Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: REPUBLIC COMMANDO: TRIPLE ZERO (spoilers)

Odd, my entire post got cut off, here it is:



Book # 9: Republic Commando: Triple Zero by Karen Traviss

First, let me preface this by saying that I am sorry that it has taken me so long to write up this book review, since I finished the book on 3.9.6.... and its now currently 3.23.06, so yes, I am terribly sorry. But, actually, this lapse in time has given me a better chance to think about the novelfor this review. And actually, it might be an intellectual book review.

So, let's get on with it.

Firstly, the novel is quite well written. It tends to over-use the military and Mando language, but that was done for a purpose. It underlies the novel's showcase of how war works, and how the mind functions of these clone troopers. They want you to understand that this is a miltary campaign, and that these are soldiers, thus the overuse of the miltary jargon (thank goodness for the index at the back, because even though for the most part she does a good job of telling you what each abbreviation is before hand, there is a few times where you either forget or she doesn't mention it). Through Kal (and to a degree Vau) the ARC's are very dependent now upon their Mandolorian culture and heritage. This was not seen in Republic Commando: Hard Contact but is now seen 1 year into the war, which is something pivotal, it shows how they grow throughout the war, and now how the influence of Kal is fully penetrating those who didn't even personally have him as a mentor (like Omega and then later Delta Squads).

There are a few themes in the novel, the biggest, and most blunt is: These are soldiers. They are real. They breathe. They eat. They live. They love. War is brutal. Basically, Karen pounds it into your head to the point of where you can't see straight that even though their clones, their not droids (robots), they do live lives, and they are real people. THEY ARE REAL. I think she would want me to capitalize that. She does a great job of showing how the Republic as a government views the clone troopers, how those on the inside view them, how some of the Jedi view them as just soldiers, and how some view them as equals. Another theme to it is the interaction of the clones, and how they are physically adults, but mentally/emotionally children. They find out what love is, (Darman, Atin, Ordo), and they find out what loneliness is (Fi). Its interesting how all of them interact in this capacity.

Like always, Karen's strongest point is getting inside the heads of her characters. In Hard Contact she does it perfectly, and yet again she does it exceptionally well here as well. She is most likely the second best or the best {tied} at doing this in the Star Wars universe (if I was to name a best, it would most likely be Matthew W. Stover). She understands Fi's loneliness, Etain's longing for companionship and comraderie, Kal's fatherly instincts, Vau's pragmatism, Darman's/Atin's/Ordo's love for both their female companions as well as Kal, Jusik's "do whatever it takes to become one of the guy's" mentality, etc. She delves into each of these character's psyche and really lives them in this novel. She gets you inside all four of Omega Squad's heads, and even for just a little bit Delta's, although that's never really expanded (and was not the intent, even though it would have been nice) as well as the non-Squad characters like Kal, Vau, Jusik, Etain, Ordo, etc. Some fans are having trouble seperating Karen's viewpoint with Etain's, which normally you can say "she's an author, Etain's a character, its just how she's written", but understanding the forward to the novel, and Karen's blog on livejournal, its easy to believe that Karen is speaking through Etain.

Moving onto the plot, this is possibly the biggest problem the book has. It has a very weak plot. Very weak. This gigantic government, instead of having its own terrorism group who would be specialized in undercover work and destroying terrorist (Seperatist) cells, they decide to give in to Kal Skirata and let his boys have some time on Coruscant (Triple Zero) and assig

 

Yea, take it as a 7.5

 

Ah, Hydronium, why must you make our little interactions such dreary experiences?

In the first place, whether or not SniperWolf did indeed present a "valid point", as you say, is a rather tenuous assumption. Secondly, the intended facetiousness of my comments directed at his rather juvenile attempt at injecting some good ol' Left-Wing outrage into his summation of the story seems to have been lost on you. Third and finally, you're here once again demonstrating your consistent inability to project yourself beyond the philosophical box you've confined yourself in.

You see, the problem is that context apparently means little or nothing to you, as near as I can conclude.

