Rating: Summary: Great...MUCH better than the first Review: Lets face it... Jedi search was one of the most horrible books ever made. Therefor...I was recluctant at first and really didn't want to read this book at all. Man, was I wrong. This book is great. I liked the new characters(kyp's my favorite) and the action from the academy to the awsome cliff hanger at the end. My only draw back is that Gantoris's characheter was developed so much. You can tell that KJA took alot of time thinking about him. THe bad thing is is that he neglects the development of others to do this. All and all, though, a great read.
Rating: Summary: This book seemed very realistic, decsriptive, and adventrous Review: Luke starts the Jedi Academy when the Sith kills one of his students. Then when he gets a replacement for that student, that student discovers the Sith. Then,in what seems like the final battle, Luke's light sabre gets tainted with the Sith, and Luke is about to be struck down, then the book ends!!!
Rating: Summary: Takes you back to the origins of the Sith Review: Massasi, Sith, Exar Kun...wow! The only dissapointment was how Luke was under Exar Kun & Kyp Durron's spell. Making him pretty much useless in the New Republic's struggles against the still remaining factions of the Empire. But you see how Exar Kun is who he is, and the mad rage dark Jedi face within themselves. Hence Kyp. Great book!
Rating: Summary: Takes you back to the origins of the Sith Review: Massasi, Sith, Exar Kun...wow! The only dissapointment was how Luke was under Exar Kun & Kyp Durron's spell. Making him pretty much useless in the New Republic's struggles against the still remaining factions of the Empire. But you see how Exar Kun is who he is, and the mad rage dark Jedi face within themselves. Hence Kyp. Great book!
Rating: Summary: The ability to quote doesn't make you intelligent... Review: Personally, I don't think Anderson is as bad as some people say. But he isn't as good as most other Star Wars authors, not by far.Anderson has the tendency to constantly quote lines from the original trilogy, and his Jedi look almost close to complete omnipotence. Furthermore, it looks a lot like he forgot to do his homework before he started writing this series (hangerbay doors on a Stardestroyer?). Next, most of the new characters Anderson introduces are pretty lame. Admiral Daala looked almost as if she couldn't get her men to hit the broadside of the Death Star. Kyp is simply a 'young Luke'-clone gone bad, and ambassador Furgan isn't much more than a bragging warlord wannabee. The worst thing though, is the fact that Anderson simply HAD to put a third Death Star AND a whole new superweapon in the overall story. Although it was nice to find out more about the origins of Tarkin's battlestation, I don't think introducing a whole new one was really necessary. Overall this book is a nice read. It contains several nice ideas that are fairly well used and the storyline is just good enough to make most Star Wars fans reach the end of the novel easily. If you are looking for a nice series of Star Wars books though, I would rather recoment Timothy Zahn's Thrawn-trilogy, or Stackpole and Allston's X-wing series.
Rating: Summary: Dark Apprentice Review Review: Star Wars: Dark Apprentice is a science-fiction/fantasy novel and the midpoint in a trilogy set in the well known Star Wars universe. The novel is interesting, and is exactly what the middle of a trilogy should be; it begins from where the previous novel left off, and ends in preparation for the third novel. As most know about the Star Wars universe, it takes place "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" but has futuristic technology. The author Kevin J. Anderson does an excellent job staying true to the characters that were created by George Lucas in Star Wars, while creating his own unique characters that go along with the universe that has already been created.
As usual with most Star Wars novels, there are many different stories taking place simultaneously, each focusing on a few characters, with each story relating to the other stories. The most important characters to the book are Luke Skywalker and Kyp Durron. The most important story is about Luke's Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 where he is trying to train new force adepts to become Jedi so that once again the Jedi order will be the protectors of the galaxy. However, the spirit of an ancient Sith Lord destroys one of Luke's students and turns another to the Darkside of the Force. The corrupted student then steals the Sun Crusher, an Imperial-designed spaceship which has the power to destroy stars, and goes off to unleash unknown evil onto the galaxy.
The book serves as a warning against hidden evils that can cause the downfall of a person. Kyp was an example to show that a person could easily be corrupted and deceived if they are exploited correctly. Kyp has a thirst for power and revenge, and the spirit of Exar Kun used those weaknesses to get to him.
Overall, the book was pretty good. There could have been some more detail here and there, but the story was enjoyable as were the characters. Anderson really displayed how well he knows the Star Wars characters.
Rating: Summary: A great book that you won't put down Review: The adventures that the characters embark on are wonderfully told. The emergence of Exar Kun and all his powers and teachings make this a must read.
Rating: Summary: A good continuation of the Jedi Academy Trilogy, Review: The New Republic is trying to decide what to do with the deadly Sun Crusher captured from the renegade Imperial Admiral Daala by Han Solo with the help of Kyp Durron and Imperial defector Qui Xux, a scientist who was brainwashed from the time she was a child so that she would develop superweapons for the Empire. Finally, the decision is made to send the Sun Crusher into the heart of the gas planet Yavin, and the New Republic figures that problem is solved, although they have another: Daala has come out of hiding to attack with her fleet of three Star Destroyers. Young Kyp, hoping to learn how to control his Force potential, heads to Luke's Jedi academy on Yavin IV. There, he encounters the spirit of Exar Kun, an ancient Sith warrior defeated by the Jedi during the great Sith War thousands of years ago. Exar Kun twists Kyp's already confused mind to his advantage, luring the young man over to the Dark Side. Although this trilogy has a less complicated storyline than many of the other Star Wars books, I've found the first two books to be fun, action packed reads. I highly recommend the series to fans of the other Star Wars books.
Rating: Summary: Contrived plot and lack of imagination. Review: The plot of this novel is contrived. There are a few moderate surprises, but overall, the story is quite conventional. It would seem, also, that imagination ceases outsie of the mind of George Lucas. Can we really expect everything to be "as angry as a wampa ice creature on fire" and "slow as a bantha?" Can we really expect people to ride around on rancors and tauntauns? Can the authors of these cheesy novels not create any substantially new creatures? The creation of new characters in the novels is noteworthy; however, even here, it would seem strange that the very leaders of a struggling new republic would be sent into dangerous situations every time you turn around -- is there no one else in the universe who can "save the republic" but han solo and leia?
Rating: Summary: This is where it falls apart Review: The second book of a trilogy can make or break the overall product. This book falls into the latter category. Dark Apprentice is a cliched mess that's not worth picking up. First, let's start off with characterization. The best characters in the book are two dimensional. The others...well, the others make cardboard cutouts seem lifelike. Kyp Durron, a kid with a hard life, is Luke Skywalker's most impressive apprentice. We all know what happens next. Kyp is tempted by the Dark Side, and ultimately rebels against his master. Admiral Daala, the biggest threat since Grand Admiral Thrawn (or, at least, Kevin J. Anderson would like us to believe so), is a bumbling idiot. She is as inept in subtlety as she is in conventional warfare. Another problem that plagues this book are the multiple, and unneccessary, plot threads. There's Luke and his Academy, Kyp and his temptation, Daala and her desires of vengeance, Leia and her children, Ackbar and his pouting. With such a jumbled mess, it's of no wonder that the fundamentals are sorely lacking. Perhaps the only thing of good worth mentioning is the Academy itself. Kevin J. Anderson actually does a fair job with explaining the history of the Jedi, the origins of the Sith, and various techniques the Jedi use to teach others in the ways of the Force. Unfortunately, even this is ultimately marred by another of his unending supply of cliches. This is a poor book of a poor series, and unfortunately the trilogy only gets worse from here.
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