Mace Windu- a.k.a. the "Mitchell" of the Jedi Council , Action-packed, great read

"He was looking forward to doing straightforward, uncomplicated butt-whooping" | Shatterpoint (Star Wars: Clone Wars) | MATTHEW STOVER

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	• Shatterpoint (Star Wars: Clone Wars) MATTHEW STOVER LucasBooks, 2004 - 432 pages average customer review:based on 98 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Possibly One of the Best Yet

I have to admit that I put this book off for a while. So far, I've been largely unimpressed by the Clone Wars era and have never given Mace Windu much thought beyond his brief, seemingly unimportant role in the movies. Now, however, I have a newfound respect for Master Windu and am inclined to believe that Shatterpoint is one of the best Star Wars books out there. Spoilers follow.

In the grand scheme of the Clone Wars, the events on Haruun Kal are probably largely unimportant. To the characters involved (especially Master Mace Windu), they are life changing. The plot kicks off from the very beginning of the book with Windu needing to go to Haruun Kal, his place of birth, to rescue Depa Billaba, his former Padawan. He finds himself caught in the Summertime War (the struggle between the native Korunnai and the foreign Balawai) and is constantly battling with the dark side of the Force, himself, the jungle, and the planet's politics. Plot twists are abundant and, often, unexpected. The story races along at a fast pace from beginning to end, making it nearly impossible to put the book down.

Stover's writing style fits the story very well. I was a bit wary of the constant jumping between the third person point of view of the story and first person point of view of Mace's journal, but the two flow together so well that one eventually doesn't really notice the shift. The two points of view also provide different aspects of events without tedious repetition. I can't remember ever seeing this in a Star Wars novel before; it seems to be unique and beneficial to this book.

The characters are fleshed out well and were obviously given a lot of thought. Even though we are not able to get directly into their heads and see things as they do, we really feel like we know them. My personal favourite was Nick, a sharp shooting, wise cracking Korunnai who uses his optimism and humour as a distraction from the horrors of war. He's a perfect foil to Mace's calm detachment and manages to provide some humourous entertainment in his interactions with the stoic Jedi. Depa provides us with another image of a Jedi struggling with the dark side. She has strayed from the traditional Jedi path. I personally never felt like I fully understood her, but this was part of her allure as a character. Stover also provided a believable, powerful villain in the form of Kar Vastor, a dark side user and the last of Gösh Windu (aside from Mace). He is what Mace might have become if left on Haruun Kal as a child. His desire for dominance and control is one of the many conflicts within the story. The other characters are just as dynamic, providing a rich cast to keep the plot moving. The author obviously gave his characters a lot of thought, but he still allows Mace to be the star of the show. A problem with many Star Wars novels is the authors' original characters: they tend to take centre stage and overshadow the canon characters. This isn't an issue here. While the original characters are important to the plot, the featured canon character is still very well characterized and very much the lead role.

Stover also attempts to add humour to this otherwise dark novel. Some of the jokes are a bit cheesy (it almost seems like they were intended to be that way), but many are at least worthy of a chuckle. The author also doesn't waste his time with needless purple prose. Every word feels like it needs to be there to complete the story. There are no slow parts and no useless paragraphs of endless description. He knows what he's doing.

The best part of Shatterpoint is just following Mace's story. He makes a lot of realizations about himself, the Jedi, the Force, and the nature of the galaxy itself. His journey to this knowledge is what truly makes the book as fantastic as it is. It's almost surprising to see this stoic Jedi Master have his foundations rocked, so to speak, by his experiences and come away from them a different person. I initially felt that this novel was a little obscure in the fact that it focused on such a seemingly random character. Now I feel that I not only have a much better understanding of the character, but of the Jedi and the Force as a whole.

Stover manages to take the story beyond the characters, and he does it successfully and without a heavy hand. A commentary on morality, ethics, politics, and even, to an extent, religion can be found woven into the novel's plot. While this isn't entirely new for a Star Wars novel, it is uncommon for it to flow so seamlessly with the rest of the story

Shatterpoint is a must read for any Star Wars fan. It is, by far, one of the best books in the entire series due to its good characterization, tight plot and writing style, and the author's ability to give us a broader aspect on things beyond the featured character. A solid, well deserved five stars.

