Apocalypse by Troy Denning

This book concludes the Fate of the Jedi series, and wraps up most of the loose ends from the series, while setting up a few new directions for stories--mostly focused on Jedi-v.-Sith encounters. There was actually a lot of mythology in this story to explain who Abeloth actually is (and to ret-con a few Clone Wars TV episodes). I enjoyed the Jagged Fel parts especially--he plays the political game as well as Princess Leia (and apparently flies as well as Han Solo, so he's sort of a complete package). The parts with Allana/Amelia Solo were fairly unbelievable (although so was Anakin Skywalker in Episode I, so maybe it's a Jedi thing. But then we all know how well that turned out for him....).

Ascension by Christie Golden

This book took what we knew about the Sith, Abeloth, the Jedi, and the GA and turned everything upside down. It did a better job than I was expecting keeping things exciting and setting up a final confrontation between Sith and Jedi. I particularly enjoyed watching Ben and Vestara interact in this book. I also enjoyed the machinations on the Empire side of things (Jag, the Moffs, Daala). It reminded me of the days when Thrawn was running around and causing trouble!

Vortex by Troy Denning

In this book, the conflict between the Galactic Alliance (and specifically Natasi Daala) and the Jedi really heats up. Meanwhile, despite their better judgment Luke and Ben find themselves increasingly forced to trust Sith apprentice Vestara Khai. This book really picked up in its second half. It's strange to be caught up with the story--now I have to wait for the final three installments (next is due in May). I just requested that the library purchase it.

Allies by Christie Golden

This book seems to explain a lot--almost too much, too quickly. The Jedi seem to be driven mad by Abeloth, a monstrous being in the Maw who may have defeated Callista at one point. Luke joins the Sith (from the Lost Tribe) in a tenuous truce. Daala's behavior gets worse and worse, and the Jedi on Coruscant more beleaguered. I'm intrigued to see where the series goes from here.

Backlash by Aaron Allston

This book takes Luke, Ben, Han, and Leia back to Dathomir. I enjoyed seeing Luke and Ben interact with other Jedi again, and I'm getting increasingly interested in this lost tribe of Sith. It was definitely a very middle-of-the-series book: there are lots of plot lines meandering around that don't seem very close (at all) to resolution (and the what made Jacen Solo go bad thread seems to have been dropped, for the moment at least, entirely). So, we'll see how the series develops from here. I also like the development of Allana's personality.

Abyss by Troy Denning

This book picks up the pace on the hunt for what Jacen was up to while he was traveling around the galaxy after the Yuuhzahn Vong war--and hints at an underlying structure that might make sense of Centerpoint, Corellia, Kessel, the Maw, and the Jedi going crazy. The Jedi seem to be figuring out how to cope with Daala (though Hamner seems to be liking his position too much for my taste) and the plot's really picking up. At this point I'm really relieved to see some good, old-fashioned Sith who aren't shadows of their former, beloved selves.

Omen by Christie Golden

This book features more Jedi going crazy on Coruscant, Luke and Ben visiting another different group of Force users (the Aing-Tii), and the appearance of a pocket of Sith, who have been stranded for millennia, and discover that instead of rejoining a galaxy ruled by Sith, they'll be reentering a galaxy where the Jedi prevail (for the most part). It felt short, and there wasn't a lot of forward progress on any front (except for the GA hating the Jedi more and more), but I'm really excited about this group of Sith coming into play.

Outcast by Aaron Allston

I listened to this book as an audiobook because that's the version the local library has. I have really enjoyed listening--there are lots of sound effects and ambient music. I enjoyed all the subplots of this story--it did a really good job giving characters challenges to overcome and tasks to complete. I did feel like the overarching setup (the Galactic Alliance is afraid of the Jedi, what went wrong with Jacen Solo) was a bit forced.