Rating: 
Summary: The one we've been waiting for!
Review: This book contained a highly anticipated event, at least for me. I won't mention what it is for those of you who haven't read yet. Its a really great book that fills a reader with joy at the end, although the conflict with the v.v. has not ended. I think it could have been better if not perhaps a little longer, but an otherwise great read that makes u feel good! Buy it and Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Critique of Greg Keyes's infantile writing style in Rebirth
Review: The first problem with the three storylines in the novel is the fact that there is no direct link between them whatsoever. This strikes me as leading to structural problems, since each of the three storylines is not dependent upon the other, unlike all previous SW novels written that I have read.Chapter 1 ends with part of a conversation. Instead of continuing the entire discussion in the first chapter, the reader is forced to wait till Chapter 5 to get the rest of the conversation between Luke, Mara and Kenth. Does this make any sense? The reason that such nonsense has to be done is because of the fact that these storylines are not connected to one another in the slightest way, hence the author, Greg Keyes, strikes me as having to generate dramatic tension in an awkward manner, since the usual way tension is generated is by picking up one of the other storylines--showing the villian's latest scheme, ehat another group of heroes is up to. While this does happen in Rebirth, these storylines are not part of an organic whole. This can be revealed by pondering these screnarios: remove Grand Admiral Thrawn from HttE, DFR and TLC. Would those novels still be able to tell a cohesive tale? Or remove Daala and any mention of the Maw Installation from the JAT. Would the story still be the same? Removing these elements from the novels I mentioned would be disastrous precisely because those elements are fully integrated into those novels. The same is not true in the case of Rebirth . Remove the Jaina subplot. Without that, the novel is still capable of telling its remaining unrelated storyarcs without any difficulty. The same could go with removing Luke/Mara, Han/Leia/Jacen or the whole thing with that vong worldship. I just hope that J. Gregory Keyes is capable of telling far more intricate tales than Greg Keyes is. Also, I love how the NJO doesn't even follow its own continuity. In Conquest , there's no mention whatsoever of everyone's reaction to Leia and her legs--must happen off-screen. The same thing happened with Chewie's death, there weren't any scenes of Luke, Leia and Lando expressing their sympathies to Han and getting all emotional over Chewie's death. In Rebirth , any idea of possibly reading about the Skywalker/Solo family actually being seen together to celebrate the birth of baby Ben is not written about anywhere--even though such a thing would have been a warm, bright spot in the bleak, dark NJO. This inattention to these details strikes me as very sad.
Rating: 
Summary: A great addition to the NJO
Review: I'm always a bit leery about reading a Star Wars book by a new SW author. I know it's not fair to the new author, but I like knowing I'm gonna get a competent story. That being said, Greg Keyes breathes some new excitement into the series. After giving us a nice little adventure in Conquest, he blows us away with Rebirth. I've yet to start boring of this story line. Let's get the bad out of the way first. Most of us grew up wanting to be Luke Skywalker. I want to see Luke be Luke; the Luke I grew up admiring. It hasn't really been happening here lately. I'll let this book slide, for if I had a wife and she were really sick AND pregnant, I know where'd I'd be, and that's where Luke is. In the earlier chapters, it looks like Luke is thinking on the lines that will make him back into the character I love. Hopefully. I just don't think Luke's been quite nailed down right, yet. Anyways, that out of the way, the rest of the book rocked. Foremost, it was good seeing Han, Leia, Jacen and Threepio kickin' it "Empire Strikes Back" style. All those fans getting sick of Jacen spouting off and being weak or whatever will love the scene where Han gets in his face and tells him what Han Solo thinks about all that. Then, like Han, you'll probably feel a little guilty for enjoying it after. But other than a couple of nice moments of family trying to get along and understand each other, the banter is tops. It was also nice to see Karrde and the setting of Tatooine again. Meanwhile we have Anakin and Tahiri getting into trouble yet again, but this time they have the good fortune of bringing Corran Horn into it with them. Though he probably wouldn't agree on that point. Anyways, they find themselves in a thick situation that looks to be VERY difficult to get out of. There's some good stuff here. Once again, good to see Corran back in action after he kicked some butt in "Ruin". In yet another storyline we find Kyp Durron getting Jaina's help in a little matter that calls for the help of the legendary Rouge Squadran. Needless to say, if you like your space battles, here's where you'll find it. Extra props for seeing Wedge Antilles back in the cockpit of a X-Wing where he belongs. Also a nice unexpected aftermath to the battle that I didn't see coming. All in all, it had a nice "Star Wars" movie feel to it that I don't always find in the books, and I thank Greg Keyes for that. Way fun to read and the suspence is there, especially with Mara's disease flaring up bigger and badder than ever. Good multi story lines that have that annoying habit of switching between each other when they get really interesting. But then, a couple of the movies do that, too. And for you guys thinking Anakin Solo has the best potential to be the greatest of the Jedi, we are introduced to someone in the last couple of chapters that could change your prespective :) It changed mine.