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alphaalexis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cj13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Body horror, War, Medical trauma, Violence, Grief, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death
lyxatt's review against another edition
4.75
(*screaming*) WEDGE ANTILLES IS SO CLEVER I LOVE HIM SM
jadsia's review against another edition
5.0
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One of my favorite books in the New Jedi Order so far!
Wedge and the old heroes re-establishing the Rebellion?! OMG! And Jaina back from the Dark Side and in loooooooove and Luke and Mara off on Coruscant and doing secret awesomeness there and politicians being basically told to F off and OMG I LOVE ALL OF IT!
blancwene's review against another edition
3.0
For 2021, I decided to reread Del Rey’s first attempt at a multi-author book series in the Star Wars universe: The New Jedi Order, which was published between 1999 and 2003. This shakes out to 19 novels, two eBook novellas, three short stories, and a tangentially-related prequel era novel.
This week’s focus: the first book in the Enemy Lines duology by Aaron Allston, Enemy Lines: Rebel Dream.
SOME HISTORY:
Aaron Allston was the third and final of the Bantam era authors to collaborate on the New Jedi Order series. After the heavy angst of [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891], the Enemy Lines duology features our heroes adapting their strategies--and triumphing in the process. There’s also some of Allston’s signature humor, which helps to lighten the tone. Enemy Lines: Rebel Dream made it to number seven on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of April 14, 2002.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
When I first started rereading the New Jedi Order series, I didn’t think I had revisited any of the books since their initial release. But I think I might have reread just the Jaina/Jag scenes in Rebel Dream at some point? Because their interactions together felt so familiar, compared to the rest of the story.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Scattering after the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of Coruscant, the panic-stricken members of the New Republic Advisory Council pause long enough to order a mock defense on nearby Borleias—an attempt to buy time that fools no one, least of all General Wedge Antilles. For bearing down swiftly on Borleias is a Yuuzhan Vong fleet, determined to destroy the galaxy's remaining defenders…
THE CHARACTERS:
Wedge Antilles was a minor presence in [b:Dark Tide II: Ruin|320357|Dark Tide II Ruin (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #3)|Michael A. Stackpole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331429816l/320357._SY75_.jpg|1134103] and [b:Edge of Victory II: Rebirth|35429|Edge of Victory II Rebirth (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #8)|Greg Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388187398l/35429._SY75_.jpg|72183], and was apparently (?) reactivated for duty in [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891]. In Rebel Dream, he’s trying to hold his fleet group together in the face of the New Republic’s defeat at the Battle of Coruscant. Borleias is meant to be merely a temporary stop before Wedge’s group rendezvouses with General Bel Iblis and Admiral Kre’fey’s forces, but Pwoe and the other surviving members of Fey’lya’s Advisory Council put Wedge in a horrible position. Wedge must hold a planet he knows they’ll eventually lose, and his stratagems here were interesting to follow. He’s unfortunately not as fleshed out as other characters, but I found his concern about the fate of his family and his utter relief during their reunion really touching to read.
I’ve found the characterization of Luke & Mara uneven from book to book, where either the author struggles with one of them or with their dynamic as a couple. Here, I liked Allston’s portrayal of Mara (I thought it made a lot of sense that she’d become protective of Ben and anxious about his safety, especially after that debacle with Viqi Shesh), but Luke seemed less like himself--he grinned an awful lot, for someone who just lost over ten Jedi to voxyn and the Myrkr mission in Star by Star. So much of their plotline was obviously setup for book 2, though, and I wish that Mara could be part of the action without leaving her child behind--it feels too similar to Leia’s parenting style, and we can see how well that turned out!
I liked the little glimpses we got of how Han and Leia’s relationship continues to grow and mend--in particular, Han finally replaced Chewie’s oversized copilot seat with a more Leia-sized one. They don’t have much to do here, other than blunder with the Lusankya into Wedge’s action against the Domain Cha commander, and ferry the Jedi students to the safe haven in the Maw. But there’s a nice scene between Leia and Jaina that serves to bridge the divide between mother and daughter.
To be honest, I wasn’t feeling completely engaged with the first half of Rebel Dream, but then Jaina Solo and Jag Fel and Kyp Durron arrived from Hapes, and the book became considerably more interesting. Jaina’s left her Dark Side dabbling behind, but she’s still a mess: she thinks she’s going to die at any moment, and needs to disengage from her friends and family to protect them. She honestly shouldn’t be on active duty, and this is most obvious when she disobeys orders to save Jag. Afterwards, Jag asks her why, and all she can say is that she keeps losing the people she cares about.
