Star Wars Books

I found this book to be one of the most entertaining, exciting Star Wars books I have read, much better than the Legacy series of novels.

This new book, based on the forthcoming game developed by LucasArts, is very well written. Williams is a three book Star Wars veteran having written a trilogy of books for the New Jedi Order with his writing partner Shane Dix, so he knows what he's doing. Williams adapts the story line very well, even mentioning the other alternate storylines that occur during the game based onn the player's choice, although the story that William's presents will most likely be adapted into the Star Wars timeline. Williams does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, in particular the protagonist, Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice. The struggle that the apprentice has later in the story when he discovers a secret from his past does well to humanize him.

But, there are some problems within the story that bugged me but didn't damage the story to much. The action is a little repetitive at times. The Apprentice goes onto a planet, kills a mess of enemies, fights an enemy Jedi or Sith, and comes to some kind of revelation. Rinse, then repeat.

Although this little flaw mars an overall great story, this is truely a great continuation of the Star Wars story. Hears to unleashing more of the story with the game in September and its eventual sequels.

Star Wars fans should pick this up and those people who like a story of redemption.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got this book once i had the opportunity. Truth is, my choice of reading was correct!

Every good Star Wars story must have a very dramatic story in it with a lot of action. This book was filled with this. I'm still surprised how the apprentice ended out. This book was so interesting and had so much action, I couldn't stop in the middle until i was through 100 pages of the book.

In addition, this book really does express the Force in an Unleashed state (that is why they named that the book), and in one chapter, he brings down a Star Destroyer using only the force! The book expresses the protagonist destroying everything and killing everyone in sight.

Compared to other Star Wars books (which are also great), this book is unbelievingly great, and I strongly recommend it.

I bought this book with high expectations that it would at least measure up to Shadow of the Empire, what got instead was the worst star wars book ever written. That is saying a lot considering there is the Dark Nest Trilogy and a few selections from the NJO series that, dubiously, could claim that title. But this one by far is the worst.

The writing is very stale with poorly defined characters. This is more like reading a summary of the game and instead of a well conceived plot that develops on its own place. It does start of well, but it quickly goes down hill fairly quickly and by the time I got through the first part I found myself unable to finish reading it. The only bright spot was the droid and found his character the most captivating when compared to all the others.

I was also dissapointed by the overall appearance of the book as well. Right away you get the feeling this book is not meant to be taken very seriously and is almost cartoonish in appearance. It is very distracting when you try to read it and definitely takes away from the story because of the poor lay out.

Definitely don't buy the hardcover of this and read the paperback once it comes out. My recommendation is to skip the book entirely and just play the game.

If you are looking for a good star wars new release to read, check out the surprisingly good Coruscant Night series or Karen Traviss Code 66 that comes out in September.

Sean Williams' novel The Force Unleashed is part of a multimedia blitz from Lucasfilm centered around the release of a multi-platform next-gen videogame. This particular project was started in 2005 and has the twin goals of providing a unique and trail-blazing gaming experience while simultaneously adding an important new chapter to the overall Star Wars saga. I've followed the development of The Force Unleashed with a certain degree of skepticism, centered around my doubt that a storyline so focused on creating an over-the-top, ultra-powerful gaming experience would be able to also sustain a compelling narrative.

Now that the novel is here, it appears my concerns were well-founded. The book reads like a summary of a videogame. Yes, that's what it is, but that doesn't lend itself to a well-rounded story. The characters in the book are thinly sketched, the plot is a series of "missions" that end in what are clearly boss fights in the game, and the bigger storyline has such a fundamental impact on the overall story of the saga that it undermines itself by being too rushed. Large expanses of the chapters are devoted either to tedious action sequences or the inner monologues of two of the characters, so not much room is left for meaningful exposition or more exploration of the plot's impact on the other main characters.

