Customer Reviews

Star Wars, Episode II - Attack of the Clones

5 star:		(128)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

R.A. Salvatore is pretty much accredited to re-launching the stagnant Star Wars novels with Vector Prime (the first novel in the continuing New Jedi Order series) and killing off Chewbacca. With his style of writing, and previous work within the Star Wars universe, it was probably pretty easy for Lucasfilm to get Salvatore to pen the second movie.

I won't bore you with what you already seen in the movie, but I do believe that the novel of Attack of the Clones is required reading for all Star Wars fans, as it fills in many blanks that seemed to be missing from the movie. It also ties the spanning years between Phantom Menace and AOTC. Actually the reader won't even recognize the start of the movie until he is in chapter 5.

The first four chapters explains where Obi Wan Kenobi and a 10 year older Anakin Skywalker have been up to. We are also introduced to Padme Amidala's family back on Naboo and learn much more on how she became a queen. The detailed conversation between Padme and her sister (never seen in the movie) are a great set up on how she eventually falls for Anakin.

Also we learn how Shmi Skywalker was abducted by the Tusken Raiders, and much more origin information is given on Beru and Owen Lars (Luke's eventual uncle on Tantooine) and the dynamics of the Lars/Skywalker connection.

Throughout the remaining novel the reader is treated to more bonus material (much of which was indeed filmed, but hit the cutting room floor before release) that seems to open your eyes to the bigger political picture of that famous galaxy far, far away. Questions such as: Who were the lost 20 Jedi? How did Dooku ascend to power? Why Jango had Boba created, and how was young Fett trained? How did the Separatist factions begin? It was this great filler material which earned 4 stars for me.

However, there were a few drawbacks. Salvatore seems to rush through many of the epic battle scenes....I realize reading a novel is not the same as seeing your favorite characters and millions on CGI effects in a theatre, but I felt cheated reading the Obi-Wan/Jango Fett confrontation, the chase scene in the skylines of Courascant, and most of all the very rushed feeling of the climatic battle. I couldn't shake the feeling that Salvatore was rapidly approaching the 300 page mark, and hadn't got to the main battle at the arena on Geonosis so he had to rush the writing taking a lot of steam and strength out of what should have been the mother of all battles for the book. After that, the remaining plot points were only given a paragraph or two to be wrapped up, end of book. This should only be worth three stars, as it could have easily been expanded properly with another 30-40 pages.

I bought this book after seeing the movie twice. I have only recently become a Star Wars fanatic, but despite this condition, my opinion on the quality of the movie and book is totally unbiased. :)

The movie was very good, but some parts felt missing--in many parts of Episode II, Attack of the Clones, it felt as if scenes had been truncated, or as if they could have been extended. I also didn't quite grasp the plot completely after the first viewing.

But the novel fills in the gaps admirably; it was a terrific read, and I absolutely could not put it down. Salvatore's style is extremely engaging, and he goes far deeper with Shmi Skywalker, Padme Amidala, Anakin, and many of the other characters than the movie could ever hope to. It accomplishes what a cinematic feature never could--a full-length tale complete with twists and turns and intrigue of every sort. The movie also makes more sense--the characters become deeper, more complex, and the manner in which Salvatore presents them is very intimate and warm. With the book, we dive deeper into Padme's conflicting emotions concerning the budding romance between her and Anakin, and we also get a chance to experience some of her family life. We get a closer look at Shmi Skywalker, Anakin's mother, and see how profoundly she loves her son, and how much she misses her once little, but now grown Anakin. We also experience Anakin on a deeper level; Anakin's metamorphisis from boy to young man is clearly shown, as is the massive grief that he experiences because of the separation from his mother; his frustration at Obi-Wan, yet also his deep love for his Jedi Master, are thoughtfully and expertly written as well. We are thrown headlong into his thoughts and his feelings, and get a good look at his dark side--he feels everything so deeply, so profoundly, and it is easy to see how he could become the evil Darth Vader. His temper is quick to rise, yet quick to subside as well, and he is often remorseful. There are ominous hints concerning the dark future of the doomed galaxy.

Yet on a lighter note, the romance between Padme and Anakin is beautifully written. Their interactions and dialouge are captivating. Their intense love for one another is heartrending, and Anakin's fierce devotion to Padme and the confession of his deep, unyielding love for her is moving. Padme Amidala, as a senator for the people of Naboo, is afraid to mix romance with affairs of the state. Her conflicting feelings are very real and wonderfully written. It is easy to see how their passionate love for each other could end up destroying them both. (So much for the lighter note.)

