Dark Tide I: Onslaught

Dark Tide I: Onslaught

2000 • 304 pages

Ratings13

Average rating4

15

I just finished rereading Star Wars – The New Jedi Order: Onslaught. I don't know if it's because I've read this book several times in the past, but it definitely brings a warmth in the heart. I really like the way [a:Michael Stackpole 19077986 Michael Stackpole https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] writes and makes us feel at home. I really like the way he approaches the main characters and makes the reader feel connected with the Solo brothers.It is worth saying that, despite being a small book, a lot happens! There are several scenes and adventures and all equally important. [a:Michael Stackpole 19077986 Michael Stackpole https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has always known how to balance and tell the narrative in an agile way. It's no surprise that he's one of the big names in the Expanded Universe, mainly due to the books in the X-Wing series.One of the main points of the book is about the political tension involving the New Republic. Despite having lived alongside the great heroes of the Rebel Alliance, the current politicians presented in this story seem much more concerned with personal agendas than with the political stability and security of the new government. Apparently, pettiness and smallness still haunt the world enough for people to forget the atrocities done by the Empire (it's a very current issue in our real world, considering I'm writing this in the beginning of the XXI century).I really liked Luke Skywalker's initiative in creating reconnaissance missions led by cells of Jedi Knights. Each group has its own adventures and series of difficulties, but gathering information that will be important in the end. Of these, I really like Luke's trip with Jacen Solo to Belkadan, when they really begin to realize the size of the problem and the threat that the Vong are. Bioengineering was one of the major themes of Science Fiction in the 1990s and is very well represented here.It is a book that has no philosophical depth. Despite touching on sensitive topics (environmental issues, our current relationship with technology, recurring family issues, etc.), it does not promote any deeper discussion about any of it. That is not and has never been the goal of any Star Wars movie/comic/book, but it is a fun book after all.

July 30, 2023