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balkanbruiser's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.75
It was pretty sweet if you’re as autistic as I am. I did begin reading this book with the precognition of loving Nuru Kungurama to little bits, so going through the story was a breeze.
That being said the story itself is intriguing though nothing to write home about. The copy I read had a lot of spelling mistakes and general errors which was unfortunate. The pace was too fast, too shallow, with no real depth. The language used was probably meant for a younger audience and the concepts for someone unfamiliar with Star Wars in general (over explaining).
Nevertheless, I look forward to the next book!
That being said the story itself is intriguing though nothing to write home about. The copy I read had a lot of spelling mistakes and general errors which was unfortunate. The pace was too fast, too shallow, with no real depth. The language used was probably meant for a younger audience and the concepts for someone unfamiliar with Star Wars in general (over explaining).
Nevertheless, I look forward to the next book!
jaredkwheeler's review against another edition
2.0
Star Wars Legends Project #127
Background: Breakout Squad was written by [a:Ryder Windham|17735|Ryder Windham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1317014865p2/17735.jpg] and published in September of 2009. Windham has been heavily involved with Star Wars publication for decades, writing and editing dozens upon dozens of books and comics, including the other books in this series.
Breakout Squad takes place during the Clone Wars, 21-22 years before the Battle of Yavin. It begins shortly after the "Malevolence" arc from Season 1 of the "Clone Wars" TV series. The main characters are mostly brand-new, with minor appearances by Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress, and the Duros bounty Cad Bane. Most of the story takes place on the planet Kynachi in Wild Space.
Summary: The Republic has not heard from isolationist member planet Kynachi in many years, but now they have reason to believe that the planet's industry may be supplying the Separatists. Chancellor Palpatine dispatches Kynachi Jedi Ring-Sol Ambase to investigate, and Ambase's Chiss Padawan, Nuru Kungurama, stows away on the mission, struck by a premonition of doom for his master if he remains behind. Sabotaged from the inside, the mission is a disaster from the beginning, and it seems Nuru will have a chance to save his master after all . . . as long as he can save himself!
Review: I'm used to, and willing to accept, a certain juvenility in Star Wars book aimed at a younger audience, but this seemed to be dialed a few steps below what I expected. And simplified vocabulary is one thing, but there's no reasonable excuse for even a story "for kids" to be this dumbed down. Particularly at the beginning, it feels like it stops to explain itself every few paragraphs, and the dialogue is mostly pretty clunky. Windham also gets a little too cute in a couple of spots, slipping in eye-rolling snippets of dialogue from the Original Trilogy films . . . enough already.
The story opens with some nameless clone troopers wandering through the rubble of General Grievous' destroyed ship "Malevolence" on the barren moon where it crashed. They are joined by a clone captain, who for some reason starts explaining things like who they are to them, and then gives them nicknames that will become their names for the rest of the series. He calls one "Sharp" because he spots something so he must have sharp eyesight, and one "Breaker" because he's good with technology (like, um, circuit breakers), and the third one he names "Chatterbox" because he never says a word. Haha! Get it? Later on, another trooper named "Knuckles" shows up, but we never hear what inane bit of nothing got him that moniker.
I'm not sure how I feel about making the main Jedi character a Chiss, either. Chiss are ultra-rare to the point of being effectively unheard of in Republic space . . . though, to be fair, the book does emphasize this as well. I'll admit he's a decent character so far, although I was initially skeptical. Really, nothing in this book stands out as just offensively dumb, but nothing stands out as terribly compelling or great, either, and the stripped-down writing and over-exposition hobble the experience significantly. I don't want to count out the rest of the series out of hand, but my hopes aren't high.
D
Background: Breakout Squad was written by [a:Ryder Windham|17735|Ryder Windham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1317014865p2/17735.jpg] and published in September of 2009. Windham has been heavily involved with Star Wars publication for decades, writing and editing dozens upon dozens of books and comics, including the other books in this series.