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Mace Windu- a.k.a. the "Mitchell" of the Jedi Council , Action-packed, great read

This is the second book by Matthew Stover I have read, the first one being "Revenge Of The Sith. There are several hints and allusions to ROTS, as well as being thematically tied to ROTS, so that is also another good thing about this novel. "Shatterpoint" is an action-packed, gritty novel that features Mace Windu. In it, Mace must go back to his home planet Haruun Kal to rescue/capture his former Padawan Depa Billaba who has been accused of vicious crimes, while fearing she may have gone to the Dark Side.

Superficially, the novel focuses mostly on the guerrilla war between the planet's inhabitants; the Balawai and the Korunnai. But on a deeper level the dilemma of the novel is summed up by Mace's lines in Episode II; "The Jedi are keepers of the peace. We are not soldiers". Depa apparently has been broken by the jungle warfare of Haruun Kal and now Mace Windu must face the same darkness. He is challenged by the societies and cultures of his home world, and by the inhabitants whom are capable of dragging him into the Dark Side. The latter is exemplified by Kar Vastor, a Korunnai guerrilla leader, who is more than capable of taking on Mace Windu. Kar Vastor serves both as a parallel and foil for Mace Windu.

Matthew Stover's writing is fast-paced and vigorous. There are plenty of good lines, especially belonging to Mace Windu. Throughout the novel, Mace will often take over as the narrator and write in his journal, giving us insights into this seemingly one dimensional character. This is a good move since when Stover is narrating Mace seems like a parody of an action movie from the 80's à la "Mitchell" or "Final Justice" (both parodied on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and both starring Joe Don Baker). Mace Windu goes throughout the novel with a tough guy attitude doing things the hard way, and that is the violent way. Mace does not waste time talking; either you do what he wants or there will be trouble. This would be my only complaint but Stover does a good job humanizing Mace so it is not a major issue.

Overall, this novel has action, drama, and even comedy. Most of the novel takes place in the jungle and this novel is grim. In fact it's pretty violent for a Star Wars novel. If you enjoyed "Revenge Of The Sith" you will enjoy this novel. Likewise, if you enjoyed "Shatterpoint" you will also enjoy "Revenge Of The Sith". In fact I recommend reading these two novels. They are good parallels for each other. There are lots of Star Wars novels out there and if you're being selective, I think this is among the best. I regard this as an essential novel of the Prequel Trilogy. Highly recommended.

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"He was looking forward to doing straightforward, uncomplicated butt-whooping"

