Book Review: Star Wars: Darth Plagueis SPOILERS!

So it came out in early January 2012 and I'm just now getting to a review of it. That's not because of bad writing or horrible storytelling, which not one single part of this book has. It's because of the ammount of material of the Expanded Universe has been put into this novel that's made me want to reread it with all of that material so I can grasp the bigger picture. And may I say, after waiting for seven years for this book, author James Luceno does not disappoint. Synopsis: Plagueis was the most powerful Sith Lord who ever lived. But could he be the only one who never died? Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master—but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power... over life and death. Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor. Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?

The novel opens moments after Palpatine kills Plagueis and feels the untold power of the dark side become his. It then shifts back 35 years to when Plagueis, on a visit to Bal'demnic to view its cortosis supply, kills his master, Darth Tenebrous. After stowing away on the Woebegone and killing the vast majority of its crew, Plagueis and his new-found droid 11-4D, arrive at Muunilinst, the homeworld of the Muuns (Plagueis' species) and uses his guise as Hego Damask to ruin Subtext Mining, as well as talk with members of the Gran Protectorate and the Trade Federation. In meditation, Plagueis notes that all Sith training in the Banite Sith is distorted thanks to most of its former members and Darth Gravid. Palgueis helps the Yinchorri gain membership into the Republic, which has disastrous effects on the galaxy in the Yinchorri Uprising in 33 BBY. Darth Venamis, Tenebrous' second apprentice, shows up and loses to Plagueis. Plagueis experiments on the Bith for his quest to seek immortality. After offing Venamis' apprentice on Abraxin in the Tion Hegemony, Plagueis meets with Ars Veruna on Naboo and wants to mine the planet's reserves of plasma. He also meets a brilliant young man named Palpatine and after becoming "friends," Palpatine kills his parents and goes into hiding with Palgueis where he learns about the Force and the Sith.

Palpatine wonders whether he will become some yellow-eyed, raspy-voiced, pale-skinned monster like Darth Sion, Darth Nihilus, or King Ommin of Onderon. On Coruscant, where he's a senatorial aide, Palpatine, Kinman Doriana, Janus Greejatus, and Senator Vidar Kim meet with other senators when Vidar received a message about his family's death. He seeks out his son, Ronhar, to help continue the family line. Palpatine visits the southern outpost on the backwater world of Dathomir and receives Maul as an unwanted gift from a Nightsister from a tribe that's been exiled from the rest of the Witches of Dathomir and main Nightsister group. Plagueis suggests that Maul be trained as a Sith tool. On Kamino, Plagueis learns from Ko Sai that the Yinchorri can't be easily cloned but humans can and asks if they have any objections to working with Rothana Heavy Engineering. Palpatine, after conferring with Plagueis, has Sate Pestage sent a Maladian—because the Death Watch is busy dealing with Mand'alor Jango Fett and the True Mandalorians—to kill Vidar; none survive, except Ronhar, who becomes friends with Palpatine. As a result, Palpatine becomes the senator for Naboo. On Serenno, Plagueis meets Dooku, Qui-Gon Jinn, Jocasta Nu, and Sifo-Dyas; he finds Dooku worthy of being a Sith, a rival in Qui-Gon, and Sifo-Dyas a tool. Plagueis almost drops Kamino to Sifo-Dyas, but the Force nudges him to keep quiet. Senator Pax Teem makes a move against Plagueis and Plagueis is wounded severely. Palpatine and Pestage arrive on scene and save him. Palpatine kills Teem and his cohorts in vengeance and anger. As a result, Plagueis has to wear a breath mask and and withdraws from the galaxy.