I feel that anyone who has seen this movie should read this book in order to gain a clearer understanding of the film, and in turn, a better grasp of the epic story that George Lucas has so masterfully woven. If not to become more involved and aware of the fathomless Star Wars universe, read it to enjoy a really great novel.

(The cover is beautiful!)

--In addition, the print is relatively large and well-spaced, and therefore easy on the eyes. It is relatively short, but if the thickness of the novel daunts you, here's a reminder that the novel is jam-packed with action, from a breath-taking, thrilling chase on a speeder in Coruscant, to a good old-fashioned fight between space craft against a classic landscape of stars, to a light-sabre battle involving a certain green, diminutive Jedi Master. Read this novel, one must.

Don't get me wrong; I really enjoyed the movie. I just thought a lot ended up on the cutting room floor considering George finaced the movie himself. From what I have read in the novel version of AOTC, much of it would have added depth to both the story and the characters.

Salvatore's novelization of the film beings before the movie, showing us more of the Star Wars universe and giving us far more insight to the characters.

Also, his novel was based on the unedited version of the film (the shooting script) and gives the fans much more of Episode II. It also allows fans to decide whether the edited film was better served by removing the scenes. In particular <SPOILER> the scene in the garage on Tatooine between Amidala and Anakin post slaughter for the Tuskens </SPOILER> left me questioning George's script writing abilities. In the book the scene makes much more sense as it shows Anakin experiencing remorse for his loss of control. On the other hand there are scenes deletions that I thought did serve the story's pace (but I still would have rather seen them stay).

While the book is not a replacement for the movie, it is an enjoyable treat for die-hard fans. Star Wars by nature is a big screen experience and loses its grandeur when translated to other formats. I can't imagine Salvatore doing much better at converting the movie than he did. I would have found the action sequences between Jango and Obi-wan difficult to imagine without having seen the movie, I can't image anyone writing it any better than he has done.

The book does a much better job at potraying Jango and Boba. It also helps traverse the murky romance between Anakin and Amidala.

If you love the movie you should treat yourself to this book!

Reading some of these reviews, I get the impression that people are giving good reviews only because they were looking forward to the movie. It's as if they had their eyes shut. The problem with this book is repetition. In chapter 12, Salvatore STILL feels the need to tell us things like - Padme Amidala, former Queen of the Naboo, but now senator - geez, I think I read that 20 times in this book. If this and similar ideas that were repeated over and over were reduced to one mention, or even three or four mentions, this book would flow better and probably be at least 10 pages shorter.

The action sequences are also poorly done. I know it must be tough to describe, but it was an exercize in frustration to understanding just how the battles went down.

People, if you like the movie rate the movie well, but this book was not nearly as well written as the Heir to the Empire trilogy. There was simply nothing grabbing ahold of my interest to pull me through. The only redeeming thing in this book was the ending, only then do you get a taste of wanting to continue with the story.

While George Lucas has every right to do as he pleases with his Star Wars universe, it seems, based on this novelization of the upcoming movie, that he has acceded to some of the rants of the fans. We see much less Jar-Jar Binks, no mention of midi-chlorians, and TONS of battles.

The story begins ten years after The Phantom Menace (TPM). Palaptine is still the Supreme Chancellor, having circumvented term limits through some inventive politics, and is embroiled in a major crisis. The main point of the book, in my opinion, is the same as that in TPM, to display the machinations of Palpatine on his path to becoming Emperor. While we don't see him appear as Darth Sidious with the frequency he did in TPM, this is due to superior maneuvering requiring less direct involvement.

Much of the story focuses on the budding relationship between Anakin, the Padawan learner of Obi-Wan, and Padme Amidala, now the Senator from Naboo. Anakin has been given his first solo mission, that of protecting Padme, thus forcing them into close, unsupervised contact much of the time. While their interactions seem more at place in a grade school, this might be explained away due to their collective inexperience.

Obi-Wan, meanwhile, is investigating an assassination attempt, and he discovers some truly remarkable things. Along the way he also has some deadly encounters. The final stages of this story center around what he has discovered on a secluded planet. And we get to see a truly epic scale combat involving many jedi.

I thought the ending came a bit suddenly, without the resolution of TPM, but this might simply be setting the stage for the next film. I couldn't put down this book, especially during the last one-third or so. The action is just too engrossing. If you're willing to overlook the many typoes and grammatical errors you'll have a great experience reading this book. And if you are more dedicated than I and wait for the movie first, please read this book afterward, as it is a great novelization of a movie.

