Legacy of the Force Betrayal

Review: I read Betrayal in about a day and a half. It's 92% complete awesomeness and a good way to set up the rest of the series. Aaron Allston has a fine knack for subtle, chuckle-inducing humor at just the right moments, except for a few end scenes which were a bit confusing yet still intriguing. Dark. Very dark, is how I'd describe the end. This book is as much still a personal journey of Jacen Solo as Traitor was. Ben Skywalker's an interesting character; precocious, brave, cocky, almost but not quite Anakin Soloish. Finding Wedge's daughter a fairly prominent minor character was cool. She reminds me of the young, innocent, pre-Vong Jaina Solo. I am happy to report that Jaina and Zekk seem to have fully recovered their good senses. Sadly, it seems Jacen might have abandoned his. His dark journey began during the middle of the YV war and will most likely come to a head in this series. It should be interesting, very interesting. (I have been and will continue to watch his career with great interest:-) Reactions: I must admit, I'm a little disappointed. I didn't think Solo's could be so darn dense. Most of the plot lines were decently done and neatly tied. However, there were a few lightsaber scenes and Dark woman interference things that just are hard to swallow, even for star wars, even for sci-fi. Betrayal was a good read but so heartbreakingly disappointing in the end. Why the big mystery? The gentle traps? Why is Han so freakin' set on flying for Correllia when he knows his own daughter's behind enemy guns? Same thing with Wedge. I know they're Correllian, but geez, that's just heartless. Han especially, hasn't been around Correllia all that much with his carreer, the Vong War, the Swarm War, etc.

Written on the Wind

Pella excels at history. Therefore, it's no surprise that her books tend to contain a lot of it. This makes them both great and a bit slow at times. If you're willing to wait out the fascinating and thorough political intrigue and history stuff, the stories pay off in the end. Not much is resolved in this book, but that's because it's really only part one of a larger story. Stand alone humph, this book is meant to be read in conjunction with the other 3. I promise things are resolved by the end of the series (believe me I just finished reading the last one about a day ago). Written on the Wind introduces us to Cameron, Blair, and Jacki - this one's mainly about Cameron and her verbal duels with her father and struggles to make it in the man's world of journalism circa 1940. If you invest enough of your time reading this book, you'll be slowly draw in and captivated by the realistic characters.