Republic Commando: Hard Contact

Ever felt a little distant from the whole 'clone wars' thing? If you're a Star Wars fan, you know the problems associated with the clones, and the unfortunate amount of time we've spent asking questions about who they really are and why we should care. Well, the Republic Commando series seeks to answer those questions and, thank goodness, humanize the clone troopers.

Karen Traviss does an excellent job of putting human faces on the clones, giving us a glimpse behind the mask -- what the clones go through for training, their 'family' structures, their (*gasp*) personalities, and their perspectives on having shortened life expectancies and living with the exact same face as thousands upon thousands of other clones.

The story itself is your show more typical shoot 'em up space adventure, with most of the action taking place on a planet, rather than in a ship or in space. That said, Star Wars has typically focused more on the people involved than the space battles, so you'll find exactly what you're looking for if you're a Star Wars fan.

Admittedly, the Jedi trainee character in the book is a little annoying for the first half, but she does grow over the course of the story. I suspect that if she's in the sequels, she'll utilize her newfound confidence and strength very effectively.

This is honestly one of the best Star Wars novels I've read, and if Traviss is the one writing the sequels, you can bet I'll be picking them up soon. show less

In a rather ironic moment, Hard Contact is so far the Clone Wars novel that best exemplifies the common conception of the Wars—but it doesn't have the logo on the cover. As befits a novel based on a first-person shooter, Karen Traviss's Hard Contact is not a novel about sitting around and talking, as others have been. Much as MedStar was "a day in the strife" for the non-combatants in the war, Hard Contact does the same for another neglected group: the clones themselves. (Perhaps this is why the earlier novels have seemed peripheral, plotwise: for all their seeming importance, the Jedi don't seem to do much in the war.)

Hard Contact is a showcase for Traviss's abilities. Her worldbuilding talents were used to create the environment of show more Qiilura, with its new flora and fauna that play a non-trivial role in the story. The background of the commandos—of the clones in general—is also essentially produced from whole cloth, and manages to be distinctly, though not overtly, Imperial. She also managed to create distinct characters among the commandos--and provide justification for it, something not really seen before. None of the four come across as cardboard. Another point worth mentioning is the sense of humor—Traviss doesn't go overboard with it, but the clones offer us some of the best quips since the Wraiths.

The same can be said of the other characters, as well. Unlike other recent novels, the "villain" is a complex character in his own right, as are the other antagonists. Traviss does a good job of showing the breadth of the Separatist movement. Some of the minor characters (read: the two-scene cannon fodder) are a bit flat, but there's really not much opportunity to avoid that, either.

All in all, Hard Contact is an excellent read, being what many were expecting from the Clone Wars. Don't be fooled by the ties to a video game; Hard Contact is the best SW novel since Shatterpoint (and perhaps earlier, depending on what you're looking for). We're lucky to have Karen Traviss writing Star Wars. show less

When is a Star Wars novel not a Star Wars novel?

That seems to be one of the questions raised by Republic Commando: Hard Contact. On the surface, it very much seems to be one - you have a group of Commando clone troopers trying to rescue a young Jedi from a Mandalorian warrior, and the Clone Wars are very actively happening in the background of the novel's action. Despite these surface similarities, however, the novel bears very little in common with the rest of the Star Wars universe, and what is the "house style" of the EU (Expanded Universe) novels in general. If a few names and titles had have been changed, this could have very easily been an 'original fiction' title, rather than a tie-in novel. For all of the stories that have been show more written in the Star Wars universe, most of them have focused very heavily on the 'Star' portion of the title, with little if any focus done on the 'Wars' part. Hard Contact changes that by delivering a story of military sci-fi, focusing on an elite group of Commando clones.

Throughout the course of the novel, Traviss does a very good job of developing all of her clone soldiers as distinct individuals. In other parts of the Clone Wars saga, the clones exist more or less as cyphers; in addition to sharing a genetic code, it appeared that they all shared a character (or lack thereof). One of the themes that Traviss explores is the idea of finding both a culture and an individual identity, and the difficulties that would be associated with that, when there are millions of others who share both your physical form and most of your personal past.

I generally try not to be a snob when it comes to liscenced material, but in the past year I've read a few that were really a chore to get through. Hard Contact is the exact opposite of that; with or without the Star Wars name attached to it, it was a really enjoyable piece of fiction writing. show less

For a media tie-in, I thought this was entertaining and well-written, certainly better than some SW novels I've read. It's a nice bit of military SF set in the Star Wars universe. Not a life-changing book but a fun way to pass the time during my commute.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this entire series. Usually I'm not one for tie-ins (or movie novelizations), but the world and characters that Traviss creates is an amazing one. It almost feels like it is a bubble tucked away within the larger Star Wars universe, one that I would like to revisit again.

This read like a good military space opera that just happens to be set in the Star Wars universe, especially as I like to pretend the Phantom Menace never existed and haven't seen its two sequels. The author has taken the setting (Republic, clone troopers, Jedi, clone wars) and woven an exciting adventure for a squad of clone commandos and a Jedi-in-training.

I really liked the characterisation of the commandos and the exploration of what it's like being inside one of those thousands of identical faces and suits of armour. I was less engaged by the unconfident Jedi trainee Etain, but she does grow over the course of the book. The plot rattles along and comes to a neat conclusion, but one leaving plenty of room for sequels. I will look show more out for them.

http://rmc28.dreamwidth.org/418259.html show less

I really enjoyed getting into these books. The author goes a bit further into making the clones real people with hopes and dreams. What does it feel like to learn that you are a clone? No retirement package. No rights as a human or citizen. But you are to put your life on the line for citizens so they don't have to leave their comfortable lives.

Love the whole delving onto the Mandolorian culture at play throughout the first four books in this series. The author has a goal of creating a whole language for the Mandolorians and I enjoyed picking up a few of them myself.

Having just finished reading The New Jedi Order series (19 books) I found these a nice break. The former started out strong and then lagged towards the middle and finally show more finished up a bit quickly. the four books that have been written on the Clone troopers by this author kept my rapt attention the whole way through. :) show less