I feel that there isn’t a lot to say about this book, so I’m sorry to drop a short review on everyone!

Aaron Allston continues to be a really great writer, even if this book doesn’t come close to the last book for me.

There are some interesting concepts explored in this book, and some good storylines, but also some stuff I plainly found a little goofy, and it was a bit too slow for my taste.

Lord Nyax. I am in two minds.

One, I found him pretty cool and felt sorry for him. But two, I also found his design a little silly, and the whole big Force stuff he was doing just felt a little ridiculous and almost campy.

I enjoyed the undercover mission as an idea, loving Luke in the Yuuzhan Vong armour, but it didn’t feel like any of the characters that weren’t Luke did much on the mission, and it also felt like the mission didn’t actually accomplish anything at all.

Some big manbaby died… then they left.

The dogfighting, as always with Allston, was often entertaining to read, but I didn’t enjoy the latter part of the big just being one big massive dogfight.

However, I did love the outcome of the battle, I just found that the actual battle itself went on too long.

A good book but nothing special. Sorry for the short review!

7/10

This one in the series read a lot like one of the Rogue Squadron books. Heavily focused on military space tactics, it was a fun, fast read. Sets up hope for the redemption of the New Republic against the Yuuzhan Vong.

AWESOME BOOK. Just awesome. Definitely one of the best books in the New Jedi Order series so far!
This book covers some of the best plots in the NJO series, and is simply extremely well written. I particularly liked Jaina's portrayal, Wedge's battle plans and the battles in general, Czulkang Lah, and the phenomenal ending, both the 'emotional' and majestic parts.
All-in-all, a definite read. Also apart from all of these factors, this book sets up the stage and background for something that is probably very important in books to come.

A continuation of the previous, the book works from the assumption that the reader is now hoping as well and crashes the primaries into unfortunate circumstances. Considering Anakin's death and how badly Jacen is being treated, there is the thought that some of the old guard might die even if they win. I enjoyed the portrayal of Jagged here. Not Force sensitive but tremendously talented and a rock for Jaina.

"I don't want to discourage your curiosity, but I have to remind you, if something goes wrong, this is an exceptionally embarassing way to die."

When we last checked into our favorite galaxy far, far away under fire from an alien invasion force, Luke and Mara were on Coruscant for a recon mission and Borleias was hunkering down for war. In Rebel Stand, Luke and Mara find someone on Coruscant who is even more scary than the Yuuzhan Vong and Jaina the Trickster Goddess helps secure a great big victory for the New Republic.

NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.

First off, I'm going to complain about the audiobook. So if you don't want to hear me gripe, skip this part.

I understand these audiobooks are abridged, but frak it, does that mean completely omitting half the plot in the novel just so that the entire thing can fit on two two-sided cassettes? Just like how most (all!) of the Coruscant plot-line is omitted from the enormous, Star by Star, here most of the battle on Borleias, the resolution of Tam the spy, the tricks of Jaina the Trickster Goddess, and Han and Leia's exploits are gone. Nothing. Nada. When I read this as a young teen, the battle of Borleias was one of the only space battles recounted in a novel that sparked creativity and inspired me to make a (crude, disgusting, horrible) drawing. What happens to Tam? What are Han and Leia doing? And what about Jaina, her tricks, and her budding romance with Jag (BTW, I forgot to mention in the last review that Allston can totally write romance)? Or what about all the HUMOR that Allston is known for? Oh, no, sorry, they're not important. Instead, let's focus on Luke and Mara's recon mission to Coruscant, the mystery of Nyax and that damn Viqi Shesh and her stupid (and unfulfilled) quest to escape. GAH!

Okay, thanks for your patience. Now, back to the review--or what I can review.

In case you didn't read that huge paragraph rant, I want to say that this review, like my review for Star by Star, is going to be peppered with gaps that the audiobook skipped and my memory forgot from its first reading.

Allston definitely writes his characters well. Luke, Mara, Tahiri, Wedge, Jaina...all are in fine form, great friends whom I love to watch as they battle the fierce Yuuzhan Vong. I can't think of a single character he wrote that was bad.

The story was pretty interesting. I liked the return of Irek Ismaren to Star Wars continuity, even if Children of the Jedi (his debut) wasn't my favorite novel. I thought it a bit crazy to have him take up such a huge chunk of the story, but (again) that is a complaint more towards the audiobook. It was nice to see Luke, Mara, and Tahiri banding together to fight him. Of course, I always like to see more about Tahiri. She's a really interesting character.

