Customer Reviews

Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"No matter how bleak things got, or how tempted they were to despair, light would prevail over darkness"
The Clone Wars rages on and Obi-Wan and Anakin continue to lead the front-line assaults against the Separatist. But information is coming in of an operation on Lanteeb. Under the nose of Chancellor Palpatine, Bail Organa and Master Yoda send Obi-Wan and Anakin to investigate.

I Liked:
One thing that has continued to astound me about Karen Miller is her grasp on major characters. When Anakin and Obi-Wan are in her hands, they act and feel like the characters from the movie. Anakin is perfectly tortured, adept and caring while Obi-Wan is nicely struggling with his own set of issues (being a bad master, his relationship to Anakin) and being somewhat aloof.
What is even better is how Karen Miller writes the pair together. The movies never quite got the supposed "joking" but "tender" relationship between the pair. Here, it is obvious the two are brothers in arms, yet they have differences of opinions that quite frequently (due to Anakin's impetuous nature and Obi-Wan's more sedate nature) causes them to butt heads. I could believe that these two could joke, then argue, but then be pals all at the same time.
I am also impressed with Miller's grasp of Ahsoka and Bail. Ahsoka has always been rather annoying to me from the movie and the TV series. But Miller writes her as a caring, young, naïve apprentice and not the know-it-all Mary Sue from the show. Plus, I really liked how Ahsoka went on a mission with Taria Damsin. Bail is positively brilliant. He continues to leap from the page and become a real person, a real friend to Obi-Wan and a friend to the Jedi.
And while I have caveats about it (see below), I actually don't mind the new addition to the list of Obi-Wan's girlfriends. I see no reason why our Jedi couldn't have had multiple liaisons in his life; many people have more than one boyfriend/girlfriend. Heck, many people get married and remarried and married and remarried. Plus, the Jedi only condemn attachment (unfortunately), not a "No strings attached" relationship.
I was astonished at how well Miller wrote the beginning action sequence on Kothlis. A lot of writers have one niche, be it characters or action, and they can't move out of it. Miller does a great job capturing the characters and the movement of the battle as well. It was great to read a nice Clone Wars battle. I even liked how Bail, Padme, Obi-Wan and Anakin gather over dinner to talk about Lanteeb. There are far too many secret meetings, hurried transmissions or whatnot that seeing our characters act like people was great.

I Didn't Like:
As for Miller's original characters, I had a hard time buying them. Taria Damsin wasn't too bad, but she comes perilously close to Mary Sue for my taste (abnormal hair color, abnormal eye color, nearly human alien, dying of an illness that doesn't hinder her abilities whatsoever, a former romantic partner of Obi-Wan...I could go on). Perhaps toning down a few of her characteristics (making her be obviously alien, let her illness actually pull her down and make her fail, making her and Obi-Wan rivals as well as former lovers) might have improved this.
The other original character was Bant'era Fharen, who is supposedly a super-smart biochemist. I say "supposedly", because I could never buy that aspect of her. Firstly, I don't think she was described that well, as I thought she was yet another mid-20's Hollywood scientist, but she actually was a middle aged scientist. Also, and I know this is a problem for writers (I've experienced it myself), but the way Bant'era talks about her "sciency" stuff sounds more like a person trying to act "sciency" than a person who has studied and experimented with science for years. Not to mention, I find her more than a wee bit selfish for putting herself and twelve people over billions.
I must admit, this book had me bored to tears at times. After the intense action at the beginning, the book slows down and segues into a Coruscant scene. While it is nicely done, and has a nice dinner sequence with Anakin, Padme, Bail, and Obi-Wan, it just grinds the story to a halt. The pace doesn't quite return until Taria and Ahsoka rescue one of Bant'era's family members, which is about 50 pages from the end. Not a good sign.
Also, I was more aware of the "angsting" in this book and thus, I had trouble enjoying aspects. While Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship is superb, they sometimes break into fights or discussions that overstay their welcome. Yes, we get they argue but love each other. Move on. The most aggravating thing to me was how everyone, and I mean everyone, commented on "how tired" Obi-Wan was and "how he should get some rest" and how Obi-Wan would always deny it and avoid it. Good grief! I can understand once or twice, but to have Anakin, then Yularen, then Ahsoka, then Yoda, then Bail, then Padme bring it up...you get my drift.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Barve, there were a lot of barving instances of "barve" in this book.
Taria was a former lover of Obi-Wan. Anakin and Padme have an intimate moment at dinner (no, it's not that intimate).
The book begins with a battle sequence on Kothlis that results in several characters (including Obi-Wan) being injured. Lok Durd abuses Bant'era and threatens her family.

