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Star Wars: The Clone Wars Secret Missions #3
Duel at Shattered Rock
Young Jedi Nuru Kungurama and the clone troopers of Breakout Squad receive orders to escort new allies across space to Coruscant. But the diplomatic mission turns deadly when the identity of a mysterious saboteur is revealed and Nuru encounters a deadly armored warrior with ties to Count Dooku. This series is written by acclaimed writer Ryder Windham, who has authored over 50 Star Wars books.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
6 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Ryder Windham
277 books172 followersRyder Windham is an American sci-fi author who has written over sixty Star Wars books, including novels, comics, reference books, and so on. He has also written junior novelizations for Indiana Jones movies. Since 1993, he has been working on Star Wars projects either by himself or with other authors. His reference book Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide had been on the New York Times Best Seller list for three weeks in 2005. Although he has written lots of books, accepted interviews, and appeared at several fan-conventions, little is known about his personal life.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 29, 2022
This is part of a series and they should be read in order. This book and the whole series are short stories as this book was just one hundred pages. In this one our group of heroes are requested to escort an important being to a planet. The powers to be believe that there will be trouble and they are right as trouble finds them.
I thought this one was the best entry so far. That being said this story is not going to blow you away. What I liked about this story was that the action and the story has picked up. That was my complaint from the first two stories as it was pure set up. Finally we get some progress. Not much as I am still not sure what the endgame is. That is not the point of this book. The point of this book is to show how intricate and thought out Sith plans are to achieve their goal. They are complicated and may take several carefully thought out steps to get what they want. There was one thing that kind threw me for a spin and it was the sacrifice at the end. This seemed out of place as I don't understand what value it added to the story. I believe it might be a misconception and all will be revealed in the next installment.
This is a likeable series from a galaxy far, far away. I like the idea of completely following a small band of characters as they navigate the galaxy and learn from their journey. I am a Sith guy so I am enjoying the playing out of the Sith plan and seeing how intricate and detailed it is. This book is a quick read and a nice way to kill some time.
I thought this one was the best entry so far. That being said this story is not going to blow you away. What I liked about this story was that the action and the story has picked up. That was my complaint from the first two stories as it was pure set up. Finally we get some progress. Not much as I am still not sure what the endgame is. That is not the point of this book. The point of this book is to show how intricate and thought out Sith plans are to achieve their goal. They are complicated and may take several carefully thought out steps to get what they want. There was one thing that kind threw me for a spin and it was the sacrifice at the end. This seemed out of place as I don't understand what value it added to the story. I believe it might be a misconception and all will be revealed in the next installment.
This is a likeable series from a galaxy far, far away. I like the idea of completely following a small band of characters as they navigate the galaxy and learn from their journey. I am a Sith guy so I am enjoying the playing out of the Sith plan and seeing how intricate and detailed it is. This book is a quick read and a nice way to kill some time.
October 9, 2024
Star Wars: Legend The Clone Wars: Secret Missions 03 Duel at Shattered Rock by Ryder Windham
adventurous challenging funny mysterious
reflective sad tense
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.25 Stars
There are portions of this book that was fun and exciting, but there were also portions of this book that seemed to drag on.
I still love the Squad. Also Nuru and his leadership capability. He's learning and growing.
This time we get a lot more from the OTHER perspective (the bad guys), and that was fine, but the story (to me) didn't feel as cohesive as the previous stories in this series.
I'm obviously going to push forward. These are novellas that are geared to Middle Grade readers. I'm not the target audience, being in my late fifties, but I still am having fun in the galaxy, far, far...away.:
adventurous challenging funny mysterious
reflective sad tense
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.25 Stars
There are portions of this book that was fun and exciting, but there were also portions of this book that seemed to drag on.
I still love the Squad. Also Nuru and his leadership capability. He's learning and growing.
This time we get a lot more from the OTHER perspective (the bad guys), and that was fine, but the story (to me) didn't feel as cohesive as the previous stories in this series.
