Rating: 
Summary: O.K. But not Zhan's best
Review: This book was o.k. but i have read better Star Wars books. Zahn really out did himself in the first book. But he kind of tailed off in this one. I have yet to read the Last command but it sounds good. Overall you should read it if you are reading the series or are a big Star Wars fan, otherwise read a diffrint Star Wars book.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent middle book to the trilogy
Review: While this book isn't as exciting as Heir to the Empire, and not as immensly well written as The Last Command, it's still an excellent book that is essential to understanding the whole trilogy. Since I consider this trilogy to be the cornerstone of Star Wars fiction, I would therefor recommend it to anyone, even the casual fan who would just kind of like to know what happened next. I would defenitely also recommend reading Heir to the Empire first, since otherwise this book will make no sense what so ever. For those of you just getting into Star Wars fiction, this is a very good place to start. In fact, I would even recommend reading this series before the ones set before it, since that way it will give a better general perspective of the overall story. Several important things happen in this series that have a profound effect on everything that comes after it, Han and Leia have their first children, Jacen and Jaina, the New Republic meets it's match (once again) and for that matter so does Luke. Anyway, the story of this book in particular basically revolved around a bunch of space battles in which everyone is fighting over the Katana Fleet, or the Dark Force, which is a fleet of dreadknots (or however that's spelled) that was lost some time ago. The smuggler Talon Karrde and his second in command Mara Jade know where it is, and promise to give it to the New Republic, something that makes Mara Jade (a former imperial assasin/spy with an intense hatred of Luke, and also happens to be highly force sensitive) very displeased. Meanwhile, a pregnant Leia is on Honoghor trying to consolidate the Noghri into joining the New Republic. Though, while this book is full to the brim with vivid battles of all kinds, there is plenty of character stuff to satisfy also. Original and new characters alike are portrayed magnificently, both in their personalities and in their interactions with the other characters. Another excellent thing about this series is that it is the official introduction of Mara Jade, who is possibly the coolest and most interesting character in Star Wars. Her interactions with Luke especially were superb, very fun and interesting. When I read this book for the first time I found it hard to believe those two were going to end up together, even if it does happen ten years later, but now the second time around I can see the subtle attraction developing between them. I think this will be a relationship I will enjoy for once, much better than Luke's other relationships (Gaeriel, Callista(gagging noises)) Anyway, this is an excellent book that I would definitely recommend to any Star Wars fan, child or adult.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive,Most impressive.
Review: At first i was sceptical to the thought of anyone reachiing the same euphoria that Goerge lucas has accomplished Mr zahn can be quite pleased with his efforts.Following on from the return of the jedi is an unenviable task but tim- thy zahn does very well and opens up the door for future possible star wars films he also introduces some some new characters that are very interesting and can hold their own with the original cast An imaginative effort in which the author can be proud of.
Rating: 
Summary: Can it be any worse?
Review: This book was not good at all
Rating:
Summary: An awesome book for any Star Wars fan
Review: This book was great, definitely one of the best Star Wars books I have ever read. It was very exciting and moved quickly, and the writing made the characters seem almost real, so that I truly felt for them. All the original characters were cooler than ever and true to themselves, and all the new characters were awesome too, especially Mara Jade. I like the way her character is turning out, in that she is a really strong, tough female, who can take care of herself. She still seems to hate Luke a lot, but even that is gradually fading. I think it shows the strength of Luke's character, in that no matter how much of a jerk she is to him, he is always nothing but nice to her. I would recommemd this book to any Star Wars fan, and even to someone who's seen the movies and would kind of like to know what happened next.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible!! Such a bore! Zahn is a pathetic star wars author!
Review: How this book gets positive reviews mystifies me. Zahn has failed in all counts as a Star Wars author. His writing style is trash. In the Heir to the Empire series, he repeats the phrase "Han-Wedge-Mara Jade twisted his/her lip" at least a hundred times. He has very little action in any of the three novels. I hardly completed Dark Force Rising, and I did so after a 3 month break of reading it, because it is so poorly written. I could not finsih The Last Command! It was sooo bad! The whole trilogy tries to be a sci-fi action/political thriller. Zahn fails miserably adding political overtones to the novels, which ultimately causes the tedious expanse of bland characters babbling on about the New Republic politics... bottom line THE BOOK IS TERRIBLE - D
Rating:
Summary: One of the select few authors . . . .
Review: Upon rereading this book some few years after I read it the first time, I found that the excitement had diminished not a whit. Dark Force Rising is my personal favorite from this trilogy. Some great characterization as regards Lando, Han, Luke, Leia, Wedge, Borsk, Thrawn, CBaoth, Karrde, Aves and Mara. Zahn also introduces some new characters: Bel Iblis, Sena and such. Delta Source is still a mystery. Good to see Wedge and the Rogues again, by the way. I enjoyed Han and Lando's adventures. The last four chapters are stupendous. The battle for the Katana fleet is terrific. The twist at the end is great and I really enjoyed the confrontation between Leia and Fey'lya during the battle. All in all, Zahn is part of a very select group of the really great SW authors out there. He ranks with Stackpole, Allston, Perry and Tyers as the very best of the best. Anderson, Wolverton, Salvatore, Rusch, Smith and a few others get an honorable mention.
Rating:
Summary: May THIS book be with YOU!
Review: What a daunting task to out-do 'Heir To The Empire'...Zahn established his amazing ability early on and created entirely new characters while staying true to the one's we've come to know and love in book 1...book 2 is very much like 'The Empire Strikes Back' in that not only was it my favorite of the original movies, 'Dark Force Rising' is probably my favorite of THIS series as well. The title of the book is misleading. I had thought that it had something to do with a Dark Jedi, b-u-u-t nope! It actually has to do with a large group of dreadnaught ships lost years before that were referred to as the 'Dark Force' because of their color. The New Republic could desperately use these ships in their efforts to thwart Grand Admiral Thrawn...but let's not forget how incredibly smart Thrawn is, and he certainly could use these ships, too. It's a race to find out exactly WHERE they are, and retrieve them first. Without spoiling any of the surprises for you, remember how 'Empire' left you hanging for 3 years while we pondered whether or not Darth really WAS Luke's Father? Well 'Dark Force' leaves you hanging in a similar way...only if you haven't read these books yet, you are lucky in that you can go right out and pick up book 3, 'The Last Command' and get a fix for that little morsel that Zahn left at the end of book 2...I however had to wait a year before the book came out to get MINE. It was worth the wait, though. Creativity and an amazing ability to capture the very 'essence' of the Star Wars Universe--THIS is Zahn's incredible talent, and he now assume's the title of Supreme Master (next to Lucas himself...). Don't waste your time with the other Star Wars novels out there written by ANYONE else but Zahn, nobody, and I DO mean NOBODY does it better (some come close, but NO cigar as they say...). Pick this one up, and set aside some time to enjoy and you'll be VERY glad you did. Then get up and grab book 3!
Rating:
Summary: The Katanah Fleet
Review: This book was my least favorite of the trilogy, but also VERY good. Between Leia on the Noghri home world of Honagar and The Katanah Fleet, how could it not be? Lukes meeting with Jorous Sabouth just makes you dislike him even more, and the more you read, the more you start to understand the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Superb reading material
Review: Well, I have 1 word to say....awesome! This Force is definetly with this book. It has just as much action as the first and is just as great. I finished this book in 3 days and was extremely happy with it. I strongly suggest that anyone who has ever liked Star Wars to go get this 3-book series and enjoy!
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