Rating: 
Summary: 3.5/5, A novel too compressed to be a worthy follow up...
Review: After reading what is probably the best NJO book in the whole series (Matthew Stover's Traitor), Destiny's Way was quite the disappointment.That's not to say the book is bad by any stretch of the imagination. The politics and farther-reaching military strategies of Cal Omas and Admiral Ackbar respectively were very welcome additions - things desperately needed in a universe that through the last four books, was without a general direction. The action sequences were likewise fairly well done, but seemed sort of unpolished, as though Williams was too rushed in writing them; some came off to me as being unfinished even. As well, Williams' ability to dictate the logistics of not only this book, but the entire war against the Yuuzhan Vong was badly needed - as one other reviewer said, the likeliness of a single extragalactic group, however large, consistently defeating a galaxy-spanning military just isn't likely, most especially when that group is without the ability to adjust to an enemy's expanding technology. That it took fourteen books for the New Republic to win a major battle just wasn't that feasible. Where the book starts to lag though, is in the stuttering storyline, and incorrect portrayal of a few characters. The plot, which is, for the most part, without a central conflict, hurts from the removal of the two chapters that became the Ylesia e-book, but had problems from the beginning. Though Williams does manage to tie together quite a few different sections from throughout the book to merge into the large battle at the end, the story meanders through part to part, and doesn't resolve much along the way, with the exception of Cal Omas being elected as the new Chief of State. Whether this was Lucasarts call or Williams' own writing style, it made the entire novel seem too compressed and at points straight-out rushed, for it to work properly. My second large problem with this novel is the characterization of certain major characters, most notably Vergere. In all honesty, I think Matthew Stover may be the only one able to write her properly, and that's why, unfortunately she dies through the course of the novel. This is sad, because as a living character she could've done so much more to further the plot, most specifically in the part of where the Yuuzhan Vong connect to the Force, if anywhere. Dead, she's not much good to anyone except maybe Jacen. However, throughout this novel I found myself saying "Vergere wouldn't say that," or "she wouldn't do that." Quite simply put, she wasn't lone woflish enough for me... she had ample chance to return to the New Republic with Han Solo, so Williams emphasizing her living with the Skywalkers and attempting to fit in with the new galaxy didn't work for me. All in all though, the book wasn't bad, and helped shape the series in a way the past four NJO books haven't done. 3.5/5
Rating: 
Summary: Destiny Begins to Find its Way
Review: This is Book 14 of the New Jedi Order series, and has the remnants of the New Republic coming together after being scattered over the last few volumes. Jacen Solo comes back with the alien Vergere, a new Jedi Council is formed, and an old general comes back with a plan to defeat the Vong. Overall, this is an above-average entry in the series. It's certainly not the train wreck some readers have called it, but it's not up there with Allston and Stover's work either. The main problem is that the book is split in too many different directions and Walter Jon Williams simply couldn't give all the plot threads decent coverage. Parts of the story try to be their own political novel, while other parts are more philosphical and another demands massive space battles. Luceno, Stover, and Denning all wrote seperate Star Wars books detailing these kinds of stories, but Williams had to shove everything into one. It still works well, but can feel condensed at times with a lack of detail in certain places. The last few chapters definitely feel rushed. However, Williams' writing style is nice and involving. It may lack the elegance of Zahn, the humour of Allston and the detail of Luceno, but its perfect for a nice pleasure read in the afternoon. His characterization is pretty spot on, too. Any problems with Jacen Solo aren't because the character was written poorly, but because Williams was simply following Lucasfilm's guidelines and couldn't possibly know Stover would take Jacen to such philosphical depths in the previous novel. Jacen may not be as mature as in "Traitor", but he's not the whiny, unlikable kid from the early books either. It's just one of the cons that come from writing a series between many seperate authors. Overall I recommend Destiny's Way, as it definitely does its job in advancing the overall story and is a pleasure to read. It's just a pity Williams wasn't given a paperback duology to work on instead, as that's how the events in this book would've been better served.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Awful
Review: Maybe it is because Traitor was so great, or whatever, but Destiny's Way is just boring and bad. That's right--I said it.
