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alissamk's review against another edition
4.0
Unlike The Phantom Menace this one really did work a lot better as a book!
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
2.0
Bullet Review:
Hoo boy, what a ride! I really chuckle at myself for rating this so high - 4 stars! Now I very much am oscillating between 1 and 2 stars.
Not all the faults are obviously Salvatore's, but damn if he didn't make them worse or at the least, did absolutely nothing to try to improve upon them.
Full Review:
Ten years have passed since Qui-Gon died, the Trade Federation blockaded Naboo, and young Anakin became a Padawan. Times have changed. Padme is now a Senator; Obi-Wan is a Jedi Knight; Anakin is a Padawan learner. The Republic is in turmoil as the Separatists, led by former Jedi, Count Dooku, threaten to secede. An attempt on Padme's life leads the Jedi into startling discoveries...and possibly war.
This summary I wrote back when I listened to the audiobook in 2010, and really it works fine for covering this book/movie. A lot has changed in those 10 years - back in 2010, I was still a hard-core Star Wars fan, snapping up new books, watching the movies, accumulating a collection of Star Wars memorabilia, etc. I'm a much different woman these days; I recognize the flaws of the prequels much clearer and have mostly left the Star Wars fandom behind, realizing the new Disney era is just not for me and not keeping up with the new "canon" books at all. (If it's your thing, go for it!)
Why did I decide to go back to "a galaxy far, far away" with this in mind? Well, quite simply, a dear friend of mine recently went on a huge Star Wars Legends chronology read herself, and when she got to "Attack of the Clones", she encouraged me to reread. Please check out her review as it will likely be head and shoulders better than anything I will write in the next few paragraphs.
When I initially listened to the audiobook ten years ago, my final words were this:
I have kept my previous review, and you can compare yourself the differences (and also either laugh at me or wish I held the same opinion as I did then, your choice); but to give you an overview, rereading this, I was heartily unimpressed with what I read and honestly vacillate between a 1- and 2- star rating.
Let me get this out of the way: I cannot and do not blame Salvatore at all for the cheesy dialogue or nonsensical plot. That is entirely Lucas' and his screenwriters' doings. What I do blame Salvatore is not trying to elevate the failings of the source material, or at least hide them.
Because a writer of a novelization has a unique challenge: to relay the story that will be told in visual medium (any modification from one form of art to another is a challenge), but also give some background that a movie or TV series cannot show and THEN as well make the story enjoyable. It's hard enough to write a good story, but then to write one off a completely different medium, with that creator's ideas different than your own, and still make it different and fun? Not easy!
That said, I think Salvatore did a rather poor job - a shame because I know he's been an author an incredibly long time, with a dedicated fan base and not some new hopeful that Lucasfilm took a chance on.
I feel like Salvatore did the best when he was writing his own material, not merely narrating the events of the screenplay. While the early scenes with Shmi and Padme were either cheesy/schmaltzy or sexist (arguably, a jab at Lucas, who thinks that even in a galaxy far, far away it's impossible for a woman to dare to have a career and a family at the same time), they were unique and led some insight into these characters. I also acknowledge there were moments that Salvatore tried to humanize Anakin, making the young man regret his horrible lines from the movie or kick himself over his actions.
But other than that, I struggle to find things to compliment about this novelization. While in the past, I lauded how similar it was to the movie, these days I find that a detriment. It feels more like Salvatore was just contractually obligated to produce this, so merely "dressed up" the screenplay to get it over with. The writing itself is not remarkable or interesting, the characters are pretty sketchy, and like I insinuated above, Salvatore doesn't try to lend his authorial strengths to help remedy a clunky plot.
What might have been the most aggravating for me was the romance of Anakin and Padme. I think we all can agree, the romance of the movie is pretty atrocious. Blame it on screenplay, blame it on director, blame it on the actors, blame it on the greenscreen, but it just doesn't work well. In Romance Land, it basically is "Two hot people meet and want to screw each other". So Salvatore could have REALLY bulked this story up - shown us (other than "Padme is hot", "Anakin has wanted Padme since he was 10", and "Padme wants a baby") what made Anakin and Padme get drawn to each other. But sadly, this is never explored outside of the clunky scenes of the movie (with one or two minor tweaks) - and in fact, many times, Salvatore ends up painting the exact opposite picture. Padme is often shown as being uncomfortable or afraid around Anakin - and it isn't until the Big Scene at Geonosis we are told, not shown, that Padme is actually in love with Anakin. It was incredibly frustrating to read, an experienced author basically telling the reader what we should have organically been feeling.
