What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Wars Legends Fiction
Star Wars: The Approaching Storm
“ENTERTAINING AND INTELLIGENT . . . This book is pure class all the way. . . . The final page is a great climax.”
–Starburst
The Republic is decaying, even under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was elected to save the galaxy from collapsing under the forces of discontent. On the tiny but strategic planet of Ansion, a powerful faction is on the verge of joining the growing secessionist movement. At the Chancellor’s request, the Jedi Council sends two Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luminara Unduli, along with their Padawans Anakin Skywalker and Barriss Offee, to stabilize the planet’s population. To succeed, the Jedi will have to fulfill near-impossible tasks, befriend wary strangers, and influence two great armies, stalked all the while by an enemy sworn to see the negotiations collapse and the mission fail. . . .
–Starburst
The Republic is decaying, even under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was elected to save the galaxy from collapsing under the forces of discontent. On the tiny but strategic planet of Ansion, a powerful faction is on the verge of joining the growing secessionist movement. At the Chancellor’s request, the Jedi Council sends two Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luminara Unduli, along with their Padawans Anakin Skywalker and Barriss Offee, to stabilize the planet’s population. To succeed, the Jedi will have to fulfill near-impossible tasks, befriend wary strangers, and influence two great armies, stalked all the while by an enemy sworn to see the negotiations collapse and the mission fail. . . .
344 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2002
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
517 books1,893 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
May 27, 2020
Bullet Review:
First time in hard back soon after the book was released (felt disappointed).
Second time in abridged audiobook when I reread Star Wars over a summer (didn’t like it).
Third time in ebook (enjoyed WAY more).
There are things that haven’t changed - for the most part, I don’t like Tooqii, I’m disgusted by the two “mentally challenged” Alwari (and what it means when they are magically healed by the person they kidnapped), some of Anakin’s dialogue is weird, any scene with Soergg and his majordomo or any scene with Shu Mai is pointless and goes nowhere.
But there are things that have changed - Foster has a style of writing that I found more charming this time around, the dynamics between the Jedi were great, the savannah adventure was good (once we skipped over the fluff setup), I loved the attention to detail Foster gave to the evolution on Ansion and the creature/alien/society construction, there were some GREAT lines in this book that just really made you think, I honestly prefer this scaled back version of what the Jedi are capable of (even if it’s weird because Starkiller can wrest a Star Destroyer from space while Barriss is kidnapped as if she were part of the Three Stooges).
So I’m bumping this to 3 stars. It’s rough (I firmly believe that any and all portions of the book from Ogomoor or Shu Mai should not have been included as they just weakened the story and take away from the parts that are interesting), it’s hastily wrapped up but there’s something really nice about seeing more Jedi that just Obi-Wan and Anakain, esp when it’s Luminara and Barriss, two of my favorite Jedi.
Full Review:
Ansion is considering seceding from the Republic. Because of its many important alliances, the Republic fears a mass exodus. The Jedi react by sending Obi-Wan and Anakin to join Luminara Unduli and Barris Offee on the planet Ansion and negotiate with the Anwali.
This marks the third time I've read this book. The first time I read this book was shortly after it was released on hardback. I seem to recall vividly seeing this in Costco and snatching up the hardcover. When I read the book though, I wondered when the story would start - until I realized that the trek to the Borokii was the story. When I realized that, I settled into the book and enjoyed it for what it was.
The second time I read this, back ~2010, I listened to an abridged audiobook. I gradually found myself repulsed by the version there and wrote a rather scathing review. I don't often retract reviews, even for rereads, but given that the review I wrote was pretty long and there is a character limit for these reviews, I will be truncating that initial review to make way for this one.
That leads up to the third read-through - a dear friend of mine was reading this, in her pursuit of reading what is now considered the Star Wars Legends line in chronological order. She urged me to reread and give this a chance, and I couldn't wait to take up the challenge. Would I despise this as much as I had nearly a decade ago or had I changed?
Please note, the only reason it took 3 months to read was the COVID-19 outbreak that destroyed what had been up to that point my good reading streak.
What I ended up finding is that this was a lot better than I had expected. Sure, there were some really silly moments, but at the end of the day and for what the book was, this was a great adventure/journey story that focused tightly on a small cast of intriguing characters. Obi-Wan and Anakin, for the most part (minus some lines of dialogue that I could never imagine coming from the lips of Hayden Christensen), have a great rapport. I love how Obi-Wan is personified as this dignified Jedi Master, a la Sir Alec Guinness from the original "A New Hope", and Anakin treads that good balance between being young and reckless and genuinely wanting to learn. My favorites, though, were Luminara and Barriss - two of the many female Jedi that we see of to the side of the screen but never get a chance to hear from or see much in action in the movies. Luminara is equally wise and well-spoken, but in a distinctly different way that is given just as much respect as Obi-Wan's character (though I cringe at our opening sequence where Luminara and Barriss have to shrug off sexual harassment to prove to the readers they are capable Jedi). And then there's Barriss, an eager, bright-eyed Jedi with not nearly the baggage of Anakin. All in all, well done.
Before I gush too long, that doesn't mean ALL the characters are well done. There is an attempt to make Shu Mai important, which ultimately fails. Then we have Soergg and his bossban, Ogomoor, as they constantly scramble around to thwart our Jedi in antics that might not seem too out of place in a Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
But by far the most cringe-worthy (which is saying a lot by the way!) is the treatment of Bulgan and Kyakhta. The problem with the Alwari duo is that much is made of how they are "mentally challenged" (basically imagine the PC version of the r-word) and "stupid" (but not too stupid to capture a Jedi Padawan in an extremely contrived manner). But never you worry; being "mentally challenged" is easily repaired by a Jedi Padawan (when was this established to be plausible?!) and once the duo is "cured" of their problem, they immediately see the error of their ways and agree to help the Jedi (who accept without a niggle of a qualm). Did no one find this in the least problematic at the time?! Would anyone be okay with saying that people who have Down's Syndrome or autism or a myriad of other "intellectual disabilities" need to be cured to be good people, to lead an ethical life?! And then you have the other problem: If indeed a Jedi can heal these intellectual difficulties (which really has only been established in this book), shouldn't the Jedi be roaming the galaxy to fix ALL being with intellectual difficulties?! Isn't it then technically the fault of the Jedi for any crime committing by such beings?
If you can manage to get through the first few chapters of setup, where we trudge through how important Ansion is and yet how no one (but still everyone, bad and good) knows about it, a ludicrous kidnapping, and then the miraculous Jedi healing of the intellectually challenged Alwari guides, then we settle into the far more interesting story, the one I think Foster really enjoyed writing: The Journey. On the Savannah of Ansion, Foster dives in to create this really fascinating world, creating creatures and biomes wholly alien and unique. His suubatars, Shanh, and Sadain as well as the Gwurran and the Ansionians, really show that Foster was trying to make this world different. Truly, Foster should have left any and all portions with the Commerce Guild or Ogomoor and Soergg on the cutting room floor, as they waste time that could have been spent on the savannahs of Ansion. Genuinely, this middle portion of the book was the best - yes, even including the portion where the four Jedi must entertain an Alwari tribe with their talents (which I spent way too much time lambasting in my previous review).
There are a few other quibbles I have, I'll admit. I still don't care for Tooqui, an obnoxious hanger-on the group acquires at one point. Yes, he does end up pulling his own weight, and his presence does make me ponder the question "What would a world be like where more than one sentient species arose?", so I don't hate him quite so much as I used to. And yet, I don't find his antics very charming or humorous or whatever Foster was going for.
The other bit I find particularly sad is the hasty wrap up. We spend a good piece on this trek - and then the Jedi find the Borokii and within a few pages, things are wrapped up and the book ends. I must admit, I was rather sad at the hasty ending and wished for something a bit more fleshed out, though I'll admit, I don't have suggestions on how it could have been better handled.
At the end of the day, Foster had a tough job ahead of him. He had to write a book leading into "Attack of the Clones", which I can imagine would have limited what he was able to do. I could easily see the portions about the secession and the Commerce Guild being his attempt to placate The Powers that Be that were pushing him to include it to lead into the movie. And honestly, while this book is nowhere near as bad as my previous snarky review would have indicated, this book isn't critical to the plot of "Attack of the Clones"; in my opinion, it was merely marketed as such to generate interest, give people tantalizing hints of what to expect, and ultimately make money. That said, Star Wars Legends has had its ups and downs; I think this is one of the better entries (especially in this era, which is plagued with atrocious books like "Jedi Trial").
First time in hard back soon after the book was released (felt disappointed).
Second time in abridged audiobook when I reread Star Wars over a summer (didn’t like it).
Third time in ebook (enjoyed WAY more).
There are things that haven’t changed - for the most part, I don’t like Tooqii, I’m disgusted by the two “mentally challenged” Alwari (and what it means when they are magically healed by the person they kidnapped), some of Anakin’s dialogue is weird, any scene with Soergg and his majordomo or any scene with Shu Mai is pointless and goes nowhere.
But there are things that have changed - Foster has a style of writing that I found more charming this time around, the dynamics between the Jedi were great, the savannah adventure was good (once we skipped over the fluff setup), I loved the attention to detail Foster gave to the evolution on Ansion and the creature/alien/society construction, there were some GREAT lines in this book that just really made you think, I honestly prefer this scaled back version of what the Jedi are capable of (even if it’s weird because Starkiller can wrest a Star Destroyer from space while Barriss is kidnapped as if she were part of the Three Stooges).
So I’m bumping this to 3 stars. It’s rough (I firmly believe that any and all portions of the book from Ogomoor or Shu Mai should not have been included as they just weakened the story and take away from the parts that are interesting), it’s hastily wrapped up but there’s something really nice about seeing more Jedi that just Obi-Wan and Anakain, esp when it’s Luminara and Barriss, two of my favorite Jedi.
Full Review:
Ansion is considering seceding from the Republic. Because of its many important alliances, the Republic fears a mass exodus. The Jedi react by sending Obi-Wan and Anakin to join Luminara Unduli and Barris Offee on the planet Ansion and negotiate with the Anwali.
This marks the third time I've read this book. The first time I read this book was shortly after it was released on hardback. I seem to recall vividly seeing this in Costco and snatching up the hardcover. When I read the book though, I wondered when the story would start - until I realized that the trek to the Borokii was the story. When I realized that, I settled into the book and enjoyed it for what it was.
The second time I read this, back ~2010, I listened to an abridged audiobook. I gradually found myself repulsed by the version there and wrote a rather scathing review. I don't often retract reviews, even for rereads, but given that the review I wrote was pretty long and there is a character limit for these reviews, I will be truncating that initial review to make way for this one.
That leads up to the third read-through - a dear friend of mine was reading this, in her pursuit of reading what is now considered the Star Wars Legends line in chronological order. She urged me to reread and give this a chance, and I couldn't wait to take up the challenge. Would I despise this as much as I had nearly a decade ago or had I changed?
Please note, the only reason it took 3 months to read was the COVID-19 outbreak that destroyed what had been up to that point my good reading streak.
What I ended up finding is that this was a lot better than I had expected. Sure, there were some really silly moments, but at the end of the day and for what the book was, this was a great adventure/journey story that focused tightly on a small cast of intriguing characters. Obi-Wan and Anakin, for the most part (minus some lines of dialogue that I could never imagine coming from the lips of Hayden Christensen), have a great rapport. I love how Obi-Wan is personified as this dignified Jedi Master, a la Sir Alec Guinness from the original "A New Hope", and Anakin treads that good balance between being young and reckless and genuinely wanting to learn. My favorites, though, were Luminara and Barriss - two of the many female Jedi that we see of to the side of the screen but never get a chance to hear from or see much in action in the movies. Luminara is equally wise and well-spoken, but in a distinctly different way that is given just as much respect as Obi-Wan's character (though I cringe at our opening sequence where Luminara and Barriss have to shrug off sexual harassment to prove to the readers they are capable Jedi). And then there's Barriss, an eager, bright-eyed Jedi with not nearly the baggage of Anakin. All in all, well done.
