Really? I just finished it, and I
loved it! I think this is the best SW book that I've read since the Thrawn Trilogy. However, it should be noted that I read it with the SW-TOR game firmly in my field of view. I read it as both a SW novel and also as a stage-setter for TOR...and as such, I really enjoyed it.
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Warning: MASSIVE SPOILERS for both the
REVAN novel and for
SW-TOR!!!!!*********
Really, I mean it!
In regards to TOR...
It is now very clear who the prisoner is in the SWTOR Taral V flashpoint (
http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/taral-v-developer-walkthrough). I kinda already figured that the prisoner was Revan, but there was the matter of the 300-year timespan between Revan's time and the time of TOR to consider. Now it's obviously Revan...and the ghost that Master Otar speaks to during the mission briefing is actually Meetra (Exile). Very artfully done, IMHO. I can't wait to get to lvl 32 so I can run that flashpoint.
I thought the novel ended perfectly, at least as it pertains to TOR. They needed to have the Emperor alive and ticking in order to establish TOR's setting...and they also needed some factor to hinder his power (Revan's continued influence).
I thought that Scourge's choice at the end was tragic (at least as far as the result of the novel), but perfect for him because it was entirely true to his character. He is now immortal, and he is also maintaining his Emperor-must-die conviction, even while serving as the Emperor's Wrath...it's just a matter of time until he finds the hero (ie, the TOR character) that Revan spoke of. It also sets the stage perfectly for some sweet endgame content, where Scourge could conceivably end up betraying the Emperor in an attempt to save the galaxy for himself.
We also have a viable background for Satele Shan's emergence as a Jedi Grandmaster, since the child of Revan and Bastilla is a male (carrying on the family name) and has some highly force-sensitive children of his own.
So as far as TOR is concerned, I think the Revan novel works perfectly; and that was its main purpose: to tell the final story of Revan in such a way that it ties up loose ends and sets the stage for the game. In this area I'd say it's 10/10.
In terms of the novel itself, I really liked it too. I loved the part where Revan Reborn emerges from the cell, then fries Nyriss with her own lightning. That was pretty sweet. I thought the character with the most depth in the novel was certainly Scourge, though Revan was well done too, especially regarding his willingness to sacrifice himself. Revan's influence on Scourge was well-done, too. In terms of critique, I did think that the final battle with the Emperor could've gone on for another chapter, and also that we could've spent less time with the Mandalorians and more time with Meetra. As a novel I'd give it a 8.5/10 or so.
Anyway, those are my thoughts.