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"A very good Star Wars tale"

Separatist Admiral Pors Tonith leads an army of combat droids on an assault of planet Praesitlyn. Though ably defended by commander Capt. Zozridor Slayke, the surprise attack works so that the Separatists control a key communications center.

The Republic leadership worries who to send as there are not any acceptable Jedi Knights available to lead the counterinsurgency. To regain supremacy of the beleaguered orb, the Republic reluctantly sends Jedi Knight student Anakin Skywalker and the dishonored Jedi Knight Nejaa Halcyon to lead the assault to retake the planet. However, the defeated planetary defenders still alive do not readily ally themselves with the so-called Republic rescuers because Slayke hates Halcyon and wants him dead. In that personal mess, Anakin is being tested as a leader and whether he is ready to soar as a full Jedi Knight; failure means death.

This is a super tale that emphasizes the military battles with a close look at the impact on the troops from all sides as well as a coming of age Skywalker tale. The story line avoids the bigness of the Star War military clashes by honing in on troops that lack basic necessities (the rush to Baghdad with only one bottle of water per day in 100 plus degree heat per soldier would be an oasis). Thus readers obtain a fabulous military outer space encounter as a major backdrop to a young Anakin tale. Great work once again from the five star joint chiefs David Sherman and Dan Cragg (see STARFIST: A WORLD OF HURT -- also released this month)

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted September 30, 2004

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted January 25, 2007

A Clone Wars Novel

From the Publisher "Within twenty-four standard hours we will sit firmly astride the communications link that connects the worlds of the Republic. . . . Our control will be a dagger thrust directly at Coruscant. This is the move that will win the war for us."

With these ominous words, Pors Tonith, ruthless minion of Count Dooku, declares the fate of the Republic sealed. Commanding a Separatist invasion force more than one million strong, the cunning financier-turned-warrior lays siege to the planet Praesitlyn, home of the strategic intergalactic communications center that is key to the Republic's survival in the Clone Wars. Left unchallenged, this decisive strike could indeed pave the way for the toppling of more Republic worlds . . . and ultimate victory for the Separatists. Retaliation must be swift and certain.

But engaging the enemy throughout the galaxy has already stretched Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's armies to the limit. There is no choice but to move against the surging waves of invading battle-droids on Praesitlyn with only a small contingent of clone soldiers. Commanding them will be Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon-hand-picked by the Council for the do-or-die mission. And at his side, skilled young starfighter pilot Anakin Skywalker, a promising young Jedi Padawan eager to be freed of the bonds of apprenticeship-and to be awarded the title of Jedi Knight.

Shoulder to shoulder with a rogue Republic army officer and his battle-hardened crew, a hulking Rondian mercenary with an insatiable taste for combat, and a duo of ready-for-anything soldiers, the Jedi generals take to the skies and the punishing desert terrain of occupied Praesitlyn-to bring the battle to theSeparatist forces. Already outnumbered and outgunned, when confronted with an enemy ultimatum that could lead to the massacre of innocents, they may also be out of options. Unless Anakin Skywalker can strike a crucial balance between the wisdom born of the Force . . . and the instincts of a born warrior.

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