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Shatterpoint

Author: Matthew Stover
Cover Artist: Steven D. Anderson
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: June 2003

Reviewed by Paul Myers

What Worked: The depth of this book was astounding. It really makes you think. In every chapter, you are confronted with some issue that gets you thinking about your own life or what you would do in that situation. Everything is symbolic. A descriptive passage about a ride through the jungle suddenly transforms into an allegory of the entire Clone War. The characters come to life in ways you would never dream of. There are so many memorable lines in this book that you could fill dozens of pages with quotes. And the jungle comes to life so vividly it might as well be a character in and of itself. Any Mace Windu fan will be thrilled to finally see his home world and his people brought to life so masterfully.

What Didn't Work: Not much really. One common complaint is that Depa’s situation and how she ended up like that was not fully clear. However, it was clear that what happened to her was the same as what almost happens to Mace. The author should have spent a little more time with her developing her character, but that would have been hard since the whole book was from Mace’s point of view. The other complaint is grammar. If you are a by the book English teacher-type, then you might not like this book. The author is very fond of colons and sentences that have only one word, where that word is a noun. It still reads well, but if you are a stickler for grammar rules, you might get annoyed.

Who should buy it?: Anyone old enough to watch a PG-13 rated movie, who is looking for something with a lot of depth. It also helps if you are Mace Windu fan. If you want a happy-go-lucky adventure, this is not for you. If you are feint of heart, this is not for you. It can get very intense and philosophical and, at times, very dark. Think this over before buying it.

What did it contribute to the overall story of the Clone Wars? *Beware of spoilers*: This story accomplished quite a bit. It showed how Depa Billaba, who has been revealed as NOT being in Episode 3, came to be "as good as dead." It also showed how, with the limited supply of clone troopers, it is necessary to recruit regular people to be soldiers. By the end of the book, two men, Nick Rostu and Colonel Geptun, have also been recruited as high-ranking Republic officers. Also, a new vehicle was introduced in the form of the Jadthu-class landing ship. Shatterpoint could have a big impact on the overall saga, but only if other authors reference these contributions.

This outstanding addition to the growing Clone Wars saga is a must have. It doesn't matter if you are a hardcore Star Wars fan or just a casual fan looking for a good read. This book is great even if you are NOT a Star Wars fan. If you only read one Star Wars book this year, make it Shatterpoint. This book rocks!

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