Rating: 
Summary: Darth Maul Shadow Hunter or Darsha The Ditzy Jedi
Review: This book is pitiful. No other way to describe it. The plot has been gone over in previous reviews, no need to beat a dead horse. The Jedi padawan Darsha, on the verge of knighthood, is portrayed as a moron. A shame that the character is female. It would have been nice to see a strong female jedi in action. Other than that, one would think the death of a Jedi master would cause the council to take notice. Yes, there are chase scenes, and Obi Wan is in it. But this is simply and hopefully final cash milking of a once popular character that needs to remain dead in the bottom of the Theed pit if this is the best they can do for him. I think Maul is a cool character, and would like to read something interesting about him from the expanded universe. But after the comic book and this I say 'you have had your 15 minutes of fame Maul, Rest in pieces.'
Rating:
Summary: A story Darth Maul fans will love and cherish.
Review: When I heard a novel about Darth Maul was in the works, I got a little worried. I too am a Maulaholic, and I became concerned on what kind of story can possibly be told about him. Will it upset the events of Episode I in any way? Shadow Hunter was a success. Mr. Reaves did a fantastic job of setting the stage up for Episode I. It was a fast-paced, action packed, lightsaber galore, of a novel. What makes this story very interesting is we learn how Maul thinks, the way he see's life, his views towards everyone he encounters (along with the Jedi and his Master), and we even get a peek at his training. As the book came to a conclusion, there came the grand ending; possibly the best part. I won't spoil it for any potential readers, but the ending was amazing. Just like many scenes in the book, the end was something you would wish to see with your own eyes. The only thing I didn't like from the book was the Obi-Wan scenes. Nothing new was learned about him and it probably wouldn't have made a difference if he was left out. But that still wasn't enough to hurt the story. Great book and a job well done by Mr. Reaves.
Rating:
Summary: Death equals Darth maul
Review: the angel of death is back! Action packed, suspenseful and just plain fantastic is what this book is. A heart pounding chase scene in the underbelly of the Galaxy's ruling planet. Darth maul is sent on a mission by his Syth Master to kill a traitor and kill he does. His double bladed lightsaber finds it's mark everytime and he is unstoppable. However, his opposition is not without resolve as well and even a powerful Syth Lord like Maul will not find the mission so easy to fulfill. Michael Reaves has done a fine job in crafting this installment; a hard to put down novel that will have you at the edge of your seat. Adn waht a twist at the end. Yes we know more or less that the blockade will take place, but if the reader forgets those events while reading this he will be in for one great read. For sure one of my favorites; now I can't wait for Cloack of Deception which is the middle book to this trilogy which begins with Shadow Hunter and ends with Phantom Menace. As well, hats off to Random House Audio for a great audio production this story was made for an audio format.
Rating:
Summary: Shadow Hunter
Review: Hello, my name is Elaine, and I'm a Maulaholic. When I heard Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter was out, I grabbed it as soon as I could. I wasn't disappointed, either. Maul's very first scene should send shivers of glee up any good Sithly spine! Now, there are those who want to know more about Maul and his past, but I say, keep him enigmatic: his mystery is part of his allure. Happily, not much of his past is revealed here, though we do get a flashback of the creation of his signature weapon. What is revealed is how he thinks, what makes him tick, his motivation. The story is a constant race of action. The characters aren't shorted in personality, though, being well thought out and as fully fleshed as their tatooed nemesis. Darth Maul isn't the only danger, of course: a few critters from the darkest underbelly of the capitol world make their appearances, creatures thought by most to be either legendary or extinct. There's not much to say on the negative side. The only detractors were a few turns of phrase that didn't really belong in the Star Wars universe. (The book starts out 'An even longer time ago in a galaxy far, far away...' but the story makes up for that silliness.) And for a novice in Lucas' universe, Reaves is up on his in-jokes. Look for a tweak at Indiana Jones, too! One of the intriguing subplots of the book involves the character Lorn Pavan's intense animosity toward the Jedi order. Be assured that it's not just an idle dislike: he has quite a good reason for his hatred. I'd wondered about this facet of Jedi life for a bit; now I'm not sure I'll ever see the order in the same untarnished light again... All in all, this is one that Star Wars lovers in general, and Darth Maul lovers in particular, should not pass up. I read it cover to cover in about three hours!
