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bradland's review against another edition
2.0
A frustrating read. Starkiller returns from the dead as a clone, thanks to Darth Vader, breaks away from Vader's clutches (again) and the rest of the book concerns Starkillers hunt for his old pilot and 3 second lover Juno. The romance/obsession between Juno and Starkiller makes little sense considering they barely explored this in the first book and so making it the main plot in the second really stretches creditability. This recon stuff about Starkiller as the main one responsible for the start up of the Rebellion just makes me want to roll my eyes. Its like the Death Star plans all over again, where 3 or 4 separate stories all involve a group or person being responsible for the handing over of the plans to Princess Leia. It only creates a mess. The first story had a number of interesting things occur while concluding the story in a satisfactory way. This one barely has much of significance occur until near the end when the story picks up slightly. In the first book Starkiller goes up against Jedi Masters, Darth Vader and the Emperor, here it’s only Darth Vader and a few droids/monsters....
The cast of characters at the beginning shows this story had potential. Starkiller meeting Yoda should have been a great moment; instead it was in and out in 18 seconds, covering few pages. The actions scenes were described in a dull way, I don't know if it’s because author Sean Williams didn't find the situations all that interesting (can't blame him as it’s not his story) but there were whole actions pieces that were either halfway done or brushed over. I’m guessing part of the reason is Starkiller’s powers are Demi-God. He seemingly can’t be killed so there’s little sense of danger, making his journey less appealing.
Some positives of the book include Starkiller’s questioning his identity, wondering if he’s insane like many clones have been before him (remember Joruus C’Baoth?). The last third of the book is decent, with the battle raging on Kamino but Starkiller’s extreme dexterity ruins it in some ways.
While the first story wraps everything up in a nice little package this one ends in a cliffhanger, and not one that can be easily forgotten or ignored. Yet, the news from Lucasarts is they have cancelled the 3rd video games! So what now? The ending can’t be ignored; something must be done about it! I say give Sean Williams free rein on a 3rd Force Unleashed story without the silly restrictions of a video game.
The cast of characters at the beginning shows this story had potential. Starkiller meeting Yoda should have been a great moment; instead it was in and out in 18 seconds, covering few pages. The actions scenes were described in a dull way, I don't know if it’s because author Sean Williams didn't find the situations all that interesting (can't blame him as it’s not his story) but there were whole actions pieces that were either halfway done or brushed over. I’m guessing part of the reason is Starkiller’s powers are Demi-God. He seemingly can’t be killed so there’s little sense of danger, making his journey less appealing.
Some positives of the book include Starkiller’s questioning his identity, wondering if he’s insane like many clones have been before him (remember Joruus C’Baoth?). The last third of the book is decent, with the battle raging on Kamino but Starkiller’s extreme dexterity ruins it in some ways.
While the first story wraps everything up in a nice little package this one ends in a cliffhanger, and not one that can be easily forgotten or ignored. Yet, the news from Lucasarts is they have cancelled the 3rd video games! So what now? The ending can’t be ignored; something must be done about it! I say give Sean Williams free rein on a 3rd Force Unleashed story without the silly restrictions of a video game.
jtashoff's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
davidgilani's review against another edition
3.0
Similar to the first book, there are just quite a few challenges to really get into this story. The characters are a bit better fleshed out in this second book, but yeah... still not amazing Star Wars. It wouldn't be near the top of SW books that I'd recommend to people. You can't REALLY care about characters when they can just come back to life / take on a new form, as it means the consequences aren't real. Exactly why so many people hate episode IX for bringing back Sideous.
jaredkwheeler's review against another edition
1.0
Star Wars Legends Project #215
Background: The Force Unleashed II was written by [a:Sean Williams|31321|Sean Williams|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1471839398p2/31321.jpg], and is based on the video game of the same name (again from a story developed by [a:W. Haden Blackman|17744|W. Haden Blackman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1270019788p2/17744.jpg]). It was published in October 2010. Williams has written half a dozen Star Wars novels, including the first in this series.
