The Force Unleashed II

The first thing to note is that this book is a sequel. It's kind of obvious from the name, but it would have helped to have read the previous story, or to have properly played the game the previous novel was based on prior to reading this. While it did make sense knowing only the skeleton plot of the last book, I feel that mch of the feelings we had for the characters would have been very much amplified by the previous story, as it is then that we learn most about them (As it is, I've only read summaries of the previous story).

Disregarding the story for a moment, the writing itself is fantastic. The narrative flow is smooth for the most part, and when it does jump, it's deliberate and suspense building.

There are a few sections that I thought didn't fit in with the rest of the Star Wars universe, understandable in what must be one of the biggest fictional universes, but sometimes awkward. The biggest one in this book is the ending, which would drastically change the story of the original Trilogy. Although this simply suggests a sequel to bring the story inline with the rest of the super-series. But other than that, although I remember thinking "That seems wrong" at the time, they were small enough for me to not remember what it was that was wrong.

One line that did seem out of place, was "It's a trap", said by Ackbar, a line that he is famous for saying in the original star wars movies. I feel that it was weird to have him say it here as well. It's a clear reference, and a funny one, but it doesn't fit well with the serious situation of the time. Another character saying it would have been better.

Conclusion: While the writing is practically flawless, the storyline is quite dependent on the previous story, and although it does manage to give the general impression of "The Force Unleashed I", I would recommend reading that first. The odd occasion exists which seems out of place, but these are few and generally unmemorable. Any Star Wars fan, or any sci-fi fan not averse to extended universe fiction should give this book a go. It's a great, well-written story, with some memorable scenes, and impressive characters. ( )

Bad on two levels. More distressing to me is the ruination it brings to the Star Wars universe. Starkiller does things with the force that, to my knowledge, no one else has ever done. And he does them all the time. As if it were nothing. "Oh no. Something would kill me. I survived by throwing up a force shield." Someone comes back to life. Because of the power of love. The ending leaves an opening for another sequel, and there needs to be, because the path it was on would contradict cannon (the first movie) logically.
The writing is also rather poor. So many sensationalist statements ("Nothing will stop me." "We would never be separated again." "No amount of stormtroopers would come between her and I.") had me laughing out loud at the absurdity of what I was reading. ( )