Rating:
Summary: Get this book! (You know you want to)
Review: Oh, this was a fun ride! Mr. Reeves has a lot of potential as a Star Wars author, as he's captured the sense of non-stop adventure that many (myself included) find so appealing. Readers may find themselves needing a dictionary nearby in order to understand the vocabulary that pops up at least once in each chapter. But even though it jarred me enough to notice it, I didn't really mind. It added to the richness of his descriptions and always seemed to flow well with the rest of his writing. A good workout for those of us used to devouring these books in one sitting. The new characters were so much fun. Others have said that they were disturbed by the lack of outright description, but I never found myself lacking a mental picture of the characters. You build up their image as the book moves along. And it was great to see not only a not-super-human Jedi in the form of Darsha, but a wonderfully written and humanlike droid named I-5. He really plays with the general sterotypes of the Galaxy Far, Far Away and I hope to see more of it. The only negative I could cite would be his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He seemed to be there more for appearance value and lacked the spark that other authors have captured with him. Perhaps before he is given a New Jedi Order novel (which I would LOVE to see), Mr. Reeves could warm up on the established characters with a short story in Star Wars Gamer? All in all, a fun book with loveable characters. Buy it!
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Summary: Most Movie-Like of all EU Books
Review: This book nailed the feel of the movies perfectly. From the introduction featuring a gigantic spaceship to the twist ending. Reaves did a phenomenal job with dialogue and with his style, which was reverent when describing Jedi action and gritty when dealing with the Star Wars galaxy's underbelly. The character of I5YQ is probably his biggest coup. The only downfall I could find was a lack of physical description of the characters that we don't already know. Otherwise, this blows the others I have read to smithereens! Way to go Mike Reaves!
Rating:
Summary: if death was to have a name it would be DARTH MAUL
Review: WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK? IF ONE WORD COULD SUM IT UP: AWESOME!!!!! i dont want to give away any of the story so all i can say is that if you have been let down by sw bks in the past..... THIS ONE MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR IT!!!!
Rating:
Summary: I love this book. ;-)
Review: It's a real treat for Darth Maul fans everywhere, my friends love it too. Michael Reaves has a great grasp on character development, and comes through with his excellent writing when sometimes stuck in a pit of cliche's. My favorite character was the ever unfortunate bounty hunter 'Mahwi Lihnn' WHY DID SHE DIIIIEEEE!!?? ;-( I highly recommend this book and other Micheal Reaves titles.
Rating: 
Summary: ?THX?
Review: As someone who generally gets new Stars Wars books on the day they become available, I freely admit I am not as hard on these books as I probably should be. However I think most fans enjoy the Universe of Lucas so much, minor or irritating issues are less noted. There is one idea that is not an issue. To suggest this book lacks any suspense or surprise because virtually all readers have seen Episode I is completely absurd. All fans already know what happens to Anakin, and a variety of others from Episode I, as we have seen Episodes IV, V, and VI. There are over 150 other written works that take place before, during and after all the movies, and as readers know the whole epic is more enjoyable as influenced by how much of the reading you have done. There are hundreds a bits of information that are and will remain unknown to those who have never picked up a book. The movies are still great, but the reading adds another level of detail. Michael Reaves does an average job with his entry as a Star Wars Author. The storyline is enjoyable, and much is learned about Darth Maul and the embargo that takes place in Episode I. Not only does the movie not detract from the book, the background information gained, enhances Episode I. On the down side the information about Maul's entry to the Sith is fragmented, and placed in several spots in the book. They are not clean transitions, and the questions foremost in your mind are never dealt with. There is a training sequence that would be great on film, but it will remain in the book unless many more movies come to pass. Maul like other "bad" characters before him, has developed a huge following among fans, even though his part in the movie was short, critical, but short and quite final. The book is loaded with light saber battles both single and double bladed, so the snap hiss fans will love it. The Jedi Philosophy is both nobly portrayed and practiced, and as always new pieces of information