The EU has given us endings that are gripping and compelling (Like The Unifying Force), but some have left us empty and dissapointed. That is how I feel about The Swarm War.


As you all know, The Swarm War is the last book in Troy Denning's Dark Nest trilogy, a series about a growing darkness that threatens to consume the galaxy as we know it. As the border war between the Chiss and Killiks intensifies, the Galactic Alliance is dragged into the conflict forcing Grand Master Luke Skywalker to bring his misled apprentice Raynar Thul away from the Colony (Which he does suceed in doing) and to confront the leader of the Dark Nest, the insidious Lomi Plo. But first he must conquer his own fears regarding his mother's death, for any trace of doubt will make her strong.

As far as endings go, this wasn't the best one ever written. Okay, I'm not trashing the book in general (The parts with Luke finding out what happened to Padme and his first battle with Lomi were pretty good), but as the conclusion to a trilogy, it really stunk like a Gorog nest. My first complaint is that the final battle between Luke and Lomi was pathetic. After staring her down for a while, he cuts her in four. What ever happened to dramatic, stirring and nonpredictable endings like The Unifying Force (Again I must bring up TUF because it had a much better ending than this.) ?

Second, was Alema's alleged death. She and Leia have a really cool battle, and then she falls into the underbrush and gets (Supposedly) eaten by a big sloth thing. I was hoping Leia would have finished her off herself.

Third, we don't get to find out if Jaina and Zekk are going to stop being Joiners now that the Colony has devolved or if they're still going to be 'bug-huggers' (I presume we'll probably find out in LoF).

And finally fourth, Han and Leia didn't find out about Jacen's, um, secret lovechild with Tenel Ka? I was hoping that Ben would somehow be able to break through the illusion Jacen planted in his mind and would tell his parents, aunt and uncle (That would have been fun! ).


The Swarm War isn't the most terrible Star Wars book ever written, but like I said it was lacking in the suspence department.