Before I gush too long, that doesn't mean ALL the characters are well done. There is an attempt to make Shu Mai important, which ultimately fails. Then we have Soergg and his bossban, Ogomoor, as they constantly scramble around to thwart our Jedi in antics that might not seem too out of place in a Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
But by far the most cringe-worthy (which is saying a lot by the way!) is the treatment of Bulgan and Kyakhta. The problem with the Alwari duo is that much is made of how they are "mentally challenged" (basically imagine the PC version of the r-word) and "stupid" (but not too stupid to capture a Jedi Padawan in an extremely contrived manner). But never you worry; being "mentally challenged" is easily repaired by a Jedi Padawan (when was this established to be plausible?!) and once the duo is "cured" of their problem, they immediately see the error of their ways and agree to help the Jedi (who accept without a niggle of a qualm). Did no one find this in the least problematic at the time?! Would anyone be okay with saying that people who have Down's Syndrome or autism or a myriad of other "intellectual disabilities" need to be cured to be good people, to lead an ethical life?! And then you have the other problem: If indeed a Jedi can heal these intellectual difficulties (which really has only been established in this book), shouldn't the Jedi be roaming the galaxy to fix ALL being with intellectual difficulties?! Isn't it then technically the fault of the Jedi for any crime committing by such beings?
If you can manage to get through the first few chapters of setup, where we trudge through how important Ansion is and yet how no one (but still everyone, bad and good) knows about it, a ludicrous kidnapping, and then the miraculous Jedi healing of the intellectually challenged Alwari guides, then we settle into the far more interesting story, the one I think Foster really enjoyed writing: The Journey. On the Savannah of Ansion, Foster dives in to create this really fascinating world, creating creatures and biomes wholly alien and unique. His suubatars, Shanh, and Sadain as well as the Gwurran and the Ansionians, really show that Foster was trying to make this world different. Truly, Foster should have left any and all portions with the Commerce Guild or Ogomoor and Soergg on the cutting room floor, as they waste time that could have been spent on the savannahs of Ansion. Genuinely, this middle portion of the book was the best - yes, even including the portion where the four Jedi must entertain an Alwari tribe with their talents (which I spent way too much time lambasting in my previous review).
There are a few other quibbles I have, I'll admit. I still don't care for Tooqui, an obnoxious hanger-on the group acquires at one point. Yes, he does end up pulling his own weight, and his presence does make me ponder the question "What would a world be like where more than one sentient species arose?", so I don't hate him quite so much as I used to. And yet, I don't find his antics very charming or humorous or whatever Foster was going for.
The other bit I find particularly sad is the hasty wrap up. We spend a good piece on this trek - and then the Jedi find the Borokii and within a few pages, things are wrapped up and the book ends. I must admit, I was rather sad at the hasty ending and wished for something a bit more fleshed out, though I'll admit, I don't have suggestions on how it could have been better handled.
At the end of the day, Foster had a tough job ahead of him. He had to write a book leading into "Attack of the Clones", which I can imagine would have limited what he was able to do. I could easily see the portions about the secession and the Commerce Guild being his attempt to placate The Powers that Be that were pushing him to include it to lead into the movie. And honestly, while this book is nowhere near as bad as my previous snarky review would have indicated, this book isn't critical to the plot of "Attack of the Clones"; in my opinion, it was merely marketed as such to generate interest, give people tantalizing hints of what to expect, and ultimately make money. That said, Star Wars Legends has had its ups and downs; I think this is one of the better entries (especially in this era, which is plagued with atrocious books like "Jedi Trial").
March 31, 2020
Seeing this unexpected review drop from me may come as a surprise to some of you, since I’m mainly known on Goodreads for my review of historical fiction and non-fiction. But as a pre-teen and adolescent, I was a Star Wars Expanded Universe fiend. I discovered my parents’ first edition copy of “Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker” on a bookshelf one day, aged about 10 or 11 years old, and it went from there. Soon I was saving up my pocket money to buy another Expanded Universe book every two weeks, arranging my bookshelves according to a strict EU chronology, and, if any copy got too ratty and worn, buying a brand new one so that I could have a pristine edition sitting prettily on my shelf. I read these books more times than I kept track of. I would have Expanded Universe marathons where I’d read through the whole chronology, and then when I finished, read through it again, because in the time it took me to do one marathon, I’d probably acquired enough new additions to shed fresh light on the whole.
Why haven’t we seen these reviews from you on Goodreads? And why are you posting them now? Honestly, by the time I joined Goodreads, the Expanded Universe was beginning to wind up, plus I was being kept busy by a never-ending stack of academic textbooks which I figured might as well contribute to my reading challenge. But I’ve never been able to shake the sense that I really should get back to my reading roots and post reviews here of the Expanded Universe. Plus, it has been enough time now that I can revisit the books, and I can’t help but wonder if my adult perspective will change my previous opinions of them. Finally, now seems like the ideal time to do this given the current state of Star Wars. Let’s just say I disagree with Disney making the Expanded Universe non-canon, but their doing so has provided an interesting opportunity. The Expanded Universe now has a clearly defined beginning and end, and can be reviewed as a completed whole. Moreover, since I’ve never been one to let a self-interested corporation tell me what stories to cherish, I am free to cherry-pick my own canon, retaining the best of the Expanded Universe and removing those unfortunate entries that are best forgotten (Crystal Star, anyone?).
So – The Approaching Storm. I remembered liking this one back in the day – not as one of the best entries into the Expanded Universe, but likable enough. Re-reading it I initially wondered why. I hated Barriss’ capture by Bulgan and Kyakhta. As others have pointed out, if employing aggressors of limited intellectual ability was a way of fooling the Jedi danger sense, why has it never been done in other stories before? This was way too contrived and implausible as a universe-building rule because we never see it as a rule anywhere else! Also, Barriss goes down way too fast for a Padawan on the verge of knighthood, but my biggest gripe with this plot point was how easily it was resolved. You’re telling me that an apprentice, even one talented in healing, can cure a brain injury in an unfamiliar alien species just like that? I suppose some might say this is plausible given that we are in a sci fi universe here, but I primarily have issue with this from a storytelling perspective. Resolving such daunting obstacles too quickly and easily doesn’t feel satisfying to the reader, and feels like too much deus ex machina. And oh, goodness, those political scenes. I’m not someone who turns off automatically at the topic, in fact I enjoy a well-written political thriller. But any time Shu Mai or her secessionist confederates appeared in a scene I felt the urge to go to sleep or the temptation to skim rising. My advice would have been to cut those scenes out entirely. They were an unnecessary drag, and doing so may even have worked in the book’s favour, leaving the threat more mysterious.
And yet, despite this rough start and occasional dull scene throughout, this book began to win me over, and showed me why I had enjoyed it in the past. There are many examples of Star Wars media that take its audience hopping all over the galaxy, and sometimes this is done well, creating a gripping tale of grand scope, whereas in other places a hurried and confusing mishmash of blurry busywork is produced, leaving no time whatsoever for the moments of reflection and the philosophical core that has been at the heart of Star Wars from the original trilogy. The prequels come to mind as prominent illustrations of the latter category. I find I actually appreciate the few stories that focus on a limited number or even just a single planet, as The Approaching Storm does. Let’s face it – alien worlds are the guest stars of any sci fi; we want to explore these strange, distant, and awe-inspiring places. The galaxy hopping story has the danger of sketching them too thinly, creating a galaxy that is a mile wide and an inch deep. Being given the space to actually discover one planet in depth can be a welcome change of pace. Far from making the story feel small, with the characters confined to the one location, it realises the galaxy’s epic scope by demonstrating the size and detail of just one planet.
Ansion is a prairie planet, covered in vast grasslands, rolling hills, the occasional lake and river. Sounds peaceful. But it surely can’t be as exciting as dangerous locales like the ice planet of Hoth or the volcanic world of Sullust, right? Okay, maybe not, but I was pleasantly delighted by the number of hazards, obstacles, and interesting features that Alan Dean Foster managed to cram in to what you’d think would be a boring biome. At no point on the Jedi’s journey did I feel the story sagged for lack of an obstacle to overcome, and I was particularly fascinated by the alienness of the kyren swarm, a flock of herbivores dangerous by their sheer unstoppable numbers, and the chawix encounter, carnivorous plants blown about by the planet’s winds and sinking deadly thorns into any animal prey they contact. I found the ideas genuinely interesting. Foster’s prose is for the most part competent, but he really seems to come alive when delving into these alien environments, and I enjoyed the vividness with which those scenes were rendered on the page. Ansion offered me the opportunity to become engrossed, and I appreciated it.
A cursory glance at other reviews tells me I’m in the minority, and even going against the opinion of a close friend who frequently shares my reactions to books – but I loved the Yiwa campfire scenes and I’m not sorry. So often we see the Jedi grounded in the cool of consummate professionalism, or strung out on high emotion choosing between galaxy-changing good or evil. Seeing them do something so individual and quietly personal made the characters feel more human. Excuse the misnomer, but you know what I mean. It gave them add authenticity and reality instead of being inscrutable stock stereotypes on the page. And I don’t think they chose the wrong talents either. It would have been mind-numbingly predictable had Barriss performed a healing and Anakin a display of martial forms. Instead, I found their choices to add unexpected depth to the characters, allowing them to break out of conventional moulds; Barriss is not just the caring, nurturing healer, and Anakin demonstrates surprising softness which was a much-needed contrast to his whiny selfishness and thoughtless aggression. Obi-Wan’s story fit perfectly with his existence as the guide – almost the storyteller himself – of both original and prequel trilogies, giving the book a certain self-awareness, and I experienced Luminara’s display of Force powers to be a wondrous, awe-inspiring moment reminiscent of Yoda raising the starfighter on Dagobah. To me, this scene might well be my favourite in the entire book; in the thick of an alien world, a tiny speck in a vast, breath-taking universe, characters experiencing a moment of profound personal reflection. That’s what has always made Star Wars great in my eyes; moments like Luke and Leia’s farewell conversation on Endor, or Han and Leia’s tender reunion on Tatooine. Are their personal relationships and unique forms of expressiveness important to the life and death struggle between the Empire and the Rebellion? No. And yet – yes, they’re the most important factor. How can we care for these characters and their stories if what they’re fighting for doesn’t ring true for us, or if they don’t come across as believable human beings?
The book plays with it too a little, in the dynamics between Obi-Wan and Luminara, and Anakin and Barriss. It explores the question of romance, without ever actually going there. There’s a mutual appreciation club going on between the two masters, and as for their apprentices, Anakin feels protective of Barriss while she actually calls him out on his shit. To be honest it actually makes me think that Barriss would’ve been a far better match for him, because she can hold her own and doesn’t placidly accept his nonsense for a second. But that’s getting besides the point – I’m not actually saying that I want there to be romance in this book. What I’m saying is that I appreciate the fact that the book acknowledges that people can feel drawn to someone else, mutually recognise it, and then not do anything about it. It isn’t the be all and end all of their priorities, it isn’t something they have to act on otherwise they’ll be tormented forever, they’ve chosen a path for themselves, but there’s no stigma around simply feeling a natural reaction. Hurrah. I’ll take it over the awkward, ham-fisted romance of Episode II any day.
