Attack of the Clones Novelization by R.A. Salvatore

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I’ll just come right out and say it—I liked this adaptation. It seemed right to me. It wasn’t overdone, yet it wasn’t underdone. It wasn’t filled with long-winded descriptions of the tiniest minutiae. It moved at a good pace, never leaving me bored at any point. It read like a movie, and that’s what makes a good adaptation work.

*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM OR READ THE BOOK ***

One of my favorite things about this book is that it starts out with material that isn’t in the film. In fact, the film adaptation really doesn’t start until chapter four. Chapters one through three are filled with some great set-up. These scenes take place on Tatooine and relay story of what happened to Shmi Skywalker when she was taken hostage by the Tusken Raiders. We also learn how Cliegg Lars loses his leg trying to save her. It’s a fun read, filled with as much story and action as any Star Wars book or film.

After that, R. A. Salvatore tells his story mainly through the eyes of Amidala. Wherever she’s mentioned, we are treated to her innermost thoughts and feelings. The book feels like it’s all about her in a way. We meet her family on Naboo and they drive her to do some soul-searching. She thinks a lot about her purpose and how her mind is cluttered with thoughts of love and the future. It makes her confession to Anakin near the end (“My love for you is a puzzle…”) all the more real. She is confused and her mind is drifting off in a hundred directions. You feel the weight of her pressures and you watch her fall in love slowly. The whole Anakin/Padmé story is interesting as it is, but having it play out in words on the page is just as entertaining as seeing it on the screen. The tensions are there, the little quirky moments, the confessions, the thoughts, the attitude, and the playfulness. It’s the kind of love story you don’t mind having present because it isn’t gratuitous, it’s necessary. It works well.

I like the way Salvatore handles Jango and Boba Fett in a few of the extra scenes that won’t make it into the film. They’re like a true father and son—not just figuratively, but literally as well. There’s one scene where the two are out fishing, Jango giving Boba lessons on how to catch a certain fish on Kamino. Boba is young, but he’s not as naïve as you think. Jango is training him well and is raising the boy himself, but as he would have liked to have been raised. It’s an interesting concept. There are also many similarities drawn between Boba Fett and Anakin Skywalker which make for good reading.

Any complaints I have about the book are so few and far between that they’re not even worth mentioning. Example: At one point, Obi-Wan and Mace Windu have almost the exact same conversation (“I’m conecerned about my Padawan…”) Look for it. It’s worded almost exactly the same. All in all, it’s a good, fun read. Salvatore takes the film, puts it to paper, adds in some new material that feels just like Star Wars, and ends up with a good film adaptation. I recommend it, especially for the extra non-film material.

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