As for the rest of the story, it is "fine". Again, I won't blame Salvatore on the actual details of the plot, as he had to keep to what Lucas developed, but there were moments that Salvatore seemed to give up on explaining and just do the authorial equivalent of a shrug. For instance, we as the readers wonder why hormonal 20-year old Anakin is allow to go with the single, attractive Senator - why does Obi-Wan especially not see the lust Anakin has for Padme? What's his reasoning for letting this slide? Salvatore's way to explain it from Obi-Wan's point of view seems to be along the lines of "Shrug, I'll just hurry up and get this investigation done and THEN deal with Anakin". It's like Salvatore is asking us to think of all the Jedi characters - Mace, Yoda, Obi-Wan - to be incredibly dense and not notice creepy, stalkery Anakin eyeballing Padme, when creepy, stalkery Anakin is hardly being subtle at all.
I don't really envy Salvatore's job here; rereading some of the worst lines from the screenplay (that Salvatore is kind enough to render here) reminds me of why I can never really watch these movies again without ruining my young adulthood. I wouldn't be surprised if Salvatore was contractually obligated to produce this - I believe, if my memory is correct, he only wrote "Vector Prime" and this in the now-Legends line. So his heart may not have been in this, and I don't blame him. But it's a shame he didn't use his years of writing to better effect here, improving upon the characters, attempting to clarify the plot, adding bits and pieces to the characters and story we don't get in the movies, and providing more to the romance other than "These two characters are hot and horny and everyone is shaming Padme to get married already". (What an old maid! - at the ripe old age of 24 not married and with kids, says the unmarried, childfree 30-something woman...)
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
R. A. Salvatore is probably best known for his Drizzt Do'Urden character; in Star Wars EU, he is best known for Vector Prime and SPOILER killing Chewbacca END OF SPOILER. And his job here isn't easy: take a script of a movie, that isn't very brilliant, well acted, well directed, or well edited and bring some life to it...and have it MAKE SENSE.
Salvatore did a remarkably good job--in many ways, much better than Terry Brooks did with The Phantom Menace. Salvatore opens with Shmi Skywalker and Cliegg Lars' life on Tatooine. We get to see how they interact with each other, with Owen Lars, with his girlfriend, Beru, and even the memory of Anakin. Their scenes are tender and emotional and definitely make the impact of what happened to Shmi more pronounced and moving. I would say they are, hands down, the best part of the novel.
The other scenes that Salvatore provides that were not deleted scenes were the ones between Jango and his son, Boba. These are also very charming, very moving, making what happens to Jango heart-breaking and giving both characters some good characterization (beyond the movies).
Most of the book is a strict "embellishment" of the movie, i.e. taking the script, adding adjectives and adverbs, and making complete sentences. That part isn't so amazing. It would have been nice to have seen more scenes that weren't in the movie. However, it does provide a lot more insight into why things happen. Through the book, we learn that Anakin is mentally kicking himself for speaking out of turn, something that Hayden's horrible acting couldn't convey. The scene in the garage, when Anakin reveals the Tusken Raider incident to Padme is MUCH better handled. In fact, the book smooths over Anakin's character completely, making him seem more like a confused, conflicted but highly gifted apprentice and not the whiny brat we see in the movie. We also get Padme's point of view, something I critiqued harshly in Brook's Menace. We understand why Padme is vulnerable to Anakin's advances and her interactions with her family. While I find some of her logic odd (she has been in politics a mere 10 years, much less than most people) and hate how she relies on the traditional view of female happiness (BABIES!), I definitely get a deeper understanding of her. However, I still question how anyone can take Padme's strict stance of no army seriously when only 10 years ago she was pleading for military aid for her planet. Sounds like a case of hypocrisy, if you ask me.
Salvatore also includes the deleted scenes from the movie, including Padme addressing the senate immediately after her attack, meeting her parents, and Padme and Anakin talking with Dooku. Honestly, that only added to the enjoyment of the story, making it more cohesive, more understandable, more fluid.
