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0101_1_0111_1's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
rogue_leader's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
rhganci's review against another edition
4.0
Bariss becomes a Jedi—the whole reason I read the book, and it was worth it. Ending was a bit disappointing. I like the connection that these two have to Darth Maul , and I hope that some of these characters (Bariss?) will show up in Reaves’ next series.
bloodravenlib's review against another edition
3.0
As I mentioned for the first book of this duology, I read them back to back. I borrowed them from the public library.
If you have not seen my note, see the link from my blog:
[http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/2007/01/booknote-star-wars-medstar-duology.html]
If you have not seen my note, see the link from my blog:
[http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/2007/01/booknote-star-wars-medstar-duology.html]
cclef's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
verkisto's review against another edition
4.0
First, the covers of these books. They have nothing to do with the stories within. In Battle Surgeons, Barriss doesn't attack a battle droid with a lightsaber; in Jedi Healer, she never heals a trooper in his armor (to say nothing of the Force not glowing when it's in use). Sure, there's some license to be expected here, and it's not nearly as bad as the skeleton pirates that graced the cover of Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides, but it can't be overlooked.
Second, this series makes a huge improvement in the second book. The first one frustrated me with its wandering plot and the uninspired characters, but Jedi Healer takes that plot to its conclusion. It occurred to me about halfway through this book that the reason Battle Surgeons felt so frustrating was because I was reading half a novel. All that's set up through the events in Battle Surgeons comes to its logical conclusion here in Jedi Healer. Should I be surprised? I mean, I knew these two books were their own little series going into them, but I also knew the same about the Darth Bane series, and each of those books could stand alone (to some degree). These two, though, could have been edited down into one book.
The characters also improved in this book. We still have the same central characters (minus two, at least), and their characters develop more in this story. Jos, our main character, continues to learn more about what defines humanity, again with the help of I-5, a protocol droid who shows signs of sentience. That character originated in Reaves' Shadow Hunters, and I wonder if the author had planned to revisit the droid as he was writing that book. The way the story develops into MedStar (and, I'm guessing, will continue developing in his Coruscant Nights) makes me think he did, but I wonder if he had the stories planned out at that time.
Jedi Healer was one of those books I couldn't put down once starting. With some Star Wars books, I have trouble staying focused on the story once it gets more into detail than character, but that wasn't the case here. The characters and the plot take central stage here, even more so than they did in Battle Surgeons. Again, I feel like the two books are just one story and could have been one volume, and I wonder if that was originally the authors' intention. It wouldn't be the first time a publisher has asked an author to split one book into two volumes, for a variety of reasons.
As I say often when I really like a book, the story isn't perfect. Jos misses something that was obvious to me as soon as the situation presented itself, and I was annoyed with him when it took nearly 100 pages to figure it out. Also, the authors cram in several modern sayings, like "For increased life satisfaction, lower your expectations", tweaking them just a bit to make them fit into the universe of Star Wars. I was okay with one or two, but it seemed like they showed up about once every other chapter. I do have to give the authors credit for referencing a Pan-Galactic Gargleblaster while in a bar, though.
I'm surprised and pleased with Jedi Healer. These books were my first foray into Steve Perry, whose name I knew from his original Alien novels, and I know he'll show up again with Shadows of the Empire. I'd recommend this series to anyone who likes a good, fast-paced, engaging story, with the caveat being that you have to make it through the first, less satisfying book to get to the good parts.
Second, this series makes a huge improvement in the second book. The first one frustrated me with its wandering plot and the uninspired characters, but Jedi Healer takes that plot to its conclusion. It occurred to me about halfway through this book that the reason Battle Surgeons felt so frustrating was because I was reading half a novel. All that's set up through the events in Battle Surgeons comes to its logical conclusion here in Jedi Healer. Should I be surprised? I mean, I knew these two books were their own little series going into them, but I also knew the same about the Darth Bane series, and each of those books could stand alone (to some degree). These two, though, could have been edited down into one book.
The characters also improved in this book. We still have the same central characters (minus two, at least), and their characters develop more in this story. Jos, our main character, continues to learn more about what defines humanity, again with the help of I-5, a protocol droid who shows signs of sentience. That character originated in Reaves' Shadow Hunters, and I wonder if the author had planned to revisit the droid as he was writing that book. The way the story develops into MedStar (and, I'm guessing, will continue developing in his Coruscant Nights) makes me think he did, but I wonder if he had the stories planned out at that time.
Jedi Healer was one of those books I couldn't put down once starting. With some Star Wars books, I have trouble staying focused on the story once it gets more into detail than character, but that wasn't the case here. The characters and the plot take central stage here, even more so than they did in Battle Surgeons. Again, I feel like the two books are just one story and could have been one volume, and I wonder if that was originally the authors' intention. It wouldn't be the first time a publisher has asked an author to split one book into two volumes, for a variety of reasons.