The two characters that get the bulk of the attention are Darth Vader's secret apprentice, a boy he has raised to eventually help him overthrow the Emperor, and Juno Eclipse, an Imperial pilot with misgivings about the side of the war she has chosen to fight for. The secret apprentice is the main character in the game, and his missions have a bizarrely amoral bent to them. Since Vader wants him to remain completely secret from everyone in the galaxy, that entails the apprentice slaughtering every single person that crosses his path, even his supposed Imperial allies. It feels like the storyline creators (while Sean Williams wrote this novel, it is based on the overall story from Haden Blackman), were concerned that this character might be too evil if he only wiped out good guys, and so they alleviate that by having him kill everybody. I find it hard to reconcile the apprentice's massive killing sprees with the vastly different role he is placed in at the end of the book.

The other difficulty with the apprentice's missions is the lack of tension during the action. He mows down any number of any enemies he encounters with no problems. His ability to tap the Force is close to unlimited, which is an interesting concept but it certainly doesn't make for a gripping fight scene. There are many descriptions of piles of bodies, people flying into walls, waves of Force power rippling through rooms, but the sequences are so nebulously depicted that they don't have enough impact. He does struggle some in the boss fights, but fans of Darth Vader as he was portrayed in the original trilogy are probably not going to like how his fight with the apprentice turns out here. I also was surprised how quickly his battle with Jedi Master Shaak Ti was resolved. Here is a leading Jedi who had survived sixteen long years since Order 66: it felt like there was a lot more story left to be told. Not to mention her apprentice, who essentially turns bad, fights the apprentice, and runs off, again feeling too much like a scene from the game and not a fully-realized story.

Williams describes the settings well and it is easy to visualize the distinct locations the story rapidly moves through. I enjoyed the brief appearance of a certain Rebel original trilogy character, and the apprentice's droid sidekick Proxy is an innovative concept. Proxy has a hologram technology that allows him to appear as anybody he has in his database, which has interesting ramifications for communications, fight training, and potentially for the apprentice's spy missions. He also provides a few nice moments of comic relief.

I won't spoil the end events of the story, which have a significant impact on the original trilogy of movies. Suffice it to say that they open up some interesting ideas, but I sorely wish Williams could have been freed to spend most of the book on this plotline and a whole lot less on action sequences. After reading the book, I am optimistic that the game itself may be a very engaging experience, but I would mostly recommend the novelization to hardcore fans who, like myself, want to know all the ins and outs of the larger saga.

Every few years I read this book over and love it every time. It is a great book to introduce kids to the plight of the Jews and non-Jews of German-occupied countries during WWII. My 10 year old read it and loved it too and it brought up a lot of questions. Highly recommended.

10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen narrates this story (based on real events) set in Denmark during WWII. The Danish resistance arranged to transport many Jews to safety in Sweden after they found out that Jews were being sent to concentration camps by the Nazis.

Annemarie is not Jewish, but her best friend, Ellen, is. Annemarie's family helps smuggle Ellen and her parents, along with several other Jewish families, out of the country. Lowry manages to give the reader a sense of the horror of the Holocaust without going into graphic detail.

I recommend this book for readers who like mystery books about actual life.When I read this book I got so attachted to it. If you read this book too you would be attached to this book just like me.

This was a fantastic book. The characters, especially Ellen and AnneMarie,
are very brave and have a strong friendship. The plot is really exciting, because you never know if the characters will make it safely. I recommend this book because you learn a lot about history and what Jewish people had to go through when the Nazis were in Denmark. The ending was good too, but I won't give that away!

Struggling through the ravages of World War II, Annemarie, her family, and her best friend Ellen wait in hiding until the Nazis retreat and let Denmark free once more. This wonderful story "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, is about friendship, tragedy, and, love. It also integrates a lot of useful life lessons, such as: being brave and deciding what to do wisely.
This story really captured my attention because it made me inquire as I read along. It also gave me a perfect image of what Denmark was like during the Nazi invasion.
I recommend this story to children in the fourth grade or higher because it has strong vocabulary words that are worth learning.


By Teddy (soon to be in grade 5)

This book is amazing, it is the first book to really expand and campaign to new heights. Very detailed, very organized, and very informational. A must have for any Saga fan.

