Rating: 
Summary: Easily the best book so far in the New Jedi Order series.
Review: This book picks up about two months after Jedi Eclipse. In the first few pages Jaina, who is still flying with Rogue Squadron, is injured in battle and temporarily loses part of her sight. On the planet Duro, where refugees from those worlds captured and destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong invaders are being brought, Jacen is working at his father's side. Ever since the events at Centerpoint, he has been especially confused and conflicted. He knows that the Vong must be fought, yet he is afraid that by using the Force to strike back, he will step over to the dark side. Back on Coruscant, Mara discovers that she is pregnant, and she worries that her disease might harm her unborn child. When Mara and Luke discover that a Jedi apprentice went missing on Duro, they take Anakin and head there to check it out. The main plot in this book was Jacen's dillema. After the events in the last book, Jedi Eclipse, I found his character to be quite irritating, but how he resolved his issues in this book redeemed him for me. I liked how Mara and Jaina were featured more than they were in the Agents of Chaos duology, especially seeing as how they are two of my favorite characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this latest addition to the New Jedi Order, which is easily the best so far. I am looking forward to the next book.
Rating:
Summary: A Vast Improvement Over James Luceno
Review: Book six of the New Jedi Order series, Balance Point, could not be better. Kathy Tyers (author of the excellent Truce at Bakura) returns to the Star Wars Universe to write an extremely satisfying novel.Like James Luceno's Jedi Eclipse, Tyers' book has a vast number of stories to follow, but unlike Luceno, Tyers does it well. The extra storylines have a reasonable purpose, unlike Luceno's, and everything is well-told and suspensful. Leia is still working to help refugees and Jacen and Han (no longer whiny and moping constantly) go to help, aswell. The two do not realize that Leia is close to them and, indeed, whether she is even alive. Jaina is severely injured, and recuperating, battered, scarred and blind, after having to go ev (extravehicular) during a battle. Anakin is, as he has been in the New Jedi Order, annoyingly competent. Tyers also examines Luke and Mara's relationship, which hasnt really been done since the Hand of Thrawn duology by Timothy Zahn. All of the characters show development, but none more then Jacen, who is still struggling to come to grips with his role in the force. At what point does fighting become of the dark side? While Jacen does not answer that question, or most of his many others, in Balance Point, he does finally realize that sometimes one must fight to protect their loved ones, even if that means violence. Overall, Tyers puts together an excellent story, and a refreshing change from James Luceno and his subpar duology. Maybe it's just coincidence, but the New Jedi Order authors with prior Star Wars experience seem to write the more enjoyable novels, or at least up to this point in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: I wasn't impressed
Review: I wasn't impressed with this novel. I felt like it was missing something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but the book felt empty. I will say that of the two women authors in the series Kathy Tyers beats Elain Cunningham by a long shot. But still...it could use some tweaking.
Rating: 
Summary: Well Written & Exciting! Great Addition to the NJO series!
Review: The first few books of the NJO series (with the exception of Vector Prime) focussed on the Jedi as a whole and on Han Solo. Balance Point brings the NJO series back to out main Star Wars character Han, Leia, Luke, Mara, and the Solo kids. That is a refreshing change from Lucado's 2 books. The book starts well with Jaina flying in Rogue Squadron being shot down and wounded. The bond between Jaina and Jacen is brought to light, this is an important point that will be visited again in the NJO series. There are no sections of this story that are not entertaining. Whether its Luke, Mara and Anakin ferreting out a Vong spy on Curuscant, Han and the twins fighting to save the refugees under their care or Leia struggling to uncover a sinister plot in the midst of great trials, its all entertaining. Tyers writes both Anakin and Jaina with more of a quiet maturity than Jacen. He comes off as more than a little obnoxious at some points, with his struggle to use or not use the Force. The climax of the story is captivating and powerful as is the full extent of Jacen's Force abilities. The last chapter, with the Vong Warmaster setting a price on the heads of the Jedi sets up the next 3 or 4 books of the series. Tyers writes a great story. Balance Point, while lacking some of the comedic tone of Allston's recent Enemy Lines books, is the best out of the first 5 NJO books and a welcome addition to the Star Wars universe.
Rating:
Summary: Light, dark...what's the difference?