As I say often when I really like a book, the story isn't perfect. Jos misses something that was obvious to me as soon as the situation presented itself, and I was annoyed with him when it took nearly 100 pages to figure it out. Also, the authors cram in several modern sayings, like "For increased life satisfaction, lower your expectations", tweaking them just a bit to make them fit into the universe of Star Wars. I was okay with one or two, but it seemed like they showed up about once every other chapter. I do have to give the authors credit for referencing a Pan-Galactic Gargleblaster while in a bar, though.
I'm surprised and pleased with Jedi Healer. These books were my first foray into Steve Perry, whose name I knew from his original Alien novels, and I know he'll show up again with Shadows of the Empire. I'd recommend this series to anyone who likes a good, fast-paced, engaging story, with the caveat being that you have to make it through the first, less satisfying book to get to the good parts.
seumas_mac_ned's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
k_winchester's review against another edition
2.0
I read the first Jedi Healer book ages ago and remembered liking it. Since then, I've learned a lot about writing and read a whole lot more books. Both things made this book suffer for me - rather than getting invested in the story, I felt annoyed by many of the author's choices. There were so many unnecessary explanations and backstory chunks, way too much repetitive sections (how many times did we have a vague chapter about the spy being regretful of his/her actions but deeming them necessary? Once was all that was needed) - and Barris' struggles with the bota seemed to be abruptly solved at the last second in such a hand-wavey way. I ended up wanting to edit and "fix" this book instead of enjoying it.
Had I read it back several years ago with the other one, I might've enjoyed it a lot more.
Had I read it back several years ago with the other one, I might've enjoyed it a lot more.
ketsu_onyo's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this book series on google play books, and my opinions are my own.
I really wish there were more of the MedStar series. These two books have been one of the most original explorations of The Clone Wars in specific and Star Wars in general save the Republic Commando series.
And just as that series had its glorious flaws, such as the author not being informed of key plot points that might have helped better develop the story and enrich the characters, so too does the Medstar series have its own.
Among them are some of the relationships between the characters and dangling plot threads for sequels never written. For that, one demerit, but only one. After all, we have to consider the source material, and its long list of now non-canon fiction written to fill gaps in the plot of the movies to begin with.
Also, if you've come for Barris, there's plenty of story that enriches her journey, but doesn't extend or end it.
In fact, the MC here is an original, well thought out Corellian surgeon with a palladium scalpel named Jos Varnar, and Barriss Offee often takes a passenger seat to his driving of the plot. With his sassy quips and razor-sharp wits that are dulled only by the complete exhaustion that befalls everyone in this Rimsoo, or R*M*S*U, Jos has been conscripted like everyone else to help fight a war he doesn't believe in. Rather than completely shame and exile himself from his Corellian family by conscientiously objecting and running off, he finds himself constantly overworked, understaffed, and undersupplied in a conflict over a planet where a panacea grows.
The plant called bota adapts to any species' biology and cures every wound, disease, or mental illness it comes across. It's an invaluable resource in the war no matter what side you're on. And so both the Republic and the Confederacy are eagerly, desperately trying to lay claim to the entire supply, or at least prevent the other from gaining access to it. And they aren't the only ones. Black Sun has quite a large stake in the endeavor as well, and has its own agents stirring the pot to a frothing boil.
Jos is understandably lonely for both home and romance. But he is also forced to choose between a boring, loveless marriage at home on Corellia with the prescribed successful practice, kids, and well-respected family or a relationship with one of the many beautiful non-Corellian women he has met out here in the galaxy. Sex, let alone marriage, with a non-Corellian is verboten by his society. If he does mess up and sleep with one from time to time, well, it's acceptable, understandable, even, as long as he doesn't talk about it or bring any of them home. That would be a scandal to ruin his family's good name, and force him back off-planet to make his own way. But Jos is also the sort who knows himself well enough to realize he couldn't just engage in rando hookups. He wants more, a lot more, and it's making him absolutely miserable.
And that's where my one star for problematic relationships starts to come in: clearly, in the first novel, Jos is romantically and sexually attracted to Barris, a gorgeous, mysterious young woman whose curious, benevolent nature hides the iron will and discipline of a highly regarded Jedi padawan. But he is also attracted to his nurse, another gorgeous young Lorrdian woman named Tolk Le Trene (yes, seriously), who has the near-human species' ability to read emotion through body language. And it just so happens she's particularly attuned to Jos's. Well, of course she is, he's her superior officer and he chooses her more often than not to assist him in delicate surgeries.
