This is my first novel by Karen Miller. This novel wasn't amazing, but it wasn't horrid either.

The novel starts very, very slow. It picks up and goes quite faster towards the end of the novel. It is still a good entry into the Expanded Universe of Star Wars. This is part of the Clone Wars era.

The characters still feel super authentic than most of the novels I have read so far. I loved Anakin and Obi-wan. It didn't feel forced.

I loved Obi having another love interest, and I found it super cute in a jedi sort of way. They have this comfortable relationship.

The plot is a bit short or not fully explored yet, but I hope it will showcase itself better in the sequel. I also enjoy how all of the key characters are explored with Bail Organa and his relationship with the jedi.

There are small tidbits with how the distrust of Palpatine is growing in the senate, but no one can put their fingers on it. This also utilises how the jedi became soldiers than being peacekeepers.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I'm not exactly raving about it. ( )

This is my second outing with Miller's take on the Clone Wars; I was not impressed with my first, Wild Space. This is marginally better than Wild Space--like with Wild Space there is a lot of bickering and rehashing of arguments, now with Obi-Wan Kenobi telling Anakin over and over again that his emotions are getting the better of him, and Anakin calling Kenobi a heartless bastard. And the novel has a lengthy, boring Act I involving a generic battle, the only purpose of which is to set up Act II. And here the actual conundrum of this novel is a little more engaging than that of Wild Space. In particular the character Bant'ena Fhernan is one of the more interesting and complicated ones to populate these novels, so I have to give Miller props for that. ( )

This is one of the best Clone Wars novels. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin are so interesting in it, and the audiobook is awesome. I love the spying, the intrigue, the banter...it's just epic. ( )

The Republic may be losing the war. General Grievous is taking his ‘clanky butt’ and his war fleet into the fray and, planet by planet, spreading darkness across the galaxy. Now he has attacked Kothlis, strategically located in the Mid Rim area and with a valuable spynet facility. It must not fall. Fortunately, Obi-Wan, Anakin, his Togruta Padawan Ahsoka, Rex and Torrent Company are on hand to stop him. The odds are overwhelming. Somehow, Grievous has sabotaged their comms. The droids they fight are ‘as cunning as Onderonian blood-beasts’ and casualties are heavy. But even though Obi-Wan plays sabacc ‘like a lame bantha’, he has ‘more lives than a Sullustan moonbat’ and lives to fight another day. Author Karen Miller sprinkles the early chapters of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stealth’ with alien similes though they die off later, which is a shame.

The battle for Kothlis is action-packed but merely a prelude. This book is really about the planet Lanteeb. It’s a world of no particular importance, far removed from main trade lanes and not strategically positioned but the Separatist forces have taken it. Why? Kenobe’s old friend, Senator Bail Organa, is worried enough to send Obi-Wan and Anakin on an undercover mission to the planet. That’s giving away less plot than the back cover of the book but it’s enough for now. Suffice to say that the adventure rolls along with sufficient drama to keep you reading though it does perhaps flag a bit in the middle. Be warned that the end is not the conclusion so you have to get the next book ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Siege’. Fortunately, I have it to hand.

The difficulty with ‘Star Wars’ is that we have all seen the films and know how it turns out. This makes it very hard for the writers to get real drama into the proceedings, yet somehow they manage. The books, as is so often the case, are better than the films. A talented novelist is able to dig a bit deeper into the characters and engage with subtler thoughts and feelings than an actor can convey with words. So even though we’re aware that Anakin will eventually go over to the dark side, it is interesting to see the process and the flaws which make him susceptible. Reading this book, I was tempted to watch the films about the Clone Wars again. Maybe that’s the idea

This space opera makes enjoyable light reading. Fans of the franchise may buy it anyway but snobs, more sniffy about this kind of fiction, could do worse than give it a try. Those big corporations that own the copyrights hire good writers to keep the quality high and Karen Miller is a proven master of this particular sub-genre. With a great cast of characters and a solid well-wrought background, ‘Star Wars’ is a fun world to visit. There’s even a nice tinge of mysticism. So, if I get this review in on time, May the Fourth be with you.

Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/ ( )

Trapped behind enemy lines, trying to stop the use of a horrible bio weapon, undercover as returning farm workers. Anakin and Obi-Wan must stop a potential galaxy wide disaster without blowing their non-jedi cover. ( )