Customer Reviews

Shatterpoint (Star Wars: Clone Wars Novel)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This novel blew me away. I was reluctant to read it at first, since I usually rely on my pre-existing emotional attachment to the classic or NJO-era characters to buoy my interest in Star Wars books. I'm not a big fan of the prequels, and I had always thought of Mace Windu as basically a cameo role for Samuel L. Jackson in the movies.

After only the first chapter of Shatterpoint, I found myself revising a lot of my opinions and preconceptions--about the book, the main character, the Jedi, the Force, and the Star Wars universe as a whole. Stover's stream-of-consciousness writing style grabbed my attention right away and pulled me emotionally into the plot. I often forgot that I was even reading--the narrative was so frank and immediate that I felt like I was there, in the story. The style alone could have kept me turning pages chapter after chapter. The plot and the details through which it plays out, however, are at least as engrossing and fresh. This is an unflinching tale of war that has more in common with the hellishness of Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) or The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien) than with other Star Wars books. Through its gruesome reality and constant sense of nervous anticipation, the novel examines the behavior of people under extreme stress and pressure. In the process, it forces a reevaluation of the psychology and purpose of the Jedi. The implications of this reevaluation beautifully weave together the events of the prequels, classic trilogy, and New Jedi Order.

In the end, this is the most satisfying Star Wars book I have yet read. I would recommend it to fans of any eraof Star Wars, and equally to those who read the books for the action, the characters, or to better understand the Force and/or the morality of being a Jedi. Personally, I'll be looking for more Matthew Stover books.

My review in one word: superb. Shatterpoint is an excellent Star Wars novel, and an excellent start to the Clone Wars novel campaign. Although the book is significantly longer than Traitor, it's all from the POV of one character: in this instance, Mace. I wasn't sure how that would go when I started the book, because Mace, as far as I was concerned, didn't really have a character. He had a couple of lines in the films, but for most of the comics he was just kind of there, without a whole lot of personality. So I didn't really have a clear mental image of the guy. But it turned out well. He turned out to be a compelling character.

I guess the Star Wars novel that this most reminds me of in terms of content is a much darker Courtship of Princess Leia. Just a thought.

It was good seeing a Jedi actually using the Force. Too often, but not always, the Force is used in pretty unimaginative ways, when it's used at all -- it seems that some authors forget that it's there until they come up with a scene specifically designed to use it in some neat way. But it's used frequently and often quite imaginatively here.

I also really enjoyed the action. Nothing as powerful as the Ganner sequence, but it wasn't as abstract, either. There were lightsaber fights, Force-fights without sabers, ground battles, dogfights, everything, all done very well. Some of my favorite Star Wars fights are contained in this novel. Pretty action packed. All done very well. Those of you who liked seeing Luke in action with two sabers . . . just wait till you see Mace. Wow.

Also, this book has a great deal of the humor that didn't make it into Traitor. A few of the jokes were groaners, but there were quite a few good chuckles in there as well. Some of the characters seemed pretty stock, but most were well-done, and I'd like to see more of Geptun down the line.

So as a Star Wars novel it's a good, thoughtful, action-packed adventure. But it's also a Clone Wars novel. And it also works on that level.

Though the events of this book probably don't have a huge impact on the Clone War itself, this book was a good introduction. It really defines the role of the Jedi in the war, which is essential because, for better or worse, it seems that all of the upcoming CW novels are about the Jedi participants, and it also really serves to underscore the difference between the Jedi and the fundaments of the Jedi Order in the time of the Republic, as opposed to the Jedi we're used to seeing in the NR/NJO days. This book really helps to underscore both the differences and similarities between how the two orders operated and trained and thought and functioned.

Of course, take this out of the GFFA, and it also serves as a war novel in its own right, going over territory familiar and less so about the rules of war, and the way war is waged, and the terror of war, and how no one really wins in a war, and all that kind of stuff.

As far as I'm concerned, this book works on just about every level. Shatterpoint is a great read. Not Stover's best, and it's too early to tell yet how long it will stay with me, or whether it'll be my favorite Star Wars novel - it may be, though - but a very good effort.