Overall:
After the brilliant Wild Space, Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth doesn't quite live up. There is a bit too much angsting, too much pushing characters beyond the edge of their physical strength, too little movement in plot and action (particularly at the halfway point), and a little too unbelievable characters. Even with these faults, this is much better than a lot of EU, and I will definitely check out the end of this two part series, Siege.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

In a previous review, I named Karen Miller's first Clone Wars novel, Wild Space, as the best Star Wars book I've ever read. Unfortunately, I probably had too high of expectations for her second book, Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth. Whereas Wild Space was about Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi bonding together through a grueling experience on a forbidden planet (with little in the way of traditional action scenes), Stealth is a more traditional Clone Wars story: maniacal Separatist General Lok Durd is developing a lethal bio-weapon, so Obi-Wan and Anakin have to uncover the plot, rescue the kidnapped scientist involved, and stop Durd from spreading the toxin before it's too late. This book is heavy on combat (especially in the first 60 pages or so), but every description of mass-combat in the Clone Wars pales in comparison to the work of Karen Traviss in the Republic Commando series of books. Indeed, Miller comes across almost naieve in her portrayal of "heroic" Republic armies and "evil" Separatist armies, and she also lacks Traviss' sophisticated portrayal of military culture, terminology, and tactics. There's an attempt in the book to really delve into Anakin's struggles with having been a slave, leaving his mother behind, etc., but these issues have been explored sufficiently in past books. The scenes between Bail Organa and Padme on Coruscant really crackle, but on the whole I found the story and dialogue in this novel barely above mediocre.

Its good to share your feelings isn't it.
Good to get anything unsaid out there for people to hear. It also helps to deal with them and put them behind you, turn from the dark side as it were.
Except, wait, Anakin never did deal with his feelings did he. Thats how he lost himself to the dark side after all. Anakin never faced the things he did and his experiences and used his jedi training to deal with his anger.
If only he'd expressed his feelings LIKE HE DOES HERE ON EVERY SINGLE PAGE.

And Obi-Wan also deals with an inner anger and on nearly every page.
A trained jedi you only raised his voice a few times in the prequels here is angry with every single person
he comes in contact with but its okay he keeps it inside.....sometimes.
This is completely different from the Obi-Wan I know from the series and books.
Except, wait, according to Clone Wars: Wild Space he knows all about Anakin and Padme,warns Padme off a relationship with Anakin AND THEN TOTALLY MISSES ANAKING AND PADME HAVING A RELATIONSHIP FOR THREE YEARS.

Pros:
- There's a battle at the start.
- A scientist who feels guilt over what she's doing.
- Some great writing in the preparation of the trip (to planet boring).
- Some interesting thoughts from Ashoka.

Cons:
- Obi-Wan and Anakin talk about there feelings so much they actually tell each other to stop talking about there feelings, which is what I was doing.
- Obi-Wan, in the middle of keeping back more rage then a darkside lunatic, says "Oh Anakin" on practically every other page. And than screams whatever his latest bizzare opinion is.
- There are some very adult elements here, a woman getting pulled up by her hair, getting kicked while on the ground, elements of torture, suicide. I am reading this book for fun you know, if I wanted to be depressed I'd read the paper.
- Why is this story in two books?? IF YOU CUT OUT THE GROUP THERAPY IT'D BE FINISHED ALREADY!!!!

