Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gambit: Siege

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gamibit: Siege

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gambit: Siege, an Expanded Universe novel – the sequal to Clone Wars Gambit: Stealty – was written by Karen Miller. This tale takes place during the Rise of the Empire era, during the clone wars, 21 years before the battle of Yavin.

SUMMARY

The story picks up right where we left off, with Anakin & Kenobi in a spaceship on Lanteeb. Sadly, the duo crash their ship and need to seek shelter immediately, before the droid army discovers their location. Ahsoka is growing anxious to hear back from her master; a bad feeling is filling her gut.

Dooku is losing his patience with General Durd as he’s wanting his plans to come to fruition; Durd just can’t get the work done in a timely manner. Meanwhile, Bail Organa has a scientist breaking down the elements of the developing bioweapon, to create an antidote.

Kenobi and Anakin hide out with in a small community that is mining the very substance (unknowingly), that’s used in the bioweapon that Durd has created. Trouble eventually finds them, and as a result, brings alarm to the community.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

A strange way to split this series into two books, why the Gambit books weren’t combined into just one book is baffling to me.

While I was enjoying the first book in this series, I was bored out of my mind with the second instalment. It was was like a Clone Wars episode that just wouldn’t end. Everyone was irritated with each other. Real life bickering and confrontation is bad enough, don’t care to read about it in an entire Star Wars novel.

A little foreshadowing of Anakin becoming man & machine happens, and it’s pretty dumb. He surrenders himself to become one with a machine. It’s mentioned that he can’t burn, because he’s machine… but you know… eventually he WILL burn and become machine.

“Let your feelings guide you Anakin, and you won’t go far wrong.”
– Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi delivers what is most likely the worst advice ever given to Anakin Skywalker.

The author pulls the curtain back on the Jedi Order, revealing that the Jedi are full of secrets. The guardians of peace have little to no control of the events unfolding all across the galaxy, and they truly are afraid.

Do I recommend you pick up Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gambit: Siege? No.

RATING

I give The Clone Wars novelization 2.5 out of 5 stars; C-.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth was written by Karen Miller. This novel is part of the Expanded Universe, a.k.a. Legends. This tale takes place during the Rise of the Empire era, during the clone wars, 21 years before the battle of Yavin.

SUMMARY

General Grievous continues his reign of terror across the galaxy. Republic Forces are hit hard by the separatists in the battle of Kothlis. In the battle, the Republic learns that their warships are infected with a virus, which take over their computers and communications. Such a massive disruption had to have been accomplished at the Republic Shipyards.

Chancellor Palpatine urges the Jedi Order and select members of the senate to place a permanent unit of Jedi and Republic troops on Kothlis. Yoda and Bail Organa aren’t thrilled with this suggestion. Especially when Palpatine asks that the best of the best are sent there; removing them from the frontlines of the war!

Bail Organa comes to Obi-Wan with top-secret news regarding the Separatists. He has a gut feeling that they are harvesting resources on the planet Lanteeb. Further research reveals that the Separatists are very likely developing a bioweapon! Only a handful of folks will know of this, and the secret mission that follows to verify such claims.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

One reason you must always take reviews lightly, is because we all have our own opinions, our own likes and dislikes. I heard that this book was one of the worst. So I went in cautiously, expecting disappointment. Yet, I actually enjoyed this story.

Karen Miller does a really good job expressing the inner emotions of our characters. These Clone Wars books really show us the mental/emotional decline of Anakin Skywalker. We see Anakin act reckless and defiant. He truly is controlled by his emotions and has a hard time with self control. Kenobi is frustrated with his old Padawan, but he knows there isn’t much he can really do, Anakin is a Jedi Knight now, and is trekking his own path.

Kenobi is tired, at least that’s what everyone keeps telling him. Kenobi and Bail Organa have a good conversation, a bond clearly was formed between them through the events of Wild Space. I do like that they have formed a friendship, that Bail truly trusts Kenobi.

Ahsoka is so concerned about her relationship with Anakin. She feels like a shadow, but feels like she’s also a protector of him. She wants his approval, wants to keep the chosen one safe.

Palpatine doesn’t hold back in showing some of his cards in screwing over the Republic. wanting to send the best troops to Kothlis, to remain, out of the fight. Such an obvious move to weaken the Republic on the frontlines.

