Star Wars: Dark Times, Vol. 1: Path to Nowhere Review

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(More customer reviews)The Dark Horse line of Star Wars comics seems, at times, glutted with new ideas. Some are very good, and some -- for reasons of concept, execution or, in a few cases, both -- really should have been left on the reject pile.
The latest series, Dark Times, falls solidly in the "win" column. The first volume, The Path to Nowhere, sets readers up for a fascinating storyline at an era only slightly explored in existing Star Wars fiction.
Anakin Skywalker has fallen to the Dark Side and become Darth Vader -- but the Rebellion described in the original trilogy of films is still many years in his future. Now, for all his brooding menace and power, Vader is still an unsure apprentice learning the ways of his master, Emperor Palpatine. And, with fragments of Skywalker's conscience still struggling in his mind, Vader is not sure his master always acts with the best interests of the Empire at heart.
The Path to Nowhere is bold storytelling that doesn't flinch from taking a dark turn in its plot. Some of Vader's secret thoughts may surprise readers; some of Jannir's actions certainly will. With a strong story supported by Douglas Wheatley's excellent artwork, Dark Times can consider me hooked.
by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(net) editor

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These are dark times indeed, when even the noblest of undertakings must rely on stealth, deception, and possibly the betrayal and abandonment of friends and loved ones.Jedi Dass Jennir and his companion Bomo Greenbark survived the Clone Wars, but the fate of Bomo's wife and daughter remains a mystery. The two friends are determined to find them, but their path leads them from danger to darkness - where each of them stands to lose more than they may hope to gain.Meanwhile, Darth Vader must deal with some unpleasant realities - and memories - of his own. Though he is a Dark Lord of the Sith, even he must bow before the power of the Emperor.

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Order 66 (Star Wars: Republic Commando) Review

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(More customer reviews)Several years ago first-time Star Wars author Karen Traviss was tapped to pen a spinoff novel based on the videogame Republic Commando. Although there are an increasing number of games available featuring significantly strong storylines (Knights of the Old Republic comes to mind), Republic Commando was a fairly straightforward first-person shooter: a lot of fun to play, but not necessarily a deep source for a quality book. Defying my expectations, Traviss produced a gripping and distinctive tale with her book Hard Contact. By not adhering to the storyline of the game, she gave herself room to develop a compelling set of new characters, breathing life into the concept of clone soldiers.
Reactions to the first book, despite some fan concerns about its pro-Mandalorian, anti-Jedi overtones, were quite positive, and the sequel Triple Zero appeared not long thereafter. Triple Zero took its time in developing a richly detailed ensemble cast of mercenaries, soldiers, and disillusioned Jedi, and it became clear that Traviss was laying foundations for a bigger story. It turned out there were two more books coming, a third paperback named True Colors and the hardcover series finale, succinctly titled Order 66.
My anticipation for this climactic fourth novel was extremely high and overall I was not disappointed. As expected, Traviss takes all of the disparate threads and characters she has been developing and weaves together an action-packed portrait of the chaos surrounding Order 66 itself and the rise of the fledgling Empire. One element I did not expect is how much time is spent months earlier in the first half of the book. This makes sense, though: the war was three years long and there was a significant gap of roughly a year between the end of True Colors and Order 66.
I confess a bit of surprise on my part regarding the climactic events of Order 66. I had a picture in my head of the decisions Omega and Delta squads would be forced to make regarding their Jedi allies (primarily Etain Tur-Mukan and Bardan Jusik) but the actual story was quite different. I'm not going to spoil anything specific here, but I will say events weren't nearly as conclusive as I pictured, with the exception of one particular character's death (a very moving one). It has recently turned out that Traviss will be penning a sequel series, the aptly dubbed Imperial Commando, which sheds new light on her choice here to leave questions unanswered and even some new storylines barely addressed (such as the intriguing introduction of Callista, a Jedi character some readers may be familiar with from the Bantam novel era).
The viewpoint of this novel, much like the prior three but more amplified, has a very Mandalorian slant to it. The dialogue is liberally sprinkled with Mando terms, and the mercenaries are placed in heroic roles, those of noble warriors looking after their families and loved ones while doing what they "have to do" for a living. While I disagree with the vilification of the Jedi the book veers toward, I greatly appreciate the different point of view Traviss explores. Not everyone in the Star Wars galaxy should feel the same about things, and just looking briefly at any political discussion today ably depicts how completely differently people can view a particular subject or person. I've never seen clones the same way after reading this series, and it's interesting to examine the cues the new Clone Wars cartoon has picked up in humanizing the troops.
I'm reluctant to delve any further into the plot of this one. If you've read the first three books and enjoyed them, you'll certainly want to read this one, and if you haven't and you are interested, start with Hard Contact and see what you think. I highly recommend all four of these books for the fresh viewpoints and strong characterizations they present, and I look forward to reading Imperial Commando: 501st next.


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