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Shatterpoint

Shatterpoint

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  • Create Date：2021-06-16 04:19:23
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Matthew Woodring Stover
  • ISBN：B092KWDQGN
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Summary

Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins

In this essential Star Wars Legends novel， Mace Windu must journey to his long-forgotten homeworld to confront a terrifying mystery with dire personal consequences。

The jungle planet of Haruun Kal， homeworld of the legendary Jedi Master Mace Windu， has become a battleground in the increasing hostilities between the Republic and the renegade Separatist movement。 The Jedi Council has sent Depa Billaba - Mace’s former Padawan and fellow Council member - to Haruun Kal to train the local tribesmen as a guerrilla resistance force。 But now the Separatists have pulled back， and Depa has not returned。 The only clue to her disappearance is a cryptic recording left at the scene of a brutal massacre: a recording that hints of madness and murder and the darkness in the jungle。。。a recording in Depa’s own voice。

Mace Windu trained Depa。 Only he can find her。 Only he can learn what has changed her。 Only he can stop her。 He will leave behind the Republic he serves， the civilization he believes in， everything but his passion for peace and his devotion to his former Padawan。 And he will learn the terrible price that must be paid when keepers of the peace are forced to make war。。。。

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Reviews

Corbin Schaefer ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 （DISCLAIMER: I read the abridged Audible version of this book， so certain pieces of the story were likely missing/edited down。）Another entry into the Clone Wars multimedia project。 I think by release date， this was actually the first Clone Wars book released。 I think they wanted to capitalize on Mace Windu's presence in Attack of the Clones right out of the gate， and out came Shatterpoint。 The results were pretty mixed for me， but there were some highlights。Let's start negatively: I thought for （DISCLAIMER: I read the abridged Audible version of this book， so certain pieces of the story were likely missing/edited down。）Another entry into the Clone Wars multimedia project。 I think by release date， this was actually the first Clone Wars book released。 I think they wanted to capitalize on Mace Windu's presence in Attack of the Clones right out of the gate， and out came Shatterpoint。 The results were pretty mixed for me， but there were some highlights。Let's start negatively: I thought for the most part， this book was pretty boring。 A lot of it was Mace meeting with various soldiers， befriending them， and facing the horrors of his home planet of Haruun Kal。 And with a few exceptions， the plot of this book was pretty much lost on me。 I felt like， at least in the abridged version， many things weren't set up clearly or were compelling to learn。I'd also say that， having seen Apocalypse Now， this book almost feels too derivative of that story。 It's an interesting idea to take Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and put a Star Wars spin on it， but Shatterpoint didn't really do it in the way I would've preferred。 Something a bit more different and separated would've been welcome。 Mace travels to a jungle planet to dive deep into unknown territory to find his old apprentice who seems to have befriended the savage natives and gone insane。 That's not a bad idea on paper， and it could've worked better， but in tandem with the previous paragraph's explanation that most of the plot's movements were kind of boring， it didn't pan out for me。One thing I'm a bit split on is the use of of Mace's journal。 It's an okay gimmick， but I feel like in many ways it failed to provide a deeper inner reflection of Mace's character journey。 There are little nuggets of it， but not enough。 And the journals stop a little after halfway through the book anyways so it almost felt trivial。 But I think it was a story element that had potential。Now for some highlights: I enjoyed Depa Billaba。 While in the abridged version， the reason for her downfall wasn't quite clear to me， her message to Mace at the beginning of the story gave me chills and was an incredibly memorable moment。 I'm pretty sure her fate was explored more in the comics。 When Mace ends up reaching her， the results are very representative of the foreshadowing and expectations the story worked to present。 I also enjoyed the fight between Mace and Kar Vastor， Billaba's right hand man。 It was brutal and kind of heart-racing。 Matthew Stover does an excellent job of portraying action when he wants to。 It matched the tone of the story and was a great demonstration of Mace's abilities and mastery of Vaapad。Overall， Shatterpoint has some small peaks of quality and has elements that work for me， but fails to be a strong entry into Legends。 This was an okay idea for a Mace Windu-centric story， but it ends up having little to do with the Clone Wars and is drowned in messy story beats that take of the majority of the reading。 Perhaps I'll give the unabridged version a try sometime though！ 。。。more

Sofia ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Definitely some racist tropes here in a version of Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now。

Anna Browning ，

Very dark， but overall enjoyable。 Nick was kind of annoying。

Rachael Kelleher ，

The prose was sometimes too dry， and I found the lack of chosen names for the clones Windu dealt with distasteful， but it was a great book overall。 I loved the insight into his character and his relationship with Depa Billaba

