Rating: 
Summary: Bravo, Stackpole!!!
Review: I just finished reading the "Dark Tide" novels and I haven't been more pleased with a Star Wars novelist. I've stayed away from Star Wars fiction for the most part because of bad experiences I've had with it in the past (the over-rated Timothy Zhan trilogy), but the "New Jedi Order" books rock! In particular, I found the way Stackpole connected his own novels together with the criminally under-appreciated "Vector Prime" to be exceptionally noteworthy. He picked up right where Salvatore left off and upped the adrenaline. Corran Horn, whom I know nothing about, was tremendous! What an awsome character Stackpole has here; clever, deadly, cocky, and humble, we was the perfect embodiment of the post-Skywalker Jedi Knight. With 20-something novels left to round out this series, I'm sure he'll be back. I also found the character developement outstanding; Luke Skywalker certainly demonstrates why he is the Master... One passage in particular, was incredible!...I had goosebumps....Speaking of, Anakin "The Vong Killing Machine" Solo is also handled nicely, as he come to grips with Chewbacca's death and grows as a warrior and into a man. His future's so bright, I gots to wear shades. Jacen's a conceited dweeb, but Jaina kicks coral tail as part of Rogue Squadron! The flight passages were extrordinary! I could actually visualize the action in my mind's eye while I read of Jaina and Gavin Darklighter (who is also excellent) deftly manuvering their X-wings through the action. Overall, it's oustanding! As someone who is not a fan of Star Wars fiction at all, I found a smile on my face as I tore through both books in just four sittings (and paid the price at work following each). The Yuuzhan Vong are a truly formidable adversary, with a certain dignity in their beliefs and ferocity with which they defend them. I'm 27 years old, and I found myself wishing they'd come out with Vong action figures. What's up with that?! Salvatore put the hook in me, but Stackpole has reeled me in for the entire series. Now, I wonder what a certain grieving ex-smuggler is up to...
Rating: 
Summary: necessary if you are going to read the NJO series, but...
Review: I tried to leave room for doubt when I read the first DarkTide book. However, this one pretty much hammered in the last nail. I do not like Stackpole's writing at all. I'll give him credit for being able to describe the process of a Star Wars universe space battle in extreme detail, but there is a limit to what is necessary or even believable. (I've got to admit, as much as the New Republic is getting wasted, I'm shocked that no one seems to have even considered the use of atomics. Surely, with such technologies as hyperdrives and repulsorlifts available, they know how!) Further... his characters are two dimensional. It was clear Stackpole was trying really hard with Jacen to make him a character of some depth, and to some extend he succeded. However, that's about it. Everyone else was too predictable. Mechanical. They all had emotions yes, but you are left with the impression at the end that, "*I* could have written this!" Many key plot developments take place in these two books, though, so you can't really bypass them. They are not so badly written that it is an endurance test, but I didn't get much joy out of them. Look forward to Luceno's books. He's much much better with character.
Rating:
Summary: As Good as it Gets!
Review: Michael Stackpole delivers yet another brilliant performance, completing what is likely to be considered the best subseries of the New Jedi Order. Dark Tide II: Ruin continues where its predecessor, Onslaught, left off. Leia Organa Solo must try to convince the New Republic that the Yuuzhan Vong do indeed pose a threat, while Luke Skywalker must try and prevent some rogue Jedi, led by Kyp Durron, from going to the dark side in order to defeat the Vong. In addition to this, Luke sets up a number of missions for his Jedi followers, including sending Corran Horn and Jacen Solo on a fact finding mission to the planet Garqi, where there may be Yuuzhan Vong present. Ruin is a fast pace, exciting book, filled with interesting stories and witty dialogue. Stackpole, an accomplished space battle writer (see any of the X-Wing series), does not disappoint expecting fans. The Dark Tide series will draw the readers attention and interst to the New Jedi Order series, which Vector Prime may have failed to do. Whether you want to read Vector Prime, or not (it's not really necessary, you can understand what's going on without reading Salvatore's introduction.) Which I like more, Onslaught or Ruin, changes everytime I read one of the books. There's something new each time, and it never gets old. These two just arent the top two New Jedi Order books, they rank up there with some of the top Star Wars books, including anything written by Timothy Zahn.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting plot lacks mental exercise for reader
