Street of Shadows (Star Wars: Coruscant Nights, #2)

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Street of Shadows (Star Wars: Coruscant Nights #2)

by Michael Reaves

3.42 · rating details · 296 ratings · 29 reviews

With the Jedi all but wiped out in the grim aftermath of Order 66, the Empire’s power seems unchecked. But one lone Knight continues to fight the good fight–against all odds and when all else fails.

Deep in the bowels of Coruscant, Jedi Jax Pavan ekes out a living as a private investigator, a go-to, can-do guy for the downtrodden. Now a mysterious Zeltron knockout named Dee...more

Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages

Published June 28th 2011 by Del Rey

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May 20, 2011

David rated it

This series isn't really about a Jedi Gumshoe. I think that's what put me off of the first book, though I had worked hard to find (CHEAP) the successive novels in this series so I felt committed to reading it. There's a LITTLE Jedi detective flavor in this book (sort of like a packet of Sugar dropped into a gallon of coffee) so don't think, if you pick it up that you're going to be reading this cool detective novel set in the Star Wars Universe. Rather, the series is more like the plot of a r...moreThis series isn't really about a Jedi Gumshoe. I think that's what put me off of the first book, though I had worked hard to find (CHEAP) the successive novels in this series so I felt committed to reading it. There's a LITTLE Jedi detective flavor in this book (sort of like a packet of Sugar dropped into a gallon of coffee) so don't think, if you pick it up that you're going to be reading this cool detective novel set in the Star Wars Universe. Rather, the series is more like the plot of a role-playing game where different characters set out demonstrating their own ability\agenda.

That said, this novel was better than average at finding the look and feel of the Star Wars Universe. Sadly, it falls from the Greatness that I would rank Timothy Zahn's Star Wars work at. Its major weakness is derived from its own premise-- Jedi and force followers are being hunted down, looked upon with great suspicion, and basically trying to hid deep in the undergound of Coruscant, in a manner that might remind some of the Jews hiding out in Nazi occupied territory during World War II. Despite this premise, Reaves continues to introduce force-sensitive characters, and even different schisms of Jedi-- For example, one character is a Jedi Knight of low ranking, another is a Jedi Paladin, oh, and Darth Vader has a Jedi bounty hunter working for him, oh and there's another Jedi chick. In fact, this series could have been called "Isn't Almost Everybody a Jedi?" This is one of the reasons that I suggest that this series seems like a role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe. wouldn't everyone want to be a Jedi of some sort or another?

The action and the plotting of this one was better than the last, however. Darth Vader plays an important part.. (this is in the period BEFORE A New Hope) as he continues his hunt for Jedi Jax Pavan, who supposedly has some sort of secret that Vader wants. Meanshile, Captain Typho, late of Princess Padme's honor guard, is seeking out her murderer.

The plot thickens and sets up for the final novel in the trilogy, which I will get to in a week or two...

Still, for Star Wars fans, this one works better than some I've read.

(less)

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Jul 23, 2010

Crystal Starr Light rated it

Shelves: star-wars

"You're being hunted by the best, Jax"
After reading the first one, I realized I had no choice but to read number two!
Jax Pavan, LaranthTarak, Den Dhur, and I-Five are back and this time they have a murder to solve. Ves Volette, a Caamasi artist, has been murdered! Was it his partner, the gorgeous Dejah Duare? Or someone else? And can they solve the crime before Aurra Sing finds and kills Jax?

I Liked:
This time around, Michael Reaves wrote his novel as a...more"You're being hunted by the best, Jax"
After reading the first one, I realized I had no choice but to read number two!
Jax Pavan, LaranthTarak, Den Dhur, and I-Five are back and this time they have a murder to solve. Ves Volette, a Caamasi artist, has been murdered! Was it his partner, the gorgeous Dejah Duare? Or someone else? And can they solve the crime before Aurra Sing finds and kills Jax?

I Liked:
This time around, Michael Reaves wrote his novel as a mystery, which is sort of the marketing for this series of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. And he does an okay job with it (more later).
What really stood out to me, however, was the further depth given to Laranth's character. She really gets fleshed out, from being stoic action girl, to a woman who is beginning to develop feelings for Jax...feelings that, unfortunately for her, aren't reciprocated (which makes me want to slap Jax silly!!). I love how Reaves didn't overwrite her feelings, how he kept it subtle and delicate. Well done!
Also, gotta give Reaves a hand for writing two characters not seen much in Star Wars novels: Captain Typho and Aurra Sing! While I didn't much like his character, Typho was interesting to see (and to see what happened to him!) and his twist (his unrequited love for Padme) brought some definition to his character. Aurra Sing was well done, a cold-blooded killer, yet also half-crazed.
Lastly, Reaves knows how to finish off his novels with a bang! Not only do you get the mystery wrapped up, but let's also throw in a righteous battle between our heroes and Aurra Sing!