Kevin ，

3。5/5。Shatterpoint is a gritty， adult novel that contrasts sharply with the Clone Wars television show。 I didn’t finish Heart of Darkness in high school， but this was reminiscent of the classic。 The presentation of nature as an uncaring， dangerous wilderness runs mostly against Star Wars’ portrayal of nature — see the lovable natives of Endor， for instance。Stover writes grippingly， with a very tight plot that at times feels overwhelming。 The datapad interludes allows the reader， and the characte 3。5/5。Shatterpoint is a gritty， adult novel that contrasts sharply with the Clone Wars television show。 I didn’t finish Heart of Darkness in high school， but this was reminiscent of the classic。 The presentation of nature as an uncaring， dangerous wilderness runs mostly against Star Wars’ portrayal of nature — see the lovable natives of Endor， for instance。Stover writes grippingly， with a very tight plot that at times feels overwhelming。 The datapad interludes allows the reader， and the characters to breathe a bit。 I particularly enjoyed Nick’s short interjections。 Kar Vastor is a brilliant villain， a twisted reflection of Mace himself。One of the difficulties of writing fully-fledged， adult characters is that it’s harder to write believable character development。 Mace going from a pragmatic （I should have killed Dooku） to principled （the Jedi fight for justice， not peace） Jedi doesn’t really make sense to me — he has had 30 years as a Jedi Master to learn that lesson。 Similarly， his change of heart over Geonosis isn’t even due to a change in principles， it’s a newfound belief in Anakin， the Chosen One， who is completely irrelevant to this story。I really appreciated seeing more of Chancellor Palpatine， especially from the eyes of the Jedi。 It makes it much more believable that the Jedi would only begin to suspect him in Revenge of the Sith， seeing him as a grandfatherly politician trying his best。 Having recently seen RotS， I find it difficult to reconcile the character growth that Mace undergoes in this book with his famous “He’s too dangerous to leave alive！” line。 I look forward to reading Stover’s novelization for an explanation there。 。。。more

AceFireFox ，

I'm not even really sure how to describe this one。 It's brutal。 It's often violent。 It really asks questions about war， race， brutality and just how far someone will go。 It's interesting to see a full story from Mace Windu's point of view， having to come to terms with his own guilt when it comes to Geonosis and the image and view he has of Depa and the truth of the situation。 One thing that interested me was when the Clones came in， how they almost seem to bother Mace in a way because of Geonosi I'm not even really sure how to describe this one。 It's brutal。 It's often violent。 It really asks questions about war， race， brutality and just how far someone will go。 It's interesting to see a full story from Mace Windu's point of view， having to come to terms with his own guilt when it comes to Geonosis and the image and view he has of Depa and the truth of the situation。 One thing that interested me was when the Clones came in， how they almost seem to bother Mace in a way because of Geonosis and his guilt for his actions。 For example， at one point a Commander doesn't have his helmet on when the other lads have taken theirs off and it states that he was glad because he couldn't look at his face。 Another part has Mace having to climb over 4 dead Clones who had their helmets taken off and how "Jango Fett's dead face stared at him four times over"。 Considering how little he seems to give a crap in Clone Wars it's interesting to see it slightly different way。 Depa， I feel， could have been developed and delved into much better。 It's only really mentioned about the terrible things she's done， Mace being left in disbelief because of his own view and memories of the woman， but she's never really seen doing anything crazy。 At most， at the end of the book， （view spoiler）[she finally snaps and tried to kill Mace but ultimately then flits back and then tries to kill herself in guilt。 I assume that she ends up in some sort of Dark Side coma at the end （hide spoiler）]。 A few scenes from her POV could have helped， maybe？ To show her struggle with trying to stay good but ultimately unable to。 Or Kar's influence on her。 Nick was precious and I love him。 To be honest， I did quite enjoy this one even though I feel at some points some things weren't really going in。 It showed a much more brutal side to war and the conflicting sides。 It was interesting。 。。。more

Evan McKinney ，

Mace is cool。 Great insight into the Jedi Order and how their ideology and the force were impacted by the Clone Wars。 The jungle being a metaphor for the war is a bit drawn out and I was getting bored by the time I was reading the final battle。