Review: I am a child of the Star Wars generation. The magic of this universe has thrilled me since I was 4. When I should have been writing papers about the symbolism in nineteenth century British novels, I was contemplating the role of destiny in the Star Wars trilogy. The characters of this universe are as familiar to me as my own family. "Ruin" does an excellent job of furthering the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and bringing to the fore a new generation of Jedi Knights by making the Solo children (who are fast approaching the age of their mother and uncle in "A New Hope") more involved in the action. However, I felt that the level of writing in this book focused more on the teen-agers who read the Young Jedi Knights series rather than the more adult readers who fell in love with Timothy Zahn's first foray into the post-Endor events of this magical universe. While I did want to read through to the end of the story, I felt like I was being talked down to much of the time. I didn't feel like I got the mental exercise I enjoy from reading most Star Wars books when I finished this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A good closure to Dark Tide
Review: This is Stackpole's last Star Wars novel, at least for the time being, and we are all the poorer for it. Knowing that, I tried to savor this book, seeing as how there was no more new Stackpole to read. We pick up on the story of the Solo kids: Jaina gets into some dogfights with the Vong, and discovers a way to defeat Dovin Basals. The Imperial Remnant agrees to help the Republic combat the Vong, but there is nothing they can do to save Ithor, mercilessly crushed by the Vong. But it is discovered, however, that the pollen on the balforr trees of Ithor causes a biological reaction which causes Vong armor to die and thereby kill the warrior inside. On the downside, the Vong just get easier to kill, and in the climatic battle on Ithor, the Jedi take down hoards of their war slaves while taking few losses themselves. The book winds to a close as the Rogues meet the new generation of hotshot Imperial pilots, including Baron Fel's son, Jag. He he, Jag Fel, what a name. The book concludes in rather anticlimactic fashion, which is okay by me, since the next books are really continuing that particular storyline. A good book, by me, but a disappointing end. 3 1/2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Although the Dark Tide books are early on in the New Jedi Order series there some of the best ones. They are written by one of star wars best authors, Michael A. Stackpole (X-Wing Series & I Jedi). All of the characters personalitys are perfect. Its like your watching one of the movies. You also meet a major new player in the New Jedi Order in this book, Jag Fel. He comes from Chiss space and pilots a Chiss Clawcraft. Although his role is minumal in this book, it becomes larger by Dark Journey. So go out and get this book, its a great addition to the star wars universe.
Rating:
Summary: Poor narrative hurts novel
Review: The New Jedi Order series begins the new era of Star Wars with new characters, new enemies, and new plot lines. Unfortunately, the narrative of the Dark Tide books does not help a reader imagine what is happening because it was not properly described. Michael A. Stackpole chronically denies the reader any descriptive detail on what Yuuzhan Vong ships and weapons look like. He also denies detailed background on any major Yuuzhan Vong characters. It is as if he didn't fully understand the enemy he was writing about. He just plainly stated the name of the object or character and moved on with the story. This effect for a novel does help keep the story moving at a quick pace, but the lack of detail and description harmed the overall narrative. It prevented the reader from wanting to care about characters and situations. The author simply went through the motions so that the reader could move onto the next book. For this reason the Dark Tide books are very disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the three.
Review: This is a much better book than the first two. Luke on Mara/"How like her to watch. Assessing who is with me and who is not". Daeshara`cor/Chalco: Great story. Shedao/Elegos: Two sides to every arguement. Pellaeon`s motive`s. Alot going on in this book with clear fight scenes, deeper plot lines and excellent character`s with smooth running dialoge. Downside?:Again this guy Stackpole goes with the "shoulder scenes". Page 43/47/86/87/111/113(2)/114/154/198(3)/201/210/225/233/234/246 and 251. Second?: Daeshara`cor`s motive never explained and when we see her again with Luke everything is all well and good, which doesn`t make much sense because she was so commited before. An enjoyable read. I`d like to say I`ll continue with the series, but a number of idiots and or morons insist on putting spoilers in their reviews so while I already knew about Chewbacca ("THEY KILLED CHEWIE!") Ive also found out another tid-bit which has ruined the series for me.
Rating:
Summary: Great Great book!!!!
Review: One of my faviort books is Dark Tide II Ruin. I loved how you really start to see Jaina as a pilot
instead of a jedi and how she wishes people would respect her becouse of her being in Rogue Squadron and not becouse of her being a Solo and a jedi. You get to me Jagged Fel, if only for a few pages, but nevertheless you want to know more about him after you read this book.The attraction between him and Jaina is clear and I love to conversonation near the end when he is talking to Jaina and you can tell he trusts her just by some of the things he said. So it leaves you wondering if he will come back and what kind of relationship he would have with Jaina. You get to see Ganner mature a bit and see Jacen not act like a sissy pretty boy and Anakin learns some valuble lesson that might help him in the future. All in All you should read this book!