The relationship between Palpatine and Anakin is strong, Palpatine continues to lure the boy in, acting as a father figure. Palpatine reveals that he knows of Anakin & Padme’s relationship, ensuring that he will keep it a secret. One really good thing that these Clone Wars books reveal, is the building relationship between Palpatine and Anakin.

The story brings Anakin and Kenobi together to work undercover on Lanteeb. They hope to find out the secrets of the Separatists. They stumble upon Dr. Bant’ena Fhernan, who is forced to work for the Separatists. Kenobi and Skywalker meet with her, it’s a strange “rescue attempt.” We get a lot going on in her head, she’s grateful but also very rude. If she dies, many could live, but also die… if she lives, many will die. Kenobi contemplates killing her, which is very out of character. We run through a list of ways he thinks of killing her, including bursting her heart in her chest.

Karen Miller takes liberty with changing character traits. This is aggravating and obnoxious. Yoda tells Kenobi to lie to Dr. Fhernan about her families safety. Anakin and Obi-Wan have a big argument about it. Kenobi had a relationship in his youth with another Jedi that went beyond mere friendship. His old love, Taria Damsin, makes an appearance in this novel, and she’s dying from a terminal illness.

I really feel then Anakin has a hatred for Kenobi, the relationship between them really isn’t a brotherhood, but of tolerance. Nobody is disappointed in his old Padawan, and Anakin is constantly frustrated with his old master.

Do I recommend this book? If you’re a fan of the Clone Wars, I’d have to say yes!

RATING

This book receives a 3/5 stars, or a C+.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Novelization Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Novelization Review

Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie novelization was written by New York Times Bestselling Author Karen Traviss. This tale takes place during the Rise of Empire Era, shortly after the events of Attack of the Clones. The story is about 22 years before the battle of Yavin

SUMMARY

Count Dooku, leader of the Separatist Army, made an attempt to lure the Jabba the Huttinto joining the Separatist movement. The end goal was to have Jabba deny outer-rim hyperspace lanes in his territory, to Galactic Republic forces. Dooku has arranged to have Jabba the Hutts infant son, Rotta, kidnapped. Dooku’s apprentice Asajj Ventress and Jabba’s cousin, Zrio the Hutt design a plot that frames the Jedi Order as the culprit of kidnaping Rotta. Anakin Skywalker is assigned a padawan (a 14 year-old Togruta female named Ahsoka), a real surprise to Kenobi and Anakin. Anakin and Ahsoka are then sent on a mission to recover Rotta the Hutt, to maintain neutrality with Jabba. Access to the hyperspace lanes in the outer-rim are an important asset to the Republic’s Clone Army.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I’ve watched The Clone Wars movie a few years ago, I was not a fan. This novelization, which is based on the screenplay, does a fine job of telling the story in the novel format. I really do not like this story. So many elements are too goofy, unbelievable, and outright annoying. However, Karen Travis did a fine job translating the source material into the novelization. If I had the option to re-watch or re-read The Clone Wars, I would have to re-read the novelization. I enjoyed reading more of the conflict within Anakin. The title of “The Chosen One” really bothers him, but it does boost his ego. The author did a good job of delving into the young man’s struggles. Anakin hasn’t gotten over the loss of mother or the way he handled her death, which was actually sad, yet fascinating to see how he coped with the loss. Anakin’s irritation with authority was authentic. Anakin and his newly appointed padawn have a bumpy start. I feel that Ahsoka is a character designed to both mimic and one-up Anakin. They display the same traits; they’re cocky, powerful, have problems with authority, and are always trying to take the lead, The nicknames they have for each other is annoying, dare I say, cringy.

Do I recommend you pick up Star Wars: The Clone Warsi? I would say, read the book over watching the film.

RATING

I give The Clone Wars novelization 2 out of 5 stars..

Star Wars: Darth Maul Shadow Hunter

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Darth Maul Shadow Hunter Book Review

Star Wars: Darth Maul – Shadow Hunter was written by Michael Reaves. This story belongs to the Expanded Universe/Legends novel timeline. It takes place 32 years before the events of A New Hope.

SUMMARY

Darth Sidious, the dark lord of the Sith is getting so close to accomplishing his order’s goal – conquering the galaxy. One of the first major steps to throw the galaxy into chaos is at risk! A delegate of the the Trade Federation with knowledge of the planned blockade has gone on the run. Sidious sends out his apprentice, Darth Maul, to hunt down the deserter and traitor. The trail leads Maul to the Republic political world, of Coruscant.

