By: Kevin Anderson Publisher: Spectra Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Spectra Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 464 Publication Date: October 01, 1996 Release Date: October 01, 1996
Product Description: Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, cloaked by the Force and riding with the hostile Sand People, have returned to the dunes of the desert planet Tatooine in hopes of finding what Luke so desperately seeks: contact with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke is hoping the old Jedi Knight's spirit will tell him how to help his love, Callista, regain her lost ability to use the Force. Tormented and haunted, Luke cannot rest until Callista is a Jedi in the fullest sense, for only then will the link between their minds and souls be restored. Yet brewing on Tatooine is news that will shake Luke and Han and threaten everything they value.
The disturbing piece of information is that the evil Hutts, criminal warlords of the galaxy, are building a secret superweapon: a reconstruction of the original Death Star, to be named Darksaber. This planet-crushing power will be in the ruthless hands of Durga the Hutt -- a creature without conscience or mercy.
But there is worse news yet: the Empire lives. The beautiful Admiral Daala, still very much alive and more driven than ever to destroy the Jedi, has joined forces with the defeated Pellaeon, former second in command to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Together they are marshaling Imperial forces to wipe out the New Republic.
Now, as Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Artoo and Threepio regroup to face these threats, they are joined by new Jedi Knights and Callista. Together they must fight on two fronts, outshooting and outsmarting the most formidable enemies in the galaxy. In Darksaber the Jedi are heading for the ultimate test of their power--a test in which all the temptations of the dark side beckon. And Luke Skywalker must draw upon his innermost resources to fight for a world in which he can not only live, but dare to love.
Amazon.com Review: You know what they say: build a better a Death Star and the Hutts will beat a path to your door. Poor Bevel Lemelisk, the inventor of the Empire's signature moon-size battle station, has done just that, and now he's in the service of Durga the Hutt (only a marginal improvement over working for Emperor Palpatine, who was in the habit of gruesomely executing Lemelisk, only to recombobulate him into a newly cloned body).
It's eight years after the battle of Endor, and the Hutts are hoping to make a galactic power play using Lemelisk's latest project, a sort of cylindrical Death Star superlaser-on-steroids, dubbed Darksaber. But the newly empowered Rebels and the recovering Empire aren't sitting idle. As the book opens, Han and Luke are sneaking their way across Tatooine's Dune Sea, dressed in Tusken drag. Luke's looking to commune with Obi-Wan to learn how to save his Jedi squeeze, Callista, recently rescued from the innards of the ship computer on Palpatine's super-duper Star Destroyer. Meanwhile, the ranks of the Imperial Fleet swell under the charismatic Admiral Daala. Will Luke help Callista touch the Force again? Where will Daala's fleet strike a blow against the New Republic? Will Lemelisk's new invention hold together long enough to save his own hide? The skilled Kevin J. Anderson sure makes it fun to find out. --Paul Hughes
Excellent Book While I totally agree with the bashing of this books Predecessor, children of the jedi, I found this book to be slightly under-rated. While it is indeed true that there IS another super weapon, KJA handles it very well and keeps it fresh. The real importance with this book was it details the progression of the new order of Jedi Knights. We get to see how Luke's academy is eventually going to become a pivotal role in the survival of the new republic.
As with the Jedi Academy Trilogy, you either love or hate KJA's works, I myself am one of the former.
... Something Borrowed The idea of a powergrab against the New Republic is not an unacceptable premise in itself. The idea that the gangster clan known as the Hutts would make such a powergrab is feasible. Yet the idea that the Hutts would hire the engineer of two very flawed Death Stars to make another weapon would seem to be a very flawed plan on the Hutts part. But it becomes laughable when the engineer designs a giant lightsaber in the sky known as "Darksaber". An original and more powerful superweapon would have fostered a more threatening tone in the book.
While the Hutts make their destined to fail plans, the remnants of the Empire have gathered a motley crew of old warlords to take another shot at the Jedi and New Republic. Admiral Daala, who can not seem to be killed, leads the Empire in their attack. A lack of organization and the powers of the Jedi make short work of the former members of the empire.
Kevin Anderson spends a great deal of time leading up to these battles scenes only to let them fizzle out in a matter of pages because of simple oversights on the part of the Hutts and the Empire. As absurd as the idea of a weapon known as Darksaber may be, I would have expected the author to let the weapon wreak some havoc before destroying it. Instead, the New Republic does not even have to fire a shot to destroy it.
While there were parts of this book that I enjoyed, including the characters of the new Jedi, I felt I was reading something borrowed from previous plots. Luke Skywalker in the role of leader of the Jedi adds something new to his character which I always enjoy. In Star Wars plots, the Death Star can only be blown up so many times and still be interesting. Similarly, there can only be so many times that the refugees of the Empire can keep crawling out of the woodwork to put up a fight. Should the New Republic seek these people out once and for all to eliminate future problems? I would think the leaders would have that much foresight.
At least the Jedi Academy Trilogy had a good story Anderson is just a terrible writer. But if the story is good enough you can grit your teeth and find some enjoyment. The Darksaber story is not one of those. Don't read this bood.
not really worth the effort Uh oh. The remnants of the Empire are gathering together to form a threat to the New Republic. Uh oh. There is a giant superweapon being constructed using the original plans and scientists who worked on the Death Star. Sigh. Out of all the possible stories that able to be told in the Star Wars Universe (see the Medstar Duology and the Republic Commando novels for examples), this is the story that Darksaber tells. For Star Wars, one must say "how prosaic". It's all been done before. Two movies and danced around in the novels. This is the best that Kevin Anderson and Lucasfilm could come up with for the novel?
Oh, well. Here's the deal: The Hutts are gathering components to build said superweapon, the title weapon. Remnants of the Empire, Admiral Daala and Pallaeon (second in command to Grand Admiral Thrawn) are pulling together various warlords to strike at the heart of the New Republic and hurt the New Republic bad. Luke Skywalker is seeking to find a way to restore the Jedi Powers of his love Callista. Leia, Han, and Chewbacca are investigating the Hutts to find out what the Hutts are planning. This all comes together with a major threat to the New Republic.
If it wasn't for the fact that this book is much of the same old same old for Star Wars fiction Darksaber wouldn't be that bad. Kevin Anderson has crafted a fast paced classic feeling Star Wars novel. The word "classic" is used here in the sense that the style is reminiscent of the original Star Wars trilogy. So, the action is fun and there are quips and back talk and little guys vs the Big Bad, but the novel just felt like a retread. It is a tired story. Anderson's writing isn't strong enough to overcome a story that does not add anything significant to the Star Wars Universe. It's middle of the road Star Wars. Nothing special to see here. Not truly worth the effort.
-Joe Sherry
Better than Expected As soon as I saw this book I thought "Not another Freakin Death Star." But since it was from Anderson I thought I'd give it a try. I was not disapointed! This was one of the better Star Wars Books that I've read in a while. The New Jedi Knights are really coming into there true powers in this book while Calista still searches for hers. I was pretty good overall.
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