I'm obviously going to push forward. These are novellas that are geared to Middle Grade readers. I'm not the target audience, being in my late fifties, but I still am having fun in the galaxy, far, far...away.:
July 9, 2025
I enjoyed this one because the plot kept thickening. Im interested to see what this big overarching scheme is, which is the driving factor in this series. I noticed a lot of very convenient happenings and odd choices made which sank the book, but I gave it 4 stars anyways because its still technically a young readers book
September 20, 2023
Ok the book wasn’t that great but it got really interesting at the end. Could have used more ending and less nonsense during the book. Not terrible but don’t need to reread. 2.7 stars
July 20, 2017
Star Wars Legends Project #129
Background: Duel at Shattered Rock was written by Ryder Windham and published in March of 2011. In addition to his extensive involvement with dozens of Star Wars publications, Windham also wrote the previous books in this series.
Duel at Shattered Rock takes place during the Clone Wars, 21-22 years before the Battle of Yavin. It picks up where The Curse of the Black Hole Pirates (my review) left off. The main characters are the same as the last book: Nuru Kungurama, Breaker, Sharp, Knuckles, Chatterbox, Cleaver, and Lalo Gunn. Most of the story takes place on the planet Vaced.
Summary: Their attempt at diplomacy with the Chiss may not have turned out as planned, but Breakout Squad has no time to contemplate the outcome. Barely returned from the Unknown Regions, Palpatine has contacted them for another mission: To rendezvous with the representative from the newly-liberated planet Kynachi and escort him the rest of the way to Coruscant. But Count Dooku and his minions know exactly where they're headed, and he has other plans.
Review: I should not be complaining that this book is another entry in an attempt to tell a cohesive, larger story made up of bits that stand alone . . . but this entry is just not interesting. We're back to dealing with Kynachi again, which is just a boring world, and then most of the book is taken up with some pretty boilerplate action in the midst of obvious set-up for the big denouement in the last book (which, obviously, doesn't pay off yet).
Again, this isn't actively bad, but it's still pretty boring, and I'm particularly tired of having, not only everything from the previous books explained to me but things like what The Force is explained as well. I'm expecting at least some good fireworks from the climactic finale ahead. At least, all of this had better lead up to something worthwhile or this series won't have justified its existence.
D+
Background: Duel at Shattered Rock was written by Ryder Windham and published in March of 2011. In addition to his extensive involvement with dozens of Star Wars publications, Windham also wrote the previous books in this series.
Duel at Shattered Rock takes place during the Clone Wars, 21-22 years before the Battle of Yavin. It picks up where The Curse of the Black Hole Pirates (my review) left off. The main characters are the same as the last book: Nuru Kungurama, Breaker, Sharp, Knuckles, Chatterbox, Cleaver, and Lalo Gunn. Most of the story takes place on the planet Vaced.
Summary: Their attempt at diplomacy with the Chiss may not have turned out as planned, but Breakout Squad has no time to contemplate the outcome. Barely returned from the Unknown Regions, Palpatine has contacted them for another mission: To rendezvous with the representative from the newly-liberated planet Kynachi and escort him the rest of the way to Coruscant. But Count Dooku and his minions know exactly where they're headed, and he has other plans.
Review: I should not be complaining that this book is another entry in an attempt to tell a cohesive, larger story made up of bits that stand alone . . . but this entry is just not interesting. We're back to dealing with Kynachi again, which is just a boring world, and then most of the book is taken up with some pretty boilerplate action in the midst of obvious set-up for the big denouement in the last book (which, obviously, doesn't pay off yet).
Again, this isn't actively bad, but it's still pretty boring, and I'm particularly tired of having, not only everything from the previous books explained to me but things like what The Force is explained as well. I'm expecting at least some good fireworks from the climactic finale ahead. At least, all of this had better lead up to something worthwhile or this series won't have justified its existence.
D+
July 1, 2020
First off, I am going to begin my review with Nuru Kungurama's story arc because while it was fascinating and I loved it, it was not my most preferred story arc. But, since he was a non-human protagonist who I thoroughly liked and thought made a valuable addition to the tales, I will begin with him.
