-time travel in his first star wars novel ever?
-introduce "daen nosi" just for one book in the whole EU and immediately kill the guy who uses it?
-Marr (his char. read like a woman) micro-jump? all these things are reminded me of something from the sequels, ignorance toward the whole universe and its rules (the same usage of the Force as young Chiss for hyperdrive)
-277 Khaedryn plot armor just to save the main char. later? Kells reasoning?!
-294 Jedi knight force lightning just from anger/fear to die??
-no idea why someone has to vomit each couple of pages
-so little cast of characters, but 3 of them have to start with "K"

+ Relin seemed like the most reasonable character
+ horror elements ( )

Chronologically concurrent with the conclusion to Legacy of the Force, Crosscurrents takes a step back from that series. The first eight chapters, a little less than 1/2 the book, alternate between present time and the earliest era of Star Wars novels: 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. While Jacen Solo (Darth Caedus, in the Legacy of the Force series) complicated our idea of the Sith, the Sith Lord Saes is much more an obviously evil character. "There is no right or wrong," he says. "Only power."

The strangest part of this novel is the introduction of Lignan ore, which enhances the powers of only dark side force users, and the suggestion that DNA determines whether an individual force user can use light or dark side powers. This strict dichotomy between light and dark doesn't match what has been happening in the star wars universe through the New Jedi Order and Legacy of the Force series. And we know many Jedi who have fallen to the dark side only to return again. In addition, very little of cosmological significance happens in the book.

Sith Saes, Jedi Relin, and the Lignan are thrown forward in time by a faulty hyperspace jump. (The suggestion that this occurred due to time dilation while traveling near the speed of light, although it ignores the acceleration to and from light speed, is scientifically plausible). Saes was once Relin's Padawan, and Relin is filled with rage due to the death of his current Padawan just prior to the accident which hurled him forward in time. What might have been another story of a Jedi struggling to choose between the dark and light sides of the Force is instead simplified by Relin's affirmation that he knows that he's falling ut doesn't care. Jedi Jaden Korr mistrusts the Jedi Order in the wake of the Centerpoint crisis, and he is full of doubt. Kell Douro works for a hitherto unknown group of Sith; he considers the Force to be but one aspect of Fate, the lines of which he can see. The novel also features Khedryn and Marr, scavengers who were in the right place to be swept up in Jaden's adventure.

While the story is interesting to read, very little actually happens, and the characters make nonsensical choices. Prior to the battle of Kirrek in the war between the Sith and the Jedi, Relin and his padawan Drev collect information on Saes' movements. In the present, Jaden has a Force vision which leads him to Fhost, and Kell is sent to Fhost seeking the meaning of a similar vision received by the Sith. Khedryn and Marr are also on Fhost, having discovered a distress call from the moon in the vision. Jaden hires them to take him to the source, and Kell follows. The Sith ship carrying Saes and Relin arrives at the planet around the same time as Jaden, Khedryn, and Marr.

After sneaking aboard the Sith ship, Relin defeats Saes but leaves him alive, choosing to flee the ship after his attempted sabotage fails. But as soon as he is retrieved by Jaden's ship, he decides he has to sneak back aboard, kill Saes, and destroy the ship. So we essentially have two different versions of the same story describing Relin's attempts to infiltrate and then sneak around the Sith ship. Meanwhile, Jaden explores the moon to discover the dangerous fruits of research from the Thrawn era. The story continues in Riptide.

This story is interesting enough to be worth reading, so I give it three stars. But the introduction of confusing new elements that contradict all the new things which have been introduced recently into the Star Wars universe, and the repetitive plot noted above, means I can't give it the four or five stars which I reserve for excellence. ( )

I quite like ‘Star Wars’ but have only a nodding acquaintance with the films and am not a ‘Warsie’, if there is such a being. I mention this in order to elicit forgiveness in advance for any errors I make from those hardcore fans who know Han Solo’s shoe size and Darth Vader’s favourite colour. Black, presumably. As I have enjoyed several novels related to that other big space opera franchise, I thought the ‘Star Wars’ books would be worth a look. If nothing else, the copyright controllers of these vast enterprises do ensure a minimum standard of competence in any product issued.

At the front of the novel, there is a helpful chronology which shows how the many books fit into the timeline along with those big films. ‘Crosscurrent’ is set near the end, forty years after the film ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’.

‘Crosscurrent’ uses several viewpoint characters and also starts off in two different eras, so the reader needs to focus. First up, 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, Sith Lord Saes Rrogon – a Kaleesh male – rips the crust off a moon to mine a huge supply of Lignan. This is an ore which hugely enhances the power of dark side users. In hot pursuit of Saes is Relin Druur, his former Jedi Master and Drev Hassin, Relin’s current Padawan. Drev is an Askajian male while Relin is human, which in a galaxy far, far away doesn’t mean an Earthman, of course. The Jedi need to stop the Sith forces getting hold of the Lignan as a major battle is coming up.

Meanwhile, 5,000 years in their future, Jaden Korr, human male and Jedi Knight, has a Force-inspired vision telling him he must go to the black hole of Fhost. Undeterred by the fact that Fhost doesn’t have a black hole, he sets off. Also headed there is Kell Douro, an Arzat assassin who eats peoples’ brains, who has been sent by the Sith. Fhost has no native species and only one real settlement. At the edge of known space, it is a haven for an assortment of bad types. Clearly, the scene is set for action!

I was hooked by page 40, which is soon enough. These kinds of books are written in a very tight style with much plot and nary a wasted word. Words that add a bit of depth to the characters and setting are not wasted and this was done with some skill. ‘Loose wires hung from everywhere, the entrails of science’ is a nifty way of describing a wrecked control room. A lift door stuck half open is an eye frozen in the act of closing.’ The descriptions of the action, sometimes quite gory, are also well done. The characters are changed by the events as in any good fiction and there is even some Jedi wisdom applicable to writers: just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything.

Of course, there are loads of sizzling lightsabers, blistering blasters and speeding spaceships, which is what you want in a good space opera. This novel was crafted by Paul S. Kemp, a corporate lawyer, alas. But a man who likes ales, cigars and single malt scotch can’t be all bad. I enjoyed his book.

Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/ ( )

Disjointed and ultimately disappointing. Mostly build-up to sell the book that follows. Also - is time travel something we really need in SW? ( )

I thought this was a well done book for a non-Skywalker book. Nothing was spectacular, but I rather enjoyed reading the 5000BBY stuff and seeing how it tied into the Lost Tribe of the Sith short stories.
Didn't care for the jedi guy though, came across as pathetic instead of sympathy inducing... ( )