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Ylesia (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order)

Ylesia (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order)

List Price: $3.50
Your Price: $3.50
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: waste of money
Review: The book may be great, but I'll never know since MS reader is impossible for me to set up.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Star Wars Electronic Book To Date
Review: There are 3 separate elements to this particular e-book, the story itself, an interview with the author, and then a preview of the soon to be released New Jedi Order book, "Destiny's Way". The story is very well done, and the preview is not a spoiler as much as it reinforces the negative attitude toward the Jedi as a group. I almost enjoyed the interview the most for it put in place in very clear terms what the previous book, "Traitor" was trying to do, and the issues that will force major choices during, "Destiny's Way".

Jacen is back and while not filled with bloodlust he is once again fighting alongside his sister. It is clear that he and his sister Jaina have very different methods of using their skills, with Jacen willing to use violence but only if it is minimized, even at the expense of those that are put at risk.

There are two very distinct concepts of The Force that are being brought to a head, one that is represented by Master Luke's philosophy, and the other that is put forward by Vergere. The Force is supposed to encompass all living things, the Vong are alive so why do they not appear in The Force to the Jedi. Is it that one view of the force is wrong and the other is correct, or is there an entirely new view that will be shown to readers?

In, "Destiny's Way", Jacen and Jaina are going to have to choose which paths they will follow for the alternatives are not compatible. Luke too will be faced with fundamental decisions that will alter ideas that have been held since the Jedi were first introduced to readers. It's only a guess but I feel that this next book will be as dramatic as those that took away some of everyone's favorite characters, although death will not be to blame this time around.

I always thought that Jacen was the least likely to really become a truly great Jedi. When his brother was killed his chances improved by default. Jaina is clearly the leader in every traditional sense of The Force, as we know it. Who will become the greatest Jedi Master going forward may not be decided in the next book, but I believe making a bet after the next read will be much easier than attempting that prediction now.

A side note, I read this on Microsoft Reader as opposed to Adobe. I also ran it on Windows XP. XP will not use its computer-generated voice to read e-book material to the purchaser.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good read however technically flawed
Review: This e-book has a good plot however it has some technical problems when you try to relate it to the other previous books in the NJO series. The writer when referencing Yuuzhan Vong technology seems to have no knowledge of the creatures used heavily in the previous books bye some of the same key Yuuzhan Vong that he has using totally different creatures making an inconstancy throughout the book. He also has subjugated peace brigade characters use blasphemous mechanical technology sometimes in close proximity to Yuuzhan Vong where they are punished while other times he has them use it freely. These little inconstancies used throught the book make it harder to relate to the previous NJO books which is especially important in a long series of books like the NJO.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: This e-book is only 90 pages. Yet it costs as much as a real book. It adds nothing to the storyline. Don't waste your money. Skip this one.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: This e-book is only 90 pages. Yet it costs as much as a real book. It adds nothing to the storyline. Don't waste your money. Skip this one.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Don't pay for this book
Review: This eBook can be download free at Star Wars Official Site now. Don't pay for it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: BLACK HAWK DOWN, Star Wars style!
Review: This eBook is a short novella that takes place during the several-month-long break in the action of Walter Jon Williams' novel DESTINY'S WAY. Because of its short length, there's not a whole lot of room for depth, but it is a fun, action packed story. The basic idea is that Jacen, Jaina, a few other Jedi, are part of a fleet led by Admiral Kre'fey on the Ralroost. Their mission -- they're going to Ylesia (which fans will remember from A.C. Crispin's Han Solo Trilogy), which now serves as the headquarters for the Vong-collaberating Peace Brigade. Initially they're going simply to give the Peace Brigade a bloody nose, but they change their plans and decide to take captive the Peace Brigade leaders instead. Meanwhile, Thrackan Sal-Solo has been forced to become the President of the Peace Brigade by the Yuuzhan Vong. What ensues is 50+ pages of action, punctuated by a good dose of humor (WJW is awesome at inserting humor into his stories).

This story doesn't get a perfect mark mainly because it was released badly. Although it takes place during DESTINY'S WAY, it was released more than a month earlier, and contains some spoiler material.

This eBook also contains a new excerpt from DESTINY'S WAY, as well as a decent interview with the author.

Overall, this is a fun book. Is it worth half the price of a paperback novel? Not really. But do I regret having spent that much on it? Not at all. Having read some of Walter Jon Williams' earlier novels, I already had high expectations of him, but this eBook has done it's job well -- it's whetted my anticipation for DESTINY'S WAY.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A cool piece of the NJO puzzle
Review: This is not quite a full book; it is a couple of chapters of Destiny's Child that were deemed too much for that novel.

But regardless, Ylesia is quite the fun short novel. It stands great by itself and it is both interesting and entertaining.

It fills a number of minor gaps in the NJO storyline, it develops a couple of popular secondary characters quite nicely and, of course, continues the story of Jacen & Jaina.

It is not short on action either, both on the ground and in the air, both by Jedi and regular mortals.

Th eBook format works too - at least for a book of this limited length. I found myself wishing that ALL SW novels were published like this, two chapters at a time. Great way to keep the craving under control!

All in all, easily worth the cost of the download.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Action packed, fun read
Review: This was a great book. It's worthy going bleary-eyed in front of your computer screen. If you want character development and stuff like that then this book isn't for you. It is primarily an action novel. Whether you're into space battles, or ground assaults are more your style, this book will appeal to you. The only criticism is that there are some holes in the plot but I imagine those will be cleared up in Destiny's Way since this book does take place during those events. You can probably wait for Destiny's Way and not miss a beat. But if you're like me and need something Star Wars to pass the time than this book is a good distraction. Plus the price is right. Overall this was a good read.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I've got a bad feeling about this...
Review: Wheeew, I dunno who those other two poozers (shills?) are, but they've not been paying attention to the NJO series, nor do they accurately compare the value of this ebook with traditional media. When I first saw this book listed (clearly ordered in the series AFTER "Destiny's Way" contrary to the claims of a previous reviewer), after ordering "Remnant", I thought "yikes, here's one I missed!" and wondered how that could have happened, as all NJO books get onto my wish list months in advance. Now I understand perhaps why it only made it to the ebook stage, and this first ebook experience gives me a more complete insight into the overall function ebooks serve for the publisher (there's that bad feeling again). This book, "Ylesia" was a mistaken purchase in my not-so-humble opinion for two main reasons. The first is the story, which is marginal in it's depictions of now familiar characters and relations -- nothing new to progress the general NJO story line. Also the story suffers from major continuity errors ignored or missed by previous reviewers (can you say Nom and Shimrra chatting?) -- whoever was responsible for checking this story should get the sack, and I want your job! The second reason for this poor review is the value provided, which I feel is grossly overrated in previous reviews. This story is very short, some 60-70 pages, and that at something like 24 point type, which is fine for reading off the screen, but also a common tactic of sophomore report writers. The cost per word is something like three to five times that of a good book, like "Traitor", and you don't have that paperback to sell or trade afterwards. I will not be perusing ebooks in the future, unless the philosophy behind this particular publication is abandonded. On a separate side note, ebook formats are not Macintosh friendly, so if you own a Mac, don't bother unless you're prepared to boot to OS9 (no Classic won't work) to read your book. I also had insurmountable trouble installing Adobe's Reader on Windows98SE under VPC, so there you have it.


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