yeah this book was.....well i cant use all my colorful metaphors here now can i?
it was so good im salivating for more....."help me karen traviss your my only hope"

I just finished reading TZ and I think the book is great. I especially appreciated the snippets of mando culture and history it provided and liked the Dha Werda ritual. Is the rhythm similar to the 'All Blacks' Maori Haka?

Kal Skirata is a fantastic character to finally meet (I haven't read Targets yet) and I look forward to finding out more about what makes him tick.
I actually liked Walon Vau when I met him. His build up was less than positive but I feel there is something about him that is interesting. I would like to know more about him, too.

It was great to have a bit of Jango at the beginning too. I wonder if he shared Skirata's dislike of the Kaminoans treatment of the clones or was more cold to it, seeing it as necassary.

Anyway 10/10,

How dare you insult Sgt. Kal Skirata!

I agree Jai_ I finally read TZ and loved the realistic fighthing and military operations. Thanks a bunch, and if Del Rey will not let you publish another RC book, at least write RC short stories online somewhere Karen.

same here............Kal really has a soft spot for the nulls

Yup, he does it not out of anger, but because he knows he will try to stop him. I guess they really are almost exactly like Jango....

The Null Troopers are another addition to the cast of the clones as they're supposed to be the baddest of the bad. However, aside from laying out an ARC trooper (something I'm not sure ANYONE should do) they are surprisingly amongst the most human of them. I'm especially fond of Ordo despite it all though. He seems to have the most fully 'realized' personality, save Darman and a distinct feeling of annoyance with everything in the world up until he meets Besanny. The intensity sets him apart from his fellow clones. I almost wish that Karen had shown the Nulls being raised by Sergeant Skirata more than her early scenes with him storytelling. The theme of child soldiers could have fleshed them out more.

Readers weary of the politics and maneuverings of Darth Sidious and the Jedi will find this book a splash of cold water. The Clone Wars may have been rigged by politicians but the crusty Mandalorian Skirata might argue that's always the case and certainly doesn't mean anything less on the field. The book is practically utterly void of politics. There is simply the enemy that's trying to kill you and you whom have to kill him in order to survive. While it might be Alto Stratus is behind them and they're all Jabiim terrorists on Coruscant or disgruntled spice miners from Naboo's moon, it largely doesn't matter what their motivations are other than they're seperatists. It's simply that they're terrorists and theyre involved in blowing things up. Its strange that by focusing on the general, one can bring the whole to life but it is the case here. It's almost as if the locations aren't really 'real' to the protagionists.

I liked the getting to know part about these books. I mean it took until chapter 15 in Hard contact to get to that. That to me is my fav style of writing.

My Prof. is big on the "well now since you know the rules, here are new and interesting ways to break them." He lives to challenge us to think outside the box, both in our daily lives and in our writing. It also helps that he's about as much a geek as some of his students are. g