Cheryl Novack ，

Excellent side storyMatthew Stover is easily my favorite Star Wars author。 Revenge of the Sith is in my Top 5 of all time， so I had to read this novel。It's an interesting journey into the history of Master Mace Windu， but more importantly it's a journey into his mind。Definitely an enjoyable read that I'd recommend to any fan of the Jedi Order。 Excellent side storyMatthew Stover is easily my favorite Star Wars author。 Revenge of the Sith is in my Top 5 of all time， so I had to read this novel。It's an interesting journey into the history of Master Mace Windu， but more importantly it's a journey into his mind。Definitely an enjoyable read that I'd recommend to any fan of the Jedi Order。 。。。more

Thomas ，

One of the best Star Wars novels， Mace is in over his head and it is a bad time。 Minor Spoiler: Think of this as Apocalypse Now with Jedi。

Amanda ，

I don't really know where to start with this one。 It's a retelling of Apocalypse Now set during the Clone Wars， starring Mace Windu in the role of protagonist。 It's very good， perhaps better than The New Jedi Order， Book 13: Traitor， which was Matt Stover's first entry into the old Legends EU。I guess I'm now part of the cult of Stover。 Gotta read all his SW books now， I'm hooked。 I don't really know where to start with this one。 It's a retelling of Apocalypse Now set during the Clone Wars， starring Mace Windu in the role of protagonist。 It's very good， perhaps better than The New Jedi Order， Book 13: Traitor， which was Matt Stover's first entry into the old Legends EU。I guess I'm now part of the cult of Stover。 Gotta read all his SW books now， I'm hooked。 。。。more

Nemo ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really really enjoyed this book。 The themes are great， the characterisation is great， the dialogue is AMAZING。 I absolutely love the tone， the nightmarish qualities and the way that the first third of it felt like it was just slogging on， the same way that Mace does in the book。 Not in a bad way because it's incredibly timed， but in a way that felt sympathetic to the main character。 I adored the world building， the history of Haruun Kal and the conflict between the Korunnai and the Balawai。 I I really really enjoyed this book。 The themes are great， the characterisation is great， the dialogue is AMAZING。 I absolutely love the tone， the nightmarish qualities and the way that the first third of it felt like it was just slogging on， the same way that Mace does in the book。 Not in a bad way because it's incredibly timed， but in a way that felt sympathetic to the main character。 I adored the world building， the history of Haruun Kal and the conflict between the Korunnai and the Balawai。 I loved Mace's place in that and the relationship he had with Kar Vastor。 And， oh maaaaan。 Kar Vastor。 I went from not really liking him to liking him quite a bit to absolutely hating him throughout this book。 I'm so impressed that the author fooled me so much about what was happening and how things would turn out。 I love the clones in this book， and especially loved the small short at the end Equipment。 I also absolutely adored Nick。 I spent most of the book from when I first met him so stressed because I just knew that he was going to die because that's what always happens to non-main characters that I get attached to and I was completely and utterly shocked when he didn't。 The thing I love the most about this book is that it is absolutely brutal。 There is something gorgeous about this planet that wants nothing more than to destroy the humans on it and the devolution effect that war has on society。 I loved Mace's view on the Jedi and what it means to be Jedi。 And I also really loved Depa's take on what the war will do to the Jedi。 It's something I think about a lot， about how a war fought between clones and droids doesn't have the cost or the attrition that will lead to its end。 I really really enjoyed this book a lot and now I really really want to read the rest of Stover's other books。 It will definitely be going on my books that I will re-read because it's so fantastically written。 。。。more

Marco ，

One of， if not the best Star Wars legends books。 It's Apocalypse Now meets Star Wars。 It explores Mace Windu's background and delves into how the clone wars are changing Jedi and forcing them to question beliefs they've held for millenia。 Windu is also forced to reckon with the toll war takes， and this also serves as a social commentary for the war on terror that was just beginning at the time （this was written in 2003）。 Stover is an excellent writer-i already loved his revenge of the sith novel One of， if not the best Star Wars legends books。 It's Apocalypse Now meets Star Wars。 It explores Mace Windu's background and delves into how the clone wars are changing Jedi and forcing them to question beliefs they've held for millenia。 Windu is also forced to reckon with the toll war takes， and this also serves as a social commentary for the war on terror that was just beginning at the time （this was written in 2003）。 Stover is an excellent writer-i already loved his revenge of the sith novelization so I was excited to read this。 He is at his best getting into the mind of his main character （In this case Windu） and relaying the very real human costs of war。 。。。more

Sophie ，

I found this book a little hard to get into and rather dense to get through， but I can't say I didn't like reading more about Mace Windu。 I found this book a little hard to get into and rather dense to get through， but I can't say I didn't like reading more about Mace Windu。 。。。more

Leonard ，

A bit boring。

Kevin McGinn ，

This was one of the worst Star Wars books I have ever read！

Burak Emiralp ，

Star Wars ve Mace Windu'yu sevenlerin kaçırmaması gereken bir roman。Işın kılıcının yedinci tekniğinin bir varyasyonu sayılan Vapaad'ı bulan ve onu öğrencisi Depa Billaba'ya öğreten Mace Windu， Haruun Kal gezegenine gider。Öğrencisi Depa Billaba'nın karanlık tarafa geçip geçmediğini merak edenler kitabı okusunlar。 Star Wars ve Mace Windu'yu sevenlerin kaçırmaması gereken bir roman。Işın kılıcının yedinci tekniğinin bir varyasyonu sayılan Vapaad'ı bulan ve onu öğrencisi Depa Billaba'ya öğreten Mace Windu， Haruun Kal gezegenine gider。Öğrencisi Depa Billaba'nın karanlık tarafa geçip geçmediğini merak edenler kitabı okusunlar。 。。。more

Jonathan ，

Hits like a truck。 i';ve heard this called 'Apocalypse Now' in the GFFA， and they're right。 Intense and barely lets up。 Hits like a truck。 i';ve heard this called 'Apocalypse Now' in the GFFA， and they're right。 Intense and barely lets up。 。。。more

Jake Davis ，

I feel conflicted on this book。 On one hand the action is amazing and its an interesting look into Mace Windu。 On the other hand at times it doesnt seem like a Jedi would do alot of the things he does and i had a hard time really feeling why characters did certain things or how theyre affected the way they are。 And some scenes felt rushed like some chapters had been edited out to shorten the book。 But overall the action is what brought this book to four stars for me。 Mace Windu is a badass

Daniel Kukwa ，

It's a slow burn at times。。。perhaps a little too slow on occasion。 But there is no denying the intensity of the story。。。and the intensity of the main character。 Matthew Stover gives Mace Windu the greatest showcase ever， and takes the brooding cliched tough guy of the prequel and makes him a fully rounded， wise， dangerous Jedi。 THIS Mace Windu wouldn't have met the same fate as the Episode III Windu。。。and I would have loved to see more of THIS Windu on screen， so we could all appreciate him。 It's a slow burn at times。。。perhaps a little too slow on occasion。 But there is no denying the intensity of the story。。。and the intensity of the main character。 Matthew Stover gives Mace Windu the greatest showcase ever， and takes the brooding cliched tough guy of the prequel and makes him a fully rounded， wise， dangerous Jedi。 THIS Mace Windu wouldn't have met the same fate as the Episode III Windu。。。and I would have loved to see more of THIS Windu on screen， so we could all appreciate him。 。。。more

Catey Condon ，

Really incredible。 I kept having to take breaks in between chapters to emotionally digest。 I feel like this was roughly as Star War version of Apocolypse Now。 Really well written as it puts you in the mind set of people trying their best in now win grey moral situations。 You absolutely feel the moral and emotional struggle of Mace as he goes through this journey， revealing new insights to the possible future of the jedi order

Brody Philp ，

I really liked the book one because it star wars and secondly because it dives into a character's point of view。 it explains what he's going through and what his thoughts were I really liked the book one because it star wars and secondly because it dives into a character's point of view。 it explains what he's going through and what his thoughts were 。。。more

Lari ，

It's a book about war， so I shouldn't be surprised that it was so complex and even， at times， painful， but really it was the last page that just destroyed me。 Mace， who has （view spoiler）[gone through this whole book fighting against the dark， fighting against his own instinct to win and the reality that what looks like a win would actually mean a loss of his identity as a Jedi， and then in the very last page he decides that the only way to truly win in this war is to win against the dark - and It's a book about war， so I shouldn't be surprised that it was so complex and even， at times， painful， but really it was the last page that just destroyed me。 Mace， who has （view spoiler）[gone through this whole book fighting against the dark， fighting against his own instinct to win and the reality that what looks like a win would actually mean a loss of his identity as a Jedi， and then in the very last page he decides that the only way to truly win in this war is to win against the dark - and Anakin Skywalker is the only one who can win that battle。 "。。。it does not matter if every other Jedi in the galaxy dies。 As long as Anakin lives， we have hope。" The tragic irony of （hide spoiler）] this is exactly the reason why as much as I love Star Wars， sometimes it is the worst。 。。。more

