Allies: Star Wars (Fate of the Jedi) [Mass Market Paperback]

This is a great book and it continues on Luke's path to get vindicated from the Galactic Alliance since he was going to be exiled for 10 years or so. I am onto the 2nd to last book in the series Ascension. If you haven't picked up the Fate of the Jedi series yet, read them all from the very start of this particular Star Wars book series. The last one, Apocalypse, will come out in April 2012 and will end the current saga as we know it. Will there be another book series for Star Wars after this one? Who knows...only time will tell.

This book grips you from beginning to end and takes you to where the Sith will have another enemy on the horizon...Abeloth and how she manipulates peoples' minds, such as Luke's to believing who she is when she is not that other being from their past. The emotions start to run high in this book and the last page leaves you with wanting more.

First, I should say that, unlike many people reading this book, I'd heard about the ending of the series before I even started reading. However, I think that spoiler is allowing me to enjoy the series more than I would have otherwise. Allies builds the story very slowly. It's not even clear what the larger story arch is about. In retrospect, the Fate of the Jedi series probably takes too long to actually set up the larger threat. As such, much of Allies might seem pointless. However, knowing what's coming ahead, I can tell you there is a point.

Allies starts with yet another detour, this time sending Luke and Ben to Klatooine in order to, well, restock their ship. It seems like a poor excuse and for a while it's unclear why the story takes us there. However, 2/3 of the way into the book, it becomes apparent that slavery is an important theme and that the journey to Klatooine ties into this. However, I think there were probably more direct and effective ways to engage with the issue of slavery in Star Wars.

I enjoyed seeing Ben and Vestara's relationship develop. Some of the scenes in the Klatooine marketplace perfectly capture teenage flirtation. I'm glad Ben is written as a regular teenager and not a superhuman teen like the Solo kids. Christie Golden adds more of a romantic touch than the previous writers seemed comfortable with.

I also like how the political crisis unfolded. Christie Golden is careful not to "just" make Daala the villain. Every time she makes a bad decision, we see her justifying it to herself. Despite her baggage from the Jedi Academy novels, Daala has the potential to become a very interesting character. Same for Wynn Dorvan, her chief of staff. Unfortunately, the Jedi come off as unidimensional, insisting on protecting insane Jedi without any just cause.

One problem I had with the book is that Luke's characterization seems off. He seems too hostile towards the Sith, his nominal allies. Suspicion is one thing, but he seems to lack any compassion. This was certainly not the same Luke who in Return of the Jedi insisted that Darth Vader still had good in him. Maybe the experience of Mara's murder has left him jaded (no pun intended), but I felt something key was missing in Luke.

The writing is typical of Star Wars fare, with a lot of cliches. I found Jaina Solo's dialogue to be particularly boring. Jaina seems impulsive and arrogant as she repeatedly calls herself the "sword of the Jedi". Golden just made it hard for me to really care about her, which makes me worried that she's penning the upcoming Jaina trilogy.

Overall, I do feel like the Fate of the Jedi series is getting lost. As much as I like seeing the characterization of Luke and Ben, there really isn't much in this book that's worth the price of admission. There's little character development, few action scenes, and the plot stalls. By the end of the book, there is promise that the plot will thicken as Luke and Ben return to the Maw and the political crisis on Coruscant heats up.

Overall, 3.5 stars.

My biggest problem with these "Fate of the Jedi" books are the addition of characters/situations that are old and tired and detract from what the "real story" is in the book. For example, the parts with Luke, his son, and the sith girl are good. The parts back on Corusant aren't bad. Those are all parts that move the story along. I can't stand Han & Leia's grand daughter, but I accept her. But my problem is that we keep getting these "bonus" characters and their problems or obstacles. The first couple books involved Luke & Ben having to gain acceptance by an alien culture so they could learn some info. The book before this involved Luke & Ben having to compete in some lame olympic style games so they could move further in their quest. And then there is this book. Now there is some equivalent of the Star Wars "Underground Railroad" about ending slavery. That plot line in itself may not be bad. But we are given a good bit of new characters and we are given way too much background on them and their goals. I couldn't care less about some journalist that is looking into slavery and I am not that much more interested in a slave that is looking for freedom (yawn, wasn't that done in Episode I). These books just aren't catching the "Star Wars" feel for me. It would be like if Luke and the gang had to compete in ewok sports in order to gain acceptance by the ewoks before they could fight the empire in "Return of the Jedi." Or it would be like Anakin Skywalker decided to investigate slave trades in Episode II instead of looking for his mother & going to look for Obi-Wan. I am tired of these "side missions."