I think this is the breakthrough product that the game needs. Here you'll find not only the most complete and up-to-date information on the Old Republic era in one book, but also new rules to replicate what we see in the comics/videogames. Even if you're not a fan of this era, I would still recommend picking this book up just for the wealth of information inside.

The book has ten new playable races, over fifty new talents (Jedi are favored a bit here, but each class gets an entire new talent tree), over twenty new feats (all of which are pretty great), 3 new presige classes, ten new force powers, and a lengthy chapter on vehicles and starships. In addition to this, we get a chapter for each of the main factions of the era (Jedi, Republic, Sith, Mandalorians) which includes specific vehicles that the faction used. Coupled with a decent amount of new droids and even more weapon customization rules (weapon templates and lightsaber crystals) and you're looking at what may be the best Star Wars RPG supplement Wizards has put out.

I've been really disheartened by the tepid release schedule for new Star Wars Saga Edition books. Threats of the Galaxy was great, Starships was needed, and this book... well, this one is off the charts awesome.

Hands down, this is the best SWSE supplement yet. Now, I might have some bias since I love the Knights of the Old Republic games. But I'll tell you - this sourcebook does the setting justice.

I lost my enthusiasm for SWSE after my group started playing 4e. This might be just the booster shot the game needs, though. For the first time in a few months, I can't wait to run Star Wars.

Wow this book is exceptional, you get a setting covering the Tales of the Jedi to the Knights of the Old Republic comics and video games.
Also included are new character options, talents and feats, new species, and technology.
You get complete chapters dedicated to both Jedi and Sith Orders as well as the Mandlorians.
There are three new Prestige classes the Corporate agent, Gladiator and Melee duelist as well as new talent options for existing classes.
Wait theres more they also stat most of the characters from the KOTOR video games includeing Revan, Malik,the Jedi exile and more.
All in all this is a great book to add to your collection and a must if your like me and prefer the old school Jedi to those of the Clone war era or New jedi Order era!
Oh the art work is great too.

I was heading to the beach this summer and was looking for a book to read and I saw the Jedi Twilight the 1st in this series and I loved it. The 1st one was really well done and I cared about the charecters and could not wait for the next. Well I bought this the day it hit the shelf and was disappointed. It was no where near as good as the other one, it was actually boring in spots but I remain hopeful that the next one will be good.

I'm really enjoying this series - this book is just as good as the first in the series - so keep reading! As I said in my review of "Jedi Twilight" I am just thrilled to see a whole new cast of characters in the Star Wars universe and I really am glad to see their further development in this book.

In this book you have the main core of characters really dealing with a few unrelated plot lines at the same time. In one plot line you have Jax Pavan and his comrades trying to solve a murder mystery in order to clear their own names - since they are under suspicion for it. In another they are acting as agents of the secret organization "Whiplash" - which is a resistance movement to the Empire and having to deal with an assasin hired by Darth Vader. A third plot line has Padame's old security chief, Typho trying to avenge her death - and in the process he crosses paths with our main characters.

For a just a 300 page book a whole heck of a lot happens - but Reaves gets the story telling done very nicely. All of the different aspects of the story are fit together very nicely and without any overkill. I was very impressed at how well every jived together.

Although it is still there - there wasn't as much "large" vocabularly as there was in the first book in the series - which seemed to be a complaint of some readers.

Also - Reaves really does a good job in his descriptive telling of the light-saber and laser fights in this story. There is absolutely no equal to R. A. Salvatore in writing fight scenes - but I would consider Reaves of the same caliber when it comes to churning out hand-to-hand, close quarters combat on the written page.

Best Star Wars to hit the stands recently (though the other stuff is good) - and these characters and stories are better than those from the latest "Force Unleashed" craze!

