Scan barcode
jaredkwheeler's review against another edition
3.0
Star Wars Legends Project #104
Background: Crossfire was written by [author:Terry Bisson|73422] and published in November 2002. Bisson wrote this and the first book in the Boba Fett series (my review), but has no other Star Wars credits. He is a successful science fiction writer who is best known for his short stories.
Crossfire takes place about a month after the Battle of Geonosis, 22 years before the battle of Yavin. The young Boba Fett is the main character, along with Aurra Sing and Count Dooku. The story takes place mostly on Raxus Prime and Bespin.
Summary: Young Boba Fett has been delivered to Count Dooku by the bounty hunter Aurra Sing, and she has taken his beloved ship, Slave I, as payment. Dooku should be able to give Boba access to his father's fortune, but he seems more interested in making sure Boba doesn't tell anyone that it was Dooku who personally engineered the conflict that has engulfed the galaxy. Meanwhile, the Republic is hot on Dooku's trail, and Boba knows they're looking for him as well. It seems he can't stay out of the crossfire.
Review: After a not-too-promising beginning, this entry in the series ended up not being so bad after all. Boba initially finds himself more-or-less a prisoner in Count Dooku's base on the most toxic planet in the galaxy, but that soon changes and he ends up in Republic hands. Bisson gets a lot of mileage out of his premise that no one pays much attention to a kid who isn't bothering anyone, which allows Boba to do a lot of roaming that should be otherwise impossible.
The central feature of this story is Boba's first friendship with another kid,what he learns from the experience, and how it affects him. This bit in particular was developed extremely well, and it paid off big time in the climax on Bespin. Bisson built a lot of great tension into the story, as well. There was a space-walk scene that had me totally absorbed and on the edge of my seat, even though the outcome should have been obvious. Overall this was a promising follow-up to the first book, and I'll be interested to see where the series goes next.
B-
Background: Crossfire was written by [author:Terry Bisson|73422] and published in November 2002. Bisson wrote this and the first book in the Boba Fett series (my review), but has no other Star Wars credits. He is a successful science fiction writer who is best known for his short stories.
Crossfire takes place about a month after the Battle of Geonosis, 22 years before the battle of Yavin. The young Boba Fett is the main character, along with Aurra Sing and Count Dooku. The story takes place mostly on Raxus Prime and Bespin.
Summary: Young Boba Fett has been delivered to Count Dooku by the bounty hunter Aurra Sing, and she has taken his beloved ship, Slave I, as payment. Dooku should be able to give Boba access to his father's fortune, but he seems more interested in making sure Boba doesn't tell anyone that it was Dooku who personally engineered the conflict that has engulfed the galaxy. Meanwhile, the Republic is hot on Dooku's trail, and Boba knows they're looking for him as well. It seems he can't stay out of the crossfire.
Review: After a not-too-promising beginning, this entry in the series ended up not being so bad after all. Boba initially finds himself more-or-less a prisoner in Count Dooku's base on the most toxic planet in the galaxy, but that soon changes and he ends up in Republic hands. Bisson gets a lot of mileage out of his premise that no one pays much attention to a kid who isn't bothering anyone, which allows Boba to do a lot of roaming that should be otherwise impossible.
The central feature of this story is Boba's first friendship with another kid,what he learns from the experience, and how it affects him. This bit in particular was developed extremely well, and it paid off big time in the climax on Bespin. Bisson built a lot of great tension into the story, as well. There was a space-walk scene that had me totally absorbed and on the edge of my seat, even though the outcome should have been obvious. Overall this was a promising follow-up to the first book, and I'll be interested to see where the series goes next.
B-
divyareadssister's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
2.0
I’ve re-read this series numerous times over the years but this had by far the least interesting side characters involved
joshgauthier's review
3.0
More original than book 1, but feels like more of a transition than a full story in its own right.
latortuga's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
churd's review
I don't really have too much to say about this. After the first few chapters, this really hits a lull that doesn't lift until the last few chapters.
That being said... I'm also nearly 20 years older than the target demographic for this, so... fine enough! A very quick read so I can't be too upset.
That being said... I'm also nearly 20 years older than the target demographic for this, so... fine enough! A very quick read so I can't be too upset.
verkisto's review
3.0
Crossfire is a step up from The Fight to Survive, namely because it's a (mostly) complete story in itself. I may have gotten too used to Jude Watson with the thirty books of hers I read in her two series, but I've come to expect the stories to be self-contained, even if they're part of an overarching story. Crossfire likely won't make a whole lot of sense without The Fight to Survive, and I expect that the next book will rely heavily on what happens in Crossfire. (Though, I suppose that could be true of the Jedi Apprentice series. By the time you get to book seventeen, Watson's relying on characters and events from earlier in that series, too.)
