Book Review: Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance SPOILERS!

The first ever The Old Republic novel is penned by Sean Williams. Don't let the following synopsis fool you, though. It doesn't happen like that till half-way through the novel, much like a Kevin J. Anderson novel. It also contains one big discrepancy: Satele Shan is listed as the Grand Master when the events of the trailer Deceived take place weeks before—that's what the book leads one to believe, anyway—when she was a Jedi Padawan. Synopsis: From across the galaxy they've come: agents of both the Republic and the Sith Empire, an investigating Jedi Padawan, an ex-trooper drummed out of the Republic's elite Blackstar Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian. An extraordinary auction has drawn them all together—in quest of a prize only one can claim. Each is prepared to do what he must to possess the treasure, whose value may be the wealth of a world itself. None intended to leave empty-handed. All have secrets, desires, and schemes. An nothing could ever unite them as allies—except the truth about the deadly danger of the object they covet. But can Sith and Jedi, Republic and Empire—enemies for millennia—join as one against the certain doom of the galaxy?

The novel opens in Wild Space, where Jet Nebula, in the Auriga Fire, has captured the Cinzia. After a failed attempt to board it, Jet pilots the Fire away as Cinzia explodes. They scan the wreckage and notice something. On Coruscant, Jedi Padawan Shigar Konshi storms through the skywalks on a mission for the Order, seething from his meeting with the Jedi Council on Tython where they passed over him for testing in the Trials to become a Knight. A violent confrontation takes place in a nearby warehouse where former Republic trooper Larin Moxla confronts the sole survivor, and instigator, of the conflict, Mandalorian warrior Dao Stryver. After a brief fight with each other, Shigar and Larin team up to find Styver and figure out what Cinzia and Lema Xandret mean. On Dromund Kaas, in Kaas City, Sith apprentice Eldon Ax, recently returned from failed a mission her master Sith Lord Darth Chratis sent her on, is asked by the Dark Council and Chratis about the mission. She reports failure but Darth Howl is lenient and demands that Chratis tell Eldon everything. Eldon is Cinzia nad her mother was Lema and all that was being blocked by Chratis. From Imperial Intelligence, they learn that the cargo of the Cinzia ended up on Nal Hutta, in an auction the Hutts are holding. A Sith spy within the Republic, Ula Vii, hears rumors about Lema and the Cinzia and passes it to his Imperial masters where Chratis and Eldon are about to depart for Hutt Space.

All four journeys are made: Shigar and Larin, Chratis and Eldon, Ula, and Stryver. They all meet in a violent clash of interests that ends up with a small group of hexagonal droids attacking them. Though they're destroyed, Stryver escapes with Cinzia's navicomputer. Eldon copies the memory hardware from one of the destroyed droids that might lead back to Cinzia's point of origin. Shigar and Larin deal with the primary Hutt auctioneer, Tassaa Bareesh, during the aftermath of the violence oer Cinzia's contents. They make a deal with the Hutt and are allowed to leave and continue with their journey.With a complemement of Bareesh's own guardds, Jet and Ula, Shigar is able to retrace the origin points via the Force. They leave for the origin planet, Sebaddon, located near a black hole on the very edge of the galaxy. The hexagonal droids seem too pwerful to stop, so the Republic and Empire fleets team up and destroy the droids, in spite of the problems between them. Plus Eldon and Satele accidentally kill a clone of Eldon who'd been unknowingly controlling the hex army. Eldon takes control of the hexes herself and commands them to kill Darth Chratis then orders the droids to destroy themselves in the lava of Sebaddon. The alliance breaks and the Republic and the Empire plunge back into war.The primary character's lives change for the better, including Eldon who is taken under the wing of Darth Howl.

All in all, a less than stellar Star Wars novel penned by one of the most mediocre authors for the franchise. The characters are stale and unmoving in their beliefs and literally are just one-dimensional characters that are cardboard cutouts. Other than the events, nothing really happens with the characters that makes the reader want to read this.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: No Prisoners SPOILERS!

