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Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 5)

Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 5)

List Price: $18.00
Your Price: $12.24
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good new story lines, but characters have become wimps
Review: I thought hero's trial was one of the best star wars books written, but like other reviewers, the sequel jumped around to much without focusing on a story line and making progress with it. jacen solo(i'm starting to like the kids more and more when they were toddlers) complains about not using the force EVERY TIME he is talking. I also thought the escape scene with droma and han off the corperate planet really dragged out. millions have died, planet after planet is being wiped out, and nothing is being done by the republic! they are not the same people we knew in the original series. we need to write tycho, wedge, ackbar, bel ibis, and the other heroes back into the books. i like how the series is taking a very different turn, but every chapter we hear about a planet being lost. and this is only book 5 of a 20-some book series! how are the authors going to strecth this that long? coruscant is obviously going to be wiped out with the rest of the core worlds, so how is this going to play out? after reading this book (and the first half of balance point), my obsession with star wars novels is the only thing that keeps me interested. don't get me wrong, i loved the previous 4 books, but the good guys need to win at least once and awhile to keep us riveted to see a battle ot the death. not a mindless slaughter. (anakin should have fired centerpoint, it would have been intersting to see the vongs impressions of centerpoints power wiping out a large portion of their fleet.) of course, buy this book if you have already read thefirst one, but be warned it is not the same quality as heroes trial. and waht's this about not going on the offensive when you are a jedi? did luke forget that that was exactly what he did against the empire (and obi wan before him)? letting planets be destroyed and staying on the defensive is not the way of the jedi we have been told it should in the past 23 years. action has become neccassary, not small spy groups. (i am guessing in the next 2 books that coruscant will battle for it's very existence. it also dawned on me that admiral thrawn knew of their existence, and that was the reason he planted clone cells allo ver the galaxy, as a last line of defense. so let luke go back to the hidden fortress where he and mara destroyed a clon of thrawn, and create a new one. this would be the only person capable of understanding the enemy(he could treat the tattos on the vongs as artwork)it is time to see some action, not diverting refugees from planet to planet.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: So bad
Review: I thought it was just me. But after reading some other reviews I'm glad it's not just me. This book [is bad.] I can't stand this writer he's just bad. Whenever he went to describing some planet or space station or creature, I lost interest. It's almost like he's trying to hard to be good. It took me a long time to make it through this book. Read it casue you need to, but you won't enjoy it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a good continuation
Review: I thought this was a good book. Although both of the luceno books lagged the series down a little it was still full of the plot twists, deception, and intrigue we are coming to expect from this series. I definitely think Star Wars is going the right way with these stories. Although the reviews probably won't matter, seeing as how you will buy the book anyway, I still think there a lot of flaws. Throughout this book it is hard to understand the point of view, intention, or purpose of some characters (notably Shesh), and all the characters we love (MARA, TALON KARDDE, and some Rogue Squadron vets) are absent. However, I thought the Hapans were a nice addition, and the ending involing them and the Vong was a beaut! Overall, a flawed book, but required reading for any Star Wars fan.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of the best NJO book yet!!!
Review: I totally enjoyed reading this book and found it very difficult to put down. Another nice thing about this book is you need only to have read Agents of Chaos to understand it. The only problem I have with it is I wish Mara was in the book and wanted more Luke/Mara.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Only Slightly Better than Hero's Trial
Review: I'm very glad that Agents of Chaos is a duology and not a trilogy, because I don't want to read about Han Solo anymore for awhile. To be fair, Luceno doesnt devote less then three lines to every character in the galaxy, like he (unforutnately) did in Hero's Trial, but he does, however, make the mistake of cramming numerous characters, plots and subplots into a short book, leaving most of them unfulfilled, and the reader unsatisfied.

Luceno seems to go the opposite way he did during Hero's Trial, instead of focusing only on Han, he has story lines involving other characters this time around, still maintaining Han as the protagonist of the book.

Han's character is more frustrating in Jedi Eclipse then in Hero's Trial, he seems to mope and whine rather often, but he is still doing the same things; flying, arguing, being arrogant, and the like. Putting aside his irritating moping, Han Solo is in his prime.

The story of Leia and her eldest son Jacen is probably the most interesting one in the book. While Han is off galavanting about and moping simultaneously, Leia and Jacen are trying to help people displaced because of Yuuzhan Vong attacks. While working at a refuge camp, the two come into contact with some Hutts (who are all very much like Jabba) and they have to cope with the their treacherous behavior.

Jacen is very much a torn youth. He is a Jedi, but what, he asks himself, does that mean? How can he fight without going to the dark side? What is the dark side? Is his side even right? Jacen will continue to grapple with these questions for books to come. But in this novel, his torment is important because it affects his actions, and offers insight into his character.