I also liked how Salvatore improved the Obi-Wan and Anakin relationship/banter. In the movie, it came off so stiff and strange. Here, it feels a lot better (of course, the book doesn't have Hayden portraying Anakin). Of course, Salvatore's Mace Windu is a little naive, thinking there's nothing wrong with Anakin. Suuuure...
I will note that Salvatore occasionally uses odd ways to describe people, such as this one I found for Anakin: "His blue eyes flashed repeatedly, as if bursts of energy were escaping." Uh...huh? Eyes that flash repeatedly? And what the heck do bursts of energy escaping look like?
I also want to comment that the actions sequences were unmemorable. The speeder chase wasn't bad, but the final battle was completely glossed over. It was as if Salvatore realized he spent too much time on the first half and hurriedly wrapped up, racing through the battle (and what should have been an excellent climax with Count Dooku). After listening to it, I can honestly not remember anything of note from these scenes. I've heard that Salvatore is good at rendering action, which makes it a shame he didn't expand on the action scenes in the movie.
As for the audiobook, I normally don't say a lot, but I have one complaint: the narrator pronounces Kamino correctly and Kaminoans completely incorrectly (Kam in o ans instead of Ka mi no ans). This makes no sense; if he had no idea how they were pronounced, he should have pronounced both the planet and the people incorrectly, not just the people.
This was a decent novelization. There are parts that I wish were better, and there were parts that really improved my understanding of the movie. Overall, it was enjoyable and I'd probably rate it 3.5 stars, but I'll be generous and rate 4.
Hoo boy, what a ride! I really chuckle at myself for rating this so high - 4 stars! Now I very much am oscillating between 1 and 2 stars.
Not all the faults are obviously Salvatore's, but damn if he didn't make them worse or at the least, did absolutely nothing to try to improve upon them.
Full Review:
Ten years have passed since Qui-Gon died, the Trade Federation blockaded Naboo, and young Anakin became a Padawan. Times have changed. Padme is now a Senator; Obi-Wan is a Jedi Knight; Anakin is a Padawan learner. The Republic is in turmoil as the Separatists, led by former Jedi, Count Dooku, threaten to secede. An attempt on Padme's life leads the Jedi into startling discoveries...and possibly war.
This summary I wrote back when I listened to the audiobook in 2010, and really it works fine for covering this book/movie. A lot has changed in those 10 years - back in 2010, I was still a hard-core Star Wars fan, snapping up new books, watching the movies, accumulating a collection of Star Wars memorabilia, etc. I'm a much different woman these days; I recognize the flaws of the prequels much clearer and have mostly left the Star Wars fandom behind, realizing the new Disney era is just not for me and not keeping up with the new "canon" books at all. (If it's your thing, go for it!)
Why did I decide to go back to "a galaxy far, far away" with this in mind? Well, quite simply, a dear friend of mine recently went on a huge Star Wars Legends chronology read herself, and when she got to "Attack of the Clones", she encouraged me to reread. Please check out her review as it will likely be head and shoulders better than anything I will write in the next few paragraphs.
When I initially listened to the audiobook ten years ago, my final words were this:
This was a decent novelization. There are parts that I wish were better, and there were parts that really improved my understanding of the movie. Overall, it was enjoyable and I'd probably rate it 3.5 stars, but I'll be generous and rate 4.
I have kept my previous review, and you can compare yourself the differences (and also either laugh at me or wish I held the same opinion as I did then, your choice); but to give you an overview, rereading this, I was heartily unimpressed with what I read and honestly vacillate between a 1- and 2- star rating.
Let me get this out of the way: I cannot and do not blame Salvatore at all for the cheesy dialogue or nonsensical plot. That is entirely Lucas' and his screenwriters' doings. What I do blame Salvatore is not trying to elevate the failings of the source material, or at least hide them.
Because a writer of a novelization has a unique challenge: to relay the story that will be told in visual medium (any modification from one form of art to another is a challenge), but also give some background that a movie or TV series cannot show and THEN as well make the story enjoyable. It's hard enough to write a good story, but then to write one off a completely different medium, with that creator's ideas different than your own, and still make it different and fun? Not easy!
That said, I think Salvatore did a rather poor job - a shame because I know he's been an author an incredibly long time, with a dedicated fan base and not some new hopeful that Lucasfilm took a chance on.
