Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars, Episode III Prequel Novel) Review

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(More customer reviews)James Luceno, walking EUncyclopedia, returns once more with yet another of the type of novel he's best suited to write. His particular strengths and weaknesses are ill-spent on smaller novels such as Agents of Chaos; however, with his comprehensive grasp of GFFA minutiae, he's very well suited to novels such as Cloak of Deception and this newest, Labyrinth of Evil (and to an extent, The Unifying Force), which exist as much to tie multiple plots together into a comprehensive, coherent whole as to tell stories of their own. Here he manages to take a very impressionistic view of the Clone Wars, told piecemeal in various media and through various relatively unconnected novels, and meld it all into a whole, as well as tying events back to pre-TPM and doing his best to make it look like there actually has been a lot more structure and continuity and causality in the stories we've gotten of the Clone Wars than there really has been.
There's not really much need to talk about his style; by now you already know whether you like it or not. He has an odd mix of typical third-person POV and near-omniscient viewpoint, without a particularly memorable writing style and with a sometimes-annoying but often useful and fun (at least to the more-than-casual Star Wars fans like me) tendency to infodump and show off just how much he knows about what he's writing about.
This novel doesn't stand terribly well on its own, but then it's not supposed to. It's more a summation and drawing-together of what's gone before in anticipation of Revenge of the Sith. To that end, the first two-thirds of the book follow a very straightforward connect-the-dots plot, with the dots being a lot of fun action sequences and the connectors being lots of encyclopedic, almost history-bookish descriptions tying together all that's gone before. Then, for the final third, the book takes a dramatic turn for the better -- and more exciting (especially for me, since I've been keeping myself spoiler free for Revenge of the Sith) -- as the book leads straight into what will prove to be the HUGE opening moments of the final Star Wars film.
Here we see Anakin and Obi-Wan, Mace and Yoda all in fine form. Padmé, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and other familiar faces also all show up. Dooku, while not quite as fleshed-out as in Dark Rendezvous, is still an interesting character. Palpatine and Sidious are as good as we've ever seen them, if not better (and worse). And finally, finally we get an introduction to the character of General Grievous, whom we've seen in comics and television shows but has been conspicuously absent from the novels. Also in this book we've got some pointed political commentary that those leaning more to the right probably won't particularly appreciate, we've got a fine antecedent for a key moment in ANH, and, in true Star Wars fashion, plenty of dis-arming and other dis-memberment.
In the end, this is for the most part an okay Star Wars novel that blossoms in the end into one of the better ones, and leaves you salivating for Revenge of the Sith.

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The Courtship of Princess Leia (Star Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)Dave Wolverton's Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia chronicles the desperate campaign waged by Han Solo to win Princess Leia's heart even as the New Republic leadership encourages the former senator from Alderaan to marry Prince Isolder of Hapes.
It is a time of transition in the galaxy. The Emperor and Darth Vader are dead, and the Galactic Empire is now one-fourth its former size. Without the unifying influence of Emperor Palpatine and his dark-side powers, Imperial moffs, admirals, and self-appointed warlords are vying for power. Some fight among themselves, while others, such as Warlord Zsinj, employ their Star Destroyers and stormtroopers against the fledgling New Republic.
While Han Solo is tracking the elusive and dangerous Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, the Iron Fist, Luke Skywalker is scouring the galaxy for data about the Jedi Order, which had been nearly exterminated by Emperor Palpatine and his henchman Darth Vader, who once had been Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father. Knowing that the New Republic can only survive with the aid of a new order of Jedi, Luke has made it his life's mission to learn all he can about the training of Jedi Knights so he can set up a Jedi Academy. On the planet Toola, in the ruins of a Jedi Master's last hiding place, he finds, with guidance from the Force, a data cylinder which, although damaged by the effects of Imperial grenades, contains a hologram containing mission reports from various Jedi...including his own former Master, Yoda. "We tried to free the Chu'unthor from Dathomir, but were repulsed by the witches..." Yoda says. The words don't make much sense to the last of the Jedi Knights, but he's determined to find out what, or who, the Chu'unthor was, and to discover how several Jedi Masters and their acolytes could have been forced to retreat.
Meanwhile, Han has returned to Coruscant from a long and frustrating search for Zsinj and the Iron Fist, only to find a huge Hapan Battle Fleet in orbit. Having had run-ins with the xenophobic and closed society of the 63-world strong Hapan Cluster in his early days as a smuggler, Han is apprehensive. His apprehension turns to dismay when he discovers that the Machiavellian Queen of Hapes, Ta'a Chume is willing to ally her realm with the New Republic if Princess Leia agrees to marry her son, Prince Isolder.
Leia is torn between her love for Han and her sense of duty to the Republic, in whose service she has been since her teens. She doesn't accept right away, but under pressure from both Mon Mothma and the surviving Alderaanian refugee leadership, she does agree to consider it. Angry and dejected, Han goes to a bar and casino in the seamier parts of Coruscant, and joins in on a sabbacc game. In one lucky hand, the smuggler-turned-General wins the deed to a planet...a planet known as Dathomir.
Elated and somewhat recklessly, Han attempts to impress Leia with his new property, hoping that Dathomir can be set up as a substitute for Leia's now-defunct home-world of Alderaan, which had been destroyed by the Empire's first Death Star almost a decade before. But when Leia seemingly rejects them, Han takes one of Leia's engagement gifts, a Hapan Gun of Command, and uses it to force the strong-willed Princess to accompany him on a trip to Dathomir....a trip that Han hopes will rekindle Leia's love for him.
But Ta'a Chume and the New Republic leadership are determined that the wedding take place, so Prince Isolder and Luke Skywalker follow the Millennium Falcon to the mysterious planet of Dathomir, where the witches who defeated Yoda and several other Jedi still reside....
Wolverton's novel is fast paced and entertaining, and Han-Leia fans will enjoy reading the ups and downs of this chapter in their romantic history. As in every good Star Wars novel, there are space battles, suspense, political intrigue, and the classic clash between the forces of good and evil.