Nuru Kungurama is an 11 year old Chiss who was discovered as a baby in an escape pod at the outer regions of Chiss space. He is strong with the Force, and is the only Chiss to have been trained as a Jedi...that we know of. *edit: This is actually incorrect information because Isla Waverunner (born as Mitth'att'inrokini) was a female Chiss raised and trained by the Jedi Order as Padawan after her father was mortally wounded.* The Chiss are a secretive people who do not welcome contact with outsiders, so it is perplexing but seemingly fortunate when Chancellor Palpatine assigns the hero of Kynachi to secretly meet with one of their diplomats at the edge of Chiss space. Inevitably, this does not turn out quite the way anyone has anticipated, yet all make it out alive, safe, and sound.
Now, Chancellor Palpatine has another mission for Nuru: to escort representatives of possible Republic allies to Coruscant...yet, as always, nothing is as it seems.
As a seasoned Star Wars fan who has watched and rewatched the movies several times, read and reread many of the Legends and Del Rey books, and who is happily diving into the show Clone Wars series for the very first time, I have a significant grudge against Palpatine.
I mean the guy literally set everyone up...for nearly a century.
For anyone unfamiliar with the intricacies of Star Wars history, here is a summary of the prequels, with a brief summary of the Clone Wars thrown in too. *Feel free to skip this part if you are already familiar with it*
Palpatine set everyone up during the Clone Wars by successfully playing both sides. On the Republic's side he was the heroic Chancellor Palpatine who loves democracy and loves the Republic, and who has been reluctantly granted emergency powers by the Republic Senate to deal with the growing threat of the Separatists. On the Separatist side, he is the virtually unknown Sith Lord Darth Sidious who informs his apprentice, Count Dooku (Darth Tyrannus), of what he wants him to do. Palpatine uses his two identities to fabricate the events of the entire Clone Wars to his advantage, and then, when he manages to deceive young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into choosing the dark side of the Force by telling him this is the only way his wife will survive, and Palpatine engineers a situation where Anakin can choose to kill Count Dooku, which he does, making Anakin Palpatine's new apprentice. After Anakin's successful turn to the Dark Side, Palpatine decides to cut his losses by initiating Order 66 in all of his clone troopers, forcing them to turn against their Jedi commanders and exterminate them all. His new apprentice, now called Darth Vader, now leads an elite squadron of Clone Troopers to fully exterminate any Jedi who survived Order 66 (Also known as the Great Jedi Purge), including his beloved master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi ends up escaping, and while Vader is being outfitted for his sleek black suit, Palpatine officializes his galactic takeover by taking the name "Emperor Palpatine" and transforming the remnants of the Republic into what would be known for the next 3 decades as the Empire.
Suffice it to say, Palpatine is one of the most powerful men in the galaxy and he achieved this power in an almost admirably ruthless way. His total control and uncannily realistic visions of the future can lead some to wonder if good truly has any chance in a universe dominated by Palpatine's schemes.
And here's one of the things I love the most about Star Wars: good truly does have a chance. Despite his seeming all-knowance, Palpatine is a flawed being whose strong dominance of the dark side of the Force sends the light side scurrying for people it can recruit to bring a semblance of balance back. On several occasions heroes from the smallest of places have risen up and taken a stand against Palpatine's reign of evil, and they've won. Any stand against evil counts in this universe, no matter how small.
And here is an example of one person, from a not very well know sector of the galaxy, whose small contributions made a world of difference: Nuru Kungurama.
I am bleeding a little bit into the 4th book by saying this, so this is kind of a review of both books, but he really does make a difference, and as I left this series, I was left with the feeling that no matter how small or insignificant we and/or our contributions may seem, WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
And that's one of the greatest messages that Star Wars preaches: WE ALL MATTER, AND WE ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Okay, seeing as i'm a huge fan of Gunnbox, as I call their ship, the rest of the review is dedicated to my unabashed shipping of this power couple! :D Spoilers ahead, so keep reading only if you've read the book. :D
With regards to Gunnbox, I loved this book up until the very end.
Shout out to my good friend Joey for lending me the entire series of books at once so that I could immediately devour the next book following this one's shocking twist ending.
WHAT I LOVED:
There was more Lalo Gunn and Chatterbox action!!!! *SPOILER*: After 2 books of Gunn shamelessly flirting with Chatterbox while he politely endured her, he ends up kissing her before they part for their separate ways.