Some Tips:
- I can't say all the 90's star wars books were great, but rogue squadron, Thrawn, luke and the gang had lots more action and events without all these feelings and repressed anger. So less feelings, more action.
- Less Obi-Wan acting like a spoiled kid.
- Its not clear which Clone Wars episode Durd was in, before reading "Anakin almost died" I nearly had to look it up, so throw that in.

But thats just my opinion, if your alright with people expressing their pain alot this book should be fine.
But Han Solo took Chewies death better then these folks take minor plans going array.

Overview:
On the whole, I enjoyed this story. It had the feel of a YA book though, despite its hefty page count. This is the first work I've read from this author, and though she is no Karen Traviss, she's a decent storyteller.

The Good:
-Obi-Wan and Anakin get a lot of page-time.
-Bail Organa gets some page-time.
-Threepio seems suitably fussy.
-The plot points are plausible so far as these stories go. (The ruthlessness of the Separatists is nicely expounded upon.)
-The science is vague enough that real scientists won't feel compelled to wince too much.
-There are elements of the light-hearted camaraderie between Obi-Wan and Anakin.

The Bad:
-A new character was introduced like she was an old one. I have read pretty much every star wars book out there, barring one or two of the newest ones, and never before have I heard of Taria Damsin. She's a neat character, but the author implied a long history with Obi-Wan as if Siri Tachi never existed.
-Not going to lie, some parts-ok, a lot-ramble on and on. A major flaw in a lot of recent star wars books has been the sheer amount of page-time devoted to character navel-gazing.
-Several moments burst my little reading-a-star-wars-novel-bubble. For example, at one point, the author describes droids being scattered like skittles. I love Star Wars and I love skittles, but I sort of feel they don't mix very well. Most people are going to be fine with that description, it just struck me as a cheap description.
-Dialogue bothered me at times. As I mentioned before, this book feels very YA-ish. I am a huge fan of Young Adult stories, but I didn't think this was supposed to be a YA book. There are many casual words like "Okay" "Yeah" "Ha" ... These are all good in moderation, but it was like every other page had one of them thrown in as a filler.
-A few plot points near the end seemed, well, pointless. ***Spoiler to follow*** Obi-Wan and Anakin have Durd in their sights and decide to watch and wait. Then they bust out and interrogate the terrified scientist, eat, leave the facility, fix a comm to tell Yoda the scoop, break back in and fight for their lives. It just seems ponderous like an inch from victory they realize whoops, we're 100 pgs short of our quota.
-Miller has pretty much every character from Padme to Obi-Wan using the word barve. She hasn't quite mastered the characterization of some characters.

Karen Miller's high regard and curiosity concerning Obi-Wan Kenobi is quite charming. In her second Star Wars book, Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth, every character has a lot to shoulder in the war, even (and especially) Obi-Wan.

Ahsoka has more to consider as Anakin's Padawan than the teachings of the Jedi Order. She cares for his well-being and has learned how to read her Master's emotions to help herself navigate and deal with his temperament. Anakin struggles with the responsibilities of being the Chosen One. What he feels they should do, what he should do as such a prominent figure, conflicts often with the wider doctrine of the Jedi, not to mention how delicately he juggles his forbidden relationship with Padmé. Obi-Wan still wrestles with his misgivings as a teacher and his emotions over the health of a dear friend. It's clear, though, that as Bail Organa brings a frightening new element in the war to the Jedi's attention, this cast of extraordinary beings have rather ordinary problems.

All things considered: Obi-Wan and Anakin, for as much as they remain larger than life figures, symbolic of the Jedi Order and its potential, are still forced to deal with their very human emotions and drama. After a harrowing skirmish on Kothlis, Anakin and Obi-Wan are forced to realize they both need some much needed rest. Obi-Wan is still running a bit ragged from his encounter on Zigoola; Anakin and the entire galaxy agree. The pair are sent to Lanteeb anyway--a planet of no consequence until recent Separatist actions pique the Republic's curiosity. Their physical wounds may be healed, but Anakin and Obi-Wan learn the hard way: some scars never go away.