I Didn't Like:
I just didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one. I didn't like Dejah Duare, the perfect, sexy Zeltron female (who is, of course, always wearing nice, sexy clothes that make the guys eyes pop out) introduced in the book (gag me already). Jax was still an annoying character whom I wanted to throw across the room. No one says what happens to Nick Rostu. The mystery was very so-so and not very interesting at all (though who did it makes a nod at the mystery genre cliches and got me laughing!). The pacing I felt was rather plodding. People just seem to float for pages on end, not really doing anything that seems all that important and just saying the same things over and over (Typho's quest for vengeance, how Aurra will bring in Jax, finding the murderer of Ves, etc.). I understand that second novels/movies/whatever are a challenge, but this one seemed particularly "saggy".

Dialouge/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Star Wars invented language if anything.
Dejah is, of course, a gorgeous, beautiful, sexually appealing woman. This is mentioned frequently. Also, some of the denizens of Coruscant's underworld could be interpreted as sexual.
Ves Volette is murdered and while it isn't gory, he still does die. There are a few lightsaber battles, chase scenes...nothing that great overall.

Overall:
It's really hard to rate this book for me. I didn't hate it, but I felt that it lacked something, that final quality that could have made it a sure thing for me. I certainly don't consider this a terrible book; I adored the subtle changes to Laranth and some discussion of droids and their "sentience". But there were other parts, such as the weak mystery, that really make me second guess my rating. So, after much contemplation, I think it's fair to rate it 4.5 stars rounded down to 4. (less)

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Nov 05, 2010

Chad rated it

Shelves: star-wars-novels

Probably the most legitimate complaint about the first book in the "Coruscant Nights" series was the fact that it was marketed as Star Wars Noir, and then didn't contain any actual noir. Author Michael Reaves more than made up for this with a dynamic plot that was driven by interesting characterizations.

The second book, "Street of Shadows", corrects the first mistake by featuring a more noirish murder mystery plot, but at the cost of the deft plotting the drove t...moreProbably the most legitimate complaint about the first book in the "Coruscant Nights" series was the fact that it was marketed as Star Wars Noir, and then didn't contain any actual noir. Author Michael Reaves more than made up for this with a dynamic plot that was driven by interesting characterizations.

The second book, "Street of Shadows", corrects the first mistake by featuring a more noirish murder mystery plot, but at the cost of the deft plotting the drove the first work. The result is a second chapter in the series that manages to capture a similar tone to its predecesor, but ends up spinning its wheels solving a murder that holds only passing relevance to the story arcs of the novel's main characters. And while the novel is mostly well written, its also filled with what seems like a lot more redundant philosophizing than "Jedi Twilight" and a frustrating series of too-similar depictions of various parts of the Coruscant underworld.

There are some positive things that carry over from the first novel. The characters themselves pop and the relationships are well defined. Also, like the first novel, Reaves weaves together with Jax's investigation, two other plots following periphary characters that the author gets to flesh out into interesting people. This time around its the deceased Queen Amidala's earnest bodyguard, Captain Typhoo, and the mysterious (and borderline cliched) bounty hunter, Aurra Sing. It seems that a throughline for each novel in the series will be Darth Vader's enigmatic pursuit of Jax Pavan, and the events of Typoo's and Sing's lives that bring them into Vader's machinations are by far the most intersting part of the book.

Jax Pavan and his gang are great characters, but their murder investigation is so ho-hum, the entire plot feels like a waste of a perfectly good dramatis personae. To begin with, the murder itself has zero stakes for the overall storyline of Jax. Most of the investigation consists of tracking down and interviewing suspects who have little to do with the mystery's ultimate solution. And the solution itself seems plucked out of thin air, bourn on the shoulders of a deus ex machina just in the nick of time. Oh, and the story ends on the same exact note as the first novel: a rich benefactor agreeing to fund Jax's odd little do-gooder endeavor. Reaves seems like he has a great handle on writing the Star Wars EU. He does not seem to have a handle of writing an engaging murder mystery.

Ultimately, two thirds of "Street of Shadows" is an interesting character driven adventure story, that is interrupted by the other one third which is a banal murder mystery. There are some big picture storylines that are advanced, just not an entire novel's worth. I'm wondering if maybe "Coruscant Nights" might have worked better as a two novel series as opposed to three.(less)

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Nov 25, 2010

Ron rated it

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, star-wars

Really 3.5.