are shared with readers. The book is one great chase with the last sentient in the Galaxy you would wished to be pursued by. And as the action takes place almost exclusively on Coruscant, the possibilities and endless locations of the City-Planet make for great reading. Some new and clever life forms are introduced, and the battles that are fought are not easy victories for either side of the force that is wielding a blade. The next installment will be another Maul based adventure, and for the first time it will only be available as a download online. It's appropriate that the greatest science fiction epic ever created will be delivered via cyberspace and silicon. I have one small issue and another I found annoying. Why did this Author decide to have one Jedi constantly introduce himself, as only James Bond would do? The other is a larger issue. When disbelief is suspended the reader should not be snapped out of it with the issue I already mentioned, even if it too is fictional. It is totally inappropriate to attempt to insert a reference to the fact-based world. It is even worse when done badly, and in this instance it certainly was. For future Authors, kindly do not rip me out of a tale and insert me into the electronics store down the street, or into a multitude of industry magazines that have zero bearing on the story. Promoting real world products not only kills the moments while it lingers, it is appalling when it is used for another Lucas owned consumer product.
Rating:
Summary: A Refreshing Change of Pace
Review: I found Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter to be an interesting, exciting and fun change of pace from the more run-of-the-mill Star Wars novels. It obviously takes place in the Prequel Era, and covers the events immediately before the start of The Phantom Menace. Basically the plot is that a Neimoidian with news of the Naboo blockade tries to sell the information on Coruscant, so Darth Maul is sent to hunt the guy down and kill him, as well as anyone he has told about the blockade. Michael Reaves is by no stretch of the imagination a fantastic author; his writing style and mechanics just weren't that great. However, this minor lapse is more than made up for by all the great elements to this book. Reaves introduces several new and interesting characters, which is a boon since because they aren't "main" characters, there are no assurances that they will survive, and the suspense is therefore much greater than in most of the Star Wars stories. The author also explores a lot of hitherto underexplained and -explored elements of the Star Wars universe. For example, the fighting style known as tëras käsi has been referenced and mentioned a lot in previous novels, but here for the first time we see what it really is. Also, we get more insight into the Sith culture -- why they want "revenge" on the Jedi, why Darth Maul in particular is so obssessed with killing Jedi, and things that make the Sith's motivations in the films much more clear. The book goes more into the actual role of the Jedi in the galaxy, and how much influence they have, and it explores some of the problems with Jedi policy. Also, though Reaves is a newcomer to the Star Wars universe, there are enough small references to other works to please fans especially. In terms of action, of which there is certainly plenty to be found here, the author had a lot of fun. New and innovative ways of killing and dying in the Star Wars universe, cool weapons and capabilities. And instead of giving us a blow-by-blow breakdown of lightsaber duels, Reaves instead opts to go more into the mindset of the fighters, how the Force helps and influences their actions and decisions, which gives us a unique view in that regard. In fact, for a novel more oriented towards adventure, I think that this book has an outstanding amount of introspection and thought regarding the ways, the use, and the limits of the Force, and the differences between the Light Side and the Dark Side. There were really only a few small downfalls in terms of plot. First of all, the Obi-Wan subplot was really unnecessary. It didn't really go anywhere, and it didn't really establish anything new about the character anyway. Also, in this book it seems that Holocrons are also able to be used as simple recording devices -- I had thought from previous sources that they were something different. And finally, there was really no reason to introduce the "Crimson Corridor." There are already plenty of bad places that we know about on Coruscant, an easy example being the Southern Underground, without the author having to create an even new, even worse section than we've seen before. Overall, however, this was a great effort. A quick, fun, and entertaining romp through the bowels of Coruscant, filled with fun and enjoyable characters that I for one would like to see more of in the future. Good job Michael Reaves!
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