Darth Maul : Shadow Hunter

by Michael Reeves

A review by Don J'Bar

 

It is a time of strife in the Republic. Bureaucracy has led the government to stagnation and the Trade Federation, with their Nemoidian owners, have entered into a clandestine partnership with Darth Sidious to force the hand of the Republic over taxation. The partnership has come up with the idea of blockading the little known planet of Naboo.

However, one of the Nemoidians in on the plot has gone missing. Darth Sidious suspects that there is more to the missing Trade Federation agent than meets the eye. He dispatches his apprentice, Darth Maul, to track him down and make sure that no one knows of the impending Naboo blockade.

Meanwhile, on Coruscant, at the Jedi Temple, the Council has set a course for a young apprentice to enter into Knighthood. She is to retrieve a Black Sun informant from a safe house in one of the seedier sections of the planet-city, and return him to the Temple for his safety. It is to be her final trial.

However, this routine mission goes horribly wrong, and the apprentice loses her charge. Humbled and disgraced, the young apprentice does not return to admit her failure, and ends up in far worse trouble than she could conceive. She happens to run into a Sith determined to stop her after she stumbles onto a certain Nemoidian trying to sell a holocron filled with information about an upcoming blockade.....

The novels pace starts out action filled, but quickly slows down. There are only so many ways an apprentice Jedi can outwit a Sith bent on her destruction, before the plot line becomes stale. However saying that, I must admit that the fight sequences were enjoyable reading, and the Jedi Code, putting others' lives ahead of her own makes this Apprentice a formidable Jedi-in-training. There is some in-depth looks at the Jedi fighting styles, which clearly relate to the Eastern influences that Jedi Lucas had in mind when he first brought us the Space Opera we love so well.

I give this novel 3 of 4 Rebel Insignias.

Just my two credits, Don

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer

All images and graphics and assorted fan art are © The Staff of the Expanded Universe. They are not to be used without permission unless otherwise stated., in which case credit will be given where credit is do. Remember people we worked hard to bring this stuff out to you , so at least acknowledge where it came from!

Thanks to the greatest Jedi of all time, the mighty George Lucas and his vision for bringing us this epic tale. Again all items belonging to George Lucas and all of his associates are© of his companies, and I take no reponsibility for their use. Enjoy!!!