Rating: 
Summary: A good book
Review: This book was good; not the best ever, but well worth the time it took me to read it. I was also pleased to see the return of a good author like Foster to the Star Wars universe. The book serves as a bit of a 'set-up' for the political situation in Episode 2, as well as a way to define the characters of Anakin and Obi-Wan, and it accomplishes these goals well, if little else. In this book, the rather backwater planet of Ansion has become a focal point in the increasingly shaky Republic; it's thinking of seceding, which could ultimately lead to war. The Council sends two Jedi teams there to try to straighten things out, Obi-Wan and a now eighteen-year-old Anakin, and Luminari Unduli and her young padawan, Bariss Offee. The book's focus is mainly the characters and relationships between the four Jedi, as they work towards a collective goal against seemingly impossible odds, and try their best to get along. All the characters were portrayed well, but Anakin especially really struck home. This is one author who remembers what it's like to be a teenager! Anyway, if your a fan of the prequels (and who isn't?) definitely check this one out, but if action and battles is your main thing, you'll most likely find this one rather tedious.
Rating: 
Summary: Great plot ideas, but poorly written overall
Review: Two line summary: If you are not a hardcore Star Wars geek, you will probably not like this book. If you *ARE* a hardcore Star Wars geek, read this book for the plot and try to overlook the poor writing and sense that the book was rushed.That having been said, I like most of the work of Alan Dean Foster. He is one of those authors that is not on my favorite list, but I know that when I pick up one of his books, more times than not, I will enjoy it. This book is not one of his better books simply because of poor writing. The plot is a good plot. It not only fills in details of the politics of the Republic, it takes you into the hearts, minds and daily lives of two Jedi / Padawan pairs. Since one of these pairs is Obi Wan and Anakin, this becomes even more important to the plot of the next movie. I want to add at this point that I have seen SW:Phantom Menace about 15-20 times and I have read this book. Here is what the book added to what I knew from Phantom Menace:
1) I now have a better understanding of general sense of the people of the Republic that the Senate is corrupt, the bureacracy is so great that it takes years to pass something of the greatest urgency and a lifetime to pass anything less important, and a majority of people feel there has to be a better way. Some planets are even organizing and considering leaving the Republic.
2) Senators live in luxury while most people in the galaxy struggle just to make ends meet in their day-to-day lives. 3) The taxing of trade routes that started just before Phantom Menace is still causing conflict between the people, merchants and the government.
4) While most people hate and distrust the Senate, most people love and trust the Jedi.
5) The book gave me interesting insight into the daily lives of both a Jedi and a Padawan.
6) Anakin has issues. Where most of his peers are calm and have only the smallest amount of turmoil within them, he has barely a surface of calm with a tempest of conflict beneath. Read the book for more.
7) Other Jedi, including Obi Wan, can sense that Anakin has these issues, but they also sense that there is nothing they can do to help until Anakin realizes he needs that help and asks for it. You get a sense of things leading to a single choice that will "kill" Anakin and give birth to Darth Vader.
8) And more... What I did not like:
1) Phrases like "knocked on his butt" that you would never fit into a scene of the movie, but are used liberally throughout this book.
2) A sense that there are two stories going on here: one is the story of the 2 jedi and their padawans on a mission, and the other an excuse to drop hints about the "bad guys" of the next movie. This jedi story works well. The second does not.
3) After finishing the book, I was left with a general sense that this book was written for no other reason than to milk more money out of the dedicated fans (geeks like me). While a pessimistic argument could be put forward that *ALL* things Star Wars these days fall into this category, it is rare that I get that actual sense while reading/watching the piece.
