Triple Zero (Star Wars: Republic Commando, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Karen Traviss (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Following the eruption of the bloody Clone Wars at the battle of Geonosis, both sides remain deadlocked in a stalemate that can be broken only by elite warrior teams like Omega Squad, clone commandos with terrifying combat skills and a lethal arsenal. . . .

For Omega Squad, deployed deep behind enemy lines, it’s the same old special ops grind: sabotage, espionage, ambush, and assassination. But when Omega Squad is rushed to Coruscant, the war’s most dangerous new hotspot, the commandos discover they’re not the only ones penetrating the heart of the enemy.

A surge in Separatist attacks has been traced to a network of Sep terror cells in the Republic’s capital, masterminded by a mole in Command Headquarters. To identify and destroy a Separatist spy and terror network in a city full of civilians will require special talents and skills. Not even the leadership of Jedi generals, along with the assistance of Delta squad and a certain notorious ARC trooper, can even the odds against the Republic Commandos. And while success may not bring victory in the Clone Wars, failure means certain defeat.

Also includes the bonus story Omega Squad: Targets by Karen Traviss!

About the Author
Karen Traviss is the author of Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact, Crossing the Line, and City of Pearl. A former defense correspondent and TV and newspaper journalist, Traviss has also worked as a police press officer, an advertising copywriter, and a journalism lecturer. She has served in both the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service and the Territorial Army. Since her graduation from the Clarion East class of 2000, her short stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Realms of Fantasy, and On Spec. She lives in Devizes, England.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345490096
• ISBN-13: 978-0345490094
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,054 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite possibly the best written Star Wars novel yet, March 2, 2006

By	M. Flegal (CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It may be damning with faint praise but this is quite possibly the best written Star Wars novel yet. There have been good, even great Star Wars novels before, albiet not a whole lot of them. However, the best of them are well told adventure stories and little else. Perhaps they give some insight into a central character or two but that is about as high as the bar is set. This novel is different. Certainly it is a fine adventure novel in its own right. However, it also touches on philisophic issues that don't typically make it into franchise tie-ins. In here we see the other side of the Galactic War seen in the prequels from the side of the clone troopers, those men bred for war and used up as easily and callously as one treats a piece of tissue paper. We've been told that the Republic before the fall was corrupt but we've really not seen much; characters simply announce that it is or was and we accept it as part of the backstory. Here we see the corruption of ideals and beliefs from the Jedi who shuck their treasured beliefs for an advantage in war to the government and supportive public who don't know much of the clones and don't generally care.

Beyond that, the story is well told and possibly the most realistic of any Star Wars novel, if realism can be used in a story of clones and magic using warrior priests. The action works the way it would in the real world and the challenges and plans ring true. This book is a better primer for someone interested in the SAS or "Delta Force" than many of the Ramboesque Walter Mitty garbage that pollute the book stores. In addition, characters are engaging and actually develop and grow, something all to rare in a book like this.

Simply put, this would be an excellent book without the Star Wars universe behind it. That it actually takes place in that universe and can stimulate discussion about the underpinnings of the prequels is extraordinary. Buy the book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Triple fantastic, and outstanding and entertaining read, March 8, 2006

By	L. A. Kane (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The cover blurb calls this book the "thrilling sequel" to Hard Contact. While many cover statements are truly nothing more than marketing hype, this one is spot on. Triple Zero is thrilling, exciting, exhilarating, and fantastic (I'm a writer so I could throw in a lot more adjectives but you get the idea...). The Nulls are unique, clones with the capacity to think outside the box even more than the elite ARC commandos. As we've seen with other books, all clones may look the same but they are hardly identical. I love the background and insight into this group of individuals, believable and unique characters all. Traviss's writing has also improved since the first book. Her passion for the materials really shines through. Beyond the entertainment qualities inherent to the Star Wars universe, she also manages to pull in some sobering and provocative moral elements without getting preachy. The use of genuine counterterrorism and surveillance tactics (updated with future technology, of course), adds a layer of realism and believability to the complex and interesting storyline.

