If you're reading the NJO, you're probably no stranger to the EU. I'm going to sum up my thoughts on the entire series, leading up to this book. While I can't remember specifics about each book, that's not really the point of this review. The question is, should you read the NJO?First off, if you are not a fan of the Star Wars EU, then don't bother. This series builds off of almost 20 years of EU material and you can sometimes get lost in the details. That being said, if you come in with an open mind and a little knowledge, you'll still be fine and enjoy the books. I found myself constantly going back to a Star Wars wiki to reference certain places or characters.I'm not going to rehash the story, but these books revolve around the extra-galactic species known as the Yuuzhan Vong and their attempted invasion of the known galaxy. There were approximately 19 books in the series and many more tie in novels and stories. What impressed me about the series was the level of collaboration involved in doing a series like these.The first thing I can say about the series is that it moves the franchise in a new direction. Never before has the Star Wars universe faced a threat of this magnitude. They didn't just introduce a new super weapon and call it a day. The Yuuzhan Vong are a threat unlike anybody in the Star Wars universe has ever seen. Part of what makes this series enjoyable is seeing how your favorite characters react to the war.Another thing this series does very well is immerse you in the conflict and show you the horrors of war. By the 3rd or 4th book, you are so battle-worn and shell shocked by the devastation, you feel like you're part of the story. But this is also part of why you keep reading, you want to know what happens next and see an end to the war.Like the title suggests, this is about the "New Jedi Order". Characters such as Jaina, Jacen and Anakin are in the fore front in this series instead of ALL Luke, Han and Leia. Throughout the series, the characters are mostly like you remember them and this series does a good job of keeping their personalities intact. Like I said, it's this aspect of the stories that keeps you caring.However,you can tell the writers were blocked in during certain circumstances. There are only so many ways Luke Skywalker can save the day and only so many times Han can say one of his one liners. And the biggest thing I felt held this series back was that they did not control the characters. They couldn't kill Luke off, they couldn't kill anyone "important" off (aside from one other main character). Not that this would have improved the story, but even minor characters from the movies cannot be touched. Instead of focusing on all the characters, I'm going to focus on the character development most people will probably want to know. Luke Skywalker. It's a long known fact that in the EU, he is basically a god. Pretty much in all the EU, he's never been in mortal danger and is all but invincible. This is why the writers usually have to "depower" him or some other gimmick. But my main gripe for this entire series is how horrible he is at running the Jedi Order. He never seems to have control and is constantly questioning himself. At one point he even gives up his responsibility of the Jedi Order. But on the flip side, Luke has some truly epic scenes in the books.Another thing I found annoying was the reaction of the government to the invasion and the portrayal of certain characters. I know what they were trying to do, but IMO they took it too far. Even when the Yuuzhan Vong were right on their door step, they still couldn't acknowledge what was going on.Then there are the Yuuzhan Vong. It seems like each writer had their own interpretation of them. While they were consistent, it differed slightly in some cases. I know there are many explanations for this, mainly that they evolved as the story was unfolding. But one of my main questions for the Yuuzhan Vong would be "what the hell are you going to do with the galaxy once you invade it?". Aside from wanting to invade our galaxy and hating technology, it didn't really seem like they had a plan other than taking over. They are written so ruthless and wreckless, you can't imagine any kind of civilization being ran by them. But again, I liked them, I would have just liked them to be more three dimensional.Overall this is a great series for Star Wars fans wanting something different. I read the whole series (except the short stories) and felt that some books could be left out. As usual, you'll like some authors and hate others. Look online for reviews on what books are essential.