Rating: 
Summary: The Approaching Dud
Review: The Approaching Storm is by no means the worst Star Wars book out there (that honor will forever belong to The Crystal Star). It is, however, easily the most dull and bears no relation whatsoever in terms of style or quality to Foster's classic Splinter of the Mind's Eye. Apart from the similarity of names on the cover, there is nothing in this one to suggest the two novels were written by the same man. Obi-Wan and Anakin have to go to a planet named Ansion to try to prevent it from seceding from the Republic. Once there, they meet the incredibly cardboard characters of Luminara and her Padawan Bariss, as well as a couple of equally uninspiring locals. After a dull, dull, dull trip through the countryside, they convince Ansion's leaders to stay in the Republic. I apologize for giving way the secret ending, but, frankly, this book is so tedious that nobody will mind hearing that the end is blatantly obvious. Beyond the tedium, there are other flaws. The viewpoint changes too frequently, often within the same paragraph. At times, the novel seems like it was intended as an entry in the Jedi Quest series, reading like a very young adult book. Moreover, Foster was tasked with writing a book that takes place immediately before Episode II without having seen the movie. Accordingly, neither Anakin nor Obi-Wan feel right, Shu Mai (the "lady" who accuses Dooku of treason in Episode II) is playing the wrong role, and Anakin keeps pining for some unspecified place or thing (nothing in here about the dreams with his mother, either). I recognize that Foster's not to blame for his ignorance of how the movie would turn out, but the effect is, nevertheless, to further lessen any enjoyment to be had in an overall drab novel. Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye is much, much more engrossing, despite its apocryphal ending. Cloak of Deception is a far, far more effective lead in to Episode I than this one is to Episode II. In short, if you see The Approaching Storm coming take cover.
Rating:
Summary: Bubble-gum Star Wars
Review: Once upon a time, Alan Dean Foster wrote a little novel called "Splinter of the Mind's Eye." Splinter was set between A New Hope and Empire and has long since been forgotten in terms of the continuity. It exists now as an intriguing little piece of speculative fiction on what might have been--a curiousity, but little else. Hopefully this will be the same fate of Alan Dean Foster's latest Star Wars entry, "The Approaching Storm." The real tag for this book is that it's a prequel to the upcoming episode 2. That's what got my interest up and made me eager to read the novel. However, like the episode one prequel "Cloak of Deception" this entry suffers from the inability to draw the reader deeply into the plot or to make you care much about the characters. Foster has created an entire world of characters and situations--all of which are largely forgettable ten minutes after having read the novel. The story is basically Obi-Wan and Anakan, along with another Jedi and her Padawan, are sent to keep a world from seceding from the Republic. On the world involved, there are many factions--esentially boiling down to the city vs the country inhabitants and the Jedi's attempts to bring the sides together and keep the planet in the Republic. Along the way there is a kidnapping, some comic relief and some lightsaber fights, but little else. If you're looking to catch a glimpse of what's been happening between TPM and now, you're going to be out of luck. Vague hints of Anakin's being powerful and maybe being out-of-control are thrown in left and right as well as Anakin's feelings of missing his mother. Foster repeatedly beats the reader over the head with melodramatic moments so that they quickly become tired and tedious. Maybe after seeing episode 2 these will all make more sense, but I'm not really inclined to put too much stock in any of what took place here. The only thing this book has going for it over Splinter is that it's officially endorsed by LucasFilm. So, the events here may not be addressed in the film, but they won't be contradicted later. If you're a Star Wars completist, give it a try. If you're looking for a good appetizer to the next Star Wars film, look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Bridge Novel by one of the Greatest Sci-Fi Authors
Review: "The Approaching Storm" is a great novel by Alan Dean Foster. Foster, it should be noted, is one of the biggest names in modern sci-fi as well as the ghostwriter of the original 'Star Wars' novelization. He also wrote the first ever Expanded Universe novel. Still, if you're looking for action, this isn't the book for you. There is literally no fighting save for a battle at the very beginning and a battle at the very end. This book takes place directly before Episode II, and as such devotes itself to setting up the political background for the film. It also gives some much needed fleshing out to key prequel characters. Obi-Wan and his apprentice, Anakin, are sent to the remote planet of Ansion to convince them to avoid secceding from the Republic. While the planet itself is insignificant, it is at the center of a huge and complex web of treaties and alliances. They meet the city dwellers, who agree to remain within the Republic if the Jedi will settle their disagreements with the rural nomads. They set out of a journey into the barren, uncivilized deserts to seek out the nomads. This book is set at a slower and relaxing pace than most Star Wars books. However, unlike 'Dark Journey' it still manages to move key character and plot points further. In regards to character development, I really enjoyed the entertainment for the first nomad group. It's not what you'd expect of a Jedi group, and it told something unique about each character. The highlight of the book for me. If you don't mind the slower pace, and enjoy political thrillers of any sort, then be sure to find a copy of 'The Approaching Storm.'
