A great set of characters from the Return of the Jedi
346164
These AT-ST Driver & Gunner are from the Vintage Collection, as seen in the Return of the Jedi movie.  Although from the Vintage Collection, these figure are not packaged on the bubble and vintage card style.  However, you get two figures for the price of one if you can get it from the store, and the packaging itself is not that bad, unless you collect these on the card.

This set of characters are very well sculpted, showing great details on the clothing and depicting great likeness to Richard Marquand and Robert Watts.  In addition, a helmet and blaster rifle are included per figure.

This figure has:
- ball-jointed head,
- ball-hinged shoulder, elbows, torso, knees and ankles, and
- swivel hips and wrists.

Overall, these figures offer good likeness and posability.
4099737
This is a fascinating look at canon when there isn't any canon yet. It's set between Empire and Jedi and it's transparent they were spinning their wheels. The characters are in no way formed with Luke still vaguely in love with Leia and almost zero reference to Vader's revelation. It should be laughable. However, this comes from some of the greatest talent Marvel had in the early 80s including Chris Claremont, David Michelinie, and Walt Simonson. The result is a raft of great SF comics that vaguely feel like Star Wars comics. They're thrilling and fun reads well worth the time.
2178379
Christie Golden was new to Star Wars fiction (but no stranger to similar licensed works) when Fate of the Jedi started. She has proven a valuable addition and her three parts of this nine-book series flow quite well with Aaron Allston's and Troy Denning's. A commendable quality of Fate of the Jedi has been the obvious coordination between the authors and the efforts they have made to not introduce major pet storylines of their own that aren't continued in succeeding volumes. With this eighth book, Ms. Golden is handed a dramatically changed Galactic Alliance and also the responsibility for amping up the Abeloth storyline in advance of Troy Denning's final volume.

With Abeloth and the Lost Tribe of the Sith presenting two opposed yet similarly evil forces vying for galactic dominance, it was only a matter of time before one gained dominance over the other. Abeloth visits the Lost Tribe's homeworld of Kesh early in Ascension and swiftly gains the upper hand. Vestara Khai is still journeying with the Skywalkers and appears to be on the path to the Light Side, while her father has his wife destroyed by Abeloth and yet still decides to join her: quite a contrast. With the Lost Tribe fragmenting into those following Abeloth and those opposed, it's clear that one side or the other will be headed for Coruscant, if not both.

The Expanded Universe has introduced many Sith-dominated worlds in its lifespan (something we've yet to see in a film) and two key ones are visited here: Korriban, introduced in the Dark Horse Knights of the Old Republic comics, and Dromund Kaas, key world in the Old Republic videogame. Both are largely backdrops to the Skywalkers hunting the Sith. When they do catch up to a group of Sith led by Vestara's father, she is forced to make a terrible choice. It's a gripping scene and the aftermath is quite moving: Ms. Golden shows sensitivity in exploring Vestara and Ben's emotions as they attempt to decipher their feelings and Vestara struggles with casting aside her heritage for something new.

One storyline that has quietly burbled along for seven books boils over here: Moff Lecersen's oily attempts to take over the Imperial Remnant and restore the Empire to its glory are discovered and the Lecersen Conspiracy starts to fall apart. At this point in the story the key political forces include the Jedi, the reformed Galactic Alliance, the Lost Tribe of the Sith, Abeloth, the Imperial Remnant led by Jagged Fel, Daala's loyalists, and Lecersen's allies. It's quite a lot to juggle in books full of space action: Ascension makes significant progress on clarifying and streamlining the last three groups.

Another simmering plot has been the trial of Tahiri Veila. She's part of a superb jail break-out sequence early in the story, one that incidentally features a certain Boba Fett as well. Ms. Golden replaced the 2-5-8 position that Karen Traviss occupied in the prior nine-book series Legacy of the Force. Despite my fondness for Ms. Traviss' Mandalorian obsession, it's rather a relief to encounter Fett in a story and know we're not going to spend hundreds of pages on his infirmities. Tahiri has been a sideshow in Fate of the Jedi but her freedom appears to be setting her up for a bigger role in the climax.

