Dark Tide II: Ruin

[RHJediKnight]

Has anybody else gotten this book yet? I'm not done reading it yet, but so far I think it's fantastic. The future of The New Jedi Order is looking good indeed...

[phobos 1]

I got it as soon as it came out. I unfortunately havent had any free time what so ever to start reading it. I am very curious as to what the ship on the cover is that the x wings are attacking. It appears to be a Trade federation control ship. Hopefully I will have some time this evening to get into starting it.

[Jedieb]

When did Ruin hit bookshelves? I'll have to make a trip to the bookstore this afternoon. Thanks for the heads'up! :)

[Atreyu]

Not 100% certain but I think it hit bookshelves in the US around a week or so ago (maybe even earlier). The reviewers at theForce.Net are caling it one of the best books ever written for the EU, so it's probably worth the read. :)

[RHJediKnight]

Yeah, it came out June 6 in the US. I wanted to get it right away but 1) I was busy with school crap (no more that though, today was my last day finally), and 2) My local bookstore didn't have it yet...lazy bast*rds. I got it on the 9th or 10th, sometime around then.

I really like this series, and I like how so far they haven't focused 100% on Luke, Han, Leia, etc., but the series is also focusing on newer lead characters (namely the Solo kids, and I sorta count Corran Horn) who I feel are a lot more interesting. Plus, the Yuuzhan Vong are the most interesting villains I've seen in the EU since...well, a long while. Also a cool addition is the son of Wedge's sister Syal and Baron Soontir Fel himself, Jagged Fel (you wouldn't really care about that if you've never read the "X-wing Rogue Squadron" comics).

And to whoever doesn't like The New Jedi Order series, haha to you because this series is going to be 30-something books long and is gonna be going for about 4 or 5 years...bwahaha...

[Jedieb]

I bought Ruin Tuesday and fininshed it the next day. I must say it was very good. The story was very compelling and I found it difficult to put the book down. I would have liked to have had more of the novel focus on Luke and Mara but with Stackpole you can expect a heavy dose of Corran Horn. I like the character, but to me he's your basic Luke Clone, a good one, but a clone nevertheless. And I thought Stackpole's resolution at the end was kind of selfish. It's almost as if he wants to make sure no one else uses his character. Even with that, the story was very compelling and the ending very sobering. I like the direction this series is taking as well.

And did anyone really miss Lando? There's the character they should have killed.

[Atreyu]

On the topic of Stackpole, isn't Ruin supposed to be his last book?

[RHJediKnight]

Yeah, it's his last SW book for now. :( There goes one of my fav SW authors....

[Atreyu]

I'd be interested to find out who the next author will be.

[RHJediKnight]

The next author to add to the NJO series? I think it's Jim Luceno, he'll be writing a duology called Agents of Chaos, with the first one, Hero's Trial, coming out in August.

[Atreyu]

Hopefully they'll have the goods. :)

[RHJediKnight]

They should, they're mainly about Han Solo I think.

[Firebird1]

That sounds good, after killing off Chewie anything that can expand on Han's situation will be worth a look.

And I did read throuh part of the Ruin: Dark Tide, it is a good book, I'll have to pick it up some time.

[Jedieb]

Right now all Han's been doing is boozing around and crying in his ale. It's about time he get's off his bar stool and starts kicking some Vong butt.

[RHJediKnight]

Bah, I'd rather have the series focus on others. Han's cool, but he isn't my favorite character.

[Bromine]

I'm just hoping they don't give Han Force abilities or anything. That would be it for me.:)

[Jedieb]

Because of the tenacity, strength, and weapons of the Vong the only characters that have been able to fight them are Jedis. It will be interesting to see what the non Jedi characters will do when they face them. the only way that I can think that Han can face a Vong is ship to ship. But I really do want to see more action with the big three, Luke, Han, & Leia.

[RHJediKnight]

Why? It gets old after a while when everyone always centers the spotlight on the same character(s)...Han, Luke and Leia aren't even the central characters in the Star Wars saga, Anakin Skywalker was. Yes, I know he's dead, but he's still the most important character in the whole saga.

[Doc Milo]

Maybe Luke can find a way through the Force to resurrect all the old Jedi to fight the Vong threat. :)

[Jedieb]

Anakin may be the most important character in the whole saga to you, but he's not to me. For me, Luke will always be the central character because he's the one I grew up with and identified with. And if GL hadn't wrapped things up in Jedi, Vader/Anakin would have still died in Jedi leaving Luke and The Emperor/Palpatine to battle it out for episodes 7-9.

Luke is the character I want to read about. I'd just rather read about Luke, Han, and Leia than Corran Horn, or any other EU creation. They're MINOR characters in the SW universe. Do you think the average person knows who Corran Horn or Kyp Durron are? Heck, this past spring I was talking to a guy at work who didn't even know who Boba Fett was.

The main characters from the original trilogy are my favorite so those are the ones I want to read about. And since they're available in this EU timeline, they should play the biggest role in the EU. That's just my personal taste. I know there are people who like certain EU characters more than trilogy characters and I'm glad they've found something to read and enjoy, but that just not me. Gimme Han and the Falcon over Corran or Mara Jade any day.

[RHJediKnight]

Don't getta me wrongo, I like the original characters too, and they're certainly cooler in these books than in some of the past ones I've read ('cept Han, but that problem should be resolved soon enough). It's just I find it kinda old reading about the same old characters...

And Anakin Skywalker was the central character in the Star Wars saga, George Lucas said it himself.

[Bromine]

Yeah, but that point is kinda moot considering the EU can't be about Anakin. (except for the prequel EU)

[Atreyu]

Good points Jedieb. However I fear that you and other readers who hold the same opinion may well be disapoointed in the upcoming books. From what I've heard Del Rey hopes to shift the focus away from the old characters and onto the next generation of Star Wars characters and even kill off some of the older characters from the movies.

[Jedieb]

I don't see how they could touch the big 3 (Luke, Han, & Leia), but I can see Lando and minor trilogy characters like Mon Mothma getting killed off. It really depends on whose on the cover. It's that simple. We know there are 2 novels that are going to focus on Han and how he's dealing with Chewie's death. And I bet we'll see him put things back together and take up the fight against the Vong. I bet there will be more story lines revolving around Leia's children, and I can see some significant time beng spent on Kyp. It's obvious he's going to continue to butt heads with Luke with the direction the Jedi should be taking.

So I think they'll be plenty of both the old and the new for everybody. But I just still prefer the old.

[RHJediKnight]

I know it's scary Jedieb, but don't fear the change...they can't tell stories about the same three characters forever, ya know.

[Jedieb]

Change sucks. ;)