Picking up were Omen (see my full review here) left off, Troy Denning's Abyss continues the Fate of the Jedi series. In this case, "abyss" is very aproporiate for the title as both a group of heroes and a group of villains move towards an abyss during the course of the book. The heroes who approach an abyss are Luke and Ben. Still tracing the path that Jacen Solo took several years before, Luke and Ben cautiously navigate through the Maw Cluster towards the home of the Mind Walkers. We quickly learn that the Mind Walkers are force users who believe true enlightenment from the Force comes from leaving all physical things that tie a person to this life, including one's physical body. In order to learn what Jacen learned from the Mind Walkers, Luke must also leave his body behind and travel into an abyss he might not return from.

Meanwhile, Sith Apprentice Vestra Khai, Sith Lady Olaris Rhea (Vestra's master), and other members of the Lost Sith Tribe follow the Sith sphere (Ship) to a binary system near the Maw. There, they find a planet teeming with life that hides a different kind of abyss. To quote from the blub on the book cover, this abyss is a "nexus of dark-side energy unprecedented in its power and hunger."

And, back on Coruscant, Head of State Daala continues her campaign to bring the Jedi under control while two more Jedi Apprentices go insane. Also, the Jedi Council finally makes a decision on what to do with the insane Jedi in their custody.

Troy Denning does a good job of juggling these plot lines and setting up volume four of the Fate of the Jedi, Backlash. Also, we see evidence that even in Luke's absence, and without any input from any of Anakin Skywalker's descendants, the Jedi Council has reached the point where it can make decisions that benefit the order. Contrast this to the incident in the Dark Nest Trilogy - also by Denning - where the Jedi Council breaks up into an arguement over what to do with the crisis brought on by the Killiks and Leia stalks off in righteous indignation asking, "What order?". (See my review here.) Luke Skywalker should be pleased. All in all, an excellent book. Final rating: **** (on a scale of 0-4 stars).