The Force Unleashed II takes place about a year after the events of The Force Unleashed (my review), 1 year before the battle of Yavin. The main character is Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Starkiller. . . or anyway a clone of Starkiller, along with Juno Eclipse and Rahm Kota. Also playing prominent roles are Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Yoda. The novel takes place on Kamino, Cato Neimoidia, and Dagobah.
Summary: One year after the death of Starkiller aboard the uncompleted Death Star, Juno Eclipse and Rahm Kota are spearheading dangerous missions for the Rebellion, although some of the Rebel leadership disapprove, and still feeling the loss of their powerful friend. Meanwhile, Starkiller, plagued by memories of a past that may not be his own and Force visions of a future he desperately hopes won't come to pass, blasts his way out of a secret cloning facility on Kamino, intent on saving the woman he loves.
Review: As bad as the story of the first Force Unleashed was, this one is so much worse. I couldn't even bring myself to finish the game. Almost everything that happens is dumb and nonsensical, but also often boring as well.
The big disappointment of this novel is that there's a good story buried in it that Williams wasn't allowed to complete because he had to adapt this bone-numbingly stupid video game into a book instead. The good book inside of this very bad book is the story of Juno Eclipse and the early Rebel Alliance. The odds are against them. They can't land a significant victory. They're short on everything that matters, including heroes. The portions of the novel devoted to Juno Eclipse's perspective are the closest we get to a book about the nascent Rebellion, and it's solid.
Unfortunately, none of what's good is in the game, so at some point it all goes away. I gave Williams a lot of credit in the first novelization for turning Juno into a real character, and he continues to show here why she's the only worthwhile thing to come out of this franchise. But ultimately this is still Starkiller's story. I said in my review of the first story, I've seen characters in 8-bit sidescroller games with more dimensions and personality than Starkiller has. Well, in this one, he's basically Super Mario and his princess is in another castle. As much of a failure as the first game was in terms of giving us any discernible motivation for Starkiller or development for Juno, this one fails so much more savagely by making her his motivation. It's a jaw-dropping disservice to her character . . . I'd say it's a disservice to his, but he barely qualifies as a character.
Starkiller is so far from being a character worth caring about that the story can't even bother to resolve whether he is the original person from the first story or the first success in a long line of failed cloning attempts. It honestly doesn't make sense that he would be the original, but everyone in the book seems to want to pretend that he is, or pretend that it doesn't matter. They're right. You could replace Starkiller with a cardboard cutout for all his actual personality or individuality plays a role in anything.
Anyway, a lot of other really stupid things happen in this story, as well, mostly very video-gamey things. Starkiller fights a monster so big that it can crush a rancor in its fist, and then the two of them fall several miles together, but Starkiller survives (his Force powers are as nonsensically over-the-top as ever). Darth Vader hires Boba Fett to lead a contingent of Imperial forces at one point, because that's totally a thing that would ever happen in the Empire . . . but hey, it lets them shoehorn Boba Fett into the plot, cuz you all love seeing him, right? And on and on. And then, of course, it again ends with events that completely repudiate the entire Star Wars trilogy. I just can't with this. Thank goodness there was never a Force Unleashed III.
D-
Background: The Force Unleashed II was written by [a:Sean Williams|31321|Sean Williams|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1471839398p2/31321.jpg], and is based on the video game of the same name (again from a story developed by [a:W. Haden Blackman|17744|W. Haden Blackman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1270019788p2/17744.jpg]). It was published in October 2010. Williams has written half a dozen Star Wars novels, including the first in this series.
The Force Unleashed II takes place about a year after the events of The Force Unleashed (my review), 1 year before the battle of Yavin. The main character is Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Starkiller. . . or anyway a clone of Starkiller, along with Juno Eclipse and Rahm Kota. Also playing prominent roles are Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Yoda. The novel takes place on Kamino, Cato Neimoidia, and Dagobah.
Summary: One year after the death of Starkiller aboard the uncompleted Death Star, Juno Eclipse and Rahm Kota are spearheading dangerous missions for the Rebellion, although some of the Rebel leadership disapprove, and still feeling the loss of their powerful friend. Meanwhile, Starkiller, plagued by memories of a past that may not be his own and Force visions of a future he desperately hopes won't come to pass, blasts his way out of a secret cloning facility on Kamino, intent on saving the woman he loves.
