Tempest by Troy Denning

This book worked really well for me. Of all the characters, Luke comes off as the most annoying. I still think the overall political premises (of Corellia's desire for the benefits of membership in the Galactic Alliance without fully participation in the responsibilities) are a bit overworked, but the politics worked better on the level of plot in this book. As much as I hate things about this series and New Jedi Order (i.e. willingness to kill off major characters, and willingness to send Jacen to the Dark Side), I do appreciate that the stakes feel more real in these books.