Rating: 
Summary: Worst trilogy...EVER!
Review: Let me start off by saying that I truly despise this trilogy. I find Anderson as a writer weak, simplistic, and too oblivious to realize it. The fact that some people actually think this trilogy is good, and that this trilogy, according to one review, made Anderson "all but assume the title of Chancellor of the Star Wars Universe," only compound my dislike. I guess there is no accounting for bad taste. I have three words for anybody who thinks Anderson is a great SW writer: Zahn, Zahn, Zahn!That being said, however, Jedi Search, BY ITSELF, is a halfway decent book. Okay, yes, there are major downpoints. Dialogue = weak. Humor = slapstick. Chapters = rushed. Luke's petition for a Jedi Academy = super-rushed (THAT was all it took to get an Academy? I guess a galactic senate isn't as red-taped as a national one). Lando's subplot = stupid. Leia being angry at Han for not showing up = even stupider. Daala, Qwi Xux, all MAW Installation = LAME (Daala, supposedly persevering over sexism, only supports male stereotypes with her incompetence, Xux, the "brilliant" scientist, is too naive to be believable, and Maw Installation...well, the idea of a weapons facility in the middle of a cluster of black holes is actually somewhat original sci-fi, at least for me, but the whole Sun Crusher thing didn't do it for me--could we come up with a more original super weapon than what is essentially a souped-up Death Star (It destroys systems, not just planets!)). Along the same lines, Doole's character, in the tradition of laughable Anderson villains, is incredibly moronic. But then, if he wasn't, I suppose there wouldn't have been much of a plot. And the Kessel spice mines are a big disappointment, especially the spider-things. Since Anderson was dealing with an actual aspect of the SW universe, as opposed to something he was making up himself, the stakes were a lot higher for him to come up with something believable. And he failed. With all that being said, this book has its moments. For example, the scenes on Eol Sha are really well written--I could almost see some of the action scenes in a movie, and they come close to capturing the spirit of Zahn's books. I like Gantoris and Kyp Durron, and the idea of Streen being proficient with the weather aspects of the Force--Anderson trying to create unique potential Jedi. I like Skynxnex's double-barreled blaster (at least until he fires it). I like the Death Star prototype, or at least the concept of a Death Star with just the structural frame. And the starting plot--Han going to Kessel, caught on Kessel, rescued by Luke--is actually pretty well conceived given that the galaxy should be starting to slow down from the Imperial fervor. And I admit that Anderson had some tough stuff he had to work with, the above-mentioned fact that the galaxy should be cooling down being one of them. He also had to seemlessly incorporate the events of Dark Empire, and while he failed, I'm not sure if he could have done much better (this book would be a lot better from a SW overall plot POV if Dark Empire hadn't happened yet). And while the Maw is not particualrly believable of Star War-ish in my opinion (and certainly shouldn't have been part of Kessel), it is a noble attempt to explain why Han Solo measures his Kessel Run in terms of a distance, not time. So again, this book by itself is bearable, and created some potential for the Jedi Academy Trilogy. But the other two books spiral downwards in what in my opinion is one of the worst Star Wars series ever written. DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE READ EVERYTHING ELSE AND UNLESS YOU ARE A DIE-HARD SW FAN AND WANT TO KNOW THE SPECIFICS OF THIS ERA.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely excellent
Review: This book started me reading, literally, 12 years ago. I was not a reader until one day I happened upon this book, since then I have read countless books. The book is interesting, adventurous and exciting. I have never read a book quite like it. There is a scene with a chase that had my heart pounding when they finally got away. The battles are very interesting, and the story takes the reader to many different places. The only qirk is that andersons puts 50 ties in his squadrons and 300 to an SD, this is incorrect, there are twelve fighters to a squadron, and an Imperial class holds only 72. Despite this detail, this is one of the greatest books I've ever read. The only other star wars novel that comes close is The Courtship of Princess Leia. This book deserves 6 stars but I can only give it five. One final note for those comparing it to Zahn's book, Timothy Zahn had most the Imperial equipment left at the end of his book, and tactically this last battle made no sense.
Rating: 
Summary: Jedi Knights of a new generation.....