Although Jaina has been fighting this war for over two years, it’s easy to forget that she’s only eighteen. She’s lost countless Jedi companions, and her two brothers, and she’s struggling to keep it all together. Between [b:Dark Journey|266782|Dark Journey (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #10)|Elaine Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347318991l/266782._SY75_.jpg|522983] and Rebel Dream, Jaina’s breaking my heart here, and I can’t wait for this war to end so she can finally have some peace.
I love Jag, and I love his interactions with Jaina--how their different backgrounds and very different approach to situations affect their growing relationship. That’s all. (｡♥‿♥｡)
And I appreciated more POV scenes from Kyp Durron: it’s easier for me to understand his actions, when I can actually get his reasoning behind it! Most notably, I remember there being a huge amount of uproar when this book was released because at one point, Kyp thinks about how he’s more powerful than Luke Skywalker, and can do the same feat that Luke did in [b:Dark Tide I: Onslaught|320343|Dark Tide I Onslaught (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #2)|Michael A. Stackpole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320523304l/320343._SY75_.jpg|952200] but not suffer the same side effects from it. And readers were furious, and took it as canon truth that Star Wars thought Kyp was stronger than Luke. But it’s important to note that this is from Kyp’s POV--sure, Kyp could have more sheer power in the Force than Luke, but he could only think that, since it’s 100% in character for Kyp to want to be demonstrably better than Luke in some way.
The Wraiths reappear, although a good chunk of them were completely new members. But I was fine with that--we heard how Tyria Sarkin is doing, and got to see Face, Kell, and Piggy. Any more Wraith cameos might have felt overwhelming to new readers.
And of course, it wouldn’t be an Aaron Allston novel without a character working for the bad guys and feeling super conflicted about it. In the case of Rebel Dream, we have Tam Elgrin, the suborned holocam operator (side note: I love that there’s like a David Attenborough of the galaxy far, far away who’s reporting on the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and occupation). He doesn’t want to spy for the Vong, but he gets debilitating headaches until he obeys his orders. I just wish that his role as spy hadn’t been discovered so easily? That instead, Danni Quee just thought he was an awkward guy for longer? His subplot also ends on a cliffhanger, so no resolution here.
On the Yuuzhan Vong front, Viqi Shesh manages to postpone her execution by hinting to Warmaster Tsavong Lah that his implant is failing because it’s being sabotaged. After Nen Yim from the Edge of Victory duology examines it, Tsavong Lah suspects an active conspiracy between the priests and the shapers. So he’s a bit too preoccupied with matters on Coruscant to divert his attention towards the troublemakers on Borleias, but still needs to send a strong commander after Domain Cha’s (accidental) defeat. Enter Czulkang Lah, Tsavong Lah’s father and the former Warmaster. The father/son relationship is intriguing and prickly (Czulkang Lah did not support the invasion of the GFFA, and has been living in exile ever since), but as his son’s subordinate, Czulkang Lah is obliged to undertake military actions that he does not agree with. (Like other subplots, Czulkang Lah enters the scene halfway through the book, so hopefully we’ll see even more of him in book 2).
ISSUES:
My main issue with Rebel Dream was that it felt like setup galore. Nothing is resolved (Wedge triumphs for now, the Vong lose for now), and key plot points like the mission to Coruscant haven’t even begun yet. I never felt like the book dragged or felt slow, but you won’t get any sense of conclusion until [b:Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand|5405|Enemy Lines II Rebel Stand (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #12)|Aaron Allston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320522567l/5405._SY75_.jpg|8846].
I enjoyed the lighter tone and the change of pace, but it didn’t resonate with me in the same way that Allston’s Wraith Squadron books did. I wonder if that’s the difference between a series where the author is given a lot of leeway (Allston was told to focus on Wedge and set it after [b:The Bacta War|513201|The Bacta War (Star Wars X-Wing, #4)|Michael A. Stackpole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327941683l/513201._SY75_.jpg|501178], but was otherwise given free rein) vs the New Jedi Order series (the NJO story group planned all the major plot points in advance and the writers had a list of things they had to adhere to).