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely not the best SW around
Review: The mayor problem with this book is that it centers around the characters of the Solo kids, leaving behind many interesting characters like Han, Leia, Luke, Mara and even neglecting characters that have already become Star Wars icons as Corran Horn and Lando Calrissian. I understand that the author tries to give the feeling that the torch is being passed to a younger generation, but I don't see why this has to be done by undermining and poorly portraying the old generation. Luke is pictured as a feeble idealistic old man, Leia is shown as a second class diplomat, but at least Han goes back to his scoundrel years. Maybe some characters from the past generation (Wedge Antilles, Ackbar, Lando and the old guard of ex-Rogue Squadrons) would have provided the story with more maturity, because this book goes around unexperienced, egocentric toddlers from the Young Jedi Knight series, a complete shame. On the positive side of things this novel provides a nice description of the Yuuzhan Vong, their culture and technology, and also gives us a mayor event concerning the Skywalker marriage that could become one of the milestones in the SW Universe, if it is masterfully developed by some author like Zahn. This is just another not lousy, but not very bright either, NJO book. I just hope that some author as good as Zahn or Stackpole comes to give these new SW series some very much needed experience.
Rating:
Summary: Very good for NJO, but still lacking Luke/Mara
Review: I thought this was one of the best of the New Jedi Order books. But I was still a little disappointed. By the cover I assumed there would be quite a bit about Luke and Mara. Well, that's not necessarily the case, although there are very important events that take place in their lives that occur in this book. Overall, very good book for the NJO, but it could have used more Luke and Mara.
Rating:
Summary: Romance it is!
Review: Overall a very good book. The Yuuzhan Vong (let's do the name properly here.. they'll hate you otherwise) are their same old evil selves. I did find the new baby's name a bit obvious. I mean there was alrady an Anakin, right? I knew Luke would follow suit. I too have always liked Kyp Durron. From the time Han found him in the prisons of Kessel, even through the dark times. I thought Jacen was gonna go for Danni Quee despite the age difference (In Vector Prime), there's that certain special something between Jaina and Kyp (though Jaina is probably afraid to admit it), and Anakin and Tahiri would make such a lovely couple!
Rating:
Summary: Another satisfactory episode in the NJO
Review: Continuing from his previous novel in the New Jedi Order (NJO) series, Greg Keyes furthers the New Republic's and, more importantly, the Jedi's struggle against the Yuuzhan Vong. It is a dark time for the Jedi, taking a large toll on their ranks. In accord with the Vong's demands, the Jedi are being rounded up and given as appeasement to the Vong. The view of the Jedi in the New Republic further deteriorates, as Luke and Mara have arrest warrants issued by the Senate. As in the previous books in this series, much focus is given to the younger Jedi, Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, and Tahiri, in particular. We also get a nice return in the presence of Corran Horn as he attempts to rein in two of the kids. There are also the requisite battle scenes between Jedi and Vong, although on a much lesser scale than earlier parts of the series. This is mostly due to the Vong maintaining the present state of the invasion and not furthering their conquest. A pivotal point of this book is Mara's plight. She learns that the synthesized medication she is taking is dangerous for her unborn child, so she must decide whether to save herself or her baby. I'm sure you can guess her chosen path. Her importance not only to Luke, but to the kids as well, is underscored very well in this respect. Another side quest is the search for a safe haven for the now-hunted Jedi, especially the children from the academy. Though we are not privy to the search itself, the nature of the chosen destination is revealed, and seems like a nice choice, given the pattern of Vong (and Republic) thought. I have to say that I recommend this book as a nice contribution to the NJO series. It seems to me that something big is building, and the crescendo is coming soon. If you like Star Wars, and especially any of the NJO series, you will appreciate this one too.
