I started Vector Prime about two months ago, and I've been hooked ever since. I think they're pretty good books, and I haven't been able to put them down. I've got up to Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, and they're starting to pick up pace. I can't wait for the conclusion, and to see how all of this ends.

While the books do have a few slow parts, I think it keeps up the action pretty well. I still don't know about this whole "near-indestructible species comes out of nowhere, and kicks ***" plot, but it's definitely different. With these new enemies, it's like whatever previously happened before they invaded didn't matter, because everybody would have been wiped out anyway. I do get sick of Jacen constantly whining about Jedi philosophy, and Han acting like a wimp because of Chewbacca dying , but that's pretty much the only thing that bothers me.

I know others have read this book series. What do you think?

That promptly ends in the next couple of books in the series.

Overall, the series wasn't bad, but Timothy Zahn's Trilogy was the best, followed right behind the X-Wing series. (Especially ones written by Michael A. Stackpole, my second favorite author behind Zahn.)

The NJO books are well written for the most part, but the concept on the whole of the series really sucks, IMO. The original trilogy is supposed to be the pivotal point in the history of the Star Wars universe for ages before and after the occurances it depicts. All of a sudden, there's this new enemy that is bigger and badder and more evil than the Empire, which was supposed to be an "evil to end all evils."

Compared to what the Yuuzhan Vong (sp?) have done, the Rise and Fall of the Empire becomes a mere footnote.

Yeah.. I hate the Vong.. they are a horrible enemy, because they are just /too/ powerful, and every single book becomes a "dire attempt to strike a critical blow to the Vong", which never happens, because it would end the series.

I've been reading them for a while now, going in order even though i have a few sitting on my shelf that haven't been. I've read up to Dark Journey. My mom works in a bookstore, so if i get some money together i'll pick up some more one of these days

I like the series. There's a lot of new concepts and ideas about the Force that I like (Unified Force, Anakin's glowing death , Vergre's talks with Jacen, etc). I also like how Rhysode becomes a Vong legend after he dies , I just thought that was really cool.

Thrawn > *

End of discussion.

i have a total of 1 NJO book... i just buy what i find at rummage sales and goodwill type stores... paying like 50cents at most per book... and the only books i've read are the thrawn trilogy (long time ago need to reread it sometime) and the first 2 books of the jedi academy trilogy... just started on the third today

So, how did the series end? I got a bit tired of the whole "oh noes, we cannot defeat deh Vong". Where they were taking the SW universe I didn't like. AND I HATE JACEN SOLO, that bleeding idiot wuss. What he did to the hapan fleet was idiotic, as were most of his addle-brained actions. I don't care what they were trying to show, I wanted to warp in and give the boy a backhand. But yeah, a nice short summary of how the war ends would be nice.

keep in spoiler tags i eventually plan to read these books

If you want quality Star Wars EU stuff, I highly recommend either the first 7 books of the X-Wing series, or the Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy. Both of these rank with the Thrawn Trilogy in terms of exellence, in my opinion.

My opinion on the NJO;

When Vector Prime came out, The EU had gotten to the point of being unbearably stale. Practically every new book contained some new crisis (usually the empire building a new superweapon, a new jedi falling to the dark side and trying to blow **** up, or a new alien race being discovered and trying to take over the galaxy... or all of the above), usually with a boring side story (usually consisting of something like a new political crisis in the republic, and/or a moral crisis with the jedi), near the end of the book and/or series everything would appear to be lost, but then the heroes make a miraculous comeback in the end and save the galaxy, suffering no major casualties, everyone lives happily every after, only for the next book to be written where the same exact thing happens. That wouldn't be too bad in small doses, but it got to the point where EVERY BOOK followed that formula. And even aside from the stale cliche of them, most of them just sucked anyway.

Then the NJO came out. The galaxy is finally faced with an actual crisis , one that they don't have a chance to defeat. Not everyone lives happily ever after. Major characters die. Not only that, but the enemy is actually interesting for once, instead of being just another cliche. While I agree the Vong deviate a lot from what you would expect in SWU, IMO it was pulled off excellently, and they were just what the EU needed. And for once in a very, VERY long time, there's actual continuity between novels. And again, for once in a long time, the novels don't suck.

I found it a refreshing change to be reading something new, instead of the same rehashed plots over and over.

Cow, you should read the X-Wing series if you havent already. It's got everything you just described as being good about the NJO series, but better. Especially in books 5-7. (The Wraith Squadron Trilogy)

I just re-read the X-Wing series and I loved Allston's books. I never realized how much humor he managed to throw in his books. I was chuckling out loud on numerous occasions.

But the thing with the Yuuzhan Vong is, that they are not evil. They are fanatics that are controlled by their religion but they are not evil. That becomes apparent with every new book. Every time you learn something new about them. That's what I liked about the books.

And to all you Jacen-haters: He will kick ***. Just read on.

My favourite books are Star By Star and Traitor (by Matthew Stover, the same guy that wrote Shatterpoint, another great novel, and Revenge of the Sith, which I will read after the movie). I can't decide which one I like more, but I think Traitor, because it is so well written.

