each), but it contained some of the most significant content in the series on a character building level (Anakin Solo), a cultural level (Vua Rapuung, the shapers, etc), and a story level (the birth of Ben Skywalker). The Final Prophecy stayed true to Keyes's style in that it was short, sweet, and to the point without the bogging effect of filler material.
One thing I greatly admire is Keyes's specific focus on several characters rather than a broad focus on many characters. Time was definitely taken to better flesh out the characters of Tahiri, Nen Yim, and Nom Anor (to name a few), which was a refreshing change from the shoddy characterization in recent books.
As for the story, the book contained two plots running side by side.
The first is what I like to consider the main story. The Jedi from a loose alliance of sorts with the "Prophet" (really Nom Anor in disguise) and devise a plan to "kidnap" Nen Yim and travel to Zonama Sekot, where they hope to have various questions regarding the Yuuzhan Vong and ending the war answered. It was everything the last three books in the NJO weren't: exciting, well planned, fast paced, and significant. In one relatively short novel, Keyes managed to answer questions about Zonama Sekot that were posed back in Destiny's Way, reveal Nom Anor's plan that started in Force Heretic I: Remnant, and fully cover the effects the joining of Tahiri's two personalities (one Vong, one Jedi) had on the young Jedi.
Tahiri's portrayal in the Force Heretic trilogy was rather basic and simple, not really taking the opportunity to dive into the character's personality until the very end (and even then, it wasn't that great). Keyes did a fine job in picking up where Williams and Dix left off. Tahiri has, once again, gone from being a background character to being in the spotlight. Her struggle with her new personality was believable and her constant fight to placate and deal with her two sides was certainly interesting. For once, she felt like an individual, important character instead of just being "Anakin's little friend who was more than a friend and was devastated by his death". Tahiri developed into a more complex character in this book, discovering the source of her new Vong memories, resisting the temptation of the dark side (which has become stronger thanks to the Riina personality), and making potentially life changing decisions.
It was also nice to see the familiar face of Nen Yim once again. Other authors have portrayed her well in the past, but it is Keyes, her original creator who really breathes life into the character. She plays a vital role here and meets a rather unfortunate end in doing so. Her memory connections with Tahiri were certainly interesting and added a new dimension to her character. It was a shame to see how her end came about.
The only disappointing aspect of this Zonama Sekot plot line is that the secret of Zonama Sekot was never revealed. Nen Yim claimed to have found it, but was stopped from revealing it by Nom Anor. It was rather frustrating to reach the end of the book and not learn why the planet is so important to everyone, including Overlord Shimrra. It was, however, revealed that Zonama Sekot was the Yuuzhan Vong home world, and hopefully that will play a role in ending the war.
The second story line, while not as important as the Zonama Sekot plot, still held some important events and, if nothing else, some exciting space battles. The Galactic Alliance has finally started to put the Yuuzhan Vong on the defense. Han and Leia got some of the space fighting action they're so fond of and Jaina got yet another opportunity to prove her competence as a colonel. The Yuuzhan Vong developed a new weapon that jams the HoloNet and makes long range communication virtually impossible. Thankfully for the Galactic Alliance, this was getting sorted out at the end of the novel. There isn't really a lot to say about this plot line, as it was just the basic space battle scene...only this time, the Galactic Alliance won instead of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Keyes doesn't seem to have a problem with throwing in random little surprises and shock factors at the end of chapters. For example, Nen Yim and Harrar are disposed of relatively quickly. I actually had to go back and reread Nen Yim's demise because I simply couldn't believe the author could so easily kill off a character the reader has grown attached to since her appearance in Edge of Victory 1: Conquest. There is also a brief surprise regarding a possible family member of Pallaeon. The author has no problem with extinguishing well-loved characters and casually throwing in little shocks, which is hardly a bad thing, but it does make for some interesting surprises.
The Final Prophecy was a great comeback from the Force Heretic trilogy. Things are finally beginning to come to a close and loose ends are finding resolutions. This book was fast paced and to the point with practically every event, every sentence holding some significance. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer.