Good story, well told. Nice "What happened to Padme and Anakin Skywalker?" thread. Thought Typho got short shrift.

Quibble: Jax and Co. search all over Coruscant for a Compressed Energy Crystal for a lightsaber. Why didn't they use whatever source Ves Volette used to obtain them for his light sculptures?

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May 21, 2010

Terry rated it

After Order 66, Jedi Jax Pavan goes into hiding in Coruscant's underworld. There he joins the Whiplash resistance, helping people who desperately need to get off the Imperial Center. Together with his crew (including a sentient droid, another diplaced Jedi, and a curmudgeonly reporter), Jax usually winds up entangling himself in his clients' misfortunes.

All this would be bad enough, but Darth Vader is also searching for him -- and this time the Dark Lord has hired Aurra Sing. Furth...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Mike Smith rated it

Shelves: star-wars

This is essentially a Star Wars version of a flim-noir style murder mystery. Added in to this are a few sub-plots that add some variety. One is a revenge story, the other is a character's search for information about his own past. The novel features a large ensemble cast, and it sometimes bogs down in following too many characters, requiring the author to jump back and forth in time to tell us what happened to character 2 while we were reading about character 1. There's a hanging ending that...more

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Sep 05, 2011

Derrick rated it

Shelves: 2009, star-wars

Much better!
Jax has matured enough to stop being a whiner. The gang ends up trying to find out who the murderer of a famous Camaasi artist is, because his assistant wants help getting off world.
Vader hires a jedi-killer to hunt Jax.
That doofus Captain from the prequels, Typho, is on some vendetta to avenge Padme, cause apparently he was in love with her. That story arc was just LAME!

Better than the first book, but definitely NOT a "buy" book.

...more

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Jan 08, 2010

Jeremy stephens rated it

Shelves: books-of-2010

This book, like the one before it in the trilogy is as much of a mystery novel as it is a Star wars novel. In order to appreciate this novel, one should have previously have read Reaves' other Star Wars novels, Medstar and Darth Maul: Shadow hunter specifically since this book makes so much reference to them.

As I stated, this book is very much a mystery novel. what I liked about this is that it broke away from some of the more repetitiveness I have observed with other Star...more

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Jan 18, 2009

DC rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 24, 2010

Jesse Whitehead rated it

The Coruscant Nights series is an attempt by Lucasbooks to cross noir murder mystery with the Galaxy Far Far Away. The cover, the title, the blurb on the back of the book, all connote the feel of a Dick Tracy novel. I think it is marginally successful.

Jax Pavan is a Jedi, though not a very good one, surviving in the underbelly of Coruscant after the Great Purge (the destruction of the Jedi). In order to make ends meet he sets himself up as a Private Investigator. He turns out to be a...more

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Nov 01, 2008

Erika rated it

When we last left our hero he was battling for his life, on the run from several plot lines veering wildly in his direction with not a hope in the world of actually fulfilling the jacket's promise of being a Jedi P.I.--Street of Shadows proves to be no different. Although sticking to their story, the folks at LucasBooks have rehashed the P.I. bit for the new jacket copy in the hopes a reappearance will dazzle fans into believing something that just isn't there. But when we first see Jax, he's ...moreWhen we last left our hero he was battling for his life, on the run from several plot lines veering wildly in his direction with not a hope in the world of actually fulfilling the jacket's promise of being a Jedi P.I.--Street of Shadows proves to be no different. Although sticking to their story, the folks at LucasBooks have rehashed the P.I. bit for the new jacket copy in the hopes a reappearance will dazzle fans into believing something that just isn't there. But when we first see Jax, he's actually a body smuggler, ferrying important Imperial law-breaking renegade diplomats and other sundry folk through the relative safety of the Underground Mag-Lev courtesy of Whiplash, your friendly neighborhood resistance movement. Having lost his lightsaber in an epic battle of angry assistants, criminal over lords and fallen Jedi, Jax is left with a really weird metal vibrating stick Reaves invented (I think) called a Velmorian energy sword. But, this rag tag team of droid, depressed Elomin, Jedi, and a Sullustan with a fear of all things dirty are going to need some heavy duty backup and, without the convenience and conspicuousness of a lightsaber, the energy sword will have to do.

Back track a couple of chapters to the prologue: Captain Typho (Amidala's latest--and last--body guard) attends the late Senator's funeral, gets really mad and decides it's up to him to find and kill Anakin Skywalker. I'm not one to judge, but I'm betting Typho loses.

