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Fatal Alliance (Star Wars: The Old Republic, #3)

Sean Williams

Start date: July 27, 2010

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What Members Thought

Feb 26, 2012 Scott Rhee rated it liked it

Shelves: old-canon-legends, star-wars, video-game-tie-in, science-fiction, movie-tie-in, fantasy, the-old-republic

Sean William's "Fatal Alliance", the third novel in the Star Wars Old Republic series (although all of them are stand-alones, not connected in any way with each other other than the fact that they are set in the Star Wars universe), is a surprisingly decent action thriller that has somewhat restored my faith in the Expanded Universe series, specifically the Old Republic series-within-a-series. Based on a popular video game series that I have never played nor will I ever play, the Old Republic bo Sean William's "Fatal Alliance", the third novel in the Star Wars Old Republic series (although all of them are stand-alones, not connected in any way with each other other than the fact that they are set in the Star Wars universe), is a surprisingly decent action thriller that has somewhat restored my faith in the Expanded Universe series, specifically the Old Republic series-within-a-series. Based on a popular video game series that I have never played nor will I ever play, the Old Republic books are set roughly 1,000 years before the events of the first Star Wars movie. It is the legends and mythologies surrounding the never-ending struggle between the Siths and the Jedis, leading up to the formation (actually, the Re-formation) of the Empire under Emperor Palpatine and his Sith Lord, Darth Vader, and the Purge (the galaxy-wide assassination of all Jedi knights). The rest, as they say, is history for Star Wars fans.

"Fatal Alliance" is a "Cannonball Run"-like galactic chase involving smugglers, bounty hunters, Republic troopers, Imperial spies, a young Sith and her master, and a young Jedi and his master. They are all racing to be the first to retrieve an object on auction on the planet Hutta. The galactic gangsters, the Hutts, retrieved it during a pirate attack. No one knows what it is or who made it, but it appears to be powerful. Once all the parties have arrived at the auction, though, events take a turn for the worse. Now, those who were once (and still are) enemies are forced to work together against an even greater and stranger enemy. Not everyone is who they appear to be, and everyone has some kind of secret that may be vital in stopping the enemy.

I'm not gonna lie: this book was silly good fun. Like the Star Wars movies, it's entertainment for entertainment's sake, so it's pointless to pick it apart. It's not Pullitzer Prize-winning material, so I'm not going to bitch and moan about lack of character development or holes in the plot. Who cares? Star Wars fans will read it, and enjoy it, regardless. Those who aren't Star Wars fans won't read it, and why would they? I will say that Williams actually does a pretty good job of developing each of the main characters, which, from a practical standpoint, was necessary considering the mystery-like structure of the novel. Each of the characters has personal motivations that help to explain why they do what they do in the novel. The result is some suspenseful little plot twists and turns throughout. ...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Jim rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2013-adult, 2013

I love Star Wars but didn't really care for this book a lot. I don't like how the authors have developed the Old Republic era of the Star Wars universe. These books are meant to take place 2000-3000 years before the movies but the setting seems almost the same. Coruscant is still the capital of the galaxy which is a republic. You still have an empire led by the Sith. You still have a Jedi Order that supports/defends the republic. It doesn't seem like technology and the cultures had changed in 20 ...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Kent rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I actually found this book to be quite a good read. It's longer than most SW novels, but it is well detailed and full of good action parts. the characters were well constructed and dynamic throughout the book. It's a story that takes place way back long before the movies. I would recommend this book if you are into the Old Republic era of books. Good stuff. ...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Terry Holmes rated it liked it

Shelves: star-wars

It started out slow for me as a Star Wars book. Once the plot started to thicken and the Sith and the Jedi actually had to work together made it almost unique except for the fact that it was already written in "Allies." ...more

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