Ascension shines when dealing with Luke, Ben, and Vestara: there's some real intrigue around what her ultimate decision will be. Events near the end of the book appear to start answering this but there is still a lot of room for Apocalypse to take her in any direction. Ascension sets the stage for an excellent climax and confirms Ms. Golden as a welcome new addition to the regular stable of Star Wars authors.
1744004
Great set for both fans of Star Wars and Monopoly, the 3d board aspect adds a unique wrinkle to age-old gameplay. My only beef, an odd choice to not have an Obi-wan piece( given he's a central figure in the film, in the series, and a significant sci-fi pop culture icon). Every other character( Qui-gon, Maul, Sidious, Battle droid, Young Anakin, Queen/ Padme, even the annoying Jar Jar) can justifiably be included, but not sure why they'd include a side character like Sebulba over Obi-wan. But thats a minor quibble for an otherwise great game.
4636238
I got a copy of this book from Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review.  I really enjoyed the first book in this series; Verily, A New Hope.  This book was even better than that book and it was a ton of fun to read.  The final book in the trilogy, The Jedi Doth Return, is scheduled to release in July 2014.

Any Star Wars fan knows the story.  Luke, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and crew are on the rebel base on the planet of Hoth.  When things go South, Luke flees to get training from Yoda and the rest of the crew flee to seek help from Lando with the Empire hot in pursuit.  There is definitely a lot of drama here and it lends itself to Shakespearean style well.

I love Shakespeare and I love Star Wars, so of course I enjoy these books immensely.  This book was even better than the first book and even more hilarious.  I thought Doescher did a much better job with having the characters use asides to tell their point of view, this adds a lot more depth to the story.

One of the most hilarious parts of this book is that we get to hear from some of the monsters and bad guys. There is a part where the Wampa laments the escape of his meal and how badly he has been treated.  The Exogor (space slug that the Millenium Falcon hides in) has a soliloquy where he expounds on the loneliness of being a space slug.  We even hear from some overly dramatic AT-ATs (this had me laughing so hard I was nearly in tears).

In addition to the above you get a lot more insight into how people view Darth Vader in a long soliloquy from Admiral Piett.  There is also more background on Lando and his past friendship with Han.  The numerous soliloquies and asides add a lot more depth to these Star Wars characters we all know and love.

Just as with the last book, the asides from R2-D2 are hilarious and his opinion of C3PO echoes my own.  This is also the book where Han and Leia discover their feelings for each other, this storyline lends itself to a lot of wonderfully witty banter between the two and many asides where they discuss their feelings for each other.  Again these are very witty and funny.

As with the last book there are a number of well done Elizabethan style illustrations throughout, these are done in an etched sort of style and again add a lot of humor to this parody.  Yoda in an Elizabethan collar is definitely a must see.

Overall very, very well done.  I really enjoyed this second installment in the Star Wars series retold in a Shakespearean way.  There is a lot of witty humor and even parts so funny that I almost laughed until I cried.  The illustrations are wonderful.  In addition to all of the humor and fun, the asides and soliloquies really do add a lot of depth to the characters and expand on the story some.  If you enjoy Star Wars and Shakespeare definitely check this out, if you enjoyed the first book in this Shakespearean Star Wars series definitely check this out.  This book is even better than the first one.
2532336
A good addition to the Star Wars family.  I enjoy any time where the relationship between the Emperor and Darth Vader is explored and expanded.  After reading Darth Plagueis and the trials the soon-to-be Emperor needed to endure- it is interesting to see Darth Sidious begin to test Darth Vader in the same vein.  A great read for post Revenge of the Sith story line.
245599
This graphic novel, which is a collection of comics from the Star Wars: Republic series, is really fantastic. I gave it four stars not because it is not a good book, but because its material involving Quinlan Vos is not as good as it could have been.

This omnibus does cover his first encounters after losing his memory, and how he meets Aayla Secura for the first time, as well as Obi-Wan Kenobi. The stories that feature him are pretty good. However, he appears as only a minor character in several stories. That was my only disappointment with the Omnibus, and the reason for the four star rating instead of five.

