Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed #2

by Sean Williams

As ruthless apprentice to Darth Vader, Starkiller was mercilessly schooled in the ways of the dark side, commanded to exterminate the last of the purged Jedi Order, and groomed for the ultimate Sith power play: assassination of the Emperor. He served without question, killed without remorse, and lost his heart without warning to beautiful Imperial fighter pilot Juno Eclipse, never suspecting that he was just a tool in the schemes of his masters—until it was too late to escape their lethal betrayal.

Juno mourned Starkiller as dead—but now he is back, purged of all memories and programmed to kill. And as fate brings Juno and Starkiller closer to reuniting, with Darth Vader determined not to lose his assassin a second time they will both have to make a stand. The prize is freedom. The punishment for failing will be eternal enslavement to the dark side of the Force.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Space Opera, Novels

295 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2010

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling Sean Williams lives with his family in Adelaide, South Australia. He’s written some books--forty-two at last count--including the Philip K. Dick-nominated Saturn Returns, several Star Wars novels and the Troubletwister series with Garth Nix. Twinmaker is a YA SF series that takes his love affair with the matter transmitter to a whole new level. You can find some related short stories over at Lightspeed Magazine and elsewhere. Thanks for reading.

Reviews

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not much of a video game player, but I enjoyed the first Force Unleashed novelization, so I thought I'd probably enjoy the second one as well.

To start off: Sean Williams has an incredibly accessible style of writing that I like. It doesn't overly describe and moves at a good pace. I found his style to be what was drawing me in the most.

I also really liked the concept of the story with Starkiller coming back in Clone form and trying to be reunited with Juno, only for things to keep going poorly and Starkiller needing to go save the day against Vader. Very fun story here. I also really liked all of Juno's scenes with the rebellion, which showed some insight into how the Rebellion formed in the EU.

However, the story of this book is SO SHORT. The plot is incredibly thin, and the book repeats dialogue and scenes and visions at an alarming rate. I don't know if this is the fault of Sean Williams or the video game (which I haven't played), but either way it was painfully obvious the story wasn't long enough so it kept being padded with unnecessary flashbacks/callbacks.

Had the book been the same length (330 pages Mass Market), but cut out all of the repeated stuff and focused on adding more story to it, this could have been a top-tier book. Alas, the book is only "good" instead of "great".

7 out of 10.

[Jacen · Rating 1 out of 5]

2010 has seen my two least favorite SW novels in...ever. TFU II being one of those books.

This novel is relentless game-play cut with a psychopathic love story. It's Force Lighting peppered with an odd and constantly repetitive shallow philosophical rhetoric. Starkiller spends the whole of the novel hunting for Juno. That's fine and well. He kills relentlessly to get to her. That's fine too I guess. What was really painful was his inner dialogue. It went on and on and on with the same questions. "Am I the real Starkiller?" "Am I a clone?" "Was the real Starkiller a clone?" "Am I real? " "Is my obsession with Juno real or a memory of the old Starkiller?" It goes on and on between battles with these same questions asked over and over. Occasionally there will be flashbacks to the first TFU. In fact TFU II does such a thorough job of retelling the first book that you have no need to pick the first one up. It's all here in flashbacks. Dialogue and everything.

The book actually starts with some promise. Williams attempts to explain the forming of the early Rebellion and how each major player got involved. Mon Mothma, Ackbar, Bail Organa, Princess Leia, and Garm Bel-Iblis all play a large part in the first few chapters of the book. Then Williams drops this subplot in favor of the relentless self questioning of both Starkiller and Eclipse as they pine for each other.

The book was short on dialogue and very long on the description of the characters feelings and thoughts. There was just so much of the same shallow philosophical musings. It was worse than TFU because this book aspired to be more than the first novel was and it failed. Horribly.

Forget the ending. If you don't know it already, you don't want to know it. Sufficeth to say, Vader comes off far worse than the "weak old man" he accused Obi-Wan of being in A New Hope. But I suppose he doesn't come off any worse than in the first TFU. Thing is it's worse cause he's been here with Starkiller before.

And then when the story is over and there is no more to say, the book goes on for another hundred pages. It flashes back to the first novel again. It was nuts. Prattling on once again retelling the first book?! I got lost cause I've never seen this before. It's like Blackman's story was a two hundred page story tops but Williams HAD to stretch it to 300 pages. It's agony in those last pages.