I feel like Salvatore did the best when he was writing his own material, not merely narrating the events of the screenplay. While the early scenes with Shmi and Padme were either cheesy/schmaltzy or sexist (arguably, a jab at Lucas, who thinks that even in a galaxy far, far away it's impossible for a woman to dare to have a career and a family at the same time), they were unique and led some insight into these characters. I also acknowledge there were moments that Salvatore tried to humanize Anakin, making the young man regret his horrible lines from the movie or kick himself over his actions.
But other than that, I struggle to find things to compliment about this novelization. While in the past, I lauded how similar it was to the movie, these days I find that a detriment. It feels more like Salvatore was just contractually obligated to produce this, so merely "dressed up" the screenplay to get it over with. The writing itself is not remarkable or interesting, the characters are pretty sketchy, and like I insinuated above, Salvatore doesn't try to lend his authorial strengths to help remedy a clunky plot.
What might have been the most aggravating for me was the romance of Anakin and Padme. I think we all can agree, the romance of the movie is pretty atrocious. Blame it on screenplay, blame it on director, blame it on the actors, blame it on the greenscreen, but it just doesn't work well. In Romance Land, it basically is "Two hot people meet and want to screw each other". So Salvatore could have REALLY bulked this story up - shown us (other than "Padme is hot", "Anakin has wanted Padme since he was 10", and "Padme wants a baby") what made Anakin and Padme get drawn to each other. But sadly, this is never explored outside of the clunky scenes of the movie (with one or two minor tweaks) - and in fact, many times, Salvatore ends up painting the exact opposite picture. Padme is often shown as being uncomfortable or afraid around Anakin - and it isn't until the Big Scene at Geonosis we are told, not shown, that Padme is actually in love with Anakin. It was incredibly frustrating to read, an experienced author basically telling the reader what we should have organically been feeling.
As for the rest of the story, it is "fine". Again, I won't blame Salvatore on the actual details of the plot, as he had to keep to what Lucas developed, but there were moments that Salvatore seemed to give up on explaining and just do the authorial equivalent of a shrug. For instance, we as the readers wonder why hormonal 20-year old Anakin is allow to go with the single, attractive Senator - why does Obi-Wan especially not see the lust Anakin has for Padme? What's his reasoning for letting this slide? Salvatore's way to explain it from Obi-Wan's point of view seems to be along the lines of "Shrug, I'll just hurry up and get this investigation done and THEN deal with Anakin". It's like Salvatore is asking us to think of all the Jedi characters - Mace, Yoda, Obi-Wan - to be incredibly dense and not notice creepy, stalkery Anakin eyeballing Padme, when creepy, stalkery Anakin is hardly being subtle at all.
I don't really envy Salvatore's job here; rereading some of the worst lines from the screenplay (that Salvatore is kind enough to render here) reminds me of why I can never really watch these movies again without ruining my young adulthood. I wouldn't be surprised if Salvatore was contractually obligated to produce this - I believe, if my memory is correct, he only wrote "Vector Prime" and this in the now-Legends line. So his heart may not have been in this, and I don't blame him. But it's a shame he didn't use his years of writing to better effect here, improving upon the characters, attempting to clarify the plot, adding bits and pieces to the characters and story we don't get in the movies, and providing more to the romance other than "These two characters are hot and horny and everyone is shaming Padme to get married already". (What an old maid! - at the ripe old age of 24 not married and with kids, says the unmarried, childfree 30-something woman...)
Spoiler
"We'd be living a lie"NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
R. A. Salvatore is probably best known for his Drizzt Do'Urden character; in Star Wars EU, he is best known for Vector Prime and SPOILER killing Chewbacca END OF SPOILER. And his job here isn't easy: take a script of a movie, that isn't very brilliant, well acted, well directed, or well edited and bring some life to it...and have it MAKE SENSE.
Salvatore did a remarkably good job--in many ways, much better than Terry Brooks did with The Phantom Menace. Salvatore opens with Shmi Skywalker and Cliegg Lars' life on Tatooine. We get to see how they interact with each other, with Owen Lars, with his girlfriend, Beru, and even the memory of Anakin. Their scenes are tender and emotional and definitely make the impact of what happened to Shmi more pronounced and moving. I would say they are, hands down, the best part of the novel.
