Jedi Trial (Star Wars: Clone Wars Novel)
by David Sherman, Dan Cragg
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dan Cragg, David ShermanEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-05-31
ISBN: 0345461150
Number of pages: 337
Publisher: LucasBooks
Book Reviews of Jedi Trial (Star Wars: Clone Wars Novel)
Book Review: PLEASE IGNORE THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS ! This is probably the best SW novel as it truly captures the feel of the movies
Summary: 5 Stars
I am surprised by the negative reviews that this novel has received. I think many people were misled by the book's title which implies that it is about a sequence of tasks which Anakin must complete to become a Jedi Knight. But going from what we know about the SW universe as mentioned by another reviewer here, the actual 'Jedi Trials' appears to be a specific mission(s) in which the Padawan is promoted to knight upon completion. For example in Episode 1 both Qui-Gon & Obi-wan are given the very difficult task of drawing out Queen Amidaala's attacker in the hope of identifying whether or not he is a Sith. Not only does Obi-wan survive the very difficult encounter & identifies the Sith warrior but he slays him as well which was why the Council promoted him to a Jedi knight. And so it seems that the mission which Anakin undertakes in this book is his own personal jedi trial which will see him become promoted to the rank of Jedi. Maybe if the authors had named this novel "Siege of Praesitlyn" then it would receive a much more positive response from reviewers that it well & truly deserves.
The other SW novels that deal with the Clone Wars are bit of a mixed bag. For instance the novel "Dark Rendevous" was pretty decent. And "The Cestus Deception" was also very good up to half way through it before it culminated into a rather boring novel that was plagued with poorly written & tepid action sequences. The novel "Shatterpoint" also started off well before drifting into a pointless retread of "Apocalypse Now", (although I thought that the story did end satisfactorily). The Republic Commando novel "Hard Contact" was excellent (probably one of the best SW novels) because it focused not just on the Clones but on the Separatists & their own viewpoint as well. However the following 2 novels "Triple Zero" & "True Colours" were simply the worst. Both were an exercise in pure tedium where a fairly weak plot was stretched around the 50+ characters who talk endlessly & repetitively throughout both stories.
However the final RC novel "Order 66" was a bit better but by now the author Karen Traviss has seriously deviated from the SW canon with her books. For instance the 'Order 66' is not an order that was ingrained in the Clones during their training on Kamino as it is described in her novel (this is a mistake that both Traviss and a lot of other Star Wars authors have made regarding 'Order 66'). Actually the 'Order 66' is really just a secret code that Palpatine/ Sidious uses to tell his Sith agents among the Clone army to assassinate the Jedi Council members. You can actually see that in the Episode III movie where upon receiving the 'Order 66' command all the Clone assassins refer to Palpatine as 'my lord' and not 'Chancellor' which implies that they know that Palpatine is a Sith and they working directly for him. The 'Order 66' is actually Darth Sidious's directive and not some directive of the Clone army that sits among a list of other commands within the Clone's instruction manuals. Even Lucas himself has stated in interviews that 'Order 66' was just a normal `military command' made up by Darth Sidious and not the eccentric Clone directive as it is described in Traviss's novel.
Anyway Traviss's latest (& last) book "Imperial Commando" is another boring novel that goes nowhere fast, and is one which I recommend you not to read again & again! Traviss has proven herself to be simply one of the worst SW authors which is a pity since her debut "Hard Contact" was simply excellent. I for one am glad though that she is no longer writing for Star Wars. She can take her Mando "farmers & cooks" concept with her, along with her bad grasp of maths (eg: there has never been an official number stated for the size of the Clone army in Star Wars, however Traviss states that the Clone army of 1.2 million units is equal to about 3 million troops?!!!). Realistically the size of such a galaxy-spanning Clone army would be have to be more in the region of 120 million ( ie: 1 unit = 100 clones), especially since the army is serving an Order composed of roughly 10,000 Jedi-generals.
In my opinion this novel "Jedi Trial" is the best Clone Wars novel (and probably the best SW novel). Sherman & Cragg are the only authors to truly capture the Star Wars experience on paper. Theatrically Star wars had always been about amazing military hardware, super-fast vehicles and frenetic battles fought around dangerous locations that contain vast drops (with a notable lack of safety railings to boot), and this novel simply captures all of these elements . From the first page the reader is drawn into a planetary invasion of a key Republican communications outpost by the Separatist droid army. "Jedi Trial" along with the excellent fluke that was "Hard Contact" are the only Clone Wars novels that include the perspective of the Separatists. All the other Clone Wars primarily show the war from only the Republic's own viewpoint (and particularly that of the Jedi). And I also liked the way that the leader of the Separatists, Admiral Pors Tonith was originally a banker for the Intergalatic Banking Clan. It is interesting how the authors convey how the corporate mindset is not wholly unlike that of a strategist planning military campaigns, especially in terms of both logic & cold heartedness. Tonith is an interesting character who strategically manages to stay one step ahead of both his enemies and his allies (his brief battle of wits with Assaj Ventress is also quite interesting to read).
The authors also reveal some of the alien races who are on the separatists side(such as the Gamoreans, the `Pig Guards' from the ROTJ movie). The battles contained within this novel are the most detailed and exciting ever to be found in any Star Wars novel. The authors go into depth over logistics and tactics in the battle scene. And I like the way the authors also go into depth over the pros & cons of using both droids & clones in warfare. The droids are much faster to mobilize in battle and do not need much in terms of supplies to sustain them like the clones do. However the droid's level of marksmanship is not quite as high as that of the clones, and they also need regular maintenance if they are used in combat for very long periods of time.