I really enjoyed Williams' Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance this summer. It was good fun. TFU II was a mess. A horrible mistake which reads like self-harm and utterly negates the importance of Luke Skywalker who is to appear in like 6 months.

[Gabriel Vidrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very much impressed by this one! With novels based on a game, I try to be a little lenient, because I know that the author is confined to what was done in the game. The first Force Unleashed novel was fine; it wasn't stellar, but then the game was a little linear and because of that, so was the book. But it wasn't horrible and it moved well. His next video game book, however, was awful. Fatal Alliance was choppy, badly written, and boring. So I was a little concerned about the Force Unleashed II. Would it be as good as the first? Or would it be more like Fatal Alliance?

Luckily, it was better than both! Starkiller's character was still a little flat (that's video games for you, though...the characters are often a little flat so that the player can insert themselves into the character), but he did do some soul-searching, etc. that made it not quite so flat.

The action was great, and I had a harder time imagining the book as the video game; it didn't feel like I was reading the plot of a video game. It makes me want to play the game more, since I'm not entirely sure how the plot of the novel will fit into a game!

The ending though...there will definitely have to be another game or another novel to wrap that up!!

[Maythavee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Force Unleashed II was way better than the first book! I really enjoyed it!

Wow, Starkiller’s hard to kill isn’t he? He just keeps on coming back to life. Just when I thought that it was the end of Starkiller… Anyway, everything about this book was better than the first. Starkiller’s character was fantastic! I loved the new problems that he had with himself. It made his character so much more interesting. I also loved the ‘is-he-a-clone’ argument. My opinion is that it depends on how we look at his character. Maybe he is a clone or maybe he’s the original Starkiller who miraculously survived the battle aboard the Death Star. What I loved most about Starkiller was his devotion to Juno. His love for her made him resist the dark side.

As for the other characters, Kato and Juno Eclipse played a much bigger role being part of the Rebellion. I really liked both of them especially Juno. She’s so cool now that she isn’t just flying Starkiller around. Other main members of the Rebellion made appearances: Leia and Bail Organa, Ackbar, Mon Motham etc. Yoda also made an appearance! I just wished that he and Starkiller had more interactions.

As for the plot, like the characters, it improved greatly. Instead of Starkiller going off and killing ‘big bosses’ in each of his mission he was given, he had only one goal in mind: finding Juno. There were still great battle scenes but this time, it was nicely written without being exaggerated. Ackbar also said his infamous line: “It’s a trap!” Classic.

Overall, The Force Unleashed II was a fantastic sequel! The ending was very opened so I had to wonder if there would be a third book or not. I hope there is. Sean Williams has finally found his groove.

[Ben Arispe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one immensely! Although again, Sean Williams suffers a bit from lack of detail in the story, particularly around the action sequences. And again, I'm assuming he was told to write the book from the perspective and expectation that the readers will most likely have played the game prior to or during the reading of said story. I for one have only played a couple of hours into the game itself before I lost intrest and moved on to something else.
I enjoyed seeing the emotion in Starkiller this time around, especially around the questions of his true identity. Was he a clone? Or was the previous Starkiller we were introduced to in the first game/story the clone? The author gives us just enough speculation that either one could be true. Granted, since this is supposed to be "canon" in expanded universe, we have to see the happy ending between Starkiller and Juno. Funny thing, the auther never actually calls Starkiller by his name of Galen Marik. It was something I didn't really pick up on until the end of the book. Again, speculate if you will that this story was about the true clone, but the end really leaves it open to the reader's interpretation.

[seak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining and fun. You really can't go wrong with Boba Fett.

The first Force Unleashed graphic novel was quite a bit better though, so this was slightly disappointing. The other disappointment for me was that the first couple pages start with a little too much sex, at least heavily implied, than I like in my Star Wars.

Part of the beauty of the first graphic novel was sharing it with my kids, but with those first pages of this book, I don't feel like I can really share this one with them.

3 out of 5 Stars (recommended)

[Elie Harriett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is what the story in the video game was SUPPOSED to be! If you've played the game and was disappointed the story wasn't as developed as it was in the first game, then you must read this novelization. When I revisit the game, I'm going to think of the book while playing it.

[Sean E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is a book about a dark assassin trained to hunt down the enemies of the empire. the first time he served his purpose and was destroyed, the second time he Rebelled and escaped the dark clutches of his former master. He escapes and looks for the one thing that seems important from his old memory, Juno. He follows leads and attempts to track the love that was stolen from him across the galaxy. When he finally finds her she is stolen from him by a cruel twist of fate that could have been avoided if he had warned her or stayed away, but now he must confront his former master and save his love.

