The Approaching Storm (Star Wars)

Rating:
Summary: Not Quite A Classic
Review: I have been an avid Star Wars fan since my mother bought for me "Tales From Jabba's Palace" several years ago so I could read it on an upcoming road trip. Since the time I took in those enjoyable short stories, I have made it a point to drink up every Star Wars book that is published.

I was blown away by each of Timothy Zahn's outings; I fell in love with the supporting cast turned stars in the X-Wing series; and I patiently bided my time during the lean years when all I had to read was 'Children of the Jedi', 'Darksaber', and 'The Crystal Star' (and I still shudder when I recall sitting through 'Planet of Twilight' and 'The New Rebellion.')

I was thrilled when Del Rey Started publishing the New Jedi Order novels, and was even moderately engaged by the post-Phantom Menace novels, 'Rogue Planet' and 'Cloak of Deception'.

I was quite excited when I heard about 'The Approaching Storm. I picked it up the day I knew it was out, and began reading it just a few days later.

I hate to say it, but it really disappointed me.

One reviewer I read stated that Alan Dean Foster was a master of the Star Wars universe. He did not demonstrate his mastery with this outing.

Granted, most of the characters in 'Storm' are new to the literary universe, but even something as simple as the quiet dignity of the Jedi is fumbled clumsily. Consider a scene where Jedi Luminara Unduli attempts to impress a roomful of hostile politicians by using her Jedi powers to dump glasses of water on an alien's head.

Jedi philosophy aside, characters do not even behave in a believable manner, rather they behave according to convenience. The alien whose head is doused with water, for instance, does not get angrier at being humiliated, as his character's personality might have led us to suspect. Quite the contrary, he soon becomes a loyal admirer and supporter of the Jedi.

Another big problem with the novel is dialogue. Consider the two mentally challenged assassins, who after being 'cured' of their mental illness by Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee, switch from speaking in near grunts and incomplete sentences to speaking is purple prose.

The Jedi themselves are overly expository, describing details of thought and strategy out loud in conversations with one another. Mr. Foster continually breaks the first rule of writing: Show, don't tell.

And dialogue aside, there are other little issues with word choice and phrasing. Foster repeatedly (and awkwardly) lapses into the present tense when describing the Jedi. Another bad hibit that annoyed me was his insistency on showing off his $10 vocabulary. Maybe such words could be slipped periodically into the story, but they were coming out of the mouths of characters who had no business speaking them.

My final big complaint is plot. Perhaps I'm spoiled on the New Jedi Order novels, which are intricately plotted and fast paced, constantly leaning on brutally realistic action scenes and description of the dynamics of war strategy.

'Storm' reads more like a Loony Tunes cartoon, in which the uninspired villain, Seorgg the Hutt repeatedly sends out bumbling agents to thwart the Jedi plans while the Jedi (hold onto your seat) ride cowboy-like across the plains searching for a tribe of nomads.

For what claims to be an 'exciting prologue to Star Wars: Attack of the Clones", 'The Approaching Storm' is awfully pedestrian.

I'd definitely say this novel should be read by completionists only.

Rating:
Summary: The Force is with us.
Review: This book opens up skillfully, grabbing your attention and holding it until you finish the last page. Although it centers on Luminara Unduli (a character will be seeing in Episode II) and her apprentice, you get amazing glimpses of our doomed Master-Padawan team, Obi-Wan and Anakin. It opens before Attack of the Clones. The secessionist movement has focused its sights on what appears to be a relatively unimportant planet (Ansion), but is revealed to have very important connections. The Jedi Council dispatches two Jedi teams to settle a land dispute that is pushing Ansion to secede from the Republic. Daring battles, dry Jedi humor, and thoughtful moments from all characters make this book a must have before seeing Attack of the Clones.

Rating:
Summary: 800 Years Of Experience
Review: "The Approaching Storm", is described as a prologue to, "Star Wars Attack Of The Clones". The book introduces one new Jedi and her Apprentice in depth, and mentions the name, and shares a brief dialogue with the new Dark Jedi that has been seen in the movie trailers, Count Dooku. The Count will be familiar to any who have seen, "The Lord Of The Rings", as this actor featured in that film as well.