The other scenes that Salvatore provides that were not deleted scenes were the ones between Jango and his son, Boba. These are also very charming, very moving, making what happens to Jango heart-breaking and giving both characters some good characterization (beyond the movies).
Most of the book is a strict "embellishment" of the movie, i.e. taking the script, adding adjectives and adverbs, and making complete sentences. That part isn't so amazing. It would have been nice to have seen more scenes that weren't in the movie. However, it does provide a lot more insight into why things happen. Through the book, we learn that Anakin is mentally kicking himself for speaking out of turn, something that Hayden's horrible acting couldn't convey. The scene in the garage, when Anakin reveals the Tusken Raider incident to Padme is MUCH better handled. In fact, the book smooths over Anakin's character completely, making him seem more like a confused, conflicted but highly gifted apprentice and not the whiny brat we see in the movie. We also get Padme's point of view, something I critiqued harshly in Brook's Menace. We understand why Padme is vulnerable to Anakin's advances and her interactions with her family. While I find some of her logic odd (she has been in politics a mere 10 years, much less than most people) and hate how she relies on the traditional view of female happiness (BABIES!), I definitely get a deeper understanding of her. However, I still question how anyone can take Padme's strict stance of no army seriously when only 10 years ago she was pleading for military aid for her planet. Sounds like a case of hypocrisy, if you ask me.
Salvatore also includes the deleted scenes from the movie, including Padme addressing the senate immediately after her attack, meeting her parents, and Padme and Anakin talking with Dooku. Honestly, that only added to the enjoyment of the story, making it more cohesive, more understandable, more fluid.
I also liked how Salvatore improved the Obi-Wan and Anakin relationship/banter. In the movie, it came off so stiff and strange. Here, it feels a lot better (of course, the book doesn't have Hayden portraying Anakin). Of course, Salvatore's Mace Windu is a little naive, thinking there's nothing wrong with Anakin. Suuuure...
I will note that Salvatore occasionally uses odd ways to describe people, such as this one I found for Anakin: "His blue eyes flashed repeatedly, as if bursts of energy were escaping." Uh...huh? Eyes that flash repeatedly? And what the heck do bursts of energy escaping look like?
I also want to comment that the actions sequences were unmemorable. The speeder chase wasn't bad, but the final battle was completely glossed over. It was as if Salvatore realized he spent too much time on the first half and hurriedly wrapped up, racing through the battle (and what should have been an excellent climax with Count Dooku). After listening to it, I can honestly not remember anything of note from these scenes. I've heard that Salvatore is good at rendering action, which makes it a shame he didn't expand on the action scenes in the movie.
As for the audiobook, I normally don't say a lot, but I have one complaint: the narrator pronounces Kamino correctly and Kaminoans completely incorrectly (Kam in o ans instead of Ka mi no ans). This makes no sense; if he had no idea how they were pronounced, he should have pronounced both the planet and the people incorrectly, not just the people.
This was a decent novelization. There are parts that I wish were better, and there were parts that really improved my understanding of the movie. Overall, it was enjoyable and I'd probably rate it 3.5 stars, but I'll be generous and rate 4.
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I liked this novelization, but was really hoping for more. While the adventure was thrilling, the female characters fell a bit flat (as they did in the movie) and the relationship between Anakin and Padmé was only barely more fleshed out than in the movie. I felt like this was such a missed opportunity to really delve into parts of the story that the movie didn’t have time for, and I just felt like the novelization didn’t do that when it really mattered. There were a few more scenes added that fleshed out things that were only alluded to in the movie and gave them much greater context. This included a scene where Cliegg Lars, his son, Owen, and other farmers attempted to rescue Shmi from the Tusken Raiders, but were unable to. It also included more scenes with Jango and Boba Fett that demonstrated their bond. I really enjoyed those scenes, but found the love arc between Padmé and Anakin needed just as much work as the movie scenes did…
Overall, it was enjoyable and I would read the other prequel novelizations but the characters and relationships weren’t as compelling or developed as I’d hoped.