We really never get to know much more than that about her, although the MC's character progression is mainly fueled by his inner conflicts about Tolk, as well as various other characters like the droid medical assistant I-Five (groan). The reprogrammed protocol droid is military property, like a weapon or a crate of bandages. But his sarcasm betrays a far-deeper self-awareness than any droid Jos ever known. If he's actually sentient, then Jos can no longer ignore the intrinsic suffering of the clone soldiers he operates on daily. Yet to do so would open Jos up to the actual true horror of their situation.
Sadly, although these issues are mainly resolved by the beginning of the first novel, we don't really get to know any of the other protagonists beyond snappy one-liners, gallows humor for the soon to be deceased.
We do get pretty full characterization of some of the villains, such as the spy, the crooked Admiral, the assassin, and the vague Sithiness that is the martial arts instructor.
And that fills a great many gaps in my like column for these stories. Too often, we see cardboard cutout villains that are practically clones of Darth Sidious, Darth Maul, or Darth Vader, whether it's in a Star Wars novel or other fiction. So I didn't take another star away when the journalist, a rather charming Sullustan named Den Dhurr, fails some pretty big morality checks for the sake of not spoiling the plot and perpetuating the myth of his conscienceless avarice for the story, a being that will do anything to see it to its end.
It wouldn't be the first time in Star Wars or other stories that we are left wondering why characters are blind to easy solutions, and others pay the price for their self-centeredness as they pat themselves on the back for neatly avoiding becoming a known villain to the friends he values. I liked Den a lot, but like the chorus in a Greek tragedy, we the readers are left to bemoan the irony of the characters' actions.
Other things I really liked about the books were the attention to detail in terms of scientific and medical realities, and metaphor. If I see one more Star Wars story where any one of the characters refers to the bathroom instead of the 'fresher, I will personally track down the editor and give them a good finger-wagging. These writers really put some though into the metaphors the characters would use, the literature they'd refer to, the morality lessons given by professors, Jedi Masters, and deities. The glimpse into Sullastan domesticity was also quite interesting, as well as the extrapolation of Corellian social norms.
Overall, this is a fine and thoughtful addition to the Star Wars universe, and it's a real shame it has been relegated to "Legends" status. There are plenty of books and comics that predate this one and really belong there (New Jedi Order, I'm looking at you!), but this is not one of them.
I really wish there were more of the MedStar series. These two books have been one of the most original explorations of The Clone Wars in specific and Star Wars in general save the Republic Commando series.
And just as that series had its glorious flaws, such as the author not being informed of key plot points that might have helped better develop the story and enrich the characters, so too does the Medstar series have its own.
Among them are some of the relationships between the characters and dangling plot threads for sequels never written. For that, one demerit, but only one. After all, we have to consider the source material, and its long list of now non-canon fiction written to fill gaps in the plot of the movies to begin with.
Also, if you've come for Barris, there's plenty of story that enriches her journey, but doesn't extend or end it.
In fact, the MC here is an original, well thought out Corellian surgeon with a palladium scalpel named Jos Varnar, and Barriss Offee often takes a passenger seat to his driving of the plot. With his sassy quips and razor-sharp wits that are dulled only by the complete exhaustion that befalls everyone in this Rimsoo, or R*M*S*U, Jos has been conscripted like everyone else to help fight a war he doesn't believe in. Rather than completely shame and exile himself from his Corellian family by conscientiously objecting and running off, he finds himself constantly overworked, understaffed, and undersupplied in a conflict over a planet where a panacea grows.
The plant called bota adapts to any species' biology and cures every wound, disease, or mental illness it comes across. It's an invaluable resource in the war no matter what side you're on. And so both the Republic and the Confederacy are eagerly, desperately trying to lay claim to the entire supply, or at least prevent the other from gaining access to it. And they aren't the only ones. Black Sun has quite a large stake in the endeavor as well, and has its own agents stirring the pot to a frothing boil.
Jos is understandably lonely for both home and romance. But he is also forced to choose between a boring, loveless marriage at home on Corellia with the prescribed successful practice, kids, and well-respected family or a relationship with one of the many beautiful non-Corellian women he has met out here in the galaxy. Sex, let alone marriage, with a non-Corellian is verboten by his society. If he does mess up and sleep with one from time to time, well, it's acceptable, understandable, even, as long as he doesn't talk about it or bring any of them home. That would be a scandal to ruin his family's good name, and force him back off-planet to make his own way. But Jos is also the sort who knows himself well enough to realize he couldn't just engage in rando hookups. He wants more, a lot more, and it's making him absolutely miserable.
