Rating: 
Summary: Things are looking grim, and I love it!
Review: At the end of JEDI ECLIPSE, I could not believe how poorly things were going for the New Republic and the Jedi. I absolutely love the fact that this book leaves tons of loose ends at the end, and that I have no idea at this point in the NJO series how the Yuuzhan Vong are ever going to be defeated. I have really enjoyed Luceno's style of writing. I think his dialogue is true to the SW characters, and I especially like his ability to inject humor into his stories despite the generally grim situations the characters are in. One of my favorite dialogue scenes is the one between Han and Leia near the end of ECLIPSE. It is a dead-on read of the characters. Can't wait to read BALANCE POINT.
Rating: 
Summary: Any thought to where this is going?
Review: James Luceno has contributed a superlative chapter into a saga that has stretched over 4 movies, and over 140 books in different forms. I have no idea to what degree the dozens of Authors collaborate on these written episodes, but their coordination of events, lack of contradiction, and seamless plot integration is almost uncanny. Many single volume tales contradict themselves, but George Lucas maintains an incredibly high standard, in each work, and the epic as a whole.The genetic weapons of the Yuuzhan Vong continue to be introduced without repetition, and with a cleverness that sets the standard for original Science Fiction. As I read this work I kept thinking the visual display these stories would make on a screen, visual experiences we likely will never see. I suppose a long shot hope would be that the younger of the Lucas clan would continue their father's work someday. When this all started in The New Hope, The Rebel Alliance was definitely on the razor's edge of defeat. This series that is certainly dark tragedy continues to escalate in violence, spread over rapidly increasing star systems, and few survive the experience. The New Republic is being lead by a council that gets more inept, or willfully negligent with each installment, The Jedi are not what we originally thought them to be, at least so far, and there is almost no cohesion except for the Yuuzhan Vong. These fractured alliances range from the galactic to the very personal. We already know where Episode III will leave us, and now after Episode VI, this new series is as dark as anything we have seen. Chewbacca has been killed, Jedi too have died, and other main characters are sure to follow. What a Jedi is supposed to be gets more confusing each time, will Anakin once again step to the forefront, or will his more passive Brother influence events? Whatever has brought this new enemy to the New Republic is also unveiling more of itself and its structure. Does anyone else find their reverence for natural biologic instruments as opposed to the mechanical, as conflicting with their self abuse, the mutilation of their own bodies as I do? This series started out with a very negative bent, and has not changed its direction. While still early in the series, events will need to start unfolding soon, so that a recovery, however devastating can be executed. Who will be left standing, in control, and the truth behind these new invaders is going to be a wild ride.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best NJO book yet!!!
Review: I totally enjoyed reading this book and found it very difficult to put down. Another nice thing about this book is you need only to have read Agents of Chaos to understand it. The only problem I have with it is I wish Mara was in the book and wanted more Luke/Mara.
Rating: 
Summary: disillusioned
Review: As Star Wars books go, this one wasn't so great. Like all books the plot has good elements and bad elements. The problem is that it spends too much time on the not so good parts of the plot, and not enough on the intersting parts. I think the story line had a lot of potential, but Luceno left key parts underdeveloped, while wasting time and paper by describing in excruciating detail the most mundane and non-important scenes of the book. One of the most wonderful aspects of the new jedi order is that it opens up so many possibilities. It introduces new heros and villains that were not in the movies, and are therefore not bound so much by the 'rules' of the star wars univers as we have seen it so far. The authers of these books, especially Luceno, could have done so much more with this. In Vector Prime, the Yuuzhan Vong are introduced as a totally alien species, but over the course of the books they become more and more like the bad guys we already know. In Luceno's favor, Hero's trail was not quite as bad as Jedi Eclipse.
Rating:
Summary: Definitley a Must-Read!