Overall, it was enjoyable and I would read the other prequel novelizations but the characters and relationships weren’t as compelling or developed as I’d hoped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, and Violence
Moderate: War and Death of parent
almyworld's review against another edition
3.0
Wie auch im ersten Teil hat es mir sehr gefallen, dass sowohl die Dialoge und die Figuren selbst an Tiefe bekamen, die durch das Hinzufügen von Details und Beschreibungen ermöglicht wurde. Es ist jedoch merkbar, dass dies der zweite Teil der Trilogie ist und somit als "Verbundsstück" zum Finale dient.
roxnn2000's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 stars
I have been getting into reading novelizations of movies recently. After how much I liked Episode I (novelization) I knew that I had to read the second one. Will say that the books are an improvement over the prequels so far. Episode III is my favorite among the prequel movies so I hope that the novelization will be even better.
Onto the review. I have to say that this book did a lot of things right but still was not as well done as the first.
I enjoyed getting more into both Anakin’s and Padme's minds about their relationship as well as their desires and fears about the future. It also gives a bit more insight into Anakin's outburst after his mother's death and why he said what he did and his mindset afterwards. Instead of coming off whiny we get an insight into more of Anakin’s feelings and fears are going forward about the rage and anger he felt during the scene with the Raiders.
There was a lot more details that I felt added to the story and filled in some of the gaps that was missing from the movie version. You get a real sense of how each character feels and their thoughts on the subjects they are dealing with and it adds to what they are saying and doing, which gives a stronger bond between them. These extra details also fill in a lot of plot holes as well as add to moments that needed more detail or explanation that was missing from the movie version.
I also loved the detail given showing the relationship between Jango and Boba Fett that builds more into their relationship so when Jango dies it is more impactful and meaningful than it was before. It also shows the love that they have for each other in those moments as well. This was lacking a bit in the movie version as there is sooooo much going on that there just isn’t time for it. This was probably one of the best added detail to the whole book. It just gives so much more to the story that was missing before.
I liked a lot in this book, but did find there was still a lot of slow moments as there was a lot to explain, especially later on. These moments almost make it hard to read and almost make you want to put the book down and walk away, but typically they are followed by moments that move the story in a faster direction and make it more interesting.
But, because you have more detail in these slower moments it makes more sense why characters are doing specific things and why they worked. Why did the Senate stand behind Jar-Jar when he asked that emergency powers be granted? It didn’t make a lot of sense as he isn’t well spoken and is just a back-up delegate, but in the novelization we get a real understanding of how Jar-Jar was manipulated and why the Senate rallied behind him for this. It makes a lot more sense. So yeah, it does get a little slow at times, those moments add a lot to the story and help make sense of some of the weird plot issues that were plaguing the movie version.
Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to others wanting to get into Star Wars novelizations. If you were disappointed by the prequel trilogy, as most were including myself, try the novelization instead. Seriously, it is an upgrade from the movies and much more enjoyable.
I have been getting into reading novelizations of movies recently. After how much I liked Episode I (novelization) I knew that I had to read the second one. Will say that the books are an improvement over the prequels so far. Episode III is my favorite among the prequel movies so I hope that the novelization will be even better.
Onto the review. I have to say that this book did a lot of things right but still was not as well done as the first.
I enjoyed getting more into both Anakin’s and Padme's minds about their relationship as well as their desires and fears about the future. It also gives a bit more insight into Anakin's outburst after his mother's death and why he said what he did and his mindset afterwards. Instead of coming off whiny we get an insight into more of Anakin’s feelings and fears are going forward about the rage and anger he felt during the scene with the Raiders.
There was a lot more details that I felt added to the story and filled in some of the gaps that was missing from the movie version. You get a real sense of how each character feels and their thoughts on the subjects they are dealing with and it adds to what they are saying and doing, which gives a stronger bond between them. These extra details also fill in a lot of plot holes as well as add to moments that needed more detail or explanation that was missing from the movie version.
I also loved the detail given showing the relationship between Jango and Boba Fett that builds more into their relationship so when Jango dies it is more impactful and meaningful than it was before. It also shows the love that they have for each other in those moments as well. This was lacking a bit in the movie version as there is sooooo much going on that there just isn’t time for it. This was probably one of the best added detail to the whole book. It just gives so much more to the story that was missing before.
I liked a lot in this book, but did find there was still a lot of slow moments as there was a lot to explain, especially later on. These moments almost make it hard to read and almost make you want to put the book down and walk away, but typically they are followed by moments that move the story in a faster direction and make it more interesting.