Keith ，

My opinion of this book fluctuated between 3 and 4 stars throughout。 I eventually went with 4 because it went somewhere different than most SW books in spite of the missed potential。 It has a pretty slow beginning， but my biggest complaint was that there didn't seem to be much consistency in the characters。 The story had the feel of a cowboys v Indians （I later learned it was inspired by the idea of Apocalypse Now with Jedi。 I kind of like the story less after learning that）。I really enjoyed tha My opinion of this book fluctuated between 3 and 4 stars throughout。 I eventually went with 4 because it went somewhere different than most SW books in spite of the missed potential。 It has a pretty slow beginning， but my biggest complaint was that there didn't seem to be much consistency in the characters。 The story had the feel of a cowboys v Indians （I later learned it was inspired by the idea of Apocalypse Now with Jedi。 I kind of like the story less after learning that）。I really enjoyed that this a more of an adult themed book。 Stover didn't hold back。 The majority of Star Wars books will have violence， but it usually isn't that graphic。 This book has people being slaughtered and rooms covered in blood。 It doesn't shy away from discussing rape， drugs， and body mutilation。 I didn't enjoy the varying qualities of Mace。 （view spoiler）[He gets completely handled by a small band of mercenaries early on in the book。 A small militia band takes him down as well because he wasn't ready for them。 Later， he is practically God-like。 Him and Depa are literally flying from shuttle to shuttle in mid-flight casually raining destruction on their enemies。 （hide spoiler）]I also didn't feel that Stover got Mace Windu and even the characters he created。 （view spoiler）[Windu was all over the place。 He spends the majority of the book wracked by guilt over killing Jango Fett。 He can't even look at the clone troopers in the eye because it is too hard for him to deal with。 Is this kind of weepy， second guessing Mace Windu even hinted at anywhere else？ It'd be one thing if it were some innocent kid he killed， but in no universe can I see Mace Windu agonizing over having to kill an attacking foe。 （hide spoiler）] Nick was a character that went all over the place as well。 （view spoiler）[He started off as the only out for himself/unfeeling wannabe mercenary。 This wasn't just an act either。 He was part of the body mutilation to lure Mace in。 He constantly advocated for the killing of any and all Balawi， including children。 He led the group that didn't hesitate for a second to murder the Republic's intel chief。 Mace Windu puts him in charge of some Balawi children for a day and Nick becomes a fine upstanding man willing to die to protect the innocent。 He also becomes incredibly brave and willing to sacrifice himself。 （hide spoiler）]I am curious what level of power of laser is too much for a lightsaber to deflect。 Mace is deflecting blasts from speeders and even small starships in this one without any ill-effect。 （view spoiler）[It annoyed the crap out of me when Depa stabs Mace through the stomach with a lightsaber， but Mace continues to fight her and the Kar。 He eventually beats them both。 I guess Qui-Gon Jinn was a big pansy for going down with such a minor wound。 （hide spoiler）]Finally， the biggest disappointment in this book for me was that the author didn't follow through on the tough situations。 （view spoiler）[I enjoyed in the beginning how there weren't clear cut good guys and bad guys。 Both sides seemed to have valid arguments from different points of view and both sides had committed atrocities。 I liked the complicated characters did horrific things with intentions you could understand。 Stover ruined all of this。 By the end， people were neatly placed on the good and evil side。 Mace was good。 Depa had fallen to the Dark Side and was content to massacre an entire city。 Kar was also no longer a somewhat sympathetic character who did horrific violence in what he saw as his only choice to defend his people。 Nope。 He is just evil now。 Nick is just about as pure as Mace by the end。 Geptun has all kinds of excuses made for him and he was just putting up a cynical front。 He is actually a really good guy and joins the Republic。 Even the local militias end up being more or less decent people who just want to take care of their families。 You know， the same people who were shaking innocent people down and stealing from them under threat of violence in the beginning。 In the end， they just disarmed most of the people and everything was good。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Jacqualine Branstrom ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 5 *sIt may be that I'm over-rating this one because of how much I adore Mace and Depa， but I don't care。 That's how much I love them。 I chose this one as my next Star Wars novel mainly because it had Depa Billaba in it and I don't think the Jedi ladies get enough love。 Mace was purely bonus because he's awesome。 Otherwise the books and shows tend to only focus on Obi-Wan， Anakin， Yoda， Ki-Adi， Kit， Quinlon，and yes even Mace。But I truly did enjoy this book。 I love how dark it got and that it didn 5 *sIt may be that I'm over-rating this one because of how much I adore Mace and Depa， but I don't care。 That's how much I love them。 I chose this one as my next Star Wars novel mainly because it had Depa Billaba in it and I don't think the Jedi ladies get enough love。 Mace was purely bonus because he's awesome。 Otherwise the books and shows tend to only focus on Obi-Wan， Anakin， Yoda， Ki-Adi， Kit， Quinlon，and yes even Mace。But I truly did enjoy this book。 I love how dark it got and that it didn't shy away from it。 We are shown the horrors of this war and it isn't all ships firing on ships and fade to black。 It's guerrilla warfare on a planet where the jungle itself is trying to kill you in horrific ways。 It's Mace Windu willing to do whatever it takes to find and rescue Depa Billaba， even if that means losing himself in the process。 And those were some of my favourite parts where Mace describes just how much he cares for Depa and how far he's willing to go to get her back。 And Depa。 Depa is so amazing and her fall is one things I love about her。 How we leave her in at the end is sad but I also know what happens later and I can't wait to find that book and read it （there better be a book because her rise and her accomplishments later are so good and I want the full story。）I know this is now relegated to Legends-verse and was written before the Clone Wars animated show， but I adore the clones and I was slightly annoyed by them being called only by their numbers and not their names。 Also， I hate the fact that Mace can't stand to look at the clones。 He looks and can only see Jango's face and Mando armour and isn't quite able to handle that or distance himself。 。。。more

Kay ，

Did Not Finish at 39% （According to my Kindle。 I think I actually was closer to 50% in the story since my edition had a ton of promos for other Legends novels in the back， which threw off the page count/percentage）Mace Windu is one of my favorite Jedi， and I absolutely loved Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization， so I thought this would be a winning combination。 Well， I guess not。 My biggest problem was that the plot just seemed to keep going in circles， not really progressing anywhere。 It s Did Not Finish at 39% （According to my Kindle。 I think I actually was closer to 50% in the story since my edition had a ton of promos for other Legends novels in the back， which threw off the page count/percentage）Mace Windu is one of my favorite Jedi， and I absolutely loved Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization， so I thought this would be a winning combination。 Well， I guess not。 My biggest problem was that the plot just seemed to keep going in circles， not really progressing anywhere。 It seemed to be an endless cycle of "Mace is in the jungle surrounded by morally ambiguous characters， he has to question his Jedi morals， the characters around him die horribly， then he meets a new group of morally ambiguous characters。。。 rinse， repeat。" The characters around him got killed and replaced so quickly I didn't really feel any impact from them either。 I get that this book is supposed to be a Vietnam War/Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now-type ~deep~ psychological study of how Mace reconciles his ideals with harsh reality。。。 but really it felt like it was just going in circles rather than getting anything truly deep or thought-provoking to happen。I might finish this someday （hence two stars instead of one）， since I do want to eventually find out what was up with Depa Billaba possibly going crazy in the jungle。 At the moment though， this just was a slog and I have more books that I want to move on with。 。。。more

Tanesha Brumfield ，

I don’t write reviews， this is specifically for my friend AFJ😂I loved this book。 As a Star Wars fan， even the movie glimpses of Mace Windu are exciting， impressive and intriguing。 This book adds a deeper layer to this character making you instantly adore and admire him。 Reading it had all the adventure of any film （and of course you will imagine Samuel L。 Jackson as you go）！ I would recommend this book for anyone who is an avid reader， loves adventure， and has a healthy imagination， be they Star I don’t write reviews， this is specifically for my friend AFJ😂I loved this book。 As a Star Wars fan， even the movie glimpses of Mace Windu are exciting， impressive and intriguing。 This book adds a deeper layer to this character making you instantly adore and admire him。 Reading it had all the adventure of any film （and of course you will imagine Samuel L。 Jackson as you go）！ I would recommend this book for anyone who is an avid reader， loves adventure， and has a healthy imagination， be they Star Wars Fan or no。 。。。more

Estauromai ，

This book was a struggle to read。 The first half of the book is grinding。 The pace is like watching molasses flow uphill in a winter storm。 Its not badly written， it's just that every event is described in intricate detail from 6，000 perspectives。 I exaggerate， but only a little。 If the first half of the book had been condensed to 15 or 20 pages， this would be a 4-star book。Page count 200-300 is pretty good。 It flows nicely and reads well。 Then， the last hundred pages return more to the grind。 B This book was a struggle to read。 The first half of the book is grinding。 The pace is like watching molasses flow uphill in a winter storm。 Its not badly written， it's just that every event is described in intricate detail from 6，000 perspectives。 I exaggerate， but only a little。 If the first half of the book had been condensed to 15 or 20 pages， this would be a 4-star book。Page count 200-300 is pretty good。 It flows nicely and reads well。 Then， the last hundred pages return more to the grind。 But not as bad as the first 200 pages。In the end， I'd only recommend for people who enjoy reading dense writing and who feel the need to know Depa's "end。" Everyone else？ Move along。 This is not the Star Wars book you are looking for。 。。。more

