Betrayal (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 1)
by Aaron Allston
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Book Summary Information
Author: Aaron AllstonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-01
ISBN: 0345477359
Number of pages: 496
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of Betrayal (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 1)
Book Review: Exciting Beginning to the Series
Summary: 4 Stars
I was a bit wary going into this book. The things I've heard about the recently ended Legacy of the Force series haven't been all that great. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed the novel. I'd hardly say it's the best one out there, but it's definitely somewhere in the upper ranks. If anything, there's almost too much plot for the reader to take in and keep up with. Spoilers ahead.
The plot doesn't disappoint. There's almost always something happening and, with the exception of a few chapters regarding politics (which do end up being somewhat important), there are very few boring moments. The story begins with Jacen Solo and his apprentice, Ben Skywalker, investigating a missile factory on Adumar and falling under ambush. They make their narrow escape and return to Coruscant to report their findings. This kicks off the plot of the first third of the book.
It would seem that in the ten or so years that have passed since the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Corellia Sector has proven to be quite a problem. According to the Galactic Alliance, the ever-rebellious Corellia has been accepting the protection and aide that the Alliance has given them, but is refusing to contribute any of their own resources to the Alliance and, on top of that, are clamoring for independence. The Jedi and the leaders of the Galactic Alliance formulate a plan to kidnap the major Corellian leaders, shut down Centerpoint, and remind the pesky planet (via military bombardments and actions) just who's in charge.
This, unfortunately, brings about one of my complaints with the book. Luke's character seemed very...off...here. I found it unlikely that he would openly and willingly support a plan that involved using the Jedi to kidnap and infiltrate in the name of the Alliance. Considering the conflicts that arose in the previous trilogy (The Dark Nest Trilogy) over the Jedi Order and its relationship with the government, I'm surprised that Luke would be able to get away with making such a quick decision over and issue like this without consulting the rest of the Order first.
The overall turnout of this particular plot line was satisfying and left me wondering just what would happen next. However, Ben's dealings with the Anakin robot seemed a bit...weird (for lack of a better word). There have been some events in Star Wars book past that have made me think "now that just doesn't seem to fit"...this was one such event. I can understand the necessity to a point of including both the robot and Ben's dealing with it, but the scene could have used a little tweaking, as it just didn't fit the Star Wars galaxy.
It is also with this part of the book that we begin to see a rift between the Solo and Skywalker clan. It saddened me to see this happen, but I feel that is a realistic outcome and something that makes sense (given Han Solo's loyalty to his planet). It will be interesting to see what this parting leads to.
The second third of the novel is devoted to a political meeting between Pellaeon (representing the Galactic Alliance) and Aidel Saxan (Prime Minister of Corellia) on Toryaz Station. Unfortunately, before a peaceful resolve can be attained, the station is attacked and one of the leaders is killed. What follows is an investigation and the finding of an extremely significant item.
The item kicks off the last third of the book, specifically the beginnings of Jacen's dark path. Jedi Solo's quest to decipher what exactly the item means eventually leads him to Shira Brie, better known as Lumiya. The lady of the Sith tells of the late Darth Vectivus, a Sith Lord who chose not to use his dark powers for evil. She manages to convince Jacen that he should turn to the Dark Side for the better of the galaxy, to bring balance and order, and to ultimately save millions of lives by being unafraid to sacrifice a few. During a critical, climactic moment of internal battle, Jacen kills Nelani, a fellow Jedi, and makes his decision. Also taking place is a battle between Corellia and the Galactic Alliance, which will no doubt play a significant role in terms of future events and characters (such as Han and the Antilles family).
There have been some reviewers who have complained about the similarities Jacen's path as the "Chosen One" bears to Anakin Skywalker's. Personally, I enjoyed this aspect, the idea that this dark cycle will always continue. I'm very interested to see what Jacen's journey will consist of and how it will differ from that of the late Darth Vader.
On the note of Darth Vader, how many beings did he train? Though I can't remember exactly who, it seems that there have been several characters in the Star Wars timeline who have claimed to be trained by the Dark Lord. I'm wondering how he was able to teach so many prospective Sith without running into some trouble from Palpatine. Perhaps it will be explained later...
The ending of the novel and what Jacen's decision could lead to were greatly satisfying. I'm eager to see just how far he'll be willing to go and the internal battles he'd undoubtedly face.
There were some other nice touches thrown in. We get to see Wedge Antilles (and his daughter) again, as well as Tycho Celchu. It was also interesting to see how the Galactic Alliance is faring as a whole...and how much like the former Empire it has become. Cal Omas continues to be an intriguing political character (I can't help but feel somewhat bad for him...he's just trying to protect his government and people). Allston also manages to keep the character interactions realistic and, at times, homourous. My main complaint is that there is just a little too much going on, which makes keeping track of everything very difficult sometimes.
Overall, Betrayal proves to be a solid, exciting beginning to a no-doubt thrilling series. I only hope the rest of the books are this well done.
Summary of Betrayal (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 1)
"[Betrayal] blasts off a new string of adventures starring beloved Star Wars familiars . . . this new installment should please Star Wars fans."-Publishers Weekly
Honor and duty collide with friendship and blood ties as the Skywalker and Solo clans find themselves on opposing sides of an explosive conflict.
When a mission to uncover an illegal missile factory on the planet Adumar ends in a violent ambush-from which Jedi Knight Jacen Solo and his prot?g? and cousin, Ben Skywalker, narrowly escape with their lives-it's the most alarming evidence yet that political unrest is threatening to ignite into total rebellion. The specter of full-scale war looms between a growing cadre of defiant planets and the Galactic Alliance that some fear is becoming a new Empire.
Determined to root out those behind the mayhem, Jacen follows a trail of cryptic clues to a rendezvous with the most shocking of revelations. Meanwhile Luke grapples with something even more troubling: dream visions of a shadowy figure whose Force power and ruthlessness remind him of Darth Vader. If Luke's visions come to pass, they will bring untold pain to the Jedi Master . . . and to the galaxy.
Allston, Aaron Books
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