Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor Review

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(More customer reviews)Shadows of Mindor is set in the period after the battle of Endor. Palpatine and Vader are dead, and the New Republic is in charge. However, not everyone agrees that this is the way things should be. Serious bad guys still exist, and Luke Skywalker and his friends are called upon once again to set things right in the galaxy. This time they face a legion of black-armored stormtroopers who are led by Warlord Shadowspawn and who operate from an extremely unusual position on the planet Mindor. To further complicate matters, the Sith appear to be involved as well. Fortunately, Luke has help from Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, R2-D2, and C-3P0 in this mission. Needless to say, having all of these folks back in action is great fun for the reader.
Luke is the reigning hero in the galaxy, but he is still very young and does not have a clear understanding of his role in reestablishing the Jedi, much less a clear understanding of the Force itself. He is now General Skywalker and not at all sure that he should be. Luke's struggles in trying to find his way and win victories for the Republic while minimizing loss of life make for extremely interesting reading.
Mr. Stover is a highly respected author in the Star Wars world. He was responsible for the novelization of Revenge of the Sith as well as the novel Shatterpoint. Both were excellent. For the most part, he does not disappoint in Shadows of Mindor. He does a great job of portraying the characters. Luke is in doubt much of the time, but you would always want to have him on your side. Han is presented as he was in the films - easily bored, extremely loyal, highly effective in pressure situations, and one of the best pilots anywhere. You also have an opportunity to hear Han's true opinion of Mandalorians. Very funny, especially if you have read the Rebel Commando series by Karen Traviss. Chewie remains Han's loyal companion and continues to prove his worth in tight scrapes time after time. Leia remains a remarkable woman - handy in a fight and a true leader. The relationship between Han and Leia is shown as I always thought it should be - loving, respectful, and humorous.
Our favorite droids also play key roles in this tale. C-3P0 does his usual thing and unwittingly provides comic relief on several occasions. R2 is probably the most useful droid ever. You have to love him. Mr. Stover gives him a remarkable scene near the end of the book where he ejects from the Millennium Falcon through the garbage chute to land on an asteroid in an attempt to save Luke from impending doom. In the midst of this, R2 has time to philosophize about his likely final shutdown and his realization that C-3P0 is his true friend. Truly a beautiful scene.
The book is extremely well done. I only had two reservations. The first is that I felt Mr. Stover had a little too much fascination with the technical side of Star Wars a few times. I think some description of ships, weapons, and technology is extremely useful to the reader, but it is possible to go overboard. My second reservation is harder to pin down without giving away some key plot points. Let me just say that I found the concepts of Shadowspan and the meltmassif substance to be difficult to grasp clearly. I believe the story could have been just as effective with Shadowspawn and his evil machinations presented in a different way.
Basically, I am quibbling here. I enjoyed the book very much and I believe any Star Wars fan would have a great time reading Shadows of Mindor.

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Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader are dead. The Empire has been toppled by the triumphant Rebel Alliance, and the New Republic is ascendant. But the struggle against the dark side and the Sith Order is not over. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and their faithful comrades have had little time to savor victory before being called on to defend the newly liberated galaxy.Powerful remnants of the vanquished Empire, hungry for retaliation, are still at large, committing acts of piracy, terrorism, and wholesale slaughter against the worlds of the fledgling New Republic. The most deadly of these, a ruthless legion of black-armored Stormtroopers, do the brutal bidding of the newly risen warlord Shadowspawn. Striking from a strategically advantageous base on the planet Mindor, they are waging a campaign of plunder and destruction, demolishing order and security across the galaxy–and breeding fears of an Imperial resurgence. Another reign of darkness beneath the boot-heel of Sith despotism is something General Luke Skywalker cannot, and will not, risk. Mobilizing the ace fighters of Rogue Squadron–along with the trusty Chewbacca, See-Threepio, and Artoo-Detoo–Luke, Han, and Leia set out to take the battle to the enemy and neutralize the threat before it's too late. But their imminent attack on Mindor will be playing directly into the hands of their cunning new adversary. Lord Shadowspawn is no freshly anointed Sith Chieftain but in fact a vicious former Imperial Intelligence officer–and Prophet of the Dark Side. The Emperor's death has paved the way for Shadowspawn's return from exile in the Outer Rim, and mastery of ancient Sith knowledge and modern technology has given him the capability to mount the ultimate power play for galaxy wide dominion. Dark prophecy has foretold that only one obstacle stands in his way, and he is ready–even eager–for the confrontation.All the classic heroes, all the explosive action and adventure, all the unparalleled excitement of Star Wars come breathlessly alive as the adventures of Luke Skywalker continue.From the Hardcover edition.

