Rating: 
Summary: One of the BEST SW Books yet!!!
Review: This book was awesome! I have read the entire Star Wars collection, including many of the comics and children's books and I don't think I've read one this good since "I, Jedi". Although that one is still definitely my favorite, "Balance Point" is also quite good. I really enjoyed reading about Jacen's struggle, and how everyone else fits into it. With all they (meaning the third generation Jedis: Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin) have been through we tend to forget that they are still very young, and that even though they've had Force sesitivity their entire lives, they are still human and their humanity could also lead them to the Dark Side. This book was amazing! I'd recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit of a dissappointment for a Kathy Tyers book.
Review: I have just finished reading this book and have a few things to say about it. First of all, I found it a bit dull. I just felt like it was a filler between stories. It really wasn't close to Tyers other book "The Truce at Bakura" (Wonderful book by the way, I completely recommend it). It left you with a sort of a galzed feeling like you could describe the book in about a paragraph. But it wasn't all bad. On of the reasons that I gave it four stars was the suspence on the ever-inpendent Vong attack. While the ending was a bit boring, (I wont spoil it for others)it kept me in suspense for most of the book. Also I love fact that Mara Jade finally gets a ship that dosen't get destroyed, way to go Kathy!... But that leads to another sour point, there were few craft descriptions, I had no clue what the "Jade's Shadow", the I-7 Howlrunner, or any of the Vong ships look like. It may be only me but if I can visulize what some of the crafts in the book look like, it will help me enjoy the book much better. I would like to know a rough description; length, shape, major characteristics, where the weapons are mounted, ect. If most of the readers dissagree with this, sorry, just what I like. So this is not a really bad book overall, rather good characters, plot, and so forth. But if you want to read it, wait for it to come out in paperback, it isn't worth what I paid for it for the hardcover edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Balance Point was good but . . .
Review: It struck me as being rather episodic and lacking any real connection to what came before it. Yes, Ms. Tyres wrote a terrific addition to Star Wars; her characterizations were a joy to read (except for the ever-annoying Jacen) but I still had more fundamental problems with the novel. The first problem is that Luke, Han and Leia are still out of character, but this certainly can't be blamed on Ms. Tyres. The mischaracterizations begun in VP and they have been continuing through the NJO thus far. Since when did Luke turn into some sort of pacifistic hermit? This is the man who destroyed a Death Star, killed Palpatine (on multiple occasions if you include Dark Empire, which I do not) and fought against Thrawn, Daala and Pellaeon. He was never paralyzed by morality before when he was killing fellow human beings, but the Vong come along and he's debating whether or not its right to fight back. Doesn't make sense. He never hesistated to kill all those millions of humans. Luke's turned into a wimp and that is such a waste of his character--a tragedy. BP is tied to nothing which came before it. Does it make sense for Jacen to have not suffered any reprimand from the Senate for what happened at Centerpoint? Three-quarters of the Hapan fleet was destroyed because of Jacen's arrogance; yet, he sustains no censure for his conduct. So much for the NJO believing in even maintaining internal continuity. Corran is hounded into exile for what happened at Ithor, yet Jacen is able to go about like he didn't do anything wrong. Unfortunately, this logical plot-point was dropped because of the dictate that the hardcovers have to focus on the main characters (read: Solos and Skywalkers) and I guess it wouldn't have made for a good story to have Jacen in a prison cell, since the Solo spawn must be portrayed as perfect; even though the character of Borsk Fe'lya certainly would make sure Jacen was punished. BP, while a great read and character study, did not strike me as having any real linkage to the NJO except for the characters, contuning to baby-sit refugees (which is getting old) and the undefeated Vong continuing their onslaught.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but...
Review: It was really good, but i about died when Leia had to shave her head!!!!!!! Its hard to picture her without her famous braids. I dont think Kathy Tyers should have done that. But other than that it was great.
Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air
Review: Throughout the last few books of the New Jedi Order, it's been rush, rush, defend our lives, senate meetings, debates, fight for our lives, rush and run. This book kind of slows it down a bit and we get to concentrate on the characters. To me, they're more realistic in this movie, they feel like real people. They care for each other, get annoyed at each other and ultimatly try to protect each other. This book kinda ties some loose ends together that have been floating around for the last few entries. There are those who are starting to get annoyed with Jacen and his stubborness. I think your opinion of the kid may change after this book. He's gone through a lot and he's cautious, but we can actually kinda understand him here. He actually works through the problem in this book and finally (hopefully) comes to a decision. It was just great to see the Solo's as a family for once, all together. They act like a real family. Another thing is, of course, Leia and Han finally try to work through their problems. This little plot was starting to wear thin as it just started to get repetitive. Now they are going forwars with it. As for Jania, I feel she's starting to grow as a character, and she realistically acts as a sister or daughter would. She's got problems, she loves her mother and brother, yet at the same time she's frustrated by them. I like how she was portrayed. Unfortunately, Anakin didn't get as much focus as the twins or their parents, however, he continues to show great promise to become even greater than Luke himself. Speaking of the great one, I'd really love to see a book focus on Luke for once. To me, the movies were about the Skywalkers, their dreams, triumphs, faliures and redemptions. Luke has so much responsibility going on that it's hard for him to come off as a normal guy (well, his is Luke Skywalker), but I would love to see a story focusing on Luke. The Vong are still as repulsive as ever, and I can't help but to want to see how they would fare if they attacked the galaxy while Obi-Wan Kenobi and his pals were still in their prime. But even though this book kinda slows it down, don't feel safe for these people. This may be a bright spot in the dark, but our heroes are in more trouble than they've been in since Vader decided to stop playing with kid's gloves and proceeded to kick their collective butts from one side of the galaxy to the other in "The Empire Strikes Back." ] Even though it's focus is on the characters here, the book still offers good action and is paced really well. There's still a fair share of lightsaber fights and climatic space battles, so any action fan should be satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: HIghly recommended
Review: Kathy Tyers has made a triumphant return to the Star Wars Universe. Blending well with the previous (Luceno) installments of the New Jedi Order series, Tyers continues the road to redemption of Han Solo, as well as fleshing out the role that the Solo children play in the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. As a chapter in that storyline, this is an essential read. While not quite as good as those of Stackpole, the battle scenes are very good, without being there just for their own sake. They are also not drawn out, which is often a problem with other books, where the story itself may be lacking. Just to clarify: this story is not lacking in any way. All the major players are in the story, with most receiving specific attention. Jacen Solo especially plays a large part. In an effort not to reveal anything crucial and ruin it for you, some of the occurrences in this novel have me hopping around in impatience to see how they will be resolved in the next book. Now I know that all you fellow Star Wars die-hards have probably bought this one anyway, but for those that are not stalwart fans, you might become so by reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Dialogue, Good climax, yet lacks overall direction.
