Reckoning Review

THE LAST OF THE JEDI
1. THE DESPERATE MISSION
    **** Jun/14
2. DARK WARNING
    *** Jul/14
3. UNDERWORLD
    *** Mar/15
4. DEATH ON NABOO
    **** Mar/15
5. A TANGLED WEB
    *** Oct/15
6. RETURN OF THE DARK SIDE
    ***+ Oct/15
7. SECRET WEAPON
    **** Oct/15
8. AGAINST THE EMPIRE
    *** Feb/16
9. MASTER OF DECEPTION
    ***+ Feb/16
10. RECKONING
    *** May/16

ALL TIMELINES

PREQUEL ERA

BEFORE STAR WARS
-5000 YEARS
TALES OF THE JEDI
1. GOLDEN AGE OF THE SITH
2. FALL OF THE SITH EMPIRE
LOST TRIBE OF THE SITH
1. PRECIPICE
2. SKYBORN
3. PARAGON
4. SAVIOR

-4000 YEARS
TALES OF THE JEDI
3. KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
LOST TRIBE OF THE SITH
5. PURGATORY
6. SENTINEL

-3998 YEARS
TALES OF THE JEDI
4. FREEDON NADD UPRISING
5. DARK LORDS OF THE SITH
6. THE SITH WAR

-3986 YEARS
TALES OF THE JEDI
7. REDEMPTION

-3840 YEARS
THE OLD REPUBLIC
1. REVAN

-3520 YEARS
KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
2. DECEIVED
3. FATAL ALLIANCE
4. ANNIHILATION
PLAGUE
RED HARVEST

-3000 YEARS
LOST TRIBE OF THE SITH
7. PANTHEON
8. SECRETS

-1032 YEARS
KERRA HOLT
1. KNIGHT ERRANT

-1000 YEARS
DARTH BANE
1. PATH OF DESTRUCTION
JEDI VS. SITH
2. RULE OF TWO
3. DYNASTY OF EVIL

-67 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
VOW OF JUSTICE

-44 YEARS
JEDI APPRENTICE
1. THE RISING FORCE
2. THE DARK RIVAL
3. THE HIDDEN PAST
4. MARK OF THE CROWN
5. DEFENDERS OF THE DEAD
6. THE UNCERTAIN PATH
7. THE CAPTIVE TEMPLE
8. THE DAY OF RECKONING

-43 YEARS
JEDI APPRENTICE
9. THE FIGHT FOR TRUTH
10. THE SHATTERED PEACE
11. THE DEADLY HUNTER
12. THE EVIL EXPERIMENT
13. DANGEROUS RESCUE

-42 YEARS
JEDI APPRENTICE
SE1 DECEPTIONS
14. THE TIES THAT BIND
15. THE DEATH OF HOPE
16. CALL TO VENGEANCE
17. THE ONLY WITNESS
18. THE THREAT WITHIN
SE2 THE FOLLOWERS

-34 YEARS
JEDI COUNCIL
ACTS OF WAR

-33 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
PRELUDE TO REBELLION
DARTH MAUL
SABOTEUR
PRE-EPISODE I NOVEL
CLOAK OF DECEPTION
DARTH MAUL
COMICS
SHADOW HUNTER

-32 YEARS
EPISODE I
THE PHANTOM MENACE
EARLY REPUBLIC
OUTLANDER
EMISSARIES TO MALASTARE
JANGO FETT
OPEN SEASONS

-31 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
TWILIGHT
INFINITY'S END
BOUNTY HUNTERS
AURRA SING

-30 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
STARCRASH
HUNT FOR AURRA SING
DARKNESS
STARK HYPERSPACE WAR
THE DEVARONIAN VERSION

-29 YEARS
EPISODE I BRIDGE
ROGUE PLANET

-28 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
RITE OF PASSAGE
JEDI QUEST
0. THE PATH TO TRUTH

-27 YEARS
PREQUEL-ERA NOVEL
OUTBOUND FLIGHT
JEDI QUEST
1. WAY OF THE APPRENTICE
2. TRAIL OF THE JEDI
3. THE DANGEROUS GAMES
BOUNTY HUNTERS
1. JANGO FETT
2. ZAM WESELL

-26 YEARS
JEDI QUEST
4. MASTER OF DISGUISE

-25 YEARS
JEDI QUEST
5. SCHOOL OF FEAR
6. THE SHADOW TRAP

-24 YEARS
JEDI QUEST
7. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
8. CHANGING OF THE GUARD
EARLY REPUBLIC
HONOR AND DUTY

-23 YEARS
JEDI QUEST
9. THE FALSE PEACE
10. THE FINAL SHOWDOWN
EPISODE I BRIDGE
THE APPROACHING STORM

-22 YEARS
EPISODE II
ATTACK OF THE CLONES
REPUBLIC COMMANDO
1. HARD CONTACT
BOBA FETT
1. THE FIGHT TO SURVIVE
2. CROSSFIRE
3. MAZE OF DECEPTION
REPUBLIC
1. THE DEFENSE OF KAMINO
BOBA FETT
4. HUNTED
REPUBLIC
2. VICTORIES AND SACRIFICES

-21 YEARS
CLONE WARS
SHORT STORY COLLECTION
LEGACY OF THE JEDI
1. SHATTERPOINT
2. THE CESTUS DECEPTION
THE HIVE
REPUBLIC COMMANDO
2. TRIPLE ZERO
REPUBLIC
3. LAST STAND ON JABIIM
4. LIGHT AND DARK
5. THE BEST BLADES