The Force Unleashed 2 was a good book and I enjoyed it. I was glad when I learned that Starkiller was not dead but as for the writing of the book it felt very rushed, like the author just wanted to finish but I probably only think that because I read the book in a 7 hour train ride to the District of Columbia and on the way back and since I don’t read that long I was overloaded I will probably read the book twice just to understand it better

I would Give this book a 5 out of 5 because even though I thought it was rushed that was because of the over reading I think in a spaced out period the text would have time to sink in but I liked the book very much and I think that anyone that liked the first book would like the second very much.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've said enough about how great Star Wars was before Disney messed it up, so, I won't post all that again.

What I will say is that this novel is true to the spirit of Lucas' space opera. Even if you've never played the game--I haven't--it still makes for an exciting tale from "a galaxy far, far away".

[Jeremy Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Force Unleashed book was pretty creative. It did a good job of explaining the origins of the rebellion and presented Darth Vader's Character in a light that made him seem more like an actual Sith Lord and less like a sulky old man as he often appears in other books. I also loved Starkiller's character- he was insanely powerful for being so young and his internal conflict made him easy to sympathize with.

It's too bad I can't say the same for this pile of disappointment. A game review I saw for the corresponding wii game stated something along the lines of, "This seems to have been created more out of a sense of obligation to make a sequel than to produce something great". The same can be said of this book. Really, there was no need for this book to be written. The first book took care of everything, leaving this to be nothing more than white noise against the rest of the Star Wars universe. The worst part of this was that the ending left my thinking, wtf, this makes no sense and unless they milk this for a third book, it doesn't fit into the Star Wars timeline.
I gave this book three stars because I did like the damsel-in-distress motif and once again Starkiller's internal struggles and confusion make him a very interesting character.
Overall, after reading this I wish Sean Williams and whatever other goons were responsible for The Force Unleashed would have just stopped while they were ahead and not published a sequel.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven’t read this since the game came out in 2010.

I was a fan of The Force Unleashed II game. My only issue was that it was really short. The story itself was fun though. The novel greatly improves on the story, adding much needed depth and several additional scenes, including a sub plot on Mon Calamari. Rereading it now it was fun picturing elements from the new movies in this story. For instance, I pictured Death Troopers from Rogue One accompanying Boba Fett when he captured Juno Eclipse, and The Ghost from Rebels with the rebel fleet during the attack on Kamino. It’s a shame part 3 of the story will never be told. At the same time, I’m kind of glad it’s non canon now because some of the creative decisions they made (capturing Vader, Starkiller’s Superman level powers) were tricky to retcon before.

I still think he was the original Starkiller by the way.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept waiting for A Flock of Seagulls' Space Age Love Song to break out.

[PJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Force Unleashed II by Sean Williams is the novelization of the video game sequel, and while it tries to expand on the story, it ends up suffering from the same issues as the game itself thin plot, repetitive action, and a lack of emotional depth. That said, if you’re a die-hard Star Wars fan or just want more Starkiller content, it’s worth a read, but don’t expect it to blow your mind.

The story picks up after The Force Unleashed, with Starkiller (or possibly his clone) struggling with questions of identity and loyalty. He’s haunted by his love for Juno Eclipse, which drives much of his actions as he escapes from Kamino and sets out to confront Darth Vader. The clone dilemma whether Starkiller is the original or a copy should’ve been a fascinating hook, but the book, like the game, doesn’t dive deep enough into the psychological or emotional stakes. Instead, it leans heavily on action sequences and Starkiller’s obsession with Juno, which feels surface-level at best.

Williams does a solid job translating the cinematic feel of the game into prose. The Force powers and lightsaber combat are vividly described, and the action scenes are dynamic whether Starkiller is tearing apart stormtroopers or facing off against massive foes. But much like the game, the repetitive nature of the battles can make the book feel formulaic. The environments and characters, while true to the Star Wars universe, don’t add much new to the lore, and the pacing can feel rushed.

The novel does have a few bright spots. Starkiller’s inner turmoil is explored more in the book than in the game, giving him a shred of humanity amidst all the chaos. The interactions with Vader and General Kota add tension, but they don’t completely salvage the story. For fans of Juno Eclipse, her role feels disappointingly small, which is frustrating given how central she is to Starkiller’s motivation.