The Yinchorri Uprising has happened, the Stark Hyperspace War is done, the Mandalorians are licking their wounds from Galidraan, and Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum's popularity is waning. Ars Veruna, now king of Naboo, reveals the Naboo starships to Palpatine. Palpatine goads Nute Gunray into doing his bidding and thus the preparations for the Naboo invasion begin. Palpatine sends Maul to do a bit of work on Dorvalla while Plagueis meets with Jabba Desilijic Tiure to bring podracing to Tatooine. Palpatine and Dooku have become friendly towards each other over the last few years and discuss the wickedness behind the Galidraan incident where a few Jedi massacred 100 True Mandalorians and arrested Jango Fett and what happened to Komari Vosa, Dooku's latest apprentice. Dooku lets slip about the prophecy of the Chose One. Palpatine talks with the Naberrie family about putting Padme forth as queen to remove Ars Veruna now that he's outlived his purpose. Gardulla Besadii the Elder, the Black Sun, and the Bando Gora attack Plagueis' stronghold but arrive too late as Plagueis is hiding in a ship with 11-4D, and is spirited away by Jabba. Maul is sent to deal with Black Sun and it's current ruler, Alexi Garyn; Plagueis kills Veruna, Dooku hears about some Jedi killing Komari—who runs the Bando Gora; and Jabba deals blows to Gardulla on Tatooine. After a disastrous affair on Dorvalla, Gunray is in for the invasion. Black Sun is in shambles with Xizor and Sise Fromm looking to take over and Padme Amidala is enforcing a new security measure for all Naboo citizens, including Palpatine. After killing a large number of people on Coruscant, a holocron is delivered to Palpatine and Plagueis on an orbital station above Coruscant.  On that station, Plagueis drops Kamino to Sifo-Dyas and about getting a feeling that war is coming and that the Republic had best be prepared for it. Amidala informs Palpatine and Valorum that Naboo is being invaded. Certain events happen and Plagueis hears about an extraordinary boy, Anakin Skywalker. Before he can see him, he's swept off to Naboo. On the night before Palpatine becomes Chancellor, Palpatine kills Plagueis in his sleep and, a couple days later, learns that Maul died fighting Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the epilogue, Palpatine talks to Obi-Wan and Anakin, reassuring Anakin that he [Palpatine] is watching Anakin's future with great interest.

All in all, a pulse-pounding novel that really comes to grips with just how far the Grand Plan had been in effect and how the disjointed events leading up to the Phantom Menace came about. Luceno did one heckuva job bringing all these things together and tying them in so it all made sense. It was well worth the wait. Geat characterizations that pull at the story. And well worth it if you can spot all the other stories it references and read/play them alongside.*

*Note: only recommended for hardcore fans of Star Wars and the Expanded Universe.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars SPOILERS!

In 2008, and only in hardcover, Karen Traviss wrote the epic novelization for a kids TV show that has failed to catch onto long-time teenage and adult Star Wars fans. A year before Del Rey fired her, it had promised to take the childish antics of the movie and target it toward adults. It suceeded mainly because of her attention to the battle field that some of the more recent authors (Troy Denning, Christie Golden, Sean Williams, Drew Karpyshyn) are lacking. Karen also doesn't hide the fact that Palpatine is Darth Sidious--the only other author to do this was Matthew Stover when he wrote the Revenge of the Sith novelization.

Synopsis: The raging Clone Wars illuminate dark motives and darker destinies until one question must be answered: Does the end ever justify the means? It's time the Jedi found out. Across the galaxy, the Clone Wars are raging. The Separatists, led by Count Dooku, the onetime Jedi and now secret Sith Lord, continue to press forward, and more and more worlds are either falling, or seceding and joining the cause. Under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the Republic heroically battles on, championed by its huge army of cloned soldiers and their Jedi generals. Anakin Skywalker, believed by some to be the prophesied "Chosen One" destined to bring balance to the Force, is now a Jedi Knight under the tutelage of his Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Death is a constant possibility—and his chances of survival aren't improved by the unexpected arrival of an apprentice: Ahsoka, a brash inexperienced fourteen-year-old Padawan. But there's no time for Anakin to question his latest orders. He and Obi-Wan have been assigned a new mission, and failure is not an option. Jabba the Hutt's precious infant son has been kidnapped, and when the frantic parent applies to the Jedi for help, it falls to Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and their clone troops to track down the evidence and retrieve the missing Huttlet. And more is at stake: For a grateful Jabba just might allow the Republic access to the Hutt-controlled space lanes that the Grand Army desperately needs in order to beat the Separatists into submission. But the Republic is not the only power that craves access to those space lanes. Count Dooku, determined to win the prize for the Separatists, has set a trap for the Jedi. When they find the Huttlet, they will also find Dooku's master assassin, Asajj Ventress, and countless legions of battle droids waiting to spring a trap. The blazing new animated feature film Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place in the years preceding Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and sets the stage for the groundbreaking TV series. Both contain all original material—direct from the brilliant imagination of legendary Star Wars creator George Lucas. And these exciting new adventures and characters are being brought to life in book form by none other than #1 New York Times bestselling Star Wars author Karen Traviss.