More obscure Jedi are mentioned in this Omnibus, like Oppo Rancisis, Tholme, and even Tyvokka. If you're curious about the Stark Hyperspace Wars, this omnibus will answer most of your questions. It really is very good, but I was just hoping it would have more to do with Quinlan.

Either way, it is still a purchase I would make again if I had to. If you are, like me, a great Quin fan, then check out Star Wars: Clone Wars Volumes 4,6,8, and 9. They all have great stories about him.
4098218
I love the fact that they brought all of the principle actors from the original classic back into the franchise. Fun watch.
2530545
Despite the title, this Star Wars omnibus reveals little about the Sith.  Sure, there's a miniseries that sheds some light on the history of the Darth Maul character, but other than that, the only common thread between the stories collected here is that they take place just shortly before Episode 1.  There are, however, a lot of stories, so the sheer amount of content contained in this collection is a good bargain.  The collection includes:

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: The Aurorient Express: This miniseries follows the title characters investigating sabotage aboard a space train.  It's a fun read but nothing particularly special.  The art by Lucas Marangon suits the Saturday morning cartoon-esque tone of the story well.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: Last Stand on Ord Mantell: This miniseries follows the title characters investigating an assassination attempt that eventually leads them into a Western-style adventure.  This story is much stronger on characterization than the previous Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan miniseries.

Aurra's Song: A brief one-shot that reveals (some of) the Jedi bounty hunter character's backstory.  Like many stories collected, it's mildly interesting, but also unremarkable and forgettable.

Jedi Council: Acts of War: This miniseries takes place shortly before The Phantom Menace and attempts to deepen the characters who make up the Jedi Council that aren't played by Frank Oz or Samuel L. Jackson.  The Jedi Council becomes involved in a political crisis.  The story contains more than enough action to be a satisfactory but quickly forgotten read.

Prelude to Rebellion: This story was the first arc of the new Star Wars comic (later known as Star Wars: Republic) and follows the adventures of Ki-Adi Mundi (the conehead Jedi) following the trail of a mystery that, like far too many Star Wars stories, leads back to the desert planet Tatooine.  Mundi is a well-written and interesting character, and somewhat unique for Star Wars: a middle-aged Jedi who is also a husband and father.  The plot is loosely connected to Episode 1.

Vow of Justice: This was originally published as a back-up story in the first few issues of Star Wars alongside Prelude to Rebellion.  It depicts an adventure of the young Ki-Adi Mundi taking on a bandit leader and learning a lesson about the respect for power.  It's not a particularly great story, but it does help to deepen an already intriguing character.

Darth Maul: This miniseries was a tie-in comic released in conjunction with Episode 1.  It depicts Darth Maul on a mission to eradicate a crime syndicate.  Like most of the stories in this collection, it's filled with action - and little else.  If readers are interested in the Maul character and wanted to learn more about what makes him tick or what shaped his personality, this miniseries will definitely not reveal any of that; it will, however, reveal where he got his spaceship. Jan Duursema's art is excellent though.
1338984
Fun book with many different characters from classic Star Wars and a few from the prequel trilogy & The Force Awakens.  Pics are on one side of the paper.  Paper quality is fine but not the heaviest quality.
2804802
Darth becomes a good guy. Luke  discovers he is leia's long lost brother, Lando wins the war. This is a must watch episode. The Ewoks were great.
939816
Greg Keyes kicks the New Jedi Order back into high gear with the eighteenth and penultimate book in the series, The Final Prophecy. The sprawling saga severely lagged in the Force Heretic trilogy, set just before this story. Mr. Keyes, already a shining presence in the New Jedi Order thanks to his excellent Edge of Victory duology, wisely delivers a fast-paced and concise book that narrowly focuses on a few key characters while also setting the stage for the sweeping scope of the series conclusion. By keeping his lens on a few Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong and not spending time inventing side trips for Luke, Han, and Leia, Mr. Keyes delivers the shot of adrenalin this series sorely needed.