This is TWO reviews--one of the book, and one of the New Jedi Order series. Go!Everything has come to a head. This is it: the book that has to draw together eighteen previous stories, tie off all the countless threads, and conclude the New Jedi Order. Does it succeed?You freaking bet it does.There's so much here. I'm having trouble figuring out where to start, but here seems as good a place as any: the scale and scope of this book is truly epic. Everyone shows up. Even Kyle Katarn and Boba Fett--that's right, the legend himself--have cameos. Luceno masterfully puts together the ridiculously large ensemble cast so that everyone has a part. There are so many fist-pumping moments, and all the battles have terrifying consequences and FEEL both real and fantastic.But most of all is the new understanding of the Force. Luceno finishes what Stover revealed in Traitor. I won't retell it here, but it's good. Revelations into it, the Yuuzhan Vong, the living planet, and more provide plenty of fun twists and turns to the plot. The whole thing just feels mythic.And the ending was perfect and emotional. The entire series was worth getting to read this final book.--------------------------The New Jedi Order, on the whole, gets a 7/10. Ultimately, it provides a great story to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and easily the most ambitious at that.A lot of points get taken off for bloat and redundancies. Much of the middle of the series was fairly boring, and not all of the writing was good. That said, what lengthy series didn't have weak moments? Granted, New Jedi Order's weak moments were almost too much for me to continue reading, but here I am.The character arc of Jason (the "main" character, more or less) worked really well. I found him extremely annoying at first, but you know what? He ended up pretty great. Also up there were Tahiri (she came out of nowhere in Force Heretic), Jaina, Danni, Jag, and heck, even Luke. I didn't agree with everything that happened (Anakin, and Danni should have been more of a main character), but overall things worked. There wasn't as much development and interaction as I would've liked, but for a nineteen-book series handled by lots of different authors, things went relatively well.In the end, the core struggle to understand the Force and the Yuuzhan Vong's place in the galaxy is great, and I'm so glad it didn't resort to the brute force, "Victory = annihilate the enemy!" point of view. I appreciate what it brought to Star Wars in all of its mythic, epic glory, in the struggle between gods and the Force, in seeking to understand the right way to treat enemies, in uniting and unifying and surrendering to what is good and noble. The series stumbled and stalled, but much of it was good and there were moments of utter brilliance. It ended exactly as it needed to, leaving me satisfied with its place in the expanded universe.
What do You think about The Unifying Force (2004)?
I've read a lot of different books from The New Jedi Order series, but this one which serves as its conclusion was by far one of the better ones. I enjoyed Luceno's style and was really able to follow it well without to much confusion or awkwardness with what I was reading. When it comes to the plot I was up reading this till I was nearly passed out in my bed, I even vaguely remember reading another page while my eyes were shut, however I managed that. The story drives home everything that had been happening the series up until now, and especially the last battle scene in itself was just an amazing read. It was a good representation of Star Wars, of its series, and a generally fun read all together.
—Ian Reed
The Good: At long last, I've finished the New Jedi Order series, and what a ride it was! This satisfying conclusion wraps things up nicely, and has plenty of what we've come to expect from the franchise in general: action/adventure scenes, likable heroes, despicable villains, heroic acts, etc. Though it wasn't the complete end of the Star Wars saga--after all, oodles of books that take place after this one have been published since--it still made for a nice ending to the series. One of the final scenes even ties in with a dramatic event from the first book.The Bad: Nothing to complain about, really.Content Concerns:• Sex: None. 5/5• Nudity: None. 5/5• Language: None. 5/5• Violence: Sci-fi action violence abounds, including one scene with a beheading. 2/5• Drugs: Poisoning is mentioned; one character nearly dies as a result of an injection. 3/5• Frightening/Intense Scenes: Some emotional intensity; a character nearly dying; the beheading. 2/5• Other: The usual flaky Force theology; if you're familiar with the series, you know what I mean! 4/5Score: 5/5
—Jerry
Descent conclusion to the NJO series. There was a lot going on in this book and some of the story arcs could have used more story and others less. The book did seem to answer the remaining unanswered questions/close arcs on occurrences that happened during the NJO series The NJO series did see some changes to some popular EU characters and The Unifying Force reintroduced everyone's favorite, long thought dead, character (omitting their name to avoid spoilers). Luceno did a great job (as usual). 4.5/5
—K
