I think that the authors have been really influenced by the great Paul Dini, with whom they both worked on the classic Batman: The Animated Series. If you read Dini's writing--especially in DC Comics' Countdown, but also elsewhere--he skips around a lot and changes settings, character, and even pacing (but does it better than the authors do here). I think there are too many characters, too many subplots, and it had a predictable ending. I would have much rather spent more time during the construction and testing of the Death Star than finishing it off with the scenes we all know from the first movie. I'm also fairly certain that the timeline is completely incompatible with what we see in the end of Episode III and the beginning of Episode IV, but of course that's because the timeline within the movies is similarly incoherent.
They incorporate some Special Edition changes--the blast ring coming out when the Death Star and planets blow up--but they also make a much-needed de-SEing: When Han charges into the battalion of storm troopers, there are only six (I think) rather than the hundreds that appear in the SE.
I think it's better than the last few I've read--even better than Allegiance--and certainly better than the Legacy series, which I've never cared for. But it still pales compared to the original Zahn trilogy and the best of the comics EU work.