Review: Up until now, the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series has been cosmic in scope, with characters moments taking place on a backdrop of world after world falling to the villainous Yuuzhan Vong. With Balance Point, Kathy Tyers gives us a bit of a break from that. Sure, the Vong are still ravaging every planet in sight, but the events of the book are limited to one planet with all of the characters involved being there. It's a bit more intimate in scope in one other way, too: the main point of the story is young Jacen Solo's quest to discover just what his place in the Force is. It's a nice change of pace, but the presentation is a little boring and the characters sort of lie there on the page. I have to admire Tyers' attempt to do a Star Wars novel with very little starship combat, though there is a fair share of juking and jinking to be done. However, what we're left with flies off the page like a Tie Fighter with one solar panel missing. It's sad because this is a novel that sets up a lot of the books to come (or appears to, anyway). Coruscant is threatened, Han and Leia may be back together and Han is acting more like himself after what happened in the last few books. Jacen comes to a crossroads and appears to make the correct decision, and there's plenty of personal action. Yet for some reason, none of this stuff seems to move. Droma gets very little characterization, and what there is of it is carried over from Luceno's novels (Hero's Trial and Jedi Eclipse). He is clearly not taking Chewbacca's place, but I can't tell if that's because he's not supposed to or because he's just characterized badly. The regulars are decent, but bland. The reunion between Han and Leia should be electrifying, but it just limps along (granted, they are in decontamination, but still...). It's nice to see them working together and caring about each other, but it would have been nice to have better dialogue for them. Jacen's relationship with his sister, Jaina, takes a nosedive as Jacen reveals that he won't use the Force, even to rescue their mother. Thankfully, Jacen realizes that not using the Force but relying on others to use it is kind of hypocritical, but then he never does anything with that realization. When Jacen makes his final decision about his destiny, it all comes about in a fairly clichéd way, with a loved character being in danger forcing him to decide. The answer is, of course, predictable. We are introduced to Warmaster Tsavong Lah, a Vong who appears to be an ongoing character in this one, as well as meeting Nom Anor yet again. Anor is actually getting a bit irritating, so one can only hope that he will soon be vaped accidentally by one of his own troops. He's a spy, infiltrating the New Republic in various guises, showing up in book after book in another role, serving the Vong god of Tricks rather then the god of Violence. While it looks like this dynamic could be interesting in future books, Anor as a character has never achieved anything more then reader annoyance in my book. As I said before, the plot is a lot more intimate and less star-spanning then previous books, which does make for a tighter book. I really liked the way the book didn't jump all over the known galaxy and stayed in one place pretty much. Of course, it's a stretch that they all end up in the same place yet again, but it's a given with the Star Wars books, so I should probably stop complaining about it. I also really liked the relationship between Mara and Anakin, and to a lesser extent, Luke. A momentous event in Luke and Mara's relationship occurs in this book, and I hope it leads to even more interesting things. In the meantime, though, Mara and Anakin make a wonderful pair. Mara's the experienced one and Anakin is eager to learn at her feet. He learns a bit about espionage as well as more about using the Force. He's also shown to be a bit of a hot shot, and I hope this leads to a lesson in future books. All in all, Balance Point is a perfectly acceptable Star Wars novel. It has some excitement and some good character moments. I just wish there had been more of them. If you're reading the series, it's not really one you can skip (though hopefully future books that rely on it will tell you enough about it if you do decide to pass it by). It's also good enough to get through if you have to. But if you're picking and choosing, give this one a miss. David Roy
Rating: 
Summary: Who are these characters?
Review: Reading through many other reviews, there seems to be a mix of opinions as to Ms. Tyers' talents and writing style. Not having read "The Truce at Bakura," this was my first experience with her as an author. However, after reading more than 200 pages of this novel, I don't feel very compelled to also read "Truce." I loved the way the book opened, basically with a summary of all that has happened in the world of NJO in the first 5 books. Having read those books over several months, it's easy to forget a few details, so that was a welcome addition to this novel. The story got off to a very dramatic start with a dogfight. I've noticed that such action sequences have been pretty limited since the opening chapter. We're left not knowing what happened to Jaina. (I hope not to give away too many spoilers, so skip this part if you haven't read the book. I mostly mean to make arguments about what disappointed me and point to specific portions of the book that support my assertions.) The deeper I got into the book, the more I wondered why these characters seemed so different from the ones I've grown to love (in the case of those from the movie trilogy) and many who weren't created by Tyers seemed to fall victim to mischaracterization. One scene that's been pointed out by many other reviews is the Han/Leia "reconciliation." I was antcipating much more, after the huge build up of alleged verbal fights that had happened between those two after the conclusion of Agents of Chaos and before the beginning of Balance Point. Furthermore, Jaina's anger at her mother completely caught me off guard. To this point, Jaina has seemed like she wanted to be in the military (maybe exhibiting some of Han's wrecklessness) despite her parents' reservations. She has one serious accident, and suddenly, "You weren't there for me mom!" Oh, boo hoo! The irony is how Jaina and Leia were indeed on the same planet and never knew until later in the book. Some attention is paid to Luke and Mara once again, which was very welcome. However, I found Tyers' style in terms of writing dialogue highly distracting. You will be trying to follow the actual words, and descriptions keep getting thrown in the middle. Now I'm trying to picture someone pursing their lips or lifting an eyebrow, rather than concentrating on what's being said. With Mara, aren't we talking about the Emperor's former assassin? And she's paranoid about a disease that's gone into remission? When she does find out what's going on with her body, rather than the natural instinct to become protective, she's more than ready to put her life on the line again. Strangely enough, that is the real Mara. How about the Vong? They are personified as sadistic killing machines who embrace pain and don't fear death. Why is there a scene in this book where one actually runs from a fight? I truly hope Tyers does her homework when writing future books in the SW expanded universe. The book does have its strong points, but also some glaring weaknesses, and just doesn't seem to flow well with the books that came before it. I wonder how certain details are vital to the plot. Kathy must have some fascination with hair or concentration camps. The strange part is, we're talking about refugees who've already been diplaced, on the run and humiliated beyond reason for months or maybe years. What did that plot twist do for them, other than destroy their already suffering morale? I am mainly reading the rest of this book so I'll know what's going on in the Edge of Victory duology. Maybe the cliffhanger that's been mentioned as happening at the end will redeem the book a bit for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Very poor storyline!