After reading the novelization for Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones by R. A. Salvatore, I must say I am impressed. Although watching the movie was fun in its own right, the book made more sense. Things I took for granted in the film were explained in the book in such a way that gave them new meaning--particularly the characters' motives. While the romance between Anakin and Padmé seemed forced (no pun intended) in the movie, it actually made sense in the book, as I could feel their struggle. In the Lars' garage, where Anakin tells Padmé that he murdered the Tusken Raiders, I could especially feel for him. Instead of looking like a whiny idiot, his pain was vividly described and I could almost pity him. It was also this way in the lightsaber battles--without the flashy ILM effects, the fights seemed so much more personal, and played out on so many different levels. This added insight is what kept the book fresh. The only scene I found vastly inferior to the movie was the fight between Obi-Wan and Jango Fett on the Slave I's Landing Platform. Somehow having every single punch described in detail didn't add much to the story, because there was no deeper meaning behind it all. The same goes for the speeder chase. Those are the types of scenes that belong on screen.
As for Salvatore's writing style, I think it worked a lot better than Terry Brooks's Episode I novelization. Salvatore kept it more intense and insightful. However, numerous times I found he would use a word or phrase, and then, a paragraph later, use the exact same wording again. Whether this was intentional or not, I found it slightly distracting. On the positive side, I thought the pacing was excellent, although there was hardly any reason to signify chapters when so many stories were being told simultaneously in each chapter anyway.
In conclusion, if you liked the movie, you should like the book just as much, if not more. If you didn't like the movie, the book should at least give you a better appreciation for and a new perspective on it.

When I first started reading Attack of the Clones I thought I'd accidentally picked up the young adult version. The first 30 pages are written very simply. Then R.A. Salvatore's own writing style seemed to kick in and the book takes off.

I won't get into the plot because a SW fan already knows it. The strength of this book is the way it fills in the background details that were left out of the movie. It was good to see Shmi Skywalker's life with Clieg and to know that she really was happy before the Sandpeople capture her.

You also get to see that Obi Wan isn't just stern with Anakin he's actually quite worried about the kid and his desire to get back to Anakin and have a talk with him never leaves his mind throughout his adventures. Obi Wan is still a young man himself and it's clear he has no idea of what to do with a Padawan who is more powerful and yet more fragile than any other Jedi learner.

Mace Windu, surprisingly seems much more mellow concerning Anakin than he did in the movie. When Obi Wan tells him that he thinks Anakin is in over his head with Padme Master Windu does not flip out and seems to not take it seriously at all. Mace is intense in the book but the only one really disturbed by Anakin in this episode in Obi Wan.

The relationship betwenn Jango Fett and his son is beautifully shown. Even though Jango is doing the wrong thing with his son(raising him to be a cold blooded killer)he really loves the boy and you wish that Jango had just taken his money and quit while he had the chance.

The book spends a good deal of time delving into the motivations behind Anakin and Padme's relationship. I was surprised at how strongly the book hints that the pairing isn't that healthy or viable. After reading the scenes with Padme's family on Naboo it's obvious that she's tired. She wants romance, a home and a family. She's doing her duty but for the first time she's thinking about life outside of politics. Anakin is so emotionally needy and has idolized her from the time he was a kid. In his eyes she's like a movie star and saint wrapped into one. In the face of such powerful devotion she's overwhelmed. The romantic scenses could've been called The Siege of Amidala.
The book shows a relationship that's part crush and part physical which is great for a summer fling but not so promising for a marriage.

Other than the strangely slow start, and a bit of weakness when describing the fight scenes I was very happy with the Attack of the Clones novel.

I think I've read just about everything Mr Salvatore has written. Demon Wars, Drizzt and Wulfgar, Vector Prime... Salvatore is simply amazing. His detail with weapons, fighting techiniques, strategies, character development, story telling. This guy CAN do it all. Terry Brooks did an excellent job with Episode I, he really made the movie/story enjoyable for me. I was so excited when I read that Salvatore would be writing what was to be potentially the darkest chapter of Star Wars....

... then I read the book. I'm sorry, Bob, but this novel was terrible. You had a few good parts, but you rushed the entire 2nd half of the book. All of the fighting scenes, Force battles, military strategy... what happened? This was not Salvatore's normal writing style. I was very dissapointed with the Episode II novel.