Rating:
Summary: Well done effort from a Star Wars veteran
Review: Foster, the writer of the first Star Wars books ever written rejoins the expanded universe with The Approaching Storm. Set on a backwater planet, The Approaching Storm is supposed to prepare the way for Episode II. It does to a certain extent although it downplays dark side of Anakins personality and relies on some predictable characters to move the story along. The setting was unique. In a universe filled with seedy space ports, seeing our Jedi ride herd animals and waltz over a savannah was a nice change of pace. The interation between the 4 Jedi was very well done. The original points of the story helped to make The Approaching Storm a very readable book. As for the bad, the villain is a hut of course with a tie in to Episode II villain Darth Tyrannus. The worst part of the story, is that Foster invents his own Gungan type characater in the person of Tooqui ( I know I spelled that wrong). This character generally causes mischief but by the end of the day, saves our heroes. He is not really needed. Overall, though I applud Foster's return to a galaxy far far away and hope that he consents to write another story for lucasbooks
Rating:
Summary: Light on Star Wars, but Good Science Fiction
Review: 'The Approaching Storm' is Alan Dean Foster's contribution to the prequel era of novels. Like Greg Bear's 'Rogue Planet,' it takes place in the years between Episode One and Episode 2. Also like 'Rogue Planet' it suffers from being un-Star Wars like. By this, I mean that although the story takes place in the Star Wars universe and uses Star Wars characters, it just doesn't have the feel of a Star Wars novel. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker have been sent to Ansion to join another Jedi, named Luminar, and her Padawan, Barriss. Their mission is to negotiate a truce between the Unity Council that controls the city on Ansion and the Alwari, who are nomads that roam the plains. In doing so, they hope to keep Ansion from seceding from the Republic and taking countless other worlds with them in the Seperatist movement. Although I enjoyed Foster's descriptions of the Jedi characters, I felt this story lacked too many other Star Wars elements. Established races and vehicles were lacking. A few characters that were introduced to the public at large in Episode Two make an appearance in this novel, but not enough other 'friendly' faces are present. Overall, the novel has a style that is more akin to 'Allen Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold' than a Star Wars novel, as the Jedi roam the plains interacting with various Alwari tribes and taking on the dangerous life forms that inhabit Ansion. While the adventure was fun to read, it felt like was being accomplished. The worst aspect of the novel was the character Tooqui. Anyone who hated the Ewoks from 'Return of the Jedi' or Jar Jar Binks from the first two prequel movies is really going to despise this character. Although this character has a few heroic moments without complete bumbling, his mannerism and description is incredibly annoying. Despite all of this, this is still a decent novel. There are several good insights into Anakin and his impending turn to the Dark Side. The Jedi/Padawan relationship is fleshed out nicely between Anakin and Obi-Wan and Luminar and Barriss. It is a decent adventure story, it just lacked that special something that makes the Star Wars universe so unique and fun.
Rating:
Summary: Very good for the older fan
Review: This book is full of character development and light on action. It introduces some characters like Luminara and Bariss that you actually care about. They are not the typical Jedi stereotype in the Obi-Wan, Yoda, Mace Windu tradition, which is refreshing and make them less robotic. The continued character development of Anakin was welcome, however it is hard to justify the separation he feels from his mother since Phantom Menace did such a lousy job in establishing that to begin with (the book established this better, however I had the misfortune of seeing the movie first). Personally, I don't think that any of the books/movies will ever recover from the fact that they didn't establish a believeable mother/Anakin connection to thoroughly explain why Anakin is who he is. Another issue is that they are not continuing to establish a wish for Anakin to be with Padme'. It just rekindles out of the blue with "clones"
Rating:
Summary: A charming prequel to a Prequel
Review: One of the worst things Star Wars fans have to face while new Episodes are in the works is the three-year wait between movies...I mean, Episodes. Most of us then turn to the myriads of Star Wars discussion groups and analyze the existing five movies (sometimes going off into bizarre tangents such as the "is Palpatine really Darth Sidious or isn't he?") and, like fortune tellers reading tea leaves, try to divine the particulars of the next Episode. Another thing we Star Wars fans do while we wait for new Episodes is wondering what happens to the characters between Episodes, especially when the span of time (10 years between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones...and four between Episodes II and III, for instance)is long. Or maybe we hear a line in an existing film about something that happened prior to the current movie and we want to know more. This is where the Expanded Universe novels are at their best, when they address events mentioned but not seen in the film series. Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter and Cloak of Deception, both Episode I prequels, fill in some of the blanks dealing with the rise of Palpatine in the Senate and explain somewhat better the blockade of Naboo. Greg Bear's Rogue Planet also showed a glimpse of 12-year-old Anakin Skywalker's relationship to Obi-Wan Kenobi and his life as a Padawan learner. Of all the prequels to the Prequels, though, Alan Dean Foster's The Approaching Storm works best as an appetizer to Episode II. While it is a novel that has characters created by Foster alone, it also teems with major and minor characters who appeared in Episode II. The plot revolves around a border dispute on the planet Ansion, a minor planet by itself but bound by a series of treaties to other systems. In the shadows lurk the separatists led by Count Dooku, who makes a brief literary cameo. Although the hardcover of this novel was released 4 months before the premiere of Episode II, I only read the paperback version in December of 2002, so I wasn't bugged by the spoilers or by the constraints imposed by Lucasfilm so fans would not find out too much about the plot of Episode II far, far in advance. Because Foster wrote the novelization to Star Wars: A New Hope, he captures the voices and personalities of the movies well. He also is wonderful at creating his own characters, even if they are characters who will never be seen on film. The Approaching Storm is therefore a fun and exciting novel that makes the two-year wait for the conclusion of the Prequel Trilogy more bearable.
