 |
|
Title: The Clone Wars (Star Wars)
ISBN: 034550898X
Author:
Karen Traviss
Publicate Date: 2008-07-26
Publish: 2008-07-26
List Price: $20.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Hardcover
 |
|
|
|
|
Amazon Lowest New Price: $9.67
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $6.26
Amazon Merchant Price: $13.60
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Customer Review: |
|
1: Proof that you can't always judge a book by its movie
I wasn't exactly blown away by the Clone Wars on the big screen It wasn't awful--but it wasn't great either. The plot had several gaping holes. (Yeah, I know it was just a cartoon, but that is no excuse.) However, in her novelisation of the film Karen Traviss does a fair job of plugging those holes.
Traviss gives Anakin's new Padawan some real teeth (literally), transforming Asoka from an annoyingly precocious child into a born predator. She delves into Anakin's internal monolog, revealing a trouble young man with a saviour complex. She gives the enigmatic Asajj Ventress a bit of a backstory (I'd love to see it expanded sometime). She even explains Hutt reproduction.
In her debut Star Wars novel Hard Contact, Traviss laid claimed to the clones, giving them a unique heritage and an equally unique perspective on both life and war. She excels at capturing the "band of brothers" mentality that develops under fire and she uses that skill to make clone Captain Rex the most interesting character in the book.
This is a quick read, and while it isn't an essential chapter in the Expanded Universe, it should appeal to wide cross-section of Star Wars readers.
3.75 stars rounded up to 4.
A Time Traveller's Review
|
2: It is basically a young-adult novella
I had seen the animated movie. I knew that it was directed mainly at the younger generation of prospective fans and dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars aficionados. Since I knew about Tracy West's same-titled junior novelization of the movie, I assumed that Karen Traviss's adaptation would be directed at adult Star Wars devotees. To put it simply: I was mistaken.
While the book does give more background and describes events in more detail, the plot simply isn't deep enough for an adult novel. And while more material is included in the book as opposed to the movie, some events from the movie are simply missing. For instance, in the denouement, while we know exactly what was happening with Anakin, whatever happened to Ahsoka and the Huttlet between the time she and Anakin split up and then reunited is simply omitted.
I already had seen the movie and thus knew (mainly) what was going to happen. Couple that with the fact that the book ended up being below my expectations, and the rating is * * *. However, if I hadn't seen the movie and hadn't seen the book's dust jacket (with the characters clearly animated), the fact that the book turned out to be a young-adult novella, etc. wouldn't have mattered that much. Thus the rating would probably have been * * * *.
|
3: A Great Companion to the Movie
The war between the Separatists and the Republic is in full swing. While Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker lead their troops to victory on Christophsis, Jabba the Hutt faces a crisis of his own when his son is mysteriously kidnapped on Tatooine. Jabba sends out a call for help to the Jedi Council and they reluctantly agree to set up a rescue mission in exchange for access to the Hutt controlled Outer Rim space lanes. Anakin is called in to lead the mission and soon discovers a devious plot that could cripple the Republic's standing in the war. Now Anakin and his new Padawan, Ahsoka, are caught in a deadly game of survival against the menacing forces of the dark side.
The Clone Wars really works as a great companion to the movie and the perfect introduction to the groundbreaking new animated Clone Wars series. Karen Traviss is no rookie to the Star Wars expanded universe and once again she proves just how talented she is. As with all of the Star Wars film novelizations, we are treated here to even more insight into the major characters and plots. Traviss especially brings Clone Captain Rex to life throughout the story and as a result we begin to see him as not just a clone, but a person of great honor and integrity.
I especially enjoyed the action scenes and battle sequences throughout. Traviss knows how to take readers into the heat of the moment in the midst of blaster fire and light saber duels galore. Even if you've seen the film (and you really should), as a Star Wars fan you owe it to yourself to pick up this great addition to the Star Wars universe.
|
4: Clones vs Droids
The actual Clone Wars, not the book, have come a long ways in the Star Wars universe. We originally learned of them from a mostly off-hand reference early in the films. Some of us may have wondered then what kind of fighting went on during the Clone Wars. When was it? Where was it fought? Exactly who was on each side?
Well, here we are down the road. We have a movie. We have an animated TV series, and we have a book by none other than Karen Traviss. Ms Traviss is noted particularly for her excellent Republic Commando series, and she has maintained her high standards with The Clone Wars. She is now one of the authors whose name alone on the front of a book can increase sales.
At the time of this book, the Clone Wars are raging across the galaxy. On one side we have the Separatists, led by the venerable Count Dooku, a onetime Jedi and current Sith Lord in secret. He manages a huge droid army. On the other side we have the Republic, publically led by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Nudge! Nudge! Wink! Wink!) and his army of clone troopers led by Jedi generals.
The story is fairly straightforward and includes a number of impressive action sequences (as you might expect since the story is based on the TV series). Jabba the Hutt's infant son has been kidnapped, and both sides are trying to rescue him. The successful side is hoping to gain enough favor with Jabba to gain access to key routes through Hutt-controlled space. Basically we end up with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Won Kenobi with their clone troops fighting droid forces led by Asajj Ventress. We also are introduced to Anakin's new Padawan Ahsoka, who turns out to be a breath of fresh air in all of the Clone Wars
As the tale unfolds we are privy to much of the thinking of the clone soldiers. Ms Traviss seems to be specializing in this. We are also allowed in the mind of Palpatine to see what he is actually thinking. This was a great idea because there are some classic moments when Palpatine may not be thinking exactly what you expect.
All in all, The Clone Wars is a fun story to read. See the movie! Watch the TV series! Read the book! It's all good.
|
5: Another adventure in the world of Star Wars
This is another exciting adventure in the Clone Wars. I really like the way that they give a little bit of background on Asajj Ventress. Another great character that I think a book should be written about her. This also shows the struggles that Anakin has with being a general, a jedi, and a mentor and the sruggle within himself.
Over all a good quick read that keeps the cast of characters to a minimum and the characters are ones we know.
|
|
|
|
|
