Star Wars: The Approaching Storm [Paperback]

The story begins several years after Episode I where we find a teenage Anakin Skywalker continuing in his Padawan training under the instruction of Obi Wan.
The seemingly insignificant planet Ansion is about to secede from the Republic due to pressure being applied from external malevolent forces. Due to a string of alliances which cascade out from Ansion, the secession could cause the downfall of the Republic.

Masters Kenobi and Unduli, along with their respective Padawans, are sent to Ansion by the Jedi Council to aid in creating a diplomatic accord between the city dwelling folk of Ansion and the Nomad race 'Alwari'. Their efforts are continually hampered by a group of characters from different factions (quietly overseen by a shady benefactor)who stand to benefit if Ansion continues with its intention to secede.

What follows is a brief insight into the relationship between Anakin and his Master and, to a lesser extent, his building arrogance and the acknowledgement of the power he is begining to posess.
The additional characters that the Jedi encounter on their quest are, at times, quite amusing. However, if Jar Jar Binks was annoying to you as he was to most, the character Tooqui will prove to be the final straw.
Although the skirmish scenes (you can not really call them battles in the traditional Star Wars sense) are well written and the plot interesting, it does not hold the readers interest as well as some of the more recent New Jedi Order novels.

Die hard fans of the saga will probably enjoy this and it does make a valuable addition to any Star Wars collection. However, as an interim novel, this does not compare to Shadows of the Empire.

WHAT'S GOOD:
The scene where the four Jedi are required to entertain a crowd is ingenious in the insight it gives into the characters; Luminara uses the Force to manipulate sand clouds into patterns, Barriss displays athletic skill, Obi-Wan tells a story and Anakin sings a song taught to him by his mother. The cameo by Count Dooku is good too.

WHAT'S BAD:
Most of the rest of the book, I'm afraid. It's dull and drags terribly. Plus, it has little bearing on Episode II, despite being advertised as the film's prequel. If you're looking for a book that has as much Star Wars webbing as say 'Cloak Of Deception', you'll be disappointed.

One for the die-hard fans (like myself) only.

Ansion is a small, unimportant planet. At least, that is how things appear to be on the surface. In reality, Ansion is a very important planet. It is tied with treaties and agreements to numerous other nearby planets and this makes the threats that Ansion might secede from the Republic to be very serious. If Ansion secedes, an entire star system will be pulled with it. To stop this secession, Chancellor Palpatine requests the Jedi Council send a couple of Jedi to Ansion to find a diplomatic solution to quietly find a way to keep Ansion in the Republic. The Jedi Council sends Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luminara Unduli, and their Padawan apprentices Anakin Skywalker and Barriss Offee.

"The Approaching Storm" is somewhat of an adventure story. It is well paced, has humor, some action and some politics. What I liked best about this novel was the characters of Luminara and Barriss. We got to see some of their perspective, but I would love to see a novel focus on these two characters. They provide a perfect counter balance to Anakin and Obi-Wan, and give a greater look at the variety of personalities in the Jedi Order.

Alan Dean Foster was the ghostwriter of the first Star Wars novelization, and he wrote the first Extended Universe novel "Splinter of the Mind's Eye". His latest Star Wars novel had a great feel to it, and it was so fast paced that I was able to easily finish it in two days. This isn't high literature, but it was certainly entertaining.

-Joe Sherry