Fate of the Jedi: Allies

I'm not quite sure how Christie Golden has managed it, but when tasked with writing some of the most exciting action of any book I've read so far, not only has she written so exceptionally well, she has also introduced less action-oriented plots, new characters and stories, and managed not at all to detract away from the main plot.

If you cannot tell, this was an impeccable novel, and it may sound crazy to some, but I think this may be one of my all time favourite Star Wars novels, yes, even up there with my favourite of Zahn's work.

The Jedi and Sith allied, a romance budding between Sith Apprentice Vestara Khai, and Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker, the powerful, mysterious threat of Abeloth is to be revealed properly, and here, everything changes!

The Sith propose an alliance with Luke and Ben Skywalker, a mutual goal to stop the mysterious Abeloth. But of course, this doesn't stop the treachery of the Sith. Gavar Khai, Vestara's father, demands she seduce Ben, either to turn him, or use him to the Sith's advantage.

However, what is not helpful to them at all, is that Vestara actually kinda likes Ben. Attracted to each other, the teens try to work out their differences throughout the novel, forming a sort of Romeo and Juliet style romance, and even drawing comparison to Luke's own romance with Mara Jade Skywalker.

Of course, there is a contrast to the famous “Wherefore art thou, Romeo?” scene, which, according to my GCSE Literature teacher, actually means, “Why are you Romeo?” as in, why is a Montague? His family being the reason he and Juliet cannot be together, Vestara yearns in bed at one point in the book in her head something along the lines of, “Why couldn't Ben be born Sith?”

It's great as Vestara's manipulation tangles with her actual feelings that are starting to bubble, and Ben manoeuvres around his feelings for Vestara, wanting just to experience love as a teenager for once, and try to ignore her... questionable morals and beliefs.

Love is complex, you don't always fall for the right people, but you fall for them anyway, and love them for who they are, and while I wouldn't go as far as to say they love each other yet, they are starting to feel a true affection for each other, and it is confusing Vestara especially, but Ben is not swayed once he learns about her plan to seduce and turn him. He is, and always will be, a Jedi.

Christie Golden clearly has a few favourite side characters, and I do not blame her whatsoever. Needmo, the seemingly only reliable and honest newshost has lots of great plot in this book, especially Madhi, the journalist, and her focus on slavery.

She has a great little story where she wins a slave and frees him, hiring him as a proper worker, and highlighting the troubles with a society that has “good” slavery. As nicely treated as those “slaves” are, as the freed one puts it, a cage is still a cage.

Dorvan, who works for Daala, is also a particularly good character. While loyal to Daala, he doesn't really agree with her, and is trying his best to sort things out between the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance, even if it doesn't work.

Whilst the Jedi and Sith work their way to Abeloth, there is tension simmering on Coruscant between the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi, as Daala hires Mandalorians to begin a siege on the Jedi Temple.

This whole plot is extremely tense as while no battle occurs, the political drama is especially good here, something I have previously critiqued, and we flicker back and forth between Daala and the Jedi as developments happen.

Mainly, however, Kenth Hamner shines. I love Kenth in this series, he isn't perfect, but the man is trying to live up to Luke Skywalker as Acting-Grand Master of the New Jedi Order, and also has the immense task of trying to sort things out between the increasingly power hungry Chief of State Daala, and the crippled Jedi.

Daala is absolutely going too far. While she raises many points I can sympathise with, as a citizen in this galaxy, I, too, might sometimes worry about giving Jedi too much power when Sith like Caedus emerge from them, but what she allows to happen and justifies is appalling.

Kenth Hamner's assistant, unarmed, innocent, is murdered by a Mandalorian.

This shit fucking shocked me. I couldn't quite believe what was happening, and it was so horrible, I loved seeing how the Masters treated it. Kenth's anger finally bursting was amazing, but I love how, as they said, this didn't scare the Jedi, it only strengthened their resolve.

“I'm staring at the body of a girl who was murdered by the heartless bastard you picked to lead the siege.” - Kenth Hamner.

In the midst of all this, as Luke, Ben, Vestara and the Sith travel to the Maw to find Abeloth's planet, Jaina seeks help from Jag, and, unable to get it, makes the decision that they will always be pulled apart by their duties, always on opposite ends, and ends the engagement.

I was really upset about this, but I get it, and... spoilers... I know it doesn't last!

Another awesome subplot, was the continuation of Tahiri's trial, which was heartbreaking as it was inspiring and hopeful. She gets so close to winning the Jury's favour, and there was a particularly beautiful moment, which I considered to be the most wonderfully written, and most gorgeous scene since The Unifying Force.

Han and Leia visit the incarcerated Tahiri Veila, to tell her of Luke and Ben's meeting with the deceased Anakin Solo, of his words of wisdom, and of his love for her that he still feels after all this time.

I cried reading Anakin's death all the way back in Star By Star, I cried writing about it in my review, I cried writing about it in my video essay, I almost teared up talking about it, and damn it, I cried at this too!

“He was her first and only love, her best friend, and he had been ripped from her far, far too soon.”

Tahiri's lawyer, Eramuth Bwua'tu, was a really sweet and fun character, a really clever lawyer, but also a surprisingly kind and trustworthy Bothan, with odd fashion and a lot of charm, he was a really loveable character, and his relationship with Tahiri throughout the novel is also a highlight.