Which brings me to my next part: WHAT I HATED:
*SPOILER* LALO WAS A FREAKING TRAITOR?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Picture this, a hopeless romantic shipping these two space lovebirds. The same hopeless romantic shrieking and jumping up and down when they finally kiss, and proudly announcing to the world that she shipped them before they were canon. And then, after finishing the book, this hopelessly hopeful romantic having her world rocked by the possibilities that Gunn had been leading Chatterbox on the entire time because she had been hired by Cad Bane to get Breakout Squad to Bilbringi Depot no matter what. WHAT?!?!?! As a reader, I was left with the impression that possibly Gunn had never been on their side and was working for the villains the entire time, which, seeing as she was one of my favorite characters, felt like crap. What also felt like crap was the fact that Chatterbox gets badly wounded after he is shot shortly after Gunn leaves the group, leaving me to wonder if Ryder Windham had intended their sweet kiss to be a swan song to a ship that would inevitably sink.
But, because of all the feels, both good and bad, this story DESERVED 5 stars, so I am gladly giving it that. Thank you so much, Ryder Windham, for making a story that is targeted to younger audiences, yet is relatable to me, as a highschooler, with characters that I care about and feel very strongly for. You created a book I care deeply about, thank you!
Also, side note, Joey, you might never get these books back. Hahahaha, just kidding. Maybe.
Nuru Kungurama is an 11 year old Chiss who was discovered as a baby in an escape pod at the outer regions of Chiss space. He is strong with the Force, and is the only Chiss to have been trained as a Jedi...that we know of. *edit: This is actually incorrect information because Isla Waverunner (born as Mitth'att'inrokini) was a female Chiss raised and trained by the Jedi Order as Padawan after her father was mortally wounded.* The Chiss are a secretive people who do not welcome contact with outsiders, so it is perplexing but seemingly fortunate when Chancellor Palpatine assigns the hero of Kynachi to secretly meet with one of their diplomats at the edge of Chiss space. Inevitably, this does not turn out quite the way anyone has anticipated, yet all make it out alive, safe, and sound.
Now, Chancellor Palpatine has another mission for Nuru: to escort representatives of possible Republic allies to Coruscant...yet, as always, nothing is as it seems.
As a seasoned Star Wars fan who has watched and rewatched the movies several times, read and reread many of the Legends and Del Rey books, and who is happily diving into the show Clone Wars series for the very first time, I have a significant grudge against Palpatine.
I mean the guy literally set everyone up...for nearly a century.
For anyone unfamiliar with the intricacies of Star Wars history, here is a summary of the prequels, with a brief summary of the Clone Wars thrown in too. *Feel free to skip this part if you are already familiar with it*
Palpatine set everyone up during the Clone Wars by successfully playing both sides. On the Republic's side he was the heroic Chancellor Palpatine who loves democracy and loves the Republic, and who has been reluctantly granted emergency powers by the Republic Senate to deal with the growing threat of the Separatists. On the Separatist side, he is the virtually unknown Sith Lord Darth Sidious who informs his apprentice, Count Dooku (Darth Tyrannus), of what he wants him to do. Palpatine uses his two identities to fabricate the events of the entire Clone Wars to his advantage, and then, when he manages to deceive young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into choosing the dark side of the Force by telling him this is the only way his wife will survive, and Palpatine engineers a situation where Anakin can choose to kill Count Dooku, which he does, making Anakin Palpatine's new apprentice. After Anakin's successful turn to the Dark Side, Palpatine decides to cut his losses by initiating Order 66 in all of his clone troopers, forcing them to turn against their Jedi commanders and exterminate them all. His new apprentice, now called Darth Vader, now leads an elite squadron of Clone Troopers to fully exterminate any Jedi who survived Order 66 (Also known as the Great Jedi Purge), including his beloved master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi ends up escaping, and while Vader is being outfitted for his sleek black suit, Palpatine officializes his galactic takeover by taking the name "Emperor Palpatine" and transforming the remnants of the Republic into what would be known for the next 3 decades as the Empire.