Fast forward to the introduction of what will no doubt be the new trouble-causing characters: Dejah (the jacket says Deejah.. seriously, do they even read the books they write this stuff for?) and Ves Volette. On the eve of displaying his new art exhibit, Ves discovers rumors abound about the destruction of his homeworld, Caamas. Oh, you remember them. They're the peaceful folk Zahn mentioned in Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future. They've since sprinkled themselves generously across prequel-era literature and insured their survival by not falling into complete obscurity. Jax, being a Jedi and everything, is driven to epiphany the moment millions of lives suddenly cry out and vanish: Anakin Skywalker is still alive.

Of course, we already know this, but cut to the next scene in which we find Aurra Sing slaving away in the prison mines of Oovo-4 collecting Zenium until her lungs explode only to become the victim of attempted murder. Oddly enough, because we know at this point you can't mention Anakin being alive without a foreboding and menacing revelatory guest appearance, Vader shows up via holo and unleashes his latest dastardly plan: the murder plot was only a test to measure Aurra's ass-kicking abilities. That she hasn't gone soft and thus remains pure baddie evil, gives Vader all the info he needs and hires her on the spot. But who could Vader be sending a bounty hunter after? We know all too well from book one, everyone always seems to be chasing Jax Pavan so I'll let you decide.

Meanwhile, Deejah, an odd alien species that can, like the Falleen, mesmer the pants off any humanoid, comes to Jax with a plea: haul her and her man toy, Ves, off Coruscant and onto somewheres safe. With the destruction of Caamas, it's ill advised to advertise the ethnicity and like the Jedi, Ves has become a hunted man. At this point, Captain Typho has landed on planet in search of Anakin or anyone (hint hint) that can lead him to the Jedi. With Jax at a loss what to do with the Force-given information of Anakin's miraculous survival, I'm sure he and Typho will come to a mutually-driven partnership very soon.

But it's not Typho Jax and the gang happen to meet on the way to collect Ves and head for higher ground--it's Ves, stabbed to death. And here, finally is where the Jedi P.I. thing comes into the storyline. Ready folks? It's all a front for Jax's real involvement in Whiplash and one he uses to fool the first officer on scene. I kind of wished Reaves had mentioned this a lot sooner (like in the first book), but I wish more that this series really was about a Jedi P.I.. Anyway. Now that Jax and Deejah are as good as suspects, it's up to him to find the real murderer and end the case before the "cools" (that's the local law enforcement) get too involved and discover Jax's many secrets, putting him and Whiplash in a lot of danger.

Unfortunately, they're the only ones that know about it. Split up for efficiency's sake, Den, I-Five, and Laranth begin looking for a Whiplash contact to take Dejah and Ves off planet and Rhinann is, unfortunately, stuck on the continued hunt for a lightsaber to put in Jax's arsenal of comfort. But this Force-obsessed Elomin finds more than he bargained for: the possibility to give a non-Force user an ample boost of midi-chlorian mojo and enhance one's Force abilities temporarily. Ever the determined fan, the opportunity proves too enticing for Rhinann not to pass up and promises swift revenge on his more recent enemies.

While Street of Shadows and its two counterparts in the Coruscant Nights trilogy may not add to the overall drama and consequence of the prequel era, the books do manage to retain the essence of what I ultimately remember Star Wars books in the Bantam era had: a good guys vs. bad guys adventure story with impossible but entertaining blaster and lightsaber battles and bad characterization. The plot culminates in a series of lightsaber battles that leave two dead, one wounded, and a haphazard love triangle that really could have been handled with a lot less wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am and a little more sentiment. But overall, these books are fun, easy, quick reads.(less)

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Aug 07, 2011

Martin Lemos rated it

Shelves: star-wars-shelf

Actually 31/2 stars. It was suspenseful in the beginning. Jax is a PI hired to find the killer of a famous artist. At the same time he has to avoid a assassin hired by Darth Vadar to find him. The other storyline is Typhon, the head of Padme's bodyguard detail wants to avenge her death because he was in love with her. I had high hopes that this would be good, and it was till the end. I felt the wrap up of the story lines were rushed and not really thought out. The let me down. All in all i...more

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Sep 15, 2008

Roberta rated it

Shelves: sciencefiction, starwars

2nd in the Jax Pavan series; he has decided to reclaim the title of Jedi Knight and his helping people who cannot get help from the Imperial bureaucracy for various reasons. He and his group of friends: Den--the Sullustan former Holonet reporter, Laranth a Twi-lek Jedi Paladin (an offshoot of the Jedi who believe in training in a multitude of weapons), I-Five a self-aware droid, and Rhinann an Elomin who ran from the employment of Darth Vader. The group decides to help the partner of a famous...more

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Aug 04, 2011

Jason added it

I'm really not feeling this series. Jax Pavan is a little too generic. I'm going to finish the series . . . just to finish the series. Again, the supporting characters really save the book. I found myself wanting more of the Aurra Sing and Captain Typho story lines and was really sad to have those two characters killed off. I-Five and Den Dhur continue to shine in this series.