Rating:
Summary: The Yuuzhan Vong tide crests
Review: Dark Tide II: Ruin is the third book in the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series, and the series just keeps humming along. So far, there hasn't been a bad book in the bunch, and Ruin is yet another winner. In fact, it might be the best one yet. It has a marvelous combination of character study, action, and information about the villains, giving them a face for the reader to hate. Every Stackpole book I read seems to get better and better. This book was definitely worth the wait to read. I've never seen Stackpole be so good with characters, but he does a wonderful job here. Everybody's in character and they seem to grow along with the story. We don't exactly learn anything new about them, but they do new things and progress is made in some of their individual stories. The main character, as is usual in a Stackpole Star Wars book, is Corran Horn. He seems to be Stackpole's favourite, especially since he created Horn. Horn is a Jedi who is torn between Luke Skywalker's way (a more benign, defensive posture for the Jedi) and Kyp Durron's way (take the war to the enemy, be on the offensive and solve conflicts before they start). In the previous book, one of Kyp's disciples, Ganner Rhysode, saved Horn because he acted on his belief, and it gives Horn a little pause to think. However, one thing I liked about this book is that Ganner actually learns something as well. Using Horn and Ganner (who both are on the reconnaissance mission) as two polar opposites, Stackpole presents the two sides of the Jedi debate without really coming down on one side or the other. Not only does Corran move a little toward Ganner's side, but events force Ganner to re-evaluate his beliefs as well. Elsewhere on the character front, Stackpole brings back some old friends. It seems to be old home week as the New Republic goes to the remnants of the old Imperial Navy for help in fighting the Vong. A familiar character if you've read the previous books from Bantam, Admiral Pellaeon shows up and becomes a force to be reckoned with as well. It was nice to see him again, as he was one of my favourite Imperials when I was reading the old books. He fits like an old glove, with his wonderful combination of thoughtfulness, intelligence, and the occasional wry comment. The rest of the characters are well done, too. They just aren't as remarkable as the job Stackpole does on the above-mentioned ones. Our heroes from the movies fulfill their roles admirably, with Luke continuing his personal growth as the leader of the Jedi and Leia once against sacrificing herself, her time and her energy in helping the downtrodden. In this case, that amounts to the refugees from the Vong conquest of the Outer Rim worlds. Her children acquit themselves admirably, with daughter Jaina an ace pilot and sons Jacen and Anakin filling out their Jedi roles. Anakin is the naïve youngster who brazenly disobeys orders when he's talked into it by a smooth-talking associate. The only one missing is Han, who only appears a couple of times, still brooding about events in a previous book. He disappears quickly, and it's a shame. The good thing is that the next two books feature him heavily, so you just have to bide your time. Stackpole handles the transition from character to action like only Stackpole can. He is probably the best action writer I've read. His space battles are so dynamic that you can visualize them with special effects from the movies. The prose and dialogue are so smooth, you feel like you're in a Rogue Squadron cockpit. You feel the tension as the Vong ships are flying around and devastating the ships above the planet. He also writes personal action very well, with lightsaber fights that are vividly described (sometimes too vividly, though while there is some blood and troopers cleaved in half, Stackpole doesn't dwell on the descriptions too much). Again, it almost feels like it's all appearing on screen. That may not always be a good thing in a book, but considering Star Wars started out as a movie franchise, I find it very pleasing in this series. Finally, the plot holds your interest. You actually get some viewpoints from the Vong side of things, which is a definite plus. They don't appear as faceless enemies any more, and Stackpole uses these viewpoints to cover over some of the differences that appeared in them from the first book to the second book. He fleshes them out to a great extent, with warrior castes, religious castes, and others. This makes the final confrontation even more understandable, and the result of it, while predictable to an extent, is still stunning in a way. Not so much because you don't see it coming, but because of the way Stackpole describes it. The ending truly makes you wonder what's going to happen next in the series, as even when the good guys win, they've so far always lost to a certain extent. This bodes well for the series as it's just starting to pick up steam (3 books in to a 19 book series). While this book would certainly be understandable to somebody who picks it up without reading the first two books, it should really be read only after reading them. At least pick up the first one of this duology, (Dark Tide I: Onslaught) beforehand. If you're a Star Wars fan, you'll be glad you did.
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