The Force Unleashed is about a young man with Force powers so immense he can whip Vader and the Emperor simultaneously. Based on a video game in which you get to play this Force-wielding giant, the conceptual emphasis is on action and playability, rather than character or drama. Consequently the graphic novel reads like a series of set pieces, big fight scenes with a bit of exposition to tie them together. Ostensibly the plot concerns the inception of the Rebellion, but as with the beginnings of most things in the Star Wars universe, the origin of the Alliance is more than it seems.

Thematically, TFU cleaves closely to the SW universe formula - young man spends his life doing bad and redeems himself in the end with a tiny act of good. The orphaned Starkiller is raised as Darth Vader's secret apprentice, an amoral assassin who dispatches with equal skill characters on both sides of the war. Somewhere along the way he switches to being a good guy with a conscience and a love interest, though it's not really clear how either develops. Neither is why the leaders of the Rebellion trust anyone who shows up at their door expressing an interest in sacking the Empire.

The artwork is a mixed bag, with Brain Ching opening and closing the story with some finely illustrated chapters. Unfortunately, as with his stint on Knights of the Old Republic, he seems unable to work fast enough to complete an entire project - or takes assignments with impossible deadlines - and so we get a couple of less skilled artists working on the middle sections.

There is a novel of the same name covering the exact same story. I haven't yet read it, but given author Sean Williams' track record (as coauthor of one of the worst chapters of the New Jedi Order), and given that the graphic novel isn't anything worth bragging about, I'd wager the novel is as limp, or with more extraneous material, even limper. My suggestion would be to unleash your own force on the game. That is, if you have a console. PC users will have to settle for the graphic novel.

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I wasn't sure what exactly to expect from this book. When I got it and started looking at the page after page of amazing documented discriptions of anything and everything you would see in these movies I was so pleased with my purchase. The only thing I noticed was the emphisis on Episodes 1-3 and remaining episodes were all lumped together in a quick glance almost. The book is amazing non the less and I am more then pleased with it, and can't wait to give it to my significant other for his birthday.

Bought this as a gift for my 9yr. old son.
This is a great book for the Star Wars fanatic.

I like this item very much. My husband is a Star Wars fan and I got this book for him. I ordered this book and within a week I received it.

Got it as birthday present for my 5 year old. We all love it. He pours through the photos by himself, we read it together. I am learning all sorts of details (and they are plenty) about all the star wars characters. Who knew! This book could be the movie prop person's notebook/bible it is so complete and thorough.

The only drawback is my son finds the picture of darth sith too scary and we have to rush past that page. Oh well. Get it, great price, worth every penny.

WOW!!! This is the perfect book for anyone interested in knowing their stuff in the Star Wars world. Every character is represented according to chapter so some characters are represented more than once. Anakin is shown as a child in Episode I but is shown older in the next episode, etc. The book is divided by Episodes. Information on star ships, Tie Fighters, Light Sabres and more are also included in this book along with photos for each and every reference. This book is not only for children but adults can learn a thing or two from its contents.

I was pleasantly surprised with this purchace. My neice just loved it. It was much nicer quality than I was expecting.

This product was in mint condition, pckaged professionally and shipped quickly. Overall very pleased with purchase, especially considering the money I saved orderering it online.The book itself is very entertaining for children and adults alike. I would be careful letting a child under the age of 4 get a hold of it alone as the pop-ups are numerous and intricate. They would probably destroy the book.

Robert Sabuda and his protégé, Matthew Reinhart, have brought pop-up books back into the mainstream, not only as concept and novelty books for very young children but as genuine works of art and engineering. Their wonderful creations attract readers of all ages, and many a Sabuda/Reinhart project has found its way to coffee tables alongside glossy art books. Reinhart's latest solo effort, STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, is another such project that will find an audience not only among young readers but also among aficionados of paper engineering and, most importantly, nostalgic adult fans of the Star Wars franchise who will revel in this volume, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the first Star Wars film.

