Rating: 
Summary: The Force Is Back!
Review: Oh, yes! Another great Star Wars novel and considering how few there have been it makes me glad to be a fan. I can't for the life of me figure out why quatrewinner why he thought 'I, Jedi' was disastrous, I personally thought it was another of those few really good Star Wars novels. Stackpole certainly puts a lot more thought into his characterization than Zahn does, but more importantly he handles the characters intelligently and logically. Stackpole's Mara Jade seems more alive, more vibrant than Zahn's, and he created her. Plus he doesn't focus on the primary characters of Luke, Han and Leia- in fact, except for one scene, Han Solo isn't even in 'Onslaght'. Also, Stackpole doesn't fall back on Zahn's ridiculous plots. (Flim? Excuse me?) 'Onslaught' is the second book of the Dark Tide series of the New Jedi Order, set 25 years after 'A New Hope' the Jedi have been making a come back and by this time there are nearly a hundred of them. Stackpole makes no mention of midi-chlorians, and I think we can all be grateful for that, in fact he makes no mention the 'Phantom Menace' at all except for a podrace reference. In a nutshell 'Onslaught' picks up with Leia addressing the Senate to inform the of a new threat to the fragile New Republic, and this threat is known as the Yuuzhan Vong, a race of humanoids who appear to extra-galactic origin and bent on invading the New Republic. Leia is rebuked and humiliated by Senators, including Borsk Fey'lya who denies even that there is a problem. With the aid of her Caamasi friend, Elegos A'Kla convince the Senate to allow them to proceed with a fact finding mission to back up their claims, aware that Fey'lya continues to maneuver to discredit the Jedi who are blamed for the disastrous first contact. There is little doubt in my mind that Yuuzhan (Zhan? ) Vong are evil, and through out 'Onslaught' they are depicted brutalizing their captives, even to the point where they murder them for recreation. Since the Yuuzhan Vong loath mechanical technology, they rely on entirely organic devices, including a rack-like device known as the 'Embrace of Pain', which keeps the captive in a constant state of pain while strapped to it. Additionally, the Yuuzhan Vong are very tough-physically stronger and faster than humans, they wear living armor that can turn lightsabers and carry weapons known as amphistaff-a living sword that can inject venom and even parry a lightsaber, indeed it would appear the only ones who can stand up to a Yuuzhan Vong warrior is Jedi. It also doesn't help that the Vong cannot be sensed by the Force, something that makes their actions difficult to predict. Leia's fact-finding mission turns out be a retreat as she an her allies are forced to evacuate a planet of civilians and ferry them to Dantooine, all the while being harried by Yuuzhan Vong forces. On Dantooine, 14 year old Anakin Solo must look after his Aunt, Mara Jade-Skywalker as she recovers from a disease that the heroes believe was instituted by the Yuuzhan Vong. These sequences are among my favorites because it clearly shows Mara's more caring nature as she educates her young nephew to rely less on the Force and more on himself. I didn't want to think about the other books that had the Jedi kids in them, but I was pleased with all three of them for my first exposure and anyone who can convincingly have a 14 year old slaying Yuuzhan Vong soldiers and not have it appear ghoulish is doing a good job in story telling. While the book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it could best be described as inconclusive. The Prologue where we actually get to see things from the Yuuzhan Vong perspective was predictable, except it cements into the reader's mind that these creatures are capital 'E' Evil, which of course means they can be killed without remorse, since not to do so would be suicide. Mind you, they did come off a bit like Klingons, but even that wasn't enough to ruin this book. While not nearly as intricate as 'I, Jedi', 'Onslaught' is a very good, fast read. Stackpole writes rings around Zhan in so many ways, handling characters he created better than he did. I can't wait for the next novel in the series, because things in the Star Wars universe were starting to get a little dull.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, as Always, from Stackpole
Review: Michael Stackpole has done it again. Onslaught is an excellent book. Stackpole also has done a tremendous job with all the Star Wars books he has written. My advice for Star Wars readers: If it is written by Stackpole, you will enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: The New Star Wars Era
Review: A new era has began for Star Wars. The New Jedi Order series was badly needed, and has injected life back into Star Wars. Onslaught was a great continuation of Vector Prime. The best thing about it is the development of the characters. We finally get to see Luke display the powers and wisdom of Jedi Master. The fight with the two lightsabers is awesome. And his relationship with Mara gets a lot of attention. The Solo kids are also being developed realistically for kids their age and the issues they face. I loved the introduction of Gavin Darklighter and the involvment of new Jedi's that see the Force differntly then Luke does. This book was gripping from beginning to end. The element of danger that was missing in the other books has returned. I can't wait to read the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Michael A. Stackpole is a great author
Review: The book dark Tide Onslaught was a well writen book. I found this very good book and is full of exciting battles with an new ara of jedis. Jania and Jacen Solo twins of Han and Leia Organa Solo. Also there younger son Anakin Solo. Corran Horn the old member of Rogue Squadron. Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight and his Wife Mara Jade Skywalker. They are fighting the evil Yuuzhan Vong who are on the ready to invade the galaxy. Leia Organa Solo leader of the New Republic tries to convince the senate the Yuuzhan Vong are a threat. This was an all out battle and I am looking forward to the next book Dark tide Ruin.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: Stackpole is amazing in the way he writes I couldn't put this book down!