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Traitor (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 13) Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me make two things clear: I am a diehard Star Wars fanboy, and a bigtime Stover groupie. A such, when this novel was announced months ago, it quickly became my most anticipated Star Wars novel ever. As the months wore on, the anxiety grew; I needed this book, and simply couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I trusted that Stover would give me a fantastic novel. My trust was not unfounded.
Right from the outset, this book is something special. Stover is a compulsively readable writer, and his prose and writing style are head and shoulders above many of the other authors writing Star Wars novels. He knows how to turn a phrase and shape a paragraph so that it sticks in your mind long after you've finished reading the book.
And what a book! From the Holy [cow]! opening (which finally explained Jacen's emanations from Dark Journey) to the stunningly awesome climax (featuring one of the coolest lightsaber fights ever) to the outstanding three-against-the-galaxy ending (and you'll NEVER guess who the third one is), Traitor proved impossible to put down. Literally. I read it in one sitting and have since read it twice more. Jacen's feats in this book put to shame similar conquests by his siblings in the novels focusing on them, and Vergere absolutely blossoms as an interesting, enigmatic character. Jacen's revelations throughout the novel, often spurred by Vergere's observations, are consistently interesting (and pretty consistent with what you'd come to expect from a Stover novel). With Nom Anor it's pretty much just more of the same, which is getting kind of old, but Ganner really shines here. You can expect a cameo or three from a long lost pal, as well as a whole lot of Stover-style philosophizing on the nature of the Force and its Dark Side, as well as what makes a Hero, and what makes a Jedi, and a whole bunch of other questions that haven't, or haven't often, been tackled before in a Star Wars novel. You'll be surprised at the answers offered, when they are offered, which isn't always, considering that, as is said, the question is often more telling than the answer. The action is fantastic, as is to be expected from a Stover novel, and for you skeptics out there - put your fears to rest; there's only one fight scene (out of many) that's described at all graphically or gorily. Do not mistake graphicness for intensity, however - these fights are as intense as anything you've seen in a Star Wars novel. Overall, yes, this is easily my favorite New Jedi Order novel so far; my only real complaint is that there's not more of it. And it could have used a little more humor.
If you're a Star Wars fan, or a Stover fan, or just a fan of good Literature (yes, I daresay that this, a Star Wars novel, qualifies as Literature), you can't go wrong with this book. It is, quite simply, the best Star Wars novel yet published.

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From the depths of catastrophe, a glimmer of hopeAfter the capture of Coruscant, the mighty heart of the New Republic, a stunned galaxy fears that nothing can stop the Yuuzhan Vong. Still, that crushing defeat produces one small miracle: Jacen Solo is alive. Yet he can scarcely imagine himself in stranger circumstances.The young Jedi Knight is in the care of Vergere, a fascinating creature of mystery and power, her intentions hard to fathom, her cruelties rarely concealed. But this master of inscrutable arts has much to teach the young Jedi . . . for she holds the key to a new way to experience the Force, to take it to another level—dangerous, dazzling, perhaps deadly.In the wrong hands, the tremendous energies of the Force can be devastating. And there are others watching Jacen's process closely, waiting patiently for the moment when he will be ready for their own dire purposes. Now, all is in shadows. Yet whatever happens, whether Jacen's newfound mastery unleashes light or darkness, he will never be the same Jedi again. . . .

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Shatterpoint (Star Wars: Clone Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)This novel blew me away. I was reluctant to read it at first, since I usually rely on my pre-existing emotional attachment to the classic or NJO-era characters to buoy my interest in Star Wars books. I'm not a big fan of the prequels, and I had always thought of Mace Windu as basically a cameo role for Samuel L. Jackson in the movies.
After only the first chapter of Shatterpoint, I found myself revising a lot of my opinions and preconceptions--about the book, the main character, the Jedi, the Force, and the Star Wars universe as a whole. Stover's stream-of-consciousness writing style grabbed my attention right away and pulled me emotionally into the plot. I often forgot that I was even reading--the narrative was so frank and immediate that I felt like I was there, in the story. The style alone could have kept me turning pages chapter after chapter. The plot and the details through which it plays out, however, are at least as engrossing and fresh. This is an unflinching tale of war that has more in common with the hellishness of Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) or The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien) than with other Star Wars books. Through its gruesome reality and constant sense of nervous anticipation, the novel examines the behavior of people under extreme stress and pressure. In the process, it forces a reevaluation of the psychology and purpose of the Jedi. The implications of this reevaluation beautifully weave together the events of the prequels, classic trilogy, and New Jedi Order.
In the end, this is the most satisfying Star Wars book I have yet read. I would recommend it to fans of any eraof Star Wars, and equally to those who read the books for the action, the characters, or to better understand the Force and/or the morality of being a Jedi. Personally, I'll be looking for more Matthew Stover books.

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