Reinhart, like many adults his age, was raised on the Star Wars mythology, and his knowledge of and appreciation for the Star Wars universe is apparent through the details he integrates into his paper creations, as well as in his dedication "to the visionary artists of STAR WARS, who fashioned a wondrous, distant galaxy with words, paint, clay, sound, and celluloid, inspiring generations of young artists around the world." The text itself is rich, dense, detailed and filled with the facts, figures and history of the fantastic world George Lucas created.

The book focuses primarily on the characters and events of the three original Star Wars movies, although certain elements of the mythology do come from Episodes 1-3. Topics for the two-page spreads include the geography of the galaxy, discussions of the galaxy's social and political structures, descriptions of vehicles, the history of conflicts between the Rebels and the Empire, and Luke Skywalker's story. Since this is more of an encyclopedic guide rather than a storybook, the text does not focus on any single storyline or tell a unified narrative. Instead, it assumes its readers already know the films' plotlines and fills in the details on everything from the origins of the criminal underworld to the technical specifications of R2-D2 and C-3PO.

The design of STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY will be familiar to fans of Reinhart's and Sabuda's other projects, particularly the Encyclopedia Prehistorica series. Each two-page spread consists of a large pop-up feature at its center (examples include the Millennium Falcon and a menacing Darth Vader mask), as well as several smaller, text-heavy foldout "mini books" on a certain theme, each of which may also contain one or more smaller pop-up constructions. These nested "books within a book" result in an unusually rich, interactive reading experience that will keep fans young and old poring over the pages for hours.

The advertised highlights of the illustrations are Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker's working lightsabers, which turn on when their mini-books are opened. As Yoda would say, though, "Patient you must be" --- the lightsabers in my review copy took a good 10-15 seconds to light up after the page was opened.

STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is a tour de Force --- the perfect gift idea for fans, no matter what their age.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

This is an excellent pop-up book with incredible paper engineering. Craftsmanship is outstanding and original. You can't beat it for the price. I would definitely buy more pop-up books from this publisher!

I purchased this book for my nephew who just turned 7. He had recently seen his first Star Wars movie and seemed to enjoy it. When he opened this book, he was excited, but no where near as excited as when he turned the first page and saw what it contained. He was mesmerized, not only by the pop ups, but by the pictures and the stories behind each item. This is the ultimate Star Wars bible. If you love Star Wars, you have to have this item. The item I thought he would like the best were the light up sabers, and he did. The most amazing part was that the battery power to the sabers could be turned off so that you didn't waste it!!!! How thoughtful. Too bad there aren't more books of this caliber on other subjects.

Karen Traviss isn't my favorite Star Wars writer, but she is coming a close second with this one. I was a little worried because even though I had read her other books I still thought she lacked something in the telling of Star Wars, she was too military with her story telling, and I'm in the military. With this book she proves to me that nobody writes clones better than her. She weaves the military into the Star Wars genre with ease and without the forced spec ops feel of the other books she has written. Plus she has really grasped the other characters, Kenobi, Anakin, and the newest member Ashoka, with a freshness that brings new life to characters that appear more real than in other of the clone wars novels. Traviss has out done herself on this one, even if you've seen the movie it makes a great read, because it gives more detail to the motivations of characters like Dooku, Asajj Ventress, and Anakin comes off better in this book than in all three newer movies, and all the other books except maybe Labyrinth of Evil. Just buy it already. I've read too many Star Wars books that have moments of brillance, or insight. This book is that from page one to the end. Traviss keep it Girl! Here's hoping Order 66 rocks like this book. A must for any Star Wars fan, don't wait for the paperback, get it, you'll be pleased!!!

This is a nice book, which could have had a better history line, but anyway I enjoyed it.

I loved listening to this star wars novel. I not only love the way the reader reads the book, but I love the star wars music and sound effects that are woven into the reading. If you are blind like me, there is no better way to enjoy star wars.

I'm a HUGE Star Wars fan, have been for years. When I heard this movie was coming out, I was pretty excited. Then I heard that it was going to be about Jabba having a baby and it getting kidnapped, etc. and I admit I had to stop and roll my eyes and go 'what in the world are they trying to do?!'