And that's where my one star for problematic relationships starts to come in: clearly, in the first novel, Jos is romantically and sexually attracted to Barris, a gorgeous, mysterious young woman whose curious, benevolent nature hides the iron will and discipline of a highly regarded Jedi padawan. But he is also attracted to his nurse, another gorgeous young Lorrdian woman named Tolk Le Trene (yes, seriously), who has the near-human species' ability to read emotion through body language. And it just so happens she's particularly attuned to Jos's. Well, of course she is, he's her superior officer and he chooses her more often than not to assist him in delicate surgeries.
We really never get to know much more than that about her, although the MC's character progression is mainly fueled by his inner conflicts about Tolk, as well as various other characters like the droid medical assistant I-Five (groan). The reprogrammed protocol droid is military property, like a weapon or a crate of bandages. But his sarcasm betrays a far-deeper self-awareness than any droid Jos ever known. If he's actually sentient, then Jos can no longer ignore the intrinsic suffering of the clone soldiers he operates on daily. Yet to do so would open Jos up to the actual true horror of their situation.
Sadly, although these issues are mainly resolved by the beginning of the first novel, we don't really get to know any of the other protagonists beyond snappy one-liners, gallows humor for the soon to be deceased.
We do get pretty full characterization of some of the villains, such as the spy, the crooked Admiral, the assassin, and the vague Sithiness that is the martial arts instructor.
And that fills a great many gaps in my like column for these stories. Too often, we see cardboard cutout villains that are practically clones of Darth Sidious, Darth Maul, or Darth Vader, whether it's in a Star Wars novel or other fiction. So I didn't take another star away when the journalist, a rather charming Sullustan named Den Dhurr, fails some pretty big morality checks for the sake of not spoiling the plot and perpetuating the myth of his conscienceless avarice for the story, a being that will do anything to see it to its end.
It wouldn't be the first time in Star Wars or other stories that we are left wondering why characters are blind to easy solutions, and others pay the price for their self-centeredness as they pat themselves on the back for neatly avoiding becoming a known villain to the friends he values. I liked Den a lot, but like the chorus in a Greek tragedy, we the readers are left to bemoan the irony of the characters' actions.
Other things I really liked about the books were the attention to detail in terms of scientific and medical realities, and metaphor. If I see one more Star Wars story where any one of the characters refers to the bathroom instead of the 'fresher, I will personally track down the editor and give them a good finger-wagging. These writers really put some though into the metaphors the characters would use, the literature they'd refer to, the morality lessons given by professors, Jedi Masters, and deities. The glimpse into Sullastan domesticity was also quite interesting, as well as the extrapolation of Corellian social norms.
Overall, this is a fine and thoughtful addition to the Star Wars universe, and it's a real shame it has been relegated to "Legends" status. There are plenty of books and comics that predate this one and really belong there (New Jedi Order, I'm looking at you!), but this is not one of them.
vendea's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is my favorite - or close to favorite - of all the Star Wars novels I have read.
I picked it up because I was staring at the Star Wars section at the library and wanted something to read and had just finished the Clone Wars tv series and wanted to read something about Barriss from outside that timeline.
Now my expectations aren't terribly high when I pick up a Star Wars novel - I'm looking for decent entertainment for a couple hours. This book surprised me. It's not what you would typically expect from a SW novel, especially one set in the middle of the Clone Wars, as it has virtually no combat, only incidental interactions with clones, and Barriss is the only Jedi actually present throughout the narrative. It deals with the daily lives and interactions of a group of surgeons, nurses, various military personnel, and civilians living and working in a Rimsoo - a Republic Mobile Surgical Unit (MASH, anyone?? Yes, it reminded me a bit of that). This means that the novel takes a much more personal and character driven approach to depicting this part of the war - and I though it worked really well. Touches on the humanity of clones, sentience of droids, PTSD / stress / anxiety of the doctors and nurses (and Barriss), and has a remarkable storyline about love and family. I was impressed. If you're at all curious, I would encourage you to read this.
I picked it up because I was staring at the Star Wars section at the library and wanted something to read and had just finished the Clone Wars tv series and wanted to read something about Barriss from outside that timeline.
Now my expectations aren't terribly high when I pick up a Star Wars novel - I'm looking for decent entertainment for a couple hours. This book surprised me. It's not what you would typically expect from a SW novel, especially one set in the middle of the Clone Wars, as it has virtually no combat, only incidental interactions with clones, and Barriss is the only Jedi actually present throughout the narrative. It deals with the daily lives and interactions of a group of surgeons, nurses, various military personnel, and civilians living and working in a Rimsoo - a Republic Mobile Surgical Unit (MASH, anyone?? Yes, it reminded me a bit of that). This means that the novel takes a much more personal and character driven approach to depicting this part of the war - and I though it worked really well. Touches on the humanity of clones, sentience of droids, PTSD / stress / anxiety of the doctors and nurses (and Barriss), and has a remarkable storyline about love and family. I was impressed. If you're at all curious, I would encourage you to read this.