Breakout Squad takes place during the Clone Wars, 21-22 years before the Battle of Yavin. It begins shortly after the "Malevolence" arc from Season 1 of the "Clone Wars" TV series. The main characters are mostly brand-new, with minor appearances by Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress, and the Duros bounty Cad Bane. Most of the story takes place on the planet Kynachi in Wild Space.
Summary: The Republic has not heard from isolationist member planet Kynachi in many years, but now they have reason to believe that the planet's industry may be supplying the Separatists. Chancellor Palpatine dispatches Kynachi Jedi Ring-Sol Ambase to investigate, and Ambase's Chiss Padawan, Nuru Kungurama, stows away on the mission, struck by a premonition of doom for his master if he remains behind. Sabotaged from the inside, the mission is a disaster from the beginning, and it seems Nuru will have a chance to save his master after all . . . as long as he can save himself!
Review: I'm used to, and willing to accept, a certain juvenility in Star Wars book aimed at a younger audience, but this seemed to be dialed a few steps below what I expected. And simplified vocabulary is one thing, but there's no reasonable excuse for even a story "for kids" to be this dumbed down. Particularly at the beginning, it feels like it stops to explain itself every few paragraphs, and the dialogue is mostly pretty clunky. Windham also gets a little too cute in a couple of spots, slipping in eye-rolling snippets of dialogue from the Original Trilogy films . . . enough already.
The story opens with some nameless clone troopers wandering through the rubble of General Grievous' destroyed ship "Malevolence" on the barren moon where it crashed. They are joined by a clone captain, who for some reason starts explaining things like who they are to them, and then gives them nicknames that will become their names for the rest of the series. He calls one "Sharp" because he spots something so he must have sharp eyesight, and one "Breaker" because he's good with technology (like, um, circuit breakers), and the third one he names "Chatterbox" because he never says a word. Haha! Get it? Later on, another trooper named "Knuckles" shows up, but we never hear what inane bit of nothing got him that moniker.
I'm not sure how I feel about making the main Jedi character a Chiss, either. Chiss are ultra-rare to the point of being effectively unheard of in Republic space . . . though, to be fair, the book does emphasize this as well. I'll admit he's a decent character so far, although I was initially skeptical. Really, nothing in this book stands out as just offensively dumb, but nothing stands out as terribly compelling or great, either, and the stripped-down writing and over-exposition hobble the experience significantly. I don't want to count out the rest of the series out of hand, but my hopes aren't high.
D
jaredkwheeler's review against another edition
2.0
Star Wars Legends Project #129
Background: Duel at Shattered Rock was written by [a:Ryder Windham|17735|Ryder Windham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1317014865p2/17735.jpg] and published in March of 2011. In addition to his extensive involvement with dozens of Star Wars publications, Windham also wrote the previous books in this series.
Duel at Shattered Rock takes place during the Clone Wars, 21-22 years before the Battle of Yavin. It picks up where The Curse of the Black Hole Pirates (my review) left off. The main characters are the same as the last book: Nuru Kungurama, Breaker, Sharp, Knuckles, Chatterbox, Cleaver, and Lalo Gunn. Most of the story takes place on the planet Vaced.
Summary: Their attempt at diplomacy with the Chiss may not have turned out as planned, but Breakout Squad has no time to contemplate the outcome. Barely returned from the Unknown Regions, Palpatine has contacted them for another mission: To rendezvous with the representative from the newly-liberated planet Kynachi and escort him the rest of the way to Coruscant. But Count Dooku and his minions know exactly where they're headed, and he has other plans.
Review: I should not be complaining that this book is another entry in an attempt to tell a cohesive, larger story made up of bits that stand alone . . . but this entry is just not interesting. We're back to dealing with Kynachi again, which is just a boring world, and then most of the book is taken up with some pretty boilerplate action in the midst of obvious set-up for the big denouement in the last book (which, obviously, doesn't pay off yet).
Again, this isn't actively bad, but it's still pretty boring, and I'm particularly tired of having, not only everything from the previous books explained to me but things like what The Force is explained as well. I'm expecting at least some good fireworks from the climactic finale ahead. At least, all of this had better lead up to something worthwhile or this series won't have justified its existence.
