Scan barcode
crystalstarrlight's review
2.0
The Cloned and the Restless
I loved Hard Contact, the first real Clone Wars novel (in my opinion), but was disappointed with the slogging pace, political and ethical diatribes, and the hefty, largely unexplored cast of Triple Zero. But I wasn't so disappointed that I didn't pick up "True Colors" when it came out last year.
Plot:
The Clone War continues, and Skirata has vamped up his search for Ko Sai, a Kaminoan who may hold the keys to reversing the age acceleration in his rag-tag band of clones. But, Palpatine has ordered Delta squad to hunt after her too, along with a separate team from Kamino. The race is on, and the question hovers inside each clone (and those who love them): will the clones ever be able to live a normal life? And what will be their future after the war ends?
Good:
What made "Triple Zero" so much of a disappointment (compared to "Hard Contact") was the fact that much of the action and great characters present in HC was missing in TZ. But the same can't quite be said of "True Colors". At about the sixth chapter, TC picks up with an intense scene with Etain forcing the colonists of Qiilura to leave and pretty much maintains that speed throughout the book as Skirata and the Nulls search for Ko Sai (before Delta Squad), and Omega Squad infiltrates another battlefront on Graftikar.
Furthermore, characters introduced in TZ get more exploration, and more opportunities exist to dig into the dirty subjects. Etain, Skirata and Darman get the limelight, of course, but so do Ordo, Mereel, Sev, Besany, and my new personal favorite, Walon Vau, who is very interesting in TC as a cold killer with a methodical, almost unemotional outlook on life. Fi's character gets stretched in an interesting manner. And I think Traviss will go down in Star wars history as being the first to write using a Kaminoan character (very nicely, may I add--Good job, Karen). These characters discuss meaty topics such as desertion, humanity, and life after the Clones Wars--all in a logical, insightful manner that will exercise your mind. And Delta Squad can always be depended upon for cracking a joke that will have you in stitches (look out for when Fixer and Sev go diving!).
Lastly, I was never so happy to see that Traviss got the memo about the annoying "double definitions" that she did in TZ. I like her exploration of Mando culture but hated how she would have her characters say something in Mando, translate it in English and then have it appear in the glossary at the end. In TC, Traviss remedies this problem. THANK YOU TRAVISS!
Bad:
While in some aspects TC is better than TZ, in others, it is much worse:
1. For the first five chapters, the book reads like a soap opera. Etain misses Darman. Darman misses Etain. Besany brags about boyfriend, Ordo (when did this happen?!?!). Ordo is clueless about Besany. Fi feels left out in the romance department. Skirata wants the girlfriends for all of "his boys" and is instantly concerned about Etain's pregnancy and health. I was so close to giving up on it. And in the last two chapters, the soap opera resumes with the birth of Etain's baby, Darman's reaction, etc. (oh, please!).
2. Certain things are repeated twelve too many times. For example, count how many times each that Traviss has some character bring up: a) how Skirata saved the Nulls from the Kaminoans' knife, b) how the ARCs almost killed the clone kids to save them from the Separatists, c) how much *fill-in-the-blank* misses *so-and-so*, and d) how badly the clones are being treated/how invisible they are/how they are being used (etc.). Repetition isn't necessarily bad (helps remind the reader) but is excessive when done more than once a chapter (Traviss does it as frequently as twice a page).
3. There are way too many characters. Frequent characters include two Mandalorians, three Jedi, eight commandos, one treasury agent, one clone commander, an ARCs, and three Nulls. This does not include all the other people mentioned in the Dramatis Personae who have bit parts, such as Corr, Jaing, Maze, Rav Bralor (a terrible female Mandalorian whose character could be summed up as Kick-A** GirlTM), and Jaller Obrim. It gets to the point where I thought that Traviss had included everyone in the book--including the Twi'lek Pilot! Traviss, remember HC? There were 6 characters: 4 commandos, Etain, and the bad guy. Too many characters = less characterization.
4. The pacing was off. The first 16 chapters cover about one week while the last four cover about a month. It was as if Traviss wanted to hurry up and have Etain give birth. She could have easily extended some of the action to cover a longer time or had Etain be closer to term in the beginning to compensate for the uneven pacing.
