February - Theme - New Release (published in the 20's)

[colls]

This month will be a themed month. The idea is to read any Star Wars book you'd like that can be applied to the theme. The material can be anything - adult, YA, comics, even story-centric games.

1. How was the ending?

2. Were there any scenes that struck you as memorable?

3. Would you recommend the book to other readers?


Note: There is no planned book for March, this community is going on hiatus for the book-of-the-month posting.

Comments

[colls]

1. The ending wrapped up with the events of the movie, so there were no great surprises in the overall plot.

2. Padmé and her handmaidens were so incredibly young. Too young, IMO. Like... young!

3. I enjoyed the narrator and felt the pacing was ok, but I can see where it might not be to everyone's tastes. It's a lot about what the girls are going to wear and how they're all so super smart and talented. It's a coming-of-age story with the Star Wars framework.

[brokenmnemonic]

For some reason, your comment about how young the handmaidens and Padmé are reminded me of that scene in the Stargate movie, where Ra surrounds himself with children to stop people attacking him, and I don't know why...

I wonder why they chose to release the books in this order. Do you think this would've worked better as a prequel to the previous novel?

[colls]

LOL!! They're not quite that young, but still. Interesting visual ;)


I'm not sure why the order was chosen. I do feel like it's hommage to the movie release order in a way - starting a story with 'Episode 4'.

This book answers why they all have similar-sounding names (so they can blend and be forgettable). It gives a little more back story to Sabe and Sache, which were the two I liked the most in the 'Queen's Shadow'.

[brokenmnemonic]

So, the ending was ok. The main thing was them getting the communications system back up and running, but there's a moderately brief follow-on chapter that highlights why it was important, and what the characters will be doing next.

The scene that sticks in my memory the most is when one of the lead characters is in urgent need of a way of travelling quickly but doesn't have anything obvious... so decides to apply a rocket engine to their aging, blocky helper droid, and then ride it like a speeder bike. Which the droid actually enjoys! Although not as much as when weapons get added...

On the one hand, the book is easily skippable; it's basically explaining a relatively minor point in the backdrop of a Nihil attack, but with a focus on the padawans andtheir companions. The plot is relatively simple - the characters have to get the tower communications working again to allow the Republic and Jedi forces to coordinate. However, the book is... fun. There are hijinks and an entertaining droid, it helps flesh out some characters a little who maybe don't get as much development in the spine novels, and you get to see the younger characters being clever and solving problems. So I think it's not an essential read, but it's also not one I regret. It reads very quickly and smoothly,which I found helped a lot.

[colls]

There are hijinks and an entertaining droid
This is one of those common formulas in Star Wars stories that I adore.