Troy Denning mutes his weaknesses and emphasizes his strengths to deliver a satisfying, character-driven final installment of the much-maligned nine-book “Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi” series. I liked the series more than most readers, but still feel that Denning ratcheted things up a notch for the grand finale that is “Apocalypse” (March, hardcover).
Denning’s biggest weakness, illustrated in his first “Star Wars” novel, 2002’s “Star by Star,” is that his fight scenes go on forever, and our heroes get so beat up it’s almost hard to read. That’s still an issue here, although he kindly trims the per-battle page count.
His strength, though, is that the over-the-top passion he brings to the battle scenes carries over to the characters. And there’s some top-notch character stuff here. Throughout the series, which also includes contributions from Aaron Allston and Christie Golden, the relationship between Ben (a Jedi) and Vestara (a Sith) has been a cut above the standard Romeo-and-Juliet fare. The little moments between the two make me believe they love each other, and — even though this is a book, with no actors in the roles — they strike me as being a cute couple. (This is also a big book for Jaina and Jag, although they don’t get the page-count Ben and Ves do.)
Another undeniably cool part of “Apocalypse” is that Denning incorporates the “Clone Wars” Season 3 Mortis trilogy by revealing that a major “Fate of the Jedi” figure has its roots with the Celestials (the Father, the Son and the Daughter) from that story. It’s neat to hear Luke talk about researching Obi-Wan’s notes about Mortis in the Jedi Archives. (It’s interesting — and slightly jarring — how Luke naturally refers to his dad as “the Chosen One” here. Has he been doing a lot of scouring of the Archives lately? That right there could make for an interesting miniseries by Denning, who also chronicled Luke’s increasing knowledge of his father in “Tatooine Ghost.”)
“Apocalypse’s” significant use of visions and dreams and body-switching and noncorporeal forms might be controversial to fans who don’t like “Star Wars” to stray too much from the films. I for one, didn’t mind it too much, because Denning never loses sight of who his characters are (and, after all, mysticism has always been a part of “Star Wars,” just not to this degree).
At the other end of the spectrum, many fans have complained that “Fate of the Jedi” has been too close to modern-day Earth culture and politics (a complaint sometimes leveled at “The Clone Wars,” too). There are definitely moments like that in “Apocalypse” — most notably when the Empire holds an election, complete with a debate and campaign strategy — but not nearly as many as in previous books, which featured courtroom scenes and dramas played out on newscasts.
Although “Apocalypse” marks the close of this series, the final chapters set up the next series rather nicely. It seems that the galaxy-spanning Jedi versus Sith power struggle will still feature heavily, as will a new Sith character and Allana. The latter, Han and Leia’s granddaughter whom they are raising as a daughter, is currently 9 years old, and I suspect the next series will explore this budding Force-user during her teenage years and the substantial role she’s expected to play in galactic politics.
At about 450 pages, “Apocalypse” is a dense, rich read, a page-turner more often than a slog. Denning was initially one of my least favorite “Star Wars” authors due to his over-emphasis on battles and violence, but now I think he’s one of the best due to his comfort with these characters. I’ll be pleased if he’s among the authors tapped to explore the next chapter in the lives of Ben, Vestara, Allana, Jaina, Jag and Tahiri, along with oldies-but-goodies like Luke, Han and Leia.
What did you think of “Apocalypse?” What’s your final verdict on the “Fate of the Jedi” series?
P.S. Happy 35th anniversary, “Star Wars!”