Home :: Books :: Audio CDs  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs

Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Destiny's Way (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 14)

Destiny's Way (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 14)

List Price: $29.95
Your Price: $18.87
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 4 5 6 7 8 >>

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't Bother Reading this book
Review: Review Destiny's Way by Walter Jon Williams

First off, would it not have been possible for Del Rey to have found an author that knew more about Star Wars than snoozing through the movies, and getting a friend to tell him about the EU. I mean HELLO...I think RA Salvatore had a better grip on the characters than this guy, and Vector Prime was the third worst book of the series. This guy did not even know that Winter was married to Tycho, and had to add a blurp in after the fact that made the story become choppy.

He portrays Jaina as a 'Damsel in Distress', having her in a total panic in the middle of not one but four furballs. I mean HELLO, I am married to a Fighter Jock, and I know from his history and common sense, that you NEVER panic in a furball, if you do, you die. Also the man can't write a space battle to save his life, 'Extend foils'? Did this man even see Star Wars? Extend means to move out, and the S-foils on an X-Wing do not extend they separate.

As for Mara in this book, well he has her closer to her personality, her personality from the Thrawn and Jedi Academy Trilogies. Since the birth of Ben, she has shown a lot more restraint in her actions, so as NOT to make him an orphan. I just don't see her ramming a Vong spy's sub with hers, I see her keeping them occupied while someone else gets there with weapons to destroy the Vong sub, but ramming? Also, I'm sorry, but having been married to a Sub Jock (Yeah been married a couple of times) it takes YEARS to be able to pilot a sub to the point of getting a missile on your arse to think your opponent is you.

Also where all of a sudden did Luke acquire all this information about the old Jedi and another Holocron? When Luke is talking to Vergere, he knows entirely too much about the old order, information that had been destroyed by the Emperor, and lost for all eternity. He would not know that Jedi were not allowed to marry and procreate, nor that they were taken from their homes as infants. Also the last Holocron was destroyed by Exar Kun in the Jedi Academy Trilogy.

Now onto Leia, in the other books, (Dark Journey, Rebel Dream and Rebel Stand), Leia approved of Jaina's parrying with Jag Fel. Now all of a sudden she does not, thinking that having an Imperial Baron in the family would be just to confusing (paraphrase from the book). Leia would not think that way, mainly because there are too many ex-Imperials that have joined the New Republic. Also he is Wedge's nephew, and is much more like his uncle than his father. I just cannot see Leia wanting to daunt her daughter's happiness for the sake of protocol. If she were going to do that, she would have married Isolder not Han. Then at the end of the book, there is a scene in which Luke is trying to encourage Han to rejoin the military to lead the group from the Smuggler's Alliance (which had been disbanded before the end of the Thrawn Trilogy). During this, Leia is attempting to convince Han NOT to do this. Now if this isn't out of character for Leia, I have no clue what her character is like. Also there is a scene in the book where she tells an Imperial Commander "Wisdom is knowing when you've given all you can." Sorry but this is not Leia like. Leia would be back in the heat of things, as is her personality.

Now here is one I really like. Mr. Williams has written Tsvong Lah as a sniveling idiot, not fit to command a garbage hauler much less be a warmaster for the Yzuuhan Vong. I was extremely disappointed in the Yuuzhan Vong Supreme Overlord Shimrra. He is a whimp. HAS MR. WILLIAMS EVEN READ THE NJO? The Vong are so caught up in courage and bravery that they take it BEYOND the extreme. There is no fear of death or pain, they EMBRACE it, they WELCOME it. I mean these people relax in the 'Embrace of Pain' this is their form of recreation.

Personally I feel that this book though written well, was written by someone who has no clue what Star Wars is. I would definitely suggest to anyone wanting to read this book, that they just check it out of the library and save your money for more meaningful things, I sure wish I had.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Finally a breather....
Review: Warning do not continue if you have not been reading the NJI books!
Well if you are like me you got into the NJI books, and had no idea what you were up against, I mean really, the Jerks killed Chewie, Anakin, and some other new folks that we all kinda liked. Well this book is kinda a breather, at the end of Traitor we find out that Jacen makes it and yadda yadda, and we finally see that this situation might just be winnable. If you are a big SW action fan then this book is not the read for you, there really isn't that much spine tingling stuff going on. Desiny's Way does wrap up a few things though. All the folks you have been wondering about(i.e. Leia and Han, Lando, Talon Karrde, and the like) show up and you find out what everyone has been up to. However, as far as things go, a lightsaber isn't even ignited until the last few pages of the book, and even then, it isn't that exciting. One suggestion, if you haven't read the E-book Ylesia yet, don't...You will know when to stop reading and read the e-book...) At any rate Destiny's way is a pretty decent read, and it gives you at least some closure so you won't be on pins and needles 'till January. So until then my friends, May The For....you really thought I was going to say it, didn't you??? Take care!! ;-) PB