Space battles were well-done, as was the trickery of Jaina the Trickster Goddess. Of course, Allston wrote several X-Wing books, so that should come as a no-brainer. If there was anything I didn't like, it was the death of a prominent Yuuzhan Vong at the end of the book. Once again, authors create a Yuuzhan Vong villain solely for their book and then kill him or her off by the end. It's aggravating.

It was also great how the New Republic won and lost at the same time. On one hand, they lost Borleias to the Yuuzhan Vong; on the other, they destroyed a worldship using Lusankya. It was obvious by how it was written that Allston had intended for this destruction to be THE big indication that the tide was turning, and he did it well. Of course, I couldn't help but also note that technically, the New Republic has been doing quite a bit of winning since Vector Prime. In fact, if you switch the Yuuzhan Vong and the New Republic, this book is a good example of how the earlier books should have been written. The New Republic should have "defeated" Helska, but the more prominent story was about how they lost "X". At least, that's my two cents.

Even with the abridged audiobook chopping this to pieces, I was still able to see the great story Allston wrote. It's a great book, exciting, funny, intense, and for those who have hated how the Yuuzhan Vong are unstoppable, this is the book that assures you otherwise.

I LOOOOOOOVE his writing! Thank you for this book!

An enjoyable, tightly written continuation of the new Jedi order series. Kind of jumps the shark with the main villain introduced, but nothing fans of Star Wars would write off as too ridiculous.

The second book of the Enemy Lines duology certainly has a different focus than that of the first. We shift to enemy-held Coruscant and follow Luke and his assembled team to find the source of his dark vision.

It was interesting to see the effects the Fall of Coruscant had on the general populace. Resorting to barbarism and cannibalism seems the likely response to the onslaught of a conquering species that hates you. The stuff with Lord Nyax was cool, and a neat little tie to Children of the Jedi. He was downright creepy at times, though ultimately he was no more than an unchained animal for Luke, Mara and the others to bring down. We don't really see his fate, but I believe he was really his own worst enemy. Tahiri got some cool scenes. She's not quite over Anakin's death, but she's not exactly reacting the same way Jaina was in Dark Journey. She accepts her losses and embraces her experiences as the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong and utilizes them against Nyax.

It was interesting to see that there are still some voxyn left, but they are rapidly failing in health. And oh, how the mighty have fallen, Senator Shesh. Betraying your government sure seems to be paying off, huh? I just can't feel bad for the woman, considering all she's responsible for. Though, the Wraiths were a bit cruel with the letter they left her. I did like, though, that she felt she was the only one who could kill her. Haughty to the bitter end, and saves the Jedi and Wraith strike team from deciding what to do with her.

Though this is a good continuation of Rebel Dream, the plots seem to be a little all over the place and unrelated to each other. Just saying, it could have flowed better. I did like that Tam Elgrin was recognized for his bravery in overcoming his strenuous situation. It would have been poor characterization for him to revert to a hopeless slave in this book, so I was pleased when he ended up proving himself against the other Vong saboteur. Once Luke and co. return to Borleias the final battle there is conveniently ready to begin. That said, Operation Emperor's Spear was really awesome. Coupled with the fact that Wedge's pipefighter plan fooled and distracted Czulkang Lah so thoroughly, and you have one awesome curbstomp battle. And what a way for the Lusankya to go out. She's had a long history, and went out in a fiery blaze of glory, delivering a devastating blow to the Vong war force. Though Tsavong Lah has dealt with the treachery behind his botched implant (in quite an awesome way, too, with rancors!) he sees the defeat of both the fleet at Borleias and the death of his father as a sign that the gods may not actually favor him.
Rancors aside, Wedge actually had the best moments of this book. It shows how good a commanding officer is when he makes sure he's the last person to evacuate, either that or he's just plain stubborn. Knowing Wedge, it's a little of both. Then he does the impossible and manages to hold his own against the enemy fighters for quite a while in a badly damaged X-Wing that doesn't even have an R2 companion. His exchange with Gavin when the latter arrives to save his ass is quite hilarious. Jaina also had some good moments, mostly by utilizing new techniques to confuse the enemies. Assigning her call sign to a missile for the Vong to chase is nothing short of brilliant, especially since it works. Han and Leia's plot was pretty good here. The prison break sequence was cool, even though the droids can't fly the Falcon if their lives depended on it.

I give Rebel Stand 4/5 stars for an interesting look at Coruscant under the control of the Vong, as well as an awesome conclusion to the Borleias arc.

