Rebel Dream: Enemy Lines I (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order #11)

Aaron Allston hasn't lost his touch since his expansion on the X-wing series a few years back, that's for sure. His description and writing style is easily noticable, one of great ideas and strategy, combined with detail and a good plotline. The most noticeable trait is his humor, which is inserted expertly into convenient places for maximum effectiveness. Particularly around Wraith Squadron, which Allston created himself in his expansion into the X-wing series, there's points where the reader just has to stop to laugh for a few seconds. It's amazing fun to read his work.The idea to become the rebellion again, in that sense, was a great touch. Many of the unique strategies, particularly a radical idea from Lando Calrissian in the opening scene (read the book to see what I'm talking about) was just short of genius. I had tears in my eyes from laughing and just pure joy throughout the last 5 or so chapters, enjoying it all.

At last! after 10 volumes of the Jedi and their allies getting kicked around by the disgusting Yuuzhan Vong, they get to give back some of what they've been given! Plus, the little controvesy about Jaina Solo's relationships with Kyp Durron and Jag Fel are cleared up. (Whew!) Those who were mostly disappointed (such as myself) by the earlier books of the New Jedi Order series will be greatly uplifted by this. Read this and you'll wanna pick up a lightsaber and blaster and kick some Yuuzhan Vong posterior along with the heroes!

At 304 pages, Rebel Dream is one of the more action packed novels in the series and actually begins to develop multiple story threads that finally seem to push the overall New Jedi Order series forward.The author takes a different approach in presentation: Rebel Dream reads more like a day by day journal of events, as each chapter and important paragraph begins by identifying the day and location during the Borleias occupation.Borleias is the system in which General Wedge Antilles retakes from the Vong after the fall of Coruscant and establishes a very prominent last stand base for the New Republic forces. His goal is twofold: 1) Bring moral back to the New Republic, and 2) Taunt the Vong and have the war come to him.Seeing that the author has previous experience in the SW universe especially with his novels revolving around Rouge Squadron, characters such as Antilles, Tycho, and others is second nature and well done.Jaina Solo, Jedi Kyp Durron and pilot Jag Fel form a formidable trio as Jaina further assumes the role of the Vong trickster goddess and wreaks havoc on the various Yuuzhan forces sent to capture her. And finally, after be teased about for so long, an actual love triangle begins to develop among Jag and Jaina and how Kyp plays into this.Lando is back as is his new droid sidekick, YVH1-1A lead a mission back to fallen Coruscant delivering a covert Jedi strike team consisting of Luke, Mara, Tahiri and others.Leia and Han's relationship seems back on track and they perform missions back to Maw installation, with young Tarc (the Anakin look alike) in tow.Meanwhile Wedge's creation of an inner circle of trusted military advisors soon becomes the focus and they begin to hint to the Vong of a new super weapon and finally the Emperor's Hammer. However, they need to be careful, it seems a traitor is in the ranks, and the Vong may have an inside line.Lastly we see the seeds sown of distrust for Tsavong Lah (the Vong warmaster) and soon he begins to suspect that he has his own conspirators to deal with.I would have liked to have seen a bit more Yuuzhan Vong dealings, especially the growing discord of warmaster Lah and his minions...hopefully this will flesh out in the next installments. In the end, Rebel Dream has finally put some action back into the New Jedi Order series that seemed a bit lacking in the last few attempts.

Rebel Dream was yet another of the better books in the New Jedi Order series. Taking place just shortly after the fall of Coruscant, the New Republic Advisory Council sets up a fleet at Borleias to trick the Yuuzhan Vong into believing that Borleias is a key planet, which in theory does indeed work, but it makes everyone else concerned about the N.R.A.C.'s ability to function properly. So Han, Leia, Luke, Mara, and others visit various worlds to spread rebellion against the New Republic, the one thing they spent their lives to create. The cool thing about this book is that a new plan is set into motion, one that could bring an end to the Yuuzhan Vong invasion completely. What is it you ask? I'll just say that it involves the re-creation of something that the main characters spent their lives DESTROYING: The Empire. I really like how the book ends like a cliffhanger, so that if you read this book you have to go out and buy Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand when it comes out.

After the Vong have plundered and destroyed the Star Wars Universe, after having some of our favorite characters taken from us, and after much darkness this novel brings the light. I feel that this is the first book in the newest series to bring a lighter tone back to Star Wars, to salvage what we love about these characters, and bring back hope. This novel is very reminiscent of the rebellion during the original trilogy and when you read it, you will understand why. Wedge Antilles plays a very prominent role in the novel as does Luke and Jaina. Han and Leia have some heartwarming scenes. Look to this novel to resolve the issues circling Jaina, Kyp, and Jag (meaning the supposed love triangle). The jacket of the novel is a tad misleading, describing a mission Luke plans to take that would lead him back to Coruscant. In actuality, the mission does not begin until the last pages of the book and is to be continued in the following novel. All in all, I enjoyed the author's tone immensely. The novel flowed very well. In a nutshell, after reading this book, you are left with a feeling of relief, that finally the New Republic may have a chance against the Vong.