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September 29, 2005
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 Five years after the defeat of Supreme Overlord Shimrra and the Yuuzhan Vong, a band of Jedi Knights, led by Jaina Solo, become embroiled in a mysterious crisis in the Unknown Regions. Lured by an abstruse distress call through the Force, these Jedi are met by Jacen Solo who abandons his lone pilgrimage to answer the same mysterious call and rejoin his old friends.
At the Jedi Temple on Ossus, Luke Skywalker and his council of masters are troubled by the unauthorized actions of these younger knights. Under fire by allegations of the Chiss, Master Skywalker must smooth tensions with the Ascendancy as they accuse his missing Jedi of siding with a nebulous alien species that threatens Chiss territory.
In an attempt to salvage the rapidly deteriorating situation, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker head for the Unknown Regions. Han and Leia Solo follow in the Millennium Falcon, eager to see their grown children and unravel this spiraling mystery before it turns into tragic imbroglio.
Troy Denning ignites the Dark Nest series with an interesting mystery, where the line between right and wrong becomes a matter of perspective, need, and survival. Denning brings The Joiner King to life through the dialogue of his characters, doing incredible justice to Han Solo, among others. When reading, one can almost imagine an aged Harrison Ford speaking the lines in time to Han's ever famous sardonic expressions, shadowed by the heavy losses of his son and best friend in the previous war.
Fans of the recent films are rewarded with a lovely gem of an easter egg that ties back to events in the prequel features, concerning to both Luke and Leia on a personal level. Denning manages this with grace, as he keeps this small treasure outside of The Joiner King's main plot, preventing it from seeming contrived.
Readers who value aesthetic detail in their reading may find Denning's descriptive talents extremely casual and in the area of character physical description, almost completely lacking. As one example, it is not written until several hundred pages into the story that Jacen Solo's face is bearded, and he is introduced within ten pages of the novel's inception.
The controversial 'No Dark Side' philosophy, that was introduced in Traitor (New Jedi Order #13[i]), is explored further. Fans of the divisive idea will enjoy reading scenes where a prestigious hero taps into the dark side to save their loved ones. More classical fans will find these scenes close to [i]Star Wars sacrilege, as the unnamed hero wields dark side powers without any spiritual temptation to evil simply because they do not believe that the dark side exists.
As the beginning of a trilogy, the mystery of The Joiner King concludes in a seemingly tentative armistice. Alluringly, many questions are left unanswered and many characters are left changed by this tale's brief events. The greatest reward in the story lies in its cliffhanger, as the tale concludes with a main character making a vital life choice that will certainly change the course of Star Wars history in the tales to come.
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