As an academic treatise on the political landscape during the last days of the Old Republic, it works. As a Star Wars novel ... it's best taken with a hefty dose of coffeine.

Spoiler-Free Review

The bottom line: I don't think there are very many people who will be kicking themselves if they wait a year for the paperback version of this. In fact, there will probably be *more* people kicking themselves for shelling out the price of a paperback a year from now than are already fuming about forking over $26 for a hardback copy of this non-story.

The best way I can express my opinion of this book is to compare it to a "behind the scenes" documentary like you get nowadays on some DVDs. I recently rented the two-disk, supermegacollectorfanatic edition of Terminator II and watched all the extras. In one really cool feature, you get to see the intricate workings of how they created that awesome Terminator II "ride" at Universal Studios. In another, they go on and on about the CGI work. There were literally hours of the stuff, and I was jazzed to be able to watch all of it. However, if I'd had to pay $26 for the privilege, I would have felt like a mugging victim. Extra info and backstory and cool little hints about Episode II and cameos by lesser known Star Wars characters are all well and good ... if they're free add-ons to a solid, well-plotted adventure novel. Unfortunately, the "adventure" part of this book is so anemic, if you blink you might miss it.

To be fair, the book does have a few decent action scenes. And I have to admit, Luceno did a great job with Senator Palpatine, who is a complete snake throughout. I would rather have my arm gnawed off than try to write such a politically top-heavy novel, but Luceno makes the backstory of Episode I's "trade dispute" plausible.

It's not a horrible book. It's not even badly written (despite my dislike of Luceno's verbose style). It's just ... boring. If you are really into political machinations [Jody] or you are a Star Wars trivia nutcase [me], then by all means get this book. For everybody else, maybe my plot summary will be enough.

Plot Summary (heavy spoilers)

Don't read this if you haven't yet read the book and don't want to be spoiled. We start out with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan off on a little side jaunt without the approval of the council, following one of Qui-Gon's hunches. They are chasing a terrorist named Captain Cohl who is working for a group called the Nebula Front. The Nebula Front hate the Trade Federation because the coalition of Neimoidians, Grans, etc., is bleeding their Mid and Outer Rim economies dry with their cut-throat trade practices. Cohl and his band of mercenaries infiltrate a Trade Federation vessel, the Revenue commanded by Daultay Dofine, to steal its treasure of aurodium ingots. Tipped off by an inside informant, the Jedi almost manage to foil the plan, but in the end Cohl gets away. Qui-Gon spends the rest of the book chasing him down, despite the Council's orders and the Judicial Department's belief that Cohl died in the massive explosion of the Revenue. Through the living Force, Qui-Gon just knows Cohl is still out there, plotting against the Trade Federation and the Republic.

Meanwhile, Palpatine and/or Darth Sidious has his fingers in everybody's pies. He pretends to be friends with Valorum, the Trade Federation, the corpulent Twi'lek Senator Orn Free Taa (a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee) and Taa's cronies Senator Toonbuck Toora, Passel Argente, and Edcel Bar Gane, as well as the Jedi, Amidala, and everyone else in sight. He is obsequious in their presence, backstabbing them as soon as they turn around. Accompanying Palpatine are his aides, Kinman Doriana and Sate Pestage (whom some of you may know from the X-Wing novels and comics). We are introduced briefly to some of the players that will probably pop up in Episode II, although you could hardly call the information spoiler material, plus more special interests than you can shake a stick at. There's the Intergalactic Bank Clan and the Commerce Guild,  the Techno Union, the independent Senex sector whose Houses Vandron and Elegin hate the Trade Federation. Bail Antilles and Ainlee Teem rate a mention, if not an appearance. The Rimma Trade Route and Free Trade Zones plays a role, as does the planet of Eriadu where Valorum calls a conference to discuss the proposal to tax the outlying trade routes -- an idea supported by Palpatine, or is it?

Captain Cohl flees with his wounded ship, the Hawk Bat, to the planet Asmeru, where he meets up with a bigger fish in the Nebula Front, a man named Havac who is in cahoots with Palpatine. Havac wants Cohl to do one last job for him, and despite arguments from Cohl's girlfriend and fellow mercenary, Rella, he accepts. He gathers a group of hired criminals with certain skills for a big operation at the trade summit on Eriadu where the climactic battle of the book takes place.

On the way to Eriadu, a lot of red herrings are thrown in the way of the Jedi and the Judicials, including an attempt on Valorum's life outside the Senate rotunda and a brutal ambush on the planet Asmeru that keeps the Jedi occupied while the real terrorists set up another assassination attempt. Darth Sidious is in the background, giving Nute Gunray directions like a malevolent puppet master. Even a falling out among the ranks of the terrorists and the capture of the assassination team by the Jedi do not manage to foil Sidious's plans. He has orchestrated events so well that no matter the outcome, the Federation will look justified in blockading Naboo.