Ultimately, the book suffers from the same flaws as the game an underwhelming story, lackluster character development, and a sense that it’s more style than substance. If you’re invested in Starkiller’s journey or want a quick Star Wars fix, it’s a decent enough tie-in, but don’t expect it to reach the heights of the original Force Unleashed novel.

It’s entertaining in bursts but lacks the depth and polish to truly shine. Hardcore fans might enjoy it for the action and familiar characters, but casual readers may find it forgettable.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars: Legends: The Force Unleashed 02 The Force Unleashed II by Sean Williams

challenging informative reflective tense

Medium-paced

Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? It's complicated

3.25 Stars

There are aspects of this story that I like, but there are also aspects of this story that I do NOT like.

The cloning part is interesting, but also creates issues in plausability. Think of the idea of cloning Darth Vader? If they could, they would've, for he was already close to death. The "throw away-ability" would negatively make this option less compelling. THAT would remind me of Mickey7 and part of the issues that I had with that book.

Starkiller (in the game) was TOO overpowered, and he was in the story, too...but to a lesser extent.

Juno was/is my favourite character in this story. She is the stablizing force (pun intended) of the story, and the way that the reader experiences this story.

I didn't like the ending, which had its issues, for many reasons, but overall...it was just a meh book/story (sadly).

On to The Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley. Hmmm.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This doesn't finish as well as it starts. Exciting birth pangs of the Rebellion? I'll take it! The early days of Leia's leadership in the Rebellion? Check! More Bail Organa? Definitely! If anything, I found most of this more interesting than the story of Starkiller reborn; the Rebellion's early days felt like extra bits of "Rogue One", and that's always a good thing. But the Starkiller plot takes over, as does a great deal of action writing...which eventually started to lose me. It all ends in a cliffhanger I don't believe was ever truly resolved, so...I just don't know. It was a fun ride, but the first half is where you'll find all the juicy meat.

[DiscoSpacePanther · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like its predecessor, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II cannot escape its origin as a novel designed as a tie-in to a videogame. (Disclaimer - I've not played the game, so I cannot attest to how closely it cleaves to the game's storyline.) Without this knowledge, the pacing of the story would be inexplicably odd: each section has a brief setup, followed by a long action scene (that is described in a plodding "he did this; he saw that; he slashed the other" manner), and is then finished off with an action setpiece finale - or rather a boss fight.

We meet almost exactly the same cast of characters that we had in the first novel, except with a couple of small cameo appearances from Boba Fett, Yoda, Ackbar and Wedge Antilles. Starkiller returns as our Player One, and he is aided by Order 66-evading blind Jedi Rahm Kota (who has far less character and charm in his two-book stint than Chirrut Îmwe had in his tragically short appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), the hologram-camouflaged droid PROXY, and Juno Eclipse appears as a POV character for a few chapters (or cutscenes).

Starkiller is as unsympathetic as ever - he is monomaniacally obsessed with finding Juno Eclipse (possibly my favourite daft Star Wars "sexah" name since Dusque Mistflier) to such an extent that the reader becomes rapidly bored of his lack of depth or complexity.

Juno comes off better - she is a more interesting character in terms of role and responsibilities - but she is underdeveloped and is really only present as a macguffin for Starkiller to obsess over.

There were a couple of shout-outs to Legends continuity that I enjoyed - an early encounter with Evir Derricote (who plays an important role in the book X-wing: The Krytos Trap ), and the prsence of the R-22 Spearhead starfighter (a precursor to the more familiar RZ-1 A-wing). I also noted mention of the Old Janx Spirit - a key ingredient in Zaphod Beeblebrox's Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster cocktail from The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - which gave me a smile.

I didn't find Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II to be particularly good, and I would only recommend it to people who enjoyed the first Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , and wants to continue the story. I would probably judge it as being marginally better than the first installment, but not by much. It contains the same flaws, and really only appeals to the completionist in me.