Gambit: Stealth is the first in a two-part mini arc that ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger. While the Lanteeb mission propels the action forward, the dynamic between Anakin and Obi-Wan is the strongest undercurrent of the novel. As Karen Miller reminds us, it's rare at this point in the timeline for Obi-Wan and Anakin to run around together as they often did as Master and Apprentice. This realization is poignant when Obi-Wan considers his regret over Anakin; he wonders if Anakin ever really learned anything taught to him or if he'll ever learn. He frequently reminded himself he was no longer Anakin's Master--that old relationship is over, however much Anakin remains forever respectful of Obi-Wan.

Miller strategically removed Ahsoka from the narrative. This helped move us away from just seeing Anakin as a Jedi Knight (with a Padawan) to consider his new role and relationship with Obi-Wan. The two can now face each other as adults, so to speak. Anakin's undergone his right of passage and, while not an equal yet, is able to meet his former Master's gaze without the guilt or shame associated with having done something wrong. Obi-Wan's displeasure is the least thing from his mind. On this new, more level playing field, their dynamic comes to us as a war of values and beliefs.

Obi-Wan is the consummate, duty-bound Jedi: cool, professional, objective, detached. Anakin is demonstratively compassionate, always willing to help someone in need; his emotions are close to the surface where Obi-Wan's are tightly controlled. Anakin always feels the need to be involved. I think what Karen Miller does best--what she showed us in Wild Space--is her talent for creating character studies by placing two disparate personalities together and seeing what happens. In this case, two very different Jedi--one raised traditionally, the other not--ultimately come head-to-head in an argument fundamental to the the job description.

Obi-Wan learns quickly that old habits die hard. As he fights the urge to teach lest he offend Anakin's sensibilities and abilities as a Jedi Knight, he also works to understand the qualities in himself that have made him so different from his former Padawan. I loved the phrase Miller uses when she reminds us, "Obi-Wan Kenobi was a far more complicated man than a first glance would suggest" (p. 386). We learn, too, the dimensions of Obi-Wan's psyche that are just as warm and inviting as Anakin, but honed through years of rigorous discipline growing up surrounded by other Jedi. Obi-Wan's emotions are always checked by caution and propriety, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have them. He just deals with them differently. Karen Miller helps make this obvious through many touching scenes where Anakin is characteristically tormented and driven by his feelings, watched by Obi-Wan who must always remind him that the first thing about being a Jedi is prioritizing.

The two have never been more different, have never been more in tune to each other's strengths and weaknesses. Miller captures their relationship wonderfully. They banter and feed off each other's unspoken body language; they disagree and argue over intentions and dogma. Ultimately, they're very respectful of each other and mindful of the consequences each action or word may bring.

I was impressed before with the fresh perspective Miller brought to the Star Wars universe. With Gambit: Stealth she reminds readers what she does best is unearth the mechanics that drive characters like Obi-Wan to act as he does. I don't think we could ask for a more staunch supporter of such a wry manipulator.

As pleased as I was about this book, I am curious about one thing: if Star Wars has skittles, does that mean they have Starburst or Twix bars, too?

This is what I expect out of a Star Wars book: action, discussions, inner battles, plots against the heroes, realistic friendships and the characters felt right.

And better yet there are ethical dilemmas in it! Dilemmas like: do we sacrifice innocent bystanders in order save countless of others? And if we do is their blood on our hands? Something to think about. Obviously they have never heard the saying the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

I take my hat off once again to Ms. Miller for writing another delightful, entertaining and ironic book.

What do you get when you take two Jedi who believe in the saying "There is no emotion", and have them sit around talking and thinking about their emotions? Well, if you guessed a very short book, you'd be wrong. For beings who have no emotion, these two have a lot to talk about.

Way too much filler in this book. This is what happens when a publisher makes an author turn a good story into a two-part cliffhanger. It would have been much better if the pace actually felt like it moved along a bit more.

Not an entire waste of time, but not worth the money spent.