Review: This was a very disappointing book in the New Jedi Order series. The plot develops very slowly and is only gathering a little speed on the last 30 pages. The characters are poorly drawn, only Jason's inner fight concerning the use of the force is subject over pages and pages (I really started to dislike Jason in this book). Kathy Tyers did not pick up the storylines of the characters that were developed in the previous books. It was like seeing familar faces and wondering why they behave so strangely. The worst thing were the many illogical parts in the plot and the obvious lack of knowledge of the author about the Star Wars universe. It is always said that Jedi can sense other Jedi also over long distances. At the beginning of the story nobody neither Luke, Mara, Jason, Jaina nor Anakin know about the whereabouts of Leia. Jason and Janina are on the same planet with Leia wondering where their mother is? Hello?! Even if Jason doesn't want to use the force at least Jaina should have been able to feel and locate Leia. You can find this kind of mistakes all over the book. The story doesn't develop naturally but seems to be forced together. It appears that the author had a list of to do's which she just somehow had to deploy in the story no matter how. If you feel about this book as I do don't worry. The next one #7 Edge of Victory by Greg Keyes is really a brilliant novel worth 5 stars!
Rating:
Summary: Poor
Review: Many issues and plotlines that were built up in previous books were not resolved in a satisfactory way. In particular, Han and Leia's reconcilliation was far too short. Kathy Tyers admitted on several occasions she let her personal bias disrupt what she was supposed to write, and I find that extremely unprofessional. This book reads like one long Mary Sue fanfic of how great and beautiful Mara is, and how much Luke and Mara love each other, while other characters are pushed to the sidelines and simaltaneously degraded. On top of that, this book started a cliffhanger of torturing Leia that was ridiculous to add when Tyers knew all the horrible events that would occur later on in the Solo life. I found this book extremely disappointing and would not recommend it to anyone. I'm glad I only checked it out of the library.
Rating:
Summary: Half and half
Review: Although it was good overall, I have read more exciting books. This is the first "The New Jedi Order" book I have read, but, I have read other Star Wars books. Like I said, this book is good but I just wish that it did not skip around so much. See, I think that that is a big problem with all books. I did like how it followed the main characters though.
In this book Jacen is torn between using the force and thinking that it would led to evil and just give up using it. But I wish that it would have spent a little more time on Jania and the story line between Luke and Mara. Something happens between them and it is a very important thing and I feel that the author did not spend enuff time on that part.
All in all this book is basicly about Jacen and it really gets on my nerves when one person takes all the glory for everything. I mean the main characters that are usually in book hardly have any part, like Han Solo. I dont want it to sound like I am just bickering about all the bad points becouse it had some really good ones that made you not want to put the book down even though the teacher said so.
All I am trying to say is that it could be better on some fronts but that is just my way of thinking. I dont want you to not get this book becouse of what I wrote becouse the only person to make that decison is you. But I would still get it, even though it had some bad point is really is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: It all depends on your point of view
Review: This is the first book in the NJO that I read, and I really enjoyed it. I can see how some people wouldn't, but in my opinion it depends on what your expectations are:
If you like a lot of characters, lots of battles, and a more general view of the NJO, you'll probably be disapointed, but if you enjoy reading about the Solos/Skywalkers, and like good character interaction, this book is definetely for you. This book focuses mainly on Luke, Mara, Han, Leia, and the 3 solo children, and most of it takes place on the same planet. My favorite thing about this book is the character interaction. It was good to see Mara and Anakin working together again like they did in Dark Tide I, and overall Mara and Anakins personalities are well written. Luke was somewhat of a disapointment and didn't do much of anything except worry about his wife, but not being a huge Luke fan, I didn't mind it too much. Jacen was written pretty badly, and since I read this book first, it gave me the impression that he was a wimpy little punk. That didn't prove true in the other books, and I learned to appreciate Jacen's thinking, I just think Tyers did a bad job explaining it. I did like the scenes with both Jaina and Jacen, Tyers did a nice job with them together. Jaina was written alright, she lacked the toughness and eagerness to fight in this book. Now about the thing with Han and Leia: It was well written, but way too short. Delete a Luke/Mara love scene and give it to Han and Leia, PLEASE. I also think Leia was rather poorly written, she lacked personality. Han was also not too good, he wasn't the risk-taker and "scondrel" we've all grown to like. As I did with all the books, I skipped the parts with the Vong, so I don't have much to say about them.
Overall, it was a great book, and I'm glad I read it first. If your looking for a book with characters like Lando, Karrde, the Horns, and lots of movement and battles, this book probably isn't for you. In my personal opinion, it was good, but I think it would have been better as two novels with more of a focus on everything else.
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