Unlike her other tie-in novels, this story starts out with a third-person point of view of Jabba Desilijic Tiure when he learns that his son, Rotta, has been kidnapped. It then goes to Dooku as he asks Ziro if he can kill a child. Ziro redirects this and they get into a discussion of politics. Dooku confirms with Ventress that Rotta is safe on Teth. Meanwhile, Palpatine gets a call from Jabba and presents it to the Jedi. They don't believe it's anything more than a simple kidnapping, but Yoda says otherwise. On Christophsis, Anakin and Obi-Wan and the clone troopers of the 501st Legion are recoving from a recent attack by Separatist forces when a shuttle arrives from Coruscant bearing Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's apprentice. Anakin is upset because the normal routine is to get to know the Padawan for at least three years and have a discussion with the Jedi Council. Jabba learns from hackers Gaib and TK-0 (Karen's infamous hackers from the Republic Commando series) that Rotta is on Teth. Jabba sends men there who quickly die to Ventress. Intillegence officer Lt. Kom'rk, N-6, of the Special Operations Brigade in the Grand Army of the Republic warns the Jedi High generals about how easily the information leak about Rotta being on Teth could be. Anakin lets Rex show Ahsoka the ropes until General Whorm Loathsom ups his attack.

Ahsoka and Anakin strike at his headquarters and use explosives to shut the droid control center down while Obi-Wan talks negotiations with Loathsom. Yoda shows up to relieve Anakin and Obi-Wan from Christophsis and tells them to take the 501st over to Teth and retrieve Rotta. Anakin and Ahsoka head to Teth while Obi-Wan goes to talk with Jabba. Rotta is being held at an abandoned B'marr monk monastary on Teth and the 501st ascend via AT-TE tanks, blasting their way up the mountain side. Ventress voices a question to her long dead Jedi Master, Ky Narec, about the state of the whole deception before she joins the fray and alters the holoimage of Anakin and Ahsoka rescueing Rotta. Jabba becomes angered when Dooku presents the falsified image. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, has teamed up with a fledgling 501st batch that Ventress's droids are cutting down. While all that is going on, Dooku succeeds in getting Jabba on his side. Meanwhile, Anakin and Ahsoka, with Rotta, arrive at Tatooine and encounter Dooku. Anakin holds him off while Ahsoka makes her way to Jabba's palace. She's stopped by a couple of Grievous's IG-101 bodyguard droids. Dooku fails to stop Anakin from getting away and flees before Jabba finds out. Obi-Wan and Anakin arrive at Jabba's palace ahead of Ahsoka and he demands that they die, even after Ahsoka shows up with Rotta. A holocall from Naboo Senator Amidala convinces Jabba to let them live.

All in all, a good novel, not one of Karen's best, but the battle scenes are worth it. Shame there aren't any copies left except as possible borrowed copies from friends or on Ebay. It only had a few thousand copies made and all of them were snatched up with none left. A rare deal indeed for Karen in her venture writing for Star Wars, both in short orders and in terms of being sold out in a couple of months. All in all, she tried her best to connect the new show to the greater Expanded Universe than the TV show has.