Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Very Well Done Review: I am a huge fan of the Star Wars saga and this book delivers all the exitment of the origanal films. The story of Anikin Skywalkers training to be a Jedi continues. A must read for any Star Wars fan. This book is very good.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: A REAL GOOD 252 PAGE BOOK HERE. Review: Trouble is that there are 352 pages. There is a lot of uninteresting minutia in this book that doesn't seem to contribute much to the story. However, there is a lot of good stuff here also, and it ties in with future events. This book takes place immediately following the events in Ep1 TPM. Anakin is now 12 (he was 9 in TPM) so I place RP at -29 BNH on the timeline.We last saw Vergere in Cloak of Deception. Well now she is missing so Windu in his vast ignorance sends one of his least experienced Jedi knights with a 12 year old Padawan to hunt for her. There is a pattern forming here, serious situations develop and evolve yet Windu, who has been delegated the leadership responsibility (so that Yoda can play with (train) the Padawan's) frequently under-reacts to the seriousness of the situation. We learn in a later book that Windu, though one of the best fighters among the Jedi is a pacifist. We have seen in previous books how Sidious has been eliminating some of those who could oppose him and making key alliances with others. Vergere had been sent to investigate a situation, but it is a year later and she has never returned. Ben and Anakin are sent to investigate. Their destination is Zonama Sekot, the same planet that Luke Skywalker is looking for nearly 80 years later. Read by itself the story can seem bizarre. Given the technology of the Yuzzan Vong in the NJO books, this story ties in very well with future events and books. We also see how relationship can build as Sidious forms his galaxy wide empire. We see a young Tarkin drawing to the "new order" his (reluctant) friend, the young and powerful Raith Seinar. Seinar is the owner of the company that builds Space ships and fighters of all types. Seinar, who admires the Jedi, is coerced to join a movement dedicated to the destruction of the Jedi. This is a story of that gives us a glance of things to come, but I can see why many readers were dissatisfied. The story reaches no solid conclusion. Eliminating about 100 pages would have made this a better read. The abridged Audio CD is about perfect because it cuts much of what I didn't like about the book.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Ties in With New Jedi Order Review: The planet Zonama Sekot appears later in the New Jedi Order books....Anakin and Luke share same path....THATS ALL I'LL SAY
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Didnt really like it. Review: Rogue Planet follows Obi-wan and Padawan Anakin skywalker's journey to a mysterious living planet on the outskirts of the galaxy in a quest to find a missing Jedi Knight named Vergere that you may or may not know from the New Jedi Order. Personally, I found the writing to be lacking and seemingly hurried. The author attempts to describe complex enviornments and situations that never seem to materialize in your imagination and you are left with a very vaque understanding of what exactly he is getting at. The opening garbage race I found particularly enduring to get through. Also, I thought the way he described the people that enhabit the planet to be a bit weak. You never get the sense of culture that you find in other star wars books. I remember one of the characters, Shappa, is said to have only one hand, but later in the book the author makes 3 references to his "hands". If you are going to read it and are new to Star Wars fiction you are going to be bored, I assure you. If you arent a newbie when it comes to Star Wars fiction you will probably be bored, but you won't care and you will read it anyway because that is what we do.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Need it for upcoming series Review: OK, I agree somewhat with the previous reviews, sure theres not alot of action and not much storyline in it. But if your a fan of the New Jedi Order Series (Specifically Traitor #13 and beyond) you need to read this book. This explains the first encounter of the Yuuzhan Vong and explains the roots of Vergre (Jacen's Teacher). It is a must read for the Force Heretic Series that is not all published yet. My advice: just struggle through it. Theres some stuff in here that you need to know about the planet that will crop up later in the NJO series.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: An interesting read... Review: What can i say? This was one of the wierdest Star Wars books I have read in a while, and, without a doubt, one of the most interesting ones. This book is, if you want to say it, a prelude to the NJO "Force Heretic" series, somewhat. You are intorduced to the mysterious planet of Zonama Sekot, which will be used in the "Force Heretic" series. This book, however, didnt have me thrilled like usual. Only a small part of the book had me suspensed,the beggining and the end, thus the 4 stars and not 5. But, when the book was thrilling, it was VERY thrilling. The book altogther is a very weird book and i recommend it to more experiances Star Wars fans rather then to begginers in the Star Wars galaxy.