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Decent NJO book but lacks a sense of time & some emotion
Review: Destiny's Way is a decent NJO book, but there are elements to be criticized. First the good: Williams writes a good story. All the classic Star Wars characters are back and there are many great leaps made in war against the Vong. He is able to write a very compact and fast moving story. He is able to continue many of the characterizations begun in Stover's Traitor and Allston's Enemy Lines books. The down sides of this book are few but very crucial 1. because of the length of the book, Williams is unable to create any sense of time passage. The entire story takes place over a period of about 3-6 months, but it reads like something taking place over a couple days. This has happened with several of the NJO books with the exception of the longest book Star by Star. The NJO Ylesia ebook actually takes place between chapters 20 and 21 in Destiny's Way. It is a crucial chapter and should have been included in this book. Because of the shortness, Williams is unable to create emotion at key moments, everything seems just a bit rushed even on the climax, which should have more of an emotional impact than it does. Destiny's Way is no Star by Star, but it is still a competantly written, fast paced story and a decent addition to the NJO series.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Turning Point...
Review: Well, I've just finished reading Destiny's Way (the fourteenth book in the ongoing New Jedi Order series). I finished the book feeling that, while overall an entertaining read, it suffers from a plot has no true focus; it seems to be compiled of a number of events that could of taken place between books. The whole "turning point of the war" (sorry if I spoiled anyone, but come on, we all knew the good guys would start winning sometime) that author alludes to, seems more like "the prelude of the turning point of the war". All the main character running around, setting up things to come in future books, or finishing tasks started in books past. It never has a big event that, the other hardcovers, mainly Vector Prime and Star By Star, had.

Now I do like this book, though it may seem otherwise. It has some good writing and does have some important events: Jacen's return, the election of a new Chief of State, the reestablishment of the Jedi Council (it's called the High Council now), and the deaths of a few main\semi-main characters (as happened in the other three hardcovers of the series) and finally a book that's based on Luke! Though Han and\or Leia fans will be a bit disappointed; the two are absent in most of the book.

The book also has the introduction of a handful of new characters:
Supreme Overlord Shimrra, (sorry if it's spelled wrong) who probably have the most impact in future books, A few new senators, an alderaaian senator, Cal Omas, will have the most impact of these, and some new governmental (and Vong) officials.

Overall I think this is a good edition to the series, though it could have been the best if the plot was more centralized.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Mixed Bag
Review: I liked the way the plot carried on in this episode of the NJO series; the sensationalism has been cut back a lot since Elaine Cunningham produced the truly awful Dark Journey. These authors need to be briefed on the difference between character development and melodramatic nonsense before they start a project. Despite the improvement, Williams went a little overboard with Jaina and sometimes the other Jedi here. He, and anyone else writing NJO books, should go read Timothy Zahn's take on Jedi power (he tries not to make even Luke omnipotent). For that matter, George Lucas should go read some Zahn before making any more Star Wars films. I'd also like to see some attention to Stackpole's style here, meaning real character development accomplished so that the dramatis personae seem like real people. This is more a general complaint than something specific to Williams, though. In Destiny's Way, Williams continues the good writing around Jacen and manages to convey many well thought out events in a reasonable space. Considering the above comments, I would have given a rating of 4 stars.

The real problems come in Williams' seeming lack of full proficiency in modern English. I wonder if English is his second language, or perhaps he is from a nation with a non-American and non-British connotative dictionary of the language, because some of his awkward phrasing is truly distracting. Additionally, redundancy was common fare. It was distracting enough for me to dock a point, but I would have preferred to leave give it 3.5 stars seeing as I did like the book.

Finally, I have another general complaint, this toward almost all of science fiction, though the problem manifests itself frequently in this book. Air, when exposed to the vacuum of space, does not freeze! If it did, Earth's outer atmosphere would be entirely composed of frozen air crystals. It is not. Go look at a pressure vs. temperature diagram for air. At extremely low pressure, there is no temperature at which it can leave the gas phase. Also, I notice a lot of references to a substance exposed to vacuum "instantly" freezing. Think about this one, as well. On a cold winter day, an exposed object loses heat quickly. If the weather includes wind, the rate of heat loss greatly increases. This is because the main mechanism for heat loss from an object at about room temperature is convection. An object has to get up toward the thousands of Kelvin before radiation becomes fast enough to be significant. As a general guideline, we can assume that only visibly glowing things are losing a lot of overall energy through radiation. I'll get back to my point. In vacuum, there is no convection. Therefore only radiation is available to carry away heat. This makes heat loss much slower than it would be on a cold day in atmosphere.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The turning point....
Review: At least I hope it is...