Review: It is a time of transition in the galaxy. A few years after the Battle of Endor, even though the evil Empire now only controls a quarter of its vast territory and Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign to destroy the fledgling New Republic has been defeated, the former Rebels still face many challenges -- and many foes -- as they strive to restore peace and justice to the galaxy. Thrawn's campaign (chronicled in the 1991-93 trilogy by Timothy Zahn) and subsequent events not only prolonged the continuing conflict between the New Republic and the dying Empire, but they also highlighted the Republic's biggest weakness -- the absence of a strong Jedi Order to help protect its values and its citizens. Where once there had been 10,000 Jedi Knights in the days before Palpatine's rise to power and the demise of the first Galactic Republic, only Luke Skywalker remains as a full-fledged Jedi. Luke, of course, has been trying to train his twin sister Leia in the ways of the Force, but her duties as a member of the Provisional Council and her brother's recent experiences -- including a fall to the dark side and almost a repetition of their father Anakin's mistakes -- have impeded her progress as a Jedi apprentice. Leia's marriage to Han Solo and the birth of three potential Jedi children also demand her attention, so Luke must look elsewhere for Jedi apprentices. Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi Search is the first of a three-book cycle that chronicles Luke Skywalker's endeavors to set up a new Jedi Academy and to restore the order of Jedi Knights. With very few records left over after the Great Purge inflicted by the late Emperor and his own father, Darth Vader, Luke must not only scour the galaxy for data on the training of new Knights, but he also needs to find new candidates to teach. Even as Luke gets approval from the New Republic to set up a Jedi academy, new challenges and old enemies arise. On Kessel, Han Solo and Chewbacca are captured by Moruth Doole, a cunning mine official who now runs the entire spice mine complex -- and the individual that had, several years before, tipped off the Imperial tariff authorities that Solo was hauling a load of spice destined for crime boss Jabba the Hutt. The Millennium Falcon had been boarded, but not before Han had jettisoned the spice...which had saved him and Chewbacca from a stint in Imperial detention blocks but not, unfortunately, from a debt to Jabba. Elsewhere, a new threat emerges as Admiral Daala, the beautiful but ruthless woman (and only female flag officer in the Imperial fleet) in command of a squadron of Star Destroyers assigned to protect a top-secret research facility, prepares to unleash a new campaign against the Rebels who killed her paramour and destroyed her beloved Empire. With her four massive warships and several powerful super weapons at her disposal, Daala bides her time, waiting for the proper moment to start her devastating strike.... Anderson, a technical editor and writer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and author of other non-Star Wars novels, has become one of the most prolific authors of Star Wars Expanded Universe material. He loves the universe created by George Lucas in his five films (even though some of the Jedi concepts here are radically different from data established in the two prequels released in 1999 and 2002) and knows the characters and situations well enough to write interesting and entertaining "further adventures" novels, comic book series, and short stories set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...."
Rating:
Summary: Star Wars: Jedi Search--Book for The Star Wars Fans
Review: The book is about how Luke Skywalker is going to set up his very own Jedi Academy so he can train new Jedi Knights. He gets three new Jedi Knights in the story,Gantoris,Kyp Durron and Tymmo. Luke goes through a diffcult time to get the new Jedi's through their training. This is also a good story on Han Solo and his partner Chewbacca who get caught by Moruth Doole and force Han and Chewbacca to work the mines of Kessel. You will have to read to see if they escape. There are also good stories on Leia Organa Solo, Lando Calrissian,C-3P0 and R2-D2. I recommend this book to anyone who likes Star Wars or who likes science fiction. I don't like to read but, this book made me read and I plan to read the rest of the Star Wars Saga.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, very interesting writing style
Review: Well, contrary to popular opinion it would seem, I greatly enjoyed this book. I read Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta's Young Jedi Knights, and loved them so I was expecting a lot from this book. I'll admit it wasn't as complicated or intricately written as the Thrawn trilogy, but it was much easier to understand, and I finished this book in under three days, whereas it took me an entire week to finish each book in the Thrawn trilogy. Yes, Zahn did an excellent job with his books, but that is no reason to hate all the other authors just because they don't write exactly like him. Anyway, in this book (which is seven years after Return of the Jedi) Luke is somehow a Jedi master and decides to begin training other Jedi. Meanwhile, Han and Chewie are off on some mission to Kessel and are captured and thrown in the spice mines, where they meet young Kyp Durron, potential Jedi. Meanwhile, now that Jacen and Jaina are two years old, they can come out of hiding on Anoth, so as you can probably guess Leia is very excited to finally be getting her children back where they belong, so she can really be their mother. Han is supposed to be home in time to see the twins right when they get home, but he doesn't show up so she thinks he is just galivanting around and gets very angry at him. Meanwhile she is somewhat dismayed that the twins barely know her, since she and Han were forced to send them away as babies and could only come for occational visits. She also has a hard time becoming an instant mother, and by now she is very worried about Han, so Luke goes out to look for him which leaves her even more all alone. Anyway, I thought this book was highly well written, and I enjoyed it a lot. I was somewhat dismayed though, that this book was written so that it is very difficult to understand unless you had read the comic book Dark Empire, which took place shortly before. Luckily I had the Essential Guide to Chronology so that wasn't really a problem, but still it was annoying. Also, what's with kicking Mara Jade out of the entire book? After the Thrawn trilogy it seemed like she was going to be a main character and now where is she? And another thing, why would Han and Leia send their children away for two years, no matter how many people in the universe were trying to kidnap and kill them? Sooner or later if someone looked hard enough they would find them anyway, even on Anoth, and seems to me that they would be safer with Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie (all formidable fighters) plus several thousand New Republic guards to protect them in Imperial Palace. Also, at times it seemed as if the author didn't trust me as the reader to know what he was talking about, so he had to discribe every detail of things that were already obvious just to make sure I got it. Anyway, this is an important trilogy in the intire space of things, but a not a good one to read if your just starting out. Read the Thrawn trilogy first, or The Courtship of Princess Leia.