Now, to be clear, I’m not claiming that The Approaching Storm is as good as The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. The significance of events is on a lesser scale, and the opportunities for character growth are fewer. As aforementioned there are some aspects of the book which really would have been better drastically overhauled or cut out entirely. But I think the book contains a solid amount of good stuff, such that I can honestly say I enjoyed it. And I think I am going to keep this one in my personal canon.
7 out of 10
Why haven’t we seen these reviews from you on Goodreads? And why are you posting them now? Honestly, by the time I joined Goodreads, the Expanded Universe was beginning to wind up, plus I was being kept busy by a never-ending stack of academic textbooks which I figured might as well contribute to my reading challenge. But I’ve never been able to shake the sense that I really should get back to my reading roots and post reviews here of the Expanded Universe. Plus, it has been enough time now that I can revisit the books, and I can’t help but wonder if my adult perspective will change my previous opinions of them. Finally, now seems like the ideal time to do this given the current state of Star Wars. Let’s just say I disagree with Disney making the Expanded Universe non-canon, but their doing so has provided an interesting opportunity. The Expanded Universe now has a clearly defined beginning and end, and can be reviewed as a completed whole. Moreover, since I’ve never been one to let a self-interested corporation tell me what stories to cherish, I am free to cherry-pick my own canon, retaining the best of the Expanded Universe and removing those unfortunate entries that are best forgotten (Crystal Star, anyone?).
So – The Approaching Storm. I remembered liking this one back in the day – not as one of the best entries into the Expanded Universe, but likable enough. Re-reading it I initially wondered why. I hated Barriss’ capture by Bulgan and Kyakhta. As others have pointed out, if employing aggressors of limited intellectual ability was a way of fooling the Jedi danger sense, why has it never been done in other stories before? This was way too contrived and implausible as a universe-building rule because we never see it as a rule anywhere else! Also, Barriss goes down way too fast for a Padawan on the verge of knighthood, but my biggest gripe with this plot point was how easily it was resolved. You’re telling me that an apprentice, even one talented in healing, can cure a brain injury in an unfamiliar alien species just like that? I suppose some might say this is plausible given that we are in a sci fi universe here, but I primarily have issue with this from a storytelling perspective. Resolving such daunting obstacles too quickly and easily doesn’t feel satisfying to the reader, and feels like too much deus ex machina. And oh, goodness, those political scenes. I’m not someone who turns off automatically at the topic, in fact I enjoy a well-written political thriller. But any time Shu Mai or her secessionist confederates appeared in a scene I felt the urge to go to sleep or the temptation to skim rising. My advice would have been to cut those scenes out entirely. They were an unnecessary drag, and doing so may even have worked in the book’s favour, leaving the threat more mysterious.
And yet, despite this rough start and occasional dull scene throughout, this book began to win me over, and showed me why I had enjoyed it in the past. There are many examples of Star Wars media that take its audience hopping all over the galaxy, and sometimes this is done well, creating a gripping tale of grand scope, whereas in other places a hurried and confusing mishmash of blurry busywork is produced, leaving no time whatsoever for the moments of reflection and the philosophical core that has been at the heart of Star Wars from the original trilogy. The prequels come to mind as prominent illustrations of the latter category. I find I actually appreciate the few stories that focus on a limited number or even just a single planet, as The Approaching Storm does. Let’s face it – alien worlds are the guest stars of any sci fi; we want to explore these strange, distant, and awe-inspiring places. The galaxy hopping story has the danger of sketching them too thinly, creating a galaxy that is a mile wide and an inch deep. Being given the space to actually discover one planet in depth can be a welcome change of pace. Far from making the story feel small, with the characters confined to the one location, it realises the galaxy’s epic scope by demonstrating the size and detail of just one planet.
Ansion is a prairie planet, covered in vast grasslands, rolling hills, the occasional lake and river. Sounds peaceful. But it surely can’t be as exciting as dangerous locales like the ice planet of Hoth or the volcanic world of Sullust, right? Okay, maybe not, but I was pleasantly delighted by the number of hazards, obstacles, and interesting features that Alan Dean Foster managed to cram in to what you’d think would be a boring biome. At no point on the Jedi’s journey did I feel the story sagged for lack of an obstacle to overcome, and I was particularly fascinated by the alienness of the kyren swarm, a flock of herbivores dangerous by their sheer unstoppable numbers, and the chawix encounter, carnivorous plants blown about by the planet’s winds and sinking deadly thorns into any animal prey they contact. I found the ideas genuinely interesting. Foster’s prose is for the most part competent, but he really seems to come alive when delving into these alien environments, and I enjoyed the vividness with which those scenes were rendered on the page. Ansion offered me the opportunity to become engrossed, and I appreciated it.
A cursory glance at other reviews tells me I’m in the minority, and even going against the opinion of a close friend who frequently shares my reactions to books – but I loved the Yiwa campfire scenes and I’m not sorry. So often we see the Jedi grounded in the cool of consummate professionalism, or strung out on high emotion choosing between galaxy-changing good or evil. Seeing them do something so individual and quietly personal made the characters feel more human. Excuse the misnomer, but you know what I mean. It gave them add authenticity and reality instead of being inscrutable stock stereotypes on the page. And I don’t think they chose the wrong talents either. It would have been mind-numbingly predictable had Barriss performed a healing and Anakin a display of martial forms. Instead, I found their choices to add unexpected depth to the characters, allowing them to break out of conventional moulds; Barriss is not just the caring, nurturing healer, and Anakin demonstrates surprising softness which was a much-needed contrast to his whiny selfishness and thoughtless aggression. Obi-Wan’s story fit perfectly with his existence as the guide – almost the storyteller himself – of both original and prequel trilogies, giving the book a certain self-awareness, and I experienced Luminara’s display of Force powers to be a wondrous, awe-inspiring moment reminiscent of Yoda raising the starfighter on Dagobah. To me, this scene might well be my favourite in the entire book; in the thick of an alien world, a tiny speck in a vast, breath-taking universe, characters experiencing a moment of profound personal reflection. That’s what has always made Star Wars great in my eyes; moments like Luke and Leia’s farewell conversation on Endor, or Han and Leia’s tender reunion on Tatooine. Are their personal relationships and unique forms of expressiveness important to the life and death struggle between the Empire and the Rebellion? No. And yet – yes, they’re the most important factor. How can we care for these characters and their stories if what they’re fighting for doesn’t ring true for us, or if they don’t come across as believable human beings?
The book plays with it too a little, in the dynamics between Obi-Wan and Luminara, and Anakin and Barriss. It explores the question of romance, without ever actually going there. There’s a mutual appreciation club going on between the two masters, and as for their apprentices, Anakin feels protective of Barriss while she actually calls him out on his shit. To be honest it actually makes me think that Barriss would’ve been a far better match for him, because she can hold her own and doesn’t placidly accept his nonsense for a second. But that’s getting besides the point – I’m not actually saying that I want there to be romance in this book. What I’m saying is that I appreciate the fact that the book acknowledges that people can feel drawn to someone else, mutually recognise it, and then not do anything about it. It isn’t the be all and end all of their priorities, it isn’t something they have to act on otherwise they’ll be tormented forever, they’ve chosen a path for themselves, but there’s no stigma around simply feeling a natural reaction. Hurrah. I’ll take it over the awkward, ham-fisted romance of Episode II any day.
Now, to be clear, I’m not claiming that The Approaching Storm is as good as The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. The significance of events is on a lesser scale, and the opportunities for character growth are fewer. As aforementioned there are some aspects of the book which really would have been better drastically overhauled or cut out entirely. But I think the book contains a solid amount of good stuff, such that I can honestly say I enjoyed it. And I think I am going to keep this one in my personal canon.
7 out of 10
February 3, 2024
Set in 22BBY
Well, this one offers a solid addition to the lore. While the narrative presents an engaging exploration of the galactic struggles, the pacing at times feels a bit uneven. Foster's writing captures the essence of the characters as always, but the plot could have benefited from a more seamless integration into the whole saga.
"I prefer settling differences with a lightsaber." - Bariss
"Anyone can handle a weapon. Reason is much more difficult to wield. Remember that the next time you're tempted to settle an argument with a lightsaber." - Luminara
Overall, a worthy read for fans seeking a fresh perspective on the ongoing conflicts in a galaxy far, far away.. but I wouldn't write home about it.
"People are so busy getting on with their lives they frequently forget what's really important. Who's really important." - Anakin Skywalker
The dialogue is sharp and the character development, especially for lesser-known figures (such as Luminara) adds depth to the story. However, the pacing occasionally falters, hindering the overall flow and the secondary characters at some point they struggle to keep being interesting and they're mostly breaks from reading about Kenobi and Skywalker again, at least that's how it felt, personally.
"No Jedi would be a true devotee who didn't question the system, along with everything else." - Obi-Wan Kenobi
The story introduces intriguing concepts and moral dilemmas, and while it may not reach the heights of some other entries in the series, it was an ok story and of course you'll definitely like the voices of Obi-Wan and Anakin. They're both spot on.
"There is much to be learned from stories that can't be taught by history." - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan is troubled throughout the story with the gravitas I'd expect. His internal struggles and unwavering dedication to the Jedi Code add depth to his character and his worry about Anakin and if he's worthy of being his master and pretty much a father figure for him.
"I'm just saying that if someone gets in my way, at this point, I'm not in the mood to pause and discuss the situation politely." - Anakin Skywalker
We get a glimpse into Anakin's pre-Darth Vader persona, showcasing his impulsive nature and the underlying conflict within. The dynamics between Obi-Wan and Anakin offer a nuanced exploration of their master-apprentice relationship and showing off his emotions about the people he cares about wanting to protect and as always do everything in his power to keep them safe, no matter what.
"Give me size and power any day, and keep your heart." - Anakin Skywalker
Would I call this a must-read? No. I'd call this another Obi-Wan and Anakin adventure pre-Clone Wars, that you could read to pass the time and have fun with.
"It's hard to win hearts and minds when you're cutting off heads and hands." - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Well, this one offers a solid addition to the lore. While the narrative presents an engaging exploration of the galactic struggles, the pacing at times feels a bit uneven. Foster's writing captures the essence of the characters as always, but the plot could have benefited from a more seamless integration into the whole saga.
"I prefer settling differences with a lightsaber." - Bariss
"Anyone can handle a weapon. Reason is much more difficult to wield. Remember that the next time you're tempted to settle an argument with a lightsaber." - Luminara
Overall, a worthy read for fans seeking a fresh perspective on the ongoing conflicts in a galaxy far, far away.. but I wouldn't write home about it.
"People are so busy getting on with their lives they frequently forget what's really important. Who's really important." - Anakin Skywalker
The dialogue is sharp and the character development, especially for lesser-known figures (such as Luminara) adds depth to the story. However, the pacing occasionally falters, hindering the overall flow and the secondary characters at some point they struggle to keep being interesting and they're mostly breaks from reading about Kenobi and Skywalker again, at least that's how it felt, personally.
"No Jedi would be a true devotee who didn't question the system, along with everything else." - Obi-Wan Kenobi
The story introduces intriguing concepts and moral dilemmas, and while it may not reach the heights of some other entries in the series, it was an ok story and of course you'll definitely like the voices of Obi-Wan and Anakin. They're both spot on.
"There is much to be learned from stories that can't be taught by history." - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan is troubled throughout the story with the gravitas I'd expect. His internal struggles and unwavering dedication to the Jedi Code add depth to his character and his worry about Anakin and if he's worthy of being his master and pretty much a father figure for him.