D+
Background: Duel at Shattered Rock was written by [a:Ryder Windham|17735|Ryder Windham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1317014865p2/17735.jpg] and published in March of 2011. In addition to his extensive involvement with dozens of Star Wars publications, Windham also wrote the previous books in this series.
Duel at Shattered Rock takes place during the Clone Wars, 21-22 years before the Battle of Yavin. It picks up where The Curse of the Black Hole Pirates (my review) left off. The main characters are the same as the last book: Nuru Kungurama, Breaker, Sharp, Knuckles, Chatterbox, Cleaver, and Lalo Gunn. Most of the story takes place on the planet Vaced.
Summary: Their attempt at diplomacy with the Chiss may not have turned out as planned, but Breakout Squad has no time to contemplate the outcome. Barely returned from the Unknown Regions, Palpatine has contacted them for another mission: To rendezvous with the representative from the newly-liberated planet Kynachi and escort him the rest of the way to Coruscant. But Count Dooku and his minions know exactly where they're headed, and he has other plans.
Review: I should not be complaining that this book is another entry in an attempt to tell a cohesive, larger story made up of bits that stand alone . . . but this entry is just not interesting. We're back to dealing with Kynachi again, which is just a boring world, and then most of the book is taken up with some pretty boilerplate action in the midst of obvious set-up for the big denouement in the last book (which, obviously, doesn't pay off yet).
Again, this isn't actively bad, but it's still pretty boring, and I'm particularly tired of having, not only everything from the previous books explained to me but things like what The Force is explained as well. I'm expecting at least some good fireworks from the climactic finale ahead. At least, all of this had better lead up to something worthwhile or this series won't have justified its existence.
D+
rachelmcg2004's review against another edition
5.0
A great beginning to a great series; one that will captivate casual fans as well as hardcore.
My only complaint is Ryder Windham's writing style is a bit childish in these books, but that may be because his target audience is young. However, his character development over the series proves to be top notch, starting in this book with a big bang that caused great friendships. :)
My only complaint is Ryder Windham's writing style is a bit childish in these books, but that may be because his target audience is young. However, his character development over the series proves to be top notch, starting in this book with a big bang that caused great friendships. :)
rachelmcg2004's review against another edition
5.0
First off, I am going to begin my review with Nuru Kungurama's story arc because while it was fascinating and I loved it, it was not my most preferred story arc. But, since he was a non-human protagonist who I thoroughly liked and thought made a valuable addition to the tales, I will begin with him.
Nuru Kungurama is an 11 year old Chiss who was discovered as a baby in an escape pod at the outer regions of Chiss space. He is strong with the Force, and is the only Chiss to have been trained as a Jedi...that we know of. *edit: This is actually incorrect information because Isla Waverunner (born as Mitth'att'inrokini) was a female Chiss raised and trained by the Jedi Order as Padawan after her father was mortally wounded.* The Chiss are a secretive people who do not welcome contact with outsiders, so it is perplexing but seemingly fortunate when Chancellor Palpatine assigns the hero of Kynachi to secretly meet with one of their diplomats at the edge of Chiss space. Inevitably, this does not turn out quite the way anyone has anticipated, yet all make it out alive, safe, and sound.
Now, Chancellor Palpatine has another mission for Nuru: to escort representatives of possible Republic allies to Coruscant...yet, as always, nothing is as it seems.
As a seasoned Star Wars fan who has watched and rewatched the movies several times, read and reread many of the Legends and Del Rey books, and who is happily diving into the show Clone Wars series for the very first time, I have a significant grudge against Palpatine.
I mean the guy literally set everyone up...for nearly a century.
