Rating: 
Summary: Rebel Stand(s) Up
Review: Another very good Star Wars book. It has humor, action, multiple plot lines, and a good ending. The Dark Jedi Lord was an interesting twist. I would like to have heard more from the Vong. Their story line seemed (as one reviewer said) a bit rushed. They are beginning to appear a bit ordinary. Initially they were envincible. I'd like more explination as to why they are invisible, or nearly so, in the force. I also would liked to have seen more clues about Jacen's whereabouts. This book could have been longer, alowing each of the sub plots to develop in more detail, perhaps with a few more surprises.
Rating:
Summary: Good...but
Review: it really needs to be longer in order to handle the large volume of characters involved. Actually, that has been true for several of the books in the NJO series. Cramming the plots for all the different characters results in a scattered, disjointed feel. But it wasn't so bad that it completely ruined the book.
In fact, the book was quite good. Allston's writing style seemed closer to the Wraith books than Rebel Dream did. The humor was great and plentyful! I just wish he'd done more with Janson, and was actually rather suprized that he didn't. I also wanted to see more of Jaina (obviously), and I'd like to learn more about Jag. Hopefully they won't be completely ignored in Traitor.
Rating:
Summary: another allston hit!
Review: aaron allston does it again! liked the book a lot, especially the jaina/jag interlude (short but sweet) and the wes janson surprise (yes! that was funny :) . i guess my only complaint would be the coruscant mission (which seemed entirely pointless except to remove a stray plot hole from another novel). the mission wasn't really very exciting (but the wraiths were a very welcome addition) and i skipped that part in favor of finding out if wedge survived. mr. allston, you had me worried for a second! all in all, a good book and worth buying.
Rating: 
Summary: Only average
Review: Most of this book was sorry to say it - boring. It seems to suffer from the tone of a lot of these recent NJO books - that the writer was given limited time to write a story and is limited to certain plot lines. The result is that these series are becoming a mix of conflicting author's styles, ideas, and characterizations. In this book the entire Coruscant plot line made no sense and didn't seem to add anything to the overall NJO story arch. Not only was it just strange to have some super Dark Jedi just appear on a post-apocalyptic Coruscant, but he's nine feet tall and covered with lightsabers. One question I had is that if this guy is being kept young in a "stasis field" why did his bones keep growing so he was so big? The only parts worth reading are the last five chapters. Some of the only genuine tension in the book involves Wedge toward the end, other than that I had to force myself to keep turning the pages. I really liked Rebel Dream, I thought it flowed well and made sense. This book had potential that fizzled by not being even remotely interesting. I did not expect that going behind Enemy Lines meant that Luke and a small elite commando group of Jedi and Wraiths would go to Coruscant, infiltrate the planet, then walk around, get depressed, run into yet another Dark Jedi who comes out of nowhere - and then try to get home. They do absolutely nothing against the Yuuzhan Vong and the whole thing just seemed like some crazy excuse for Luke to finally do something. This series is sputtering and this book doesn't exactly help. I hope they give Allston another shot and give him more time and leeway to write something better, because he is defintely capable of it.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly good story
Review: A MAJOR improvement over the last few books, which were horribly disappointing. Sub-plots in this book keep your attention, and you want to keep reading. The book feels too short, though. Some story lines could have gone longer. Hopefully the next author(s) will build well on this foundation.
Rating: 
Summary: Enemy Lines II Rebel stand
Review: Slow paced, boring. Saved the best part for the last 40 pages. I hope the rest of the books in this series are not fillers as this book obviously is.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good (as expected) but Not Great
Review: "Very Good" This book concludes the defense of Borleias that Allston begun in NJO vol 11, "Rebel Dream". As expected from an author with Allston's track record, the book is good - very good in fact, definatelly in the top-5 of NJO. It is entertaining and fast paced. It takes the time to develop both the overall storyline (if only a little bit) and a host of well-known, well-loved characters - even introduce a few new ones. There is action on all levels, shoot-outs, Jedi lightsabre fights, big-scale space battles. There's strategy, there is humor, there is cool technology. So, why "Not Great"? Well, this book failed to surprise me - at all. To mis-quote Allston himself, the book lacks "layers of tricks". Two thirds of the way, the end can be guessed pretty much by anyone. Wedge Antilles has simply out-thought and out-planned the Vong (in fact their all time best stategist!) and they blindly play right into his hand. A bit of danger at the end, where Antilles' ship is wrecked is the only 2-page thrill. Remember "Bakta War" or "Iron Fist" or "Solo Command"? In those books the good guys plans where not guarranteed to succeed. Last minute surprises, LAST MINUTE HEROICS saved the day. In "Rebel Stand" this wasn't necessary - as long as everyone sticks to Wedge's plans the victory is preordained - one need not even read the last two chapters. Also, the book seemed a bit rushed.