"I'm just saying that if someone gets in my way, at this point, I'm not in the mood to pause and discuss the situation politely." - Anakin Skywalker
We get a glimpse into Anakin's pre-Darth Vader persona, showcasing his impulsive nature and the underlying conflict within. The dynamics between Obi-Wan and Anakin offer a nuanced exploration of their master-apprentice relationship and showing off his emotions about the people he cares about wanting to protect and as always do everything in his power to keep them safe, no matter what.
"Give me size and power any day, and keep your heart." - Anakin Skywalker
Would I call this a must-read? No. I'd call this another Obi-Wan and Anakin adventure pre-Clone Wars, that you could read to pass the time and have fun with.
"It's hard to win hearts and minds when you're cutting off heads and hands." - Obi-Wan Kenobi
August 3, 2016
Follow these two Jedi Masters and their Padawans to the planet of Ansion on border dispute mission prior to Battle of Geonosis and The Clone Wars...
Look at mom andBaeris Barris
Then there is thisball of fluff asshole...
Thoughts Vomit
1. Barris notices Luminara and Anakin are hot damn, literally, on the other hand who is Oliver Kenoli?
2. Meanwhile Ansionian people think human & near-human species are pitiful.
3. Ansion's Got Talent, literally.
4. Anakin pulls an attitude when exchanging words with mom (mumsy Luminara) but this is the same dude who retorts an obnoxious 'Why?!' to his own master so what the heck why not. In fact he's rude to everyone. In fact almost everyone Padawan has a moment like this, even the goody-two-shoes Kenobi.
5. Knowing the gruesome fates await these 4 characters in the future books/films/series makes this book a fluffy slice of life, calm before a storm, The Approaching Storm indeed, the title is brilliant.
6. Didn't know that Barris is knighted around the same age as Anakin, she's around 2-3 years younger
7. The author missed the golden opportunity to have Obi-Wan comment on Barris' similar behaviour to Qui-Gon using pathetic life form referrence.
8. Jar Jar Binks the Gungan is here I mean Tooqui the Gwurran
9. Barris is the example of Ravenclaw gone nuts and Anakin Hufflepuff gone wrong, not in this book, we're given a happy ending.
10. All these 4 dorks strip down to their undergarments and jump into water, literally, can't get better than that.
11. The kind of cockiness Anakin got on in this book is borderline Jace Herondale that it almost threw me off.
12. The origin of aggressive negotiations
Look at mom and
Then there is this
“I never saw the happy ending coming and didn’t expect it. Do all your stories have happy endings?”
Thoughts Vomit
1. Barris notices Luminara and Anakin are hot damn, literally, on the other hand who is Oliver Kenoli?
2. Meanwhile Ansionian people think human & near-human species are pitiful.
3. Ansion's Got Talent, literally.
4. Anakin pulls an attitude when exchanging words with mom (mumsy Luminara) but this is the same dude who retorts an obnoxious 'Why?!' to his own master so what the heck why not. In fact he's rude to everyone. In fact almost everyone Padawan has a moment like this, even the goody-two-shoes Kenobi.
5. Knowing the gruesome fates await these 4 characters in the future books/films/series makes this book a fluffy slice of life, calm before a storm, The Approaching Storm indeed, the title is brilliant.
6. Didn't know that Barris is knighted around the same age as Anakin, she's around 2-3 years younger
7. The author missed the golden opportunity to have Obi-Wan comment on Barris' similar behaviour to Qui-Gon using pathetic life form referrence.
8. Jar Jar Binks the Gungan is here I mean Tooqui the Gwurran
9. Barris is the example of Ravenclaw gone nuts and Anakin Hufflepuff gone wrong, not in this book, we're given a happy ending.
10. All these 4 dorks strip down to their undergarments and jump into water, literally, can't get better than that.
11. The kind of cockiness Anakin got on in this book is borderline Jace Herondale that it almost threw me off.
12. The origin of aggressive negotiations
December 29, 2020
Although I'd probably rate it closer to 3.5 stars, it earns its four star round-up primarily due to making Anakin a well-rounded character and not the whiny snot of the prequels. It's a Jedi road trip/travelogue, which is fairly unique in the novel line. At times, it gets far too lost/enamored in the setting and forgets about the main cast...but when it does concern itself with our intrepid Jedi, this book sings. A surprisingly gentle yet incisive character-focused novel.
June 13, 2020
1.5 stars
this book reminded me of why people hate the prequels and its politics.
it was a chore to get through.
the 0.5 are because anakin and obi-wan look really good in the cover and for that scene where anakin sings and obi-wan tells a story and everyone is captivated by his voice.
this book reminded me of why people hate the prequels and its politics.
it was a chore to get through.
the 0.5 are because anakin and obi-wan look really good in the cover and for that scene where anakin sings and obi-wan tells a story and everyone is captivated by his voice.
April 9, 2021
Star Wars: The Approaching Storm was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Alan Dean Foster.
This novel is set during the Rise of the Empire Era, taking place just before Attack of the Clones, 22 years before A New Hope.
SUMMARY: The world of Anison is at a crossroads. They must chose to remain with the Republic, or fall out to join the growing Separatist movement. If Anison does leave the Republic, many other worlds would be influenced by this action and follow suit. The Jedi Council has sent two teams of Jedi to attempt to keep the leadership of Anison happy, and to win them over in order to keep them from leaving the Republic.
With the arrival of the Jedi, the Separatists hire Soergg the Hutt to interfere with the Jedi mission of keeping the peace. Will the Jedi succeed in keeping Anison with the Republic or will the Republic continue to crumble with the loss of not just Anison... but many other worlds?
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I believe this book started off strong. Foster did a great job bringing in our heroes and giving us some good action moments. However, the story did become a bit of a chore to get through. The story certainly had it's good moments and was a great concept. Yet, the execution of the story is rather dull and the story drags out so much! The novel could have easily been 100-150 pages less. I feel that a lot of the story was filler material, just fluff to meet a page or word count.
CHARACTERS: Our main characters are met with obstacle after ridiculous obstacle. We meet several locals on Anison, some were decent, while others were just far too silly to be taken serious.
The villains in the book are pretty dull. The situation/temptation of Anison leaving the Republic is far more interesting than the villains. At one point, Barriss is taken by two of the villainous natives, they are absolutely dumb. How she managed to be taken by these two idiots... is beyond me. However, she is able to open up their minds and cleanse them of their stupidity. They had a bit of a reawakening you could say. I didn't mind this, because I just couldn't handle the stupidity of these guys.
The dialogue between the characters is mostly good. I've never been a fan of the way many authors make natives or lower intelligent life forms speak so silly, with that typical caveman talk (Me no like you, you dumb dumb). However, the communication between the Jedi is more natural. I found the following quote from Luminara to be a really good line of dialogue when speaking to her padawan. Not only does it apply to just Star Wars or a Lightsaber, but in the real world with real weapons or threats:
"Anyone can handle a weapon. Reason is much more difficult to wield. Remember that, the next time you're tempted to settle an argument with a lightsaber."
Luminara and Barriss worked well as a team. They are good Jedi, but they did need saving often by Kenobi and Anakin. It was nice seeing how other Jedi and padawn view not just the relationship between Kenobi and Anakin, as they are a bit of an unusual duo; but how they see Anakin. Anakin has so much potential, but he's cocky and is always questioning everything. The moments between Barriss and Anakin are all wonderful as well.
So, do I recommend that you read The Approaching Storm? Well, it's certainly not the best story, but to get an idea on how others view Anakin and Kenobi, yes, read it.
Rating: This book receives a C+
This novel is set during the Rise of the Empire Era, taking place just before Attack of the Clones, 22 years before A New Hope.
SUMMARY: The world of Anison is at a crossroads. They must chose to remain with the Republic, or fall out to join the growing Separatist movement. If Anison does leave the Republic, many other worlds would be influenced by this action and follow suit. The Jedi Council has sent two teams of Jedi to attempt to keep the leadership of Anison happy, and to win them over in order to keep them from leaving the Republic.
With the arrival of the Jedi, the Separatists hire Soergg the Hutt to interfere with the Jedi mission of keeping the peace. Will the Jedi succeed in keeping Anison with the Republic or will the Republic continue to crumble with the loss of not just Anison... but many other worlds?
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I believe this book started off strong. Foster did a great job bringing in our heroes and giving us some good action moments. However, the story did become a bit of a chore to get through. The story certainly had it's good moments and was a great concept. Yet, the execution of the story is rather dull and the story drags out so much! The novel could have easily been 100-150 pages less. I feel that a lot of the story was filler material, just fluff to meet a page or word count.
CHARACTERS: Our main characters are met with obstacle after ridiculous obstacle. We meet several locals on Anison, some were decent, while others were just far too silly to be taken serious.
The villains in the book are pretty dull. The situation/temptation of Anison leaving the Republic is far more interesting than the villains. At one point, Barriss is taken by two of the villainous natives, they are absolutely dumb. How she managed to be taken by these two idiots... is beyond me. However, she is able to open up their minds and cleanse them of their stupidity. They had a bit of a reawakening you could say. I didn't mind this, because I just couldn't handle the stupidity of these guys.
The dialogue between the characters is mostly good. I've never been a fan of the way many authors make natives or lower intelligent life forms speak so silly, with that typical caveman talk (Me no like you, you dumb dumb). However, the communication between the Jedi is more natural. I found the following quote from Luminara to be a really good line of dialogue when speaking to her padawan. Not only does it apply to just Star Wars or a Lightsaber, but in the real world with real weapons or threats:
"Anyone can handle a weapon. Reason is much more difficult to wield. Remember that, the next time you're tempted to settle an argument with a lightsaber."
Luminara and Barriss worked well as a team. They are good Jedi, but they did need saving often by Kenobi and Anakin. It was nice seeing how other Jedi and padawn view not just the relationship between Kenobi and Anakin, as they are a bit of an unusual duo; but how they see Anakin. Anakin has so much potential, but he's cocky and is always questioning everything. The moments between Barriss and Anakin are all wonderful as well.
So, do I recommend that you read The Approaching Storm? Well, it's certainly not the best story, but to get an idea on how others view Anakin and Kenobi, yes, read it.
Rating: This book receives a C+
January 3, 2017
Star Wars Legends Project #98
Background: The Approaching Storm was written by Alan Dean Foster and published in January 2002. Foster has a long history with Star Wars. He ghost wrote the novelization of the original film for George Lucas, and he wrote the first ever EU novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, as a sequel to it. He also wrote the novelization of The Force Awakens, but this novel was his first return to the Star Wars universe in almost a quarter century.
The Approaching Storm is set 22 years before the Battle of Yavin, immediately before the events of Attack of the Clones. The main characters Anakin, Obi-Wan, Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee. It deals with the mission that Obi-Wan and Anakin have just returned from at the beginning of Attack of the Clones and sets up some of the rising threat from the Separatist Crisis.
Summary: A growing group of discontented corporate entities within the Republic are hoping to improve business by forcing a galactic change. To enact this change, they've set their sights on Ansion, an insignificant, backwater world stymied by conflict between the modern city-dwellers and the traditionalist nomads that roam the plains. If Ansion can be convinced to secede, a web of interlocking alliances and agreements will take dozens of worlds with them. To forestall this, the Jedi have dispatched Obi-Wan and Luminara, along with their apprentices Anakin and Barriss, to do whatever it takes to keep Ansion in the Republic . . . a task far more daunting than the backwardness of Ansion would initially suggest, particularly with dark forces working to block them at every turn.
Review: I hate to speak ill of someone with roots as deep in the EU as Foster's, but this is a terrible book. Not only is the story dull and poorly conceived, it's also badly written. It feels padded and repetitive and darn near interminable. The dialogue is stilted and unnatural and the exposition is awkward and flavorless. The characters are flat and drab and not at all likable.