I also wish there wasn’t such a dichotomy of “Politicians bad, Military good,” although the New Republic government is visibly, demonstrably bad at their job and has been since [b:Vector Prime|192214|Vector Prime (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #1)|R.A. Salvatore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412181316l/192214._SX50_.jpg|2799032]. (The New Republic government makes no sense, but they’re such obvious strawmen for our heroes to knock down that I wish for a little more nuance here. But maybe I'm in the wrong sci-fi universe if I'm looking for political nuance.)
And once again, our heroes must become the resistance to battle their foes, because the actual government won’t! This is a common Star Wars problem, from Legends to the New Canon. I understand why it’s done--to evoke the feeling of the Original Trilogy, when the scrappy Rebel Alliance fought the evil Empire--but Star Wars seems far too willing to abandon legitimate authority at any sign or trouble or disagreement.
Some more timeline discrepancy: the first chapter says that the battle to retake Borleias occurs a day after Coruscant fell, and Luke and Mara are present; yet in Dark Journey, they went to Hapes and then went to the secret Jedi base after the fall of Coruscant. Like the previous book, it doesn’t quite add up. And I felt a bit of whiplash between Luke’s modus operandi in previous books (Jedi can’t get involved) and this one (Luke seems like a subordinate under Wedge, directly working with the NR military).
IN CONCLUSION:
Rebel Dream was a fun change of pace, especially after all the heavy stuff before and during Star by Star. I enjoyed getting to see General Wedge again, and Jaina’s emotional development was intriguing and moving. But it’s also all setup for the following book--which never felt like a slog to read, but did give me the sense that I would definitely need to read the second book to get the full picture.
Next up: the second book in the Enemy Lines duology by Aaron Allston, [b:Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand|5405|Enemy Lines II Rebel Stand (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #12)|Aaron Allston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320522567l/5405._SY75_.jpg|8846].
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/GRKvP9Rj81o
Q & A with Star Wars Authors - August 12, 2002: https://web.archive.org/web/20050205003734/http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/novel/news20020812.html
FAQs on Aaron Allston’s website: https://web.archive.org/web/20091123135154/http://www.aaronallston.com/factpages/faqswars.html#enemy
This week’s focus: the first book in the Enemy Lines duology by Aaron Allston, Enemy Lines: Rebel Dream.
SOME HISTORY:
Aaron Allston was the third and final of the Bantam era authors to collaborate on the New Jedi Order series. After the heavy angst of [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891], the Enemy Lines duology features our heroes adapting their strategies--and triumphing in the process. There’s also some of Allston’s signature humor, which helps to lighten the tone. Enemy Lines: Rebel Dream made it to number seven on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of April 14, 2002.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
When I first started rereading the New Jedi Order series, I didn’t think I had revisited any of the books since their initial release. But I think I might have reread just the Jaina/Jag scenes in Rebel Dream at some point? Because their interactions together felt so familiar, compared to the rest of the story.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Scattering after the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of Coruscant, the panic-stricken members of the New Republic Advisory Council pause long enough to order a mock defense on nearby Borleias—an attempt to buy time that fools no one, least of all General Wedge Antilles. For bearing down swiftly on Borleias is a Yuuzhan Vong fleet, determined to destroy the galaxy's remaining defenders…
THE CHARACTERS:
Wedge Antilles was a minor presence in [b:Dark Tide II: Ruin|320357|Dark Tide II Ruin (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #3)|Michael A. Stackpole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331429816l/320357._SY75_.jpg|1134103] and [b:Edge of Victory II: Rebirth|35429|Edge of Victory II Rebirth (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #8)|Greg Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388187398l/35429._SY75_.jpg|72183], and was apparently (?) reactivated for duty in [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891]. In Rebel Dream, he’s trying to hold his fleet group together in the face of the New Republic’s defeat at the Battle of Coruscant. Borleias is meant to be merely a temporary stop before Wedge’s group rendezvouses with General Bel Iblis and Admiral Kre’fey’s forces, but Pwoe and the other surviving members of Fey’lya’s Advisory Council put Wedge in a horrible position. Wedge must hold a planet he knows they’ll eventually lose, and his stratagems here were interesting to follow. He’s unfortunately not as fleshed out as other characters, but I found his concern about the fate of his family and his utter relief during their reunion really touching to read.