SPOILER ALERT)
Most of the Coruscan action seemed to be taking place in a vacuum.
a) We never see any of the Vong's reaction - at least the warmaster's anyway - to everything that happens. I mean, a couple of Mataloks and a few squadrons of skips go missing, parts of the planet are blowing up, Jedi are duelig all over and Tsavong Lah has nothing to say about it? Doesn't even wonder what's going on or what the "infidels" are up to now?
b) Throwing that Senator from Kuat, what's her name off the balcony was lame. After all she's done, all the plot branches she's involved in, she 's simply discarded, as if Lucas called Allston and said "I don't like her, just kill her" right as the author was finishing the chapter.. Lastly, some of the characters were left out in mid-stride. What happened to Lando? At the end of vol 11 he's throwing a party on Borleias. In book 12 I guess he's on holidays.. Same goes for Booster, Corran and others. No mention of Jacen either. That's all - this one could have been a five star, but not quite. Still, a great read though.
Rating: 
Summary: Does credit to the series!
Review: My faith in the New Jedi Order is restored! After several incomprehensively stupid moves on the part of the series creaters, (the death of Anakin Solo comes to mind) I was starting to feel rather depressed about the whole thing. I still eagerly awaited each new book, but I also dreaded the consequences of the events in them. This book, while still carrying out the series' dark storyline beatifully, also manages to convey a sense of comfort and lighthearted fun that's been missing for a while. I still miss Anakin, but I can see now something I couldn't before this book; the Star Wars universe can live without him. Jacen is still nowhere to be seen, but anyone who still thinks he's dead can't have been paying attention to the indications otherwise. There are three main storylines of the book, the first and possibly most important being Luke and Mara's mission to Vong occupied Coruscant. The strange tension that seemed to be between Luke and Mara in Rebel Dream is gone here as well, and I was pleased to see that author made an honest effort to get Mara's character right this time. As for the mission itself, just seeing the capitol world so ruined is chilling by itself, never mind what they find there. Tahiri is in her element as well, finally coming out of her "whimpering weakling" phase she was in for a while after Anakin died. The second storyline centers around Han and Leia, comfortable with each other once again, though still deeply grieving for their youngest son, as they try to inspire resistance against the Vong.
Jaina is still a key character in her own storyline, (the defense of Borleias), though less so now, as other characters begin to take center stage. She's mostly recovered from the dark compulsions of the dark side, though still determined to make the Vong pay for her little brother's untimely death. Jaina and Jag are apparently considered a true couple now, and there is some romantic interaction between the two. Being a Zekk fan myself, I found this repulsive and annoying, but those of you who prefer Jagged will probably enjoy this aspect of the book.
Altogether, I'll say I can say happily that I greatly enjoyed this one, and eagerly await Traitor and (hopefully) Jacen's return.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book! Allston Follows EL1 With A Smash Hit!
Review: Allston again writes an excellent addition to the NJO series. Rebel Stand is more concentrated then Rebel Dream, with the subplots focussing more clearly on the main characters. While he adds in a few returning faces (Wes Janson makes his NJO debut), Allston never loses focus of his story. Every NJO author writes a specific character better than others, Stackpole writes Corran Horn the best, Keyes wrote Anakin the best, etc, Allston wrote Han and Leia the best in this book. No other author in the NJO series so far has captured the essense of who Han and Leia are, not merely legend they represent. I am trying not to give any of the plot away, but the scene where Han and Leia escape from the Peace Brigade is pure Star Wars. Luke and Mara are not forgotten on Curuscant, and though again nothing is mentioned of the captured Jacen Solo, an old enemy is resurrected, and general chaos reigns. Its really great stuff. Allston also focuses on the tactical side of the war with the Vong, his depiction of Wedge Antilles is masterful, as is the battle plan presented. Jaina Solo comes into her own, no longer under the influence of the Dark Side, and healing from the losses of her brothers. Overall after the darkness of Star by Star and Dark Journey, Allston's two books have been a welcome change, and are simply excellent. Perhaps he will write again for the Star Wars universe, and if he does, I will be among the first to buy the book. Rebel Stand is highly recommend, not just as a great addition to the NJO series but as a Star Wars book in general.
Rating:
Summary: Buy it NOW.
Review: Wow. To sum it all up, this book is classic Star Wars. First off, though, I'd like to note that this book was 8 pages longer than Balance Point (the paperback version), which is a welcome change.
Allston's second NJO book definitely does not dissappoint and is an excellent continuation of what he started in Rebel Dream. This book ties off a couple of loose ends, creates a few more, and has the combat action that's been missing for some time. Without giving away too much, I will say that Kyp is becoming a very likeable character and I hope the future NJO authors continue to develop his story. Tahiri becomes slightly more complex in this book, and it's a great character shift. Viqi Shesh's role is perfectly on character. Don't expect to see much of Jaina, Jag, Kyp, or Janson (who IS back), but they do appear at crucial moments. Also keep in mind that Jacen is nowhere in this book, but he'll be back in Traitor, so it's all for the anticipation.
This story mainly focuses on Han and Leia who are (finally) back in character, and the Coruscant mission. Luke's and especially Mara's lines/actions are also much more consistent with their character than what was written in Rebel Dream; thanks to Allston for paying attention to this.
This is a great plot, and a needed addition to the NJO storyline. You should definitely read Rebel Dream before reading Rebel Stand; I recommend reading Children of the Jedi by Barbara Hambley to understand who Roganda Ismaren and Lord Nyax really are, because it is not mentioned by Allston. Definitely a must-read for all SW fans and any following the NJO series- you'll enjoy it immensely.
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