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A frustrating read. Starkiller returns from the dead as a clone, thanks to Darth Vader, breaks away from Vader's clutches (again) and the rest of the book concerns Starkillers hunt for his old pilot and 3 second lover Juno. The romance/obsession between Juno and Starkiller makes little sense considering they barely explored this in the first book and so making it the main plot in the second really stretches creditability. This recon stuff about Starkiller as the main one responsible for the start up of the Rebellion just makes me want to roll my eyes. Its like the Death Star plans all over again, where 3 or 4 separate stories all involve a group or person being responsible for the handing over of the plans to Princess Leia. It only creates a mess. The first story had a number of interesting things occur while concluding the story in a satisfactory way. This one barely has much of significance occur until near the end when the story picks up slightly. In the first book Starkiller goes up against Jedi Masters, Darth Vader and the Emperor, here it’s only Darth Vader and a few droids/monsters....

The cast of characters at the beginning shows this story had potential. Starkiller meeting Yoda should have been a great moment; instead it was in and out in 18 seconds, covering few pages. The actions scenes were described in a dull way, I don't know if it’s because author Sean Williams didn't find the situations all that interesting (can't blame him as it’s not his story) but there were whole actions pieces that were either halfway done or brushed over. I’m guessing part of the reason is Starkiller’s powers are Demi-God. He seemingly can’t be killed so there’s little sense of danger, making his journey less appealing.

Some positives of the book include Starkiller’s questioning his identity, wondering if he’s insane like many clones have been before him (remember Joruus C’Baoth?). The last third of the book is decent, with the battle raging on Kamino but Starkiller’s extreme dexterity ruins it in some ways.

While the first story wraps everything up in a nice little package this one ends in a cliffhanger, and not one that can be easily forgotten or ignored. Yet, the news from Lucasarts is they have cancelled the 3rd video games! So what now? The ending can’t be ignored; something must be done about it! I say give Sean Williams free rein on a 3rd Force Unleashed story without the silly restrictions of a video game.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book much more than I did the first. It took me forever to get through the first and I was seriously debating reading the second, but am glad that I did. I really got into it and it went very quickly. I wasn't sure how they would handle the ending of the first, but it was pretty good and kept you guessing throughout the book and never actually settle it one hundred percent. There were parts that were corny and over the top, but hey that is Star Wars. Overall I liked it and would probably read it again. My main complaint is how the book ends and having no follow up to finish the story.

[Grady Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darth Vader's secret apprentice is back with a vengeance as he goes on a quest to rediscover his identity. A great story that has twists and turns around every corner. See Yoda and Boba Fett like you've never seen them before as they play a significant role in Starkiller's quest. Vader even more mysterious in this book than he was in the first one. It is a classic combination between The Fugitive, The 6th Day, and The Empire Strikes Back. A highly recommended story to anyone who enjoyed the first Force Unleashed game.

[Ley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best-Novel-Based-On-A-Game-EVER! (Well, in my opinion, that is) I am reeeaaaalllyy glad I got this book. It really keeps you turning the pages. The whole Starkiller/Juno romance will have you awwwing and the action will have you on the edge of your seat. You might want to read The Force Unleashed before you pick this book up.

[Cate Strebing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Juno is one of the greatest characters to ever cross the pages. If you love Star Wars, this is a must read!

[Jared · Rating 1 out of 5]

Star Wars Legends Project #215

Background: The Force Unleashed II was written by Sean Williams, and is based on the video game of the same name (again from a story developed by W. Haden Blackman). It was published in October 2010. Williams has written half a dozen Star Wars novels, including the first in this series.

The Force Unleashed II takes place about a year after the events of The Force Unleashed (my review), 1 year before the battle of Yavin. The main character is Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Starkiller. . . or anyway a clone of Starkiller, along with Juno Eclipse and Rahm Kota. Also playing prominent roles are Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Yoda. The novel takes place on Kamino, Cato Neimoidia, and Dagobah.

Summary: One year after the death of Starkiller aboard the uncompleted Death Star, Juno Eclipse and Rahm Kota are spearheading dangerous missions for the Rebellion, although some of the Rebel leadership disapprove, and still feeling the loss of their powerful friend. Meanwhile, Starkiller, plagued by memories of a past that may not be his own and Force visions of a future he desperately hopes won't come to pass, blasts his way out of a secret cloning facility on Kamino, intent on saving the woman he loves.

Review: As bad as the story of the first Force Unleashed was, this one is so much worse. I couldn't even bring myself to finish the game. Almost everything that happens is dumb and nonsensical, but also often boring as well.

