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"Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter" by Michael Reaves [Del Rey, 2001]

Discussion in 'Archive: Literature Review Forum' started by Gandalf the Grey, Mar 1, 2003.

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"Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter" by Michael Reaves [Del Rey, 2001]

Poll closed Mar 25, 2012.
  1. 10 (Excellent)

    50.0%
  2. 9

    23.8%
  3. 8

    12.4%
  4. 7

    6.9%
  5. 6 (Average)

    1.5%
  6. 5 (Average)

    2.0%
  7. 4

    0.5%
  8. 3

    1.0%
  9. 2

    0.5%
  10. 1 (Poor)

    1.5%
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  1. Gandalf the Grey

    Gandalf the Grey Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    May 14, 2000
  2. Gandalf the Grey

    Gandalf the Grey Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    May 14, 2000
    [image=http://www.theforce.net/books/images/shadow-hunter.jpg]

    Summary:
    After years of waiting in the shadows, Darth Sidious is taking the first step in his master plan to bring the Republic to its knees. Key to his scheme are the Neimoidians of the Trade Federation. Then one of his Neimoidian contacts disappears, and Sidious does not need his Force-honed instincts to suspect betrayal. He orders his apprentice, Darth Maul, to hunt the traitor down.

    But he is too late. The secret has already passed into the hands of information broker Lorn Pavan, which places him right at the top of Darth Maul?s hit list. Then, in the labyrinthine alleyways and sewers of Coruscant, Lorn crosses paths with Darsha Assant, a Jedi Padawan on a mission to earn her Knighthood. Now the future of the Republic depends on Darsha and Lorn. But how can an untried Jedi and an ordinary man, stranger to the powerful ways of the Force, hope to triumph over one of the deadliest killers in the galaxy?


    Review on theForce.net books
     
  3. KenKenobi

    KenKenobi Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2002
    Needless to say I gave this book a 10 rating.


    It's really no surprise, this novel (IMO, of course :p ) along with Cloak of Deception being second only to Zahn's great Thrawn Trilogy.




    I enjoyed this book on a number of levels...


    First of all, I liked its tie-in with TPM- the events within the story led straight to that time frame, and in turn provided much information and shed some light on why things happened in Episode I.



    The political side wasn't as fully contained as was Cloak of Deception, but then again CoD didn't have the insight into the Force that DM:SH did.




    The philisophical side of the book was both interesting and fulfilling- the way Reaves portrayed both sides of the Force in perspective of Jedi views and Sith traditions.

    Additionally, the lightsaber battles and Force use within the novel was awesome- the saber duels were invigorating down to the last humming of the blades, and the manipulation of the Force in terms of selection was very exciting- extremely fitting for the story.




    Congruent with its focus on the Jedi/Sith and the sowing seeds of Palpatine's plan, the book showed a clear view of communication between "normal" Coruscant citizens (I think that may be an oxymoron...just the word Coruscant exludes "normal"... ;) :p) and Jedi, along with Darth Maul.




    Lorn Pavan was an interesting guy- his interaction with others was unique, and I thought his personality was both laid back, but alert. Cool guy...cool guy..and brave too. ;)



    I really enjoyed the character Darsha Assant. Her development throughout and here handling of the situations that plagued her final mission was enough to mark her worthy of Jedi Knight recognition, and the way she sacrficed herself even after witnessing the death of her master gave hope to the cause.


    Of course, this led to the depressing part- because in TPM Palpatine's plans aren't revealed and Darth Maul is still alive, the reader (speculating that he/she already saw Episode I, of course- if not, they are in for an even more exciting adventure...) knows that Maul is successful and that the Jedi involved fail.



    The ending was amazing, albeit sad, but still amazing. True, it blew away the whole "Palpatine may not be Sidious" act, but it also showed Pavan's bravery in the face of danger and courage at facing death. The last part of the book with Pavan was just awesome...I read it and just sat there thinking, "That is one heroic character." Just a perfect ending..perfect...