Iset ，

Thank the Force for Shatterpoint。 I remember enjoying this one back when it came out， but now I find myself appreciating it even more because of its context。Now that the Expanded Universe is defined by finite parameters， I’ve been doing a grand re-read， chronologically， through the entire thing。 The vast majority of these books I have read before， but there are a handful which I missed when they released – mainly from the final few years of EU publishing， partly because I was just too busy at th Thank the Force for Shatterpoint。 I remember enjoying this one back when it came out， but now I find myself appreciating it even more because of its context。Now that the Expanded Universe is defined by finite parameters， I’ve been doing a grand re-read， chronologically， through the entire thing。 The vast majority of these books I have read before， but there are a handful which I missed when they released – mainly from the final few years of EU publishing， partly because I was just too busy at that time in my life， and partly because the last years of EU publishing began to offer material that felt rushed， churned out， short at 250 pages and somehow still padded with filler and thinly sketched。 I’m in the Clone Wars era right now， and honestly， I’ve been disappointed by these books that I missed first time round。 Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they are novelisations of stories told in a very different format originally， I’m not completely sure yet。 I was even let down by The Cestus Deception， which I did read on release and I remembered liking， but today just seems okay and basically missable。 I kind of have a goal， as well as doing a marathon re-read， of creating a personal cut of Expanded Universe canon， and so far I hadn’t liked a single entry from the Clone Wars era well enough to include it。 Shatterpoint just made my list。There are surface reasons why someone might be drawn in to this book， and then there are the deeper reasons why it is actually good。 One of the surface reasons is that Mace Windu and his former Padawan， and fellow Council member， Depa Billaba， are the stars of the show。 Exploring some of the universe’s intriguing side characters and fleshing them out， giving the impression of a rich and exciting galaxy aside from what we think of as our core main characters is definitely a plus point… but only if the story then written is worthwhile。 If the story turns out to be a poorly written mess， we feel cheated out of what we were promised and tend to reject the portrayal of these characters。 The Cestus Deception is， in my opinion， an example of a book that copped out of this promise， dangling Kit Fisto and then making him share the limelight with Obi-Wan and an original clone character， and never letting us get inside his head even though we spend plenty of time with Obi-Wan’s inner monologue。 Not so here。 Mace Windu is front and centre， and Obi-Wan and Anakin are nowhere in sight。 This is a good thing for this book， as it means there are no distractions from putting the focus where it should be。Stover has something of a reputation in the Expanded Universe for delivering complex， brutal stories， and Shatterpoint is no different。 Stover often strives to show the harsh realities of war， the way it blurs lines and snatches away clear-cut choices between good and evil。 There are still heroics here， but not of the rollicking adventure kind， and they are all the more poignant for the sheer struggle it takes to achieve them， to do something as simple as save a single life。 I frequently enjoy this kind of writing because the echoes of realism lend the story a stamp of authenticity that aids believability， and also because we become more invested in the story if the risk and consequences are treated seriously。 Some people may be thinking this is out of step with the fun adventure time story that is Star Wars， but I would remind people that the original film saw Owen and Beru callously murdered， the captain of the Tantive IV interrogated， killed， and discarded， Leia tortured， and genocide committed against an entire planet。 Sure， at the end our heroes returned in time for tea and medals， but you cared about these characters because you took the threats they faced very seriously indeed。 We are clearly shown the impact of war and how pitiless people can be。 Shatterpoint is not out of step with this – it continues its tradition。 In any case， be warned that this story can get pretty grim and dark – but if you ask me， I consider that a positive。 The book explores meaningful situations， like what happens when two groups in conflict get so caught up in a cycle of vengeance that they dehumanise one another， and their children grow up indoctrinated in hatred and prejudice。 These are tough themes， but they are themes that need to be explored。With 410 pages to play with （plus ten at the end devoted to an extra short story）， Stover has plenty of time and space for his subject， and this book feels substantial and significant compared to the paltry 250-page offerings aforementioned。 Somehow， he succeeds in placing his main characters in considerable danger， and evoking reader worry for them， and yet also depicting moments of giddy， glorious triumph where their strength of will and Jedi training positively shines through。 Stover manages to walk the knife edge of tension masterfully， never letting us get too depressed about a defeat without some satisfying success bolster our spirits， and never letting victories come too easily， without a sudden reversal or three。 The successes， when they come， feel deeply satisfying because of the struggles we have to go through to get there。 Stover also makes us care about the side characters， even though they are brand new and original to this story， and at the start they come across as rather unlikeable。 Shared hardship reveals hidden depths and strips away masks。 These people feel realistic; defensive but essentially decent and afraid。 I’m not just talking about Nick and Chalk， but Geptun as well。 So many low-level functionaries on the opposing side in Star Wars are depicted as incompetent pen pushers – mainly Imperial， but pre-Empire this translates to the financiers of the Separatist movement。 Geptun is anything but。 He’s a smart man， though not infallible， and like Nick and Chalk is essentially decent。 His efforts pose a deadly threat to Mace and he is credible as a dangerous adversary。 He is also treated as a fellow human being， to the point where （view spoiler）[an impressed Mace recruits him to Republic Intelligence in the aftermath。 （hide spoiler）] This brings up another point – the book handles antagonism very well。 It isn’t clichéd or straightforward。 Geptun is a well-rounded person。 And the true evil in this book comes from someone who is on the same side as Mace。 Even （view spoiler）[Depa’s fall is bittersweet because it comes from a place of loyalty to the vulnerable people she is protecting – but she buys into the indoctrination of hate， of “us vs them”。 （hide spoiler）]I’ve been trying to think of criticisms， and I suppose the most significant one is that things can get a bit confusing in this book。 The final quarter of the book， which encompasses the ultimate confrontation and climax of the story， has so many betrayals and sudden reversals in it that it can get a little bit punch drunk at times。 The overall lesson that Mace learns， or that the story is trying to impart， feels a bit murky too。 I’m not sure if this is a legitimate criticism though， since Mace himself is intended to spend most of the book thrown into ethical turmoil and unsure of his path and his principles。 Some final thoughts come through loud and clear – the importance of seeing the ‘humanity’ in others no matter what side they’re on。 The importance of standing up for what is right and fighting even if you can’t win。 Other questions remain obscure。 Is the book saying that civilisation is good and the natural jungle is savage and bad？ Is it saying that the Jedi should not be taking a partisan stance fighting for the Republic and should instead be moving among both sides， simply wherever they are needed to protect people？ I’m really not sure。 Perhaps the book deliberately leaves these questions open for readers to ponder。9 out of 10 。。。more