Our protagonists conform to the worst stereotypes of the emotionless, stick-in-the-mud, stick-up-the-butt Jedi, and Foster has no sense of how to write a story around their Force abilities. He spends most of the time trying to pretend their powers are limited in ways that they clearly aren't in order to try and generate some tension, and the rest of the time allowing them to perform absurd feats that make it clear that the supposedly unattainable outcome could never have been in doubt. Either the Jedi themselves have no idea what they're capable of or Foster is cheating. Given how the book ends, I'm inclined to think the latter.
Barely anything of interest happens in the entire book. It's just an endless trek across a featureless prairie, punctuated by uninteresting encounters with the local fauna that the Jedi Masters are quick to spin into tiresome and cliche lessons for their Padawans. Plus, whoever was in charge of continuity didn't bother to care whether the plot of this book had any significance . . . It doesn't. The entire mission is built around trying to make sure a couple dozen systems don't leave the Republic, and if they do, a whole gaggle of corporate entities (the Commerce Guild, etc.) stand ready to openly declare their allegiance to the Separatists. But as Attack of the Clones begins, immediately after this story ends, we learn that thousands of systems have already left the Republic, and the Commerce Guild, Corporate Alliance, Banking Clan, Trade Federation, et al, are all colluding with Count Dooku to finance and supply the Separatist military. Which means that this book doesn't fit with anything else, and even if it did, nothing that happens in it matters in the long-term, or even the short-term.
Foster also has an odd habit of deploying turns-of-phrase that don't quite make sense, which is a source of frequent annoyance. Like after a dangerous dance involving her lightsaber, Barriss is gently reprimanded by her master, "It would make me unhappy to have to return to Cuipernam with you in less than one piece." How could one be in less than one piece, particularly if one chopped oneself into multiple pieces with one's lightsaber? Or, later on, "Though they watched and listened attentively, neither Anakin nor Barriss paid any particular attention to the welcoming formalities." . . . What do you think "attentively" means, exactly? Are these petty quibbles? On their own, yes . . . but the book is full of them, screaming for a proofread that apparently didn't happen.
And, on its own, none of these complaints is enough to entirely sink the book . . . But together, it makes for a nearly unbearable read. The one saving grace I'll give credit for: Foster clearly put a lot of effort into the worldbuilding for Ansion, which is admirable. I don't think he created a world that was worth spending an entire book in, or at least that he crafted a story worthy of his world, but he did a good job in that particular aspect of the construction. But it's not enough. Avoid!
D-
Background: The Approaching Storm was written by Alan Dean Foster and published in January 2002. Foster has a long history with Star Wars. He ghost wrote the novelization of the original film for George Lucas, and he wrote the first ever EU novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, as a sequel to it. He also wrote the novelization of The Force Awakens, but this novel was his first return to the Star Wars universe in almost a quarter century.
The Approaching Storm is set 22 years before the Battle of Yavin, immediately before the events of Attack of the Clones. The main characters Anakin, Obi-Wan, Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee. It deals with the mission that Obi-Wan and Anakin have just returned from at the beginning of Attack of the Clones and sets up some of the rising threat from the Separatist Crisis.
Summary: A growing group of discontented corporate entities within the Republic are hoping to improve business by forcing a galactic change. To enact this change, they've set their sights on Ansion, an insignificant, backwater world stymied by conflict between the modern city-dwellers and the traditionalist nomads that roam the plains. If Ansion can be convinced to secede, a web of interlocking alliances and agreements will take dozens of worlds with them. To forestall this, the Jedi have dispatched Obi-Wan and Luminara, along with their apprentices Anakin and Barriss, to do whatever it takes to keep Ansion in the Republic . . . a task far more daunting than the backwardness of Ansion would initially suggest, particularly with dark forces working to block them at every turn.
Review: I hate to speak ill of someone with roots as deep in the EU as Foster's, but this is a terrible book. Not only is the story dull and poorly conceived, it's also badly written. It feels padded and repetitive and darn near interminable. The dialogue is stilted and unnatural and the exposition is awkward and flavorless. The characters are flat and drab and not at all likable.
Our protagonists conform to the worst stereotypes of the emotionless, stick-in-the-mud, stick-up-the-butt Jedi, and Foster has no sense of how to write a story around their Force abilities. He spends most of the time trying to pretend their powers are limited in ways that they clearly aren't in order to try and generate some tension, and the rest of the time allowing them to perform absurd feats that make it clear that the supposedly unattainable outcome could never have been in doubt. Either the Jedi themselves have no idea what they're capable of or Foster is cheating. Given how the book ends, I'm inclined to think the latter.
Barely anything of interest happens in the entire book. It's just an endless trek across a featureless prairie, punctuated by uninteresting encounters with the local fauna that the Jedi Masters are quick to spin into tiresome and cliche lessons for their Padawans. Plus, whoever was in charge of continuity didn't bother to care whether the plot of this book had any significance . . . It doesn't. The entire mission is built around trying to make sure a couple dozen systems don't leave the Republic, and if they do, a whole gaggle of corporate entities (the Commerce Guild, etc.) stand ready to openly declare their allegiance to the Separatists. But as Attack of the Clones begins, immediately after this story ends, we learn that thousands of systems have already left the Republic, and the Commerce Guild, Corporate Alliance, Banking Clan, Trade Federation, et al, are all colluding with Count Dooku to finance and supply the Separatist military. Which means that this book doesn't fit with anything else, and even if it did, nothing that happens in it matters in the long-term, or even the short-term.
Foster also has an odd habit of deploying turns-of-phrase that don't quite make sense, which is a source of frequent annoyance. Like after a dangerous dance involving her lightsaber, Barriss is gently reprimanded by her master, "It would make me unhappy to have to return to Cuipernam with you in less than one piece." How could one be in less than one piece, particularly if one chopped oneself into multiple pieces with one's lightsaber? Or, later on, "Though they watched and listened attentively, neither Anakin nor Barriss paid any particular attention to the welcoming formalities." . . . What do you think "attentively" means, exactly? Are these petty quibbles? On their own, yes . . . but the book is full of them, screaming for a proofread that apparently didn't happen.
And, on its own, none of these complaints is enough to entirely sink the book . . . But together, it makes for a nearly unbearable read. The one saving grace I'll give credit for: Foster clearly put a lot of effort into the worldbuilding for Ansion, which is admirable. I don't think he created a world that was worth spending an entire book in, or at least that he crafted a story worthy of his world, but he did a good job in that particular aspect of the construction. But it's not enough. Avoid!
D-
June 26, 2009
Appropriate that the book that 'sets up' the worst Star Wars movie of the 2 trilogies is the worst Star Wars book that I have read. It is not entirely fair to say this book is bad, as the author is clearly a good writer, (he uses words like 'festooned'), but this book falls down in many areas.
Namely, despite the claim of setting up Episode II, it doesn't. Unless of course you were wondering about the backstory to when Mace Windu says "Obi-Wan could do that, he just got back from a border dispute on Ansion." Unfortunately, the story of this book doesn't deal with any border dispute (although it does take place on Ansion).
Apart from other failures (such as the repeated use of befriending your enemies and kidnappers as the main form of confrontation in the book... "lets just be friends!"; or the fact that the entire plot of book is based upon the most critical function of keeping a handful of planetary systems from leaving the republic, and yet Episode II begins with the claim that thousands of systems have already left!), the book does have some redeeming features. For example, Anakin continues his family's long standing singing tradition by singing a song!
What? You didn't know about the Skywalker's great singing tradition? Well, not only did Anakin's mother sing, but so does Anakin's daughter, Leia! What? You've never seen Leia sing? Well, then you must go to You Tube and type in "Star Wars Holiday Special". Or just go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXcb7VPw5...
Suffice it to say, this book is better than the 1978 Holiday Special, but not much.
(Note: it appears the Holiday Special in its entirety has been removed from YouTube. The original show was 2 hours long! ouch.)
Namely, despite the claim of setting up Episode II, it doesn't. Unless of course you were wondering about the backstory to when Mace Windu says "Obi-Wan could do that, he just got back from a border dispute on Ansion." Unfortunately, the story of this book doesn't deal with any border dispute (although it does take place on Ansion).
Apart from other failures (such as the repeated use of befriending your enemies and kidnappers as the main form of confrontation in the book... "lets just be friends!"; or the fact that the entire plot of book is based upon the most critical function of keeping a handful of planetary systems from leaving the republic, and yet Episode II begins with the claim that thousands of systems have already left!), the book does have some redeeming features. For example, Anakin continues his family's long standing singing tradition by singing a song!
What? You didn't know about the Skywalker's great singing tradition? Well, not only did Anakin's mother sing, but so does Anakin's daughter, Leia! What? You've never seen Leia sing? Well, then you must go to You Tube and type in "Star Wars Holiday Special". Or just go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXcb7VPw5...
Suffice it to say, this book is better than the 1978 Holiday Special, but not much.
(Note: it appears the Holiday Special in its entirety has been removed from YouTube. The original show was 2 hours long! ouch.)
May 9, 2019
I wanted to read this because I really like Bariss Offee.
This book wasn't bad.
It wasn't good.
It was meh and I feel like more important bits could have been included. I'll just check out the Clone Wars episodes because...meh.
Three stars and not two because I did enjoy the writing and length, and I love Bariss...Biased for Bariss...
This book wasn't bad.
It wasn't good.
It was meh and I feel like more important bits could have been included. I'll just check out the Clone Wars episodes because...meh.
Three stars and not two because I did enjoy the writing and length, and I love Bariss...Biased for Bariss...
March 21, 2022
For 2022, I decided to go back in time and reread all the Prequels Era novels published between 1999 and 2005, plus a smidgen of other novels (like Survivor's Quest and the Dark Nest trilogy) released during that time frame. This shakes out to 21 novels, four eBook novellas, and at least thirteen short stories.
This week’s focus: an immediate prequel to Episode II: Attack of the Clones, The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster.
SOME HISTORY:
Alan Dean Foster was one of the old school, pre-Bantam era Star Wars writers, having served as the ghostwriter for the novelization of Star Wars: A New Hope (the cover credits George Lucas) and then written 1978’s (very trippy) Splinter of the Mind's Eye. His 2002 novel, The Approaching Storm, serves as a prologue to Episode II: Attack of the Clones, as the film mentions that Obi-Wan Kenobi had just returned from a border dispute on Ansion. The Approaching Storm made it to number twelve on the New York Times bestseller list for two straight weeks—from the week of February 17 to the week of February 24, 2002--and was on the list for four weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
This will probably be a common refrain with the prequel books, but while I assume that I read The Approaching Storm in 2002, I remembered nothing from it.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
On the tiny but strategic planet of Ansion, a powerful faction is on the verge of joining the growing secessionist movement. The Jedi Council sends two Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luminara Unduli, along with their Padawans Anakin Skywalker and Barriss Offee, to stabilize the planet's population. To succeed, the Jedi will have to fulfill impossible tasks, befriend wary strangers, and influence two great armies, followed all the while by an enemy sworn to see their mission fail…
THE CHARACTERS:
At its heart, The Approaching Storm is a road trip story with a heavy sprinkling of political intrigue. Our four Jedi are sent to Ansion to negotiate between the people of the cities—the Unity—and the people of the plains—the Alwari. They set off across the plains of Ansion to meet with the Alwari and get them to agree to terms with the Unity. Of course, there are people on Ansion that want to stop what the Jedi are doing, and there’s also that sprinkling of political intrigue: so we keep cutting away to the Ansionian politicians who are debating whether to secede from the Republic, and Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild and other senators and business people who are trying to influence Ansionian politics from Coruscant. The Approaching Storm serves to set up the Separatist conflict in Episode II, as we also get a sneak peak at Count Dooku at the very end.