Attack of the Clones is without a doubt, in many ways, a better story than The Phantom Menace. However, the writing style for AotC is nowhere near as good as the writing for TPM. Terry Brooks took a movie that was good, but far from perfect and elaborated on the characters, made the story more emotional, focused more on Anakin, and less on Jar Jar, and I fear that the movie AotC may be too much like the book, and if it is, (I have not seen it yet) then this will be a bad thing.
Its not that AotC is a bad story, its just that as I was reading this I saw so much potential for so many different things, and the novel is always the perfect place to take the story in a direction the movie did not go. I have always said that if TPM had followed Terry Brook's interpretation everyone, even the critics and naysayers, would have loved it. There's a lot to like about AotC, but there is also a lot to be desired. I feel that the romance was under used, and there should have been more attention to Anakin and Padme' falling in love with each other. It just seems to happen over night, which just doesn't lend any credibility to the story. There were a few explosive moments from Anakin, and these are the parts that the story shines, when Anakin explodes you feel it for a short time, but then the emotional materials are rushed, and you're in the midst of another action scene.
This is my problem with the book. Over all, the story is wonderful, darker, and moodier... but not enough. There was so much room to expand, to grow, to learn about the characters. Especially Anakin. We start to see how his kindness betrays him, but it doesnt go far enough into it, and this is my fear for the movie version. AotC should be a very emotional tale. And there are parts that are, but not enough. Thankfully this is a step in the right direction, over all, but this book has my expectations for Episode 2 set relatively low. As much as I want to love this book I just can't justify the feeling like someone took my hand and is pulling me through the middle path of a much larger epic. The feeling of being rushed through an epic could kill the movie.
Words of advise for Mr. Lucas; nobody really noticed that Fellowship of the Ring was 3 hours or so. It was well paced. If you rush through this epic could-be masterpiece you will kill Star Wars for us all. If the movie needs to be 3 hours then make it so.

Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones - Book Review

The best way to sum it up is "Romeo & Juliet" meets "MacBeth" in a weird "King Lear" sort of way (if that makes any sense).

Like all Star Wars Episodes, this one opens up with exiting goings on, then there comes the inevitable long lull only punctuated once or twice by any sort of action. This particular "lull" lasts until about half way into the story, but then things really start to happen fast and furious.

There is of course action, but also pathos. Not to mention a couple of truly satisfying plot twists. And to top it all off we get some good old fashion "droid comedy subplot" action involving C-3PO and R2D2, reminiscent of their shticks from the original trilogy.

You are witnessing the unfolding of events that bring about the status quo that is seen in the original three movies. The ending especially leaves one happy but profoundly sad at the same time. Bittersweet as it were.

In addition, there are some scenes that portray events some fans have always wanted to see. Most notably a bounty hunter with the surname of Fett in extended action, and Yoda wielding a lightsaber.

Amongst all of these plot goodies there's even a little un-accentuated bit concerning a particular story point that is the entire basis of Episodes IV & VI. There is definite foreshadowing of what is to come. You come away from this book knowing the baloney is going to hit the fan in a *major* way in Episode III.

All in all it is a great thrill ride. The Force is definitely with this installment. Where "Phantom Menace" was akin to "The Hobbit", "Attack of the Clones" is "Fellowship of the Ring".

Now to address everyone's quibbles.

The romance. While I feel it was handled pretty good from halfway through the book onward, it just seemed to come about too quickly. Both Padme's realization of Anakin's feelings towards her and her acceptance/development of hers for him. But I suppose upon looking back through the book and counting pages it wasn't actually rushed, but it still somehow *feels* like it was at least. Then again, maybe that's just me. I personally prefer more agonizing/worrying over an issue like this on part of the participants. ;-)

But it is heartbreaking to watch since everyone knows how it has to end. It is one of the great "star crossed lovers" stories. Makes you want to cry.

The dialogue.

I suppose a case could be made that this is a "flaw" that is evident in all the Episodes: at times the dialogue feels "clunky" for lack of a better term. But more often than not it's Obi-Wan who is saddled with this affliction this time out. I guess he is no Yoda when it comes to words. ;-)

Overall, the story does a nice job of bridging the gap between characters introduced in the original films and the last one. We see characters from "The Phantom Menace" to ones that pop up in "A New Hope" and again in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". That part was very well done and handled differently in some cases than I thought it would be.

Very subtle at times and always thought provoking this book is. After reading it you can't help but sit down and think about it. It is very "haunting" in that it stays on your mind long after you put it down. This installment truly moves the saga's development along. One is left with chills knowing how things ultimately turn out. You are left happy, but profoundly sad on at least two different levels.

You could almost say that this prequel trilogy is the "Anti-Lord of the Rings" in that everything is flowing towards an unharmonious end where nearly everyone dies. As opposed to "Lord of the Rings" which flows towards a harmonious end where nearly *no one* dies.

There's even an echo of that major film that was released just prior to "Episode II", "Spider-Man". We learn that with great power (the Force) there must also come great responsibility.

May George Lucas, to borrow a phrase from another well-known science fiction franchise, "Live long and prosper".