In this epic of unsurpassed action and imagination, Michael Stackpole helps to launch an exciting new era in Star Wars history. Onslaught pits the battle-tested heroes of the past—Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa Solo—along with the next generation of Jedi and droids, against fearsome never-before-encountered enemies from beyond the galactic rim . . . It is a perilous time for the New Republic. Just when unity is needed most, mistrust is on the rise. Even the Jedi feel the strain, as rogue elements rebel against Luke's leadership. When alien invaders known as the Yunnan Vong strike without warning, the New Republic is thrown on the defensive. Merciless warriors, the Yunnan Vong glory in torture. Their technology is as strange as it is deadly. Most ominous of all, they are impervious to the Force. Now Luke must wield all the awesome powers of a Jedi Master to defeat the gravest threat since Darth Vader. As Leia and Gavin Darklighter lead desperate refugees in a fighting retreat from Yunnan Vong forces, Mara Jade, Anakin, Jacen, and Corran Horn find themselves tested as never before by a faceless, implacable foe determined to smother the light of the New Republic forever beneath a shroud of darkest evil . . . The Jedi are back and ready to rumble in Dark Tide 1: Onslaught , the second book to appear in Del Rey's five-year New Jedi Order story arc, which picks up events 25 years after A New Hope . Reading R.A. Salvatore's Vector Prime first--while not necessary (and some fans even recommend against it)--will help enormously in understanding the alien threat facing the New Republic, the sinister Yuuzhan Vong. The Jedi, under the now truly formidable Luke, must rise to beat back the biotech-wielding invaders, and we really get to see the Solo kids and good ol' Corran Horn shine. Lando and especially Han get short shrift (that's probably just as well in this new series), but Luke and Mara still manage to get a whole lot of lovin' going on. This is excellent work by the ever popular Stackpole ( Rogue Squadron ). --Paul Hughes In this epic of unsurpassed action and imagination, Michael Stackpole helps to launch an exciting new era in Star Wars(R) history. ONSLAUGHT pits the battle-tested heroes of the past--Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa Solo--along with the next generation of Jedi and droids, against fearsome never-before-encountered enemies from beyond the galactic rim . . . It is a perilous time for the New Republic. Just when unity is needed most, mistrust is on the rise. Even the Jedi feel the strain, as rogue elements rebel against Luke's leadership. When alien invaders known as the Yunnan Vong strike without warning, the New Republic is thrown on the defensive. Merciless warriors, the Yunnan Vong glory in torture. Their technology is as strange as it is deadly. Most ominous of all, they are impervious to the Force. Now Luke must wield all the awesome powers of a Jedi Master to defeat the gravest threat since Darth Vader. As Leia and Gavin Darklighter lead desperate refugees in a fighting retreat from Yunnan Vong forces, Mara Jade, Anakin, Jacen, and Corran Horn find themselves tested as never before by a faceless, implacable foe determined to smother the light of the New Republic forever beneath a shroud of darkest evil . . . With unsurpassed action and imagination, New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole continues The New Jedi Order with DARK TIDE I: ONSLAUGHT, testing the heroes of the past along with the next generation of Jedi against fearsome enemies from beyond the galactic rim... It is a perilous time for the New Republic. Just when unity is needed most, mistrust is on the rise. Even the Jedi feel the strain, as rogue elements rebel against Luke Skywalker's leadership. When alien invaders known as the Yuuzhan Vong strike without warning, the New Republic is thrown on the defensive. Luke must wield all the awesome powers of a Jedi Master to defeat the gravest threat since Emperor Palpatine. As Leia Organa Solo and Gavin Darklighter lead desperate refugees in a fighting retreat from Yuuzhan Vong forces, Mara Jade Skywalker, Jedi apprentices Jacen and Anakin Solo, and Jedi Knight Corran Horn find themselves tested as never before by a faceless, implacable foe determined to smother the light of the New Republic forever beneath a shroud of darkest evil... Michael A. Stackpole is the author of the New York Times bestselling Star Wars X-wing novels. Dark Tide: Onslaught is the first of two new Star Wars novels he is writing. When not chained to a desk madly fighting deadlines, he plays indoor soccer, rides a mountain bike, and reads, but not all at the same time. He lives in Arizona with Liz Danforth and a small pack of Welsh Cardigan Corgis. CHAPTER TWO Snug in the X-wing simulator cockpit, Colonel Gavin Darklighter, Rogue Squadron's commanding officer, flicked his right thumb against the ring he wore on that hand. Apprehension gripped him, but he knew there