Customer Reviews
Unorthodox concepts but not bad as a stand alone trilogy. - By: L. W. Chew, 08 Mar 2004 
I’ve read quite a few reviews for the black fleet trilogy & most seem to slate it a lot. Initially at the first read I didn’t really rate this book as the plots didn’t seem to advance anythingin the star wars universe (except the storyline with Leia). But after reading it through a few times I started to appreciate it.
There are 3 separate storylines which eventually converge at the end. It starts with Luke becoming a hermit like Obi Wan & Yoda (the explanation of which is plausible & a good start) but later he goes off with a woman called Akanah to look for his mother. It turns out that his mother & Akanah are of the Fallanassi, a group like the Jedi but who use the so-called White Current instead of the Force. This is one aspect of the books I don’t like. The introduction of this new Force-like concept is un-needed & as far as I know is never mentioned ever againin any Star Wars books ever (a slight mention of the Fallanassiin the New Jedi Order series is all I could find). Instead the Fallanassi could have a different understanding of the force to the Jedi (maybe they don’t distinguish between light & dark sides etc). The culmination of this plot is also anticlimatic & a little pointless I think as it has no reprecussionsin the wider universe.
The other storyline involves Lando & Lobot trying to commandeer a mysterious organic ship called the Vagabond. While this story is okay-ish it doesn’t resultin a typical star wars outcome. If anything the outcome smacks more of Star Trek then Star Wars which is a little odd. However, the introduction of Admiral Drayson & the super-secret Alpha-Blue intelligence agency is a nice side to this plot line.
The third & most interesting plot involves Leiain trying to negotiate with a species called the Yevetha. The Yevetha are a brilliant addition to the Star Wars universe as they’re not the classic dark-side/Empire villain which seeks to rule the galaxy. Instead they’re more into purging they’re territory of “vermin”. In essence they’ve combined xenophobia with genocide to produce a Nazi-like regime. The way they manipulate Leia & the New Republic is brilliant as well. Additionally the explanation of how they attained their military might is well done especially the side plot where the New Republic tries to catalogue all their ships to account for the missing Imperial “Black Fleet”.
The battle scenes are generally good I think, though the introduction of new technology like K-wings is a little strange. The E-wing I can understand (its mentionedin other books as well) but the K-wing seems totally new & not needed I think (what happened to B-wings?).
Overall as a standalone this book is a decent (though not brilliant) read. The main problem is that none of what happens here makes any difference to the star wars universe. For example the Thrawn trilogy has produced characters like Thrawn, the Noghri, Admiral Pellaeon & the Imperial Remnant, the Jedi Academy trilogy has produced the Yavin Academy, several jedi, Admiral Daala, the Maw Installation, & the retirement of Mon Mothma. The black fleet trilogy provides nothing like this &in the end does not resonate like any of the great trilogies.
Much better than expected - By: hilasbat@aol.com, 11 Mar 2000 After reading several reviews slating this triology, I wasn't expecting much, but I'm glad I didn't listen to them, as I found it hard to put this down. The only critism I have really is that the three books have a slightly different stylein lay-out, so continuity is disrupted a bit, but the content is enjoyable, & writing good. Recommended, if you've exhausted the SW list!
This book is LOOONG! - By: , 10 Aug 1999 
This book is really WRONG!! When Luke goes to his mother's home worldin the book it isn't Naboo! I think that George Lucas was a little stupid not to realize that some lady spent millions of hours writing a LOOOONG book & Geoge doesn't care. For some entertainment & read this book about Luke running off with a girl, & Leia becoming worried. AND WORRIED. AND WORRIED. AND WORRIED. read the other review after me to get the point.
Any relations to star wars is purely accidental - By: , 09 Aug 1999 
I hate to say it, but I did wait until I read all three books, & they just are a massive screwup. The author has managed to completely change the characters we know & love, the technology they use, & the plot(s) are barely reasonable. Luke is searching around aimlessly for his mother (this is pre-TPM so we'll forgive the author) but has no interaction with other characters we know, & doesn't act like himself. His personality is non-existent & he is completely non-assertive. Leia is hesitant & weak, unlike the strong leader we saw from the movies. She doesn't confront anything (if she had that attitudein Episode VI she would be getting opinions on going to Endor instead of firing at stormtroopers. The universe has been changed completely. It's great to see an enemy that isn't ex-Imperial warlord #848, & they come with their own ships, but the Republic bears no resemblance to what it normally is. The battle fleet has none of our regular main line ships (such as Calamari Cruisers or assault frigates) & the starfightes which everyone else views as great (including the x-wing whichin the New Rebellion has been upgraded to keep it top-notch) is inferiorin this book. No longer do we fire proton torpedoes, rather we fire slugs & flechettes. The e-wing & k-wing aren't really stated why they are so great, we just have to take the author's word that they are. Personally, if it ain't broke, why is the New Republic replacing it? And as for plot(s)- they are terrible. Lando, a psychiatric Lobot (who really should be left at Cloud City), & two suddenly hostile droids are wandering around the universe blindly (and completely unconnected to the story). Luke is lost, looking for his mother (and unconnected to everything else). While battle is possible (except for technology screw-ups) & is the underlying plot, is written a little too vaguely. Everything's happening one way- then POOF!- it's going the other, but the reader doesn't know why or how. In summary, what we have here is a Star Wars universe that bears little resemblance to the movies & other books, with poor characters, & is poorly written. It contributes very little to other stories (pretty much every other author has decided to ignore it) & adds no new dimensions. If you are a die-hard Star Wars fan determined to read every piece about SW, go for it. But if you are trying to decide how to spend $20, ignore this & go read something else.
Not the best but better than MANY ... - By: , 20 Jul 1999 I've read through all the reviews & was surprised to see this book (and the entire trilogy) attracting as much anger as it did. There are dreadful Star Wars books by Rusch, Hambly, Anderson & Macintyre that are truly deserving of such malice but not this book or the trilogy it starts. True, the star ships described were not traditional Lucas-types, an unnecessary mystical energy type similar to "the Force" is introduced & the Lando adventure was unlike anything elsein the Star Wars series but that does not justify the expression of wrath below. I suppose if it did not pretend to be a Star Wars book it would have been better received (but would have sold far fewer copies). I found it overall pretty good but since I'm awfully picky, I can only give it 3 stars. It would have been a much better Star Wars series if Kube had been kept on a shorter leash by Lucasfilm. I get the feeling they surrendered often to Kube's zeal to put all sorts of odd (non Star Wars) sci-fi detailsin this book (and trilogy).
