Well, I had two blogs all written out, but then I decided I didn't like either of them. So you get a book review instead! I'm so proud: I blew through this book! Yay!

Alright, so Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, a Clone Wars novel, was written by Sean Stewart. It was . . . interesting . . . . Count Dooku sends a message to Yoda asking to meet on Vjun to discuss peace. Yoda is obviously suspicious, but he agrees to meet. The whole first third of the book is just set up - they don't even leave the Temple until the second third, and they don't arrive until the final third. It was pretty boring in the beginning, but got better as the book progressed.

I think the novel's saving grace was the character Scout. She's a padawan, but her master died right after taking her on, and nobody else has "adopted" her. It's quite possible she will be sent to the Agricultural Corps, because the Force is very weak in her. She's a fighter though, desperate to prove herself without the power of the Force. I found myself cheering her on constantly! I think she was a great addition to the novel, especially since we rarely hear about the padwans weaker in the Force/sent to the AC. I think Pax Chizzik, another padawan, said it best: "Tallisibeth (Scout's real name), being a Jedi is about being resourceful, keeping your eyes open, and never, ever giving up." What a kind thing to say!

Another great part of the novel was Whie, a padawan strong in the Force who frequently has prophetic dreams. I really enjoyed him, and felt so bad for him at the same time: some of those dreams were quite dark. It must have been pretty tough for a kid that age to handle something like that. It might have been good for him and Anakin to talk about their Force visions together. Maybe it would have helped both of them. On second thought, Anakin might not be the best role model . . . .

I also enjoyed seeing how much Yoda loved his former pupil, Dooku. That background was really great. It makes his betrayal all the sadder. I thought it was great how even at the end, after everything Dooku had done, Yoda still offered him a second chance. One of the great themes of Star Wars: a chance for redemption, no matter how far gone one is. Doesn't it just make ya feel all warm and fuzzy?

The parts that made the book "interesting?" Well, first of all, Yoda sounded weird. I know his speech can be hard to master, but I think Stewart could have done a much better job. He also made Yoda seem a little . . . unlikable. Like he snored and he was creepy . . . I don't know. It's hard to explain. Read it and you'll understand what I mean. Obi-Wan and Anakin (Anakin especially) didn't sound like themselves either. In speech and in action. Odd.

Additionally, some of the stuff that had to do with Chateau Malreaux just didn't seem all that Star Warsy. More like some mystery/romance novel. It's just strange.

Another thing I found interesting (not interesting in a bad way - just interesting) was how Stewart humanized the Jedi. He made them seem more normal. They felt attachment, love, anger, etc. They just knew how to deal with it. They weren't so perfect. The slightly weird part was that it seemed a normal occurrence that padawans had crushes on each other. Of course, they were expected to comply with the rules, but I had always just assumed that that sort of thing was rare unless you had male and female masters or padawans in dire situations together. Like the Jedi became slightly immune to those kinds of feelings. Not entirely, but mostly.

Stewart also brought up a notable point that I had never thought of before: imagine the power of Yoda gone bad. How crazy would that be?! An extremely wise, practically 900-year-old Jedi Master with great knowledge of the Force. He could do some SERIOUS damage with the dark side.

Hmm, and now I must consider the rating to give this novel . . . . Probably a 6 out of 10. Yeah, that sounds about right, all things considered. If you're debating whether to read/buy this book or another one, go with the other one for now. Dark Rendezvous can wait.

I'll be diving into Republic Commando: Hard Contact next!

MTFBWY and happy reading!
Jade