Suffice it to say, Palpatine is one of the most powerful men in the galaxy and he achieved this power in an almost admirably ruthless way. His total control and uncannily realistic visions of the future can lead some to wonder if good truly has any chance in a universe dominated by Palpatine's schemes.
And here's one of the things I love the most about Star Wars: good truly does have a chance. Despite his seeming all-knowance, Palpatine is a flawed being whose strong dominance of the dark side of the Force sends the light side scurrying for people it can recruit to bring a semblance of balance back. On several occasions heroes from the smallest of places have risen up and taken a stand against Palpatine's reign of evil, and they've won. Any stand against evil counts in this universe, no matter how small.
And here is an example of one person, from a not very well know sector of the galaxy, whose small contributions made a world of difference: Nuru Kungurama.
I am bleeding a little bit into the 4th book by saying this, so this is kind of a review of both books, but he really does make a difference, and as I left this series, I was left with the feeling that no matter how small or insignificant we and/or our contributions may seem, WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
And that's one of the greatest messages that Star Wars preaches: WE ALL MATTER, AND WE ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Okay, seeing as i'm a huge fan of Gunnbox, as I call their ship, the rest of the review is dedicated to my unabashed shipping of this power couple! :D Spoilers ahead, so keep reading only if you've read the book. :D
With regards to Gunnbox, I loved this book up until the very end.
Shout out to my good friend Joey for lending me the entire series of books at once so that I could immediately devour the next book following this one's shocking twist ending.
WHAT I LOVED:
There was more Lalo Gunn and Chatterbox action!!!! *SPOILER*: After 2 books of Gunn shamelessly flirting with Chatterbox while he politely endured her, he ends up kissing her before they part for their separate ways.
Which brings me to my next part: WHAT I HATED:
*SPOILER* LALO WAS A FREAKING TRAITOR?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Picture this, a hopeless romantic shipping these two space lovebirds. The same hopeless romantic shrieking and jumping up and down when they finally kiss, and proudly announcing to the world that she shipped them before they were canon. And then, after finishing the book, this hopelessly hopeful romantic having her world rocked by the possibilities that Gunn had been leading Chatterbox on the entire time because she had been hired by Cad Bane to get Breakout Squad to Bilbringi Depot no matter what. WHAT?!?!?! As a reader, I was left with the impression that possibly Gunn had never been on their side and was working for the villains the entire time, which, seeing as she was one of my favorite characters, felt like crap. What also felt like crap was the fact that Chatterbox gets badly wounded after he is shot shortly after Gunn leaves the group, leaving me to wonder if Ryder Windham had intended their sweet kiss to be a swan song to a ship that would inevitably sink.
But, because of all the feels, both good and bad, this story DESERVED 5 stars, so I am gladly giving it that. Thank you so much, Ryder Windham, for making a story that is targeted to younger audiences, yet is relatable to me, as a highschooler, with characters that I care about and feel very strongly for. You created a book I care deeply about, thank you!
Also, side note, Joey, you might never get these books back. Hahahaha, just kidding. Maybe.
June 28, 2023
Following their mission in Chiss space, the Breakout Squad is ordered to escort a Kynachi diplomat who intends to join the Republic. The mission goes wrong because the diplomat along with his aides is killed by a Mandalorian. Said Mandalorian had been hired by Dooku and belonged to the Dead Watch. The Breakout Squad pursues the assassin and manages to kill him after watching him crash his ship. In reality, the Mandalorian had survived, but since he left many traces of his identity, he is reprimanded by his superiors. Nuru discovers that the Mandalorian had left behind a tool belt belonging to his master, which also contained coordinates to Bilbringi. His departure, Lalo Gunn leaves the team because he found it too dangerous. At Bilbringi, the team would meet Umbrag, whom they would defeat and capture.