The Light Side (spoilers)

• Despite the boredom factor, the book did a good job in helping me understand the reasons for the Neimoidians' blockade of Naboo and their military might, things that didn't make much sense to me from what we were given in Episode I.
• Cameos from a few Star Wars irregulars like Tarkin, Jorus C'baoth, and Vergere conjure a smile from time to time.
• We also get to meet a few new characters that will appear in Episode II. I won't name them, in case you're avoiding spoilers. But if you read this book, you'll have at least a spark of recognition when these characters make their appearance in the film.
• The opening sequence, which comprises the first five chapters, starts slow but then becomes quite suspenseful and fun. It's basically Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan chasing the pirates, first through the Trade Federation ship, then through a chaotic space battle zone.
• The interaction between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan was portrayed well, with equal measure of soberness and humor. I would have liked to have seen a lot more of it, though.
• We are given a sketchy glimpse into the reasons Qui-Gon is considered a rebel, with his emphasis on the Living Force so at odds with the Council's predilection for trusting the Unifying Force. The Council make some token appearances, as do a few other Jedi. Any peek into the workings of the Jedi is a welcome gift.
• It's truly breathtaking to see Palpatine at work. He is masterful! Wheels within wheels, indeed.
• In the end, the scene where Cohl and Qui-Gon end up working together to stop the bad guy does more to illustrate the Master's particular brand of intuitive risk-taking than any amount of words.
• Jedi on the ground deflecting fire from strafing starfighters. That was cool.

The Dark Side (spoilers)

• Why did the bad guys need a repulsorsled to carry two billion credits worth of aurodium ingots when Obi-Wan carried three billion's worth to Zonama Sekot in a little pouch inside his tunic?
• Except for Palpatine, the Neimoidians, and Cohl, we don't get much in the way of characterization. I would have liked to have peered inside Valorum's head once or twice. Same with Qui-Gon and the other Jedi. Instead we get a totally extraneous and insipid subplot involving Cohl's love for a fellow mercenary, her wish for him to retire, and his need to do this one last job. Puhleeze.
• In contrast with the skimpy characterization, the descriptions just seemed to go on and on and on. I can't imagine anyone picking up this book who hasn't seen Episode I. Therefore, we do not need three paragraphs to describe a battle droid, the shape of its head, etc. We do not need pages and pages telling us about the city-planet of Coruscant and how the light glints from the transparisteel buildings, etc. That sort of detail should only be provided if is it colored through the emotional responses of the characters. Otherwise it's mindnumbing.
• I'm sorry, but in what universe does Obi-Wan Kenobi have a "nasal" voice?
• My mind was reeling trying to keep track of the factions and issues that were at the heart of the story. I truly couldn't have cared less about who supported what side of which debate, so the details kept slipping through my mind like those little spots you get in your vision where when you try to look at them they keep moving and you can't ever quite tell what they are. I mean, I don't even care about such issues when they directly affect my pocketbook, you know? Just send me the bill and don't attempt to explain the intricacies of the tax code.
• The book could have used a few more lightsaber battles or asteroid chases or an appearance by Darth Maul to spice it up. Probably even that wouldn't have helped. The major flaw of the novel is that its central conflict is a lot more subtle than the average Star Wars fan will appreciate. Star Wars is based on swashbuckling and space battles, with superhero good guys who are good, megalomaniacal bad guys who are evil, and conflicts that involve combat, preferably on the ground, in space, and inside some sort of reactor core simultaneously. If the reader can't even really tell who's the protagonist, who's the antagonist, and what's the beef ... well, a whole army of Jedi and Dark Lords duking it out next to numerous bottomless pits won't make a novel any more exciting.
• Speaking of space battles, Luceno ain't no Stackpole.

General Comments

• Can somebody have the art director call me next time they want to put Qui-Gon (or Obi-Wan for that matter) on a book cover? I would advise them to use a photograph we haven't seen six million times already.

Coming Next

Rebirth, the sequel to J. Gregory Keyes' Conquest and the second of two Edge of Victory paperbacks in the NJO series, is due out in August. Also, if you're interested in a really fun series written for young readers (but adored by lots of grownups, too), there's the new Jedi Apprentice Special Edition #1: Deceptions by Jude Watson which just came out this month, with Jedi Apprentice #14, The Tie That Binds, due in July. In September we'll get Jedi Quest, a tale about Young Anakin and Obi-Wan that will be both a young readers hardcover novel by Jude Watson and a comic series from Dark Horse by Ryder Wyndham. NJO #9 - Star by Star by Troy Denning is slated for October, along with Jedi Apprentice #15, The Death of Hope by Jude Watson.

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