5. And then, there were some scenes/actions/comments that really drove me nuts.
a. My personal favorite: Besany (the absolutely gorgeous woman rejected because of her beauty *eyes roll*) pulls out a 25 cm (~10" cake) that she just *happens* to keep for guests she never has *eyes roll* and gives it to Mereel to give to Ordo. Who keeps a cake this size for guests that never come? How old is this thing? And how did this cake come to Ordo without looking like crap?
b. Etain looks three months pregnant but has, in her spare time (during a war?), accelerated her pregnancy so she is actually six months pregnant. Any woman will tell you, if she is six months pregnant, she will look six months pregnant. And how is it she can accelerate a pregnancy in the few hours she has off by a whole 3 months?!?! And more importantly, how does a Jedi, who's not supposed to have these relationships, know how to do this?
c. Skirata has his good points but is hard to relate to as he is perfect in any way. He knows when to be harsh, when to coddle women, when to jump to concern when a baby kicks (a completely normal phenomenon, Kal...didn't this guy have three kids? Why doesn't he know this?), is smarter than the entire Jedi Order, and is always right. Gary Stu, anyone?
d. Why are all Jedi that aren't Jusik and Etain bad guys? I mean, if the Jedi isn't a Mandalorian wannabe (Jusik) or pregnant with a clone's baby (Etain), they are out to kill all the clones and imprison them in slavery or are stupid, oblivious idiots (Zey, Mace Windu). It appears that Traviss loves her Mandalorians and hates the Jedi.
e. I don't understand how Fi could have been seriously damaged while Darman, only a few feet away comes away practically unscathed. If someone would please explain that to me, I would be greatly appreciative.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
There is cursing, but it is in Mandalorian.
Etain is pregnant with Darman's child. It is insinuated that Besany would like to sleep with Ordo.
Etain is hurt, and her pregnancy is threatened. A war between civilians, and clones breaks out. Several clones are harmed: explosions, fire-fights, and hand-to-hand combat. A man is bit by another man. The Nulls want to kill Ko Sai. Pretty much what you would expect from a Star Wars novel.
Overall:
Somewhat better than TZ, somewhat worse, TC has come back in some ways to what made HC a hit. TC has more of the intense action, intrigue, gut-splitting humor, and open discussions on what being a human is, who is eligible for gift of humanity, if clones can defect (really interesting), what rights clones deserve, and what will happen to the soldiers if greatly injured (or at the end of the war). Still, melodrama, a huge largely stereotyped cast, and repetitiveness really make it hard to appreciate the good points.
NOTE: The novel comes with a short story called "Odds". About the best thing I can say about this short story is "Odd". It seems more of a prelude or Chapter 1 than a full-blown short story. Not to say it wasn't interesting, just a poor short story.
I loved Hard Contact, the first real Clone Wars novel (in my opinion), but was disappointed with the slogging pace, political and ethical diatribes, and the hefty, largely unexplored cast of Triple Zero. But I wasn't so disappointed that I didn't pick up "True Colors" when it came out last year.
Plot:
The Clone War continues, and Skirata has vamped up his search for Ko Sai, a Kaminoan who may hold the keys to reversing the age acceleration in his rag-tag band of clones. But, Palpatine has ordered Delta squad to hunt after her too, along with a separate team from Kamino. The race is on, and the question hovers inside each clone (and those who love them): will the clones ever be able to live a normal life? And what will be their future after the war ends?
Good:
What made "Triple Zero" so much of a disappointment (compared to "Hard Contact") was the fact that much of the action and great characters present in HC was missing in TZ. But the same can't quite be said of "True Colors". At about the sixth chapter, TC picks up with an intense scene with Etain forcing the colonists of Qiilura to leave and pretty much maintains that speed throughout the book as Skirata and the Nulls search for Ko Sai (before Delta Squad), and Omega Squad infiltrates another battlefront on Graftikar.
Furthermore, characters introduced in TZ get more exploration, and more opportunities exist to dig into the dirty subjects. Etain, Skirata and Darman get the limelight, of course, but so do Ordo, Mereel, Sev, Besany, and my new personal favorite, Walon Vau, who is very interesting in TC as a cold killer with a methodical, almost unemotional outlook on life. Fi's character gets stretched in an interesting manner. And I think Traviss will go down in Star wars history as being the first to write using a Kaminoan character (very nicely, may I add--Good job, Karen). These characters discuss meaty topics such as desertion, humanity, and life after the Clones Wars--all in a logical, insightful manner that will exercise your mind. And Delta Squad can always be depended upon for cracking a joke that will have you in stitches (look out for when Fixer and Sev go diving!).
Lastly, I was never so happy to see that Traviss got the memo about the annoying "double definitions" that she did in TZ. I like her exploration of Mando culture but hated how she would have her characters say something in Mando, translate it in English and then have it appear in the glossary at the end. In TC, Traviss remedies this problem. THANK YOU TRAVISS!