This book has its share of conflict with a quartet of lightsabers defending the two pairs of Jedi that are on a diplomatic mission. This novel is similar to an earlier book by Greg Bear, which also centered on diplomacy and it shares the same slower and bit more reflective pace. As the next movie approaches, Anakin together with his thoughts and behavior continue to become the focus of these preludes.

A great deal of emphasis was placed on how old Anakin was, in Episode I, when first proposed for Jedi training, as well as his attachment to his mother and his concern for her. The reasoning is made much clearer, and appears to have less to do with how old he was, and more to do with his knowing his mother. Force sensitive Jedi candidates are supposed to come to the Jedi Academy at a very early age so they have virtually no memory of, nor attachment to their birth parents. The reasoning behind this becomes much clearer as this book progresses.

Jedi choose who they want to mentor for an apprentice. This was a choice that was taken from Obi-Wan when he made a promise to train Anakin as Qui Gon Jin lay dying. It also placed him in conflict with The Jedi Council at the same moment he became a full Jedi Knight. All fans know how the encounter between Vader and Obi-Wan ends in the first movie to ever be shown on the screen, this book gives the reader issues to think about. Anakin is no longer a cute little kid, in this book he rarely says or does the correct thing, less out of bad intent, rather from not thinking first, and having strong ideas on what he is doing, as opposed to what he wished he were doing.

Remember the words that Yoda admonished the young Anakin with the first time he spoke to the boy, and then read this book. Yoda's 800 years of experience are formidable, and here his original concerns begin to take shape.

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: gulp
Review: Okay, so I may be a little late with my review but that's because I started reading this only just a couple of months ago, and I'm still wrestling through it. I'm one of those guys who think that if I miss one book I may miss a lot. With this one, I just keep forgetting what's being written. Basically because there are things happening that're really really not important; So what if there are creatures filled with air on this planet Ansion that need their existence explained in oh so many pages, and how about all those stupid rituals and traditions those locals live by, pfff. That's when I started to ask myself why these tribesmen were so important and why is this planet of cavemen so important for the safety of the Republic??? At first I thought only the female writers were doing a bad job of capturing the true spirit of Star Wars. (anybody read Dark Journey? Yuk!) With Foster it's clear that he isn't interested in writing Star Wars, he's just interested in writing; Mass production of many many many words that make up many many boring sentences.

So uh, can anybody tell me how it ends?

Rating:
Summary: Too drawn out.
Review: I must start off by saying I am a big fan of all the Star Wars novels, especially the books that are compilations of short stories (Tales of Bounty Hunters/Mos Eisley Cantina/Jabba's Palace/etc.). I have read many of the "series" books as well, such as the Han Solo trilogy and the Bounty Hunter Wars. I was excited about this book because it was a prequel to one of the movies. It started off very interesting, but I found that it soon became repetitive because random things just kept happening over and over again. To me, it almost seemed like half of the stuff was filler just to make the story fill an entire 363 page book. I gave it a 3-star rating not because I thought it was a bad book, just because I thought it was not as good as other Star Wars novels I had read (storywise). As for the writing, Foster does an excellent job in his portrayel of Ansion and of the characters. I just thought that the story was way too drawn out.

Rating:
Summary: Missing some Star Wars elements
Review: Because this book is set shortly before Attack of the Clones, the book focuses on political intrigue and offers a little bit of insight about some of the people involved in the Separatist movement. I give the book 3 stars because I liked the characters of Jedi Knight Luminara and her Padawan, the pair that accompanies Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on this particular mission. I also like some of the descriptions of some of the Jedi Force-based abilities. However, there is no galatic battle scene and no thrilling lightsaber duels so unless you really like political intrigue and Jedi lore, I think you may find this dull. And if you skip this book, I don't think you would miss much.

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: 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.