But, because you have more detail in these slower moments it makes more sense why characters are doing specific things and why they worked. Why did the Senate stand behind Jar-Jar when he asked that emergency powers be granted? It didn’t make a lot of sense as he isn’t well spoken and is just a back-up delegate, but in the novelization we get a real understanding of how Jar-Jar was manipulated and why the Senate rallied behind him for this. It makes a lot more sense. So yeah, it does get a little slow at times, those moments add a lot to the story and help make sense of some of the weird plot issues that were plaguing the movie version.
Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to others wanting to get into Star Wars novelizations. If you were disappointed by the prequel trilogy, as most were including myself, try the novelization instead. Seriously, it is an upgrade from the movies and much more enjoyable.
emdee00's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
linzo49's review against another edition
2.5
The unbelievably stupid amount of pressure put on Padme to have kids was infuriating.
I found it really frustrating that there were only two strong female characters in this book (Padme Amidala and a shape-shifting Bounty Hunter named Zam Wesell) that the author is badly butchered.
Padme gets giggly when she thinks about Anakin calling her pretty. Like what? This woman wields incredible political power (has for years!), is respected by her colleagues, she was schooled thoroughly in the ways of government and policy making but "oh tee hee, that boy called me pretty." Yes, women can be pretty and powerful. Those things aren't mutually exclusive. But the author makes a point of highlighting it like it's all she's ever wanted. And the pressure on Padme to have babies? Like c'mon, are you kidding me? Her family doesn't once support her choice to go into politics - to literally make the galaxy a better place. All they care about is how cute her "boyfriend" is.
Zam Wesell is competent and wants to do her job well so she can get paid, "but oh my goodness, I have to make sure when I shape shift, I'm a beautiful human woman, even though my beauty doesn't matter right now because I'm hunting a woman, not a man." Is this author serious? That's shallow AND exclusionary. What if the woman Zam is hunting is bi or a lesbian? If you're going to sexualize the Bounty Hunter, be equitable about it.
Tell me you're a male author without actually telling me you're a male author. Because, of course, as a woman, my accomplishments, intellect, power, and skill mean NOTHING when compared to my beauty or ability to fulfill my duty as a brood mare.
This author is ridiculous. I hope I never read anything written by him again.
**EDIT: Shmi and Beru also exist but Beru is reduced to becoming a stay-at-home wife ("I never want to leave Tattooine,") and Shmi literally only cares about being a mom. She's allowed to care about other things. She gets captured and tortured but all she can think about is the suffering of her sons and husband? What about the damage done to her body? What about how scared *she* is? What about her pain??
I found it really frustrating that there were only two strong female characters in this book (Padme Amidala and a shape-shifting Bounty Hunter named Zam Wesell) that the author is badly butchered.
Padme gets giggly when she thinks about Anakin calling her pretty. Like what? This woman wields incredible political power (has for years!), is respected by her colleagues, she was schooled thoroughly in the ways of government and policy making but "oh tee hee, that boy called me pretty." Yes, women can be pretty and powerful. Those things aren't mutually exclusive. But the author makes a point of highlighting it like it's all she's ever wanted. And the pressure on Padme to have babies? Like c'mon, are you kidding me? Her family doesn't once support her choice to go into politics - to literally make the galaxy a better place. All they care about is how cute her "boyfriend" is.
Zam Wesell is competent and wants to do her job well so she can get paid, "but oh my goodness, I have to make sure when I shape shift, I'm a beautiful human woman, even though my beauty doesn't matter right now because I'm hunting a woman, not a man." Is this author serious? That's shallow AND exclusionary. What if the woman Zam is hunting is bi or a lesbian? If you're going to sexualize the Bounty Hunter, be equitable about it.
Tell me you're a male author without actually telling me you're a male author. Because, of course, as a woman, my accomplishments, intellect, power, and skill mean NOTHING when compared to my beauty or ability to fulfill my duty as a brood mare.
This author is ridiculous. I hope I never read anything written by him again.
**EDIT: Shmi and Beru also exist but Beru is reduced to becoming a stay-at-home wife ("I never want to leave Tattooine,") and Shmi literally only cares about being a mom. She's allowed to care about other things. She gets captured and tortured but all she can think about is the suffering of her sons and husband? What about the damage done to her body? What about how scared *she* is? What about her pain??
cptrexct's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nerdvanafandomheart's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sophcezar's review against another edition
4.0
preenche tantos plot holes do filme, simplesmente incrível