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Summary: should all be like this
Review: This is probably the greatest Clone Wars book yet. Some of the others read just don't match up to this and its in a league of its own. In between classes I was reading this book in the halls it was so good. It really shows the horrors of war and the struggle the Jedi are going through. Mace Windu is great. I also recommend the Medstar Duology
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Summary: Reevaluate everything
Review: This novel blew me away. I was reluctant to read it at first, since I usually rely on my pre-existing emotional attachment to the classic or NJO-era characters to buoy my interest in Star Wars books. I'm not a big fan of the prequels, and I had always thought of Mace Windu as basically a cameo role for Samuel L. Jackson in the movies.After only the first chapter of Shatterpoint, I found myself revising a lot of my opinions and preconceptions--about the book, the main character, the Jedi, the Force, and the Star Wars universe as a whole. Stover's stream-of-consciousness writing style grabbed my attention right away and pulled me emotionally into the plot. I often forgot that I was even reading--the narrative was so frank and immediate that I felt like I was there, in the story. The style alone could have kept me turning pages chapter after chapter. The plot and the details through which it plays out, however, are at least as engrossing and fresh. This is an unflinching tale of war that has more in common with the hellishness of Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) or The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien) than with other Star Wars books. Through its gruesome reality and constant sense of nervous anticipation, the novel examines the behavior of people under extreme stress and pressure. In the process, it forces a reevaluation of the psychology and purpose of the Jedi. The implications of this reevaluation beautifully weave together the events of the prequels, classic trilogy, and New Jedi Order. In the end, this is the most satisfying Star Wars book I have yet read. I would recommend it to fans of any eraof Star Wars, and equally to those who read the books for the action, the characters, or to better understand the Force and/or the morality of being a Jedi. Personally, I'll be looking for more Matthew Stover books.
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Summary: Stover makes Star Wars his Own
Review: Want to save the franchise? Give it over to Matthew Woodring Stover, who takes a character heretofore only distinguished by the fact that Sam Jackson portrays him, and brings him to gritty, determined life, as a Jedi forced to confront all his assumptions as he enters his own Heart of Darkness. Mace Windu, Jedi Master, returns to the planet of his birth to unconver the connection between his old apprentice and some massacres during a bloody (is there any other kind?) civil war. He finds that nothing, including himself, is as it seems. Well enough plot... Stover creates a haunting, wholly believable view of what it means to be a Jedi in a world gradually devolving towards empire. His characters are vivid, filled with humanity and humor, and a maturity that makes this so much more than just a 'Star Wars' book. Stover does a brilliant job of showing us both the steel that makes Windu one of the most powerful Jedi Masters, as well as the humanity which in the end, will be the temporary downfall of the Jedi and the Old Republic. And it's hellishly entertaining. An unbelievable ride.
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Summary: War is hell.... but this book is heaven!!!
Review: You know, i have been reading star wars books for many years now and have read to many to count and all of them are called star wars, but the wars in the book have never felt like any of the wars we have to come to know and hate. Shatterpoint is the vietnam of star wars books. It actually shows that war isnt all so clean and thrilling; it is a terrifying, horrible, uncivilized action that kills unmercilessly. The story is about Mace Windu and his return to his home planet of Haruun Kal to search for his former padawan, Depa Billaba, because of a disturbing message he receives from her that shows what can only be her turning to the dark side. I liked this book alot and Stovers writing was very detailed and easy to read. The first part of the book is pretty much Mace's trek through the jungle and his learning of the ways of the planet and its residents. It was exciting and fun at first, but towards the end it started to drag, but dont worry, cuz at that exact point, the story changes and it gets interesting again. The final battle takes a whole third of the book and is very exciting. This book raises and answers many questions about jedi beliefs, their war, and war in general. This is a very dark, and detailed(gory) book so i wouldnt recommend this to some of the younger kids, but it is a great read about the horrors of war, but with the star wars twist.
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