Scan barcode
jaredkwheeler's review
4.0
Star Wars Legends Project #251
Background: Planet Plague was written by [a:John Whitman|5782|John Whitman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and published in April of 1997. It is the third in the Galaxy of Fear series. Whitman wrote the whole series, along with about a dozen other Star Wars kids books.
Planet Plague takes place 6 months after the Battle of Yavin, beginning just after the end of City of the Dead (my review). The main characters are Tash and Zak Arranda, their adoptive Uncle Hoole, and their droid caretaker, DV-9. Wedge Antilles plays a significant role. Most of the story takes place on the planet Gobindi.
Summary: The Arranda's have stopped the zombie apocalypse from erupting on Necropolis, but not without cost. Zak has been injected with Dr. Evazan's reanimation serum, and the side effects are getting worse. Concerned, Uncle Hoole rushes him to a top-notch Imperial medical facility on Gobindi to be treated by his close friend Dr. Kavafi. A dire warning from ForceFlow, Tash's mysterious HoloNet contact, to steer clear of Gobindi at all costs arrives just too late. Why is no one being allowed to leave the planet? Is the Imperial Biological Welfare Division as benevolent as it seems? And what's going on with the weird green slime monsters that keep attacking unsuspecting civilians?
Review: This is another solid entry in the series that sticks rigidly to a formula that still seems to be working. It's definitely starting to feel a bit odd that Hoole and the Arrandas have just randomly stumbled into yet another piece of Project Starscream, but that's the sort of coincidence that may end up having an explanation later in the series. Meanwhile, we finally meet the menacing scientist behind it all and he's . . . well, I guess I shouldn't say. But it's an interesting development! Wedge provides the "celebrity cameo" for this chapter, and he's never failed to make a story better, even though he doesn't get to fly any starfighters here.
It's interesting that in the first book, Tash was the main point-of-view character and Hoole didn't trust her word, then in the second book, Zak took on that role . . . Here, the situation has somewhat flipped and Tash isn't sure whether to trust Hoole anymore. By the end of the story, I'm still not sure where they stand on that. I said after the last book that I'd like to see the ongoing story move past the "adult doesn't trust the kids" trope, and . . . I guess this counts. I was kind of hoping we'd be at a point soon where all of the main characters actually trust each other and work together, but I suppose it's fine that we're not quite there yet. Hopefully soon, though, because that will get old eventually.
Anyone who is enjoying this series will certainly enjoy this installment as well. I'm not sure why anyone else would even have picked it up.
B
Background: Planet Plague was written by [a:John Whitman|5782|John Whitman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and published in April of 1997. It is the third in the Galaxy of Fear series. Whitman wrote the whole series, along with about a dozen other Star Wars kids books.
Planet Plague takes place 6 months after the Battle of Yavin, beginning just after the end of City of the Dead (my review). The main characters are Tash and Zak Arranda, their adoptive Uncle Hoole, and their droid caretaker, DV-9. Wedge Antilles plays a significant role. Most of the story takes place on the planet Gobindi.
Summary: The Arranda's have stopped the zombie apocalypse from erupting on Necropolis, but not without cost. Zak has been injected with Dr. Evazan's reanimation serum, and the side effects are getting worse. Concerned, Uncle Hoole rushes him to a top-notch Imperial medical facility on Gobindi to be treated by his close friend Dr. Kavafi. A dire warning from ForceFlow, Tash's mysterious HoloNet contact, to steer clear of Gobindi at all costs arrives just too late. Why is no one being allowed to leave the planet? Is the Imperial Biological Welfare Division as benevolent as it seems? And what's going on with the weird green slime monsters that keep attacking unsuspecting civilians?
Review: This is another solid entry in the series that sticks rigidly to a formula that still seems to be working. It's definitely starting to feel a bit odd that Hoole and the Arrandas have just randomly stumbled into yet another piece of Project Starscream, but that's the sort of coincidence that may end up having an explanation later in the series. Meanwhile, we finally meet the menacing scientist behind it all and he's . . . well, I guess I shouldn't say. But it's an interesting development! Wedge provides the "celebrity cameo" for this chapter, and he's never failed to make a story better, even though he doesn't get to fly any starfighters here.