The characterisations in "Jedi Trial" novel are also very good, Halcyon is a very interesting & flawed Jedi hero. And it makes a nice change to see a Jedi warrior who, like Qui-Gon, fully understands & sympathises with Anakin unlike the usual manner in which he is treated by the Jedi in the other Star Wars novels & stories. It is also great to see Anakin taking on the role of commander as he leads the Clone army into battle for the first time. It nicely foreshadows the way he will take command of the imperials in the climatic space battle in ANH, as well as the storming of the Rebel base in TESB.
I also liked the character of Slayke and his `Sons of Freedom' army ( theyr'e a sort of NRA-type paramilitary) who attack the Separatist invaders shortly after they arrive on the planet in an interesting twist which shows the difficulty facing Admiral Tonith in his bid to conquer Praestilyn despite the superior numbers of his droid army. It's interesting how the authors showed how Slayke & his followers express total disdain for the clone army which also conveys the controversy that has surrounded the GAR in the eyes of the Republic whom they are serving. A point that some of the other Clone Wars novels of the SW saga also seem to miss.
On the subject of Clones the authors portrayal of the professional mindset of the Clones is the best in any Star Wars novel so far, particularly in the scenes involving the `Green Wizard', an ARC trooper who is considered the best in his field. The `Green Wizard' is the unsung hero of the novel, and I consider his scenes to be the best involving any Clone in any of the Star Wars novels (a wonderful antidote to the annoying 'candy-chomping cry-babies' depicted in Traviss's embarrassing Republic Commando novels ).
Much criticism is made of the romance in this novel between Odie & Erk, a male and female soldier who are trapped behind Separatist lines. I actually thought the idea of a romance between these two combatants quite interesting as their plight did make their eventual romance seem a lot less contrived than the tacked-on romances that repeatedly appeared in the "Republic Commando" novels (another typical trait of the author Karen Traviss). Plus the fact that the romantic scenes of "Jedi Trial" were contained within the 'fight for survival' theme of the story, which allowed for the romance to flow without slowing down the fast pace of this novel.
There also appears to be some criticism of the quality of the writing in the novel. I personally liked most of the writing of the novel and I felt that it certainly didn't detract from the impact of the story. I personally thought that the authors did a good job with the writing and I particularly liked their descriptions of the Separatist war fleet at the beginning of chapter 19. There also seems to be some criticism about the lack of Assaj Ventress in the story. To be honest Ventress is mostly always treated as a cameo in every other Clone Wars novel to date and so "Jedi Trial" cannot really be singled out for this criticism. What the character of Ventress needs is to be a given a complete adventure of her own, rather like the way Darth Maul had with the "Shadow Hunter" novel.
The only criticism I have of the "Jedi Trial" story is as follows :
***SPOILER*** I thought the big space battle at the end between the GAR and the Separatist reinforcements was really unnecessary. They could have just had the Separatists decide not to re-take the Praesitlyn after Pors Tonith was defeated. It would have been a nice `what-if' moment which would have boosted the character of Tonith somewhat by showing that if he had the full support of the CIS throughout the campaign he would have definitely won the battle for Praesitlyn.*** End of SPOLIER***
Despite this small criticism I thoroughly enjoyed "Jedi Trial" and I definitely recommend it to all Star Wars fans, whether they are either die-hard or casual. Just remember that "Jedi Trial" is purely a CLONE WARS adventure and not some story that is focused on either politics or Jedi mysticism. I do hope that we see more Star Wars novels from Sherman & Cragg in future as "Jedi Trial" is probably the best Star Wars novel I have read so far (and this is coming from someone who has read it twice already and will probably do so again soon!). Just listen to the brilliant John Williams soundtrack on your MP3 player whilst reading "Jedi Trial" and you'll see what I mean when I say that this novel truly captures the feel of the Star Wars movies.
Summary of Jedi Trial (Star Wars: Clone Wars Novel)
?Within twenty-four standard hours we will sit firmly astride the communications link that connects the worlds of the Republic. . . . Our control will be a dagger thrust directly at Coruscant. This is the move that will win the war for us.?With these ominous words, Pors Tonith, ruthless minion of Count Dooku, declares the fate of the Republic sealed. Commanding a Separatist invasion force more than one million strong, the cunning financier-turned-warrior lays siege to the planet Praesitlyn, home of the strategic intergalactic communications center that is key to the Republic?s survival in the Clone Wars. Left unchallenged, this decisive strike could indeed pave the way for the toppling of more Republic worlds . . . and ultimate victory for the Separatists. Retaliation must be swift and certain.
But engaging the enemy throughout the galaxy has already stretched Supreme Chancellor Palpatine?s armies to the limit. There is no choice but to move against the surging waves of invading battle-droids on Praesitlyn with only a small contingent of clone soldiers. Commanding them will be Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon?hand-picked by the Council for the do-or-die mission. And at his side, skilled young starfighter pilot Anakin Skywalker, a promising young Jedi Padawan eager to be freed of the bonds of apprenticeship?and to be awarded the title of Jedi Knight.
Shoulder to shoulder with a rogue Republic army officer and his battle-hardened crew, a hulking Rondian mercenary with an insatiable taste for combat, and a duo of ready-for-anything soldiers, the Jedi generals take to the skies and the punishing desert terrain of occupied Praesitlyn?to bring the battle to the Separatist forces. Already outnumbered and outgunned, when confronted with an enemy ultimatum that could lead to the massacre of innocents, they may also be out of options. Unless Anakin Skywalker can strike a crucial balance between the wisdom born of the Force . . . and the instincts of a born warrior.
From the Hardcover edition.
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