I’ve found the characterization of Luke & Mara uneven from book to book, where either the author struggles with one of them or with their dynamic as a couple. Here, I liked Allston’s portrayal of Mara (I thought it made a lot of sense that she’d become protective of Ben and anxious about his safety, especially after that debacle with Viqi Shesh), but Luke seemed less like himself--he grinned an awful lot, for someone who just lost over ten Jedi to voxyn and the Myrkr mission in Star by Star. So much of their plotline was obviously setup for book 2, though, and I wish that Mara could be part of the action without leaving her child behind--it feels too similar to Leia’s parenting style, and we can see how well that turned out!
I liked the little glimpses we got of how Han and Leia’s relationship continues to grow and mend--in particular, Han finally replaced Chewie’s oversized copilot seat with a more Leia-sized one. They don’t have much to do here, other than blunder with the Lusankya into Wedge’s action against the Domain Cha commander, and ferry the Jedi students to the safe haven in the Maw. But there’s a nice scene between Leia and Jaina that serves to bridge the divide between mother and daughter.
To be honest, I wasn’t feeling completely engaged with the first half of Rebel Dream, but then Jaina Solo and Jag Fel and Kyp Durron arrived from Hapes, and the book became considerably more interesting. Jaina’s left her Dark Side dabbling behind, but she’s still a mess: she thinks she’s going to die at any moment, and needs to disengage from her friends and family to protect them. She honestly shouldn’t be on active duty, and this is most obvious when she disobeys orders to save Jag. Afterwards, Jag asks her why, and all she can say is that she keeps losing the people she cares about.
Although Jaina has been fighting this war for over two years, it’s easy to forget that she’s only eighteen. She’s lost countless Jedi companions, and her two brothers, and she’s struggling to keep it all together. Between [b:Dark Journey|266782|Dark Journey (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #10)|Elaine Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347318991l/266782._SY75_.jpg|522983] and Rebel Dream, Jaina’s breaking my heart here, and I can’t wait for this war to end so she can finally have some peace.
I love Jag, and I love his interactions with Jaina--how their different backgrounds and very different approach to situations affect their growing relationship. That’s all. (｡♥‿♥｡)
And I appreciated more POV scenes from Kyp Durron: it’s easier for me to understand his actions, when I can actually get his reasoning behind it! Most notably, I remember there being a huge amount of uproar when this book was released because at one point, Kyp thinks about how he’s more powerful than Luke Skywalker, and can do the same feat that Luke did in [b:Dark Tide I: Onslaught|320343|Dark Tide I Onslaught (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #2)|Michael A. Stackpole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320523304l/320343._SY75_.jpg|952200] but not suffer the same side effects from it. And readers were furious, and took it as canon truth that Star Wars thought Kyp was stronger than Luke. But it’s important to note that this is from Kyp’s POV--sure, Kyp could have more sheer power in the Force than Luke, but he could only think that, since it’s 100% in character for Kyp to want to be demonstrably better than Luke in some way.
The Wraiths reappear, although a good chunk of them were completely new members. But I was fine with that--we heard how Tyria Sarkin is doing, and got to see Face, Kell, and Piggy. Any more Wraith cameos might have felt overwhelming to new readers.
And of course, it wouldn’t be an Aaron Allston novel without a character working for the bad guys and feeling super conflicted about it. In the case of Rebel Dream, we have Tam Elgrin, the suborned holocam operator (side note: I love that there’s like a David Attenborough of the galaxy far, far away who’s reporting on the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and occupation). He doesn’t want to spy for the Vong, but he gets debilitating headaches until he obeys his orders. I just wish that his role as spy hadn’t been discovered so easily? That instead, Danni Quee just thought he was an awkward guy for longer? His subplot also ends on a cliffhanger, so no resolution here.
On the Yuuzhan Vong front, Viqi Shesh manages to postpone her execution by hinting to Warmaster Tsavong Lah that his implant is failing because it’s being sabotaged. After Nen Yim from the Edge of Victory duology examines it, Tsavong Lah suspects an active conspiracy between the priests and the shapers. So he’s a bit too preoccupied with matters on Coruscant to divert his attention towards the troublemakers on Borleias, but still needs to send a strong commander after Domain Cha’s (accidental) defeat. Enter Czulkang Lah, Tsavong Lah’s father and the former Warmaster. The father/son relationship is intriguing and prickly (Czulkang Lah did not support the invasion of the GFFA, and has been living in exile ever since), but as his son’s subordinate, Czulkang Lah is obliged to undertake military actions that he does not agree with. (Like other subplots, Czulkang Lah enters the scene halfway through the book, so hopefully we’ll see even more of him in book 2).
