Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: REPUBLIC COMMANDO: HARD CONTACT (spoilers)

Finally got around to this, and I was very impressed. The four commandos were good, especially Atin whom I found very interesting. Hokan was a good villain, as was the unusually competent Hurati. The writing was snappy and helped convey the urgency of the mission, and the ending was quite touching. More of this, please.

9, aside from the Medstars, this is my favourite Clone Wars novel.

 

Counting 37 reviews: 346.7/37 = 9.37

 

This is the best Star Wars book I ever read!!
The RC's are such awesome characters

A big, fat, well deserved 10!!!

 

Tam, what took you so long?

 

I thought it was a well written book with only a couple of minor flaws- those being it sometimes lagged a little in pace (but only in comparison with the rest of the time's fast pace), and I also felt that just as I got really into one situation, it would often jump to another...

Overall? I'd say a nice, big, juicy 9/10. Highly recommended!

 

Counting 39 reviews: 365.7/39 = 9.38

 

Absolute fave of all the EU i've read.

Good:
1.)Really in-depth look at the clone army. Also kind of refreshing to read sumthing not about jedi
2.)The military angle was written exceptionally well. Much better than that suck-tastic Jedi Trial. Oh, how I wish Karen Traviss wrote that instead of those two ex-marines
3.)Hokan was a really well-written bad guy, not like that stupid Muun in Jedi Trial. (Sorry about bringing up Jedi Trial so much, but i can't stop saying how it sucks. Very good insight into the Mandalorian culture.
4.) Liked the little tie-ins from the game. Too bad I don't got an XBOX or Nvida graphics card
5.) Jinart was just awesome! One of the best alien characters i've seen, right next to Chewie & Nute Gunray
5.) Etain was a refreshing look at Jedi and i liked her character, even more than Scout in Dark Rendezvous

EDIT: Typos

Bad:
1.) Plot got a little slow with Etain's story before she met with Darman
2.) Darman lost that bowcaster..... i pity him
3.) Stupid marketing, trying to tie in with the game. Probably turned off buyers unjustly.
4.) Travis's obsession with blue lightsabers. I like blue sabers too, but not this much

Rating: 10/10, or if could -positive infinity/10

 

Counting 40 reviews: 375.7/40 = 9.39

 

>>"Tam, what took you so long?"<<

In a moment of madness, I thought to myself, 'I'll read Planet of Twilight first and then Hard Contact'. And as anyone who has ever read a Hambly SW book can testify...they're very slow going.

 

Using my ten-point rating system:

Plot: 4
Dialog: 5
Readability: 5
Writing style: 5
Characterization: 5
Descriptions: 5
Verisimilitude: 5
Credulity: 4
Ending: 3
Personal Value: 5

Total score: 4.6 x 2 = an extremely rare 9.2

Excellent book. Hard Contact is one of the few Star Wars stories that transcends the franchise; it works great as a standalone military sci-fi novel.

 

This book was great, with memorable OC's. The camaraderie between the commandoes was done well, Etain was great, though I would have liked more exploration of character. The plot was also a little thin when you got down to it, but easily one of the best Clone Wars novels:

7.5/10

 

Just finished this.
10/10

It's really a fantastic novel. It gives great descriptions of battles and things, and uses "real" army style jargon without losing the reader [me included].

I loved the final pages with Etain and such.

Begs for a sequel.

 

Counting 43 reviews: 402.4/43 = 9.36

 

7/10


It was okay. It wasn't a page turner so it took me about a month to finish it. It was a very comlex and detailed look into the clone's lives. But at sometimes it lagged. I got tired of the clones and I just wanted to build a death star and blow up the planet. Didn't do it for me. Sorry.

 

Counting 44 reviews: 409.4/44 = 9.30

 

10/10.

This was an amazing book. Everything worked - the characters were compelling, the story was coherent and exciting and believable. I absolutely loved Traviss' writing style: it allowed a peek into the minds of many different characters with no outside judgments or ulterior motives. The morality of cloning is something that's always interested me, and this book dealt with all the issues in a very satisfying, yet enjoyable, way. It was also nice to see a story where the 'plan' is not only told to the reader before it's executed (rather than having the formulation of the plan "offscreen", as often happens), but the characters must make on-the-spot changes to it ("no plan survives contact with the enemy"). I think that made the story more realistic and helped to involve the reader more. Overall, there's very little I think could have been better in this book - it possibly could have been a little longer, as some scenes seemed a bit rushed.

This is also the only Star Wars book that I've read twice in less than a month. Shortly after reading it the first time, I wanted to read it again - and did in just 3 days. I enjoyed it just as much the second time.