In the midst of all the craziness at the Temple, there was another beautiful moment as, while the corpse still lay at the Temple, Raynar Thul, in a strange show of respect, decided to eat his lunch in front of the Mandalorians, in the same spot he does each day, clearly ready for them to kill him.

But Dorvan makes sure to be there on time, and eats with Raynar so he can't be shot, and it's an amazingly well written moment as it is so strange, so bizarre, so heartbreaking, but also so inspiring, it's a strange but great form of protest, and it says so much about the complexity of the characters of this series, of Raynar and of Dorvan. I loved it!

“Love was a powerful thing. It had built and shattered empires, shaped the history of billions, and of two.”

Throughout these books, Luke and Ben have felt the presence of Mara on the Jade Shadow, holding Luke in bed, comforting them in their sadness, making them feel not so alone.

As soon as Luke began feeling her in bed, I had my suspicions. But I was still shocked to learn the truth. And disturbed.

Abeloth.

For some strange reason, Abeloth wants Luke Skywalker, she fixates on him, goes after his son, his family, but she wants him.

Retreating from an attempt to consume Dyon on her planet, Luke, about twenty Sith, Vestara and Ben pursue her, into a beautiful sort of arena with towering pillars of stone, where Luke finally gets a good look at her, and he sees...

Callista Ming...

Throughout the novels, Abeloth has appeared to many with thick, curly dark hair, but often with short, blonde hair, both the appearances of Callista in either her first, or second life.

Somehow, when Callista abandoned using the Force, and left Luke, this thing, Abeloth, has taken her, perverted her, and they have become one. Needy, desperate, lonely, she seeks out Luke and attempts to turn him into something like her. Whatever that is...

It's really tragic, and has managed to make me love a character I used to hate, Callista, and turn a story I used to hate into something truly genius and so, so dark and sickening.

There's an unnerving, creepy moment where she turns to Abeloth, her tentacles and horrible teeth all showing, furious that she had waited all that time, and Luke had forsaken her, and wants to hurt him most, lunging at Ben Skywalker.

But her arrogance, her focus on Luke, means she forgets the Sith, the Nightsister spell casted around them, but only momentarily...

This leads to... maybe my favourite, or one of my favourite battles in all of Star Wars!

The EU just keeps on giving ‘em to me...

As the Sith, for a moment, join with Abeloth and turn on Luke, suddenly, as Ben is distracted helping a poisoned Vestara, has to fight twenty Sith, Nightsister magic, and Abeloth. And in an amazing show of power, of how far Luke Skywalker has come, Ben watches, amazed.

“Despite the odds, his father was winning.”

Gavar Khai, Vestara's father, tries to use Ben's anger to turn him, taunting him, but I love this moment, as this instead does the opposite, Ben has heard all this before, from Caedus, and instead it only makes him more resolute in his purpose, as a Jedi Knight.

When Abeloth knocks everyone out with more Force craziness, she escapes to feed on Dyon, but it is a trick. Luke sees right through it, killing her, and saving Dyon.

I was hopeful at first, but in searching for an image for this review, and reading the dramatis personae for the next novel, I'm pretty certain Abeloth still lives, as the entity she was. But Callista is dead, and I felt incredibly sorry for Luke finding out what his old lover had become.

I love how they showed the feelings you have for someone you may no longer be with, but from a relationship that did not end with animosity. Mara is Luke's love, the mother to his son, but he still loves Callista, of course he does, not like he loves Mara, and he could never be with her in that way again, but I love how they captured those feelings.

A relationship lost, that cannot work any longer, but perhaps could've once, a long time ago...

To bring Callista back for such a sick, twisted story is the perfect way of making such a boring character, from such an awful story, into a magnificent character, and making an even more fabulous story. I cannot credit the writing of this enough.

Poor Nek Bwua'tu, and poor Tahiri!

It seems Tahiri is done for, and Nek is killed by people pretending to be mad Jedi, which, as he is a lover of Daala, is only going to make things worse, and Tahiri, whose story inspired so much hope throughout the novel, is utterly hopeless again!

The one light of hope is that the Jedi are cured, and the Sith of Kesh are very different, and are going to work with Luke to uncover the truth about Abeloth, to learn more about her.

I have a light, small hope that these Sith may be able to change, or some at least. Especially since my rather naive google search showed me that Krayt will feature later, and more Abeloth. Damn fucking google searches...

So, overall... I was just terribly shocked at how fabulously written this book was.

Christie Golden managed to make the least entertaining and interesting plots gripping, and made me not skim and actually read every word for plots I might often skip if written by the other two authors of the series.

The action was some of the best in all of Star Wars novels, and she was also treated to writing a remarkably exciting part of the series, capturing all of the excitement and ferocity wonderfully.

I feel like a video essay, rather than an Instagram review, would better serve this book, as I can go on and on about the magnitude of exceptional writing here, and how good the story truly is of this book.

My hopes for the series have risen after the last two books lowered in quality a bit for me, and for someone who rarely gives very high ratings, who, whilst positive, is hesitant to give the higher ratings for most novels, you may be very shocked at how much I really loved this book...

I cannot think of any issues I had with the book, from both of the Bwua'tu characters, Tahiri, the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance, the Sith, Abeloth, and the Skywalkers, even Han and Leia Solo, and even Allana and her pet, Anji, Christie Golden was on peak form, and the book just blew me away with every single page entertaining me so much...

Fuck.

A masterpiece, there... I said it.

A masterpiece to me!

10/10