All in all, this is a better effort then Hero's Trial, and it would seem that Luceno has learned something since. I did not particularly enjoy the Agents of Chaos series, and the duology nearly put me off the New Jedi Order series. When I later reread the duology, I found that I liked it a little better; but I thought the stories still paled in comparison to mostly all the later books.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Continuing a saga...
Review: James Luceno continues the blockbuster New Jedi Order series with heart and soul that only the best can follow. While Leia is trying her best to keep the refugees safe and establish help from old "friends", the New Republic military moves quickly to work behind the back of the President. Han and new friends continue their chase across the galaxy running into trouble at every turn. But whats new? The fact that Mara Jade is not a highlight character and that Luke is finding leading a harder job than ever. As for the rest of the plot, read the book. Personally, I love the job done, but the story is loosing its grip on me. The Republic shows how badly disorganized and I find myself wondering how in the force they survived Grand Admiral Thrawn. I would like to see more of the New Republic military and the Imperial Remnant disposing of this invasion... since the Jedi continue to act foolishly and get into more trouble.

Please read the book and soon. Balance Point in coming quickly!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Any thought to where this is going?
Review: James Luceno has contributed a superlative chapter into a saga that has stretched over 4 movies, and over 140 books in different forms. I have no idea to what degree the dozens of Authors collaborate on these written episodes, but their coordination of events, lack of contradiction, and seamless plot integration is almost uncanny. Many single volume tales contradict themselves, but George Lucas maintains an incredibly high standard, in each work, and the epic as a whole.

The genetic weapons of the Yuuzhan Vong continue to be introduced without repetition, and with a cleverness that sets the standard for original Science Fiction. As I read this work I kept thinking the visual display these stories would make on a screen, visual experiences we likely will never see. I suppose a long shot hope would be that the younger of the Lucas clan would continue their father's work someday.

When this all started in The New Hope, The Rebel Alliance was definitely on the razor's edge of defeat. This series that is certainly dark tragedy continues to escalate in violence, spread over rapidly increasing star systems, and few survive the experience. The New Republic is being lead by a council that gets more inept, or willfully negligent with each installment, The Jedi are not what we originally thought them to be, at least so far, and there is almost no cohesion except for the Yuuzhan Vong. These fractured alliances range from the galactic to the very personal.

We already know where Episode III will leave us, and now after Episode VI, this new series is as dark as anything we have seen. Chewbacca has been killed, Jedi too have died, and other main characters are sure to follow. What a Jedi is supposed to be gets more confusing each time, will Anakin once again step to the forefront, or will his more passive Brother influence events?

Whatever has brought this new enemy to the New Republic is also unveiling more of itself and its structure. Does anyone else find their reverence for natural biologic instruments as opposed to the mechanical, as conflicting with their self abuse, the mutilation of their own bodies as I do?

This series started out with a very negative bent, and has not changed its direction. While still early in the series, events will need to start unfolding soon, so that a recovery, however devastating can be executed.

Who will be left standing, in control, and the truth behind these new invaders is going to be a wild ride.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great conclusion
Review: Jedi Eclipse is a great book. If you are star wars book reader - (have read all or almost all the books leading up to the invasion) then you will love this book. It reintroduces old characters you thought you'd never read about again. This book also widens the confrontation between the Vong and the Republic. After reading the book you'll get the feeling that bad things and huge revelations are yet to come. You must read this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not bad, but...
Review: Jedi Eclipse is a pretty good novel, but I guess I was expecting more. I thought that Hero's Trial was great, so the conclusion must be even better, right? Well, I don't think this one measures up to its predecessor.

Many parts were great. I thought the Han-Droma breakout was great. Even Wurth Skidder and the yammosk was good. The best, however, is the last chapter with its stunning revelation that makes you wish James Luceno would've kept the story going.

I didn't really care for the Centerpoint Station's role or the Hapans' parts in the novel. Centerpoint just seemed a little too convenient.

This book is a worthy addition to the New Jedi Order, and I'm looking forward to more of James Luceno's writings. This book is worth your time to read.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Boring. The worst of the NJO series.
Review: Jedi Eclipse is boring. There is nothing original about it. Han Solo continues to run around with the Chewie clone, and there is a small subplot involving Anakin and Jacen but overall, there is nothing original or exciting in the this novel. There is simply to little going on to justify the amount of writing Luceno does for this story. The only original idea in the entire story is the droid revolution that Han Solo gets involved in. Jacen is portrayed as a whiny, spoiled brat, while Anakin could have ended the whole NJO series with the flick of a button. There is too much that doesn't add up, and too little of the other SW characters to make this book interesting at all.


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