If it's wrong to kill a man on the street in peacetime, then surely, it must be equally wrong to kill one in battle during war when he is an enemy soldier tasked with himself killing you. The context of the situation is irrelevant. The ultimate conclusion of the action remains the same. If those of a practical mind-set insist that sex must be kept within the boundaries of marriage, then they must surely be hypocrites, for imposing this restriction of context on what anyone must surely see is a harmless pastime between consenting adults, correct?

So too, by your way of thinking I'd imagine, is it taboo to rail against the tendency of those on the Left (for want of a better term) to neatly divide society into conveniently-labeled packets, discussions into sound bites, because if one objects to it on a general level, then by extension it must be hypocritical for one to then apply the given title of a specific group, even self-proclaimed, even in jest, to someone who's given vent to ideological sentiments very much in keeping with the tendencies of said group, and/or its sympathizers/fellow travelers towards angry denunciation of those who offend its sensibilities.

You can see, I think, why I prefer to make short, quick comments, rather than full-length posts for the most part. A thirty-six word statement from you requires several paragraphs from me to answer properly, and so, in the knowledge that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I dub thee, Bipod and SniperWolf, Talifans.

As for your review:

And your objections to a frank assessment of the Mandalorians qualities would consist of...?

1) What basis do you believe that Etain is a mouthpiece for Karen?

2) Why should this be a problem?

Hey, it's called "character evolution".

 

Something tells me this offspring will have an integral role in Bloodlines.

*rolls eyes*

 

Kind of doubt that. A minor role for the little guy would be nice though.

 

Not everyone has to come back, nor should everyone in the story be related to someone else we know...

 

But with Karen writing both.....


(note: I don't want this to happen.)

 

I enjoyed the book, so i'll give it an 8.5.

 

Well, he was unarmed. And not expecting them to find the camera. And he probably wasn't a combat-oriented jedi, or he'd be out fighting the war. But yeah, he didn't exactly do very well.

 

Justify the Cathar genocide along with the other acts of mass carnage that the Mandalorians have comitted. Compare that culture to the democratic ideal of the films, of which it appears very few Star Wars fans still believe in. There is nothing juvenile in being tired of having pro-militaristic dogma shoved down my throat constantly. Quite simply, you are jumping to conclusions because I do not follow fandalorian glorification of killers.

 

Randy Stradley, Star Wars editor at Dark Horse Comics, lays it down on the DH boards:

Sorry. I tried reading it, but couldn't get passed the opening. First, I couldn't for the life of me imagine a clone trooper keeping a journal -- let alone a novel-style journal like the one presented. To whom does he think he's writing? Who is his audience?

Second, the opening line, "You have to see the funny side of things in the army," seemed complete incongruous. See the funny side of things in the army as compared to what? As a clone trooper raised in a factory, what other experiences has he had besides being in the army?

Ms. Traviss might be a fine writer, but the opening sentences of Triple Zero booted me right out of the story, and my own "offended" sense of logic wouldn't let me continue.

and then:

Clones falling in love?

Clones freakin' falling in freakin' love?!

[Randy looks around at the rapidly shrinking raft that was the Star Wars that he and Jeremy knew and loved. Kicks Jeremy off. "Sorry, pal. It looks like there's only room for one, now."]

Then he apologizes over here, which I suppose was right and appropriate, while at the same time explaining why he thought of the clones as, basically, meat droids and why he thought this was a radical change in direction.

But for one shining moment, we saw a crack in the thin gold line of LFL-licensed folks, and on the side of common sense, even. Oh, well.

 

I guess that's what he gets assuming clones were sub-human, when there's really no evidence to support such a position. Clone humanity was a sledehammer-driven point in Medstar and the Cestus Deception. Traviss wasn't the first person to have clones falling in love or keeping journals.

While you've got a valid perspective, I do have some couterpoints. A "Democratic ideal" can most assuredly be pro-militaristic or violently expansionist. See the history of the United States in the 1800s. 12 US presidents have been generals.

Also, the book can't not be about killers. Because that's what commandos do - they kill people.

