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| Backlash |
| BOOK STORY |
| Aaron Allston |
| Del Rey [US]; Century
[UK] |
Story published as:
Hardback Novel (2010)
Audio Book (2010)
e-Book (2010)
Paperback Novel (2011) |
| Download
Backlash bookmark [pdf] |
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Rating:
If you have read this book, please
rate it:
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Reviews:
1 review [Average review
score: 3 / 5] |
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Synopsis:
Repercussions from the
dark side's fatal seduction of Jacen Solo and the
mysterious plague of madness afflicting young Jedi
continue to wreak havoc galaxy-wide. Having narrowly
escaped the deranged Force worshippers known as the Mind
Walkers, and a deadly Sith hit squad, Luke and Ben
Skywalker are in pursuit of the now Masterless Sith
apprentice Vestara Khai. It is a chase that leads to the
forbidding planet Dathomir, where an enclave of powerful
dark-side Force-wielders will give Vestara the edge she
needs to escape; and where the Skywalkers will be forced
into combat for their quarry and their lives.
Meanwhile, Han and Leia Solo are on their own desperate
mission, shuttling madness-stricken Jedi from Coruscant
to safe haven in the Transitory Mists and beyond the
grasp of Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala.
But the bold maneuver only intensifies Daala's fury, and
she is determined to shatter Jedi Order resistance once
and for all.
Yet, no greater threat exists than that which still
waits in the depths of the distant Maw Cluster: A being
of pure, ravenous dark-side energy named Abeloth calls
out across the stars to Jedi and Sith alike. For some,
it may be the ultimate source of answers crucial to
their survival. For others, it could be the ultimate
weapon of conquest. But for all, it is a game-changing
and life-altering encounter of untold magnitude, and a
tactical gambit with unimaginable consequences.
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Chronology:
This story occurs approximately 44 years after the
Battle of Yavin. |
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Related Stories (in
chronological order):
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Review
by Bones, UK, 2011:
"Backlash, the fourth entry in the Fate
of the Jedi series, sees Aaron Allston rotate back round to the
driving seat for his second instalment. Unlike the first three
books, which contained three distinct plot strands, Backlash is
structured a little differently. It is split into two main parts,
one set on Dathomir and the other on Coruscant, with each planet
having two different plot strands occurring during the course of the
narrative. On Dathomir, Ben and Luke track Vestara Khai, the runaway
Sith, and all three eventually join up with a clan of Dathomiri
warriors who are attacked by the Nightsisters. Meanwhile, Allana
remains at the spaceport with the two droids and conducts
investigations into a suspicious mechanic. On Coruscant, there is a
plot to remove Jagged Fel from Imperial power, as well as continued
tensions and hostilities between Daala’s
government and the Jedi.
"The Dathomiri clan’s conflict with the Nightsisters takes up
the largest part of the novel and, whilst it has some fantastic
moments, particularly surrounding Ben Skywalker (Allston writes
especially well when it comes to Ben and the character flourishes
with Allston’s dry humour) is sometimes quite protracted. It does
feature a deliciously duplicitous Vestara, whose intentions and
loyalties remain thoroughly shrouded throughout. The parallel strand
featuring Allana, whilst her meddling does provide results, shows
her to be a wilful, almost disobedient, child. Whilst it is to be
expected, given her parentage, the character is mildly irritating,
although she is certainly growing into a distinct character in her
own right. Nevertheless, she is nothing compared to C-3PO. Allston,
sadly, does not write well for the prissy protocol droid, losing
some of his aloof and uppity nature in favour of glib one-liners.
Allston tries too hard to deliberately make him funny, whereas
Threepio was always unintentionally funny.
"The worsening relationship between Daala
and the Jedi progresses relatively realistically and the Chief of
State herself remains true to character, but the attempts to depose
Jagged occur very early on and are then pretty much ignored through
the majority of the rest of the book until the very end, when large
things happen that will clearly carry over into the next volume. It
seems that the entire book’s purpose was to set up this ending on
Coruscant, with the events on Dathomir being a convenient time
filler. This is not the case, fortunately, as large things also
happen at the end of the Dathomir story, but in the middle of the
book, there was a definite feeling of “well where is this actually
going?”
"Allston’s writing isn’t quite up to his usual standard,
with some of the sentences being a touch convoluted structurally,
but it flows nicely enough and he tells an entertaining enough
story, as ever. It’s not a bad book, but the Fate
of the Jedi series needs to take things up a notch now."
Rating: 3
/ 5
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