Wild Space (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

You know you teared up at the moment, during TFA, when Han says to Chewie of their reunion with the Millennium Falcon:, "Chewie, we're home." Regardless of however else the last three movies were handled and received, there were those moments of nostalgia riddled realization in which we awed and brushed away tears because, yes, we were home...*This* is Star Wars. Well, this book is the same calibre of nostalgia and emotion, exploring a time and place in canon we...even with the Clone Wars series, deserved to see more of. Obi Wan and Anakin at their zenith, and everything else posed on the tiny tip of the spear that would pierce and rip it apart in such a painfully short time. More than that, we learn in this story that every other piece of canon material we have on Obi Wan Kenobi *barely* explores what a powerful and consummate a Jedi Obi Wan is. And what a brilliant, complicated soul the man underneath the stoic Jedi veneer is. I've recommended this story to a dear friend whom shares my love of Star Wars, especially of Kenobi, and summed up the impact this story has as this: If you weren't Ride or Die for Kenobi before reading, you will be afterwards.

Not as good as 'the Clone War's book. Yet, the story continues, here. In THIS book, the story is mainly about Jedi Obi wan and senator Organa.

I enjoyed how this work slotted in with the TV series episodes surrounding the battle of Bothawui. However, if you didn't know that, you might be left feeling cheated. This is a book that promises Clone Wars action but it completely glosses over the Clone Wars action. If you didn't know that the story of the Bothan campaign is told elsewhere, you may be left scratching your head and wondering why they just skipped all the good details. There are plenty of good details in this book, though. I get that the title is largely a metaphor but I question its use and the overall art of the publication. The entire book jacket is filled with images of clone troopers in battle. With some very minor exceptions, there are no clone troopers in this book - certainly not the prominently-displayed Captain Rex. It seems a bit misleading. This is definitely a character story with a very narrow narrative thread - as opposed to a galaxy-spanning epic tale of war (which is what I went in expecting). In fact, the story doesn't even GET to Wild Space until you're 2/3 of the way through it.Getting over all of that, this is a very enjoyable read. It serves as our first real introduction to Bail Organa. He's appeared on the fringes of many earlier tales, but this really digs in. He plays an excellent foil to Kenobi in this novel. I was intrigued by this idea of possible romantic entanglement between he and Padmé too. I also really appreciated the opening chapter that fills a critical gap between the end of the Battle of Geonosis and the final scene of Episode II. The scene between Obi-Wan and Padmé (and Obi-Wan and Yoda for that matter) are critical to the saga and I find myself wondering why they were overlooked in both the "Attack of the Clones" film and its novelization. I thought its inclusion here, though, felt a bit clumsy but it does serve to speak to a lot of the character development that appears later. I feel that perhaps this novel suffers for its lack of a concrete villain. It appeared that it might be Grievous until you realize that he doesn't really ever show up at all (watch the TV series for that). Really, Sidious is the villain (isn't he always?) though he is rarely glimpsed. When he is, though, he is viewed through the always entertaining dual lens of good-guy/bad-guy. His outward dialog is nearly all good guy Palpatine while his thoughts are all seething bad guy Sidious. I love reading those scenes. Otherwise, the only real enemy is some mysterious dark-side artifact. Or is the enemy Obi-Wan's own weaknesses and attachments? The reader is left to decide.Having said all of this, I enjoyed this book a lot and wish it had seen better marketing. A lot of fans of the Clone Wars series would enjoy this novel I think. Looking forward to the next one.

Highly delightful and wonderfully rich in characterization, this was an extraordinary tale that sees two men take a journey that almost kills them but leaves them as something neither imagined: friends. A wonderful story that not only explores the friendship between Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi but also the sinister machinations of the man holding the entirety of the galaxy in his grasp: Chancellor Palpatine.

