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| Invincible (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 9) | 
 enlarge | Author: Troy Denning
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $27.00
Buy New: $14.99
You Save: $12.01 (44%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  78 reviews
Sales Rank: 2311
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 299
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 0345477464
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345477460
ASIN: 0345477464
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
No war can last forever. Now, in the long and punishing battle between the defiant champions of the New Jedi Order and the juggernaut that is the Galactic Alliance, the endgame is finally at hand. With so much lost–and nothing less than the course of the future still at stake–there can be no turning back. No matter the consequences.
The rebel cause is losing ground under the twin blows of Admiral Gilad Pellaeon’s assassination and the death of Mara Jade Skywalker. At the same time, having gained the support of the Imperial Remnant and its ruthlessly efficient forces, the Galactic Alliance, with the extraordinary power and dark brilliance of newly ascendant Sith Lord Darth Caedus at its helm, may be unstoppable. Tormented and torn between the call of duty and the thirst for vengeance, Luke has searched the Force and beheld an unspeakable vision of the galaxy enslaved under tyranny more monstrous than even Palpatine’s. Now it seems that the last, best hope lies in mobilizing the scattered Jedi for one decisive search-and-destroy mission. The objective: eliminate Darth Caedus.
It’s a plan that will be as difficult and dangerous to execute as it is daring. For Caedus is a scion of both the Skywalker and Solo bloodlines whose command of the Force surpasses even that of his grandfather
Darth Vader. There is only one who is bound by destiny to stand against him in what will surely be a duel to the death, only one with an outside chance of bringing down the dark lord who was once Jacen Solo.
Failure is not an option. The furious final moments between power and peace are here, and whoever confronts Darth Caedus will decide the outcome–and the fate of those left standing.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 73 more reviews...
 Tragically anemic finale May 27, 2008
40 out of 42 found this review helpful
What strikes you most about this final volume of the Legacy of the Force is how little there is to it. Weighing in at a slight 299 pages, Invincible consists largely of two long duels between Jaina and Jacen, interspersed with a pair of subplots involving Ben. The epilogue attempts to tie things up with a couple of quick stitches, a hastily tacked-on conclusion that leaves the nine-volume saga incomplete.
One is left with the impression that the manuscript was completed in a rush. It reads like an extended outline - all plot, no character, no theme. The major event of the book, and perhaps the series, is the death of a Sith. How does it feel when one of these Dark Lords leaves the force? How does it feel to a family member? How does it feel to the Sith himself? What happens to Jacen in the force? Was he redeemed by his last minute thought for his daughter? Does he become a ghost, like his grandfather? What's the reaction on Coruscant? On Corellia? On Korriban? Among the Jedi? How does Luke feel? How about Tenel Ka? Allana? Ben? Tahiri? We can only imagine. Denning doesn't tell us.
Nor does he suggest what it all means. We never knew what Jacen wanted, beyond bringing order to the galaxy. But as the disorder was instigated and exacerbated by the Sith, he dies playing a fool's game. How is one to regard this galactic tragedy? What do the other characters learn from this? How has the Star Wars universe changed?
The political end is given about as much thought as the beginning and concludes in just a couple of pages with a New Galactic Alliance. Once Jacen is gone, all appears to be forgiven and forgotten. One of the central characters of the series, Admiral Niathal, is completely missing from the story. The reigns of state are passed to a character who shows up at the last moment and whose appointment appears to be a set-up for the next series of Galactic Tyrant vs Jedi novels.
Where there was so much that could have been developed, we get instead material that should have been left on the editor's desk, such Jaina and Leia chasing a paddy wagon across Coruscant to rescue Ben. The sequence is made possible by the thinnest of contrivances, the Jedi mind trick, and concludes with no rescue and no discernible effect on the plot.
Equally inconsequential is the introduction of a new force power, one potent enough to stop Jacen with a figurative blink of any eye. Shatterpoint (from the novel of the same name) is an ability once attributed only to Mace Windu, to be able to exploit stress points in any given substance or phenomena. Jacen uses it to crack beskar, a metal impervious to even lightsabers. Jaina learns the power from Luke in a matter of days. But it's never used. If Luke, Jaina and Jacen all have this ability, why bother with space battles and lightsabers? Just burst your opponent's heart, or crack open their spaceship, and the game is over.
I usually enjoy Denning's writing, but he's absolutely flat here. The jokes at the beginning of each chapter was a silly idea. Not only because the jokes are bad, but because they make an obvious and trite point - everyone is innocent at some point in their life - and because they served as an excuse for Denning to not have to make an honest attempt at writing a tragic ending. Invincible has no sense of gravitas, no weight, no heft, no feeling that something worth nine novels has happened. It feels light, hurried, rushed, abrupt and empty.
