So I've decided to post some entries a bit more regular and structured then political opinions, autobiographical tales of my SW exploits, and Anti Troy Denning blasts (How the Hell does Lucas Books give HIM the finale of the Legacy of the Force series...WHA-...GA-...GRRRRR!!!!)
But anyway, so here's a review for all ya'll...*cue image of me sitting up, cracking my knuckles, hitting play on my John Mayer Continuum bootleg, and beginning to type*

Legacy of the Force: Betrayal (yea, that means spoilers)

Automatic Gut reaction: Niiiiiiiiiiiice

Elaboration:
Ah, sometimes the folks at our favorite publishing company just get it so right. Like this book. Just dead on, scene after scene after scene. The opening sequence...Just ON! Aaron Allston's descriptive style is perfect, and we're thrown into a mission that just feels like something Luminara and Barris could have been sent onto so many years before. It's instantly established that the GA has, at least on the surface, done a decent job of replicating the Old Republic.
From there on we're introduced to the tension between Corellia and Coruscant, which creates all kinds of interesting but foreseeable conflicts with are favorite characters. Since it's an Aaron Allstone book, a lot of expected characters are involved, Wedge, Tycho...and so there is the anticipated tension among Wedge and Han and Corran and other Correlians with suddenly dual loyalties. Thracken Sal-Solo successfully succeeds Nom Anor as the character you'd most like to see kick it, and Ben Skywalker slowly but surely becomes the same character Anakin Solo was in the first couple NJO books.
However, the thing that absolutely takes this book to epic status is Jacen Solo. Shortly put, Jacen Solo turns to the dark side. This causes the editing toward the end of the book become a bit choppy. The traditional Star Wars style of juggling 3 or 4 storylines towards the grand finale doesn't exactly work when one plotline is vastly more important then whether or not Han vapes Wedge's daughter by accident. But whatever, Jacen Freaking Solo goes Sith...DANG! You can't help but love it and hate it!

Now, my opinions on Jacen's turn specifically are these: this series can only end in two ways, and only one of which is really going to work in my opinion. A) Lumiya is lying, and Jacen get's turned and twisted and predictable conflicts ensue...True we haven't had a true Sith Lord in any other post ROTJ book, but with Mara and reborn Palps and the Nightsisters and Kyp we've had a decent enough taste of the storylines that come out of this thread. Option B) however is that Lumiya is telling the truth. In which case I really can only see this series end with a rebirth. Anakin's (Skywalker I mean) destiny was to bring balance to the force. If Lumiya is telling the truth then he has yet to accomplish this. You can't escape your destiny, even by death. The other way is harder to imagine, but it involves Anakin Solo, his rebirth as a force ghost has been hinted at, and possibly he helps in Jacen's salvation.

Anyway, some quick hits on what will happen. Bloodlines is the next book, I'd say there's a good bet that Jacen's apprentice will be none other then his baby daughter. And you guys realize that people are going to get die this time around. None of these characters are around in the Legacy Comic Series in 100 years, and if Ben and Valin and Tahir etc. end up dying a natural death, then, being Jedi and all, they should still be alive in 100 years, look at the life spans of PT Jedi.