On the road trip front, we have Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker joining Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee on Ansion. After some initial negotiations with the city folk, they spend most of the book traveling across the plains of Ansion in search of the overclan of the Alwari. When I say that the road trip is the majority of the story, I’m not lying! There’s 97 pages of setup, and then the rest of the book is the Jedi’s journey. If you don’t like road trip stories…unfortunately, that’s the entire plot here. It is a little different from other road trip stories in that they don’t stop in towns (there are no towns) but instead encounter strange wildlife along the way. They meet four different tribes, but mostly it’s just the Jedi and their guides in pretty barren settings.
Luminara Unduli appeared very briefly in Cloak of Deception, but we spend much more time with her here. She’s a good teacher, she doesn’t jump into action as Anakin is prone to do, she’s willing to listen to people, and she’s very talented. She’s athletic and flexible, and shows off her abilities in two different scenes: manipulating sand with the Force, and then retrieving some very rare wool out of a huge clump of herding beasts. She’s not a dueling master, but she’s very skilled in what she does.
We also meet her padawan, Barriss Offee. Barris has a very specific, rare skill set, and wants to be a healer. She doesn’t get along with Anakin, as she finds him reckless and impatient, so a lot of the story involves them having to learn how to work together.
There’s a lot of conflict within Anakin (setting things up for Attack of the Clones): he thinks he wants to be a great Jedi, but he doesn’t really know what he wants; he desperately wants to see his mother again; and he struggles with the Jedi’s sense of patience and calmness, because he comes most alive when he can rush into action.
And then Obi-Wan is here…of the four Jedi characters, I felt like Obi-Wan was fleshed out the least. We got Obi-Wan the dignified Jedi, but I felt like Foster was missing that essential sassy quality of Obi-Wan’s personality. It really came through with Ewan McGregor’s portrayal in the prequel films, and is lacking here—Obi-Wan’s propensity to good-naturedly snipe at anyone and everyone, but especially at Anakin.
Our heroes can’t seek out the Alwari tribes without guides, but I was not crazy about the guides here. I think it’s less the characters themselves, and more how they were portrayed within the story. Kyakhta and Bolgan are clanless Alwari, and Foster describes them as “mentally ill.” They’re hired by Soergg the Hutt to kidnap Barriss, but she recognizes there is some issue at play and heals them…and they instantly go from speaking broken English, to speaking perfect, dignified English. (I know within the constraints of the story they’re speaking Ansionian, but it’s written in English.)
I really did not like how this element of the story was addressed! 1) please do not conflate mental illness with what appears to be an intellectual disability, they are entirely different issues; 2) Bolgan’s condition seems to have been related to a childhood injury (he lost an eye and broke his back, and Barriss isn’t able to heal those old injuries) but we’re not given a story behind Kyakhta’s condition, he talked about “going mad”; 3) it felt like “the Jedi need guides, so let’s take these disabled individuals and have Barriss fix them up and they’re fine now” and I would have rather that this subplot was handled with more nuance, or just straight up dropped.
On their road trip, they also pick up another native species of Ansion: a Gwurran thief named Tooqui. He says “consider me a pet!” and Luminara says that he’s a sentient creature, not a pet, yet they still let him tag along with them? He’s there to rescue them from the Traders, but he’s an annoying companion.
I did like how Foster didn't portray the Alwari as backwards, or needing to be educated; that they want to keep their way of life, and the negotiations with the city folk were less about educating the Alwari and “bringing them up to the city folk standards,” and more what each group could learn from each other or benefit each other.
The main bad guy on Ansion is Bossban Soergg the Hut, and he tries very hard to kill the Jedi at various points—or failing that, to get them to leave Ansion. He has a native Ansonian majordomo named Ogomoor who does most of the dirty work for him. Ogomoor dies, but Soergg wiggles out untouched in the end (very Hutt-like of him).
Over on the Coruscant political intrigue front, we mostly have schemes involving Shu Mai, the president of the Commerce Guild. Shu Mai and her associates want Ansion to secede and join the Separatist movement because it’s at the center of lots of different alliances, and if Ansion left the Republic, it would hopefully spur its partners to leave as well. I did have to question how many people Shu Mai and her associates killed throughout the book: surely someone would have noticed all these suspicious deaths? But I guess the Republic is so rotting and corrupt at this point, that strange deaths go unnoticed.
ISSUES:
My biggest issue with The Approaching Storm was pace. The setup felt slow and unwieldy—Barriss being kidnapped by Kyakhti and Bolgan was so obviously set up to get these loyal Ansonians to lead them to the overclan—and then once they're on their journey, it felt really long. I also didn’t have a good sense of how long their journey took, because it is constantly going through this template of they travel, and encounter something bad, and stop for a bit, then they encounter a tribe, then they travel some more and encounter danger.
I wasn’t entirely interested in their journey, and I think part of that came down to knowing that Ansion doesn’t leave the Republic because this whole mission is just a throwaway line in Attack of the Clones. I wasn’t interested in the scheming of the Commerce Guild either, which definitely made the story slow-going at times.
I also felt like this was another book where Obi-Wan and Anakin are here solely for marketing purposes and to justify Mace Windu’s line in the film. In Obi-Wan’s case especially, we didn’t gain any insights into his character, and I didn’t feel like his character was an accurate portrayal of prequel-era Obi-Wan either. I liked getting to see Anakin’s conflict, but I would have preferred to spend more time with Luminara and Barriss rather than splitting the story between two Jedi and two padawans.
There were also some weird little errors, like Luminara and Barriss being described as humans when they are decidedly not. Mirialans are near-human, but they also have green or yellow or purple skin!
And I noticed this a little bit in the novelization of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but this was a technical issue here as well. Foster would jump into different characters’ heads within the same scene. At times, I think Foster was utilizing an omniscient narrator (we get interjections about the Coruscant plotters during the Jedi’s scenes), but it’s jarring here. We'll start out a scene in Barriss's head—we'll jump to Anakin for two paragraphs—and then we'll jump back to Barriss and then we'll jump to Obi-Wan and then we'll jump to Anakin and… There are scene breaks, which are probably indicated by a gap between paragraphs, but within those scenes we don’t stay in one character’s viewpoint. I wondered how necessary those head hops are; why not save Anakin’s two paragraphs for a longer section with him, instead of jamming them in the middle of Barriss’s section?
Finally, The Approaching Storm feels like an unnecessary prequel. If Cloak of Deception and Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter showed us the events that led directly into The Phantom Menace and deepened our understanding of Palpatine’s schemes, The Approaching Storm shows us that some of the worlds within the Republic want to leave. And that’s it. Count Dooku doesn’t appear until a hologram at the very end, and all we know is that he used to be a Jedi.
While Luceno’s novel added to my understanding of Episode I, Foster’s novel doesn’t. We get the explanation behind a throwaway line in Attack of the Clones, but since the Separatists are foiled here it just doesn’t feel like an essential read.
IN CONCLUSION:
The Approaching Storm serves as a prologue to Episode II: Attack of the Clones, setting up the Separatist conflict and Anakin’s dissatisfaction with his role as a Jedi padawan. But at the same time, I really struggled with this book. I was not interested in the political intrigue, I found the Jedi plotline long and dragging at times, and it didn’t add much to my deeper understanding of anything prequel-related. (An average mission for Obi-Wan and Anakin and a nice introduction to Luminara and Barriss, but nothing more.)
Next up: R.A. Salvatore’s novelization of Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones from 2002
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/6DTldwvvUg0
Approaching Storm interview and excerpt (January 2002): https://web.archive.org/web/200502042...
This week’s focus: an immediate prequel to Episode II: Attack of the Clones, The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster.
SOME HISTORY:
Alan Dean Foster was one of the old school, pre-Bantam era Star Wars writers, having served as the ghostwriter for the novelization of Star Wars: A New Hope (the cover credits George Lucas) and then written 1978’s (very trippy) Splinter of the Mind's Eye. His 2002 novel, The Approaching Storm, serves as a prologue to Episode II: Attack of the Clones, as the film mentions that Obi-Wan Kenobi had just returned from a border dispute on Ansion. The Approaching Storm made it to number twelve on the New York Times bestseller list for two straight weeks—from the week of February 17 to the week of February 24, 2002--and was on the list for four weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
This will probably be a common refrain with the prequel books, but while I assume that I read The Approaching Storm in 2002, I remembered nothing from it.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
On the tiny but strategic planet of Ansion, a powerful faction is on the verge of joining the growing secessionist movement. The Jedi Council sends two Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luminara Unduli, along with their Padawans Anakin Skywalker and Barriss Offee, to stabilize the planet's population. To succeed, the Jedi will have to fulfill impossible tasks, befriend wary strangers, and influence two great armies, followed all the while by an enemy sworn to see their mission fail…
THE CHARACTERS:
At its heart, The Approaching Storm is a road trip story with a heavy sprinkling of political intrigue. Our four Jedi are sent to Ansion to negotiate between the people of the cities—the Unity—and the people of the plains—the Alwari. They set off across the plains of Ansion to meet with the Alwari and get them to agree to terms with the Unity. Of course, there are people on Ansion that want to stop what the Jedi are doing, and there’s also that sprinkling of political intrigue: so we keep cutting away to the Ansionian politicians who are debating whether to secede from the Republic, and Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild and other senators and business people who are trying to influence Ansionian politics from Coruscant. The Approaching Storm serves to set up the Separatist conflict in Episode II, as we also get a sneak peak at Count Dooku at the very end.
On the road trip front, we have Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker joining Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee on Ansion. After some initial negotiations with the city folk, they spend most of the book traveling across the plains of Ansion in search of the overclan of the Alwari. When I say that the road trip is the majority of the story, I’m not lying! There’s 97 pages of setup, and then the rest of the book is the Jedi’s journey. If you don’t like road trip stories…unfortunately, that’s the entire plot here. It is a little different from other road trip stories in that they don’t stop in towns (there are no towns) but instead encounter strange wildlife along the way. They meet four different tribes, but mostly it’s just the Jedi and their guides in pretty barren settings.
Luminara Unduli appeared very briefly in Cloak of Deception, but we spend much more time with her here. She’s a good teacher, she doesn’t jump into action as Anakin is prone to do, she’s willing to listen to people, and she’s very talented. She’s athletic and flexible, and shows off her abilities in two different scenes: manipulating sand with the Force, and then retrieving some very rare wool out of a huge clump of herding beasts. She’s not a dueling master, but she’s very skilled in what she does.
We also meet her padawan, Barriss Offee. Barris has a very specific, rare skill set, and wants to be a healer. She doesn’t get along with Anakin, as she finds him reckless and impatient, so a lot of the story involves them having to learn how to work together.
There’s a lot of conflict within Anakin (setting things up for Attack of the Clones): he thinks he wants to be a great Jedi, but he doesn’t really know what he wants; he desperately wants to see his mother again; and he struggles with the Jedi’s sense of patience and calmness, because he comes most alive when he can rush into action.
And then Obi-Wan is here…of the four Jedi characters, I felt like Obi-Wan was fleshed out the least. We got Obi-Wan the dignified Jedi, but I felt like Foster was missing that essential sassy quality of Obi-Wan’s personality. It really came through with Ewan McGregor’s portrayal in the prequel films, and is lacking here—Obi-Wan’s propensity to good-naturedly snipe at anyone and everyone, but especially at Anakin.