ISSUES:
My main issue with Rebel Dream was that it felt like setup galore. Nothing is resolved (Wedge triumphs for now, the Vong lose for now), and key plot points like the mission to Coruscant haven’t even begun yet. I never felt like the book dragged or felt slow, but you won’t get any sense of conclusion until [b:Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand|5405|Enemy Lines II Rebel Stand (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #12)|Aaron Allston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320522567l/5405._SY75_.jpg|8846].
I enjoyed the lighter tone and the change of pace, but it didn’t resonate with me in the same way that Allston’s Wraith Squadron books did. I wonder if that’s the difference between a series where the author is given a lot of leeway (Allston was told to focus on Wedge and set it after [b:The Bacta War|513201|The Bacta War (Star Wars X-Wing, #4)|Michael A. Stackpole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327941683l/513201._SY75_.jpg|501178], but was otherwise given free rein) vs the New Jedi Order series (the NJO story group planned all the major plot points in advance and the writers had a list of things they had to adhere to).
I also wish there wasn’t such a dichotomy of “Politicians bad, Military good,” although the New Republic government is visibly, demonstrably bad at their job and has been since [b:Vector Prime|192214|Vector Prime (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #1)|R.A. Salvatore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412181316l/192214._SX50_.jpg|2799032]. (The New Republic government makes no sense, but they’re such obvious strawmen for our heroes to knock down that I wish for a little more nuance here. But maybe I'm in the wrong sci-fi universe if I'm looking for political nuance.)
And once again, our heroes must become the resistance to battle their foes, because the actual government won’t! This is a common Star Wars problem, from Legends to the New Canon. I understand why it’s done--to evoke the feeling of the Original Trilogy, when the scrappy Rebel Alliance fought the evil Empire--but Star Wars seems far too willing to abandon legitimate authority at any sign or trouble or disagreement.
Some more timeline discrepancy: the first chapter says that the battle to retake Borleias occurs a day after Coruscant fell, and Luke and Mara are present; yet in Dark Journey, they went to Hapes and then went to the secret Jedi base after the fall of Coruscant. Like the previous book, it doesn’t quite add up. And I felt a bit of whiplash between Luke’s modus operandi in previous books (Jedi can’t get involved) and this one (Luke seems like a subordinate under Wedge, directly working with the NR military).
IN CONCLUSION:
Rebel Dream was a fun change of pace, especially after all the heavy stuff before and during Star by Star. I enjoyed getting to see General Wedge again, and Jaina’s emotional development was intriguing and moving. But it’s also all setup for the following book--which never felt like a slog to read, but did give me the sense that I would definitely need to read the second book to get the full picture.
Next up: the second book in the Enemy Lines duology by Aaron Allston, [b:Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand|5405|Enemy Lines II Rebel Stand (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #12)|Aaron Allston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320522567l/5405._SY75_.jpg|8846].
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/GRKvP9Rj81o
Q & A with Star Wars Authors - August 12, 2002: https://web.archive.org/web/20050205003734/http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/novel/news20020812.html
FAQs on Aaron Allston’s website: https://web.archive.org/web/20091123135154/http://www.aaronallston.com/factpages/faqswars.html#enemy
huitzilo2012's review against another edition
3.0
I'm reserving judgment on this book until I finish the second book in this duology. I'm not quite sure what to think right now.
tiepilot_dandy's review against another edition
5.0
The warmth in my heart! Aaron Allston was a gift to the world. I love this book.
chalicotherex's review against another edition
3.0
I think people were hoping Luke Skywalker would be more like this in the new trilogy, and I'm inclined to agree. I remember Allston's books were fun, too. Maybe don't have a guy with lightsabers in his knees, though. (I do like the characters in the new movies, but they don't have much to do except joke around, when they could be off fighting the Yuuzhan Vong or something.)
peregrineace's review
3.0
A lighter NJO book and the cameos were nice. Possibly Allston's weakest Star Wars book, but that still makes it a good read and worth the time of any Star Wars fan.
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