It's interesting that in the first book, Tash was the main point-of-view character and Hoole didn't trust her word, then in the second book, Zak took on that role . . . Here, the situation has somewhat flipped and Tash isn't sure whether to trust Hoole anymore. By the end of the story, I'm still not sure where they stand on that. I said after the last book that I'd like to see the ongoing story move past the "adult doesn't trust the kids" trope, and . . . I guess this counts. I was kind of hoping we'd be at a point soon where all of the main characters actually trust each other and work together, but I suppose it's fine that we're not quite there yet. Hopefully soon, though, because that will get old eventually.
Anyone who is enjoying this series will certainly enjoy this installment as well. I'm not sure why anyone else would even have picked it up.
B
geraldine's review
2.0
trent mailed me this book!!!! it's pretty terrible. there's a thing called starscream in this book. wedge is there. blobs eat people. what else can I say
verkisto's review
2.0
So, Wedge Antilles makes an appearance in this book. I can't say it's unexpected, since Luke, Han, and Leia appeared in the first two books, and then Boba Fett and Dr. Evazan appeared in the second one, but it smacks of fan service. Yes, it's a kids' book, and the audience is probably looking for those characters, but I can't help but feel like everything coming back to the Skywalkers and the handful of characters that orbit around them makes the Expanded Universe feel that much smaller.
In Planet Plague, Zak and Tash are menaced by some shapeless, infectious blobs (as seen on the cover over there). It turns out that these blobs are connected to the person-eating planet in Eaten Alive and the zombies in City of the Dead, but we don't see a lot of progress toward that connection, other than to make it. Whitman is working toward a final adventure that connects these plots, but not the way that Jude Watson did with her series. That's not a bad thing, mind you, but it's good to know ahead of time that these books aren't quite on that level.
Whitman still does a great job with his characters (strangely, DV-9's development is most interesting to me), but his antagonists here are too cartoonish. There's no real motivation or understanding them; they just want to destroy. It's easy to say, "Well, this is a kids' series", but other juvenile books handle their villains better. Maybe it was never intended to be that deep, though; this is, after all, a series trying to cash in on Goosebumps.
Aside from a sudden ending, though, this is still a solid read. Whitman tells a good tale, even if it pales when you compare it to Watson's body of work. It's not enough to make me want to read other books he's written, but his name wouldn't turn me off of reading a book, either.
In Planet Plague, Zak and Tash are menaced by some shapeless, infectious blobs (as seen on the cover over there). It turns out that these blobs are connected to the person-eating planet in Eaten Alive and the zombies in City of the Dead, but we don't see a lot of progress toward that connection, other than to make it. Whitman is working toward a final adventure that connects these plots, but not the way that Jude Watson did with her series. That's not a bad thing, mind you, but it's good to know ahead of time that these books aren't quite on that level.
Whitman still does a great job with his characters (strangely, DV-9's development is most interesting to me), but his antagonists here are too cartoonish. There's no real motivation or understanding them; they just want to destroy. It's easy to say, "Well, this is a kids' series", but other juvenile books handle their villains better. Maybe it was never intended to be that deep, though; this is, after all, a series trying to cash in on Goosebumps.
Aside from a sudden ending, though, this is still a solid read. Whitman tells a good tale, even if it pales when you compare it to Watson's body of work. It's not enough to make me want to read other books he's written, but his name wouldn't turn me off of reading a book, either.
ehsjaysaunders's review
3.0
Obligatory 90's ooze finds its way into #GalaxyofFear in Planet Plague.
Evil viruses and body horror ensue...
The setting is intriguing, and the true enemy is finally seen, but kinda meh, otherwise.
Evil viruses and body horror ensue...
The setting is intriguing, and the true enemy is finally seen, but kinda meh, otherwise.
ferretbreeder's review
3.0
Still a nice little trip down Nostalgia Lane, but viruses aren't my favorite, so this one was just okay.
More...