For anyone unfamiliar with the intricacies of Star Wars history, here is a summary of the prequels, with a brief summary of the Clone Wars thrown in too. *Feel free to skip this part if you are already familiar with it*
Palpatine set everyone up during the Clone Wars by successfully playing both sides. On the Republic's side he was the heroic Chancellor Palpatine who loves democracy and loves the Republic, and who has been reluctantly granted emergency powers by the Republic Senate to deal with the growing threat of the Separatists. On the Separatist side, he is the virtually unknown Sith Lord Darth Sidious who informs his apprentice, Count Dooku (Darth Tyrannus), of what he wants him to do. Palpatine uses his two identities to fabricate the events of the entire Clone Wars to his advantage, and then, when he manages to deceive young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into choosing the dark side of the Force by telling him this is the only way his wife will survive, and Palpatine engineers a situation where Anakin can choose to kill Count Dooku, which he does, making Anakin Palpatine's new apprentice. After Anakin's successful turn to the Dark Side, Palpatine decides to cut his losses by initiating Order 66 in all of his clone troopers, forcing them to turn against their Jedi commanders and exterminate them all. His new apprentice, now called Darth Vader, now leads an elite squadron of Clone Troopers to fully exterminate any Jedi who survived Order 66 (Also known as the Great Jedi Purge), including his beloved master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi ends up escaping, and while Vader is being outfitted for his sleek black suit, Palpatine officializes his galactic takeover by taking the name "Emperor Palpatine" and transforming the remnants of the Republic into what would be known for the next 3 decades as the Empire.
Suffice it to say, Palpatine is one of the most powerful men in the galaxy and he achieved this power in an almost admirably ruthless way. His total control and uncannily realistic visions of the future can lead some to wonder if good truly has any chance in a universe dominated by Palpatine's schemes.
And here's one of the things I love the most about Star Wars: good truly does have a chance. Despite his seeming all-knowance, Palpatine is a flawed being whose strong dominance of the dark side of the Force sends the light side scurrying for people it can recruit to bring a semblance of balance back. On several occasions heroes from the smallest of places have risen up and taken a stand against Palpatine's reign of evil, and they've won. Any stand against evil counts in this universe, no matter how small.
And here is an example of one person, from a not very well know sector of the galaxy, whose small contributions made a world of difference: Nuru Kungurama.
I am bleeding a little bit into the 4th book by saying this, so this is kind of a review of both books, but he really does make a difference, and as I left this series, I was left with the feeling that no matter how small or insignificant we and/or our contributions may seem, WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
And that's one of the greatest messages that Star Wars preaches: WE ALL MATTER, AND WE ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Okay, seeing as i'm a huge fan of Gunnbox, as I call their ship, the rest of the review is dedicated to my unabashed shipping of this power couple! :D Spoilers ahead, so keep reading only if you've read the book. :D
With regards to Gunnbox, I loved this book up until the very end.
Shout out to my good friend Joey for lending me the entire series of books at once so that I could immediately devour the next book following this one's shocking twist ending.
WHAT I LOVED:
There was more Lalo Gunn and Chatterbox action!!!! *SPOILER*: After 2 books of Gunn shamelessly flirting with Chatterbox while he politely endured her, he ends up kissing her before they part for their separate ways.
Which brings me to my next part: WHAT I HATED:
*SPOILER* LALO WAS A FREAKING TRAITOR?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Picture this, a hopeless romantic shipping these two space lovebirds. The same hopeless romantic shrieking and jumping up and down when they finally kiss, and proudly announcing to the world that she shipped them before they were canon. And then, after finishing the book, this hopelessly hopeful romantic having her world rocked by the possibilities that Gunn had been leading Chatterbox on the entire time because she had been hired by Cad Bane to get Breakout Squad to Bilbringi Depot no matter what. WHAT?!?!?! As a reader, I was left with the impression that possibly Gunn had never been on their side and was working for the villains the entire time, which, seeing as she was one of my favorite characters, felt like crap. What also felt like crap was the fact that Chatterbox gets badly wounded after he is shot shortly after Gunn leaves the group, leaving me to wonder if Ryder Windham had intended their sweet kiss to be a swan song to a ship that would inevitably sink.