Darsha Assamt, a Jedi Padawan, is sent on her first solo mission; to retrieve a known former member of the Black Sun crime organization. Darsha is to transport him to the Jedi temple unharmed, where he will trade information for safety. This mission takes Darsha to the underbelly of Coruscant, a dark dingy place overrun with crime and degenerates. The mission spirals out of control, and Darsha must tap into all that she’s trained for.

Lorn Pavan, a mildly depressed Information broker, gets himself caught up in a dangerous game when he purchases valuable information from a Namodian – a Holocron! Pavan knows he can earn a pretty penny selling the Holocron to the right buyer. He and his droid business parter, I-Five, would be able to leave Coruscant and start a new life. This “Sith Holocron” actually contains Sidious’s plans of taking out the Jedi Order and conquering the Galaxy. Darth Maul must find the Holocron before it falls into Jedi Hands.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

With so much going on, many paths being crossed with multiple characters, it’s surprisingly a very smooth read. With the first couple chapters I was a bit concerned that the book was going to be derailed or I’d get lost with the multiple stories going on all at once. That concern quickly faded as the stories came together rather seamlessly. So it turned out, that I was delighted with the flow of the story and the setting. The deep dive into the nasty underworld of Coruscant was highly entertaining.

It was interesting to follow a Jedi character that struggled so much. Not that I want to see the Jedi fail, but to see that such a powerful character-type can struggle. Throwing Darsha in the lower levels of Coruscant on her first mission was a fantastic story element. It takes her out of her comfort zone, being so close to home, yet seeming so far away and foreign.

Michael Reeves did a fine job giving us new characters such as Darsha, Lorn Pavan and his droid partner, I-Five. I was slightly irritated that a few characters were so quick to label the Sith. The Sith were thought dead and gone for so long, why would their existence/presence be at the forefront of multiple people’s minds? I think some of the story points could have been altered so that folks would think that a Jedi had gone rogue, and the Jedi are trying to figure out who it would be.

Speaking of the Sith, following Maul on his mission gave us a great look at the character’s inner thoughts, his control and lack there of with his actions. His quest for death and irradiation of the Jedi gets the better of him.

So, do I recommend that you read Darth Maul – Shadow Hunter? Yes! a fun story in a contained environment, easy to follow.

RATING

I will give this book an A.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space Book Review

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space was written by Karen Miller. This novel is part of the Expanded Universe, aka, Legends timeline. The tale takes place during the Rise of the Empire era, during the Clone Wars. The story is roughly 22 years before the battle of Yavin.

SUMMARY

Control of hyper-space lanes have become essential at the beginning of the galactic conflict. The separatist movement has picked up its pace in acquiring space-lanes throughout the galaxy. The plan is to disrupt the supply lines for the Republic; such as Tiabani Gas and Kessel Spice. General Grievous, of the Separate Army, has become a thorn in the Jedi’s side. The General geeks a kick out of keeping the order on edge at all times.

The Separatists are using brutal tactics to force planetary governments into withdrawing from the Republic. Intelligence has revealed that General Grievous has set sights on his next target, Bothawui, home-world of the Bothans. Kenobi was injured during a terrorist attack on Coruscant! As a result, the Jedi Council appoints newly raised Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker to lead a battle group . Skywalker is to fight against the assault on Bothawui.

Once Kenobi is healed, he and Senator Bail Organa team up to meet one of Organa’s informants. The contact has coordinates to the mysterious planet Zigoola, in Wild Space. Secrets of the Sith and a plan to overthrow the Jedi, may be found there. Kenobi and Organa are greatly challenged by the dark side.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

The first few chapters of the book are extremely good. We get important details that I had assumed were always overlooked. Such great detail is given about the horrible of tragedy that befalls the Jedi on Geonosis. I’ve always been curious with what happened after the battle; Karen Miller does a wonderful job laying it all out. The concern, the dread, the sorrow was expressed perfectly in the opening chapters. Miller does such a wonderful job of filling in the blanks between Attack of the Clones & The Clone Wars.

I was pleased with seeing a different side of Yoda, more grim and direct. It’s been a long time since Yoda had to use his Lightsaber, seeing this conflict with Republic is heavy on his spirit. He wasn’t just the kind, wise Yoda we’re used to, he was authoritative and direct.

Miller managed to put a little thing in this book that I thought to be a brilliant move. Palpatine pushed the media to highlight Jedi that play a prominent roll in battle. It’s brilliant because this cloud be used later in his Imperial propaganda pieces. The Jedi, did not like being on the forefront of the Holo-Net.

