Rating: 
Summary: The New Jedi Order continues...
Review: Star by Star is the latest book in the New Jedi Order, and is the longest by far. The Yuuzhan Vong are pushing farther and farther into the galaxy, un-stoppable. By now, the Jedi's existance is threatened by the Yuuzhan Vong threat, along with millions of refugees.
The Vong have created a new ally in their quest for the Jedi, the voxyn, a creature designed to hunt the jedi. Anakin Solo, along with Jacen and Jania Solo create a task force that will sabotage the Vong's creations. But there, will they succeed?
I found Star by Star to be a great read, and a good adistion to the NJO. I was happy to see some new Jedi that had not been used much, as well as some older characters that have been making appearences. The solo children have a prominent role in the book, although one of them is no more. That is the biggest down-fall of the book, along with Han and Leia's reaction to their son's death.
I was on the edge of my seat with the battle scenes that Denning created. Luke, Mara and the Rogue Squadron were excellent, and I almost whooped for joy as the New Republic won some key victories over the Yuuzahn Vong. That was really cool, with the hope that the NR might win.
This book is akin to Empire Strikes Back. It has a very dark feeling to it and kind of hoplessness too. The NR kind of falls apart towards the end.
The main thing that I was happy with was the fact that Troy Dennings has read the other books and that shows in the writing. The information, expessially the Yuuzhan Vong have been portrayed well, not at all like in the first book, Vector Prime. We see the Vong better as the series goes on.
Lasty, it was a good book for the series. I can't wait to read the ones that follow!
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad
Review: This book is definitely the darkest of all the NJO books. Regarding the big spoiler (I won't put it here for those who haven't read it yet) I felt it was unnecessary to drag into a series that was already dark and depressing enough as it is. It's also horrendous that the Solo family has to go through Chewie, Han and Leia's separation, problems with their kids, no time for a reunion for Han and Leia, Leia having her head shaved and then nearly dying, and now this. It seems extremely unbalanced when you compare this to Luke and Mara who are always together and lovey-dovey and nothing bad ever happens to them. I feel the Solo family has been picked on far too much in this series.On the positive, Denning writes all the mains well. His characterizations of everything are pretty much spot on. The writing style is easy to follow and not overly simplistic the way I though Keyes was. Leia leaving politics for good and becoming Han's co-pilot was a great plot change. Reading about Han's thoughts of Leia and what she meant to him was a welcome change after the callous way he treated her for the first part of the NJO. It was nice to see some continuity wrap ups, referencing back to Han's drinking and how he's healed since then, Droma (glad he's gone), Danni, and Vergere. The major disappointment of this book is the complete lack of any romance between Han and Leia..Normally I wouldn't mind, but this is a newly reunited couple who has been through hell and back in the last six books and goes through more in this book..I think they more than deserve the sort of loving scenes Luke and Mara always get every book, even though nothing bad ever happens to them. I liked that they were together for the whole book, but would it kill Del Rey to add a little romance in the mixture? The banter is fine, but no couple survives on that alone. Also, just a minor gripe, but why is Leia's hair taking so long to grow back? In such an advanced galaxy, don't you think they'd have some sort of hair growth technology? Overall, it's a solid book, well written, if not a bit dark, and definitely far and away from the atrocity that was Balance Point, but there have been better books. If not for all the darkenss and destruction I'd have rated it 4.
Rating:
Summary: Easily the best New Jedi Order book yet.
Review: This book is the longest in the New Jedi Order series yet, at 606 pages, and it's also the best. In spite of the long length, there's not a single boring moment. In fact, the book sucked me in from page one. Early on, we learn that the Yuuzhan Vong have developed vornskr hybrids, called voxyn, that hunt Jedi. When the Jedi discover all the voxyn are queens, Anakin Solo proposes a mission to go behind enemy lines and destroy the original voxyn, so that no more can be created. Anakin leads a strike team that includes Jacen, Jaina, Ganner, Tahiri, and several characters from the Young Jedi Knights series. They arrange to be "captured" by the Yuuzhan Vong, as that is the only way to get behind enemy lines. The mission to kill the voxyn queen is the main plot in the book, but there are also several other plot lines, including one focusing on Han and Leia, and another on Luke and Mara, who are determined to protect their infant son Ben. To go into any more detail would most likely spoil this amazing book, so if you've been following the New Jedi Order series, I'll just recommend that you read this book. It's so vital to the overall storyline and full of tons of unexpected plot twists. There was really only one thing I didn't like, and that was the death of a major character. While the death was certainly well-written and heroic enough, the choice made of which character to kill was a poor one. Other than that, the book was superb. My only other complaint, besides the death, is that the next book, titled Dark Journey, won't be out until February. Star Wars fans will not want to miss this thrilling book.
Rating:
Summary: Quite simply the best epic SW novel yet!