 

Go Randy!

Hopefully if this Fanwanking keeps up we can have a Legacy comic devoted to a tale of how the Mandalorians Fed everythign up and had to be put down for their own good.

Also SniperWolfe you should be ashamed at taking offence at Herr Gauleiter Quiet_Mandalorian. He's just doing his job as a loyal drone of Traviss' State Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Genocide, what genocide? Mandalorians never commit genocide, it is Allied...er, Republic propaganda. Yeah, that's it!

 

I agree with Randy.. I still LIKE Traviss's work a LOT.. obviously.. but my opinions are more inline with his.. I especially like the comments by him on "Talifans"

 

And thats why we will never get a good commando, trooper or fett comic... Jedi centric universe... sorry folks

 

He didn't use the word Mandalorian anywhere. His sole grievance was with the clone portrayal, which was due to his personal perceptions about clones that went against canon to begin with.

I find slightly ironic that you compare us fandos to Nazis, while simultaneously applauding his shock and dismay that a certain group of people should be portrayed as not subhuman.

Edit: No offense to Randy Stradley, he's written some great stuff. I also appreciate his gracious apology.

 

What EU has he been reading? The "CLone arer people too" theme has been in almost every clone wars novel ever. And some of the comics too.

 

Agreed, ner vod.

 

After the complexity of an Erikson book I was looking forward to an easier read with Triple Zero. I was wrong. The Mandoese is too proliferate and Mando doesn't need to be italicised each time. That was an idiot way to format the cast list, but that aside, if I subconsciously memorised all of Martin's and Erikson's myriad cast, how hard can a few dozen words be? Shut up . . . I like her no-nonsense style, and this time there's no arrogant Frankland staring competitions that was a perennial annoyance.

One question: Targets takes place before the book, right?

 

Yeah, it does. It's between Hard Contact and Triple Zero.

 

Personally, I can't wait until we see authors whitewash the Sith into the pillars of nobility and grace that everyone wants to join. Or starts adding human elements to battledroids, because after all, to not do that would be to leave them as subhumans. It's not like they've been egentically engineered and trained from birth by people proud of genocide to be soldiers or anything, after all.

 

Yeah, damn Karen for pushing that crazy "All men are created equal" rhetoric. Seriously, that is the fundamental difference between droid's rights and sentient's rights.

 

no matter how you slice it the wetdroids still arent completely human and arent guarenteed basic human rights. Consider this. they euthanise them when it is impractical to repair them (Medstar), they stockpile (freeze) when not in use.. they are nothing more than living breathing weapons.. no more deserving of human rights than a M1 Garand. The entire reason for having clones as opposed to battle driods was that they were more creative in the ways they accomplished thier missions.. not to create more humans.. weapons.. thats all they were designed to be used as.

EDIT:

Oh yeah, a clarification: The normal CT's is what im talking about, RC's and ARC's would be slightly more human. they also got progressively less human as it went along.. sure they may look like us.. but they lack the basic sparks that define what is to be human to me.

IG2L: they already started whitewashing the Sith in my view.. they were just misunderstood and viewed the Force differently, those evil Jedi and thier clearly defined morality were oppressing and killing them, they got what they deserved.

 

So, because people treat them badly, they don't deserve human rights? I think William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman would disagree with you.

Also, many would argue that it's ok to perform a mercy killing, and they didn't freeze the normal troopers.

Besides, Medstar strongly advocated clone personhood. There was the whole deal with Jos realizing that clones were people too, and feeling all guilty.

[Edit: I found the passage. Hopefully this isn't too long an exerpt to paste here]

I mean, it's hard to get less subtle than that.

 

Ah, I was under the impressiong that they were placed in suspended animation when they were moved from front to front. so that they could get the most mileage outta them before the enhanced aging took its toll..


Funny you would bring up that pond-scum W.H. Garrison.. hes usually brought up with the other Militant Abolishonists such as John Brown.. so much tolerance.. Slavery is wrong.. therefore we'll fix it by killing all the Slaveholders.. *rolleyes*