Rating:
Summary: It was enjoyable overall and left me wanting more.
Review: This book was fun. It was the first book I had read of the extended Star Wars universe and I loved almost every minute of it. I say almost because Anderson likes to have several story lines going at once and not all of them appealed to me. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable overall and left me wanting more so I read the next two books in the series. I have also since read the Zahn trilogy and various other short stories in the Star Wars universe. Though some find Anderson's works inferior when compared to other Star Wars novels, I do not hold this opinion. Anderson keeps the story centered around characters that you already care about and, when new ones are introduced, he does an adequate job of developing them. He does tend to use some repetative phrasing but the basic story is well thought out. Though the trilogy does finally lose some emotional steam by the third book and ends with a bit of melodrama, still this trilogy is a fun read and I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Why Zahn and Daley are Great Authors and Anderson not
Review: After reading Zahn's excellent Thrawn trilogy in the early 90's, I was hungry for more and picked up this book. By the first chapter I knew I wouldn't even read the rest of it. Well, actually I did skim through it and read a few more scenes, but they were just as bad as the first. Here's an important example... On page 5 of "Jedi Search," Han and Chewbacca are flying towards a planet when two TIE fighters come up out of the atmosphere, begin shooting, and fly back to the planet. Now they see an old X-wing come up behind them and Han says, "Chewie, contact the X-wing and tell him we'd appreciate whatever help he can give us." When I read that, I was like, "What? Even I'd know not to trust a strange ship." But Han just keeps looking ahead, gets blasted from behind, and yells, "We've got to get out of here!" I mean, give me a break. This is C3PO driving the Falcon, not Han. Now check out Chapter 12 of Zahn's "Heir to the Empire." Here Han is also flying towards a planet, and also sees an X-Wing come up beside him. It has Republic markings, and they even hear Luke's voice over the radio, but while Leia is relieved to see him, Han is still on guard. "It was Luke's X-wing, all right. Or at least, it looked like Luke's X-wing. 'So,' he said casually, swiveling the laser cannons around to target the other. Situated the way it was, the X-wing would have to yaw 90 degrees around before it could fire at them. Unless, of course, it had been modified... Somehow, they needed to make a positive identification, and fast." He can see it's Luke's own X-wing, and hear his voice, but still doesn't trust it. Is even watching out for an unexpected attack. In short, here's a pilot I'd trust. And an author I trust as well. Also, check out the language. In Anderson's book, Han says, "Chewie, get over here. I'm taking the laser cannon." Would Han really say that? In Zahn's book he says, "Chewie, take over; I'm going to fire up the quads." Of course, the best Star Wars action writing is to be found in Brian Daley's Han Solo trilogy. On the very first page of "Han Solo at Star's End," as they're about to be attacked, Han says, "Charge main batteries, Chewie, and shields-all." Quick and to the point - just what a seasoned pilot would say. And Daley, too, knows well the art of deception in war. In fact, he's a Vietnam veteran from the 11th Armored Cavalry. Here's Han's advice to other pilots before a battle: "'Since we're protecting a ground installation, we'll have to ride our kills. Don't think just because he's nosediving and leaving a vapor trail that he's out of it. That's an old trick. If you get an explosion from him, fine. If you get a flamer, let him go; he's finished. But otherwise you ride your kill all the way down to the cellar.'" All Anderson's Han is able to say is "Chewie, I think you'd better get our forward deflectors up," and "Turn it around!"