Want to save the franchise? Give it over to Matthew Woodring Stover, who takes a character heretofore only distinguished by the fact that Sam Jackson portrays him, and brings him to gritty, determined life, as a Jedi forced to confront all his assumptions as he enters his own Heart of Darkness.

Mace Windu, Jedi Master, returns to the planet of his birth to unconver the connection between his old apprentice and some massacres during a bloody (is there any other kind?) civil war. He finds that nothing, including himself, is as it seems. Well enough plot...

Stover creates a haunting, wholly believable view of what it means to be a Jedi in a world gradually devolving towards empire. His characters are vivid, filled with humanity and humor, and a maturity that makes this so much more than just a 'Star Wars' book.

Stover does a brilliant job of showing us both the steel that makes Windu one of the most powerful Jedi Masters, as well as the humanity which in the end, will be the temporary downfall of the Jedi and the Old Republic.

And it's hellishly entertaining. An unbelievable ride.

Like many, I felt that the NJO series began promising, but ultimately was just not UP to the standards the serious Star Wars reader is looking for. Sure, some of the authors made valliant efforts to reign in the growing mess that it had become, but it wasn't long before it was simply beyond help. Now we see a story that takes us back to the Clone Wars which we saw a minor glimpse of at the end of Episode II, and gives us an even deeper view into a truly great Star Wars character, Mace Windu.

Matthew Stover handles this particular Star Wars entry in fine form, as though he knew exactly what needed to be told for us readers who have been thirsting for a novel based in a Galaxy Far, Far Away that just doesn't suck -- which is ultimately what we want, a book that doesn't waste out time. 'Shatterpoint' DOESN'T suck at all. In fact, it is an above-average tale that (thanks to Episode I & II) helps us to better understand events we have already seen, and in part, to understand events yet-to-come in the later movies.

I wouldn't put Stover's writing on a level equal to Timothy Zahn, who is without a doubt the best living Star Wars author writing today, but Mr. Stover really IS good at what he does. Some have noted the grim darkness of this tale in other reviews, and I re-emphasize that there are some aspects of this novel which entirely took me by surprise -- mostly due to the graphic depiction of some of the scenes. NOT what you expect from your typical Star Wars story. I was (at times) even shocked that some was allowed in print -- and that isn't to mean it DOESN'T belong, but just more than I have seen in ANY previous novel (to date). Now that I have said this, let me also say that once you are past the more gruesome portions, you can relax and appreciate why they were included.

All in all, after some of the drivel of the NJO, despite the best of intentions by Del Rey and some well meaning authors, 'Shatterpoint' is a fantastic addition to the Star Wars Universe that deserves a very large audience and if Mr. Stover ever re-enters this particular Universe again, he can count on an instant best-seller based entirely upon the success of this story. Well done.

For once, STAR WARS fans need not digest the bland formula writing that has characterized the entire Expanded Universe for years now. (I mean no disrespect to the likes of Timothy Zahn.) Matthew Stover leads the figurative next generation of fantasy authors, authors who are not afraid to dive deep into the frightening corners of the human psyche, while retaining the "swashbuckling" STAR WARS precedent. You will rethink the Force, and actually understand the role of the Jedi, while reveling in arguably the best fight scenes yet to be depicted on paper.

Shatterpoint is a novel to die for, taking its reader on an intense and textured journey through the personified "jungle" of war's personal savagery. Mace Windu narrates his emotional mission to the jungle planet of his people, where he must face not only his own demons, but the power of a movement of terror. This conflict has evil on both sides, tragedy ranging from children killed to souls shattered, and true empathy. Stover has made Windu his own.

Read with your whole spirit, and a notebook. We should always write when we read, whether the piece is tedious garbage or a revelatory and personal epic. Shatterpoint is the latter.

NOTES: Please vote.
Stover's other great Star Wars piece is called Traitor.