Mandolarian culture, history, and values are more thoroughly explored than previous books. Jedi's Jusik and Etain help hold the story together too, the latter having recently achieved knighthood and growing rapidly as a leader. The mark that sergeants Skirata and Vau left on their respective troopers is believable and fascinating. The opening sequence that covers Skirata's introduction to the Nulls as younglings is priceless, some of the best prose in all the Star Wars books (and I've read every one). All the clone characters (e.g., Ordo, Darman, Fi, Niner) have grown and matured since the first book. Their idiosyncrasies, interrelationships, and unique traits keep them fascinating even as their similarities help them remain believable as battle-hardened clone soldiers. And, the action scenes are first rate as we have come to expect from this author. The Omega Squad short story is a nice bonus too.

Since this series evolved from a game, I'm continually impressed by the high caliber prose and plot, as well as by the thought-provoking themes. Highly recommended!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Clone Saga Continues, March 26, 2006

By	James A Gilmer (Lansing, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The reaction to this book has been...interesting, and Karen Traviss is fast becoming a source of controversy in Star Wars fandom. The interesting thing is, no one disputes her writing ability, but there seems to be an inability on the part of some to seperate what they "want" to see happen with what the author writes.
Simple put, Karen Traviss writes excellent prose, and she writes dense prose, which means that there is always a lot going on. Despite those who claim that there is a lack of action when compared to HARD CONTACT, the first in the series, I'd have to respectfully disagree, in fact, there's quite a lot of action, and I'd hazard to say that the two books are rather equal in that regard.
In HARD CONTACT people seem to forget that there was quite a lot of time spent dealing with Etain and Darman meeting and talking and the two coming to grips with each other as well as time spent on the squad scouting the planet before the battle at the end.
Traviss does not spend the pages on lightsabre duels that some authors in the SW universe are known for, and her combat writing is quick and aggressive, and perhaps that is why some feel it lacks immediate action. However, there's quite a few battles and fights and a final confrontation that's fairly action packed and bloody.
This isn't the story of a fleet battle or an epic conflict, but the story of special forces carrying out an urban anti-terror campaign in a heavily populated city. With the reintroduction of Kal Skirata we see more of the politics of black ops work, and we also see more of tha Mandalorian culture since Kal is one.
This is another sticking point for critics. Look, Mandalorians are not Klingons, they weren't before Karen Traviss arrived on scene and they are not now. Their mercenary roots and tactics alone set them apart from those age-old Star Trek aliens.
The Mandalorian culture and language is played up more in this novel, and not just because the author is writing the language and has a large input on the culture, but because it's been established that 75 Mandalorian's trained the clones as part of Jango's accellerated training program to produce the ARCS and Commandos.
So, a group of men with the minds of children (remember, they barely have any life experience having been rapidly aged) are hooked up with a group of warriors from a culture that has no problems with adopting outsiders into their ranks.
This is something that has been telegraphed for ages, and like Chekov's famous "gun on the mantle" in Act One being fired in Act Three, it's being fired.
The book is an intelligent look into another side of Star Wars, a look that may be more "realistic" than some may like, but it's fully within the remit of the series (and anyone who played the game and watched the game features knows that the game developers wanted to show how a real special forces squad would act in the SW Universe, well, this is it).
Will this be the book for every Star Wars fan? Probably not, but it's a book that doesn't speak down to the reader, that is filled with love for the Star Wars universe and the characters, and offers a new insight into a new and, yes, more realistic side of the Star Wars universe.
No different than any other writer Karen Traviss is carving her own little niche in the Star Wars universe, and bravo to that, because as a fan of Star Wars I want more writers like her who repsect the universe and the readers and produce intelligent novels that explore the human condition inside Star Wars and use the universe to ask hard questions as well as entertain.