"He was looking forward to doing straightforward, uncomplicated butt-whooping"
Depa Bilaba, Mace's only student of Vapaad, has been sent to Haruun Kal, Mace Windu's homeworld. But a disturbing message indicating she is unstable causes Mace to return to his root. There, he must battle more than just the jungles, more than the predators around every corner, more than the Korunnai and the Balawai...he must face himself and what it means to be a Jedi.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
If you are going to open this with the thought of another fluffy, "feel good" Star Wars novel, then I suggest you put down the novel right away. This is not your average, clear-cut good guys vs bad guys mindless action romp (like the Jedi Academy Trilogy). This is a very mature, very gritty, sometimes disturbing introspective novel.
Mace Windu was an interesting character in the movies (partly, I am sure, because of Sam Jackson). But we never really got to see Sam make Mace bad @ss, other than some brief battles between Mace and Jango (considering Attack of the Clones, only). Matthew Stover wrote this novel as if Mace were Sam Jackson. I was shocked at how well done it was. Mace Windu was a tough man, a tough Jedi, and a fighter at heart. He uses his brains, most definitely, but he can definitely fight as well. I loved the way that Mace talks to both himself and others. The review title is one example; here's another of my favorites: "He had a different equation in mind: four steamcrawlers divided by one Jedi equals a huge, smoking pile of scrap." Matthew Stover perfectly wrote Mace and I just was enthralled. I could always imagine Sam Jackson speaking Mace's lines, thinking Mace's thoughts.
The core issue is: What does it mean to be a Jedi? Mace tortures over this idea, as he makes his way to Depa. Why did she "go sane"? What made her delve so far into the Dark Side? Part of it is the nature of the forest, the harshness and the predatory nature. Part of it is the inner hatred the native Korunnai and the outsider, Balawai, have for each other, so far that even the children can't see past the outside.
Which leads me to some of the most poignant, heart-wrenching scenes: children who refuse Mace's help because he's a "Korno". Parents who don't trust him because of who he is. Children who try to kill him, because the Korunnai killed their parents. An endless cycle of hatred and murder.
I really liked Nick Rostu, Chalk, and even Kar Vastor. Nick was amusing, a nice sidekick, an "average" guy. Chalk, I felt was a tough woman, even when everything was against her. And Kar Vastor was like an evil twin of Mace: wild, uncontrolled fury.
I don't really have a whole lot of complaints about the novel. If I have one, it was while listening to it the second time (first time I read this, it was in novel form), I got lost in the end battle. Vastor is on their side...then he isn't...then he is... It was very confusing, but I wonder if perhaps it was the abridged audiobook.
If I have any complaints, it's about the audiobook version. I did not like the horrible growling noise that was played whenever Vastor spoke. Made it sound like strange yawning, not an intimidating growl. Also, it was dumb, the voice given to Vastor was deep enough to convey his voice. But by far the worst offense of the audiobook was its COMPLETE omission of the ending. The last words of the book are Mace telling Vastor: "You are under arrest." That is it. No contemplations of the mission, nothing on if he gets back to the Jedi Temple, nothing on what happened to Depa Bilaba. It was a horrible ending, leaving way too many loose ends. How hard would it have been to include Mace's final journal entry, where he tells what happened to everyone and reveals the most important lesson (about the Jedi and how they fit into the Republic and the war)? If I hadn't known that it was there from reading it before, I would have been scratching my head in wonder.
This isn't necessarily a complaint about either audiobook or novel, but I do want to highlight that this is a VERY violent book, with much gore and fighting. Stover doesn't pretty it up, he doesn't glaze over it. Chalk is said to have been molested; two people die because of parasites in their brains. The smells of war and captivity are told in gritty form. So if you are at all queasy, you may want to take note.
This is an amazing novel. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I loved reading about Mace Windu, I loved his thoughts, I loved how he fought. I highly recommend to those who are up for a little grittier action in Star Wars.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

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Great Action, Mediocre Plot

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Star Wars... and especially to anybody who loves Mace Windu. There should definitely be more books that include his character. There was great action in this book, which was why I liked it so much. However, I felt like the plot jumped around too much for my tastes, and I didn't love the ending. But all in all it was an enjoyable read. ***Also, as a caution where young readers are involved, some of the violent scenes are described very graphically***

?The Jedi are keepers of the peace. We are not soldiers.?
?MACE WINDU
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Mace Windu is a living legend: Jedi Master, senior member of the Jedi Council, skilled diplomat, devastating fighter. Some say he is the deadliest man alive. But he is a man of peace?and for the first time in a thousand years, the galaxy is at war.

Now, following the momentous events climaxing in the Battle of Geonosis, Master Mace Windu must undertake a perilous homecoming to his native world?to defuse a potentially catastrophic crisis for the Republic . . . and to confront a terrifying mystery with dire personal consequences.

The jungle planet of Haruun Kal, the homeworld Mace barely remembers, has become a battleground in the increasing hostilities between the Republic and the renegade Separatist movement. The Jedi Council has sent Depa Billaba?Mace?s former Padawan and fellow Council member?to Haruun Kal to train the local tribesmen as a guerilla resistance force, to fight against the Separatists who control the planet and its strategic star system with their droid armies. But now the Separatists have pulled back, and Depa has not returned. The only clue to her disappearance is a cryptic recording left at the scene of a brutal massacre: a recording that hints of madness and murder, and the darkness in the jungle . . . a recording in Depa?s own voice.

Mace Windu trained her. Only he can find her. Only he can learn what has changed her. Only he can stop her.

Jedi were never intended to be soldiers. But now they have no choice. Mace must journey alone into the most treacherous jungle in the galaxy?and into his own heritage. He will leave behind the Republic he serves, the civilization he believes in, everything but his passion for peace and his devotion to his former Padawan. And he will learn the terrible price that must be paid, when keepers of the peace are forced to make war. . . .

From the Hardcover edition.

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