Bilbringi's warehouse would be visited by the aristocrat Veeren, who would reveal to everyone that her actions were being manipulated by greater forces. After this warning, Veeren leaves the place; However, his transport is attacked and destroyed by a ship where his teacher was on board. Both Kungurama and Ambase think the other is a traitor who has fallen to the dark side. Ambase's ship ends up hiding at the edges of Bilbringi space. The novel ends with Chatterbox being wounded by a droid shot and with a Nuru out for revenge
Bilbringi's warehouse would be visited by the aristocrat Veeren, who would reveal to everyone that her actions were being manipulated by greater forces. After this warning, Veeren leaves the place; However, his transport is attacked and destroyed by a ship where his teacher was on board. Both Kungurama and Ambase think the other is a traitor who has fallen to the dark side. Ambase's ship ends up hiding at the edges of Bilbringi space. The novel ends with Chatterbox being wounded by a droid shot and with a Nuru out for revenge
November 1, 2024
*2.75
These books are pretty quick reads, despite it usually taking me a month to pick them up. Here, we reconnect with Breakout Squad: Nuru, his four clone troopers, droid Cleaver, and pilot Gunn. A sudden mission and a Mandalorian assassin land Breakout Squad on a new planet where bikers and politics conspire against them. And are we finally getting an update on the status of Nuru's missing master?
As usual, the characters are fun - I especially liked the new addition of Gizz. But the writing is just... so bad. Ryder Windham has written dozens upon dozens of SW books, so I genuinely feel like he didn't try as hard with these ones. There are some great lines of dialogue, but most of the writing reads like: "He stood up, trying to stop the piece from falling. He moved quickly. He missed the piece. It broke on the floor." It's... a lot.
While pretty overt, I liked the hint of Nuru's dark side creeping in, and I'm interested in the upcoming showdown between him and Ambase. The last chapter made me a little sad, though. You're telling me I was wrong to trust... that character? Aw.
Looking forward to the finale!
2.75/5 stars.
These books are pretty quick reads, despite it usually taking me a month to pick them up. Here, we reconnect with Breakout Squad: Nuru, his four clone troopers, droid Cleaver, and pilot Gunn. A sudden mission and a Mandalorian assassin land Breakout Squad on a new planet where bikers and politics conspire against them. And are we finally getting an update on the status of Nuru's missing master?
As usual, the characters are fun - I especially liked the new addition of Gizz. But the writing is just... so bad. Ryder Windham has written dozens upon dozens of SW books, so I genuinely feel like he didn't try as hard with these ones. There are some great lines of dialogue, but most of the writing reads like: "He stood up, trying to stop the piece from falling. He moved quickly. He missed the piece. It broke on the floor." It's... a lot.
While pretty overt, I liked the hint of Nuru's dark side creeping in, and I'm interested in the upcoming showdown between him and Ambase. The last chapter made me a little sad, though. You're telling me I was wrong to trust... that character? Aw.
Looking forward to the finale!
2.75/5 stars.
September 28, 2021
This book is setting up a lot in the storyline, but I didn't find it particularly entertaining or engaging. I am interested in seeing where the story goes from here, and am interested in our new companion.
August 3, 2025
Rating: dusbehrksndjd/5
I DESPISE STAR WARS
This series be giving me anxiety and trust issues T-T
AHHHH im in pain! The betrayal, the misunderstanding, the deaths and deception wahhhh applaud the author but also THE AUDACITYYYYY
I DESPISE STAR WARS
This series be giving me anxiety and trust issues T-T
AHHHH im in pain! The betrayal, the misunderstanding, the deaths and deception wahhhh applaud the author but also THE AUDACITYYYYY
April 5, 2018
this was a weird sequel to picnic at hanging rock
November 15, 2021
Not as exciting as the first two, but still a good story
July 30, 2022
Talk about a confusing plot line. I know Darth Sidious is trying to be sneaky and take over the republic, but who knows how his super twisted plans work. Not me!
November 8, 2022
Ein paar ganz interessante Twists gegen Ende, leider fühlen sie sich allesamt sehr gezwungen an.
Genau wie die ersten 2 Bücher ist der Schreibstil nicht sehr schön (vielleicht auch nur die deutsche Übersetzung)
Genau wie die ersten 2 Bücher ist der Schreibstil nicht sehr schön (vielleicht auch nur die deutsche Übersetzung)
July 12, 2015
The plot is thickening in the 3rd installment of this little series. our young Jedi is coming into his power and we see some of those who we thought were friends are not really that. I look forward to the last book in this series to solve all the mysteries and I do hope for a good ending.
