Dark Tide I: Onslaught Reading notes
Okay, I finished Onslaught in two reading sessions. I decided to forgo doing my normal intensive analyzation because Lindis is way ahead of me and I want to be able to discuss stuff with him.
Kam and Tionne together: this is nice, I guess. I remember these people from the JA trilogy, but didn't really feel strongly about either of them.
Valin: a brat, but at least a well-meaning brat
Admiral Kre'fey: nice subtle hint at Asyr training you towards the beginning of the book. Didn't really need Gavin pointing it out later. It's not fun figuring out stuff if you give it away later. I really enjoy having a Bothan I can sympathize with again. I was really missing Asyr being around to counter Borsk's abrasiveness.
Gavin: Woo, new lead of Rogue Squadron! Gavin seems like a less polished leader than either Tycho or Wedge, but I like this move. I wonder what sort of family tragedy he's wondering about in the beginning? Nice trick figuring out how to get a hit on the coralskippers. Also, shame on you for not letting Jaina into the squadron for being too young, and also Leia's kid, and haha. Rogue Squadron being cut in half though, ouch.
Mara, Leia, and Luke seem to have fared better in this book. Mara actually has a hope of recovering, or so we are told, by actively fighting the Vong. Leia isn't as overbearing, I guess because of the imminent galactic invasion. It's nice that she's willing to put her children in danger now, and realizing they are full Jedi Knights and have responsibilities as such. Luke, besides talking like Corran, is pretty awesome in this book. The talking like Corran isn't a crack against Corran as much as my way of saying a lot of the dialogue sounds like it's coming from one person. Also, am I understanding correctly that Luke used the Force to sense the Force inside a black hole and then "pushed" against the boundaries of the black hole to bump a Vong ship into it? I guess I'll probably see more of this later, so maybe it'll be more clear as I keep reading.
As for Corran: I like his character development. I like that he still clearly has an ego and a strong sense of duty. I can't believe I fell for it, though. I was stunned, then sad, then really impressed, and then flipped through the remaining pages of the book because I couldn't believe it. DAMN YOU! Corran burning himself on purpose on the lightsaber though, ouch.
Mirax: I like that she's around to keep Corran under check. I can't not like Mirax.
Anakin: I really like Anakin. He's benefiting a lot from being with Mara. I can't believe he's supposed to be 15 in this book. In Vector Prime, I couldn't get an accurate read on his age at all. I enjoyed Leia's speech about naming her son to redeem her father, but this can only end badly for Anakin.
There was one page where I think Stackpole did an insert [Yuuzhang Vong] for [placeholder] because he spams "Yuuzhang Vong" all over. "Yuuzhang Vong" appears something like 5 times in a single paragraph. Reminded me of the Kuat thing, but he noticed/fixed it everywhere besides that one page, so *shrug*.
Danni: I don't understand where they are going with her. I guess Kyp isn't going to take her on as an apprentice, but instead she seems to be picking up Jedi training from Jaina or random things from Luke. I'm hoping that she gets more important and gets more of a character.
Jacen: It must sting to go from the head of the class to the back of the pack. He's really doubting his own understanding of the Force and using his sibling's accomplishments as a measuring stick, which is bad. I liked his discussion with Anakin at the end where Jacen needs to find his own path in the Force.
Oh yeah, I also forgot to add that Han is MIA. I really want him back in the fight, but I can sympathize.
Oh yeah, and how could I forget the ending. Haha, "two old guys" indeed. :3
Onslaught was thoroughly enjoyable. The series is picking up speed.
Overall: 8.5/10
Kam and Tionne together: this is nice, I guess. I remember these people from the JA trilogy, but didn't really feel strongly about either of them.
Valin: a brat, but at least a well-meaning brat
Admiral Kre'fey: nice subtle hint at Asyr training you towards the beginning of the book. Didn't really need Gavin pointing it out later. It's not fun figuring out stuff if you give it away later. I really enjoy having a Bothan I can sympathize with again. I was really missing Asyr being around to counter Borsk's abrasiveness.
Gavin: Woo, new lead of Rogue Squadron! Gavin seems like a less polished leader than either Tycho or Wedge, but I like this move. I wonder what sort of family tragedy he's wondering about in the beginning? Nice trick figuring out how to get a hit on the coralskippers. Also, shame on you for not letting Jaina into the squadron for being too young, and also Leia's kid, and haha. Rogue Squadron being cut in half though, ouch.
Mara, Leia, and Luke seem to have fared better in this book. Mara actually has a hope of recovering, or so we are told, by actively fighting the Vong. Leia isn't as overbearing, I guess because of the imminent galactic invasion. It's nice that she's willing to put her children in danger now, and realizing they are full Jedi Knights and have responsibilities as such. Luke, besides talking like Corran, is pretty awesome in this book. The talking like Corran isn't a crack against Corran as much as my way of saying a lot of the dialogue sounds like it's coming from one person. Also, am I understanding correctly that Luke used the Force to sense the Force inside a black hole and then "pushed" against the boundaries of the black hole to bump a Vong ship into it? I guess I'll probably see more of this later, so maybe it'll be more clear as I keep reading.
As for Corran: I like his character development. I like that he still clearly has an ego and a strong sense of duty. I can't believe I fell for it, though. I was stunned, then sad, then really impressed, and then flipped through the remaining pages of the book because I couldn't believe it. DAMN YOU! Corran burning himself on purpose on the lightsaber though, ouch.
Mirax: I like that she's around to keep Corran under check. I can't not like Mirax.
Anakin: I really like Anakin. He's benefiting a lot from being with Mara. I can't believe he's supposed to be 15 in this book. In Vector Prime, I couldn't get an accurate read on his age at all. I enjoyed Leia's speech about naming her son to redeem her father, but this can only end badly for Anakin.
There was one page where I think Stackpole did an insert [Yuuzhang Vong] for [placeholder] because he spams "Yuuzhang Vong" all over. "Yuuzhang Vong" appears something like 5 times in a single paragraph. Reminded me of the Kuat thing, but he noticed/fixed it everywhere besides that one page, so *shrug*.
Danni: I don't understand where they are going with her. I guess Kyp isn't going to take her on as an apprentice, but instead she seems to be picking up Jedi training from Jaina or random things from Luke. I'm hoping that she gets more important and gets more of a character.
Jacen: It must sting to go from the head of the class to the back of the pack. He's really doubting his own understanding of the Force and using his sibling's accomplishments as a measuring stick, which is bad. I liked his discussion with Anakin at the end where Jacen needs to find his own path in the Force.
Oh yeah, I also forgot to add that Han is MIA. I really want him back in the fight, but I can sympathize.
Oh yeah, and how could I forget the ending. Haha, "two old guys" indeed. :3
Onslaught was thoroughly enjoyable. The series is picking up speed.
Overall: 8.5/10