Bad:
While in some aspects TC is better than TZ, in others, it is much worse:
1. For the first five chapters, the book reads like a soap opera. Etain misses Darman. Darman misses Etain. Besany brags about boyfriend, Ordo (when did this happen?!?!). Ordo is clueless about Besany. Fi feels left out in the romance department. Skirata wants the girlfriends for all of "his boys" and is instantly concerned about Etain's pregnancy and health. I was so close to giving up on it. And in the last two chapters, the soap opera resumes with the birth of Etain's baby, Darman's reaction, etc. (oh, please!).
2. Certain things are repeated twelve too many times. For example, count how many times each that Traviss has some character bring up: a) how Skirata saved the Nulls from the Kaminoans' knife, b) how the ARCs almost killed the clone kids to save them from the Separatists, c) how much *fill-in-the-blank* misses *so-and-so*, and d) how badly the clones are being treated/how invisible they are/how they are being used (etc.). Repetition isn't necessarily bad (helps remind the reader) but is excessive when done more than once a chapter (Traviss does it as frequently as twice a page).
3. There are way too many characters. Frequent characters include two Mandalorians, three Jedi, eight commandos, one treasury agent, one clone commander, an ARCs, and three Nulls. This does not include all the other people mentioned in the Dramatis Personae who have bit parts, such as Corr, Jaing, Maze, Rav Bralor (a terrible female Mandalorian whose character could be summed up as Kick-A** GirlTM), and Jaller Obrim. It gets to the point where I thought that Traviss had included everyone in the book--including the Twi'lek Pilot! Traviss, remember HC? There were 6 characters: 4 commandos, Etain, and the bad guy. Too many characters = less characterization.
4. The pacing was off. The first 16 chapters cover about one week while the last four cover about a month. It was as if Traviss wanted to hurry up and have Etain give birth. She could have easily extended some of the action to cover a longer time or had Etain be closer to term in the beginning to compensate for the uneven pacing.
5. And then, there were some scenes/actions/comments that really drove me nuts.
a. My personal favorite: Besany (the absolutely gorgeous woman rejected because of her beauty *eyes roll*) pulls out a 25 cm (~10" cake) that she just *happens* to keep for guests she never has *eyes roll* and gives it to Mereel to give to Ordo. Who keeps a cake this size for guests that never come? How old is this thing? And how did this cake come to Ordo without looking like crap?
b. Etain looks three months pregnant but has, in her spare time (during a war?), accelerated her pregnancy so she is actually six months pregnant. Any woman will tell you, if she is six months pregnant, she will look six months pregnant. And how is it she can accelerate a pregnancy in the few hours she has off by a whole 3 months?!?! And more importantly, how does a Jedi, who's not supposed to have these relationships, know how to do this?
c. Skirata has his good points but is hard to relate to as he is perfect in any way. He knows when to be harsh, when to coddle women, when to jump to concern when a baby kicks (a completely normal phenomenon, Kal...didn't this guy have three kids? Why doesn't he know this?), is smarter than the entire Jedi Order, and is always right. Gary Stu, anyone?
d. Why are all Jedi that aren't Jusik and Etain bad guys? I mean, if the Jedi isn't a Mandalorian wannabe (Jusik) or pregnant with a clone's baby (Etain), they are out to kill all the clones and imprison them in slavery or are stupid, oblivious idiots (Zey, Mace Windu). It appears that Traviss loves her Mandalorians and hates the Jedi.
e. I don't understand how Fi could have been seriously damaged while Darman, only a few feet away comes away practically unscathed. If someone would please explain that to me, I would be greatly appreciative.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
There is cursing, but it is in Mandalorian.
Etain is pregnant with Darman's child. It is insinuated that Besany would like to sleep with Ordo.
Etain is hurt, and her pregnancy is threatened. A war between civilians, and clones breaks out. Several clones are harmed: explosions, fire-fights, and hand-to-hand combat. A man is bit by another man. The Nulls want to kill Ko Sai. Pretty much what you would expect from a Star Wars novel.
Overall:
Somewhat better than TZ, somewhat worse, TC has come back in some ways to what made HC a hit. TC has more of the intense action, intrigue, gut-splitting humor, and open discussions on what being a human is, who is eligible for gift of humanity, if clones can defect (really interesting), what rights clones deserve, and what will happen to the soldiers if greatly injured (or at the end of the war). Still, melodrama, a huge largely stereotyped cast, and repetitiveness really make it hard to appreciate the good points.