Rebel Stand, the second volume in Aaron Allston's Enemy Lines "duology" finds the author in a very familiar setting, namely alternating storylines featuring both starfighter battles and covert action teams. Both of which should come as no surprise to fans of Allston's previous work on the X-Wing: Wraith Squadron series.

In Rebel Stand we finally get a chance to see what has become of Coruscant since the Yuuzhan Vong's takeover of the planet. The former capitol of the New Republic is now a toxic, post-apocalyptic wasteland populated by traumatized survivors and cannibalistic tribes, both of whom are constantly hunted by Yuuzhan Vong Raiding parties. Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker lead a team of Jedi and Wraith Squadron operatives to the planet in order to start a resistance movement, only to find that a monstrous 9-foot tall dark Jedi is wreaking havoc on the populace. Meanwhile, Wedge Antilles prepares his grand attack against the Yuuzhan Vong forces arrayed against him at Borleas.

Both major plotlines in Rebel Stand are absolutely compelling. The Borleas story is great because it pits two master strategists - General Antilles and former Warmaster Czulkang Lah against each other in a grand confrontation. The Coruscant story is fascinating in that it shows just how quickly the galaxy's greatest metropolis can be brought to utter ruin. The "Lord Nyax" subplot was a fun twist as well, and one that serious Star Wars readers should be able to figure out. Allston does a terrific job closing out his "series within a series" and marking a turning point in the galactic struggle against the Yuuzhan Vong. As devastating as the Vong invasion has been, we now start to see a few glimmers of hope that our heroes might just survive the conflict after all. Though if previous New Jedi Order volumes are any indication, not everyone will make it out alive.

Leia et Han continuent leur tournée à travers la Galaxie pour unir les forces restant dans leur fameuse alliance. De son côté, Luke, Mara et leurs compagnons se rendent à Coruscant et doivent affronter une menace à laquelle ils ne s'attendaient pas. Jaina et ses amis pilotes décident de créer un mythe avec Jaina comme personnage central. Elle se fera passer pour une des déesse du panthéon Yuuzhan Vong.

C'est un autre épisode de la série qui ne m'a pas beaucoup émoustiller. J'ai bien aimé la partie où les Jedi sont sur Coruscant. On voit les dégâts qu'a causé cette invasion sur la planète et on voit comment s'arrangent les survivants. Le reste est plutôt ordinaire.

Masterpiece! As I read this expertly executed adventure in space, on planet and underground, I couldn't help but ponder the author, no longer alive to appreciate my excitement of his novel, the six literary Star Wars journeys he's given me so far, and the many more sitting on my shelf waiting their turn in my queue of the Star Wars expanded, now "Legends," universe. Certainly Allston's legacy will only grow more legendary with each installation I will read in turn, but it is hard to imagine how he's going to beat this one.

As the New Republic turns into rebels again to slow, if not thwart, the methodical dismantling of law, ecology and stability of the galaxy by the extra-galactic invaders, we find most of our main heroes of two generations have converged on a planet hosting the staging ground for the evacuation of the Republic's capital, Coruscant, as well as its impossible stand against the overwhelming enemy forces. Luke, Mara, Leia, Han, Wedge, R2, Threepio, Tycho, some of the Wraiths from Allston's Wraith Squadron run of the X-Wing series, new faces Allston spends precious moments with--some their first and/or last, some only their introduction, making them just as endearing as the tried and true heroes--and members of the next generation, particularly Jedis Jaina, Kyp and Tahiri, but also newcomer Jag Fel, are split apart for most of the book. Some are underground literally and figuratively, on the capital world, or other Republic worlds, planting resistance cells and fleeing native and alien threats, or facing off against echoes from the past (wow--connections to Children of the Jedi & Planet of Twilight, brilliant!). Some are neck deep in the defense, strategy and subterfuge of Borleias--the Rebel Stand of the book's name. Not only does Allston craft a story of unexpected twists and clever turns, fooling both the antagonists and reader alike, but he sprinkles in some elements of the prequel movie era, which was a welcome addition to the literary lore, as the books started being written with prequel material available for use.

I continue to enjoy The New Jedi Order series, and look forward to the rest of the novels in the run. But I also eagerly await future, surely masterful, story installments crafted by Allston for the Star Wars fan to gobble and enjoy!

Great action, Allston firing on all cylinders with some great moments with Luke, Artoo, Han and Leia being flirty, and some great old Bantam/Wraith involvement.