 

Counting 45 reviews: 419.4/45 = 9.32

 

10/10

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too good to be a mere videogame adaption. I still say that in terms of Clone Wars novels, Shatterpoint still beats it; however, I couldn't think of any good reason not to give it a ten.

 

Counting 46 reviews: 429.4/46 = 9.33

 

Oop,s I forgot to rate this.

9/10. Excellent stuff all round.

 

9. Brilliant book, refreshing, the individualisation of the Republic Commandos was spot on and i found myself really rooting for them, Ghez Hokan was interesting, and definately worthy to kick off against the lads, Etain was a breather from the usual portrayal of Jedi, Jinart i thought was a neat character.

Favorite moments; Atin and Darmans burst of laughter when under the lab, this was priceless, just from experiance, outbreaks like that can happen at the strangest of times and it just felt so true

Niner's little escapade to take out the communications, I really enjoyed seeing him workin solo but found myself relieved when he got back to the group

and finally Darmans time spent alone and later with Etain, his observations of the wildlife and landscape around him, Karen is an ace at getting in the heads of these clones and bringing life to them, these subtle observations make the reader view the commandos as sentient beings who feel emotion and care, the bond between Etain and Darman was also brill, as the book stated, war can create such strong bonds and friendships.

 

Seems I oversaw this totally

9.8 from me - it is my favorite CW-novel and really earns this. The only thing I personally didn't really like was Etain, but not that much...

 

9/10. Only gets that point subtracted because it doesn't have any killer lines, and also because I felt like the planet could have been a little less Earthy. Other than that, easily one of the best Star Wars novels to date. Loved the Wraith Squadron feel to it.

 

Counting 50 reviews: 466.2/50 = 9.32

 

10

It was that good. I have never given a book a ten before, though I should go back and rate Traitor as such... this book was on that level with me. In a totally different way. Wow, where do I even begin? I feel like I'm catching my breath after a heck of a run, like a mad sprint that leaves you feeling totally blown away at the end.

Characterization: As a book that created its own original characters and dropped them in its own original world, this book almost might not have been Star Wars. But it was Star Wars, in a very real way. Every character fit with how their "movie" counterparts should. The characterization was pretty much flawless in this book, with the exception that there wasn't enough of it. In fact, that's my only real complaint about the book in general: it was too short. More on that later, though.

The development of each of the RC's, with their own distinct personalities, was brilliant. I came to truly care about each of them, to laugh at the quirks in their personality, and to enjoy the humor of their situation in the same way that Etain did. Darman, as the center of the development, obviously saw the most work this way. To observe him growing in ways that you wouldn't necessarily expect a clone to grow, understanding the world in a new light, was pretty amazing. I think my favorite moment with him had to be when he was examining the "flutterwings" - I think that's what Etain called them - and being subtly reminded that he was only ten years old - so he still found things like butterflies to be amazing.

Each of the other characters developed in a unique way, as well. Niner, who rather automatically took the leadership role in the group, was interesting to see. I don't think he ever realized that he was the de facto leader of the squad, but I enjoyed watching him fill that role increasingly well. And seeing him at the end, faking a scream - knowing that pain, though it wasn't his own - blew me away. So did Atin's surprising depth. I initially expected him to be the rather trite "mal-tempered comrade," and was increasingly pleasantly surprised by how his character grew into one of my favorites. Andn while Fi was not the center of as much development as the others, Karen did a nice job leaving some mystery about his character - the better you get to know Fi, the more you wonder why he is so calm, so ready to just shut everything out. What you initially take for a cheery disposition and ability to just take whatever comes is clearly a lot deeper than that.

Etain, while not my favorite character out of all of them - I think the squad as a group is my favorite character - also grew in ways that, though perhaps a tad predictable, were very well-executed nonetheless. I was cheering, literally cheering (I think the guys on my floor probably thought I was a bit weird) when she gave her speech about valuing life, every single life, including those of the clones, at the end of the book. And I'm curious to see where Karen takes her in the sequel. I think she has a lot of potential.

Most important about all of these characters, at least in terms of their development, were their own unique flaws and failings. Each was distinctly human, and in a distinctly different way. A lot of Star Wars authors have tried to bring this across, and most all have failed. Karen succeeded marvelously, particularly in illuminating how losing their team affected the characters - be it the commandos with their squads, or Etain with Fulier. Moreover, that these flaws were simply part of the characters was impressive, and much appreciated.

The Story: Plot, Action, Etc: Not much to say here, except "Wow." Karen did a very nice job on this. Each progression was logical, but not always expected. I saw some plot twists coming, others not. The suspense was well-played; it wasn't cheesy, and it did an excellent job of keeping my interest. At no point in this book was I bored. EVER. And I only rarely felt rushed - and I think part of that was just that I'm an insanely fas