I was thoroughly impressed with Karen Miller's depth of characterization in her debut Star Wars novel Wild Space. However, I found the portion of the story featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa endlessly slogging through space and then across the surface of Zigoola drawn-out and rather tedious. So I was curious to see if Ms. Miller would be able to build upon her strong portrayal of the film characters while reducing the repetitiveness in her follow-up novels, the Clone Wars Gambit duology.

For my taste, she succeeded. Although making this story a two-parter does cause things to drag out too long, the pace is brisker and she shines in the multitude of scenes highlighting Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker's relationship and viewpoints. Rarely has the Expanded Universe (or arguably the films themselves) made these two seem like close friends, the "brothers" that Obi-Wan speaks of on the Mustafar lava ridge. Ms. Miller devotes a great deal of space to the emotions, beliefs, insights, and personalities these two developed over the years together, and since they are so central to the entire saga, the focus on the duo is worthwhile.

Lok Durd returns from his Clone Wars first season two-parter as the primary adversary. This Durd is considerably more diabolical than what we saw on the cartoon: sure, he PLANNED to wipe out entire species with his doomsday weapon, but we didn't actually see that happen. The Durd of Clone Wars Gambit is a loathsome, malevolent, vile creature, delighting in pain and suffering. He makes a good villain but I did get weary of his scenes about halfway through the story.

Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth is a very solid if somewhat overblown set-up for the conclusion in book two. If you are more interested in the action-packed galactic space opera side of Star Wars, these books probably won't be a great pick, but if you're intrigued by a more emotions-centered exploration of two primary Star Wars characters along with some nice sequences from the supporting cast, give this one a try.

There was a lot of dialogue in this book. Lots of talking. Discussing. Feeling. Discussing feelings. Reflecting, and reflection on all of the discussing. Miller does well capturing the characters. Though she doesn't capture them and then move on with the story at a frantic pace. She's not really an action writer. And that's what we're pretty used to when we read SW novels. Action or large complicated battle plans. It was kind of as if "Lifetime" did TCW.

It's a much better novel than Wild Space though.

Clone Wars Gambit is a two-book series relating some of the adventures of Obi-Wan, Anakin, and company during the Clone Wars. Stealth is the first book. It is set in a time when the Separatist Alliance is winning the war by stopping at nothing. Treachery and ruthlessness are not a problem when you are on the side of Count Dooku and General Grievous. Separatist agents have succeeded in infiltrating Republic forces, obtaining sensitive information, and planting bugs in communications systems. Dooku's troops always seem to be a step ahead. One of the results has been to create significant doubt and worry in the Republic. Even the Jedi are worried.

In this atmosphere, a new concern creeps in to the Republic leaders and gradually turns out to be a massive problem that Anakin and Obi-Wan must deal with personally despite serious misgivings from Yoda and Bail Organa. Word has come from the apparently insignificant planet of Lanteeb that something on the planet has drawn intense interest from the Separatists. Our two Jedi heroes are assigned the task of finding out what is going on at Lanteeb. To their rising dismay, they find that a scientist enslaved by General Lok Durd is attempting to use Lanteeb's only natural resource to develop a devastating bioweapon. Anakin and Obi-Wan don disguises, make their way onto the planet, succeed in getting a rough idea about what is going on, and then are exposed as everything begins to go wrong. At the end of the book, they are on the run, the bioweapon research is still proceeding, and things look bad. Resolution will have to wait for Clone Wars Gambit: Siege, the second book in the series.

The story itself in Stealth is fine. I enjoyed reading about Anakin and Obi-Wan and the nefarious deeds of Dooku and Grievous. However, I think that Ms Miller gets carried away with introspection. We are bombarded with a steady stream of the characters' innermost thoughts. Some of this is interesting, but she goes too far. I just kept wanting her to get on with the story. I do give her credit for the attempt. Most authors don't try to delve deeply into their characters' thought processes, at least on the printed page. However, I thought her narrative could have used some additional editing.

Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth is a good story. It has two of our favorite characters in the main roles, the story itself is interesting, and the action moves right along. I just wish she had spent more time on the story and less time on introspection.