Invincible by Troy Denning

This book concludes the Legacy of the Force series. It was much more focused than the previous books in the series--it really boiled down to a series of confrontations between Darth Caedus and the rest of his family. I thought that the series ended correctly, for the way it was set up (although I didn't particularly like the way that Jacen went to the Dark Side--I felt it was inconsistent with his character as it had been set up in earlier books).

Revelation by Karen Traviss

In this book Ben Skywalker confirms for himself that Jacen Solo killed his mother, Jacen continues to act like a creep and a petty tyrant, and Jaina patches things up with the Fetts in order to be ready to kill her brother. This book felt like it was marking time till the grand finale, though I enjoyed the Mandalorian parts.

Fury by Aaron Allston

This book continues to tell the story of Jacen's fall. He gets even more protective of Allana, to no avail for his own plans, while Jag, Jaina, Zekk, Han, and Leia track down Alema Rar and Luke decides to support the Galactic Alliance, but not Jacen. Jacen gets even worse as a character, so it's going to be easier when he's eventually defeated, but I'm still generally frustrated by this plot line.

Inferno by Troy Denning

In this book Ben Skywalker becomes a much more interesting character as he not only sees through Darth Caedus's lies but starts trying to manipulate him, Luke regains some of his long-lost vim & vigor, Cal Omas transcends the political for a moment, Jaina, Zekk, and Jagg go on a old-fashioned scouting mission, and Luke, Leia, and Tenel Ka accept that the Jacen Solo they knew has died. I found this entry pretty good for this series, although, in the long run, I really wish that they weren't killing off all the fun EU characters (I think getting rid of Mara was the worst).

Sacrifice by Karen Traviss

This book gives us some action--and Jacen's fall to the Dark Side. It's good as far as it goes, but, as I find more and more, I'm really hating the character deaths in the NJO & later Star Wars fiction. I think that Jacen's fall, too, is inconsistent with his previous characterization. So that's all annoying to me, but not annoying enough to keep me from continuing on with the series.

Exile by Aaron Allston

I loved the parts of this book that felt like an old-school Star Wars reunion (the Jag-Jaina-Zekk team and Leia, Han, and Lando going joyriding across the galaxy and running into Wedge and Corran and then later Luke and Mara) and I thought Ben, who's sent on a special mission by Jacen (really, a test to see if Ben qualifies to become Jacen's Sith apprentice), developed a lot over the course of the book. Really, the part of this book that was a problem, is the part of the series that's a problem. I don't buy the plot line of Jacen falling to the Dark Side. Jaina would actually make more sense, in some regards. This civil war seems more contrived than most, and because it's the fear of war that seems to drive Jacen down a dark path, it makes the whole thing sillier.

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.

Bloodlines by Karen Traviss

I enjoyed the second book in the Legacy of the Force series. The politics are a little silly, but the book's main focus is on families: Boba Fett's search for his daughter (which is also tied to a quest to regain something of his youth), and the way that the conflict between Corellia and the Galactic Alliance and Jacen's increasing fascination with the Sith and tolerance of techniques repulsive to most Jedi work to split the Solo and Skywalker families. These books feel like there's more at stake than in the Yuuzhan Vong books, and I'm liking that, as much as I hate the path down which Jacen's turning.

Betrayal by Aaron Allston

This book starts something new by putting the heroes of the movies and of the New Jedi Order books at odds amongst themselves over the political unrest caused by the planet Corellia's rogue actions in relation to the Galactic Alliance. Families are split apart as Han and Leia and Wedge Antilles side with Corellia while pretty much everyone else sides with the GA. Jacen, always more of a theoretical thinker, starts exploring Sith traditions and the dark side of the Force. The title actually fits well as it describes several of the plots within the book. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series.