*****= An all-time favorite
**** = Outstanding
*** = Above
average
** = Enjoyable
*
= Good, with reservations
**Star Wars
The Approaching Storm
by Alan Dean Foster
Reviewed February
25, 2002.
Del Rey, 2002. 344 pages.
I’m not usually one to read books based on movies. This one
is said to be a prelude to the upcoming Star Wars: Episode 2 movie.
I wanted to read it to be sure I wouldn’t miss anything in the movie.
The book was good, but nothing special. It covers a mission
of Obi Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker to the planet of
Ansion. On this mission, they work with another Jedi knight, Luminara
Unduli, and her apprentice, Barriss Offee. I found these other Jedi
more interesting than the ones I already had met.
The book seemed somewhat episodic and not terribly unified.
Every few chapters, their lives would be in danger because of some exotic
alien danger. There were many descriptions of strange life forms
and treacherous features of the alien planet. It might have made
a good movie, but describing these alien creatures with words got a bit
tedious.
Still, the book did make me eager to see the next movie. Anakin
is troubled about something, and it’s going to be interesting to see how
that plays out. The cover blurb said that the book introduces a
new character from the movie, and I’ll be interested to see which one.
I hope it’s the other Jedi knight or her apprentice, not the strange little
Jar-Jar-like creature they picked up on Ansion.
Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund