Dark Tide II: Ruin

[b:Dark Tide II: Ruin 320357 Dark Tide II Ruin (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #3) Michael A. Stackpole https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331429816l/320357.SY75.jpg 1134103] brings us the direct continuation of the events that occurred in the first volume of the Dark Tide duology. [a:Michael A. Stackpole 17739 Michael A. Stackpole https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207602690p2/17739.jpg] manages to keep the pace of the narrative steady, but intense.In this book we have two new interesting points to be added to the political tension present in the first volume. Firstly, we have a growing distension within the Jedi, largely motivated not by divergent philosophical or religious thoughts, but by ego and naivety. Kyp Durron leads a more individualistic and short-sighted faction of the Jedi, while Luke takes a more moderate and cautious stance.One of Durron's followers, Daeshara'cor, ends up being motivated by revenge against the Vong, threatening to build a powerful weapon like the Death Star to put an end to the alien invasion. For those who know the reckless Kyp Durron from [a:Kevin J. Anderson 4845 Kevin J. Anderson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215310030p2/4845.jpg]'s Jedi Academy trilogy, the only and best thing I can say is: “like master, like apprentice”.I would like to say that “for the first time our heroes have some secret or McGuffin capable of defeating the Vong”, but that is the constant of each book in the series. Our heroes always manage to contain (at least for now) the invasion, but the costs are extremely high. However, how they do in this book gives us a great sense of satisfaction.The ending, which in turn involves Senator Elegos A'Kla, is quite tragic and, perhaps, one of the darkest moments in Star Wars so far, perhaps comparable to what happens with Chewbacca in [b:Vector Prime 192214 Vector Prime (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #1) R.A. Salvatore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412181316l/192214.SX50.jpg 2799032] (in my honest opinion, what happens to A'Kla is even worse).I don't need to say that this is a duology and it only makes sense to read both books to have a better reading and entertainment experience. [a:Michael A. Stackpole 17739 Michael A. Stackpole https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207602690p2/17739.jpg] doesn't disappoint and I guarantee it's hours of frantic fun.

This book was a much slower read than the first, but not to a fault. It took more time to setup its story and justify the later action, including what was absent from the last novel, the perspective of the Yuuzhan Vong.

As always, it's interesting to get an insight into their culture, but also, it's usually quite necessary to show the enemy and their perspective of the story when telling a Star Wars story, and I find it harkens back to the original trilogy showing the perspective of Vader often.

Corran is much better in this novel, having a really interesting and personal journey, and a really well-written failure. I do find him a bit of a (male version of) a Mary Sue, as like with Finn in the Invasion comics, Corran is a weirdly vital character to these two novels, when he wasn't in the first, and doesn't really have very good a reason to be so important.

At times his focus detracts from the original trilogy characters, which is a little annoying when their plots were usually more entertaining. It is the final battle towards the end in which Corran's story suddenly becomes gripping, as he has a really good battle which, in the end, is for nothing.

I loved the way this book created a new loss for both Anakin and Jaina, especially Anakin. Befriending Daeshara'cor and developing her after her bumpy start, also making her less hostile and seeing her become a better Jedi really made me quite attached to her, so her death was tragic.

I wasn't nearly as interested in Anni, in all honesty, I didn't even know who she was when she died, but to see the importance of her to Jaina, and how upsetting she found it, finally being able to relate to Anakin, was a good choice for her character.

The duels between Vong and Jedi never get any less entertaining whatsoever, and I love a good big battle between a small group of Jedi and loads of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Anakin is becoming my favourite of Han and Leia's children. I adore how optimistic he is, so much like Luke, and he is desperate to change the meaning of his name. For people to associate Anakin with a hero and not Vader, it's an extremely tragic element to his character knowing what I already know, and I love it. He's a great Jedi, so ahead of his age, mature, and an amazing fighter against the Yuuzhan Vong.

I still love Jaina, but can't help but feel like Stackpole isn't very interested in her. She was so entertaining and likeable in ‘Vector Prime' and although she has had a lot of attention with Rogue Squadron, she's suddenly not as interesting as a Jedi, and often seems sidetracked.

Also, of course it's Stackpole, who wrote some of the X-Wing novels, who shoves Jaina in Rogue Squadron. Maybe it's because I'm the way I am about ships in Star Wars, but I wanna see her being a cool Jedi alongside being a sick pilot, it disappoints me seeing her relegated to flying in each battle now. At least she got to use her brilliant flying to her advantage and to have an enormous effect on the outcome of a battle in ‘Vector Prime'.

All in all, this was an exceptional novel which was a bit more gritty, slow-paced, and rewarding than the last.

However, the problems I have with Stackpole's writing remain. And I am pleased to be done with him for quite a while. The favouritism of Corran is quite clear sometimes, and the extra focus on ship stuff can bore me.

But he is still excellent at writing action and other characters, he makes duels particularly engaging, and actually did something interesting with Corran Horn here!

8/10