The Final Prophecy (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 18)

by Greg Keyes and J. Gregory Keyes

Book Overview

As a beleaguered galaxy fights its way back from the brink of destruction, the Jedi's most fearsome enemy plots to end the war-and claim victory-with a final act of domination. . . . The troubles for... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345428757
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Random House Worlds
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.7" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

I loved the book

it is all about the origins of the Yuuzhan vong and of Zonama Sekot a highly interesting book i am sad that i dont remember all the details but then again i have read so manny that i tend to forget where one book end and the other begins... Anyway if you enjoy star wars it is indeed a book i would recomend. fairly easy reading level.

Best book in the series in a while

The Final Prophecy is the eighteenth book in a nineteen volume saga taking place more than two decades following the death of the second Death Star at Endor. This was a very good read. It continued the sequence of the Force Heretic trilogy that preceeded this, and although those were decent reads, this was superior in many ways. There was hardly a wasted word or page in this one. The storyline was interesting and there was little in this book that didn't contribute to the overall storyline. Luke and his party are still on Zonama Sekot en route to the known galaxy. Meanwhile, Tahiri and Corran Horn meet up with three very different Yuuzhan Vong, each with their own wildly varying agendas. Together, they all find an uninhabited section of Zonama Sekot. Two of the three Yuuzhan Vong exhibit significant changes, but one remains unchanged, always scheming and plotting to get himself ahead of everyone else. While all of this is going on on Zonama Sekot, Wedge Antilles is leading an assault along with Grand Admiral Pallaeon to retake Bilbringi. Only, something is definately not right when communications suddenly and inexplicably go dead. This kills the battle plan and Wedge and his entire fleet are fighting for their lives. Enter profiteers trying to steal an antiquated battle station formerly in orbit around Bilbringi. Jaina and Jag are in the middle of things, and Han and Leia come to the rescue...again. The end of the novel leaves two massive problems for the Galactic Alliance to deal with. One deals with communications, while the other focuses on Zonama Sekot. I will leave it for you to read the book in order to find out what they are dealing with.

Rebound for the NJO

After the mediocre Force Heretic trilogy, the New Jedi Order story arc was in serious need of a novel to turn things around. Greg Keyes was up to the task with 'The Final Prophecy.' Keyes' novel shifts the focus of the story away from the most familiar characters in the Star Wars universe and places it in the hands of some lesser knowns. The result makes for an excellent read. The story features Tahiri and Corran Horn. Tahiri is still integrating her two personalities: her old self, the Jedi student, and a Yuuzhan Vong personality engrafted into her by the shapers of the invading Yuuzhan Vong race. Tahiri has become one of the most interesting, if not the most interesting, characters of the NJO. She is not a cliched Jedi character. Many revelations into her character are made over the course of the novel. Corran Horn is familiar to most readers of Star Wars novels. He has played a part in many of the best novels to date. He agrees to lead a mission to Coruscant to retrieve the shaper Nem Yin and the Prophet of the Shamed Ones of the Yuuzhan Vong, and to take them to the planet of prophecy--Zenoma Sekot. Tahiri joins him primarily because she made a promise to a dying shamed one that she would find the planet, and because her Vong abilities and knowledge would be of particular use on the mission. The relationship between Tahiri and Corran Horn is classic Star Wars. There is a sense of mistrust at the beginning of the novel, but the two characters settle into a mentor/student relationship nicely. Keyes' ability to write a novel that feels like Star Wars without relying heavily on the classic characters of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Princess Leia speaks well of his abilities. The interaction between the Jedi is one of the great strengths of the novel. Another strength is the action sequecnes. Keyes does a superb job with both the hand-to-hand, or light saber to amphistaff, combat as well as the detailing the fight between General Antilles' fleet and that of the Vong in space. The only weakness of the novel is that once again, a NJO series novel relies heavily on Zenoma Sekot, the sentient planet. Sekot still seems like it should be in the Star Trek universe, not in the Star Wars universe. Fortunately, clues laid in previous novels about the origins and mystery of Sekot start to unfold in this novel in a way that makes the series and the tie in to 'Rogue Planet,' a prequel era novel, make sense. Still, I would rather have seen the authors of the NJO work out a solution to the Vong in a different way. I highly recommend this novel. Star Wars fans will enjoy it. Those that prefer reading about the classic characters would be better off reading a different novel. I'd still recommend reading the NJO from the beginning, which is R.A. Salvatore's 'Vector Prime,' and I'd recommend reading 'Rogue Planet' in order to understand the prequel era tie-in. However, this novel could be read without leaving a new reader too confused.

Great characters

Definitely one of the best paperbacks in the series. Keyes takes a rarely-seen villain, Harrar, and transforms him into a very likable character. One of the best parts of the book was his conversation with Corran Horn (my favorite) over Ithor. We see that some Yuuzhan Vong seriously disagreed with that decision. It was also nice seeing that Corran is overcoming memories of that defeat. Nom anor returns to his role as a conniving villain and does so masterfully. Be forwarned, what he does to Nen Yim is very brutal and should not be read before, during, or after a meal.

I have to wait another month? Crap....

I don't know about anyone else, but I can't wait for the last part of the New Jedi Order. I have been reading all the Star Wars books since the original Timothy Zahn trilogy. I have never been dissappointed by one of the books. Not one. I read reviews on how people think that the book is boring to them, and it's missing this, or it's missing that, and blah blah blah blah blah. Well, I'm sorry but I feel those people are looking way too much into the bigger picture. These books are meant to entertain, and open our eyes to one thing: fun. Each book getts written with the approval of the Jedi Master himself, Lucas, and everything that is written is an extension of how he envisioned his universe to be. It was nice to see such a fresh storyline played out the last couple of years, and this book got me so pumped up for the conclusion it's ridiculous. I bought it yesterday, and I read it yesterday. I really enjoy reading storys that don't focus on the main Star Wars heroes, such as this one did. In this one, Tahiri finds out much about her Yuuzhan Vong "past." How that was written shocked me, and wowed me at the same time. It was really cool. Nom Anor proves once again just how evil and manipulative her really is. He would deinitately be no match for Vader, had he been able to be sensed through The Force, but that character could give Lex Luthor a run for his money that's for sure. Wedge Antilles was one of my favorite characters of the original trilogy, well at least a character that we all knew to have a brief roll in all three films. He proves once again that he is the best Military Stategist that the Gallactic Alliance has to office. I'm sorry to say this, but I think he surpasses Admiral Akbar on that front. Kill me now people if you must, but come on, search your feelings you know it to be true. Ok sorry, had to do that. I didn't want to say too much of this book, because if I did, I would have given away everything. But I will say this, did the Yuuzhan Vong come from a Galaxy evern farther away, or did they come from somewhere a lot closer than we have been thought to believe. That's it, I'm done. Hope you all enjoyed this series as much as I did. And again, I can't wait for the conclusion on November 4th.