    The only thing that really ticked me off though was how I-Five had the information of the blockade and reemergence of the Sith included in his system, and that jack@$$ Tuden Sal erased his memory.


    *sighs* I hope Sal gets killed later on as a result of his error...maybe executed by the Empire for something...perhaps even Palpatine himself..


    *laughs* How ironic... ;) [face_laugh] :p




    In any event, I recommend this book to ANY Jedi or Sith fan, and definately to anyone interested in Prequel background. :)



    Ken Kenobi- And you have a nice day ;)
     
  4. Darth Guy

    Darth Guy Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    8- Great book, but uninteresting at times.
     
  5. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2000
    I gave it a 9. It was a pretty good book, but some areas were not as good as others. All in all, it was pretty good though.
     
  6. neeldawg66

    neeldawg66 Jedi Master star 8

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2002
    10/10.

    Enjoyed it very much. Gave us what TPM lacked, alot of Darth Maul!
     
  7. TheBlueOne

    TheBlueOne Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Nov 6, 2002
    10

    great book with an even greater ending - I was totally messed up :_|

    This book is thrilling to the last page although you know in advance that the bad guys will win - wow!
     
  8. Mateo

    Mateo Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 22, 2001
    I give this book a perfect 10 rating.

    The Black Sun plot that ties directly in with the Darth Maul comic is really cool too.
     
  9. evanchester

    evanchester Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    9 out of 10

    The ending was so perfect. This was definitely a unique book in the EU.
     
  10. Convalescent

    Convalescent Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2003
    i agree, i gave it a 9 out of 10, and also thought the ending was the perfect lead in to TPM, I was just like, 'that's great, start episode I scroll please!'.

    Was a little unsure of how I would like this book at first, but it did not disappoint at all. I am also very happy to have the paperback, so i have "sabateur" as well.

     
  11. Verry

    Verry Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2002
    This was my first EU book. And I was hooked on EU after this. The ending although surprising and great, was screwed up.

    But I HIGHLY reccomend it!!1

    *spoilers*






    The time fram was all wrong, why would Sidious send out Maul if it didn't matter because the TF blockaded Naboo directly after that. And Qui-Gon and Obi-Won never went to Naboo as soon as it was blockaded because as stated in the TPM movie and novelization

    The blockade had been going on for a long time and it was held up in political confusion. Obi Won and Qui-gon did not leave for Naboo right away. The author screwed up, so because of that, I give it a 9, besides this, I loved the charectors, action, and plot.

     
  12. Padawan_Jess_Kenobi

    Padawan_Jess_Kenobi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2002
    I gave this book a 10/10

    I loved this EU book! I liked how the author gave us a nice background on the Jedi/Sith views. Darth Maul was also nicely set up and explained more. Although Obi-Wan only had a few very small parts, ( :( - the only thing to improve it was that Obi get more lines. Ah well) I still loved the other characters too. But I have to agree with what someone said up there earlier. The fact that the droid got his mind wiped before able to give that information really ticked me off. The death of Qui-Gon could have been prevented if only his mind hadn't been wiped. The Sith and the blockade and everything was inside that little droid. :mad:

    But it was still a marvelous book. :D
     
  13. Drew_Atreides

    Drew_Atreides Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 30, 2002
    ...gave this one a 7...

    Not bad, although it didn't really do much to support the image that Darth Maul was actually a threat..

    (I mean, c'mon! He was blindsided by a run-of-the-mill guy!)

    I did like the character of Darsha, though...
     
  14. TheChosen1

    TheChosen1 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2001
    I just finished this book and I did enjoy it. Its a bit depressing knowing how its all going to turn out. You get attached to the characters along the way (even though Pavan was kind of a cheap Han Solo substitute, he was still cool). The saber battles and chases through Coruscant were awesome. However, I thought the worm creature that was devoid of the force was a little Star Trekkish.

    Over all, I give it an 8 out of 10.
     
  15. Stridarious

    Stridarious Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2002
    I gave it a 10, it was a great book with an even better plot. :)
     
  16. dark_jedi666

    dark_jedi666 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 14, 2002
    I gave it a 7 out of 10.

