Vector Prime

It took me quite a long time, but finally, I've started reading the New Jedi Order.

Firstly, I'll start with the characters.

Jaina is a standout. To me, she seems like the perfect mix of Han, Leia, Luke, and Anakin, and I can see her being a favourite character of mine as she gets developed.

I can't help but feel the sorta rivalry between Jacen and Anakin is a little cliche, but they are compelling enough characters, with both of them having great moments to shine. They both nearly sacrifice themselves many times.

Mara is at her best. She is Jaina's master, and they are just perfect for each other. She truly brings out the best in Jaina, and seems to be a really talented Jedi now.

There is an exceptional fight between her and a Yuuzhan Vong, where she battles her illness, various brand new weapons unheard of from the warrior (Yomin Carr), and still beats him, which solidified my love for her even more.

Han and Leia are really solid, but don't seem to get a whole lot of depth until later on for Han.

Chewbacca, who dies in this novel, is just kinda there unfortunately. His death is really upsetting and treated very well, but until near the moment of his death (where, to be fair, he does many heroic things) he is just there not doing a whole lot.

The Yuuzhan Vong as villains are really, really good. They come off as to me the Star Wars version of Sontarans, but much better. Absolutely vile, I love how sickening they are, but also how insanely powerful they are. A true threat possibly bigger than anything else in Star Wars so far.

The main issue I have with this book is the inconsistency in the flow of the writing style from R. A. Salvatore. A lot of the time, it is paced very nicely, dialogue is entertaining, and description isn't too much.

But there are particular sections that are kinda a slog to get through, and this book has a lot of flying stuff that really isn't my thing, where when it went on for long periods of time, I'd end up kinda speed-reading and only taking in the valuable information to me.

One last thing is maybe just because I'm the biggest Mara Jade simp in the world, but her illness here genuinely upset me! I was so disappointed it wasn't sorted by the end of the book and whilst I know it probably will be eventually (because I know how she actually dies - spoilers!) it did feel kinda like a nothing plot to me.

I'm way too invested in her, haha, and she feels like a real person to me, so maybe it's my dumb obsession with her making me feel sorry for her!

Overall, it's a really promising start. Most of it is set up, which I will forgive, as this is going to be a long saga.

There are plenty of really entertaining action sequences, lots of really great new concepts, and it's generally one of the most imaginative entries into the Star Wars universe.

I can tell this is going to be totally different and unlike anything else in Star Wars that I know, and for that reason, I am excited!

8/10

An amazing start to, what I hope to be, an amazing saga.

I've been struggling with Star Wars High Republic, to say the least. I've been trying to read [b:Light of the Jedi 51637946 Light of the Jedi (Star Wars The High Republic) Charles Soule https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582619576l/51637946.SY75.jpg 76212411] since 2022, but to no avail. I don't know what happens, but I must say I don't enjoy Charles Soule writing (comic books included). Instead, I moved to “the old, but gold” New Jedi Order and I've just finished Vector Prime, by [a:R.A. Salvatore 1023510 R.A. Salvatore https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1671730815p2/1023510.jpg]. I also have my problems with Salvatore, but this book is so much more compelling.One of the best things of going back do the old Star Wars Expanded Universe is... going back to the Expanded Universe! I really like that idea of Han and Leia having children, and the marriage of Luke Skywalker (and a kid also), that was interesting. It showed us that Star Wars was growing old with its readers in a respectful manner. Sometimes I think the new Disney cannon patronizes its readers because the writing is a little bit lazy. I have read several books and comics of the new canon and for several times I have had the impression of being treated like a kid. It seems clear to me that the new editorial policy of Disney Publishing is aimed solely at YA. Whether by the way these books and comics are being written, or by the absurdly childish plots. Star Wars has never been the supreme of literature, but it also does not mean that its readers are dumb.Of the new books, some writers are really great. I really like Claudia Gray's writings and Alexander Freed's Alphabet Squadron series. However, two writers are not enough to sustain a whole new canon. The old Expanded Universe ends up being more solid and consolidated than much that has been published in the new canon.The first book in the New Jedi Order series has some flaws. Still, Vector Prime is an excellent opening for this series of 19 books. The series itself presents the Star Wars characters aimed at an adult audience that has already established their families and has to deal with the hardships of everyday life.In this book something happens that marked the history of Star Wars as a whole. A great character in the franchise ends up dying, showing in fact that the characters are not immortal. The scene itself was shocking and impactful. However, my favorite parts are those where we have Luke and Mara Jade. I was really scared when they end up making a great and terrible discovery: their first meeting with the Vong. The way this chapter was written was really interesting and effective. Another very good point of this book is that it already presents the dimension of the great threat in a clear way. Both the characters and the readers already learn from a very early age the severity of the situation and in a very real way. The characters and the readers are not dumb! This is very different from the construction of the “Great Accident” from the book [b:Light of the Jedi 51637946 Light of the Jedi (Star Wars The High Republic) Charles Soule https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582619576l/51637946.SY75.jpg 76212411], which develops the plot in a too nebulous way.