Our heroes can’t seek out the Alwari tribes without guides, but I was not crazy about the guides here. I think it’s less the characters themselves, and more how they were portrayed within the story. Kyakhta and Bolgan are clanless Alwari, and Foster describes them as “mentally ill.” They’re hired by Soergg the Hutt to kidnap Barriss, but she recognizes there is some issue at play and heals them…and they instantly go from speaking broken English, to speaking perfect, dignified English. (I know within the constraints of the story they’re speaking Ansionian, but it’s written in English.)
I really did not like how this element of the story was addressed! 1) please do not conflate mental illness with what appears to be an intellectual disability, they are entirely different issues; 2) Bolgan’s condition seems to have been related to a childhood injury (he lost an eye and broke his back, and Barriss isn’t able to heal those old injuries) but we’re not given a story behind Kyakhta’s condition, he talked about “going mad”; 3) it felt like “the Jedi need guides, so let’s take these disabled individuals and have Barriss fix them up and they’re fine now” and I would have rather that this subplot was handled with more nuance, or just straight up dropped.
On their road trip, they also pick up another native species of Ansion: a Gwurran thief named Tooqui. He says “consider me a pet!” and Luminara says that he’s a sentient creature, not a pet, yet they still let him tag along with them? He’s there to rescue them from the Traders, but he’s an annoying companion.
I did like how Foster didn't portray the Alwari as backwards, or needing to be educated; that they want to keep their way of life, and the negotiations with the city folk were less about educating the Alwari and “bringing them up to the city folk standards,” and more what each group could learn from each other or benefit each other.
The main bad guy on Ansion is Bossban Soergg the Hut, and he tries very hard to kill the Jedi at various points—or failing that, to get them to leave Ansion. He has a native Ansonian majordomo named Ogomoor who does most of the dirty work for him. Ogomoor dies, but Soergg wiggles out untouched in the end (very Hutt-like of him).
Over on the Coruscant political intrigue front, we mostly have schemes involving Shu Mai, the president of the Commerce Guild. Shu Mai and her associates want Ansion to secede and join the Separatist movement because it’s at the center of lots of different alliances, and if Ansion left the Republic, it would hopefully spur its partners to leave as well. I did have to question how many people Shu Mai and her associates killed throughout the book: surely someone would have noticed all these suspicious deaths? But I guess the Republic is so rotting and corrupt at this point, that strange deaths go unnoticed.
ISSUES:
My biggest issue with The Approaching Storm was pace. The setup felt slow and unwieldy—Barriss being kidnapped by Kyakhti and Bolgan was so obviously set up to get these loyal Ansonians to lead them to the overclan—and then once they're on their journey, it felt really long. I also didn’t have a good sense of how long their journey took, because it is constantly going through this template of they travel, and encounter something bad, and stop for a bit, then they encounter a tribe, then they travel some more and encounter danger.
I wasn’t entirely interested in their journey, and I think part of that came down to knowing that Ansion doesn’t leave the Republic because this whole mission is just a throwaway line in Attack of the Clones. I wasn’t interested in the scheming of the Commerce Guild either, which definitely made the story slow-going at times.
I also felt like this was another book where Obi-Wan and Anakin are here solely for marketing purposes and to justify Mace Windu’s line in the film. In Obi-Wan’s case especially, we didn’t gain any insights into his character, and I didn’t feel like his character was an accurate portrayal of prequel-era Obi-Wan either. I liked getting to see Anakin’s conflict, but I would have preferred to spend more time with Luminara and Barriss rather than splitting the story between two Jedi and two padawans.
There were also some weird little errors, like Luminara and Barriss being described as humans when they are decidedly not. Mirialans are near-human, but they also have green or yellow or purple skin!
And I noticed this a little bit in the novelization of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but this was a technical issue here as well. Foster would jump into different characters’ heads within the same scene. At times, I think Foster was utilizing an omniscient narrator (we get interjections about the Coruscant plotters during the Jedi’s scenes), but it’s jarring here. We'll start out a scene in Barriss's head—we'll jump to Anakin for two paragraphs—and then we'll jump back to Barriss and then we'll jump to Obi-Wan and then we'll jump to Anakin and… There are scene breaks, which are probably indicated by a gap between paragraphs, but within those scenes we don’t stay in one character’s viewpoint. I wondered how necessary those head hops are; why not save Anakin’s two paragraphs for a longer section with him, instead of jamming them in the middle of Barriss’s section?
Finally, The Approaching Storm feels like an unnecessary prequel. If Cloak of Deception and Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter showed us the events that led directly into The Phantom Menace and deepened our understanding of Palpatine’s schemes, The Approaching Storm shows us that some of the worlds within the Republic want to leave. And that’s it. Count Dooku doesn’t appear until a hologram at the very end, and all we know is that he used to be a Jedi.
While Luceno’s novel added to my understanding of Episode I, Foster’s novel doesn’t. We get the explanation behind a throwaway line in Attack of the Clones, but since the Separatists are foiled here it just doesn’t feel like an essential read.
IN CONCLUSION:
The Approaching Storm serves as a prologue to Episode II: Attack of the Clones, setting up the Separatist conflict and Anakin’s dissatisfaction with his role as a Jedi padawan. But at the same time, I really struggled with this book. I was not interested in the political intrigue, I found the Jedi plotline long and dragging at times, and it didn’t add much to my deeper understanding of anything prequel-related. (An average mission for Obi-Wan and Anakin and a nice introduction to Luminara and Barriss, but nothing more.)
Next up: R.A. Salvatore’s novelization of Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones from 2002
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/6DTldwvvUg0
Approaching Storm interview and excerpt (January 2002): https://web.archive.org/web/200502042...
October 8, 2017
Alan Dean Foster steps back in to the Star Wars universe after a long hiatus and produces a novel that has as much in common with Star Trek as it does with Star Wars. Set shortly before the events of Attack of the Clones, Foster's story takes Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan Anakin Skywalker to the obscure planet Ansion which is considering secession from the Republic. Ansion does not have much significance on its own, but due to a complicated series of alliances and treaties, the Supreme Chancellor worries that the departure of Ansion from the Republic could lead to more defections. The pair join two more Jedi who are already on the planet, Luminari Unduli and her padawan Barriss Offee. The four must find a way to convince the planet to stay in the Republic.
There mission becomes complicated by the fact that the Ansion people are divided between urban dwellers and traditional pains wandering nomads and the two populations do not agree on much of anything. If a resolution to the secession question can be found, it must involve brokering an agreement first between the various Ansionian factions. A large portion of the tale then becomes a journey novel, where the four Jedi must search for some of the key tribal leaders so that they can initiate a conversation that will lead to some sort of consensus amongst the Ansionians. As the Jedi travel, they face a number of challenges from the physical environment of Ansion and must bridge cultural differences with the various tribes. In this way, the novel reminded me of a Star Trek story in which the Jedi are an away team trying to make first contact with an alien species. Nonetheless, there are forces at work behind the scenes who would like to thwart the Jedi and see Ansion vote to secede.
I liked a lot of things about this book. Foster has always been a strong writer and stylist and the quality of his diction, flow and narrative consistency stand in sharp contrast to some of the writing in other EU books I have read recently. I also appreciate that by having the political scheming occur in only brief moments or out of sight, he brings our focus down to the moments and interactions that the Jedi are having on the ground. There's not as much action as in some of the other books, but we get to explore the Ansionian flora, fauna and culture along with the four Jedi and this has its own pleasures. This may not be a battle-a-minute book like some of the others, but its consistently entertaining. I especially enjoyed the tests and challenges the Jedi face, including the need to play a "capture the flag" variant with a group of herd animals and an artistic showcase event that one tribe requires the travelers to participate in to prove that they have souls.
I read a few of the other Goodreads reviews for this book and was quite surprised at how many people disliked this novel. Telling Alan Dean Foster (who wrote the first Star Wars novelization ever) that he doesn't understand the Force or really needs to do some research? Come on! So it's not as big a shoot-'em-up as some others . . . but do you come to Star Wars novels just for the action? I hope not.
Do I have any issues with the book? Sure, a few. For one, the book is a little on the long side. And for another we don't get enough of Luminari and Barriss once Anakin arrives. They're good enough characters to anchor their own story. Maybe next time.
Overall thought this is a satisfying read and a nice change of pace for the EU.
There mission becomes complicated by the fact that the Ansion people are divided between urban dwellers and traditional pains wandering nomads and the two populations do not agree on much of anything. If a resolution to the secession question can be found, it must involve brokering an agreement first between the various Ansionian factions. A large portion of the tale then becomes a journey novel, where the four Jedi must search for some of the key tribal leaders so that they can initiate a conversation that will lead to some sort of consensus amongst the Ansionians. As the Jedi travel, they face a number of challenges from the physical environment of Ansion and must bridge cultural differences with the various tribes. In this way, the novel reminded me of a Star Trek story in which the Jedi are an away team trying to make first contact with an alien species. Nonetheless, there are forces at work behind the scenes who would like to thwart the Jedi and see Ansion vote to secede.
I liked a lot of things about this book. Foster has always been a strong writer and stylist and the quality of his diction, flow and narrative consistency stand in sharp contrast to some of the writing in other EU books I have read recently. I also appreciate that by having the political scheming occur in only brief moments or out of sight, he brings our focus down to the moments and interactions that the Jedi are having on the ground. There's not as much action as in some of the other books, but we get to explore the Ansionian flora, fauna and culture along with the four Jedi and this has its own pleasures. This may not be a battle-a-minute book like some of the others, but its consistently entertaining. I especially enjoyed the tests and challenges the Jedi face, including the need to play a "capture the flag" variant with a group of herd animals and an artistic showcase event that one tribe requires the travelers to participate in to prove that they have souls.
I read a few of the other Goodreads reviews for this book and was quite surprised at how many people disliked this novel. Telling Alan Dean Foster (who wrote the first Star Wars novelization ever) that he doesn't understand the Force or really needs to do some research? Come on! So it's not as big a shoot-'em-up as some others . . . but do you come to Star Wars novels just for the action? I hope not.
Do I have any issues with the book? Sure, a few. For one, the book is a little on the long side. And for another we don't get enough of Luminari and Barriss once Anakin arrives. They're good enough characters to anchor their own story. Maybe next time.
Overall thought this is a satisfying read and a nice change of pace for the EU.
May 22, 2020
I’m convinced the only reason The Approaching Storm became a New York Times bestseller is because it came out right after The Phantom Menace and right before Attack of the Clones. Therefore fans had an appetite for the next era of Star Wars and had only this book as a way to do that.
And what a terrible meal it is. The Approaching Storm is one of the most boring, dull, overwritten, cliched Star Wars novels Ive ever had the misfortune to read.
Alan Dean Foster is no stranger to Star Wars or science fiction in general. He’s written plenty of novels in the Alien universe and was the one who wrote Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and if you know your history, you know the importance of that book (for better or worse). So it’s not like Foster is a first time author.
The problem is that it sure as hell feels that way when trying to force yourself to read through The Approaching Storm. Foster plays things way too safe with the Jedi and their quest. There are no risks or anything written to try and make Obi Wan, Anakin, Baress Ofee, and Luminara distinguishing. In typical fashion Obi Wan is the voice of reason, Luminara is the strong matriarch type, Ofee is the young Palawan who makes mistakes but is learning, and Anakin, of course, is rebellious and hot headed. Non of the Jedi change throughout this story and every single roadblock they come up against is the same kind of thing with the same kind of result. They get into a jam and the masters use it as an excuse to teach some arcane Jedi philosophy. So many things happen by the end of this book that I’m shocked Anakin was still a padawan by the time AotC finally rolled around.