Review: As bad as the story of the first Force Unleashed was, this one is so much worse. I couldn't even bring myself to finish the game. Almost everything that happens is dumb and nonsensical, but also often boring as well.
The big disappointment of this novel is that there's a good story buried in it that Williams wasn't allowed to complete because he had to adapt this bone-numbingly stupid video game into a book instead. The good book inside of this very bad book is the story of Juno Eclipse and the early Rebel Alliance. The odds are against them. They can't land a significant victory. They're short on everything that matters, including heroes. The portions of the novel devoted to Juno Eclipse's perspective are the closest we get to a book about the nascent Rebellion, and it's solid.
Unfortunately, none of what's good is in the game, so at some point it all goes away. I gave Williams a lot of credit in the first novelization for turning Juno into a real character, and he continues to show here why she's the only worthwhile thing to come out of this franchise. But ultimately this is still Starkiller's story. I said in my review of the first story, I've seen characters in 8-bit sidescroller games with more dimensions and personality than Starkiller has. Well, in this one, he's basically Super Mario and his princess is in another castle. As much of a failure as the first game was in terms of giving us any discernible motivation for Starkiller or development for Juno, this one fails so much more savagely by making her his motivation. It's a jaw-dropping disservice to her character . . . I'd say it's a disservice to his, but he barely qualifies as a character.
Starkiller is so far from being a character worth caring about that the story can't even bother to resolve whether he is the original person from the first story or the first success in a long line of failed cloning attempts. It honestly doesn't make sense that he would be the original, but everyone in the book seems to want to pretend that he is, or pretend that it doesn't matter. They're right. You could replace Starkiller with a cardboard cutout for all his actual personality or individuality plays a role in anything.
Anyway, a lot of other really stupid things happen in this story, as well, mostly very video-gamey things. Starkiller fights a monster so big that it can crush a rancor in its fist, and then the two of them fall several miles together, but Starkiller survives (his Force powers are as nonsensically over-the-top as ever). Darth Vader hires Boba Fett to lead a contingent of Imperial forces at one point, because that's totally a thing that would ever happen in the Empire . . . but hey, it lets them shoehorn Boba Fett into the plot, cuz you all love seeing him, right? And on and on. And then, of course, it again ends with events that completely repudiate the entire Star Wars trilogy. I just can't with this. Thank goodness there was never a Force Unleashed III.
D-
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
This book felt a lot less like the recitation of a video game. The perspectives were more diverse and it just felt much more interesting. I'm not at all sure about the end, because obviously things just can't end there.
rogue_leader's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
booalie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mirrorballmusings's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bloodravenlib's review against another edition
2.0
I would have given this book three stars, since I was liking it all the way through to the end. Then I got to the end, and well, it left me pretty flat. Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice is back through the "miracle" of cloning. He escapes and sets off to find Juno Eclipse. I am not saying anything else to avoid spoilers. The pace and action of the story are ok; it is a fairly light read, but as I said, the ending just seemed to fall short for me. Either the author and publisher are planning some kind of sequel, or they just did not know how to wrap things up. This is one to borrow from your local library as it is not terribly memorable.
seak's review against another edition
3.0
This was entertaining and fun. You really can't go wrong with Boba Fett.
The first Force Unleashed graphic novel was quite a bit better though, so this was slightly disappointing. The other disappointment for me was that the first couple pages start with a little too much sex, at least heavily implied, than I like in my Star Wars.
Part of the beauty of the first graphic novel was sharing it with my kids, but with those first pages of this book, I don't feel like I can really share this one with them.
3 out of 5 Stars (recommended)
The first Force Unleashed graphic novel was quite a bit better though, so this was slightly disappointing. The other disappointment for me was that the first couple pages start with a little too much sex, at least heavily implied, than I like in my Star Wars.
Part of the beauty of the first graphic novel was sharing it with my kids, but with those first pages of this book, I don't feel like I can really share this one with them.
3 out of 5 Stars (recommended)