But, the fan that I am, I was going to see the movie either way. I got the book (which only took a few days to read and at the end I was sad becuase I was almost finished) and was mildy concerned about reading it.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised. As stated, I was worried about the 'Jabba's baby' thing and Anakin's Padawan, I didn't think I would like her. After reading the book though, I find her pretty endearing. The war scenes were awesome and I loved the human emotions projected onto them, Rex especially. As someone else said in their review, it'll be interesting to see if the Clone Trooper/Stormtrooper transformation is expanded upon.

In closing, while I still find Rotta to be a little outrageous, I'd really glad I gave the book a chance and it's made me even more excited for the movie and the McDonalds toys! Toward the end, page by page, I was getting more and more sad that I would soon be finished with The Clone Wars. I think if you're a fan, you'll enjoy this book. It's so short that it's really worth a chance.

When plans were made late in the game to debut the upcoming television series The Clone Wars as a feature film, Lucasfilm and Del Rey turned to prolific author Karen Traviss to knock out the accompanying novelization. Traviss is responsible for the excellent series Republic Commando, originally based on a videogame, in which she takes a very fresh perspective on clones and Jedi and offers fast-paced storylines with a militaristic flavor. Her deep interest in the clones' lives and her exploration of the Mandalorian culture's impact on them, coupled with her extremely rapid writing pace, made her a natural choice for this book.

The novel offers a different perspective on events than the film. Whereas the film adopts a light, bouncy tone of adventure, Traviss explores some of the psychology behind the heroic tale and also adds some internal monologues which put the story in a somewhat different light. For instance, in the film Anakin cheerily plows through the droids to get to his objectives; Traviss tackles the rage that drives him in battle and reminds the reader of how Anakin's conflicted feelings about his mother, his marriage, and his attachments make for an unstable mix, especially when Anakin is placed in the middle of a major-scale war for three years.

The story is told from an interesting variety of perspectives, those of Anakin, Dooku, new character Captain Rex, Asajj Ventress, Jabba the Hutt, and even a couple of scenes from Palpatine's point of view. A particularly interesting point about the Palpatine scenes is this is the first book to give the reader some of his internal monologue as Darth Sidious. We are privy to his gloating as he sits in his office facing the Jedi, mouthing pieties and platitudes while plotting their downfall and the revenge of the Sith. Another interesting aspect of the perspectives selected is the focus on the villains. No scenes are told from Obi-Wan's or Yoda's viewpoints, for example. However, this mix works well. Anakin and Rex carry the heroic part of the story, and Rex serves as another way in which Traviss can explore the concept of a clone army and the conflict these men feel as creations bred entirely for war dealing with a chaotic outside world.

The story itself is quite simple: Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta has been kidnapped and both the Separatists and the Republic are trying to rescue him, thereby currying favor with Jabba and gaining access to routes through Hutt-controlled space. Of course, Dooku has plotted the kidnapping from the start, and the main question is whether the Jedi and clones can avoid his series of traps and get the baby back to Jabba alive and well. Being originally based on three half-hour cartoons, the story is heavily focused on action sequences, most notably an epic battle on the planet at Teth involving a vertical assault up steep cliffs and an extremely lengthy fight in a monastery's courtyard. The Battle of Teth also features Asajj Ventress, who is brought up from the world of comics, earlier cartoons and novels for her first feature film appearance. Traviss handles her motivations well and gives her a more menacing air than the movie.

The Clone Wars is a fun thrill-ride of a novel and a nice complement to the theatrical release. Traviss makes probably as much effort as she was allowed to place it in the existing continuity of novels, comics, and cartoons, with a few references to the Battle of Jabiim at least being a nod to where it falls in the timeline. It's a breezy, action-packed read and a welcome addition to the larger story of the Clone Wars.

the 1st time the clone/stormtroopers turn against the jedi/generals in the book but not on the dvd itself well, yes, revenge of the sith, but reading the clones of the republic/empire,it's very cool to find out more about 66 executed from none other than palpatine towards the clones against the jedi.