Karen Traviss's second and last novel in the Clone Wars TV series spin-off novels, it holds some of the best work by Karen, if being a bit on the slim side. Published in May 2009, five months before she was fired from writing any more Star Wars novels, it was perhaps one of her best. Synopsis: The Clone Wars rage on. As insurgent Separatists fight furiously to wrest control of the galaxy from the Republic, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine cunningly manipulates both sides for his own sinister purposes. Torrent Company’s Captain Rex agrees to temporarily relieve Anakin Skywalker of Ahsoka, his ubiquitous—and insatiably curious—Padawan, by bringing her along on a routine three-day shakedown cruise aboard Captain Gilad Pellaeon’s newly refitted assault ship. But the training run becomes an active—and dangerous—rescue mission when Republic undercover agent Hallena Devis goes missing in the middle of a Separatist invasion. Dispatched to a distant world to aid a local dictator facing a revolution, Hallena finds herself surrounded by angry freedom fighters and questioning the Republic’s methods–and motives. Summoned to rescue the missing operative who is also his secret love, Pellaeon—sworn to protect the Republic over all—is torn between duty and desire. And Ahsoka, sent in with Rex and six untested clone troopers to extract Hallena, encounters a new and different Jedi philosophy, which shakes the foundation of her upbringing to the core. As danger and intrigue intensify, the loyalties and convictions of all involved will be tested....

The novel opens with a first person point of view of Captain Gilad Pellaeon as he prepares for Clone Captain Rex of the 501st Legion and Padawan Ahsoka Tano, who is on leave from Anakin Skywalker. On the planet JanFathal, Republic Intelligence agent Hallena Devis is assigned to help the fascist government keep its people from from siding with the Separatists. Pellaeon's taking his ship, the Acclamator-class assault ship Leveler out on a shakedown run in the Fath sector when Rex and Ahsoka arrive. Pelleaon tells Ahsoka to change into proper Republic uniform, since a teenager dressing like a slut is wrong in Pellaeon's eyes. In Athar, the capital of JanFathal, Hallena is given a job of sweeping and meets Merish Hath and Shil Kaval, the leaders of the pro-Separatist group, and is invited to join in their rebellion. On Coruscant, Anakin and Padme enjoy a couple of days with each other. On Leveler, Pelleaon and Rex are alerted to CIS forces jumping into the Fath system. On the planet, Merish and Shil announce that the revolution has arrived. In the cargo vessel Wookiee Gunner, Jedi Master Djinn Altis, Callista Ming, and Geith Eris and a few other members of Altis' Jedi sect, debating Yoda's "old school" philosophy.

The revolution of JanFathal has started and Republic Intelligence wants an update but Hallena's unable to respond and gets knocked unconscious by a passing hovertruck as the Separatists invade. On Coruscant, Anakin gets a call from Rex about the situation and Anakin feels uneasy. He departs Coruscant for the Fath system. Shil and Merish find out about Hallena being an operative and hold her hostage but she transmits an emergency message to any nearby ships, warning of the invasion. Altis, aboard Wookiee Gunner, shows up and docks with Leveler. Altis passes the message along and RepInt says that it's Hallena Devis on JanFathal. Pellaeon believes himself to be too close to this and asks Rex to handle the rescue operation and in the meantime, they're going to wait for Intel to catch up to them. Pellaeon gives Altis a pen he borrowed from Hallena so Altis can get a clear sense of her. Rex, Ahsoka, Callista and the 501st Torrent Company descend to JanFathal, Altis homing in on her life force. Callista and Ahsoka protect Torrent Company's flank while they charge into the regent's palace to rescue Hallena. During a philosophical talk, Ahsoka becomes upset when she learns that Altis' Jedi haven't fallen to the dark side nor have any of the other major Force groups: The Witches of Dathomir (not the Nightsisters and Nightbrothers), the Baran Do, the Jal Shey, the Zeison Sha, and dozens of others. Altis distracts Merish and Shil while Rex rolls in a stun grenade and extract Hallena.

Vere dies and the others try to pack it in to get off and manage to ex-filtrate JanFathal. Anakin arrives and escorts the shuttle to Leveler but a Separatist vessel give Leveler chase. Anakin breaks off and goes to stall the Seps while Leveler tries to get away. Before the shuttle gets close to Leveler, it jumps away. Sergeant Coric powers the shuttle down as it won't do Anakin any good in a fight. Anakin makes the choice to land back on JanFathal. Meanwhile, Pellaeon is swearing up a storm about how the nacomputers just fritzed out. Anakin and the others make a plan to steal a CR-20 troop carrier from the Seps and escape in case Leveler and Pellaeon can't make it back to the Fath system in time. Leveler jumps back in time to get the CR-20 docked before plotting a jump to Kemla but the Separatists are still on their tail. Callista falls deep into the Force and uses her skills with electronics to disable the Separatist ships while the Leveler gets away.  Hallena walks away from the Republic and joins Altis while Altis and Anakin talk about hypothetical and philosophical stuff. In the end, Altis and his Jedi are on Yarille, helping out the locals recovering from a battle.

All in all, a decent, fast paced novel from Karen Traviss that adds the necessary depth to the TV show. And it did so in a way that most anti-Traviss Star Wars fans didn't feel preached at. I'd recommend this for any fan of Star Wars.