The big disappointment of this novel is that there's a good story buried in it that Williams wasn't allowed to complete because he had to adapt this bone-numbingly stupid video game into a book instead. The good book inside of this very bad book is the story of Juno Eclipse and the early Rebel Alliance. The odds are against them. They can't land a significant victory. They're short on everything that matters, including heroes. The portions of the novel devoted to Juno Eclipse's perspective are the closest we get to a book about the nascent Rebellion, and it's solid.

Unfortunately, none of what's good is in the game, so at some point it all goes away. I gave Williams a lot of credit in the first novelization for turning Juno into a real character, and he continues to show here why she's the only worthwhile thing to come out of this franchise. But ultimately this is still Starkiller's story. I said in my review of the first story, I've seen characters in 8-bit sidescroller games with more dimensions and personality than Starkiller has. Well, in this one, he's basically Super Mario and his princess is in another castle. As much of a failure as the first game was in terms of giving us any discernible motivation for Starkiller or development for Juno, this one fails so much more savagely by making her his motivation. It's a jaw-dropping disservice to her character . . . I'd say it's a disservice to his, but he barely qualifies as a character.

Starkiller is so far from being a character worth caring about that the story can't even bother to resolve whether he is the original person from the first story or the first success in a long line of failed cloning attempts. It honestly doesn't make sense that he would be the original, but everyone in the book seems to want to pretend that he is, or pretend that it doesn't matter. They're right. You could replace Starkiller with a cardboard cutout for all his actual personality or individuality plays a role in anything.

Anyway, a lot of other really stupid things happen in this story, as well, mostly very video-gamey things. Starkiller fights a monster so big that it can crush a rancor in its fist, and then the two of them fall several miles together, but Starkiller survives (his Force powers are as nonsensically over-the-top as ever). Darth Vader hires Boba Fett to lead a contingent of Imperial forces at one point, because that's totally a thing that would ever happen in the Empire . . . but hey, it lets them shoehorn Boba Fett into the plot, cuz you all love seeing him, right? And on and on. And then, of course, it again ends with events that completely repudiate the entire Star Wars trilogy. I just can't with this. Thank goodness there was never a Force Unleashed III.

D-

[Shane Amazon · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the Force Unleashed and the Fatal Alliance, both books I found average at best, I was a little worried about reading this second installment. I was picturing our fearless and recently dead Jedi/Sith to once again go force crazy as he fought a "boss level" every third chapter, a storyline that was done to death in the first book. To my surprise and gratitude I was wrong. Sean Williams has out done himself with this one. He has woven a complex and intricate web of emotion and suspense that makes the reader feel as if they are in the head of the main characters.

Juno Eclipse is removed from being Starkillers chauffeur and promoted to a major player within the resistance. A promotion that later bites her in the rear-end as she finds herself in a very unforgiving position later in the book. Sean did a very good job delving into the mind of Juno using her personality and affection towards Starkiller to further the books depth.

Starkiller himself has returned from beyond the grave(maybe) and the shallowness of the gaming storyline to be a well-developed character that is more than just a point A to B stick figure that is heartless and mindless. Sean has taken this character and worked his magic, usually saved for his own non-Star Wars books, and made Starkiller a human who's complexities are far deeper than the savage force wielder slaughtering everything in his path.

As for the other characters we have come to know from the first book, Kota, PROXY, Vader and the Organa's, yes they are there and yes they play very important roles within the storyline but this book has a completely different feel in comparison to the first that leaves these characters as a more supportive than instrumental part of the story. With the story taking place during the resistance there are a few surprise appearances from characters we know and love and as many of you may already know from trailers and commercials Starkiller does come in contact with our beloved Yoda. But be warned, do not look forward to in-depth interaction with these characters, it is my guess they have been thrown in for the sake of the game and are not heavy factors within the book.

All-in-all this book has done wonders to reaffirm my belief that Sean Williams is more than capable of producing a well written, complex and fun story within the Star Wars universe. I have begun to wonder about some of the books being published by Del Ray these days as their story arch's are borderline two-dimensional with only a few "deep and emotional" stand alones coming out once a year.

As for the four star rating. The book is very heavy on emotion and character psychology and the balance between that and the action scenes can be a little muddled, but that is only a minor factor. I was more disappointed with the lack of substance with Yoda and the fact that a very heavy thread to the story was left dangling at the end, I'm sure intentionally for the next installment. A fact that overall was not a big deal, it's just with the ending the way it is it left me with a feeling that only one thing was accomplished by the end of 280 pages when there could have been a lot more.