NOTE: The novel comes with a short story called "Odds". About the best thing I can say about this short story is "Odd". It seems more of a prelude or Chapter 1 than a full-blown short story. Not to say it wasn't interesting, just a poor short story.
vendea's review against another edition
This dragged SOMETHING awful. Unfortunately for me I picked up book number four before this one, so I really had nothing to tie me down to reading this closely and mostly skimmed the second half. I really have nobody to blame but myself - I have more or less come to resent Traviss' writing style, although I loved it at first. ah well, I've changed, and now I'll be more judicious about picking up her Star Wars books.
supermagicpenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
authoraugust's review
5.0
It's been a good three years since I last read Traviss's Republic Commando books, and upon diving back into the world with "True Colors," I realized that was far too long. Traviss is incredibly deft with her treatment of the Star Wars universe - she makes the fantastic very real and accessible while still maintaining a very coherent feel with the rest of the canon. Her dialogue is a particular strength; all of the clones (okay, yes, I'll admit I have a huge soft spot for those guys, but despite my prejudice, this is an amazing, amazing book) seem like unique individuals, but retain their sense of "clone-ness." The supporting characters, too, are well-fleshed out and lift up their own voices in protest of the inhumane treatment the clones are given as a reward for their service. From the brutal battlefields to the quiet moments between couples, Traviss weaves a near-perfect narrative as part of a much, much larger picture that she can see but which her wonderful cast has yet to discover for themselves.
modernhobbitvibes's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.75
This one has a lot of the same issues I talked about in the Triple Zero review: weird vibe surrounding the criticisms of Star Wars morality (even if they're correct ones), Walon Vau gets off way too easily, the drama around Etain and Darman (mostly Etain this book) continues to be very eh. There are two NEW issues that knocked this one down a quarter star:
1) Vau is not only continuing to get off far too easily for his crimes, BUT I'm subjected to his POV, which is infuriating. The presence of a Sev POV (which is, tbh, one of the book's major features and something I love dearly) kind of implies that Vau was meant to be more of an unreliable narrator? But honestly the fact that he's allowed to just integrate himself into this messed up family unit still bugs the heck out of me.
2) The pacing is absolutely whack, mostly in the last half/third or so. Like, the huge leaps inFi's healing timeline and Venku/Kad's birth are bizarre.
Also, Besany/Ordo as a pairing is NOT done any favors this book, they're just lower on my shit list because at least they're largely drama-free. Just awkward and weird. (They COULD be this series' answer to Wax/Steris, but KT is no Sanderson, alas, so I have to deal with what I'm given.)
Am I still going to read the last two books despite this? Yes, yes I am, I have committed to this nostalgia re-read and they're never bad enough for me to DNF. Just to write lengthy reviews about how these aren't as good as I remember them being back in the day.
1) Vau is not only continuing to get off far too easily for his crimes, BUT I'm subjected to his POV, which is infuriating. The presence of a Sev POV (which is, tbh, one of the book's major features and something I love dearly) kind of implies that Vau was meant to be more of an unreliable narrator? But honestly the fact that he's allowed to just integrate himself into this messed up family unit still bugs the heck out of me.
2) The pacing is absolutely whack, mostly in the last half/third or so. Like, the huge leaps in
Also, Besany/Ordo as a pairing is NOT done any favors this book, they're just lower on my shit list because at least they're largely drama-free. Just awkward and weird. (They COULD be this series' answer to Wax/Steris, but KT is no Sanderson, alas, so I have to deal with what I'm given.)
Am I still going to read the last two books despite this? Yes, yes I am, I have committed to this nostalgia re-read and they're never bad enough for me to DNF. Just to write lengthy reviews about how these aren't as good as I remember them being back in the day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Suicide, Kidnapping, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Physical abuse, Ableism, Child abuse, Torture, Vomit, and Miscarriage
Minor: Child death
Note on the "miscarriage" tag: There is a miscarriage scare, but the baby is ultimately fine. There is the threat of a person in a coma being euthanized. though this is averted.curtkat's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jamiemidge's review
Terribly misogynistic to the point of unreadability. Kal Skirata be normal about women
jtashoff's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kb_208's review
4.0
Another good addition to the RC series. This one mainly deals with searching for one of the Kamino geneticists that holds the key to altering the clones aging speed to make it normal. It also deals a lot with the ethics of war and cloning. It makes for a pretty interesting story. It's a good series.
jjsearle's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25