STAR WARS - CLONE WARS GAMBIT - STEALTH

DEL REY

Written by Karen Miller

Copyright 2010 by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Registered or Trademarked where indicated. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpt by Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Outcast copyright 2009 by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Registered or Trademarked where indicated. All Rights Reserved.



In the first of the two-part series, Stealth - written by Karen Miller, and based on the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are sent to the planet Lanteeb, a backwater planet which has suddenly drawn the attention of the Separatists during the Clone Wars.

After an investigation, Senator Padme Amidala, Kenobi, and Skywalker are convinced that the Separatists are developing a deadly bio weapon on Lanteeb. On Lanteeb, Separatist General Lok Durd is forcing Dr. Bent'ena Fhernan to develop this bio weapon for the Separatists - or he will kill all of her friends and family.

While the virus was decidedly vile and deadly, the fact that Fherman is being blackmailed into creating this virus was horrible for me to consider. The fact that Obi-Wan was willing to sacrifice Fherman's family for the big picture of saving the Galactic Republic made me feel for both Fhernan and Anakin. Anakin only wants to protect Fhernan and her family and made me feel as if Obi-Wan did not care about anybody. I felt for Fhernan in that, why should she sacrifice her family and friends - the people that she loves - for an entire galaxy that she does not know and of whom the galaxy does not know of or care of for Fhernan? What makes the galaxy more important than Fhernan's family and friends?

Back home, I liked that Ashoka - while undergoing medical treatment to get back to health after being injured from a mission - still cared for her clone troopers who were also injured with her under her command, especially after their communication systems were sabotaged during that mission.

Since the book was based on the cartoon series, instead of the movie, I kept picturing the characters from the cartoon series and their cartoon character voices instead of the real-life actors like Natalie Portman.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - REVENGE OF THE SITH

Del Rey Books Mass Market Edition

Written by Mathew Stover

Copyright 2005 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.



Revenge of the Sith by Mathew Stover is the novelization of the movie Revenge of the Sith. In the midst of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Council sends Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on a mission to get the cyborg Separatist leader General Grievous. Meanwhile, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic Palpatine strips away the citizens personal liberties throughout the Republic in the name of security to establish the Galactic Empire. Palpatine also turns the public against the Jedi - including Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, of which the Jedi Council denies Anakin from becoming a Jedi Master. Anakin also has visions and fears that his secret wife, Senator Padme Amidala, will die in childbirth. Palpatine manipulations, and Anakin's fear, leads to an unspeakable new Sith Lord - Darth Vader.

While many of the politics of the book may seem like they came out of today's headlines - George Lucas actually based the politics from the Vietnam War era, since that is the time when George Lucas started writing Star Wars. This is perhaps the darkest story of all of the stories in the Star Wars series as the story of Revenge of the Sith leads into the dark times and the Galactic Empire - and the darkness of the various characters as the Dark Side reaches them.

While I have never believed Hayden Christensen as Anakin in the movie, in the book the characterization of Anakin was much more believable. Having Anakin defeat Count Dooku in the way that he did was rather graphic for the Chosen One - a preview of Anakin's path towards the Dark Side. Chancellor Palpatine seems more like a reasonable regular politician throughout most of the book - although Palpatine does give the infamous Order 66 for the clone troopers to exterminate the Jedi. It is hard for me to believe that the young Darth Vader had no remorse or not having any type of emotion for his deeds, except for his anger toward Obi-Wan at the climax and of what Vader's deeds has ultimately cost him. Having tiny little Yoda do battle with Darth Sidious is great to see, even though Yoda will grow weak by the time of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. I liked how the end of the book set everything in motion for the next series of books, starting with Star Wars: A New Hope.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES

LUCAS Books
A Del Rey Book

Written by R. A. Salvatore

Copyright 2002 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker is an older Padawan learner who becomes reunited with Senator Padme Amidala on the galactic capitol world of Coruscant. With an attempt on her life, Anakin is assigned to protect Padme as Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi goes on a quest through the Jedi Archives database to try to discover why on a hidden planet in space called Kamino, an army of clones is being created.

A lot has changed since The Phantom Menace. Padme has gone from being Queen of Naboo to being a Senator in the Galactic Republic. Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi is now a Jedi Knight and Anakin is now Kenobi's Padawan. You see more of Anakin's mother Shmi, and her new husband and adopted son Owen. While it was great to see Anakin returning home to the desert world of Tatooine to meet his step-brother Owen, you feel their pain when Shmi gets kidnapped by the Tuskin Raiders. With Anakin protecting Padme from Trade Federation assassins as the conflict with the Separatist movement increases, their relationship grows until Anakin and Padme finally wed in secret. Meanwhile, the Clone Wars begin....

Pancho
All people smile in the same langauge.