Lots of stuff happens in this installment of the NJO saga. A few of the main characters have more of a backseat role while some of the other newer characters have an excellent shot to shine. Ethics, life, death, you name it, it's got it!

I won't spoil it, but the author pokes fun at the original "Star Wars: A New Hope" near the beginning of the book, you'll get what I mean later on, it's pretty funny! That is by far a classic moment in the Expanded Universe, one of the best moments.

Again, as with "Star By Star," you might want to put on "Duel of the Fates" on your Phantom Menace soundtrack while reading through the space battles mentioned in it. In fact, quite a few tracks from the TPM soundtrack will fit in nicely with this.

This is a major book, like the other hardcovers in the "Star Wars NJO" series. There are major events that are set in motion, and some BIG changes!!!! I hope you enjoy the read here!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This guy needs to read more
Review: Though I haven't finished the book, I can tell right now this the author didn't really research the Star Wars Universe. The way the characters act is totally out of character. He tries to through in these little romantic hints into the Luke/Mara Han/Leia relationships and doesn't pull them off very well. I also get this feeling that he never read any of the other NJO books, but merely consulted the "script" for the series. The story isn't too bad, but the attention to detail makes this a tough read for a truly dedicated Star Wars fan. I would constantly have to stop and correct him, which made for a very bumpy read.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good read
Review: This book seems to be the turning point in the NJO series. The New Republic goes on the offensive. The 2 space battles are done pretty well. We learn more about the history of Vergere. Adm. Ackbar is back as an advisor to the new Senate and CoS.

One thing that disappointed me was the length. After Star by Star, I wanted more. It seemed to be over too soon.

Another thing that would have made it better would be more Wedge. He is almost ignored in this book.

Guess i'll have to wait for the next book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Best New Jedi Order Books
Review: Walter John Williams has written a Star Wars novel that easily is among the very best of this series, which to date numbers 14 books. From what I have read about this story arc, this is just about the halfway mark for this cycle of books. I would prefer that all of the installments be written by authors of this caliber, and that all the books are written with the same care and depth that seems to be almost exclusively reserved for hardcover episodes.

This is a novel of length and of breadth that explores the fundamental beliefs that have been the foundation for the knowledge about The Force, and the Jedi who are its guardians. The story challenges the beliefs of a range of Jedi from Luke Skywalker, Jaina, Jacen, and Vergere. Verger's history is fully explained and no one other than Yoda has conveyed more understanding and knowledge of what The Force is and what it is not. The concept of the light and dark sides is replaced by a much more complex explanation of what binds all living things. The Vong are alive but invisible to the Jedi, does this justify committing Genocide against the Vong, or should compassion be shown to them. Are they as a species genetically evil, or the result of the evil of others? The answers to these questions are asked by players you may not expect to hear voice these queries, and others who advocate or protest a variety of actions against these invaders.

Williams has written a book that dramatically changes whatever may happen in the future. There are a group of characters elevated to Jedi Knighthood. Jacen returns and continues to evolve even as he participates in a massive campaign against those who held and tortured him, but towards whom he holds no hatred. A new Jedi Council is formed with members that you would never expect to sit at the same table, let alone apologize for being wrong about the war from the very beginning. A knight is named The Sword Of The Jedi, another will fight The Vong Warmaster in single combat to the death, and a new head of state begins the process of rebuilding yet another New Republic. And once again a Jedi will knowingly make the ultimate sacrifice so that others may live.

These are 450 very dense and very well written pages about a saga that so many people have enjoyed for over 25 years in a variety of formats. Walter Jon Williams has written a book that is excellent, and after all these years why should readers expect anything less?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Finally some hope!
Review: I just finished Destiny's Way, and all I can say is "WOW"!! The book does finally offer a lot of explanations that have not been explained before, such as the true origin and goals of Vergere. The Republic finally is able to turn the tide and have some hope of winning the war, and the book even gives some small shadings of what the next chapter in the Star Wars universe may entail. My only disappointment is in the final battle of the book, the Warmaster has a confrontation that could have been better, and should have been with somebody else other than who it was. All in all, though, a very good read and highly recommended to any other Star Wars fans.


<< 1 .. 4 5 6 7 8 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates