Dark Nest Trilogy (Star Wars)

by Troy Denning

This is all 3 volumes of the Dark Swarm Trilogy in one BCE Harback. Please note this is the only release of these titles in hardback, as the mass market release for all three title was done in PB only. Includes - The Joiner King, The Unseen Queen, and The Swarm War

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction

916 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Also known as Richard Awlinson.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Den...

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this collection (storyline). I have yet to read The Legacy of the Force books, having skipped over them and The Dark Nest series to read Fate of the Jedi, which was a bit of a mistake on my part. A classmate of mine told me I needed to read this series before Legacy of the Force as it helps set the tone for the Legacy storyline.

I felt this storyline started out decently strong in the first book, but then it went a bit downhill from there. It has been years since I "visited this universe," but I did remember most of the characters that were in this book, so that was cool. That being the case, the character development is so-so. Leia probably had the best character development overall. She makes the decision to train to become a full-fledged Jedi Knight and trains under Saba Sebatyne because she knows Saba will not cut her any slack because of Leia's prior titles, rank(s), and experiences. We get hints of how this training went in the second and third books but nothing "definitive" in how Saba trained Leia in the ways of the Force. The action is hit-and-miss; it is well written when it is time for "action" but there is not much "action" in the book. It had more humor in it than I expected, and I felt the humor was "natural" and flowed well with the book; it did not feel forced to me. It has elements of mystery to it, and it also has some "horror elements" to it as well, which also surprised me (but these elements still fit well within the framework of the story). I also liked how the author included elements from prior stories, including the original Han Solo books by Brian Daley.

It is funny, but the third book is probably the weakest, for various reasons. One thing that is really "funny" to me is the title - it implies there is some kind of war going on, possibly a borderline intergalactic war, or that it is taking place on multiple planets in multiple systems. Most of the "war" between the Chiss and the Killik takes place on a single planet, and the book discusses very little of what is going on in terms of the battle on this planet. It's kinda disappointing. The Jedi are putzes and punks until it's time for them not to be. The Killik are invincible until it's time for them to be beaten. The Dark Jedi come across as "all-powerful" until it's time for them to be weak and be beaten. Jaina and Zekk were extremely annoying in the final two books (I realize it fits with what has happened to them in the story, but they are still annoying).

The Chiss are punks, too, which is insanely crazy. They keep getting talked up as these amazing, invincible, practically unbeatable fighters, warriors, and whatnot, yet they keep taking it in the tail by the Killik and the Jedi. It's sad and ridiculous; they went from being a race of feared warriors to barely better than the Imperials. They are only "good" when they need to be in the stories; otherwise, they are a bunch of weak-@$$ punks and not the mysterious, feared race they were originally portrayed as when they were first introduced.

I know other reviewers have commented on the "curse words" in these stories (mainly "bloah" and "rodder") and "how bad they are." I think if the author would have made some kind of association with the words, they would have been better accepted as "curse words" in the Star Wars U. It is like in the Annihilation series that Marvel did a few years back: one major "curse word" was "d'ast." I don't know what it means, but I know what it sounds like and, based on how it is used in sentences, what it sounds like it is based on in my mind. It works as a "curse word." It even sounds like it could be a curse word. Then we have "frak" from Battlestar Galactica. I am sure "everybody" knows what "frak" means; there were other words from the original series I vaguely remember standing in for curse words, but "frak" went on to "join" the reboot and eventually become part of the common vernacular for a time (at least, it was officially recognized as such). So the use of these two words, specifically, being used as curse words did not bother me in the least bit. I suppose they did not work that well because their uses were kind-of amusing at times, which was probably counter to the emotions the author was trying to instill at certain moments.

I would say we really see Jacen's descent into the Dark Side in these books, as he continues to make excuses and justifying the choices he makes, especially how he uses the Dark Side to get the job done and sees nothing wrong with seizing power and even abusing power if it can be justified for some kind of greater good.

It was an okay series. It probably could rate 3-4 stars based on well the author did in creating a race of "space ants" and making them a valid, integral part of the Star Wars U, something I would not have believed possible. In any case, I would also say the series went downhill; I don't know if the author lost focus or was told to add additional elements to the storyline, but it felt pretty bloated, disjointed, and that some of it maybe could have been cut. Or possibly extended to a fourth book. At the same time, it was a relatively fast read, and it did hold my interest throughout most of the book (story), so it did have that going for it. I have included links to my individual reviews, and I am glad that I finally got around to reading this series of the books. I would probably rate it 2.5 - 2.7 stars, (very generously) rounded up to 3 stars

links to each volume's individual review:
The Joiner King
The Unseen Queen
The Swarm War

[Rob Whaley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ah, the start of the Denning Verse, the part of Legends EU where Troy Denning was given the keys for God knows what reason and allowed to direct the future of Star Wars. The result is a meandering mess where long-time characters are ruined for plot reasons and editorial directives. Plus a lot of edge-lord sci/fy including swearing, sex, and gratuitous violence. And creepy ass bug action.

[Arwen S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denning is an amazing author, who captures the Star Wars Universe to a T. His writing style takes each new development and turns it into something more, something with a deeper meaning. Not only is the plot very interesting, the development of the Star Wars characters is brought to a new level when Luke and the others question what is more important, protecting the Republic or saving an entire species from destruction.

[Tom Parent · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this series, partly because Troy Denning really impressed me with Star by Star. That book was hands down the best book in the New Jedi Order series, and partly because I was really excited to see how the EU was going to move forward after the Unifying Force. I think this series would have been better if it was condensed into a single book rather than three.

[Walt]

This was a fascinating and excellent trilogy. The Star Wars universe is kept in tact even by introducing some new species as the central cast. The bugs are not foreign to the genre and Denning does an excellent job in progressing through each book.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRAVO!!! Star Wars EU has kept growing through this trilogy! Mr. Denning is a wonderful author who captures the characters wonderfully. I couldn't put it down!

[John Stange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of Troy Dennings best work. Story line is not great. A must read though to catch all the references to it in the Legacy of the Force series.