This review is also posted on Amazon.com -
This fucking guy nom anor.
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What a great setup for what I suspect will be an amazing finale! I will definitely be jumping right into the next book immediately. I have questions that need answering. One more book to go!
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Review/Thoughts on Twitter
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4,76⭐️
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This is not the kind of novel that's going to set the world on fire. What it is, though, is the penultimate book in the New Jedi Order series, which means it's in charge of making sure that all of the pieces are properly in place for the finale. And that, I have to say, it does fairly well.
The plot: The Jedi are contacted by those within the Vong who would challenge Shimmra; Tahiri and Corran Horn are conscripted to take Nom Amor and Nem Yim to the living planet of Zonama Sekot to try to advance the cause of peace, while Wedge Antilles and Jaina start another push against the Vong's military presence in an effort to win back the galaxy.
There was a lot in here for me to like: Corran's one of my favourite Jedi, I'm really fond of Zonama Sekot as a setting, and I really like how they've allowed the new generation of Jedi to take centre stage. I would have enjoyed it a lot more, though, if it felt like it was an essential part of the story, rather than just filler moving everything in place for Luceno's The Unifying Force, which will (thankfully) see the end of the Yuuhzan Vong invasion story. -
Original review:
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Almost there.. almost there. One more book and I will finish this saga that I started when I was 22 or 23-years-old. I’m 36 right now, so I have taken my sweet time to tackle some of the best stories that have happened in that far galaxy I love. I hope I can read the last one this year. There is nothing that should divert me from that goal… except shiny books that catch my eye every week. Oh, well… let’s get down to business!
The war against the Yuuzhan Vong has reached a boiling point. After several victories in a row, the Galactic Alliance is puffing its chest and wants to strike the evil invaders out of existance once and for all. While Wedge Antilles and his newly minted Imperial friends set a trap for the remaning of the Vong forces, Corran Horn teams up with Tahiri to infiltrate Coruscant and rescue a possible Yuuzhan Vong ally. But traps and trust are blind bullets, so…
This book is pure Expanded Universe magic: space battles, cloak and dagger missions, revelations… Its main strength is the crazy pace with non-stop action since almost the beginning. It may start a bit slow, but that is just to warm up, because the ride will leave you breathles. It is pretty obvious we are almost reaching the end of this huge story and still it is not clear who is in the winning side. Both armies have taken more hits than they want to admit, but both of them keep biting and kicking as if they were as fresh as the first day. I’m quite nervous, if I’m honest. It doesn’t look promising at all for the good guys, even though I’m sure they are going to win this fight. But with only one book left… they must have an epic trick under their sleeve to pull it off.
I have also enjoyed the closer look to the Yuuzhan Vongs we have been gifted with this book. Until know, all the invaders were just cruel fanatics that were blinded by their faith un ruthless leaders. But in this story some of them have been allowed to show another face. A face that makes them much more capable of signing some kind of peace treaty with the Galactic Alliance and Empire. We have seen a shaper showing more emotion than simple hatred or a priest trying to understand the infidels in a sincere way. Too bad there are not more like them. Even though I would love to, I don’t know how peace and understanding can be reached between such different factions in just one more book. Something really big must happen for something like that to make sense.
I’m also glad that this author has decided to take the main action away from the usual characters. I needed a breather from Skywalkers and Solos after several books with them as the main heroes. Corran Horn and Tahiri as a team have been an unexpected blast. At first I was a bit sad about Corran being so cold with the poor girl (understandbly so, but still…), but reading how little by little the trust grows between them has been highly entertaining. Corran is not your typical Jedi, that is for sure. Also the group of Yuuzhan Vongs that joins them is very colourful and interesting. Besides, when Nom Anor is involved, you know you won’t be disappointed.
Writing this review has taken me more than I was expecting. I live in Spain and, for obvious reasons, I’ve been working from home since Monday and I will keep doing so until it is again safe for everyone to lead a normal life. I’m a bit tired of looking at my own screen, so I’ve been lazy about writing reviews. Funny that due to my work at home and the mandatory order of not going outside if it is not vital I’m reading faster than usual, so more reviews need to be written. I have decided to take it slow and I’ll write them when I write them. -
Greg Keyes returns to give us the penultimate chapter of the New Jedi Order series, and in doing so writes one of the tighter and more focused installments of the whole series. He takes on the challenge of setting up the endgame with aplomb.