Rating:
Summary: The Approaching Menace
Review: Alan Dean Foster is an author long connected with the Star Wars universe. After all, he ghost-wrote the original novelization (a fact which for years was pretty much an open secret in fandom), and was also responsible for Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the very first 'original' Star Wars novel (and to many fans a classic, even if it was superceded by The Empire Strikes Back). Foster, I understand, originally had plans to write more SW novels, but shelved them when Lucas forbad the publication of additional original novels after Return of the Jedi came out in 1983, a position which continued for some ten years. But now that the original novels are a mainstay for the Star Wars universe, Foster was invited back and has now produced his take on the 'first' trilogy. Although billed as an exciting prequel to Attack of the Clones, The Approaching Storm does not fill in the gaps to that film as much as, say, Cloak of Deception does for The Phantom Menace. The story is more formulaic than original, and for that it unfortunately suffers. Obi-Wan and his Padawan Annakin meet up with another Jedi/Padawan pair, Luminara and Barriss Offee. The four of them are tasked with keeping the planet Ansion from seceding from the Republic, an event which would thereby set in motion a chain of events which would see other planets doing the same. Opposing them is a Hutt and his majordomo, while behind those two is the same shadowy galaxy-spanning conspiracy that is the backdrop for the entire first set of films. The problem with the story is that the plot is rather more haphazard than it should be. The Jedi and their Padawans spend most of the novel journeying across Ansion in search of a band of nomads in order to promote a peace treaty between opposing factions among the planet's population. Along the way they encounter one obstacle after another, from storms and natural predators, to double-dealing traders and tribal politics. In this way, the story is more of a quest novel than anything, with the Holy Grail being their sought-after peace treaty. But the problem with this is that at times the book seems to wander aimlessly, with the author searching for yet another challenge to pit his characters against after the previous one has been vanquished. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible way to tell a story, but as a narrative it does get awfully repetitive. What saves the novel, though, is the heavy dose of characterization Foster provides, something for which Foster is rather good at. We learn quite a bit about Annakin and Obi-Wan, and especially about their relationship leading into Attack of the Clones. In this way we come to see even more that the coming fall of Annakin into Darth Vader is going to be an event of truly tragic proportions, as someone who is basically a good kid is forced by circumstances to be molded into something quite evil. A hint of what is to come can be found in The Approaching Storm, and it's made even more insidious by the realization that, under the circumstance of the deteriorating Republic, there are some very sound reasons why anyone might choose the path that Annakin is destined to trod. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here... Anyway, the new Jedi/Padawan pair that Foster creates is also quite interesting, and I for one would look forward to seeing them again in another novel in the future (as Foster clearly sets up). My only real complaint here is that the nominal villains of the story, the Hutt and his majordomo, are rather lackluster and pathetic, almost tacked on as an afterthought as an excuse to send the characters gallivanting across the countryside and to literally provide fodder for Jedi lightsabers. Foster has written better, but that isn't to say this book is not worth your time. If you're a fan of the first trilogy, this is an acceptable pit stop while waiting for the third film to come out.
| 