Xane ，

Shatterpoint is very much focused on the "war" in "Star Wars" （interestingly， the titular clones barely make an appearance here）。 And not a glossy， stylized version of war either。 Inspired by Apocalypse Now （and its inspiration， Heart of Darkness）， Shatterpoint dives into the psyche of Mace Windu by thrusting him into the horrors of war。 It is a superb exploration of the lose-lose scenarios that war inevitably brings。 "We can save the Republic， Mace。 We can。 But the cost will be our principles。 Shatterpoint is very much focused on the "war" in "Star Wars" （interestingly， the titular clones barely make an appearance here）。 And not a glossy， stylized version of war either。 Inspired by Apocalypse Now （and its inspiration， Heart of Darkness）， Shatterpoint dives into the psyche of Mace Windu by thrusting him into the horrors of war。 It is a superb exploration of the lose-lose scenarios that war inevitably brings。 "We can save the Republic， Mace。 We can。 But the cost will be our principles。 In the end， isn't that what Jedi are for？ We sacrifice everything for the Republic: our families， our homeworlds， our wealth， even our lives。 Can we refuse？ Are Jedi traditions more important than the lives of billions？"Shatterpoint is surprisingly bloody and dark for a Star Wars book。 And yet， that darkness has a light at the end of the tunnel。"'We are never done with lessons， Depa。 Not while we live。' [。。。] 'We，' Mace corrected her gently， 'don't have to win。 We only have to fight。' [。。。] 'Our enemy is the darkness itself: the strangling cloud of fear and despair and anguish this war brings with it。'" 。。。more

Austin Flores ，

This is one of my favorite Star wars books。 I love Mace as a character and putting him in a nearly impossible situation was really fun to read。 The authors views of the jungle hit me deeper this read through。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Shatterpoint

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Shatterpoint&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Shatterpoint&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0