This book almost made me forget Timothy Zahn is the best Star Wars author. I preferred this over any the New Jedi Order series and almost all the other EU books. Stover not only captures Windu's character perfectly, but weaves a very interesting plot with a fair amount of twists. Like Traitor, this book has a strong focus on the mentality of Jedi and the author's experience with martial arts as mentioned on the back cover, I think, has something to do with this.

There a lot of really fascinating, original (I think) concepts introduced here too. For example, Windu is supposed to possess this extraordinary (even for Jedi) ability to perceive the "shatterpoint" of a situation -- which basically means he is capable of visualizing the sum total of all the influencing factors of a particular circumstance in all their subtlety and then deduce a precise action that he can take to completely alter everything. This is pretty much the main theme of the book and it is appears in a variety of ways, on a variety of scales. Excellent novel.

I find the Star Wars novels to be usually brain candy to read in-between other science fiction novels, but this one surprised me. It's rough, violent, and takes extreme chances. Damn, it's good, and not just as a Star Wars novel.

Stover comes highly recommended in the field because of his violent, "next-wave" style (read his novel "Heroes Die" for a really different brand of fantasy), and he doesn't disappoint in what must be the darkest, most brutal, tortured Star Wars novel I've read. Mace Windu takes center stage in a "Heart of Darkness" inspired tale on a war-torn planet (his birthplace) to find his vanished former padawan Depa Billaba, who might have gone insane from the hideousness of the conflict. The action comes almost non-stop, nearly reaching an overkill in the last third, but too much excitement is hardly a complaint, now is it?

But Stover also confronts the basic Jedi conflict of keepers of the peace facing the horrors of war where 'good' and 'bad' no longer have much meaning. At every turn, Stover emphasizes the bleakness of warfare and retreats from the usual Star Wars black-and-white dramatics. It's a refreshing shift of view that sheds light on the prequel movies. Great stuff! If you've never bothered to pick up a Star Wars novel because you think they're only for teenage boys, this volume will change your mind.

Apparently, Lucas Books was mighty impressed as well: they've signed Stover to write the novelization of "Episode III," putting him in the same class as R. A. Salvatore and Terry Brooks (who wrote the first two novelizations). It's an honor he certainly deserves.

Ever since watching Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace, I've always found it a bit difficult to take Mace Windu's character seriously. Nothing with the acting so much as seeing a noted celebrity like Samuel L. Jackson in Jedi robes. I found I could accept him a bit more as Windu played an increasingly prominent role in Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, but he was still always the "Hollywood" Jedi.

Matthew Stover's Shatterpoint is perhaps the first real in-depth look at Mace Windu's character, and it turns out he's one of the more interest prequel characters. Shatterpoint is a retake on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but starring Mace Windu, and like that novel it explores the depths and darkness of the human character. In this case, Mace Windu goes to his homeworld, Haruun Kal, to track down a rouge Jedi, and former padawan, Depa Billaba. During his quest, he becomes embroiled in a nasty civil war.

There are few points I really like about the book. First, Stover goes to great lengths to explain Mace Windu's Force powers and how he uses them. Usually, the Force is almost treated like mysticism or magic, but Stover makes it a bit more tangible. In particular, Mace can identify "shatterpoints," or the breaking point of opponents or the center of gravity of certain situations. For example, he (correctly it turns out) identifies Palpatine as a man of central importance to the future of the Republic.

Second, Shatterpoint takes Star Wars to a darker place, almost as dark as Heart of Darkness itself. The civil war resembles the kinds of ethnic conflicts found in central Africa rather than the good-versus-evil sterilized conflicts of much of Star Wars. Mace Windu often finds himself preaching restraint and for humane treatment of the enemy, only to have his morals questioned. The "Truth" he discovers in the jungle is both disturbing and turns out to be profoundly accurate.

One of my favorite features of Stover's Star Wars novels is how he incorporates "ordinary people" and their views into what are usually epic plots. For example, in Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, Luke vents his frustration with holodramas (essentially tabloid films). In Shatterpoint, Mace Windu meets kids who argue over whether Jango Fett was the greatest bounty hunter ever and whether he was actually dead - just the sort of hero worship sports stars or politicians might receive today.