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Triple Zero (Star Wars: Republic Commando, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)It may be damning with faint praise but this is quite possibly the best written Star Wars novel yet. There have been good, even great Star Wars novels before, albiet not a whole lot of them. However, the best of them are well told adventure stories and little else. Perhaps they give some insight into a central character or two but that is about as high as the bar is set. This novel is different. Certainly it is a fine adventure novel in its own right. However, it also touches on philisophic issues that don't typically make it into franchise tie-ins. In here we see the other side of the Galactic War seen in the prequels from the side of the clone troopers, those men bred for war and used up as easily and callously as one treats a piece of tissue paper. We've been told that the Republic before the fall was corrupt but we've really not seen much; characters simply announce that it is or was and we accept it as part of the backstory. Here we see the corruption of ideals and beliefs from the Jedi who shuck their treasured beliefs for an advantage in war to the government and supportive public who don't know much of the clones and don't generally care.
Beyond that, the story is well told and possibly the most realistic of any Star Wars novel, if realism can be used in a story of clones and magic using warrior priests. The action works the way it would in the real world and the challenges and plans ring true. This book is a better primer for someone interested in the SAS or "Delta Force" than many of the Ramboesque Walter Mitty garbage that pollute the book stores. In addition, characters are engaging and actually develop and grow, something all to rare in a book like this.
Simply put, this would be an excellent book without the Star Wars universe behind it. That it actually takes place in that universe and can stimulate discussion about the underpinnings of the prequels is extraordinary. Buy the book.

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Following the eruption of the bloody Clone Wars at the battle of Geonosis, both sides remain deadlocked in a stalemate that can be broken only by elite warrior teams like Omega Squad, clone commandos with terrifying combat skills and a lethal arsenal. . . .For Omega Squad, deployed deep behind enemy lines, it's the same old special ops grind: sabotage, espionage, ambush, and assassination. But when Omega Squad is rushed to Coruscant, the war's most dangerous new hotspot, the commandos discover they're not the only ones penetrating the heart of the enemy. A surge in Separatist attacks has been traced to a network of Sep terror cells in the Republic's capital, masterminded by a mole in Command Headquarters. To identify and destroy a Separatist spy and terror network in a city full of civilians will require special talents and skills. Not even the leadership of Jedi generals, along with the assistance of Delta squad and a certain notorious ARC trooper, can even the odds against the Republic Commandos. And while success may not bring victory in the Clone Wars, failure means certain defeat.Also includes the bonus story Omega Squad: Targets by Karen Traviss!

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Jedi Trial (Star Wars: Clone Wars Novel) Review

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(More customer reviews)In some way Jedi Trial isn't as bad as The Cestus Deception, in some ways a bit worse, but it's inconceivable to me why it's the worst books they're releasing in hardcover these days, leaving the far superior entries, like Hard Contact and Dark Rendezvous, to paperback.
This book is basically a sustained battle scene, and as far as that goes it's okay -- and it's very clear that these writers know their tactics and strategy when it comes to large military engagements -- but, with a few notable exceptions ("the Avenger"), the action doesn't achieve much intensity, nor does it show us anything particularly interesting or innovative. While the sheer scale -- 1,000,000 battle droids vs 70,000 biologicals -- is pretty impressive, the battles in both Shatterpoint and Hard Contact were more engaging, with more kinetic action and more interesting, thoughtful engagements. So while there is a lot of action, none of it's particularly interesting, and it comes at the expense of character.
The characters for the most part are interchangeable and without character -- take any snippet of dialogue, and for the most part it could easily be attributed to any of the characters in the novel. Characters are just introduced and then imperiled before we have any idea who they are, let alone any reason to care for them, and they never seem to develop throughout the book; the chock romance is particularly clumsily handled -- "Everyone I know just died!" "Hey! Me too! Ah, well, let's be buddies!" "Great!" "Cool, now you're an honorary fighter jock!" "I love you!" pretty much sums up the character development in this book. The clones also acted a little off, compared to how they've been portrayed in other sources. Though it was cool to finally see Anakin gain some sense of the big picture, of command, so that we can actually believe that he will grow into such a fearsome military man as Vader is reputed to be.
Also, I kept thinking I was reading a YA novel. The prose was clumsy and boring, with simple sentences and often awkward paragraph structure -- and more typos than are usually found in Star Wars novels. And the authors had an exceedingly annoying habit of showing us a thing, and then, just in case we were too stupid to pick it up, spelling it out for us explicitly. We're not stupid, fellas. We can pick up what's going on, and don't need you to tell us two or four times.
And the Jedi were wasted. We have our Troubled Young Jedi and another Jedi who's got his own problems -- and they don't get to do anything. For the most part, they don't do anything much with the Force, they don't act particularly competent, they don't act particularly serene or Jedi-like, and apart from one scene, there isn't even any cool lightsaber action.
All of what should have been the most interesting scenes in this book are glossed over with throwaway lines, which is also very frustrating.
This isn't a completely awful book, but it's short and sophomoric enough that it would have been much better off as a paperback supplement novel than an "event" hardcover. And it's truly a shame than one of the much finer Star Wars novels out there will probably be often overlooked because it's a video game tie-in and overshadowed by this clunky, underwhelming hardcover with yet another busy Anderson cover.

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