First, Mara and Jaina figure heavily in the plot (sigh), and you just can't escape them. Mara is off saving the galaxy as usual (as Luke is apparently brain dead), and Jaina gets to be THE SWORD OF THE JEDI--a stupid, stupid title that means she'll constantly be at war, but will never love. Bah! She's been that way for the NJO, now she'll be that way for all time?! Oh, and there isn't one mention of dear little Jaina walking around threating the lives of people and acting borderline homocidal. Nope, not a peep. Dear God! I really believe the folks at the Lucas farm are just laughin' it up at all us common rabble who will eat up anything with the SW name on it.
Just awful.
Oh, and remember how Matthew Stover, in his awesome book Traitor, showed us a Jacen that is not annoying, but awesome? Well, he's gone. Why? Cause the author of this one decided he should become a useless hippie again. Nice. Real nice. Who cares if numerous soldiers are dying?--I've got pacifism to contemplate.
Vergere? Useless. This book? Crap.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, but with some bright spots
Review: This book was decent. I'd go as far as to say it had some brilliant passages--Vergere's description of her time on Zonama Sekot was fantastic (the writing style sounded just like Traitor, which I loved), and the entire concept of Alpha Red was both intriguing and terrifying. Unfortunately, I found the book incredibly boring. The writing seemed very rote, the characters were underdeveloped, and the majority of the book was so lacking in dramatic action that I'm not entirely sure what the plot was. Destiny's Way wasn't sickeningly badly written, and the characters weren't horribly mangled--both things I've seen happen before in NJO. Instead, this installment was totally forgettable.
Rating:
Summary: Failure
Review: "This is it. The turning point. Now, everything changes." With that paraphrase, Walter Jon Williams sets the stage for the final quarter of the New Jedi Order Saga. Reeling from Anakin's death and the assumed death of Jacen, the New Republic faces one of its greatest challenges: rebuilding the fractured alliance of planets that opposed a dark empire and was crushed by an invisible enemy.
The Galactic Alliance (nee New Republic) relocates its base to Mon Calamari, and to rebuild the galaxy they need a Chief of State. And this is where the novel misses its mark; there is far too much political manuevering, and the overall tone is somewhat deadened by the far-reaching politics. We know from the beginning who will win the election between Fyor Rodan and Cal Omas; there really is no suspense. This is what we see Luke and Mara due through the course of the novel: shady backroom dealings to orchestrate desired election results.
Han and Leia attempt to reopen ties with the Remnant but are rebuffed; we learn a bit here, such as Pellaeon's penchant for gardening and overindulging in food, but in all honesty, it's really not worth the ink.
Jacen returns with Vergere a little worse for wear; she presents an idea of the Force that conflicts with Luke's, and it can be summed up rather simply: "Either the Vong are a terrible evil that live outside the Force, or your perception of the Force is skewed."
And it goes on. Jaina is named Sword of the Jedi, Jacen manages to begin his destiny but at a price, the Vong suffer a couple of setbacks, and the whole series of incidents with the aftereffects of the Well of the World Brain are highly amusing. Any planet that passes gas is worth a cheap laugh.
Tahiri also returns as a conflicted, delusional young woman who imagines Anakin is after her; Jaina rescues her and is thrust into an even greater mystery, one that will return in the Force Heretic Trilogy.
When all is said and done, Williams is a talented author, even if he changes characters' eye colors on occasion. The novel is a bridge and is necessary if you plan on finishing the cycle; a lot happens here, but it is often rushed and underplayed; this should have been a book on the scope of "Star by Star," but instead we were treated to a slimmer text that leaves more questions than answers.
As always is the case in the Star Wars Universe.
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