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: For the most part, I've enjoyed Stackpole's work in the Star Wars EU, so I was rather dissapointed by this sub-par effort. The battle scenes seemed turgid and forced, the dialogue was awful, especialy the Luke-Mara interactions, and characterization was poor. A good villain, which has always been one of the cornerstones of good Star Wars stories, was sadly lacking as the Yuuzhan Vong perspective was limited to the epilogue. Jaina Solo joining Rogue Squadron was highly cliche loaded, right up to Leia changing her mind after she had forced Gavin to let her in. Jaina is really starting to annoy me, although Jacen was definitely toned down from the full fledged twit he was in Vector Prime, which alone ought to make this the better book. Also, the characterization of Borsk Fey'lya and Kyp Durron was so incredibly ludicrous it made me want to throw the book accros the room. Granted, I've never been huge fans of either of these two, but are we really supposed to belive what these people are saying? They are one dimensional cardboard cut-outs of characters, and that is bad writing. Thankfully, they're not in many scenes, but it was a distraction. Stackpole has proved that he can do better, most noticibly with I, Jedi. The book wasn't all bad, the final battle was alright, and I liked the new character of Ganner Rhysode, who looks to play a larger role within the rest of Dark Tide and the NJO as a whole. All in all, I guess if you are a die-hard Star Wars fan like myself, you'll wind up buying this, just to continue the series. It is worth reading just to get to the far superior Ruin, and hey, you're only paying $7 for it as opposed to $25 for the much worse Vector Prime. Anyway, that's just my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: onslaught
Review: this is one of stackpoles best. it has alot of action, and mara fighting on to combat her affliction like she should like mara would not take this lying down(like the vector prime mara there weakness there mara not weak she would fight to the end)
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good book can't wait to read the next!
Review: This book was very good. I did not think it was up there with Zahn's books but that's far from saying its bad. It was a short book and could have been longer I thoght if Stackpole would have used more of the characters. Han was absent for all of the book but a few pages. They used Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin very much. I guess they are trying to start a new generation of Star Wars characters. I think that is great, but the book would be longer and a little better if they would include the old Star Wars heroes in the main plot more. Another thing he could have done to put more length to the book would be to put more in the Yuzhan Vong's point of view. But all in all, a very good book. Can't wait to read the next!
Rating:
Summary: Better than Vector Prime
Review: I've got to be honest. I was starting to get weary of the continuing adventures of my favorite characters. I picked up Vector Prime and thought it was all right. There was more potential there and I wanted to see how the story continued, so I picked up Onslaught. Wow! I'm exited about Star Wars books again! It's great that the Empire isn't the enemy, but a far greater threat. With the Vong, you actually expect something bad to happen to our heroes. It's edge of your seat and has you turning the pages. I'm glad that we see other characters get some of the spotlight, instead of concentrating SOLEY on Luke, Han and Leia. We get to see Jacen, Jaina and Anakin come into their own as true heroes of the Republic. But, before they can let their heads get to big, they get to see why the older generation are legends. I got chills when Luke finally got to whip some butt again. Wielding TWO lightsabers? That's almost too good to be true! Anyways, the action flows, the story is interesting and the characters are great. Some complain about Han not having enough page time, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing Han Solo back sometime soon. Simply, Michael A. Stackpole delivers the most entertaining literary Star Wars tale in a long time... a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Where have the original characters gone?
Review: This book couldn't keep me interested for more than 3 chapters at a time... Where have all the original characters gone? The Brat Pack(i.e. Han, Luke, and Leia) are now minor characters who appear every once in a great while. Luke appears as an old man tired by everything, while more focus is given to his wife, Mara Jade, whose illness has been going on for a LONG time now... Could it be over soon, please? Leia has stepped back and allowed her children to leave her... and they are only 16 and 15 years old. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I cannot see her, OR Han allowing that. Speaking of Han, he's now drowning himself in liquor and becoming the local drunk. Where have our heros gone? Why have they been allowed to leave? This book disappoints me in that effect... However, the Yuuzhan Vong are quite unique. Their hate for technology is refreshing. Their biological weaponry and starships make for quite interesting reading material... Perhaps if that, combined with Han, Leia, and Luke were placed in Dark Tide 1 and Dark Tide 2, I would have enjoyed them more.
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