You should also read Rogue Planet. I didn't like the book (was very boring IMHO) but it has some important ties to the NJO.

Could someone tell me if this is the right order? I've only got three of them (Balance Point and Edge of Victory I + II), and none of them have the full list. I'd like to read the rest of them in order, if possible :p

The fact still stands that the series is trying to out-do the original trilogy. Like I said, everything that George Lucas had created has been rendered practically pointless by the NJO series. Why does it matter now who won the Galactic Civil War? The Vong were going to show up 20 years later anyways as a nearly unstoppable enemy who would lay waste to the galaxy, regardless of who was in charge at that time.

Yeah, that's the right order. At the time, "Ylesia" and "Recovery" were only e-books, so I never read them - as far as I know, the information in them wasn't critical enough to the overall plot to make them "real" books.

I enjoyed the series, even though (as some people have mentioned) the war with the Vong made every previous conflict in the history of the galaxy seem insignificant. I enjoyed "Traitor", but I thought "Dark Journey" was lame.

I don't care if Jacen becomes god; his character is lame, and I wish for him to die a most painful and slow death for his repeated idiocy, NOT BE REWARDED FOR IT. His great deal of indecision and inaction, combined with the idiotic choices he does make, makes him a powerful moron of the Star Wars Universe. I'd rather see Scalicuous Crumb become the savior of the universe than Jacen, the Shinji of Star Wars! Any text involving Jacen made me want to vomit...

And another thing, Han's withdrawl, while expected to an extent, was loooooooooooooong drawn out. Infact, most of the series just had alot of sucking moments, the more I reflect on the books the more I hate them.

In summary, good idea (give a real crisis/something interesting), horrible, horrible exceution. And I've read Star Wars from the "Tales" series (STILL THE BEST) to the mission on mount bloody yoda, but it was these series of books just turned me off to Star Wars EU in general. Lame writing, uninteresting characters. The big draw was destroying important planets, killing off characters. Otherwise this series sucks.

Heaven forbid a character not be perfect in your eyes. :rolleyes:.

I'm not a big fan of the Tales Series, with the exception of Tales from the Empire and Tales from the New Republic which were the best short stories from the West End Games RPG Magazine. The problem with the ones based on the Cantina, the Bounty Hunters, and Jabba's Palace was that when we first saw Star Wars, part of what made it so great was that the movies were a mere glimpse into something far bigger than what was shown. The whole point was that our imaginations were supposed to fill in what wasn't given to us for certain. When you tell the complete back story of every character present in the Cantina during ANH, it takes away our ability to express child-like wonder when we watch the movies. It would have been far better to leave the details to whatever we personally want them to be.

For example, that dude who has the "death sentance on 12 systems"- did you honestly think when you were a kid watching Star Wars that it was because he was a Doctor who botched a bunch of operations? I think that the Tales books are well written, but they take away too much of the wonder and mystique of the settings which they portray.

I heard a lot of good things about this book. Can't wait to get the first one

DS, he's talking about the little kids series that happened, with the Prophets and that creepy Three eyed Imperial dude trying to take over...I have a few of them somewhere around here...

I thought he mentioned both. I've read the kids books myself, I know what they are. But when he says "tales series" I assume he's talking about Tales From Mos Eisley Cantina, Tales of the Bounty Hunters, etc...

I don't know how you could get through Mission on Mount Yoda or the Glove of Darth Vader which were terribly written, continuity thrashing but were turned of by the NJO, which had compelling stories, battles, and developments with the Force.

I never said I liked them. :-p Besides, it only takes like an hour or two to read all the way through them.

Only if you get past the first 20 pages of filth. I seriously burnt them. They were terrible.

I admit I read NJO because I had to know what happened, not because I liked it.

I liked the plot hole filling (what happened to whom) and some of the new stuff, but overall, I agree that NJO overstepped the bounds of the EU.

Trioculus, or Triclops? (I think Trioculus was the geniunely bad guy)

Actually I was using a tad bit of Hyperbole on the "mission from Mt. Yoda". But still, NJO caused me to stop reading the EU due to sheer dissapointment. Hell, I used to buy every Star Wars book (including classics like Wookie Cookies) until I got to Star By Star, and then I decided I had enough of giving money for literary torture. And yeah DS, it were those Tales I was referring to.

As far as NJO... complelling stories... no. Battles were great for the most part, however, if the plot sucks (which it did) then they aren't that worthy. And the developments with the force? I'd rather not have those developments, and leave the force as just this mysterious power of the universe.

I just hate that there was this big, awesome story arc, and I thought that it would be a great reward after reading some real EU crap. Then I read them, and they too were crap.

Ah, and brings up another reason why I liked the Tales series... they dealt minimally with the "main gang" as it were. I got really tired of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, and even their damned pesky kids too. They should have been dead in the new arc, and this storyline placed after their deaths as well. Yes, after the death of Jacen, caused by him walking off a cliff like the moron he is.

I highly recomend the Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy, and the X-Wing series, if this is what you are really looking for.

Already read them. And how could I not read the Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy, Kuat was one of the main characters :p .