Kathy Tyers

I didn't have particularly fond memories of this book, but to my surprise, it turned out to be the best installment of The New Jedi Order (barring the third volume of Invasion) since Vector Prime. Tyers's book is much more focused than Stackpole and Luceno's duologies, and all the better for it: most of the actions take place on Duro, where Leia is coordinating the refugee crisis and Han is running a resettlement camp-- except communication is so bad that they're unaware of each others' show more presence. The Solo kids are there, too, Jacen and Anakin dealing with the fallout of Jedi Eclipse and Jaina recovering from injuries received with Rogue Squadron. The book has a strong, central plot, but even better, it has characters: in a lot of major and minor ways, Tyers really focuses on them as people, especially in their interactions with one another. It feels like damning with faint praise to say something like this, but after two volumes of the non-writing of James Luceno, Balance Point really feels like a breath of fresh air. The Han/Leia relationship is probably the centerpiece of the book, and Tyers nails that one especially perfectly.

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Yes, I know, another SW:EU novel. But they're a special brand of crack, and it's fun revisiting the things I was so thoroughly addicted to in 1996/97. This is probably one of, if not the best, novel which has been written in the Star Wars extended universe. Like all the rest of the EU novels, this is really just glorified fanfiction, a fictional romp through the history which the films don't cover; however, it's one of the better examples of the genre. The storyline rollicks along, the show more characterisation is solid, and the villains suitably boo-hissable. Every now and then, there are a few uses of metaphor and simile which made me wince (the planet hung in space like a cloud-veiled turquoise?), but on the whole it's much, much better than the average Star Wars novel.

The one place where Tyers really helps elevate the novel above the ordinary is the fact that she actually has her characters think, behave and feel in ways that are psychologically believable. Leia has huge problems with Vader being her father, while Luke's coming to terms with the fact that he's now the only Jedi in the galaxy (well, as far as he knows, plot devices in later devices notwithstanding, etc). Tyers even works some side-effects from Luke's duel with the emperor at the end of RotJ (because you know those lightning bolts couldn't have been good for Luke's health.

On the whole, it's the novel version of a popcorn movie - fun but largely forgettable, and probably not worth getting if you don't have at least a strong liking for the characters in the first place. show less

"Courage didn't mean there was no fear. Often, it meant acting in spite of fear."

I am embarrassed to admit that this is my first Kathy Tyers book. I should have read her original Firebird series a long time ago. Even without having read them, it was easy to become absorbed into the world of Netaia since the author interspersed synopsis of the important events from books 1-3 throughout this book. I loved Netaia with its cool technology, desire to reverse injustice, and willingness to work show more with former enemies for the greater good, though the world did have its share of evil and greed. I really enjoyed getting to know Firebird and Brennen. Their deep connection and love for each other formed a solid foundation for their missions.
There were a lot of third person narrators carrying the story. It took me a little while to separate out the voices and learn each one by name. This book had two subplots - one with Brennen on the ground defending Netaia against a known foe and preparing for offensive attack against an unknown and one with Firebird in space dealing with an unknown entity. These two subplots necessitated the many voices to tie in the story well. Shel and Uri were impressive Sentinels and Esme and Prince Tel were worthy secondary characters. Brennen's mother Dara and former queen Carradee both exuded maternal love, warmth, and protection. The second half of the story moved quickly with lots of action and plot twists. The unshakable faith of the Sentinels and Firebird was inspiring.

I can't wait for the next book to see what intergalactic threat Brennen and Firebird will neutralize. As a side note, this trilogy comes between books 3 and 4 of the original series (for those who have not read them yet). I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Enclave Publishing via Celebrate Lit Tours. I was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinion are my own. show less

I just finished Firebreak, which is part of the Firebird Interlude Trilogy, and fell in love with Brennen, Firebird, Kiel, and Kinnor so I had to read this book to see how they grew up. The Firebird Interlude Trilogy takes place between books 3 and 4 of this original Firebird series and I never read the original series prior to picking up the Interlude Trilogy so it was fun to go "forward in time" and see Kiel and Kinnor as adults. This book had deep spiritual themes and threads; most of the show more battle fought in this book was spiritual and it was cool to see their sister Tiala fighting for her brothers through prayer and fasting. Seeing Kiel as a father blew my mind (he was only a toddler in Firebreak). Watching Kinnor forge his way through a war zone as a competent Sentinel warrior was like watching his father Brennen at the helm of a military strategy. Wind was a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers trope between Kinnor and Wind. I'm hoping to see more of Brennen and Firebird in the last book of this original series. show less