But, because of all the feels, both good and bad, this story DESERVED 5 stars, so I am gladly giving it that. Thank you so much, Ryder Windham, for making a story that is targeted to younger audiences, yet is relatable to me, as a highschooler, with characters that I care about and feel very strongly for. You created a book I care deeply about, thank you!
Also, side note, Joey, you might never get these books back. Hahahaha, just kidding. Maybe.
Nuru Kungurama is an 11 year old Chiss who was discovered as a baby in an escape pod at the outer regions of Chiss space. He is strong with the Force, and is the only Chiss to have been trained as a Jedi...that we know of. *edit: This is actually incorrect information because Isla Waverunner (born as Mitth'att'inrokini) was a female Chiss raised and trained by the Jedi Order as Padawan after her father was mortally wounded.* The Chiss are a secretive people who do not welcome contact with outsiders, so it is perplexing but seemingly fortunate when Chancellor Palpatine assigns the hero of Kynachi to secretly meet with one of their diplomats at the edge of Chiss space. Inevitably, this does not turn out quite the way anyone has anticipated, yet all make it out alive, safe, and sound.
Now, Chancellor Palpatine has another mission for Nuru: to escort representatives of possible Republic allies to Coruscant...yet, as always, nothing is as it seems.
As a seasoned Star Wars fan who has watched and rewatched the movies several times, read and reread many of the Legends and Del Rey books, and who is happily diving into the show Clone Wars series for the very first time, I have a significant grudge against Palpatine.
I mean the guy literally set everyone up...for nearly a century.
For anyone unfamiliar with the intricacies of Star Wars history, here is a summary of the prequels, with a brief summary of the Clone Wars thrown in too. *Feel free to skip this part if you are already familiar with it*
Palpatine set everyone up during the Clone Wars by successfully playing both sides. On the Republic's side he was the heroic Chancellor Palpatine who loves democracy and loves the Republic, and who has been reluctantly granted emergency powers by the Republic Senate to deal with the growing threat of the Separatists. On the Separatist side, he is the virtually unknown Sith Lord Darth Sidious who informs his apprentice, Count Dooku (Darth Tyrannus), of what he wants him to do. Palpatine uses his two identities to fabricate the events of the entire Clone Wars to his advantage, and then, when he manages to deceive young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into choosing the dark side of the Force by telling him this is the only way his wife will survive, and Palpatine engineers a situation where Anakin can choose to kill Count Dooku, which he does, making Anakin Palpatine's new apprentice. After Anakin's successful turn to the Dark Side, Palpatine decides to cut his losses by initiating Order 66 in all of his clone troopers, forcing them to turn against their Jedi commanders and exterminate them all. His new apprentice, now called Darth Vader, now leads an elite squadron of Clone Troopers to fully exterminate any Jedi who survived Order 66 (Also known as the Great Jedi Purge), including his beloved master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi ends up escaping, and while Vader is being outfitted for his sleek black suit, Palpatine officializes his galactic takeover by taking the name "Emperor Palpatine" and transforming the remnants of the Republic into what would be known for the next 3 decades as the Empire.
Suffice it to say, Palpatine is one of the most powerful men in the galaxy and he achieved this power in an almost admirably ruthless way. His total control and uncannily realistic visions of the future can lead some to wonder if good truly has any chance in a universe dominated by Palpatine's schemes.
And here's one of the things I love the most about Star Wars: good truly does have a chance. Despite his seeming all-knowance, Palpatine is a flawed being whose strong dominance of the dark side of the Force sends the light side scurrying for people it can recruit to bring a semblance of balance back. On several occasions heroes from the smallest of places have risen up and taken a stand against Palpatine's reign of evil, and they've won. Any stand against evil counts in this universe, no matter how small.
And here is an example of one person, from a not very well know sector of the galaxy, whose small contributions made a world of difference: Nuru Kungurama.