May 2, 2024
An exciting instalment with plenty of surprises. Windham, alas, is still shoehorning in romance where it's not necessary - or it's something that might be called "romance" if it wasn't so poorly written.
May 6, 2012
It was a good book.
December 4, 2012
An OK young readers series, but not even in the same galaxy (far, far away, you might say...) as Jude Watson's earlier young reader series'.
January 30, 2015
I think it is a good book for whatever level is after beginners
March 30, 2017
I've decided to review the four books in the Secret Missions series together, since they seem to be more a single story than four individual stories under the same arc. Each book has its own conflict and story, but they seem to be a backfrop for the larger story, which is the conflict between Nuru Kungurama, a Chiss Padawan, and his Master, Ring-Sol Ambrase. There are other characters in the books (four clone troopers, a droid commando, and the captain of a ship), but the central conflict that drives the entire story is that one. And since this is the Clone Wars, of course the events are all orchestrated by Palpatine for his grand scheme.
The stories are decent, in that they move quickly, and the characters are engaging, but this was the first juvenile book that felt like it was written for kids. Despite the complexities of the plot, the story was told simply, with more telling than showing, and an overuse of abverbs. Windham added some humor to the stories, though without making it cringe-worthy, like C-3PO and the droid factory from Attack of the Clones. He also used lines from the original movies, so readers can run their own Easter egg hunts to find them.
The first book, Breakout Squad, sets up the events that separate Nuru and Ring-Sol, while also creating the Breakout Squad itself. The second book, Curse of the Black Hole Pirates, gives us some insight into Nuru's past as the squad goes into unknown space and meets with a Chiss ambassador. Duel at Shattered Rock reveals a Mandalorian assassin on a new mission, and Guardians of the Chiss Key brings the main plot to a close.
When I decided to include the juvenile books into my Star Wars reading project, I decided against adding any adaptation of other works. That eliminated a lot of titles (each movie has a juvenile and an easy-reader adaptation, and there are some books which are adaptations of other books), but now that I'm deep into the Clone Wars, I'm finding that I'm missing out on some details because I haven't watched the show yet. Secret Missions feels incomplete in some ways, and I wonder if it's because Windham is relying on the readers being familiar with the show. The way he wraps up events in the fourth book leaves many questions unanswered, though maybe they're a set up for the show.
So, the books are decent, if a little basic, and they feel like there should be more story once they wrap up. Readers already familiar with The Clone Wars might have more of their questions answered, but other readers should use caution when approaching the series.
The stories are decent, in that they move quickly, and the characters are engaging, but this was the first juvenile book that felt like it was written for kids. Despite the complexities of the plot, the story was told simply, with more telling than showing, and an overuse of abverbs. Windham added some humor to the stories, though without making it cringe-worthy, like C-3PO and the droid factory from Attack of the Clones. He also used lines from the original movies, so readers can run their own Easter egg hunts to find them.
The first book, Breakout Squad, sets up the events that separate Nuru and Ring-Sol, while also creating the Breakout Squad itself. The second book, Curse of the Black Hole Pirates, gives us some insight into Nuru's past as the squad goes into unknown space and meets with a Chiss ambassador. Duel at Shattered Rock reveals a Mandalorian assassin on a new mission, and Guardians of the Chiss Key brings the main plot to a close.
When I decided to include the juvenile books into my Star Wars reading project, I decided against adding any adaptation of other works. That eliminated a lot of titles (each movie has a juvenile and an easy-reader adaptation, and there are some books which are adaptations of other books), but now that I'm deep into the Clone Wars, I'm finding that I'm missing out on some details because I haven't watched the show yet. Secret Missions feels incomplete in some ways, and I wonder if it's because Windham is relying on the readers being familiar with the show. The way he wraps up events in the fourth book leaves many questions unanswered, though maybe they're a set up for the show.
So, the books are decent, if a little basic, and they feel like there should be more story once they wrap up. Readers already familiar with The Clone Wars might have more of their questions answered, but other readers should use caution when approaching the series.
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