If you would care for a Star Wars series that rewards reading, try these:
Republic Commando
Hard Contact
Triple Zero
True Colors
Order 66
Legacy
Broken (Vol. 1)
Shards (Vol. 2)
Knights of the Old Republic
Commencement (Vol. 1)
Flashpoint (Vol. 2)
Days of Fear, Nights of Anger (Vol. 3)
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 How to alienate long-time fans... May 16, 2008
24 out of 32 found this review helpful
I can understand wanting to 'grow-up' Star Wars a bit; make it 'darker' and 'edgier', but there's a fine line between dark and edgy and just doing things (ie: killing off much-loved characters) for shock-value. We're in shock-ville here, people!
I couldn't help the bitter snort when I read in Denning's notes that the Young Jedi Knights series was one of his favorite Star Wars collections considering what all has happened to those characters in this series and just how few of them are now left! The Young Jedi Knights series *is* a favorite of mine and the treatment of those characters throughout the 'Legacy of the Force' (and the New Jedi Order series previous) is the reason why I'll no longer be purchasing Star Wars books.
Unless the words "By: Timothy Zahn" appear on the cover.
Disappointed...When will it end? May 15, 2008
21 out of 30 found this review helpful
Ever since the New Jedi Order, I have hated the direction the Star Wars stories have been written and don't much care for the authors who have written the stories. Sure, there have been standout stories here and there but the lack of consistency is just awful.
Everyone seems to be doing a reboot of series/movies these days, maybe its time to reboot the Star Wars EU as well and bring in fresh eyes to the Star Wars Universe. As far as I'm concern, any further books by these particular Star Wars authors, will be read from the library.
The Tragedy of Darth Caedus May 14, 2008
18 out of 35 found this review helpful
I must begin by saying that I was taken completely by surprise that Troy Denning, of all the authors in this series, was able to write a sensible book that for the most part steered clear of the 2 dimensional caricatures we've been subjected to since about book 5 in the Legacy of the Force saga.
His prior two entries into the series I would describe as the weakest of his entries, but his final book, despite the fact that the ending was known to everyone around book 5, was written in such a way as to not completely demonize Jacen Solo. Each chapter is opened with a joke Jacen told during the "Young Jedi Knights" series of books when he was 14/15, and there are excerpts from several other EU books describing how Jaina and Jacen felt about each other when they were younger.
It was very refreshing, and it was ultimately a far better way to retire his character than as Darth Nasty who kicks puppies for fun. It was nice to see that Jacen's humanity and ultimate reasoning for becoming a Sith was not completely abandoned in the end, though Jaina/Luke/Han/Leia were almost embarrassing in their emotional handling of Jacen. Each of them were filled with such utter hatred towards Jacen that it was hard to read.
As a father, I know I could never be filled with such disgusting feelings and self-righteous fluff were my children to make different choices in life.
Ultimately, Jacen made very difficult choices in his life for good reasons, and many of the deaths in the war can be laid at the feet of his parents (who prevented stopping the war by warning Corellia), Luke (who prevented stopping the war by abandoning the GA), and finally Jaina who acts as a typical Jedi by refusing to follow orders she disagrees with, and almost laughing with glee while visions of decapitating her brother dance through her head.
Typically, most of the jedi miss the entire point - but Jaina sees part of the truth when she realizes that Jacen sacrificed everything he held dear in order to bring peace and order to the galaxy. The Jedi habit of mucking about with sovereign governments and dictating terms is displayed fully.
In the end I was pleased that Troy Denning kept the Luke Skywalker suck-fest to a reasonable level for this book. Allston had to retcon the last battle that Luke and Jacen had because Denning wrote Luke as a God.
If they ever let me get ahold of pen and paper to write the next book, Han will try some smuggler roll in a bar fight and dislocate his hip, Luke's dentures will fall out, and Leia will trip over her saggy knockers trying to swing a lightsaber.
This galaxy would be better served if we can leave these characters in supporting roles, and move forward with new (original) characters considering that I have to suspend too much disbelief with 80 year old men doing force flips.
I am done with star wars May 14, 2008
17 out of 24 found this review helpful
The only good thing about this book is that it actually allowed a prophecy to be fulfilled and it was Jaina's Sword of the Jedi. That is why it got a two. I feel like this series was a complete waste of character development. They built Jacen up, just to tear him down in such a final way. Star Wars has lost this fans money. If I want to read Star Wars books, I will get them from them from the library.
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