Review: I read some of the other reviews here and noted that 4 and 5 stars were abundant, however, with a good conscious I had a hard time justifying those stars. Novels in general should be exciting all the way through and cohesive, especially if it is part of an ongoing story-arc like the New Jedi Order, but I didn't find that the case here. While Kathy Tyers may have mastered the art of character conversation (the dialogue sounds and feels very realistic, and seems like thought went into it), I found the first half of the novel lacking any major direction on how it all fits into the 'big picture'. The story seems to revolve around the Vong eyeing the world of Duros for invasion. Their ultimate goal here is to convert Duros into a staging ground to launch the final assault on the core worlds, namely Coruscant. What is lacking in this book is how things are going in the rest of the universe. Namely...where is the Imperial Remnant, the Jedi Academy, Kyp's dozen, Rouge squadron, Hapes Consortium, etc...,etc..? Many of the aforementioned factions played some role in all previous novels but seemed somewhat absent here in this hardcover. But the novels namesake 'Balance Point' seems to have multiple meanings here. There is a situation that develops between Mara and Luke that many fans will find surprising yet questionable. Again there is a balance that must be made between Leia and Han and if they can re-kindle their feelings for each other. Also there is the balance between Duros technology and that of the Vong's bioware. Kathy Tyers does a good job bringing these 'balance points' into view of the reader, however, I believe her biggest theme her was dealing with Jacen Solo. Jacen Solo recently has questioned his role as a Jedi Knight in training, and if the Force is really necessary in dealing with certain situations. He takes a vow of denying his jedi heritage for most of the novel and seems at constant war with himself or the correct or in-correct reasons and times to use the Force. Is the Force manipulating him? All this comes to a headway in the climax of the novel where Jacen must decide if and how he will use the Force, and if there are any ramifications. At times, I felt that this could be the staging ground for Jacen to be tempted by the dark side. Generally most stories show Anakin Solo as the one with the immense power, but never forget those other chracters who are just biding their time...Jacen really does struggle, and his power is revealed at one point Again, we see the development of Jacen, Anakin, and Jaina as full fledged characters in the Star Wars universe. And in this novel we do see some new worlds and species, but alas, I was a little concerned that there is a whole war going on all over, and this book strictly focused on events at Duros, and only at the end of the novel were Vong intentions made clear as to what this story was trying to accomplish.
Rating:
Summary: Kathy Tyers makes a comeback
Review: Thsi book just kept me on my toes the whole time I was reading it. Jacen's reluctance to use the Force is annoying, but understandable (perhaps he is remembering his grandfather's fate?). I felt sorry for what happened to Leia near the end (no, she doesn't die) and the scene at the end where the warmaster makes an announcement to the galaxy (I won't tell, that would spoil it) gave me the chills. How will the galaxy react to this? There were two things that weren't mentioned in this book that I hope will come to attention in the other novels; Kyp Durron (what happened to that rebel Jedi squad he was leading?) and Vergere. If you read Rogue Planet I think you know what I mean. I am DYING to see what happens if she ever meets Luke Skywalker. All in all, this was a great book that I recommend to any loyal Star Wars fan!
Rating:
Summary: A light in the darkness
Review: This incredible book was such a refresher from all of the depression that has gone on in the other Jedi Order books. Not only was I about to dance around the room about Luke and Mara, but I was glad that something actually went right for a change. There does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel here, but the catch is, you don't know if it's truly a light or not. This one will bring you back for the obvious next one coming.
Rating:
Summary: It would have been a 5, but .......
Review: I enjoyed all of the action of the book, but a few things bothered me about it. It had endless action and a great storyline. I love reading about the Solo Kids. It's great having more than one Jedi. The only thing that I didn't like was that all through the book it told about the Yuuzhan Vong, but it had no ending. The only thing remotely close to an ending is that Jacen made the Warmaster fly out of a window. He hurt his ankle. Kathy Tyers could have could have come up with something better than this. I know it was supposed to leave it open to another book, but this had no closure at all. Overall, it was a very good book, and I could not put it down until I was through reading it.
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