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The Clone Wars are exacting a heavy toll on the people of
the Galactic Republic and a heavy price on the Jedi, peace
keepers turned soldiers who pay that price in blood. There
is no end in sight for either side and the fighting keeps
getting fiercer. Suddenly one lone Jedi returns from a mission
on a tainted planet, allowed to live to deliver a message
to Master Yoda... a message from the leader of the Confederation
Count Dooku, calling for peace. Yoda knows his former Padowan
is most likely luring the leader of the armies of the republic
into a trap, but Yoda must still go there. Go to a planet
tainted by the dark side in the slim chance that Dooku truly
wants the war to end. Yoda must go to confront Dooku and bring
him back around or to battle his greatest enemy his once great
hope...
Yoda
- Dark Rendezvous is a Star Wars prequel to a prequel,
and maybe that's the problem with the book. Its main character
may you'd probably guess from the title is Jedi Master Yoda.
However anyone who has seen the original trilogy knows this
little guy survives all the way to Return of the Jedi.
So do we fear for his life? No. Thus
half the tension is gone from the book already.
I
have a great trouble with people writing about Jedi Master
Yoda. To me he is often fobbed off as a cheap gimmick - a
Jedi Ewok. There is however just a little more depth to his
character which has been brought out in the new trilogy and
the book does balance on the fine line between following this
trend or reverting to trivialising the character.
We
already know that if Dooku and Yoda get together, just like
in the end of Attack of the Clones, they'll both survive
and thus any fight will be meaningless.
But
I am not trying to put you off. This is still a book which
offers a lot to the Star Wars universe. It does explore
Yoda's character gives him a little depth but most of the
action is centred on smaller characters. What saves the book
is that these lesser characters are so well handled.
The
author makes you care about them and as creations in the book
their fates are entirely unknown. You don't know if they will
survive the many trials set out for them. So there is some
tension and this is the driving force behind the novel.
The
plot is simple. It stays centred mainly around a core group
of characters - a sort of Dawson's Creek does Star
Wars - in the beginning which slows it down, and it does
take a while for the action to get going. However in the slow
star the author dedicates enough time for the reader to get
to know the characters which ensures that by the end of the
book, when the climax comes, you care.
The
ending is disappointing, the book slowly builds up and a fantastic
finale looks promising. But even the addition of Anakin Skywalker
and Obi Wan Kenobi, who remain fringe and pointless characters,
fail to make the end any better than it should have been.
This
isn't a Star Wars classic but it's good enough to be
picked up and read without leaving any nasty after tastes.
Charlie
Brine
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