The Final Prophecy brings more to the development of living planet Zonama Sekot than the totality of the three books set before it. Jedi Master Corran Horn and newly-healed Jedi Knight Tahiri are sent on a mission that involves travelling with three Yuuzhan Vong to Zonama Sekot. There are several intriguing dynamics in play here: a major one is Corran's lack of faith in Tahiri. She has made peace with her fractured personality resulting from her tortures at the hands of the Vong, but Corran has difficulty fully embracing this new Tahiri. Compounding the difficulties are their three passengers on the trip: Harrar, a Vong priest of high standing, shaper Nen Yim, and traitorous Nom Anor, disguised as The Prophet. It's a long-overdue development in the New Jedi Order to portray more of the Vong as fully-realized individuals with different goals and philosophies, rather than a faceless, relentless and death-obsessed caricatures.

Zonama Sekot itself is a major development in the Star Wars universe. A sentient planet opens up many questions about the nature and scale of the Force, such as why there is only one (perhaps the others are simply unknown?) and is the Force actively directing the creation of such an intelligence for its own purposes? Mr. Keyes opens up these themes and more as we experience Zonama Sekot from several perspectives, including the three Vong's. The most intriguing contrast is that of Harrar's rapidly developing faith and wonder at the universe around him with Nom Anor's deeply-seated cynicism and opportunistic choices.

The other major storyline of The Final Prophecy is also well-executed but I found it largely a sidebar to the events and character development taking place on Zonama Sekot. This second plot follows Wedge Antilles leading a massive strike at the Bilbringi shipyards, site of a legendary conflict with Grand Admiral Thrawn decades earlier. It's exciting enough and has a particular storyline involving an overlooked Golan Defense Platform that is quite entertaining. However, the meat of this story feels like it is in the evolution of certain Vong and the possibilities their altered viewpoints bring to ways to end the conflict with the Vong on a more permanent basis.

At this point in the New Jedi Order I doubt many readers would be clamoring for a lot more books. It's time to bring it to a close and of course the following novel does just that. But setting aside any fatigue from the overlabored nature of the series as a whole, The Final Prophet is a fine addition to the Star Wars mythos and quite an enjoyable read.
537308
A very solid start to the *new* Star Wars novel additions to canon. (I know there have been other books, but this feels like the first real, fresh start). Mr. Wendig does a great job of giving readers a window into the state of the Galaxy Far, Far Away following the destruction of the second Death Star. Tons of new characters, with a few familiar faces making appearance, great action, and a mysterious ending make for a fun read.

All in all, I was pleased with this new chapter in the Star Wars saga and can't wait to see what Chuck Wendig can bring to the table in the future.
3700787
Having read only a few books in Star Wars' EU in the past, I recently decided it was time to do a lot more reading to see if I could more thoroughly enjoy the Prequel Trilogy and the Clone Wars cartoon.  I really hadn't been hooked in to those nearly as much as I had the original trilogy, and most of my EU experience was with the Thrawn novles and that timeline anyway.  While I started with James Luceno's Darth Plagueis -- an okay book with some great insights into Palpatine's character and the Dark Side of the Force, but otherwise a seemingly random series of scenes held together by the thinnest of plots -- it's been my second foray with Cloak of Deception that's truly changed the game in every possible way.

Cloak follows a few plot threads that merge beautifully by the end: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan pursuing a mercenary smuggler named Cohl, who has joined up with a terrorist cell led by the enigmatic Havac; the manipulation of the Nemoidians by Darth Sidious, leading to them gaining significant control of the Trade Federation; and lastly, the expert diplomacy of Senator Palpatine as he makes the last bold move to undermine Supreme Chancellor Valorum, and cast light on the depths of corruption throughout the Republic.

