What an incredible waste. I don't know who this book was
intended for. The style of the book was condescending, and the
plot was incredibly unbelievable. The author spoke like the
readers were five, but the actions of the five year old kids were better
suited to twelve year olds.
Jacen, Jaina and Anakin are kidnapped in the first page.
Leia is on a diplomatic mission to a planet where political kidnappings
are more of a game and ritual than anything else, so the authorities don't
believe the kids are in any danger.
But Leia knows. She spends some time trying to get the
authorities to listen, but then takes action into her own hands.
It is completely contrived how Chewie and Artoo get to come along.
Leia tracks the kidnappers' ship through hyperspace using the
Force, even though she claims that she is untrained. Then she comes
across a ship containing the remaining members of a race that was wiped
out by Vader. It turns out that the person who Leia wakes up from
hibernation was the lover of the kidnapper, and the mother of his assistant.
For the kids have been kidnapped by Hethrir, a former student
of Vader, who plans to create a new Empire by the very original name of
"Empire Reborn". He is stealing kids and testing them for Force potential.
The ones with no Force potential he brings into service as helpers, sort
of stormtroopers, like in the Shadow Academy,
which takes place ten years in the future from this story. But Vader
NEVER had any students, as much as the Emperor might have had force-powerful
aids (Dark Empire II), which is highly doubtful
in itself.
The kids who have Force potential he plans to feed to a being
called Waru, who uses the energy to stay alive, because this is not his
universe. He needs a large source of the Force to get himself back.
I can't stand the scenes with Waru. This is not supposed
to be fantasy, where we can dredge up dragons and other strange beings
from nowhere.
All the scenes with the kids were painful to read. They
seemed so smart, but had to talk in such childish ways. It was really
annoying.
Meanwhile, Luke and Han are drawn to the planet that Waru is
hiding on, because of reports of former Jedi in hiding. Of course,
the reports deal with Waru, not Jedi, and all the scenes with Han and Luke
are completely wasted.
The effect of the crystal star overhead (a neutron star about
to fall into a black hole) twists the Force, so Luke is essentially put
out of his mind. So he becomes jealous for Leia when Han starts chatting
with an old flame. Even with the effects of this strange star, that
is way out of character, and besides, not something I want to read about.
In all, the book had way too much dialog, and not enough subtlety.
When I have to go through pages of one person speaking, followed by the
next person speaking, and a response to that, it makes me think of teenagers
speaking: "..and then I said.. .. And then he said.. .. And then
I said.. .. And then he said..." and so on.
Not one that I ever want to read again -I don't even want to
see references to it in future books.
by Warren Dunn, all rights reserved.