-20 YEARS
THE CLONE WARS
1. THE CLONE WARS
2. WILD SPACE
3. NO PRISONERS
REPUBLIC COMMANDO
3. TRUE COLORS
CLONE WARS
SECRETS OF THE JEDI
MEDSTAR
1. BATTLE SURGEONS
2. JEDI HEALER
CLONE WARS
3. JEDI TRIAL
REPUBLIC
6. ON THE FIELDS OF BATTLE
CLONE WARS
4. DARK RENDEZVOUS
REPUBLIC
7. WHEN THEY WERE BROTHERS
8. THE LAST SIEGE, THE FINAL TRUTH
BOBA FETT
5. A NEW THREAT
6. PURSUIT
EPISODE III BRIDGES
GENERAL GRIEVOUS
LABYRINTH OF EVIL

-19 YEARS
EPISODE III
REVENGE OF THE SITH
REPUBLIC COMMANDO
4. ORDER 66
DARK LORD
THE RISE OF DARTH VADER
REPUBLIC
9. ENDGAME
IMPERIAL COMMANDO
501ST
THE LAST OF THE JEDI
1. THE DESPERATE MISSION
2. DARK WARNING
3. UNDERWORLD
4. DEATH ON NABOO
5. A TANGLED WEB
6. RETURN OF THE DARK SIDE
7. SECRET WEAPON
8. AGAINST THE EMPIRE
9. MASTER OF DECEPTION
10. RECKONING

ALL TIMELINES


		RECKONING A novel by Jude Watson (2008, Scholastic Paperbacks) The Last of the Jedi, Book 10 19 years before and Star Wars: A New Hope Ferus arranges to have resistance leaders meet at his secret asteroid base, while Clive and Astri race to reveal a traitor in their midst.

		Read May 12th to 15th, 2016, in paperback
		The first half of this book was so intense and well-written that I had very high hopes. Unfortunately, the second half devolved back into the clichés that faulted the later books of this series and the previous one. The ending for Ferus was unexpected, but makes a certain amount of sense, as opposed to the way the others died or Trever’s worse fate. Spoiler review: Although I saw it coming, I don’t think Flame’s portrayal in previous books, especially where the story is portrayed from her point of view, lend itself to that particular conclusion. But the way the author handled Flame in the previous stories was consistent with her being a traitor, especially the way she didn’t let Flame in on any secret discussions. That point is irrelevant now, as the most important secret was revealed anyway, and Vader used it to good effect. I’m not sure how I feel about Ferus being able to contact Obi-Wan at any time. Wouldn’t somebody be able to trace the call? I’d expect that the Emperor has already bugged Ferus’ comlink, but I guess not. Given his role by the end of the book, I guess it makes sense. But I don’t think it’s necessary. It turns out that the action at the end of the last book, where the Unknown’s hiding spot was invaded was completely undone here, because everyone we know survived, and they find a new temporary place to live. By then, Ferus has decided to bring them all to the asteroid base. I liked the way Flame negotiated the sale of the starships, with Jedi help, at the trade show. Of course everything she mentions comes true, from the false transponders to the spaceworthiness. And of course they have a communications blackout, which is not consistently used. The blackout itself is because the author doesn’t want Clive and Astri to be able to contact Ferus. But they contact Tomra on the asteroid, and he tells them that Flame is a traitor. I guess it was easy for him, because Tomra himself ended up being a mole, as well, which completely ruined any chance of credibility this story had of tying things up properly. Clive and Astri nearly have a run-in with Darth Vader at Flame’s house, where he goes away empty-handed and angry, but that’s no different from most of the plots in these books. It doesn’t amount to anything except confirming what we already knew –that Eve Yarrow (Flame) is in the the pay of the Empire. I only wish it was less intentional. The adventure in delaying their arrival at the asteroid base was well written and fun. It seems that the Empire has suddenly become more efficient, because it has eyes everywhere, even in black-market shops like the one Ferus visited. I liked the way he recruited a swoop gang to hide him while he escaped back to his ship. On the other hand, the Empire has apparently forgotten to monitor all communications. Like his talk with Obi-Wan, I don’t know how Ferus managed to talk with Trever to have the ship prepped. If the Empire was after Ferus, shouldn’t they have impounded the ship, too? The climax of the book occurs after they abandon Flame on a deserted planet (she has another way to communicate with Vader, though), and bring everyone to the asteroid. Ferus is worried about tracking devices, so he shows up late, and gets to watch Vader incinerate the asteroid. I didn’t get a sense of the weapons he used for that –was it a Death Star prototype, just the normal weapons from a Star Destroyer, or something else from the factory at Despayre? Regardless, nearly every character from this series has now been killed. Lune is smuggled out after they discover that Tomra is a mole, so Ferus and Trever pick him up, and Vader doesn’t notice. The end of the series was always going to be depressing –how else could it turn out? But I think there are still too many loose ends, and Trever’s fate is just horrible! They use Zan Arbor’s drug to wipe out Trever’s memory of the entire series. He’s back to the boy we first met in the first book. Ferus thinks it’s for the better, but I think that just puts him in the same category as Mace Windu and the young Yoda, who dictated with so many absolutes and without consideration of the people they were dictating to. Ferus gets a happier ending, at least until A New Hope. Obi-Wan tells him everything, and he settles down on Alderaan, to watch over Leia the way Obi-Wan watches over Luke. Who knows –maybe he got off the planet before the Death Star arrived. That was the actual reason for Ferus to discover that Vader was Anakin. It was implied that they would duel or at least have some sort of fight. But they don’t. The only reason was for Ferus to gain knowledge about Anakin’s children, so he could be Leia's watchdog.