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![[This story occurs during the Legacy of the Force era]](images/banner4.jpg) |
| Events that occur between 43 and 50
years after the Battle of Yavin. |
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| Omen |
| BOOK STORY |
| Christie Golden |
| Del Rey [US]; Arrow
[UK] |
Story published as:
Hardback Novel (2009)
Audio Book (2009)
e-Book (2009)
Paperback Novel (2010) |
| Download
Omen 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: 2
/ 5] |
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Synopsis:
The Jedi Order is in crisis. The late Jacen Solo's
shocking transformation into murderous Sith Lord Darth
Caedus has cast a damning pall over those who wield the
Force for good. Two Jedi Knights have succumbed to an
inexplicable and dangerous psychosis. Criminal charges
have driven Luke Skywalker into self-imposed exile. And
power-hungry Chief of State Natasi
Daala is exploiting anti-Jedi sentiment to undermine
the Order's influence within the Galactic Alliance.
Forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is on a
desperate mission to uncover the truth behind Jacen's
fall to the dark side and to learn what's turning
peaceful Jedi into raving lunatics. But finding answers
will mean venturing into the mind-bending space of the
Kathol Rift, and bargaining with an alien species as
likely to destroy outsiders as deal with them. Still,
there is no other choice and no time to lose, as the
catastrophic events on Coruscant continue to escalate.
Stricken by the same violent dementia that infected her
brother, Valin, Jedi Knight Jysella Horn faces an
equally grim fate after her capture by Daala's
police. And when Han and Leia Solo narrowly foil another
deranged Jedi bent on deadly destruction, even acting
Grand Master Kenth Hamner appears willing to bow to Daala's
iron will: at the expense of the Jedi Order.
But an even greater threat is looming. Millennia in the
past, a Sith starship crashed on an unknown, low-tech
planet, leaving the survivors stranded. Over the
generations, their numbers have grown anew, the ways of
the dark side have been nurtured, and the time is fast
approaching when this lost tribe of Sith will once more
take to the stars to reclaim their legendary destiny as
rulers of the galaxy. Only one thing stands in their way
to dominance, a name whispered to them through the
Force: Skywalker.
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Chronology:
This story occurs approximately 43 years after the
Battle of Yavin. |
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Related Stories (in
chronological order):
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| Reviews: |
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Review
by Bones, UK, 2010:
"Christie Golden's first contribution is, sadly, not a
promising one. While some elements of the story are intriguing and
fascinating, there remain too many other elements that are lacking.
"The story is split (as was Outcast)
into three main strands: the first continues the journey of Luke and
son to uncover the cause of Jacen's decent; the second looks at the
continuing tensions between the government and the Jedi on Coruscant;
the third introduces the series to the Tribe,
a section which is mostly shown in two year old flashbacks.
"As with Outcast I found the
first story strand the most interesting. Luke and Ben meet the
Aing-Tii in this story and there is another opportunity to engage in
some xenobiological and xenocultural study. The Aing-Tii are a
fascinating species and the relationship between the two Skywalkers
continues to develop as it did previously.
"The plotline involving the Tribe
was similarly intriguing, although I'm curious to discover now how
they managed to avoid all contact with space-faring species for 5000
years. The Sith culture on Kesh is reminiscent of the Sith of the Old
Republic, but has clearly evolved as one would expect through
five millennia of isolation.
"The Coruscant based section was the bit I was least impressed
with. While the scene regarding Natua's instability was relatively
exciting, the development of the hostility between the two groups
was disappointing. The obnoxious journalist Javis Tyrr played a
suitable role in this, but the majority of it seemed to meander and
procrastinate. I couldn't help but look at the character of Wynn
Dorvan and wonder why he was there - he didn't really do anything of
any significance, what was the point in making a fuss over giving
him a subordinate and for goodness sake what was with the stupid pet
in his pocket? Golden does use "pets" quite a lot in this
book and I found it quite noticeable when she did.
"Generally I disliked the style in which the book was written.
Golden's prose is cumbersome and unrefined, with many disjointed
occurrences in the narrative. Golden has a habit of adding in lots
of extra (often unnecessary) information at the expense of the flow
of the story. It struck me as clumsy for an author who is so well
established. She also used some jarring phrases such as
"portable cup" or "symmetrical sphere". Both
adjectives are utterly superfluous, since the identity of the noun
itself implies their existence. At times she also betrayed a sense
of feminism in her writing, and you get a sense that Golden enjoyed
writing for Jaina and Daala in particular as strong female
characters, as well as introducing her own in the Tribe.
Whilst that alone is not enough to condemn her, there are instances
- phrases - that advocate more than just a little "girl
power".
"As a continuation of the first book, I found it mediocre at
best, in spite of some of the more interesting moments."
Rating: 2
/ 5
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