No Prisoners by Karen TravissMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Karen Traviss has written lots of Star Wars novels, notably from the Republic Commando and Legacy of the Force series and her familiarity with the universe shows.
This one tells the story of the extraction of a Republic spy from a warzone during the Clone Wars era of stories, based on the Clone Wars animated series and sitting between Episodes 2 and 3 of the movies.
The captain of the Leveller, Gill Pellaeon has a personal interest when instructed to attempt the retrieval of his romantic interest, Helena Devis from a planet being taken over by the Separatist movement. With help from well known Clone Wars characters, Ahsoka, the 501st squadron led by Rex and eventually Anakin, things predictably don't go as straight forward as they should for such a simple operation. It's not a complicated mission, and the fact Traviss has made an entire novel out of it (albeit quite a short one) is impressive. That's perfect though - rather shorter, more concise and exciting than waffling on needlessly with an over complicated plot. This is war, and not all missions are convoluted, though even this seemingly straight forward extraction meets it's obstacles.
What really drew me in was the inclusion of Jedi Master Altis and his sect of jedi followers. This group of Jedi are not bound by the ruling of the Jedi Temple and Master Yoda, and have many different beliefs and abilities to traditional Jedi. They can sense machines and interact with them via the force, and don't ban attachment, actively being involved in loving relationships and marriages.
This understandably creates some inner turmoil in both Ahsoka and especially Anakin (who we know from the films, and the earlier part of this story is navigating a secret relationship with Senator Padme Amidala), who have been told all their Jedi lives that attachment is forbidden and leads to the Dark Side. However, here's a perfectly functional group of Jedi in relationships that most definitely aren't evil, doing good deeds all over the galaxy. is what they've been told their entire life been a lie? This is an interesting idea, that the Jedi aren't made up of the solely the front facing Jedi Temple sect and other splinter groups operate with different beliefs around the universe, and one that Traviss explores well.
The Clones too, have an interesting relationship this time. Rex has inherited some new "shiny" troopers to his famous 501st group, so when things don't go according to plan, it's even harder for him to accept than it may have otherwise have been.
Another exciting and expanding Star Wars novel then. Expects some prior knowledge of the Star Wars universe and in particular the Clone Wars animation. If you're already a fan though and want to do some wider universe reading, you'd do worse than the Clone Wars novels. Recommended.
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