Rating: ![1 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-1-0.gif) Summary: Thank goodness Bear didn't write the first Star Wars Review: This is the 4th book, chronologically, in the novel series. After reading the first 3 at breakneck speed, this yawner ground me to a screeching halt. How anyone could make Star Wars so boring is beyond me. There are a grand total of 2(2!) action scenes in the whole book. This is Star Wars? If that weren't enough, the book is filled with new age strangeness throughout. It's almost as if Bear had a story already written, and changed the main characters to Obi Wan, etc and called it a Star Wars book. I barely, just barely, got through this thing. Here's hoping that the next book in the series, Approaching Storm, is much better.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: My favorite out of all Review: Well the title pretty much says it all. I loved this book. whenever I get a chance I reread it again. Can't really describe the plot to you. You'll just have to read it and find out for yourself. :)
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Two times pre-quel: NJO and Episode II Review: I read this book because I read the synopsis of the upcoming NJO: Force Heretic I (due out four days from today), and I wanted to know more about Sonama Sekot and Vergere if possible. Additionally, I wanted to know more about Anakin Skywalker (of course). There is only one incidence that gives you a hint about Anakin's inclination towards the Dark Side; it is how he kills the Blood Carver, which remains implicit. This book is a must read for NJO fans specially while waiting for Force Heretic I as well as for pre-quel fans. Fifty years later than when Anakin and Obi Wan traveled to Sonama Sekot, as described in this book, Jacen Solo, Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker will travel there. I have to wait to read Force Heretic I to know how relevant is my knowledge of Sonama Sekot. However, Destiny's Way (NJO # 14) is more explicit when Vergere describes how Sonama Sekot fought off the Yuzzhan Vong. The four stars that I am giving this book are due to the fact that > 50% of the book could had been written in far less pages. The book needed to be more explicit about Sonama Sekot and about how Anakin killed the Blood Carver. After finishing it I had more questions than when I started, and that is good in literature and preferably if Force Heretic I builds on it. Otherwise, it is too much reading and too little substance.
Rating: ![1 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-1-0.gif) Summary: Bizarre, Uninteresting, and a Major Disappointment Review: Background: Three years after the events of The Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker is well into his Jedi training, Obi-Wan is finding his position as a Master over Anakin both rewarding and challenging, and the Republic is falling even further into a bureaucratic nightmare. With that as the backdrop, "Rogue Planet" takes us on a mission with Obi-Wan and Anakin to a remote part of the Galaxy. A year earlier, another Jedi, Vergere, had mysteriously disappeared during her investigation of a planet called Zonama Sekot. The story takes us on their journey to find her and also tracks the manipulative responses that others within the Republic government have to the adventure. Synopsis: Greg Bear makes it pretty clear right from the beginning of his book that he has no intention of making this an Epic Story that you'll find in most other Star Wars books. This is a personal story, focusing on the internal conflicts of characters like Anakin, rather than on galaxy-wide struggles involving thousands of planets. The entire 340 page story is essentially told through the eyes of only five characters - Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ke Daiv (a Blood Carver Assassin), Raith Sienar (a Republic politician), and Commander Tarkin (a Republic Military Politician). Characters such as Palpatine and Yoda are simple backdrop and never do really participate in the storyline. And to my total surprise, there are virtually no aliens in the book at all. Other than a couple characters, everyone is a human, even the people on the Rogue Planet. And unlike most Star Wars novels, other than a few short chapters at the very beginning of the book, almost everything takes place on only one planet, Zonama Sekot. It is totally separate from everything having to do with the Republic, with Jedis, or anything else that you might traditionally think of as "Star Wars". In fact, almost half (if not more) of the book is spent watching Obi-Wan and Anakin build a ship, an admittedly cool-sounding ship, that really uses hardly any of the technology that is found in other stories. And even though there are plenty of references to The Force, it is still only used as a background to help remind you that you are actually reading a Star Wars adventure. Case in point, when you are reading a Star Wars novel that only has two or three references to a light saber, if that, you know something is wrong. Verdict: D+ With all of that in mind, I just can't in good conscience give this book a Thumbs Up. After having read the far superior "Cloak of Deception" by James Luceno, and even "The Phantom Menace" by Terry Brooks (basically a word-for-word retelling of the movie), I just couldn't help but be totally disappointed in Bear's attempt to expand on the Star Wars Universe. Sure, he uses Obi-Wan and Anakin to tell the story. And yes, there are comments made about The Force, about The Trade Federation, and about the Republic. But none of it really has anything to do with the story he is telling. You almost get the feeling that he wrote the story first, then went back and said "Okay, I have to make this sound like a Star Wars story. I better make a comment about The Force here and here..." At no time do you ever feel that you are immersed in a Galaxy Far, Far Away. Along the same lines, I came away at the end of the story with one word in mind - BIZARRE. Maybe it is just me, but I found the entire point of Zonama Sekot to be confusing and uninteresting. Considering that the majority of the book was focused on this stuff, it made for a very tough read. There were several times when I actually dreaded having to pick up the book again because I knew I wasn't going to care at all about what the author was trying to tell me. Even up to the last page I just kept trying to figure out what the reason for this tale was. And unfortunately, I don't think the answer to that question (unless I missed it) was ever given. Well, I take that back. Bear DOES do a good job of showing Anakin's continuing conflict with accepting the order of The Force and his own desire to break out and control it in his own way. Using several passages to hint at the causes behind his eventual acceptance of The Dark Side, Bear describes to us how a boy born to slavery could have the problems that he does. Other than that though, the story had virtually NO impact on the bigger issues of the Expanded Universe. I wanted to hear more in regard to the growing chaos of the Republic. I wanted to find out secrets that would reveal the political motivations that would be unraveling in years to come. And I really wanted to just feel, well, like I was on an adventure of epic proportions! I found none of this in Rogue Planet. Because of that, I was left with a lot of disappointment. In this reviewer's opinion, unless you just have to read absolutely everything connected to Star Wars, my suggestion is to skip this one.
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