Rating:
Summary: Ties up some threads, but doesn't advance the overall story
Review: Rebirth, sequel to Edge of Victory, doesn't quite stand up to its predecessor. While the 1st book in this series was very dramatic and full of adventure, I found Rebirth somewhat stagnate in moving ahead the Invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong towards the core worlds. Most of the characters are present that we have gotten to known during the New Jedi Order series, however, there is a noticeable lack of Droma, the Hutt situation, Lando, R2 and many more. What the reader has to realize though is that the New Jedi Order is slowly passing the torch to new characters and the Solo children and now so heavily depending on the mainstays of the Star Wars Universe. The Republics ill will towards the Jedi is mentioned as is the Peace Brigade but you'll find little advancement on this. The reader is still left guessing what is happening with the Imperial remnant and the Hutt's who were much more influencing in the beginning of this series. What Rebirth focuses on is tying up a few threads left behind such as what becomes of Tahiri, the Maw Installation, where Booster Terrik and Mirax have been, Luke's ideals of his Jedi academy, Kyp Durron and his squadron, Vong manipulator Nom Anor, Mara's illness and the familiar known as Veregere. I was disappointed with the author's handling of Han and Leia. Their contribution to this installment seemed more like filler material than anything else, other than a few heart to heart talks between Han and Jacen but nothing that this novel needed to progress. Jaina's story was a bit interesting in her deals with Kyp Durron. There is a definite love-hate relationship that Jaina feels to the handsome Kyp, but when all is said in done Jaina has more questions than ever about where Kyp lies in the Force. It is apparent that he walks a fine line between the light and dark sides. Their plot of the book was probably the one with the most substance as together with the aid of Rouge Squadron, Kyp's dozen, and other Republic military factions try to take out what they 'believe' is a new Vong super weapon. The third subplot involves Tahiri, Anakin, and Corran Horn. Also entertaining, but was used more as a vehicle to develop a closer bond between Tahiri and Anakin. However, anything that Corran is involved in is fun for he is a Correllian by blood, sarcastic in nature, and is a Jedi. Here the trio is jumping all around the Vong as we discover new plots hatched by Nom Amor. Finally, the 4th subplot had to deal with the heretic shaper Nen Yim. By far this was the most interesting venue of the whole novel, as Yim plots to regain her namesake from disgrace. She proves to have the beginnings of a new villain to watch out for in the future. For at her age, she already knows she needs to be sneaky and sly even amongst her own kind to advance. And not just to eliminate the Infidels but to weed out the egocentric Vong that are holding the invasion back from blunders. There were a couple instances where new plots were introduce in a few short paragraphs but were never mentioned again in the book....most likely to be picked up in future installments, but nevertheless leave the reader hanging on why a thread would even be introduced if it were not to be followed up on. Disappointing. If this is the first book in the series you read, you'll be lost. However, it is a good adventure in paperback, fun at times, but doesn't seem necessary for the whole New Jedi Order series.
Rating:
Summary: One word: Fantastic
Review: Another great chapter to his grand series, suspenseful, heart throbbing and shocking. You don't know who is going to be next to fall, or what near miss that save the bureaucratic New Republic (They're becoming worse then the Old Empire, by the way, where is the New Regime?) Jedi are totally on their own--so far--and the with the ending of 'Balancing Point', gives a whole new danger to the Jedi. They have no one they can completely trust, even old friends of Han are trying to kidnap his oldest son, not only do they have the Yuuzhan Vong to did with, but now they have more then ½ of the galaxy's indigenous population after them. I only whish this book was longer. Each one feels like a tide me over until the next one, and the new one Star By Star, better be more 300 pages!
Rating: 
Summary: Schmuck Dodgers in the 21st and a half Century
Review: Well, with this book, the cat’s finally out of the bag with regard to the NJO series. That is, each book is just a Young Jedi Knights book with a different cover and a heftier price tag. The overall low writing level appears to be quite deliberate (check out the grammatical howler on the back cover–“But even in the midst of despair, while the most fiercest battle of all looms on the horizon, hope arises with the birth of one very special child. . .” ‘Most fiercest’?) But the strangled syntax, dumb dialogue, pathetic plotting, and clumsy writing are clearly designed to make the kids feel at home. Some people who might have known better have been seduced by the fact that this book includes some much-anticipated plot points. Luke’s son is born, Mara’s disease is cured, and Han and Leia are reconciled. But these events are treated in such a cursory and vague way, they might as well not be there at all. Much ink is spilt, however, on Anakin’s first kiss, an event treated like the Second Coming. Like we care. And that brings us to the Solo kids, a blandly-portrayed trio who’re an absolute blight on the landscape. Everything is seen from their point of view, which means the low level of this enterprise is complete. If you’re between the ages of nine and twelve, no doubt you will absolutely love this book. If you are older than that, or even a sophisticated ‘tween, it’s profoundly disappointing. I wouldn’t mind that it’s aimed at kids if it had the wit and creativity of good kid lit. It doesn’t. And take note, kids, you only had to pay $... for a YJK book. Now they’re getting an extra chunk of change out of you for exactly the same product, and I do mean product. This isn’t a book so much as a sausage–it’s exactly the same as the previous one, and it’s full of sawdust. So the question is: when are they planning to release an adult Star Wars novel? Anytime this century?
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