There are two story lines. In the main thread, Tahiri Veila and Corran Horn are contacted by The Prophet of the Yuuzhan Vong (Nom Anor in disguise), who indicates that he wants to defect. The two Jedi agree to a stealth mission to Yuuzhan'tar to extract The Prophet, along with the shaper Nen Yim and the priest Harrar. The group then travels to the living planet Zonama Sekot. Nen Yim and Harrar hope to unlock the secrets of Zonama Sekot and find out what it has to do with the Yuuzhan Vong. But Nom Anor has other motives, thinking that if he can sabotage the planet that his leader fears, he can make his way back into Shimrra's good graces. Meanwhile General Wedge Antilles leads an attack on the Bilbringi system that goes horribly awry when communications are taken out by new Vong biotech. Jaina Solo winds up and the whole effort looks like it might lead to an Alliance slaughter.
The main story line here proves to be quite entertaining. The cloak and dagger material is decent, but once the whole group gets to Zonama Sekot, things become far more interesting. And once Tahiri and Corran realize who Nom Anor really is, the pace quickens considerably. The last third of the book becomes a breathless cat and mouse game. And the wary relationship between Tahiri and Corran feels well developed.
The secondary plot around the Bilbringi offensive was OK, but not particularly memorable. It simply feels too much like every other space battle in this series. And I have the distinct impression that no one really knows what to do with Jaina as a character, other than to get her in some sort of trouble and then find some way for her to rescue herself. But who is she internally? What motivates her? Other than the dumb Dark Journey novel, that idea hasn't been explored very much and I feel like Jaina deserves better. In this book at least, Tahiri comes across as a far more fully realized character.
Overall though, I like the fact that Keyes keeps the action moving, and the story progressing. Coming in at just over 300 pages, it's one of the shorter volumes in the NJO series and that's not a bad thing. Too many of the books in this series have felt unnecessarily long. This one feels almost breathless in comparison . . . and in reading it, I momentarily flashed back to the sense of wonder I had as a seven-year-old child watching my very first Star Wars movie. -
This book is a palpable improvement from the preceding Force Heretic trilogy, the most prominent feature of which is its dullness. In stark contrast to these lengthy novels, this one proves that it is possible to convey a solid story in as few as 300 pages, which is a refreshing change. Yet, the spark never really caught and while I did enjoy this book, I would still describe it as mediocre rather than great.
A large portion of this novel is dedicated to the storyline revolving around Nom Anor, Corran, and Tahiri telling it in a relatively linear fashion. Rather than switching back and forth between different lines of action, the subsequent chapters often directly tie in with one another. This structure helps build up and maintain momentum especially towards the end. Personally, I found their trip to Zonama Sekot quite interesting, although I fail to understand the Jedis’ initial motivation to follow the invitation to former Corsucant. It seems to me that Corran and Tahiri are taking a major risk in doing so without having the prospect of any distinct gains to be had from the trip. On top of that, Nom Anor catches so many lucky breaks it is almost comical. Nevertheless, this plotline makes for a suspenseful story that reveals yet a few more layers to the Yuuzhan Vong (fewer than hinted at in the beginning, though. Apparently the “big reveal” is set aside for the final installment).
In contrast, the parallel line of action revolving around Wedge turns out to be way less momentous than hinted at in the beginning. It is an inconsequential diversion from the main plot and even the inclusion of Han, Leia, and Jaina does not change that.
Overall, it is clear that this novel’s entire purpose is to set up the final installment of the series. It is a relatively quick, enjoyable read that hints at some major reveal that substantially changes the circumstances of the war, while abstaining from revealing anything major itself. I think it has fulfilled its role quite well and I am excited to start with the conclusion of the series. While the series as a whole has been great, having read 18 books, I am more than ready to finish and move on to something new. -
This is what I want from a Star Wars story. Well, not everything, but close. The cast has increased so much that it’s hard to touch/follow all our favorites. . Amazing how we heard from every single major character and even a few of the secondary characters without it being too far fetched. This was an amazing Tahiri story in a way. Throw in a dash of a far away battle to break it up and it all works
Pluses.