Furthermore, Stover writes some sections of the book as entries in Mace Windu's private journal, giving us a glimpse into his mind. I love some of the subtle detail about Mace's personality, such as his claim that he hadn't smiled in 10 years. Not surprisingly, it turns out Mace Windu is not dissimilar from Samuel L. Jackson's other tough-guy roles, but wit a few twists.

The only aspect of the book I didn't like was the abundance of "impossible situations." It seems like Mace Windu encounters a situation he can't possibly escape from every 50 pages, but of course he usually manages to find a shatterpoint. I think if the earlier battle scenes had been toned down a bit, the later ones would have felt all the more intense. The final quarter of the book reverts to the more typical Star Wars fare of massive battles and constant action. It's well done and takes interesting turns, but isn't nearly as interesting as the earlier portions.

At the end of the day, Shatterpoint brings Mace Windu out of Samuel L. Jackson's Hollywood shadow and reveals a deep, sophisticated, and occasionally dark character. It's certainly one of the better Star Wars novels and will force readers to think deeply on the nature of the Force, morality, and war.

I have to admit that I put this book off for a while. So far, I've been largely unimpressed by the Clone Wars era and have never given Mace Windu much thought beyond his brief, seemingly unimportant role in the movies. Now, however, I have a newfound respect for Master Windu and am inclined to believe that Shatterpoint is one of the best Star Wars books out there. Spoilers follow.

In the grand scheme of the Clone Wars, the events on Haruun Kal are probably largely unimportant. To the characters involved (especially Master Mace Windu), they are life changing. The plot kicks off from the very beginning of the book with Windu needing to go to Haruun Kal, his place of birth, to rescue Depa Billaba, his former Padawan. He finds himself caught in the Summertime War (the struggle between the native Korunnai and the foreign Balawai) and is constantly battling with the dark side of the Force, himself, the jungle, and the planet's politics. Plot twists are abundant and, often, unexpected. The story races along at a fast pace from beginning to end, making it nearly impossible to put the book down.

Stover's writing style fits the story very well. I was a bit wary of the constant jumping between the third person point of view of the story and first person point of view of Mace's journal, but the two flow together so well that one eventually doesn't really notice the shift. The two points of view also provide different aspects of events without tedious repetition. I can't remember ever seeing this in a Star Wars novel before; it seems to be unique and beneficial to this book.

The characters are fleshed out well and were obviously given a lot of thought. Even though we are not able to get directly into their heads and see things as they do, we really feel like we know them. My personal favourite was Nick, a sharp shooting, wise cracking Korunnai who uses his optimism and humour as a distraction from the horrors of war. He's a perfect foil to Mace's calm detachment and manages to provide some humourous entertainment in his interactions with the stoic Jedi. Depa provides us with another image of a Jedi struggling with the dark side. She has strayed from the traditional Jedi path. I personally never felt like I fully understood her, but this was part of her allure as a character. Stover also provided a believable, powerful villain in the form of Kar Vastor, a dark side user and the last of Gösh Windu (aside from Mace). He is what Mace might have become if left on Haruun Kal as a child. His desire for dominance and control is one of the many conflicts within the story. The other characters are just as dynamic, providing a rich cast to keep the plot moving. The author obviously gave his characters a lot of thought, but he still allows Mace to be the star of the show. A problem with many Star Wars novels is the authors' original characters: they tend to take centre stage and overshadow the canon characters. This isn't an issue here. While the original characters are important to the plot, the featured canon character is still very well characterized and very much the lead role.

Stover also attempts to add humour to this otherwise dark novel. Some of the jokes are a bit cheesy (it almost seems like they were intended to be that way), but many are at least worthy of a chuckle. The author also doesn't waste his time with needless purple prose. Every word feels like it needs to be there to complete the story. There are no slow parts and no useless paragraphs of endless description. He knows what he's doing.

