Customer Reviews

Mission from Mount Yoda (Star Wars)

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Although most of the Star Wars novels and other literary spinoffs (graphic novels, reference works, and screenplays) are primarily written for general audiences that include adult fans, the sextet of Bantam Skylark books written by Paul and Hollace Davis is targeted squarely at a specific audience, namely, young readers between the ages of 10 and 13.

The first three novels in the series (The Glove of Darth Vader, The Lost City of the Jedi, and Zorba the Hutt's Revenge) purport to be a continuation of the Star Wars saga set in a nebulous time period between the events in <Return of the Jedi and Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire. With the second Death Star's destruction and the deaths of both Emperor Palpatine and Lord Darth Vader at the Battle of Endor, rival factions vie for control of the crumbling Galactic Empire.

One faction, led by the surviving Grand Moffs, has temporarily installed the former Slave Lord of Kessel, Trioculous, as the new Emperor, proclaiming him to be Palpatine's long-rumored (but never confirmed) three-eyed mutant son. In order to achieve legitimacy, Trioculous acquires the almost mystical relic that is Darth Vader's indestructible glove and receives the grudging "dark blessing" of Supreme Prophet Kadann, head of the secretive Prophets of the Dark Side. With the aid of Grand Moff Hissa, Trioculous then sets out on a multi-pronged campaign to secure his power...a campaign that has these three main goals:

* The destruction of Luke Skywalker, the galaxy's sole Jedi Knight

* The capture of Luke's twin sister, Leia Organa, not only because she's a leader of the Rebel Alliance, but because Trioculous wants to marry her and install her as his Queen of the Empire

* The capture of Ken, the Jedi Prince who was found by Luke Skywalker in the Lost City of the Jedi on Yavin 4

By the end of Zorba the Hutt's Revenge, Trioculus had made far too many enemies and lost even the grudging support of Kadann, and as a result of a falling out between the three-eyed mutant pretender to the throne and the elderly but still vicious Zorba (Jabba the Hutt's father), he ended up frozen in carbonite and placed as a trophy in the Cloud City museum. Now the Empire is temporarily in the hands of Kadann and the Prophets of the Dark Side...and they are now unwilling to give the reins of power to anyone else.

As Mission From Mount Yoda begins, the prophets -- really part of a vast Imperial network of spies and operatives who lurk behind the shadows and use bribery, sabotage, and even murder to make Kadann's "prophecies" come true -- have come to the conclusion that they will not give up the rule of the Empire, and Kadann, a dwarfish, bearded man dressed in a glittering black cloak, issues a Nostradamus-like quatrain:

"When the Dragon's Pack,
Perched upon Yoda's stony back,
Receives a visitor pierced by gold,
Then come the last days of the Rebel Alliance."

Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO, and Ken are enjoying a much needed respite on the balmy planet Z'trop, "one of the most scenic planets in the galaxy." With nothing more dangerous than a plant-eating septapus nearby, the small group of Rebels is in paradise, relaxing and generally having a good time away from the war against the Empire.

But when R2-D2 discovers an abandoned Imperial Compact Assault Vehicle on a cliff nearby, the vacationing heroes of the Rebellion find themselves starting off on a perilous mission to figure out what Kadann's quatrain means, starting off from the secret Alliance outpost on Mount Yoda on the planet Dagobah and including a destiny-changing search for a relic on the planet Duros, where the Rebels meet Triclops, the Emperor's true son, who has been long hidden in an asylum by the Empire.

Triclops, whose third eye is on the back of his head, appears to be a man of peace and rejects his late father's tyrannical ways, but Luke Skywalker and the leaders of the Alliance sense there's something oddly wrong with him. They agree to take him to Rebel-held space, but do they dare trust him?

Mission From Mount Yoda isn't exactly the best of books for older Star Wars fans who are curious about this story arc because the characters and situations are mentioned in Lucasfilm-vetted references such as Stephen Sansweet's The Star Wars Encyclopedia, but they are all right for younger readers who like George Lucas's space fantasy trilogies set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." The storyline may be somewhat apocryphal (since none of the other Expanded Universe novels seems to be linked to it), and some of the Davids' little running gags (such as the constant references to "zoochberries") are grating to adults, but the overall tale is entertaining -- think of it as Star Wars-Lite. There is plenty of action and mayhem, including a harrowing encounter between Grand Moff Hissa and the Rebel heroes in a dark cave on Duros, and the characters, particularly the established icons from the film trilogy, are nicely done; there is the charming banter between Leia and Han, the earnest and compassionate heroism of Luke, the nervous prissiness of C-3PO and the usual eccentric bravery of R2-D2, albeit watered down somewhat for younger readers.