-Having the Zanoma Sekot story line revolve around Tahiri. Using her to help us be the go between and help us see the changes the planet cases to the other Yuuzhan Vong.
-Having the Prophet with them to add the drama/suspense.
-Clearing up at the end why the planet didn’t know where they were.
-General Wedge Antilles commanding a capitol ship battle at Billbringi.
-The creative way for the Vong to take out the communications for the Alliance.
-Loved the way Han handled things on the space station.
-seeing the beginnings of Vong/Human being able to work together.
-Lando, always out to make the profit.
Minuses.
-The battle at Billbringi didn’t really revolve around anything in regards to the main story. It seemed that the book just needed a way to bring our other heroes into the story. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the battle. Just thinking it through after reading was the question of what was the point for it in the story? Although to be fair, this has been happening a lot throughout the Star Wars books. Zanoma Sekot is too far removed to really have the story there work with what everyone else is up to.
-The evilness of Nom Anor. He’s too evil, so I put it in the minuses. I like having a bad guy that you enjoy hating but I’m with Tahiri, he needs to see her dark side.
-sadness to give us a quick meeting of Devis and then to kill him before we get to really know him. Hopefully more will come of that chance meeting. -
The more of these books I read...well the more underwhelmed I become...maybe picking up these books as seen whenever I chance upon them hasn't been the best idea...maybe instead I should have checked out reviews of the non canonical works and just read what is considered the essential stuff.
Certainly I feel a expanded universe fatigue coming in and I still have a number of books on my 'to be read' file...
Anyhow what's good about this book first is ...it doesn't just focus on the 'classic' characters...I'm fact many of them only make brief cameos in this take which does at least give room for other voices to shine.
I think you need to have been introduced to the Yuuzhan Vong tales before as these post empire tales do have a bewildering amount of characters and plot lines...I do however feel the machinations and conspiracy in this book prodded a tad however and although the author himself can write..well the book ultimately underwhelmed. -
Well done, Mr. Keyes! This penultimate installment of the New Jedi Order series was fast-paced, brought back a few fan favorite characters and dogfight action, and helped set up the finale of the storyline.
Personally, I love Tahiri’s character. I have been quite depressed at her arc during NJO given all the crap that has happened to her and the people she loves. Given I’ve followed her from her pre-teen days as a friend and Jedi Academy classmate of Anakin Solo in the Junior Jedi Knights, and given I believe she’s the only character left alive from that kids’ series, I’m quite protective of her. I’m bristling to find out her fate in The Unifying Force.
And I’m definitely going to check out Keyes’ Briar King series now that I’ve had a taste of his writing with this, the third of his Star Wars novels. -
While I don't want to outright agree that the Solo children are valueless and boring, Tahiri really does provide a much more compelling Jedi character to follow, and embodies some of the lite-deconstruction ('bad guys are just like us') motif that's arisen since Luke got lectured (and humbled) by Vergere earlier in the series. The book was well-paced, a welcome relief from the seemingly stretched-thin plot of the trilogy immediately prior. I wish there had been more opportunities in the series for uncertain allegiances to bring together Vong and Jedi like the voyage to the living planet in this novel. I am so excited for the finale of NJO coming up, and the long journey to it is finally starting to feel worth it.
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This entry was probably one of the best in the NJO series. Very introspective at times, and also plays a lot of disparate characters off of one another in interesting ways.
Seeing three different types of heresy from the Vong characters was interesting, each find the religion lacking in some way or another, yet disagree about how exactly it is deficient, and should be changed. The Vong were quite well explored in this book and as this series winds to an end, we are starting to see more nuance being applied to the species and their society, with more understanding of how the elites are manipulating events at times to serve themselves, to the detriment of most of the vong.
I enjoyed this book, and would definitely revisit it.