The best part of Shatterpoint is just following Mace's story. He makes a lot of realizations about himself, the Jedi, the Force, and the nature of the galaxy itself. His journey to this knowledge is what truly makes the book as fantastic as it is. It's almost surprising to see this stoic Jedi Master have his foundations rocked, so to speak, by his experiences and come away from them a different person. I initially felt that this novel was a little obscure in the fact that it focused on such a seemingly random character. Now I feel that I not only have a much better understanding of the character, but of the Jedi and the Force as a whole.

Stover manages to take the story beyond the characters, and he does it successfully and without a heavy hand. A commentary on morality, ethics, politics, and even, to an extent, religion can be found woven into the novel's plot. While this isn't entirely new for a Star Wars novel, it is uncommon for it to flow so seamlessly with the rest of the story

Shatterpoint is a must read for any Star Wars fan. It is, by far, one of the best books in the entire series due to its good characterization, tight plot and writing style, and the author's ability to give us a broader aspect on things beyond the featured character. A solid, well deserved five stars.

I have a problem with reading Star Wars books. I've tried many, many times with various novels, series, and authors. But I think my main hangup is that, to me, they all feel like fanfiction, of sorts. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to say this reflects the talent of the authors, far from it; just to see characters that you've come to know one way, who are suddenly acting another way in a novelization, just takes me out of the illusion.

It's just very hard for me to reconcile the characters I've come to know through the movies with their book counterparts.

This is where Matthew Stover comes in. I can honestly say this is the first Star Wars book I've read all the way through. His trick? Take a character who was never really at the forefront of any of the movies. Who was hardly given a backstory, if any. And who, most of us can say, we actually wanted to know more about. This is where "Shatterpoint" succeeds for me, because I didn't have to compare and contrast book with movie; there was hardly anything in the movies to contradict. From now on, I'll be watching the prequel trilogy with this book as my template for how I see Mace Windu.

"Shatterpoint" is essentially a retelling of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" by way of the Star Wars universe, and I can't imagine a better mash-up. Mace Windu discovers that his Padawan may have fallen to the dark side on the planet of his birth: a world covered in seas of toxic clouds and endless sprawls of jungle wild. The rescue mission that Mace takes up seems simple enough, but he soon finds that he can depend on nothing, not even himself, for safety.

That's the premise, and it works so well for the first two-thirds of the book. But before I get to my reasoning for this, let me state that I can't recommend this book enough. I had no idea the Star Wars universe could get so dark, bloody, and...crazy. Mace Windu is a very likable character, in a sense that you empathize with his breakdown as a Jedi and the feeling of constant defeat he has retained since his failure to kill Count Dooku at Geonosis (which was such a moot point in the movie, but is an event that is near-maddening for him in this story). It's all such a remarkable journey and will really put not only the greater workings of the Force in perspective, but will actually make you think about the true state of war here in our own world. I like that a Star Wars book was able to make me think about this.

But, on to what I didn't like. "Heart of Darkness" and "Shatterpoint" do have the same premise for a story. The difference is, what Conrad did in 100 pages, Matthew Stover did in 400. A considerable stretch for a tale that's set up from the beginning as a rather simple "Point A to Point B" romp. When things start to get complicated in "Shatterpoint", I didn't exactly welcome it. I felt I was roaming just as aimlessly through the jungle along with Mace.

The little bits of philosophy and suspense sequences are what kept me turning pages happily, but when the big payoff finally came, I was very confused. And this is closely followed by a rather lengthy action sequence that I began to skip over; the transition from psychological thriller to a typical Star Wars-type battle was a little jarring. And as other people have pointed out, the chance to learn a bit more about Depa was passed upon. So when the ending finally came, I had no idea why she did what she did.

This may seem like a negative review, but it most certainly is not. I'm a very critical person and I am very picky about what I read. I've given this book 4 stars because it was an amazing book with only the slightest of bumps on the road.

If you're a Star Wars fan, you can't pass this up. I didn't, and I am now a Stover-Fanatic. I have his Episode III adaptation and his fantasy story, "Heroes Die" on my shelf as I write this.