    This is my favorite book of the prequel era to date. It was very entertaining and a fun read. I liked to learn more about Darth Maul, and Lorn Pavan was a good character as well.

    The downside to the book for me, was that I know the ending. That is the major problem with all prequel stuff.
     
  17. black_saber

    black_saber Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2002
    It was a Great Book and it showed the real Ugly side of Darth Maul. I mean Ugly Side like hes more of a Bad Ass!
     
  18. Infiltrator

    Infiltrator Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 4, 2002
    9, I didn't expect such a nice and sweeping plot when i picked it up, but it really suprised me. I loved how everything was kept silent to mask the sith presence.
     
  19. Asyr Handor

    Asyr Handor Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 1999
    One of my favorite prequel books...
     
  20. mps406

    mps406 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 20, 2002
    10/10.

    Even though we know how the book is going to end, the journey is fantastic! Plus - the ending KILLED me! I don't ever remember screaming out loud in shock at the end of a book before!! :) It also gives great insight as to what the parents of Jedis must be thinking.

    Definitely a must read.
     
  21. the falcon cleaner

    the falcon cleaner Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 26, 1999
    10/10
    Excellent novel! Few EU novels have captured my attention like this one. In the past I tried foolish to find SW novels in spanish but with no results (only ?Heir of the Empire? and that was because I was on Spain on holidays. So I get used to read them on
    English :)
    Anyway, back to the point. I picked this one from the shelves thanks to the brief plot on its back. Its sparkled adventure, ?small group adventure? if you know what a mean (few characters in a quest or journey, like a small party.) That?s my favorite books and movie styles (ANH movie and Han Solo books for example.)

    In the middle its phase went a little bit slow but recapture its magic again reaching the ending, and what a big one! I started reading the last chapters yesterday at 3:00 am and could´t stop reading until the end. I remember mentally screaming ?noooooo!? three times:
    1)Darsha´s Death (man, she was great, I was keeping faith that she would survive but?argg, too sad. I really got attached to that character and felt quite bad about her demise) 2)I-Five memory wipe, and 3)Lorn delivering the holocron too?.well, you know the feeling.

    Few books have keep me ?reading a little bit more despite being late at night? and posting a impossible to turn-down-finale until you read the last page.
    Great characters, story and adventure. You know how its going to end due to the movie, but you keep telling yourself that perhaps they can make it a way or another (well, I-Five survive I guess, from a certain point of view :(

    Anyone knows about any fan fiction about these characters? Or perhaps the author has any idea of adventures for them before this one? You see, I can?t quite get used to the ending and want them to be alive for more action :)
     
  22. defectiveperson

    defectiveperson Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 16, 2002
    loved this book gave it a 10
    but maul was kinnda played out as incompitant
    he pretty much lost to that padawan
    and sabatur was just awsome. compare the two its verry different portrayels of maul.
     
  23. mps406

    mps406 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 20, 2002
    Here is the 1 question I have about this novel:

    The whole thought in the novel is that everybody who comes into contact with Maul HAS to die, because he is technically first introduced in TPM. NOBODY can no about him, right??

    So Darsha, a Jedi apprentice, and her master both die. They have to, for storyline sake.

    How come the Jedi Council doesn't have an investigation into their deaths??? Does anybody even care?? 2 Jedi die, and there is no follow-up???
     
  24. Grand_Duchess_Olga

    Grand_Duchess_Olga Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 28, 2002
    It's a good book for people who say "how come the Rebels (good guys) always win?" Though Maul at one point did not check to see if the tapes were destroyed when he killed the lost Neimodean (showing he was a bit imcompetant...maybe to show he is only the brawn?), it's good to see that the bad guys are not a bunch of boobs. I'm expecting that some of this stuff to be contridicted (maybe parents do have a say about giving up their kids), but in general, it is a good read.
     
  25. cdillon

    cdillon Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2003
    8-Good book, lot of action, the only bad thing is that you knew that no one that saw Maul would survive. Good action and a lot of lightsaber fights!!!
     
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