3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strong effort in the Star Wars Universe, February 20, 2005
This book is the second in the Medstar duology and brings a nice conclusion to a good first effort by Michael Reaves. This novel obviously does not stand by itself, but if you read and enjoyed Medstar I, this is a must read. Enjoy!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun to read, great characters., February 24, 2005
Medstar II was slightly better than Medstar I. The obvious references to MASH were toned down a bit, but there were still times I tried to match the characters in Jedi Healer to their counterparts in the MASH tv series.
The plot thickens significantly in this book, as the loose ends from the first half of the duology begin to get tied up. The characters are very easy to get attached to, and their personalities come through in shining colors. The authors do a good job of pulling you into the story. Without giving too much away, the resolution of the issue with the spy in the camp was very well written and the subterfuge practiced by the different bad guys was pleasant to read. Although it was simple to figure out who the spy was before it was definitively revealed, it was interesting to see the characters go through the deductive process. My only complain was that it seemed that Bariss should have been able to figure it out much sooner, and didn't take some simple logical steps earlier in the story. But it was interesting none the less.
My only other complaint was that there seemed to be an inordinate number of aliens that I was unfamiliar with. I kept having to go online to look them up, because they weren't adequately described in the book.
In this duology I've grown really attached to the characters. It's almost sad to continue to read about all the Jedi, knowing what is going to happen to them in the upcoming movie....
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
mostly satisfying, November 15, 2004
"Jedi Healer" is the second and concluding volume in the "Medstar" duology. It continues the story of the surgeons we met in "Battle Surgeons". They remain on the planet Drongar working in the Star Wars version of a M.A.S.H. unit. One particular storyline continues from the first book, and that is the fact that there is a spy working on Drongar against the Republic. This spy is a double-agent in that he (or she) is working both for the Separatists (the group led by Count Dooku) and also for the Black Sun criminal organization. Since the goal is the same for both groups, at the moment, there is no conflict. There is, however, double the risk for the spy. It is never said who the spy is, or what gender, so there has been some guessing games going on since "Battle Surgeons". With the only true export from Drongar being the fragile miracle drug, "Bota", the spy is finding ways to divert bota from the Republic.
Along with the spy portion of the story is the main story of the surgeons. They live their lives, do their jobs, try to cope with life on the incredibly hot and muggy Drongar, and question why they are doing what they are doing. To go along with the cast of characters from the first book (Jos Vandar, Tolk, Jedi Apprentice Barriss Offee, I-Five) we are introduced to the young surgeon Uli Divini, who is taking the place of the killed surgeon Zan Yant. Uli is very confident, very skilled, and very untested. Jos questions whether Uli will be able to handle the work, though it is quickly evident that he can. There are two conflicts in this book. The first is in the new relationship of Jos and Tolk. It is a relationship which is forbidden by their culture. The second is figuring out who the spy is before the spy can cause any more damage.
As far as Star Wars stories go, I enjoyed the Medstar books more than most. Reaves and Perry have created a very interesting story here and a satisfying conclusion. Granted, I would have been slightly more satisfied if the spy was the other person, but we can't have it all. "Battle Surgeons" is a slightly better book because there was more of a M.A.S.H. feel to it, but there is much to like here. Anytime Barriss Offee is on the page is a good scene. She is one of the most interesting characters and the fact that she is a Jedi in training dealing with the potential for a drug addiction was a great idea, if underused. There was less M.A.S.H. stuff here, but the interactions with I-Five (the droid) more than make up for it. This book features, of all things, a quest to get I-Five drunk. Classic.
While this is a prequel novel featuring mostly on characters which were not in the movies, this Clone Wars novel helps to provide a feel (along with "Battle Surgeons") of just how the Clone Wars affected nearly everyone in the galaxy in some way. While there are no grand space battles, this, is like a battle to secure one meaningless hill in WWII. The battle must be fought because the other side wants the hill (though Bota is far more valuable than a hill), but in the larger picture, the hill doesn't really mean that much. The opportunity to see the surgeons again is more than worth the price of having a book set around that meaningless hill.
-Joe Sherry
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