I am bleeding a little bit into the 4th book by saying this, so this is kind of a review of both books, but he really does make a difference, and as I left this series, I was left with the feeling that no matter how small or insignificant we and/or our contributions may seem, WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
And that's one of the greatest messages that Star Wars preaches: WE ALL MATTER, AND WE ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Okay, seeing as i'm a huge fan of Gunnbox, as I call their ship, the rest of the review is dedicated to my unabashed shipping of this power couple! :D Spoilers ahead, so keep reading only if you've read the book. :D
With regards to Gunnbox, I loved this book up until the very end.
Shout out to my good friend Joey for lending me the entire series of books at once so that I could immediately devour the next book following this one's shocking twist ending.
WHAT I LOVED:
There was more Lalo Gunn and Chatterbox action!!!! *SPOILER*: After 2 books of Gunn shamelessly flirting with Chatterbox while he politely endured her, he ends up kissing her before they part for their separate ways.
Which brings me to my next part: WHAT I HATED:
*SPOILER* LALO WAS A FREAKING TRAITOR?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Picture this, a hopeless romantic shipping these two space lovebirds. The same hopeless romantic shrieking and jumping up and down when they finally kiss, and proudly announcing to the world that she shipped them before they were canon. And then, after finishing the book, this hopelessly hopeful romantic having her world rocked by the possibilities that Gunn had been leading Chatterbox on the entire time because she had been hired by Cad Bane to get Breakout Squad to Bilbringi Depot no matter what. WHAT?!?!?! As a reader, I was left with the impression that possibly Gunn had never been on their side and was working for the villains the entire time, which, seeing as she was one of my favorite characters, felt like crap. What also felt like crap was the fact that Chatterbox gets badly wounded after he is shot shortly after Gunn leaves the group, leaving me to wonder if Ryder Windham had intended their sweet kiss to be a swan song to a ship that would inevitably sink.
But, because of all the feels, both good and bad, this story DESERVED 5 stars, so I am gladly giving it that. Thank you so much, Ryder Windham, for making a story that is targeted to younger audiences, yet is relatable to me, as a highschooler, with characters that I care about and feel very strongly for. You created a book I care deeply about, thank you!
Also, side note, Joey, you might never get these books back. Hahahaha, just kidding. Maybe.
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
The books kind of laid back and relaxed, just interesting enough to keep you going, but not terribly exciting, and no characters that I'm very interested in. A perfectly fine book, but not one that brings over the excitement of the clone wars cartoon series.
hstapp's review against another edition
2.0
This book is setting up a lot in the storyline, but I didn't find it particularly entertaining or engaging. I am interested in seeing where the story goes from here, and am interested in our new companion.
caitrisriding's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
While I am a big fan of the star wars movies, I have never read any of the books at all. With this being my first I was pleasantly surprised that I got to meet new characters in the Star Wars world instead of the main bunch that we hear about in the movies. I really enjoyed going on this mission with these clone troopers and the young Jedi apprentice, it was refreshing to meet these new characters while still being in a world that I'm already familiar with.
I think I will defiantly check out more of this series cause I really like the idea of seeing these little special missions in the Star Wars universe and I think this book did a pretty good job of bringing that to life.
All in all I really enjoyed this book but it wasn't anything amazing. It was a short little read and if you like Star Wars but maybe want to see some different characters and a story you don't know, I would defiantly recommend this for you.
While I am a big fan of the star wars movies, I have never read any of the books at all. With this being my first I was pleasantly surprised that I got to meet new characters in the Star Wars world instead of the main bunch that we hear about in the movies. I really enjoyed going on this mission with these clone troopers and the young Jedi apprentice, it was refreshing to meet these new characters while still being in a world that I'm already familiar with.
I think I will defiantly check out more of this series cause I really like the idea of seeing these little special missions in the Star Wars universe and I think this book did a pretty good job of bringing that to life.
All in all I really enjoyed this book but it wasn't anything amazing. It was a short little read and if you like Star Wars but maybe want to see some different characters and a story you don't know, I would defiantly recommend this for you.
oneheart's review against another edition
5.0
My 9 year old son read this on his own, as well as the 3 remaining books in the series. He then insisted that I read it too (this may be the first book recommendation he gave me)... So basically I'm saying this book was always going to get a five star review from me.