Star Wars Dark Nest, Volume 2: The Unseen Queen

The Unseen Queen is the second book in Troy Denning’s Dark Nest Trilogy and picks up the story about a year after the events of The Joiner King. The Killiks have been granted a planet on which to make a new home. However, they have not found peace in the process. Their new nests have been attacked by unknown enemies. And the Killiks decide to hold the Jedi responsible. This creates stress, and the Skywalkers and Solos head to the Unknown Regions in an effort to find out what is going on. The Dark Nest appears to have gone away. One of the problems is that the young Jedi, including Jaina Solo and her close companion Zekk, are full Joiners of the Killik nest and act in its interests. This was difficult for me to accept, but there it is.

We do get to meet some new characters in the book with Admiral Bwua’tu being the most interesting. He grows on you as the story goes along, and he turns out to be a capable military leader and strategist. We continue with the main characters from the previous book plus we once again meet the Squibs who had a fairly big role in an earlier book.

Luke, Mara, Han and Leia assume the responsibility for straightening everything out. Their efforts are interesting, but much of the book is not. Plus, I admit that I just do not like the Killiks. I dont understand why the particular storyline was selected in the first place. Oh well. I will press on to the final book in the Dark Nest Trilogy.

I’m still not sure about the “Dark Nest Trilogy.” “The Unseen Queen” isn’t bad. It’s just not good. Not enough happens to give the story direction. Luke and Han are captured by the Killiks. Leia and Saba are captured by the Galactic Alliance.

Jacen discovers something from Tenel Ka that changes his course. This is a character I no longer recognize. Jaina and Zekk follow him against their better judgement. I don’t understand that. Can someone who’s read this explain to me how their plan is supposed to provoke the Chiss to attack the Killiks? The logic just doesn’t follow.

Jaina and Zekk are Joiners. How does the hive not know what they are thinking? Isn’t that a security risk? No one is worried?

And what in the worlds is happening between Luke and Lomi Plo? How is it that Lomi Plo is so much more powerful than Luke? It’s not even a fair fight.

It’s the middle book. There is no ending. It should point us somewhere, but I’m not sure where. Please let it end soon. I can’t stand bugs.

Although there was no room for left surprises: 1. Leia has more control of the Force and her powers as expected, 2. Jacen is going deeper in his maneuvers moulding the Force around him, as expected again and 3. The Killiks present more and more problems following the cue of the dark nest, the argument introduces a lot of atuned surprises as we can see Luke and Han facing troubles again but using their friendship to go on, the little problems Leia has to accept the consequences of her decision of asking Saba to be her master, a terrible surprise from Jacen and his relationship whit the Queen mother that, from the events that we whitnessed in ROTS, is possible to lead to some known places, given the bloodlines enrooted in Anakin Skywalker besides the vision from the Force he receives that lead to a dark future. Finally, the amazing end due to the appearing of a mysterious decease affecting the Killiks in the new inhabited worlds of the Utegetu Nebula.
The 4 stars are not 5 because the end of this second book of the dark nest trilogy is not satisfying as it was the whole first book The Joiner King, leaving the flavor of a lack of strenght in the Force from whom is supposed to be the most powerfull Jedi knight: Luke and also that his decission to remain in Woteba leads to bigger problems that without his presence (he knows of it) would break soon in the Jedi order.
All in all a good book, worth of reading it.

The Unseen Queen is a huge leap forward from the Joiner King – in typical Star Wars fashion, the second in a trilogy is the best. Jacen is scary powerful and deceptive, yet it is still very easy to see things through his point of view. I found myself really enthralled with the end of the book, with all of the different lightsaber duels and space battles. Lomi’s Force-trick of hiding herself behind her enemies’ doubts was a really good idea and makes her a formidable foe, while adding in more character development for the heroes. I’m not crazy about the Dark Nest Trilogy as a whole, but this one was undeniably enjoyable.

This is a great series. The NJO ended with the Jedi deciding there are no dark or light sides only the unifying force. In the Joiner King the Jedi use the light and dark to justify their actions. It contiunes into the Unseen Queen, where Jacen does some very questionable things. Just at the same time Luke and Leia are finding out more about their parents through R2’s. The parrallels between Anakin and Jacen are noticable. Both men doing what they think is right to protect those they love. Whether or not Jacen takes a long trip down the dark side or not its defiently peaked my interest. Also it’ll be interesting parallel’s between Palpatine’s interest in the Jedi and the Chief of State Cal is it the same or only similar? Other then one small question, where is Tenel Ka’s father? How am I going to make until the next book?