What makes Cloak so much better than Darth Plagueis, even though it's from the same author, is that the plot is strong, all of the characters are portrayed well, and the convergence of the plot elements sets up more than just the over-arching story of Episode I's political elements, but also nearly every move the key secondary characters make -- Valorum, the Trade Federation, the other Senators of the Republic.  Whereas the Plagueis novel gave us everything we need to know from Darth Sidious' side of the story through several snippets of events, with no other characters besides the novel's name sake being at all portrayed with any depth, Cloak's characters -- new and old -- all have personality and add to the story.  For the "old" characters, you have the entire Jedi Council, several galactic Senators, Wilhuff (soon-to-be-Grand Moff) Tarkin, the Trade Federation's Nemoidian leaders, and of course Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.  In every case, the dialogue of each character reads just as if it had been said by the actors from the movies, almost eerily so.  The new characters include mercenaries Cohl, Boiny, Rella, and Lope, plus a terrorist cell led by Havac.  Though some of these characters have a short part in the book -- specifically Lope -- all are important, and each feels very different from the others, easily being able to carry a spin-off novel if necessary.

There's little else I can say, beyond the fact that this book would have been a better starting place for me than Darth Plagueis.  Cloak of Deception is a necessary lead-in to Episode I: The Phantom Menace (whose novel I've just started, and already like better than the movie!), and provides an entertaining stand-alone story in addition to the excellent insights that will lead Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to head out to that Trade Federation flagship, only to kick off what will soon become the fall of the Old Republic, and the rise of the Galactic Empire.

As an aside, I found having the Star Wars Character Encyclopedia very helpful during my reading of the novel, or -- if a computer is handy -- using Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.  It helps me remember some of the less-well known Jedi council members, senators and so on.  None of these are critical to enjoying the story -- Luceno does an expert job of describing all of the characters -- but it was useful for reminding me who Oppo Rancisis, Sei Taria, and folks like that were.  A shining omission, I might add, was that Vergere shows up in this book with little description and only a small part, but I've since learned he's important later in the EU.  It's not worthy of losing a star, but it's notable that this character shows up with little or no fanfare and shares an important scene or two with other characters, but otherwise is pretty much just "there."
3249376
I Really enjoyed this book series, one of the best Star Wars set of novels available. Really well written trilogy with great characters. Not sure how the new cannon will work now, but I for one would love to have a trilogy about Darth Zannah from Drew Karpyshyn (if he wanted to continue the story about the Sith Lords that lead up to the rise of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader). My favorite parts where the interactions between Darth Bane and Darth Zannah, they where just how I would imagine a Sith master and apprentice would be with each other.
521776
As someone who owned the first 4 seasons on DVD I can absolutely say that the switch to blu ray for this complete 5 season series set is well worth it.  It comes with a nice (if not great) art book, plus a separate booklet detailing each episode.  The picture and sound quality for both the episodes and the extras is superb, and a definite step up from my old DVDs.  For those of you who haven't watched the series yet, this is the box to get I think.

The series finale (which I will not spoil here) was a rather clever ending that DID at least answer the biggest question of all - why wasn't Anakin's new padawn not in the movies?  The series also ends in a way that absolutely informs Anakin's perspective and who he is at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith.  For me, that's 99% of why I love this box set, because even though the show was abruptly cancelled, they did at least answer that one rather large question. Overall, the chronology stays intact and actually enhances the movies greatly in my opinion.

 ...To be fair though, there are two or three story threads that I wish would have been wrapped up, but Lucasfilm is supposed to be releasing a few more episodes next year which may (or may not) answer the remaining questions.  But speaking soley for this set I believe it (more or less) does tell a complete tale, and contains many of the absolute best Star Wars stories ever told.  And that's saying something.

Highly recommend for young and older fans alike.  Great family entertainment.
757152
I have not read this book all through as yet, but I do enjoy the premise of this series as I am both literate and a huge fan of the Star Wars universe.  This particular tome is based on "The Return of the Jedi" movie and I was intrigued as to how it would depict the thoughts and feelings of the characters, especially of Darth Vader when he turned from the Dark side to save his son and kill the Emperor.  In the movie it only shows Vader looking from the Emperor to his son for a few seconds before making his decision.  in this book it uses almost a whole page (144) to elucidate his thought process.  Thus I can only see this book augment one's endearment to the original film and not detract from it in any way, but I suspect one would have to be a fan of Star Wars (and perhaps Shakespeare) to enjoy reading it.