4.5/5 stars for the story. 4.6/5 on the epic scale. One of my favorites and sure to be read again in the future. Wise you would be to read this book I think

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

I said this at the end of my review for The Force Unleashed II. There was no reason for a second book. The guy dead, but no we had to have a sequal and there has to be a 3rd actually. There is no way around it if you read the ending, which is bad...

Spoilers below.

This book has Starkiller being cloned to come back under Vadar. Ok, fine. Vadar tries to sell him in leaving the lab, gain an army (rebels) and have them come out of hiding so Vadar and the Emperor can squash them. Ok, fine. Starkiller wants to find his "love of his life" in Juno. Storyline for that is joke. Juno still loves him, again a joke. I didn't realize this was a girls teen love book to read. All she does is remember him, blah, blah, blah... It was just a recount of book 1 and parts that you could skip. The book shows the development of the rebels and how Arkabar comes about, which is nice. There was one part where Organa is shooting away at people and that is way off. Leia's dad was not a fighter and it was not shown like that in the movies at all. Boba Fett is in the book, which could be considered cool, or just a lame attempt to use him in the story.

I am going to skip to the end and the big issue where Vadar is defeated (again by the way) by Starkiller. Ummm, note to Sean Williams, wasn't Vadar like crazy off the scales when it came to Jedi Force? I am tired of these other characters having all these Jedi/Sith powers that are unmatched from anyone else. They need to get it right Vadar is pretty nasty, thank you. Some of the older SW books with Luke get it so right. He can do things, but not Supernatural powers that Superhero's have.

I might be forced (no pun intended) to read the 3rd one when it comes out because I want to see how Vadar gets out of prison or custody from the rebels. Yeah, you heard me correctly. Vadar is captured...yeah ok.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked "The Force Unleashed II." There is nearly non-stop action from beginning to end, there are several appearances by major Star Wars' characters, Darth Vader acted like someone who actually could give the Emperor a run for his money and it covered some Star Wars back-stories of how things ended up the way they did. The book is not exactly a cliff-hanger, it just did not conclude in a way that would not completely change Star Wars history if things are left the way they are so the completely necessary story resolution will require another book. I like the irony of Darth Vader creating his own nemesis (if that is in fact what has occurred and there is not knowing that at this point). If you like to read Star Wars universe books I'd recommend you give this one a try.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay follow up to the first book. The story is clearly better than the video game, as well as making the game’s plot make more sense now that I read the book; however, it didn't unfortunately make the story/plot any more likeable. Like a lot of sequels, the story seemed rushed and not as well thought out as the original. Almost as the folks in charge were more concerned with a deadline and making money rather than making a coherent/well thought out story (like the first book, KOTOR, etc.) Also, without a Force Unleashed III to tie everything together, Force Unleashed II leaves a huge plot gap between the ending of this book and the start of A New Hope, but as we all know "what goes on in the extended universe stays in the extended universe…" 3.75/5

[Ed Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Since I had to get an audiobook at the last minute, I listened to this before the prequel. It was fine, actually, for most of the book. The end of the book contained an extremely confusing chapter that I had to listen to multiple times -- this is the only reason for giving four out of five stars. I don't know if the problem was the audiobook production, or because I hadn't read the first book, or both, but it was a very poor experience. It could have been produced much better.

Other than that one chapter, the story was great, and the production was awesome, as is the usual for Star Wars audio books. I look forward to listening to the prequel.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything that the game should have been but wasn't. Action filed, good plots. Answers the question of how could Starkiller be alive?

It even answers how Jedi can be cloned, when it was always thought impossible.

[Mark Umstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 3rd game was cancelled! What happens next? One of the worst cliff hangers ever.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intriguing book I will be the first to admit that I may not be giving justice to. The reason I say this is that the book is based on the computer game which I have not played. So all I can go on is the Force Unleashed 1 graphic novel.

That said this book (and I guess game) were published before Disney's purchase and ultimate re-launch of both the brand and the lore. As a result I am not sure if it still part of the timeline which I think would be a pity as not only are there a number of name drops which tie in very nicely but there are also a couple of un-named (but obvious) cameos that did raise a smile.

The story carries on from where the first one finished and goes on to try and answer a number of questions which were raised in so doing (not overlooking those created by the very existence of this story). So a fast fun run through the starwars universe with a lot of action and battles in the process - you can certainly see this was lifted from an action game. So yes a lot of face paced fun but I dont think it really expanded what we knew already