Each of the three books in the second batch of Star Wars novels for young readers includes:

* An illustrated list of the cast of characters, divided into Rebel and Imperial camps

* Pencil and ink drawings by June Brigman and Dark Horse Comics' illustrator Karl Kesel, with cover art by Drew Struzan.

* A glossary of characters and terms related to the book's narrative and Star Wars universe

This is actually one of the better books in this series, which is not very good. This book had a bit of a darker feel to it, and thus felt more like Star Wars than the other books in the series. However, this book may have been somewhat entertaining, but that can not take away the fact that the writing is cheesy, the characters undeveloped and not like themselves, most especially Luke, and the intire plot is somewhat silly. Kids too young or to lazy to read Young Jedi Knights, or Heir to the Empire, but would still like to see the Star Wars story continued would probably like this series. Fans older than twelve would probably get more enjoyment out of just about anything else.

Mission from Mount Yoda By Paul Davids and Hollace Davids Review by Flyn' Ryan

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." The battle against the evil empire goes on long after the death of Senator Palpatine from the original series. Now every man, woman, and alien of the rebel alliance continue their struggle to end the era of darkness. The Supreme Prophet Kadann plots to steal the now carbonated body of Trioculus, the imposter son of the late Senator Palpatine. Meanwhile, the rebel alliance is constructing a new project called "Decoy." Also the rebels rush to save the archaeologists of the old relic planet Duro, only to discover an incredible mystery in the deep tunnels. As the tunnels are under siege and lava is pouring in, Luke must decide to save the relics, or save his friends. This book is a thrilling science fiction book that would be a good book for all ages, but if you do not like science fiction books this is not the book for you. This book has a good plot line and a very good ending, and like I said before, it would be a good book for almost anyone.

Wow. I couldn't believe how cool this book was. The Empire is smashing the archeologists of Duro. Wrecking all trace of ancient culture on the planet. They are in hiding. Luke and Ken save the archeologists. This book follows from ZORBA THE HUTT'S REVENGE, which, together with this, are the best two books in the series, I think. I've read them all. Paul and Hollace Davids are terrific writers, really understand what's cool and even funny about STAR WARS. Pam

These series of books got my intrest in that they don't have to do with anything about the movie, like there is no Zorba the Hutt in thye movie, yet there is one in the book. I recomend this book to kids ages from 9-21. This is an exciting series of books. If there are readers that like short chapter books and like the Star Wars movies, you should read this book.

Bought as a gift to complete a collection. Would definitely buy from seller again.

Good book. Short. You need the other books in the series for it to make sense. Good use of characters. Plot could have been better.

= Wonderful littles stories to read to the kids
Reviewer: JediMack ...
I think these books take place after Truce at Bakura So I have placed themon the timeline at year 5 and 6 ANH. Are these 12 year old books worth reading? Who should read them?
I came across 3 of these, books 1, 4 and 6 of 6 written b the Davids. They are simple stories and come illustrated in simple pen and ink. They are not relavent to the EU, but they are nice little stories about the star wars characters for younf listeners and readers. When reading to the young you need help holding their attention especially my ADHD son. Pictures help. That is also why I have turned to buying and reading the dark horse comics about star wars.

Which is better? I like the comics better, but sometimes, with all those beautifully colored and inked pictures and the varying panels, it is hard for the kids to follow. But these simple little bantam Skylark books are sometimes perfect. Amazon.com actually had 73 new and used of the 1st book in the series when I wrote this in 2003.

I couldn't get into it, but my 8 year old son did. These were illustrated and interesting, as they were written Pre-Zahn Thrawn trilogy. If you want star wars for young kids that are readable and have pictures, check out the darkhorse comics.

It was filled with excitement and suspense. It's the best of the 6 in the series. A must for SW fans.