Lucasfilm's decision to produce a new TV series set during the Clone Wars has spurred numerous new releases from virtually all of its key licensees. In the case of the novels, Del Rey is releasing five new books that build upon and expand the story we are seeing in the cartoon. Authorial duties will be split between two Karens, seasoned Star Wars vet Karen Traviss and new-to-the-EU author Karen Miller. The first book out of the gate, the novelization of the film which kicked off the whole project, was from Traviss. This second entry, Wild Space, is the first in the series to present an original story woven between the spaces in the TV show.My anticipation for this one was high. (Of course, who am I kidding? It's always high for a new Star Wars novel.) I have been thoroughly enjoying revisiting the Clone Wars via the weekly show and it's an era Del Rey had definitely not exhausted in their previous releases. Miller brings prior genre credentials to the table, including SG-1 spinoff novels, so I was quite curious to see how Wild Space would turn out.The book starts wonderfully. Instead of kicking off post-Battle of Christophsis, Miller goes back to the aftermath of the Geonosis arena battle from Attack of the Clones. She builds an evocative portrait of the turmoil churning within the few Jedi survivors and also introduces an element which smoothes over one of the key timeline alterations that the new show has wrought. Anakin now becomes a Knight much earlier in the war than he did in the original Clone Wars multimedia project, and Miller posits that the vacuum created by the deaths of so many Knights and Masters at Geonosis required accelerated promotions of Padawans to Knighthood. This makes sense to me.However, there is another timeline issue raised by the book that's harder to reconcile, and that's placing Anakin's knighting only four weeks after Geonosis. It takes an incredible amount of retconning to stuff all his adventures as a Padawan during the war into four weeks and I'm not comfortable with that take. For now, my view on the timeline matter is the Battle of Christophsis takes place roughly six months after Geonosis. I'm sure there will be plenty of sorting of the war's events over the next few years as more is released, anyway.Miller excels in characterization and if that's something you're interested in, this book is a good bet. There is very little action for a Star Wars novel, but she takes a great deal of time in the first half exploring multiple points-of-view and sifting through the emotional debris of Geonosis. This section is excellent and I tore through it. There are scenes from Padme's perspective, something rarely addressed in prior EU stories, and building upon the Traviss novel we get a couple from the viewpoint of Darth Sidious. Good stuff. She also fleshes out Anakin and Padme's early relationship and their decision to keep their marriage a secret.Midway through the novel takes a puzzling left turn. From weaving this rich tapestry of characterizations and emotional states, Miller focuses the story entirely on two characters, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa. I had very mixed feelings about the second half of the book. On the one hand, it's a delightful idea to begin exploring the relationship between these two, one we as viewers have been aware of dating back to the original Star Wars movie. Miller lays out the interplay between the two in detail and while doing so builds solid foundations for Obi-Wan's decision to trust this particular politician, a group of people he has little use for.On the other hand, this section of the book dragged. The plot device of Bail Organa's informant from the shadowy Friends of the Republic was incompletely sketched, as is the MacGuffin of the Sith planet of Zigoola. There is a lengthy section consisting primarily of Obi-Wan and Bail chatting as they fly from planet to planet. Once they arrive at Zigoola, there is a significantly longer section of them painfully making their way across the planet on foot, all the while being devastated by the effects of the Sith planet on Obi-Wan and by the environment itself. I had trouble getting through this part, and when the payoff comes it's just a relief to be done. This part of the book has a markedly grim tone, making it an odd match for the cartoon.Overall, Wild Space shows tremendous promise for Karen Miller as a Star Wars author: I simply didn't much care for the storyline. She shows an impressive willingness to depict the iconic prequel-era characters as actual human beings and not just as plot points. I look forward to her next entry in the Clone Wars saga and hope to see a more engaging plot coupled with her already strong characterizations.

She writes them so well theit banter is joyous and engaging with often deeper things going on

The book Starts well, directly after the battle of geonosis. Then moves on to events between said battle and before padme marries anakin, and then continues on at a good pace with some good material in it, up and until Obi wan and organa get togerther and go on there trip, then it goes down hill from there, the constant bickering and fighting get old. untill they get to the temple it is pretty bad, then it picks up again and finishes. It could have been way better, but it is her first SW book

Again, another star wars novel that could easily be transcribed into the big screen word for word! This novel covers the eventual friendship between Bail Organa and Obi Wan Kenobi. Definitely a book worth owning to fill in many minor gaps within the on-screen star wars canon.

I expected it to be a little dull but was surprised as it got to the middle just how good it was getting. This book really highlights how Obi Wan struggles against the dark side and how he must use all his physical and force strength to overcome such terrible power.

As expected. Arrived quickly