So while I hate to dump on any author, Anderson's book just doesn't make the grade set by Lucas, Daley, and Zahn. If you've read them all and want more, go for it. But there's no need to start here when there's so many better works to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Jedi Academy as a subplot
Review: This review is for the whole trilogy. First off, I enjoyed the books. They were fast paced and fun. It will be well worth the time for a Star Wars fan. However, I picked these 3 books up on the hopes of finding out mostly what is going on with Skywalker establishing the New Jedi Order and what he went through to build the academy. Granted that material was in there but it was far from the main focus. Despite being the "Jedi Academy" trilogy, I felt that the new school was more of a subplot rather than the main focus. Actually the books didn't seem to have a main focus...there were no less than 3 main plots each of them having the same importance. The books were very good but be wary if you expect 900 pages of new Jedi lore.
Rating:
Summary: Dated Star Wars
Review: The Jedi Academy Trilogy was one of the first set of novels to appear after Lucas gave his blessing to a new series of original books in the Star Wars universe, and unfortunately it shows. The story is basically about the efforts to establish a new order of Jedi Knights, to replace the old order that was wiped out by the Empire. While Luke Skywalker searches the galaxy for potentials, Han and Chewie stumble upon a very powerful candidate while stuck on the mining world of Kessel, Leia is up to her neck in politics and trying to be a good mother for her twin children, and Lando tries to schmooze his way to the next Big Deal. Added to this mix are a hidden Imperial weapons research facility, a very dedicated female Imperial Admiral, and a petty Imperial loyalist with delusions of grandeur, and what you end up with is a hefty assortment of plot lines and potential entanglements for our heroes, all inter-spaced with the usual dollop of gun play, space battles, and a light saber or two. The story moves at a rapid pace, almost as if KJ Anderson were trying to stuff about ten episodes of a television series into one book. The general effect of this is that the novel tends to be more episodic than a smoothly flowing tale, and some of the sub-stories feel so irrelevant to the main plot that they come across almost like filler, as if Anderson were trying to pad his page count just a little. Because of this characterization suffers; the regulars (Han, Luke, Leia, etc.) all come across as a little flat, and the new characters (Kyp Durron, Admiral Daala) feel a little rushed and cardboard. But the ending is pretty good space opera, although a little improbable on the coincidence side, and enough interesting threads remain hanging to draw you to the next book. Sadly, the biggest problem with Jedi Search, and indeed the series as a whole, is that the books have become incredibly dated since the advent of the First Trilogy. We know a lot more about the original Jedi and their practices now, and quite frankly the image as depicted in the books doesn't quite mesh with what we've seen in the movies. Yeah, I know, the Star Wars authors have attempted to get around this by saying that all knowledge of Jedi training was lost with the purge, but logically you'd think that even the public knowledge (like, that Jedi didn't marry and were discouraged from fraternizing) would have filtered down to Luke's time -- it's only 20-30 years later, after all, not hundreds or thousands of years! You'll have to put all of this down to the fact that the authors were pretty much making things up without being privy to Lucas's thoughts on the matter, and the end result is the distinct impression that you're reading something that is taking place in a slightly alternate universe to the movies. Anyway, rant aside, Jedi Search is adequate for most Star Wars fans. I don't think I'd give it anyone who wasn't interested in the SW universe, though, but if you're looking for a Star Wars Classic fix, it's worth an afternoon or two.
Rating:
Summary: To much important happen here to ignor!
Review: OK! I have problems with some of the writing here but this trilogy when combined with I, Jedi are important contributions to the SW Universe. We get Kessel, the Maw installation, Kip, adm Daala who reappears then disappears, Qui Xu, the first hint of the aftermath of Dark Empire, and more Wedge (now a critical character). I had some problem with the story like: The spirit of a dead jedi having such tremedous power, the whole idea of the Suncrusher and the studip diversion of the blob race storyline. Unlike some, I feel that some of the darkhorse comics have made important contributions the SW Expanded Universe. Dark Empire was one of them. For those of you who plan to read the New Jedi Order books, you'll find that Kevin J Anderson has made important contributions to SW including this trilogy and the young jedi books (the YJ books are surprisingly good).
|
