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donkbrown 's review for:
Into the Void
by Tim Lebbon
I've read [b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] twice. The second read was better and worse. It was better because I realized more of Lebbon's really good descriptive writing and I saw more detail in the book than I noticed during my first read. And, the second read was worse because I saw more holes in the story and saw more unanswered questions and unplumbed depths.
[b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] could have been be so much more. It feels like a missed opportunity. There is a wealth of lore, universe building and mysteries to explore that are presented in the book. Sadly, all we get is a space chase and flashbacks to Je'Daii training. The Je'Daii masters seem like complacent, lazy, and feckless middle school teachers. I was supremely disappointed in them as characters. Lanoree, especially on my second read, is so unlikable. She is a callous bully and her 'alchemy of the flesh' is a weird personal science experiment that found a place in the story, but at the very end and in a hurried and selfish manner. Worst, I never felt tension or anxiety about the alleged cataclysm the book's antagonist was trying to unleash. The danger fell flat and while the book told the reader there is a sense of critically important urgency it never makes the reader feel that way.
None of this is Lebbon's fault. He is a capable writer and does well with what he had. He was a writer-for-hire in this [b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] effort.
I give this book 2.5 stars (down a half star from my read in 2017). There are no, "Wow!" moments and there is a dearth of meaningful dialogue. As noted above: so many great ideas are established but never fleshed out. See my highlights and notes for more. I might read the comics that this novel ties into. Perhaps they shed more light on the deeper story that [b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] fails to convey. As a stand-alone novel, [b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] is nowhere near must-read Star Wars fare.
[b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] could have been be so much more. It feels like a missed opportunity. There is a wealth of lore, universe building and mysteries to explore that are presented in the book. Sadly, all we get is a space chase and flashbacks to Je'Daii training. The Je'Daii masters seem like complacent, lazy, and feckless middle school teachers. I was supremely disappointed in them as characters. Lanoree, especially on my second read, is so unlikable. She is a callous bully and her 'alchemy of the flesh' is a weird personal science experiment that found a place in the story, but at the very end and in a hurried and selfish manner. Worst, I never felt tension or anxiety about the alleged cataclysm the book's antagonist was trying to unleash. The danger fell flat and while the book told the reader there is a sense of critically important urgency it never makes the reader feel that way.
None of this is Lebbon's fault. He is a capable writer and does well with what he had. He was a writer-for-hire in this [b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] effort.
I give this book 2.5 stars (down a half star from my read in 2017). There are no, "Wow!" moments and there is a dearth of meaningful dialogue. As noted above: so many great ideas are established but never fleshed out. See my highlights and notes for more. I might read the comics that this novel ties into. Perhaps they shed more light on the deeper story that [b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] fails to convey. As a stand-alone novel, [b:Into the Void|15823425|Into the Void (Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi)|Tim Lebbon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358473398l/15823425._SY75_.jpg|21553935] is nowhere near must-read Star Wars fare.