Review: This conclusion to James Lucerno's series effectively ties in most of the characters and sub-plots of the New Jedi Order series - with a few notable exceptions. Lucerno's ability to weave all the characters and sub-plots together into an explosive finale is almost on par to that of Timothy Zahn, author of what is arguably the best Star Wars writing ever. While keeping the fast-moving pace of that characterizes his writing, Lucerno manages to work in many little background details that any semi-literate Star Wars fan will recognize. Fans of the Young Jedi Knights series, like myself, will be happy to know that that series is not ignored by Lucerno, the only author of the new series to make an effort to incorporate it into his book. There's even a small cameo for Tenel Ka. While Lucerno doesn't tie up many of the loose ends that R.A. Salvatore created in Vector Prime, he does manage to darken the overall mood of the series. (Allthough Vector Prime was pretty dark to begin with.) As our heroes (and there are a lot of them) go from one desperate situation, their struggles are tied in with the struggles of the New Republic as a whole. I won't spoil it for you, but this book ends on a grimmer note than his previous one, presumably setting the scene for Kathy Tiers novel Balance Point. Allthough I enjoyed this book, a few things annoyed me. Most notably, the absence of Mara Jade, Jaina Solo, or any other strong female character other than Leia. While most of the plot centers around Han Solo and the Vong's alliance with the Hutts, all of the subplots focus around male characters - Wurth Skidder, Jacen and Anakin Solo - with the exception of Leia, who is engaged in - what else?- diplomacy. Even if Jaina Solo is off flying in Rogue Squadron, Lucerno had ample oppurtunity to put her in one of the many space battles he wrote. And knowing what I do of Mara Jade's character, I find it hard to believe she would just stand around waiting on Coruscant, recuperating or not. Lucerno is not the first Star Wars author to ignore the female characters, but I hope he is the last. I, for one, was looking foward to seeing Jaina Solo's character grow and change, not just Jacen and Anakin's.
Rating:
Summary: Continuing a saga...
Review: James Luceno continues the blockbuster New Jedi Order series with heart and soul that only the best can follow. While Leia is trying her best to keep the refugees safe and establish help from old "friends", the New Republic military moves quickly to work behind the back of the President. Han and new friends continue their chase across the galaxy running into trouble at every turn. But whats new? The fact that Mara Jade is not a highlight character and that Luke is finding leading a harder job than ever. As for the rest of the plot, read the book. Personally, I love the job done, but the story is loosing its grip on me. The Republic shows how badly disorganized and I find myself wondering how in the force they survived Grand Admiral Thrawn. I would like to see more of the New Republic military and the Imperial Remnant disposing of this invasion... since the Jedi continue to act foolishly and get into more trouble. Please read the book and soon. Balance Point in coming quickly!
Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER GOLD
Review: A string of smashing victories by the forces of the sinister aliens known as the Yuuzhan Vong has left New Republic resources and morale stretched to the breaking point. Leia Organa Solo, estranged from her husband, Han, oversees the evacuation of refugees on planets in the path of the merciless invaders. Luke Skywalker struggles to hold the fractious Jedi Knights together, even while one of them undertakes a bold but reckless undercover mission. Manipulating their alliance with the amoral Hutts, the Yuuzhan Vong leave a cunning trail of vital information where New Republic agents are sure to find it--information the desperate defenders cannot afford to ignore: the location of the aliens' next target. Then Han Solo stumbles into the dark heart of raging battle, thus beginning a furious race against time that will require every skill and trick in his arsenal to win...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book.
Review: For once the NR is not winning and that just makes me happier. James Luceno does a wonderful job with the descriptions of the battles. The first Agents of Chaos was good and this is just the same caliber as before. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: A good book, but a part of greater story
Review: This book is great, J. Lucenco continued the story from his first book ( Hero's Trial). The plot is good, but you have a feeling that it's a part of greater whole(because it is :)). I think the whole Yuuzhan Vong arc is the best arc we've got in Star Wars novels(except the Thrawn trilogy). In Jedi Eclipse we've got a close look at Han, who was overlooked in the first few books, but now with Hero's Trial and Jedi Eclipse, he has his own dualogy in the YV arc. The book has the pieces that we amused the most in the orginal trilogy: Han(of course), the Hutts and many more surprises... Han has changed over the years, and the lost of his best friend changed him even more. But even now the pilot of the fastest ship in the Universe didn't lose his smugglers charm. I think this book is a great read, but you need to read Hero's Trial first.
Rating:
Summary: Boring. The worst of the NJO series.
Review: Jedi Eclipse is boring. There is nothing original about it. Han Solo continues to run around with the Chewie clone, and there is a small subplot involving Anakin and Jacen but overall, there is nothing original or exciting in the this novel. There is simply to little going on to justify the amount of writing Luceno does for this story. The only original idea in the entire story is the droid revolution that Han Solo gets involved in. Jacen is portrayed as a whiny, spoiled brat, while Anakin could have ended the whole NJO series with the flick of a button. There is too much that doesn't add up, and too little of the other SW characters to make this book interesting at all.
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