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Oct 19, 2008

Scott rated it

Star Wars Corscant Nights II: Street of Shadows by Michael Reaves is the second book in this series. With the characters established from the previous book, which introduced this series, Jedi Jax Pavan is once again trying solve another mystery with the help of his rogue group of associates.

There are two things I like this book as opposed to the first one in this series. First, the “who did it?” conclusion was better, while not being overly original it was still satisfactory. Second...more

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Jun 18, 2009

Willy James rated it

Shelves: star-wars

This would have received a higher rating if it wasn't for the silly murder mystery sub plot. The parts of the story that continued from the first book in the series were just as good as the first. A great glimpse into the in between years of EP 3 and EP 4. I'm looking forward to the 3rd and last book and hope it finishes the series strong.

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Jan 25, 2009

Phil Salomon rated it

I found this book to be an improvement over the first book in the series. Now that the group is together, Reaves is able to involve them in a murder mystery involving a Caamasi artist. I found the character interactions and story to be really intriguing. I look forward to the third book coming out later this week.

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Oct 09, 2011

Mike Branski rated it

Very slow, dull, and uneventful so far. About 1/3 of the way in. We'll see if it picks up, but I'm really not compelled to keep reading. So far it's a boring, not-really-mystery novel that just so happens to take place in the Star Wars universe.

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Apr 12, 2009

Jacen rated it

Shelves: star-wars-novels-i-own

So little to say about this disappointing second round with Jax and Co. The book had several different plots going and I found it difficult caring about a single one. I wondered how Aurra Sing would continue to make a fool of herself more than the superfluous murder mystery itself. I mean Caamas is destroyed and they're doing a murder investigation of one dead Caamasi on Coruscant? In the Imperial Center headed by a Zabrak cop? It might have made a bit more sense if Caamas was destroyed after th...more

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Jun 18, 2009

Nick Scott rated it

The story was lame, the book took like 5 minutes to read. If Jax needed a crystal, and the murdered artist used them for his art (he couldn't do it without them) wouldn't it stand to reason that he would have some extras lying around? Jax, Den, and I-Five are usually characters that I enjoy (I must note that Den was severly under-used here), but the story was too simple and everything happened too easily.

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Aug 06, 2011

Jonn rated it

Hmm, what can I say. I still do not care this story line, but I am left with the choice: do I read the next one to find out what happens, or just leave it and find something better (which would not be hard).

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Feb 23, 2009

Craig rated it

Was not a fan of the sudden/strange ending. Otherwise, I like this author and love these characters, so I was along for the ride.

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Dec 30, 2008

Mickey rated it

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, star-wars

pretty good book ... i liked the more in depth investigation of vader's mind and the self aware droids mind.

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Aug 12, 2011

Matthew Borelli rated it

A decent middle arc leading into the final confrontation between Jax and Darth Vader.

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Sep 18, 2011

John Ashline rated it

The second book in the Coruscant Night's series follows Reaves' former Jedi Jax Pavan. Pavan begins working for Whiplash, a rebel group who helps get persecuted beings off the capital planet of Coruscant.

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Jul 29, 2011

Hector rated it

Another great read! The plot involving the murder of an artist seemed to be just "filler." (Something to move the story along.) The best parts of the story are Jax Pavan learning more about his father, Lorn, and the storyline involving Captain Typho's quest to avenge Padme's death.

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Apr 15, 2010

Wesley rated it

Series got worse with each book.

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Sep 21, 2008

Jenny rated it

Shelves: star-wars

This book continued the adventures of Jedi Knight Jax Pavan and continued to build more information into the expanded Star Wars Universe. Unfortunately, it seemed the author was trying to do too much. The various plots involved were never fully developed.

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Apr 28, 2009

Roberto Carlos rated it

Shelves: star-wars-books

A very nice and simple book.

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Feb 08, 2012

Josh rated it

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About Michael Reaves

Micheal Reeves is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and screenwriter whose many credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone, Batman: The Animated Series; and Gargoyles. His novels include the New York Times bestseller STAR WARS: Darth Maul - Shadowhunter and the forthcoming STAR WARS: Death Star. He has written a book called Interworld with Neil Gaiman. He's also written sh...more

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Street of Shadows (Star Wars: Coruscant Nights #2)

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