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Rebel Agent: Dark Forces (Star Wars Dark Forces) (Paperback)
by William C. Dietz (Author)
  4.1 out of 5 stars 28 customer reviews (28 customer reviews)  

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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In Soldier for the Empire, writer William Dietz and painter Dean Williams have accomplished something rare among the numerous spinoffs of the Star Wars films: a story that captures the essence of Star Wars while charting new territory in terms of character development.

The story is a simple one. Like Luke Skywalker, Kyle Katarn is a young farm boy who dreams of the stars. But for Kyle, the way off his home world is through the Imperial Military Academy, not through a Jedi mentor. Just as Kyle reaches the end of his training in a vicious firefight on a Rebel-held asteroid, his father, Morgan, is killed in an Imperial attack. As he learns the truth behind his father's death, Kyle is awakened to a terrifying vision of the Empire that he has grown to respect, and he suddenly finds himself working for the Rebels to steal plans for the newly completed Death Star.

By integrating Kyle's tale into the actual plot of Star Wars, Deitz makes his novel especially relevant for Star Wars fans. But what really drives Soldier for the Empire are the grim details that bring the war to life. Dietz's vision of the Empire recounts the awesome discipline of Nazi Germany, and his descriptions of Dark Jedi Jerec are reminiscent of the twisted minds that must always stand behind organized evil. At the same time, by going inside the Empire (and into the psyches of Storm Troopers), Dietz reveals the seductive power of that evil. Dean Williams's award-winning paintings are a perfect complement to the story, creating a cinematic life for the text. Kyle's tale continues in Rebel Agent and Jedi Knight. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
YA-After Kyle's father is killed by an evil Jedi and Kyle has come over to the positive side of the Force, he discovers that his father has left behind the secret to the Valley of the Jedi. Kyle accepts the power of the Force and begins his initiation as a Jedi Knight even as he battles great odds to prevent misuse of the valley. Aided by his female superior officer, he completes his quest for the highly guarded information. As the story ends, they acknowledge their love for one another and as Luke Skywalker arrives, they begin plans for the next great adventure. Dietz moves the story along with plenty of battle scenes and odd space-alien life-forms. There is a seemingly never-ending supply of technological wonders and weapons. Blood flows freely, both humanoid and from the multitude of beings that inhabit that particular space environment. Droids appear frequently and carry the same importance as their humanoid counterparts. Action takes place inside of trees; along narrow passages; across the great expanse of space; and in, under, and through all sorts of buildings. For young adults who enjoy CD-ROM interactive games like Star Wars or reading space adventures, this second part of the trilogy will be of interest. A caveat: the book does differ from the LucasArts Dark Forces game.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details
  • Paperback: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Trade (May 1, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 042516862X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425168622
  • Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars 28 customer reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,942,861 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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William C. Dietz's latest blog posts
       
 
William C. Dietz sent the following posts to customers who purchased Rebel Agent: Dark Forces (Star Wars Dark Forces)
  

The literary long game versus the short game

9:36 AM PDT, August 10, 2006
I write novels most of the time, both because that's where the muse leads me, and because it's easier.  That may sound a bit counter intuitional to non-writers, since it seems logical to assume that a full-length novel would automatically be more difficult to produce than a short story, but I believe many fellow novelists will agree when I say the reverse is true.  Because while novels usually take longer to write, and generally cover more ground, they are in many ways more forgiving.

While writing a novel a well-intended author can ramble on, create an army of two dimensional characters, and offer up unlikely plot elements only to be forgiven because the overall work is enjoyable.  Which is why you occasionally see a critic refer to a particular book as being, "flawed but ultimately worth reading."

Short stories meanwhile are much more demanding because they are, well, short.  In order to succeed the author must ruthlessly remove every ounce of excess description, characterization, and dialog to reveal the literary gem within.  Yet still manage to engage the reader.  And that's for short stories--never mind short-shorts, sometimes called flash or micro fiction, which require what I regard as nearly God-like powers!

But in spite of the perils associated with writing short fiction I occasionally take a stab at it because someone invites me to do so--or the muse delivers up an idea that isn't sufficient to support a novel.  Such was the case with a story called, DEAD MEN TALK A LOT, which appears in Dark Wisdom #10, a quarterly magazine of Dark Fiction (SF and Horror) presently available at a bookstore near you.  Direct your browser to http://www.darkwisdom.com/index.php and select "Retailers & Distributors for a list of locations.

The story envisions a world in which life after death is not only an established fact, but dead people can phone home!  Which means they can go on Oprah, which means....  Well, the best thing to do is go out and buy a copy of Dark Wisdom #10, and read the story.  Plus fiction by the likes of Stephen Mark Rainey, Jay Caselberg, and Michael McBride.

Now, with that out of my system, it's back to the long game!
 
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Proofing, typos, and why a writer can't win.

8:47 AM PDT, May 22, 2006
The page proofs for Logos Run arrived a few days ago. (The sequel to Runner will be released in October of 2006.) That's an exciting moment because page proofs look exactly the way the pages in your book will look unless you make changes to them. And you aren't supposed to make changes unless you have a very good reason--like finding a misspelled word, words that are run together, or some other form of typo. That's the whole point of page proofs, to find errors, and correct them. But it's easier said than done.

Chances are you have noticed one or two typos in every book you've read and just slid past them. But occasionally, you come across a book that contains so many errors they get in the way of the story. When that happens you probably think the author and the publisher just don't give a damn. Nothing could be further from the truth! Most writers care deeply about their books, and while the publisher may be a little less passionate, they want to produce the very best product they can. Which is why both the author and a professional copy editor read page proofs looking for errors before a book goes to press.

So if everyone cares, and two people read the page proofs, where do the typos come from?  That's a darned good question.

The first and most obvious possibility is human error. Reading page proofs is both exhilarating and scary. Exhilarating, because it's an opportunity to look at your next book in near final form, and enjoy all of the things that you worked so hard to put into it. Scary, because as you turn each page, you know this is your last chance to catch those blasted typos, or even worse, some sort of major screw-up. And, even though the publisher has a professional copy editor looking at the manuscript too, you know it's your book. The proof reader couldn't possibly care about it the way you do, and you figure that he or she is reading the page proofs on a bus, or in the subway, while thinking about the bills they need to pay, or the fight they had with their significant other the night before, or the war in Iraq.

Nor does one get the opportunity to speak with these mysterious beings, either to thank them for saving one's butt, or to demand an apology because they missed a typo. They are nameless English majors, most of whom are probably writing novels themselves, which means they will eventually get what's coming to them: page proofs!

So the pressure is on you. The only problem is that like the proof readers you're thinking about how to pay your bills, the fight you had with your significant other the night before, or the war in Iraq. As you stare at the words on the paper in front of you, it's easy to miss the fact that a particiular word has been misspelled, garbled, or dropped altogether. And, once you pass it by, what are the chances that the copy reader on the bus is going catch it?

There are other potential problems too--the kind t