The Swarm War (Star Wars: Dark Nest, Book 3)

This trilogy is very much a classic character centred adventure and it has one of the best portrayals of the Star Wars novel staples (Luke, Mara, Leia and Han) that i've read in a long time. The dialogue is not simply copied from the films and modified to fit a new situation, it felt very natural and in keeping with the characters. It really felt as if there are going to be real consequences to the characters interactions in this book and it was great to see. I felt this firm grasp of the long standing heroes of the Star Wars universe was crucial in pulling the plot together for the conclusion in The Swarm War. This is of course a Star Wars book so of course it has the customary intense space battles, lightsaber duels and force pondering and these are all handled well as they are throughout the entire series. However it is the clever way the characters and plot are depicted which is why this will remain one of my favorite series, how the events in this book and the entire trilogy can be interpreted in ways that vary greatly from person to person. This trilogy does not force you to think one particular way about the way the situations were handled by the characters. It was refreshing to not be coerced into accepting the interpretation the author has decided upon and to be left to draw my own conclusions based upon my reading of the story. The story was of interest to me for a number of reason but one in particular stood out in The Swarm Warn, it was the Jedi and whether their duty was to their consciences or to the state and again this was handled in a way that did not come across as telling you that the right decision had been made, although I thought it was. The Swarm War really caps off the NJO time period nicely. Particularly in the way the issues with the Jedi and the government work together and how the jedi view the force, and while in my opinion The Unifying Force wrapped up the NJO book series nicely, it is The Swarm War that brings a satisfying end to the NJO era. On a negactive note the showdown between Luke and Lomi Plo initially underwhelmed me a great deal but upon reflection The Swarm War never presented itself as depicting a titanic galaxy spanning conflict and the finale isn't too bad at all, although i wish it had been longer because it was good seeing Luke kick butt. Then of course there is the way Jaina and Zekk were left without much resolution at the end of the book which was disappointing to say the least, however with the events of the story ending how they did i think it is quite safe to assume that they will return to normal(ish) relatively soon. These were the two main minus points for The Swarm War but these weren't enough to spoil what i thought to be a good conclusion to theses books One personal point that made this book even better was that we get to see Jedi actually trying to distance themselves from the conflict (on the most part) to try and bring about peace since in both the Yuuzhan Vong NJO books and the

Having read over 50 Star Wars books I know a good series when I see one. The Swarm War by Troy Denning was a very good conclusion to an already stellar trilogy. I would also recommend reading the New Jedi Order, Star by Star by Denning as well as his novel Tattooine Ghost. In this final book of the Dark Nest Trilogy the Jedi Order finally gets organized into a New Jedi Order that functions appropriately. The Gorog having become an increasingly dangerous threat, Luke and the Galactic Alliance come to terms with the Chiss in resolving the dispute along the unknown territories to deal with the imperialist Killiks. This novel is packed with action and good character development between all the major characters that SW fans are familiar with already. I thorougly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys reading anything sci-fi.

These Star Wars books are like revisiting old friends long after you lost touch with them. I'd read about Han, Luke, and Leia well into their old age. Now they fight with their children by their side and it's fun to revisit them no matter what they doing.

The essence of this book was just that:the old way of experiencing the Force versus the new way. In short, the Old Jedi order's way, and Vergere's way. as Luke says sometime in the book, "that is vergere's way of using the force. I don't need power, i need STRENGTH, and that comes from MY way of using the Force". It's as simple as that. Does Vergere's way provide a moral compass to young Jedi who need it? Think about it... Also, we see, for the very first time, a forceful(no pun intended) side to Luke. He establishes his leadership. As usual though, this raises questions as to who'll follow. Leia proves her Jedi skills, showing herself worthy of her Barabel Master. Luke does learn a thing or two from Jacen, embracing his fears much in the way Jacen and the Vong embrace pain. This would be in connection to Anakin Skywalker and Padme, whose whole history is revealed to Luke at last. I won't spoil that for you though! As for who in the family is going to fall to the Dark Side in Betrayal, the stage seems set...some people seem awfully admiring of Anakin Skywalker. This is a great launch for the "Legacy of the Force" series... REad the books to find out. All in all, a totally and long-awaited Luke-centric book!

In Star Wars Dark Nest III: The Swarm War we have the dramatic conclusion to the Dark Nest trilogy where the Killik Crisis and the split in the Jedi Order are dealt with. Both of these situations had been left on a cliffhanger from The Unseen Queen and both in my opinion are nicely resolved in The Swarm War, even though some things are left deliberately open as to lead into the Legacy of the Force series. However this was not detrimental to my enjoyment of the book or the trilogy overall. The return of Luke Skywalker to the Jedi Order after being out of contact during The Unseen Queen sees him deal with how the half Jedi/half Galactic Alliance Advisory Council had been used by Cal Omas to drive a wedge in the Order. Lukes actions result in him taking sole leadership of the Order for the duration of the Killik crisis and after its conclusion there is the prospect of an all Jedi Council with a lot more authority over the Order to be seen in future books, unlike the less formal Masters' Councils seen earlier in the Trilogy. The resolution of the Killik Crisis is a satisfying plan that calls for great acts of courage from all in the Jedi Order and in the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances military. The Swarm War as with the first two entries of the trilogy has very good depictions of both the major characters and the smaller bit parts. The action is of a high level of quality with some excellent confrontations for Luke, Leia, Han and Co. to endure and there were also some very funny moments scattered throughout the book. Particularly the parts involving Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne. There were also as with the first two installments a number of instances when events from Revenge of the Sith are revealed to the Skywalker/Solos and as has been the case before these are woven into the Killik storyline and in my opinion do not come across as forced. I found The Swarm War and the Dark Nest trilogy in general to be an excellent adventure in the post Yuuzhan Vong War galaxy showing the Jedi regain some of their much needed moral framework to compliment and temper the greater understanding of the force gained in the NJO series, aswell as wetting my appetite tremendously for the Legacy of the Force series starting in 2006. Highly recommended.