I was hearting that this story would be one of the worst! Honestly, I really have to disagree, I found it to be entertaining. That said, there are some things about this that are too silly, that in my opinion, somewhat belittle Obi-Wan. I thought the book, while mostly decent, has some really weird things, the title should’ve been “Kenobi Crisis.”

I don’t want to spoil the book for those that haven’t read it; but if you replace the word “Sith” with “the dark side” so many moments would have been so much better. This mix up really is what deducted some points for the rating.

Do I recommend this book? If you like the Clone Wars, yes.

RATING

This book receives a 3/5 stars, or a C+.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: No Prisoners Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: No Prisoners Book Review

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: No Prisoners was written by Karen Traviss. This novel is part of the Expanded Universe, aka, Legends timeline. The tale takes place during the Rise of the Empire era, during the Clone Wars, somewhere between 22-19 years before the battle of Yavin.

SUMMARY

Anakin Skywalker needs a break from everything, his padawn, the war, space, just responsibilities in general. He is desperate for some quite alone time with his wife, Padme. So, he sends his padawan, Ahsoka Tano off with Clone Trooper Captain Rex and his team of “new” clones. The squad boards the Republic Assault Ship, Leveler, to join Captain Pallaeon on a routine “shakedown cruise.”

Meanwhile, Republic Secret Agent Hallena gets caught up in a sticky situation, and is forced to send out an SOS. The message is picked up by some Jedi that live by a different set of rules than the Order. These Jedi come across The Leveler and deliver the message to the Republic forces. The urgent news of Hallena’s situation, will take take Captain Pallaeon, his crew of “green” clones, Captain Rex, Ahoska and a few Jedi from outside the order – on a rescue mission.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I found this book to be a strange one. It’s not too bad, but I definitely wouldn’t call it good. Karen Traviss delivers some bizarre takes on the Jedi Order and how they operate. I was really enjoying the first half of the book, but when the author shoved in a few new Jedi characters, everything turned upside down for me.

Before I get into what went wrong, I’d like to cover what I did enjoy about the book. Traviss does well writing dialogue for the characters. The structure was straight forward, making the book a breeze to get through.

I thought it was pretty cool that we get to see some fresh clones getting involved in the war. We focus in on the small group as their pulled into a rescue mission, and it was pretty fun. The slower moments with characters sitting around talking with each other was well done. It’s in the action that the story felt weighed down.

In the Clone Wars show, I always thought Ahsoka’s attire was disturbing… she’s a 14 year-old girl and she revealed more skin than necessary. In this book, Karren Traviss brings attention to the dress-code when Ahsoka boards Pallaeon’s ship; the Captain makes her put on cloths that don’t reveal skin, as the young lady looked unbecoming and undisciplined.

We meet some new Jedi from outside of the Republic’s Jedi Order. The group of three Jedi, are very strange. I thought they were a bit interesting at first, but they ended up being too weird. They viewed the Jedi Order as way too strict, enforcing rules that didn’t matter, rules that bred defiance. The Clone Troopers disturb them quite a bit, they are disgusted by the Republic’s decision to send cloned humans to war as a disposable tool; the lives of these clones, basically meaningless. I feel like these characters were shoved in as a way for the author to rebel against the canon (at the time).

The message in this book, that was driven into the endless reaches of space, the message that beat the dead banhta… “attachment is good – obsession is bad.” It was such an annoying subject to cover. We learn that Ki-Adi-Mundi has several wives (5 of them, and he’s got children. His race has a low birth rate and males are rare). Anakin is highly irritated by this, as it just isn’t fair, it didn’t affect Ki-Adi-Mundi’s abilities, and he’s on the Jedi Council!

Traviss’s character, Master Altis, was created to be wiser than Yoda. He understood so much more about everything than the nearly 900 year old Jedi Master. Altis was a better teacher, able to bring in new students to train as Jedi, that were older than Anakin is at this current time. Altis had a wife at one time, he has students that are in a relationship… I found these characters absurd. It really felt like the author just wanted to put in new Jedi, to express how she viewed the Order – or how the Jedi should have been. It’s strange.

So, do I recommend that you read Star Wars: The Clone Wars: No Prisoners? No, I think this is one that could be left out of your reading stack.

RATING

I give No Prisoners a D, or 2 out 5 stars.

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