Rating: 
Summary: I Loved it!
Review: Besides being a great source of background info about the events of Episode II: Attack of the Clones, this book was a breath of fresh air to someone like me who has been reading the relatively depressing New Jedi Order series.
What I like the best about this book is meeting Luminara Unduli (whose picture is on the cover next to Anakin and Obi-Wan) and her padawan apprentice Bariss Offee. Until this point we hadn't met too many female Old Replublic Jedi, so meeting Luminara and Bariss in this book was a treat for me.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Star Wars and wants to read a light-hearted, but also serious book.
Rating: 
Summary: The WORST Star Wars book EVER
Review: Can it get any worse? As I was reading this, I was suddenly reminded of 7th grade... but I could not figure out why I was reminded of that time in my life. And suddenly, it hit me... this is how I wrote when I was 13. Honestly, the author uses two adjectives/adverbs for every noun and verb. It is really annoying. He babbles on and on about characters and things that are hardly "Star Wars-ee". It is difficult to get through the babbling and see the story for what it is... nothing. The plot is nothing. 4 jedi go to a planet and are captured by baddies and escape (this is a reoccuring theme, btw)...
Rating: 
Summary: Better Than the Reviews Imply
Review: Having read Rogue Planet and been disappointed, this book actually surpassed my expectations, though I am not really all that surprised by the less than enthusiastic reviews on here. Luminara and Bariss are welcome introductions to the world of Jedi Knights. I've always been a bit disappointed at the lack of female representatives in the Old Republic. These two are actually sympathetic and kind. It shows a feminine side to the knights. Yes, they do engage in some odd habits for Jedi philosophy, but so did Qui-Gon in Episode 1 if I remember correctly. Obi-Wan and Anakin are delegated to secondary characters, but that didn't bother me all that much considering that as the main characters in Rogue Planet I didn't like the way they were characterized. Yes, Obi-Wan is strict and a bit austere, but I didn't see him giving any bear hugs to Anakin in AOTC either. That's not the way he works, he's just not that outwardly emotional. I actually liked Anakin's characterization in this book. He is overly eager to please and prove himself while still trying to battle mental scars from his youth. He's impatient, yet still no one can deny that he is talented. He stays and enigma in this one, just like I think he should. As for the rest of the plot, political squabbling is the main premise. I don't know how anyone can expect anything more. This was the age of everyone trying to keep a decaying Republic together, not fight an actual war. It's political manuevering, not hostile takeover. Yet. There really wasn't room in this part of the story for a particularly malevolent villain. Right after the Empire falls there is, in NJO there is, but not now. It doesn't fit into the timeline. All in all, it wasn't a bad read. Don't go into this expecting a fight like NJO and you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: And the merchandise machine rolls on...
Review: It's pretty easy in my opinion to tell the difference between when someone's written a book because they had a story that needed to be told and when someone's gotten a fat commission, a three-sentence description of the available characters and a deadline and has been told to go and 'create'. This book falls into the latter category. The characters in The Approaching Storm are as two dimensional as the cover art- Obi Wan is wise and witty, Anakin is impetuous, and the obligatory Hutt wants more money and power. The plot isn't all that believable- some backwater planet has apparently been able to negotiate so many treaties with powerful allies that if it secedes from the Republic, a few thousand other worlds will go with it. Worlds that are rich and mean something and apparently thought it was a spiffy idea to throw their lot in with a backwater planet in the first place. The characters spend an ample amount of time trying to keep the peace, wondering at the enigma that is Anakin Skywalker (either Jedi overanalyze things to the point of missing obvious character flaws, or are just really really stupid), and hitting things with their lightsabers. I love Star Wars. I picked this up when the shakes I was had from waiting for Episode 2 got to be nearly too much to handle. This book certainly did the trick. It made me remember how awful stories can be when they are created for the sole purpose of capitalizing on popularity, and my anticipation for Episode II suddenly waned (that turned out to be a good thing- I went into the movie with lowered expectations and enjoyed it even more).
Rating:
Summary: Insightful read!
Review: This was a great read for fans wanting to read more of the character development between Jedi and Padawan. Foster was exceptional on writing about the world of Ansion and its divided natives. The relationships among the Jedi and Padawan gave a meaningful insight to the reader about the conflicts and expectations both must deal with while working together. Can't wait for the next books that will cover the time between Episode II and Episode III!
Rating:
Summary: Awsome book
Review: This book had suspense, action, mystery, kept me coming back for more. I couldn't put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Anecdote not Prologue
Review: This is good story telling. Characters have depth, descriptions of new species and worlds are rich. This book gets into the mind of Anakin Skywalker and gives us hints to his development as a Jedi Padawan. And, it displays some of the Jedi abilities in ways not previously seen, especially as mediators. I gave this book only 3 stars because it did not enrich my understanding of events in play immediately preceding Episode II. It is not needed as a "prologue" for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, and the historical events would have been more appropriate as a footnote to Episode II.
Rating:
Summary: Great characters, mediocre plot
Review: While I agree with the mass opinion that this is not a very exciting story, it had another value that was seriously redeeming. The characterization of Obi-Wan and Anakin. After seeing Attack of the Clones, it's almost scary how well Foster captures their personalities on paper. It's right up there with the way Timothy Zahn took on the main characters from the classic trilogy, or A.C. Crispin's take on Han Solo. Back to the Approacing Storm, the main plot revolves around the Jedi Council sending in Jedi to persuade the planet Ansion not to leave the republic. I really didn't keep reading ahead for the story, but rather to see how the Jedi handled the situations they stumbled into.
To sum up, bland story, excellent characterization of Obi-Wan and Anakin.
Rating:
Summary: good book for giving jedi guidelines & political set-up EP2
Review: I found this book very interesting for setting up the jedi life. I also think it helps show what is happening in EP2. I think if your going to read The Attack Of Clones, you should read this first.
Rating:
Summary: Alan Dean Foster is Back in the Star Wars Universe.
Review: Truly a charismatic book, though it takes place between pages 4 & 5 of AOTC.
It is a welcomed addition to this Star Wars fan's library giving a tremendous view into background of events leading to and surrounding Episode II. Even without any space battles this book never failed to challenge my putting it down. I found myself wanting to read a little further each time I tried, just to find out how the two Jedis and their Padawans were to get out of their current quandary. Nice build up for the release of Episode II. Hope every Star Wars fan gets a chance to read this one.
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