In Crossfire, Boba has made it to the toxic moon of Raxus Prime, where Dooku has his base of operations. There, the two of them try to make an uneasy agreement over Boba's inheritance, but things go wrong quickly when the clone troops invade. From there, Boba is "rescued", and he continues to learn how to become self-sufficient through the events in the book.
Bisson's characterization is still the strong point of this novel, as it was in the previous one. Boba is considered an orphan by his rescuers, and he makes a friend while in transport. The thing is, Jango told Boba several times that bounty hunters don't make friends, so Boba's new friend is at odds with the training he receives from the book Jango left him. Ultimately, Boba has to make a choice, and while it wasn't as emotional as I would have expected it to be, it does find the tricky balance between making Boba a sympathetic character and making him compatible with the character he will become.
Like the previous book, Bisson simplifies things a bit more than I would have liked. The emotions in the story are written with broad strokes, and he overuses exclamation marks to indicate other emotions. I forgot to mention that he uses interrobangs in the first book, but at least I didn't see any of those in this book. Either way, the books are a good example of an author writing specifically for a younger audience, instead of writing normally and adjusting the content for younger readers.
Interestingly, Bisson touches on the issue of sex and gender, though it's only in passing. One of the characters in the story is neither a boy nor a girl, since in their race, their bodies don't define themselves until puberty. The character makes a remark about how gender is more than just parts, and I was surprised to find that in the book. I like that it was there, and I agree with it, but I've not seen such a progressive thought in the Expanded Universe. Regardless, I was pleased to see that message in a story written for a younger audience, and not made to be a big deal. It just is, and I think it's great.
While Crossfire improves on the first book in the series, this is the last book Bisson contributes to it. Elizabeth Hand takes over for the rest of the series, so it's hard to anticipate what will come next with a new author. I'll be reading it either way, which is good, since I've been wanting to read something by Hand for a long time.
In Crossfire, Boba has made it to the toxic moon of Raxus Prime, where Dooku has his base of operations. There, the two of them try to make an uneasy agreement over Boba's inheritance, but things go wrong quickly when the clone troops invade. From there, Boba is "rescued", and he continues to learn how to become self-sufficient through the events in the book.
Bisson's characterization is still the strong point of this novel, as it was in the previous one. Boba is considered an orphan by his rescuers, and he makes a friend while in transport. The thing is, Jango told Boba several times that bounty hunters don't make friends, so Boba's new friend is at odds with the training he receives from the book Jango left him. Ultimately, Boba has to make a choice, and while it wasn't as emotional as I would have expected it to be, it does find the tricky balance between making Boba a sympathetic character and making him compatible with the character he will become.
Like the previous book, Bisson simplifies things a bit more than I would have liked. The emotions in the story are written with broad strokes, and he overuses exclamation marks to indicate other emotions. I forgot to mention that he uses interrobangs in the first book, but at least I didn't see any of those in this book. Either way, the books are a good example of an author writing specifically for a younger audience, instead of writing normally and adjusting the content for younger readers.
Interestingly, Bisson touches on the issue of sex and gender, though it's only in passing. One of the characters in the story is neither a boy nor a girl, since in their race, their bodies don't define themselves until puberty. The character makes a remark about how gender is more than just parts, and I was surprised to find that in the book. I like that it was there, and I agree with it, but I've not seen such a progressive thought in the Expanded Universe. Regardless, I was pleased to see that message in a story written for a younger audience, and not made to be a big deal. It just is, and I think it's great.
While Crossfire improves on the first book in the series, this is the last book Bisson contributes to it. Elizabeth Hand takes over for the rest of the series, so it's hard to anticipate what will come next with a new author. I'll be reading it either way, which is good, since I've been wanting to read something by Hand for a long time.
irasobrietate's review
3.0
First off, I absolutely Do Not believe that any clone soldier wouldn't immediately know who Boba is as soon as they see him. Even if they don't know he's Boba, they'd know he's a clone because he looks exactly like every other trooper at age 5/10. He would Never fly under the radar on a ship crewed totally by fucking clone troopers.
Secondly, it's immediately apparent that this book is one of the first books written after the release of AotC because it really portrays all of the other clones as just thoughtless flesh droids without a single original thought in their heads. I'm now really interested to see who the first author/creator that treats them as distinct individuals was.
Third, always love to see some nonbinary characters who complain about unnecessary gendering because that's just a whole ass mood.
Secondly, it's immediately apparent that this book is one of the first books written after the release of AotC because it really portrays all of the other clones as just thoughtless flesh droids without a single original thought in their heads. I'm now really interested to see who the first author/creator that treats them as distinct individuals was.
Third, always love to see some nonbinary characters who complain about unnecessary gendering because that's just a whole ass mood.
More...