Review: According to fellow NJO author R.A. Salvatore, one of Troy Denning's strengths is that he "can tell a BIG story, keeping control of all the side details, as well as anyone." And he's right. Star by Star is one of the three biggest SW novels ever, perhaps THE biggest, and it is also, quite simply, the best. Star by Star, marking the beginning of the third year of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, is an important novel in the New Jedi Order arc in that it's the centerpiece of the series. This book doesn't center on any one character, but instead gives all the main characters (The movie characters, Mara, the Solo twins) approximately equal time. He gets all the characters in character, except for one, but more on that later. Before I continue this review, I think that something needs to be cleared up. Yes, there is a major death in this book. Yes, it is sad. What people don't seem to understand, though, is that Denning didn't arbitrarily decide to kill this character, any more than Salvatore arbitrarily decided to kill Chewbacca. The New Jedi Order series is something new in Star Wars literature - a story arc. The major plot points are planned and decided, by a committee of authors and editors, well in advance of the writing of the individual novels. The reason this character was so built up in previous books was so that, like the death or hate it, the audience would care, would feel the impact. The death was not randomly thrown in as "shock value" or to piss off the fans. They are trying to show that this is war, and in war, people die, especially those who undertake suicidal missions. I applaud the NJO creative team for not shying away from such a move. As to the characters and situations, I was very pleasantly surprised. Both sides of the conflict showed remarkable innovation in tactics and technology that had been, for the most part, sadly lacking in many of the previous books. The political scenes were some of the strongest I have read in a Star Wars novel - in fact, Borsk's first scene in this book is one of my new favorites. For the first time, and perhaps the last time, we actually get inside Borsk's head - and you might actually like what you find there. Unfortunately, he is the one character who was slightly out of character, but I loved him all the more for it. Lando, who's been neglected in the New Jedi Order series, is back in best form, as is the enigmatic but interesting Vergere, Danni Quee, Ganner, and many other old faces. The Yuuzhan Vong characters are getting better fleshed out then ever - I even found myself feeling for Tsavong Lah at times. The Jedi enter the fray with some finality, and the space battles were on a magnitude never before seen in Star Wars...simply amazing. Despite all that this novel has going for it, there are a few flaws. The Voxyn, the new Yuuzhan Vong creations, were obviously more than a little influenced by the Aliens from the film of the same name, and several scenes from the book felt right out of that film. However, to balance that out with have the YVH droids...but enough on that. All I can say is...READ THE BOOK. And don't lose heart...I know it's dark, but this is only the middle of this saga of the New Jedi Order. Great job Troy!
Rating: 
Summary: A turning point
Review: I have to admit I like this book. I'm an avid Star Wars fan and this book gave me something that was somewhat missing in all the other books including Zahn's. Please don't assume that I didn't like Zahn's books, I loved them. However, in all the star wars books, I never felt that any of the main characters were in trouble. They felt invulnerable. This book changed all that. It revealed to us that the characters were in fact vulnerable. I felt the sadness of Leia when she finds out her son does. I felt the despair and the struggle in Jaina. This book is definitely a turning point. Lets just hope they can make something out of this mess without loosing the feel.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of them all behind Conquest
Review: This book is so undescribably great! I loved this book so much! The characters were very well written and the story was top-notch. The action was very intense and exciting, and the death of Anakin (sad, I liked him very much, he was my favorite character) was, I guess, good for the story since in most books the main characters always stay alive. This book is a very great read, worthy of your time and money.
Rating:
Summary: A Star Wars Book with Emotional Heft
Review: I have been working my way through the NJO series and, for the most part, greatly enjoying them. This book has reached a new level, however. I had been enjoying the devolopment of Anakin Solo as a character and also his relationship with Tahiri (which I appreciated that it was underplayed - making it more intriguing). Anakin's fate left me breathless and - like another reviewer - I found myself in a state of disbelief and even flipping pages to find out if I had somehow misunderstood. This is the first Star Wars novel (and one of only two sci-fi novels ever) to elict a real emotional reaction from me (I had been deeply looking forward to seeing Anakin and Tahiri both continue to evolve as characters). At the risk of indulging in bathos, I must admit I was even mildly depressed for a couple days after reading said book. I am moving on in the series (as soon as Dark Journey arrives in the mail) and I can only hope that in addition to exploring Jaina and Jacen's fates that Tahiri will not be discarded undeveloped.
Rating:
Summary: OH MY GOD! They Killed Anakin! You Nerf-Herders!
Review: Despite this being one of the more suspenseful cliff-hangers in the Star Wars nJo (New Jedi Order) series, I have a huge beef.
Four years ago, I reviewed "Vector Prime", lamenting the fact that RA Salvatore would be pigeonholed as the man who killed Chewbacca. I also reminded them that although Salvatore might have fired the shot, it was George Lucas, master of all that is Star Wars, who ordered the hit. And I still feel that Lucas made the right decision to order his writers/hitmen to take a "nobody is safe" attitude. Having said that... WHO TOLD HIM TO OKAY ANAKIN SOLO, THE STAR OF JUNIOR JEDI KNIGHTS, GETTING WHACKED?!
Rating:
Summary: A turning point
Review: I have to admit I like this book. I'm an avid Star Wars fan and this book gave me something that was somewhat missing in all the other books including Zahn's. Please don't assume that I didn't like Zahn's books, I loved them. However, in all the star wars books, I never felt that any of the main characters were in trouble. They felt invulnerable. This book changed all that. It revealed to us that the characters were in fact vulnerable. I felt the sadness of Leia when she finds out her son does. I felt the despair and the struggle in Jaina. This book is definitely a turning point. Lets just hope they can make something out of this mess without loosing the feel.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This is one of the best if not the best book in the NJO series. At first a book that long seems intimidating, but Denning's gift of keeping you at the center of the action made getting through it easy. There are some painful moments, but Denning does not shy away from them. You could feel the angst and pain of the young jedi knights as they were on their difficult mission. Epic, indeed.
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