Storm is also excessively boring. For an IP that has the word “Wars” in it, there’s very little of that going on here. For 363 pages the main characters walk around the planet Ansion, taking endlessly and basically doing little except getting involved with the natives, who make them do pointless tasks. I was bored after the first couple pages, but it only gets progressively worse as the pages continue and the chapters never seem to end.
Honestly, if you don’t want to sit around for hours upon hours, wasting time for a book that never explains anything and actually screws up the continuity of Star Wars (even though Disney already did that), then you can skip The Approaching Storm. I probably should have.
And what a terrible meal it is. The Approaching Storm is one of the most boring, dull, overwritten, cliched Star Wars novels Ive ever had the misfortune to read.
Alan Dean Foster is no stranger to Star Wars or science fiction in general. He’s written plenty of novels in the Alien universe and was the one who wrote Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and if you know your history, you know the importance of that book (for better or worse). So it’s not like Foster is a first time author.
The problem is that it sure as hell feels that way when trying to force yourself to read through The Approaching Storm. Foster plays things way too safe with the Jedi and their quest. There are no risks or anything written to try and make Obi Wan, Anakin, Baress Ofee, and Luminara distinguishing. In typical fashion Obi Wan is the voice of reason, Luminara is the strong matriarch type, Ofee is the young Palawan who makes mistakes but is learning, and Anakin, of course, is rebellious and hot headed. Non of the Jedi change throughout this story and every single roadblock they come up against is the same kind of thing with the same kind of result. They get into a jam and the masters use it as an excuse to teach some arcane Jedi philosophy. So many things happen by the end of this book that I’m shocked Anakin was still a padawan by the time AotC finally rolled around.
Storm is also excessively boring. For an IP that has the word “Wars” in it, there’s very little of that going on here. For 363 pages the main characters walk around the planet Ansion, taking endlessly and basically doing little except getting involved with the natives, who make them do pointless tasks. I was bored after the first couple pages, but it only gets progressively worse as the pages continue and the chapters never seem to end.
Honestly, if you don’t want to sit around for hours upon hours, wasting time for a book that never explains anything and actually screws up the continuity of Star Wars (even though Disney already did that), then you can skip The Approaching Storm. I probably should have.
February 19, 2017
So there are some books where you sit and wait and wait and wait for something to happen. No, this book was the opposite. This book was one where something happens every five pages and its just too much. There is always a battle or an argument or a dispute or something or other going on....and not in a good way.
December 2, 2012
Initially inoffensive while reading it, upon reflection, this book was frustrating in how thin the story was and how even some interesting ideas did not work in either the telling or the operation.
It must be difficult to write a story in a universe where much, if not all, of where the characters and larger narration comes from and is going to end up is set, but it is a telling point that had I not read this book, I would have not missed out on anything of substance from the Star Wars universe.
The politics aspects were interesting but laboured, the idea of the different sides of the Jedi and their apprentices well-intentioned but belong in a different type of book and the overall ‘everyone just live in peace by getting along’ not terrible but didn’t provide any lasting tension to really drive the book forward. Add to this the character Tooqui, which irritated and frustrated me unlike many a character for some time – it seemed to have been created solely for the purpose of ‘we need a sidekick to whom someone else can be taught empathy and who can rescue us from a tight spot when needed’ i.e. just as a plot device, which is one of the weakest reasons to create a character.
Overall, I didn’t hate the book but I cannot recommend it to anyone – feel free to skip it and know that you wouldn’t really be missing out on anything. The cover which advertises this book as “[a]n exciting prologue to Star Wars: Episode II” is unfortunately all too wrong.
It must be difficult to write a story in a universe where much, if not all, of where the characters and larger narration comes from and is going to end up is set, but it is a telling point that had I not read this book, I would have not missed out on anything of substance from the Star Wars universe.
The politics aspects were interesting but laboured, the idea of the different sides of the Jedi and their apprentices well-intentioned but belong in a different type of book and the overall ‘everyone just live in peace by getting along’ not terrible but didn’t provide any lasting tension to really drive the book forward. Add to this the character Tooqui, which irritated and frustrated me unlike many a character for some time – it seemed to have been created solely for the purpose of ‘we need a sidekick to whom someone else can be taught empathy and who can rescue us from a tight spot when needed’ i.e. just as a plot device, which is one of the weakest reasons to create a character.
Overall, I didn’t hate the book but I cannot recommend it to anyone – feel free to skip it and know that you wouldn’t really be missing out on anything. The cover which advertises this book as “[a]n exciting prologue to Star Wars: Episode II” is unfortunately all too wrong.
October 26, 2014
I have been on a quest to read every book in the EU for quite a while now, I finally stumbled upon the one book which I could not force myself to finish. first the author should have done some damn background research on the force. I was constantly raging at the way the force was used, I feel like there was never a time in this entire book were the force was accurately portrayed. the story was dull boring and was pretty much a straight line, no conflict no anything, just you praying that this book will end. this is almost like someone asked a five year old to write a fanfiction about star wars and then someone with no writing skill adapted it to a book. anakin was butchered in such an unimaginable way, I mean anakin was not dark before his mother died. he is so angry and dark, I was surprised that he didn't murder everyone there and then. this is the worst book I have ever read(other than ashes of roses), so stay away from it, I personally would rather watch an hundred hour loop of the episodes in season five starring the fricking droids that was pandered towards 3 year olds, and trust me, that was worse than jar jar binks. infact I would rather watch 10 solo jar jar binks movies about him saving the magical fairy princess tinker bell directed by michael bay. this book is a disgrace to the name star wars, and should have never been released.
January 6, 2019
It may have taken me months to read this book, but that doesn’t mean I hated it or even disliked it. In fact, I loved it! Other books, life, and my own writing were huge distractions while reading The Approaching Storm but I can say with certainty that waiting to read the last third of the book until I had the time was the right decision! While the first half was intriguing, action-packed, and entertaining, it wasn’t until I got to the last half that I truly became engrossed in the story. The author gives such a unique look into Anakin Skywalker’s mindset and attitude before the opening scenes of Attack of the Clones and that was one of the reasons I enjoyed this story as much as I did. A look at Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee, and Obi-wan Kenobi were also welcome points of view. Who would have thought that a single line of dialogue in Attack of the Clones telling us of Obi-wan and Anakin’s latest mission could have led to such a unique book? For any Star Wars fan who loves to read more stories set in the universe, The Approaching Storm is a must.
August 2, 2017
This book was worth reading, in the end, for the imaginative biology of the creatures and denizens of Ansion and some of Foster's clever writing. One could tell, however, that he had his hands tied to a certain degree not to make too many waves or reveal too much information that could have had an impact on the plot of the "Attack of the Clones" or "Revenge of the Sith" films.
I liked the characters of Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee, but in the end I felt they were underutilized to give Obi-Wan more derring-do and Anakin more whining-do.
Making the Big Bad on the scene on Ansion a Hutt Lord just seemed lazy...Soergg basically was just Jabba redux.
Lastly, there was probably one or two too much sidebar scenes of plotting and chortling at the Republic's expense. The stakes were pretty much established in the first scene, there really was no pressing need to revisit these characters in my view.
I liked the characters of Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee, but in the end I felt they were underutilized to give Obi-Wan more derring-do and Anakin more whining-do.
Making the Big Bad on the scene on Ansion a Hutt Lord just seemed lazy...Soergg basically was just Jabba redux.
Lastly, there was probably one or two too much sidebar scenes of plotting and chortling at the Republic's expense. The stakes were pretty much established in the first scene, there really was no pressing need to revisit these characters in my view.
August 22, 2009
Pointless to read. Had nothing to do with Star Wars other than that it uses the characters.
June 24, 2019
I didn't realize it when I started listening to this, but this is basically the prequel book to episode 2. The title refers to the gathering storm that is the start of the separatist movement that leads to the clone wars beginning in Attack of the Clones. It doesn't end immediately before the movie begins (at least it didn't sound like it), but close enough that those events would be soon. And that's why the four jedi are sent to Ansion, to try to help stop those that want the planet to leave the Republic. For those that like ship battles or the like, it's not going to be the most exciting book out there, but it is interesting to see how the saga as a whole continues on with what we don't see on screen.
May 12, 2021
I honestly didn't make it very far here. I was shocked, b/c I remember enjoying Splinter of the Mind's Eye many years ago. The story starts off decently enough, following Obi Wan and Anakin as they go on a mission to a planet whose name I forget in order to help out some other Jedi there. But then there's a REALLY uncomfortable subplot involving a couple of "bad people" who it's highly intimated are bad because they've basically had a .... ray turn them neurodivergent, which makes then BAD. Essentially one of the other Jedi ... man, I don't even remember. Surgically removes it? Uses an anti-divergence ray on them? Whatever. And suddenly they're good. As if all neurodivergent people are terrible BECAUSE of their condition.
It never really recovers from this. It's been long enough & I was so put off that I eventually just put it down. Yeesh. Huge misstep there. Oh well.
It never really recovers from this. It's been long enough & I was so put off that I eventually just put it down. Yeesh. Huge misstep there. Oh well.
July 20, 2024
If you are desperate for reading material, this is the book for you. Otherwise, don't make yourself suffer. The author writes like a lawyer. I don't know his background, but generally lawyers make for bad writers. The plot of this book revolves around two rival factions fighting for control of an important planet. The two sides are reconciled by a delegation of Jedi that includes Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young Padawan Anakin Skywalker. Like I said, unless you're desperate, pass this one by. It was the closest I've come this year to a dnf.
August 13, 2023
I enjoy listening to this audiobook while I go to sleep. It IS a slow-paced, low-tension, journey story, but as long as you know that going in, it is an enjoyable background listen. (3 stars on a general scale, but 4 stars because I had it on cassette as a kid, so I knew what I was getting before I purchased it this time)
October 7, 2023
Enjoyed the character building of the individual Jedi, however that’s about all this book has to offer.
the scenes that include the trade commission feel ultimately weak and unnecessary, apart from the alignment of the TC opposite of the Jedi, they feel like the weakest link of the story.
Too political, not enough action.
the scenes that include the trade commission feel ultimately weak and unnecessary, apart from the alignment of the TC opposite of the Jedi, they feel like the weakest link of the story.
Too political, not enough action.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2019
Svet, rase i običaji 4/5
Radnja 3/5, ne bi ih ubilo da Kenobi nekada ne uspe u nečemu, posebno nečemu što (kad se sve sabere) ne pravi nikakvu razliku a može da doprinese ukupnoj priči
Pominjanje kapitalizma (opeth, i od Hata mnogo je) -10/5
Radnja 3/5, ne bi ih ubilo da Kenobi nekada ne uspe u nečemu, posebno nečemu što (kad se sve sabere) ne pravi nikakvu razliku a može da doprinese ukupnoj priči
Pominjanje kapitalizma (opeth, i od Hata mnogo je) -10/5
January 31, 2020
Una historia típica de la saga Star Wars. Aquí lo que importa son los nuevos personajes jedi (Luminara Unduli y su pasawan Barris Offee) y el planeta de Ansion por el que recorremos tanto las calles de su ciudad principal, Cuiperman, como las extensas y duras praderas de los Alwari.
En mi opinión, una novela para conocer un rinconcito más de esa galaxia muy, muy lejana de los que muchos somos fans.
En mi opinión, una novela para conocer un rinconcito más de esa galaxia muy, muy lejana de los que muchos somos fans.
December 25, 2018
I had a hard time getting into it, however, it was really nice to see Luminara and Barriss in a novel. Overall, it seemed dry and fell flat for me.
May 8, 2021
Why do I “ship” Obi-Wan with everybody?
June 23, 2022
Nostalgia read. Skimmed a bit at the end. I like how this is a Luminara/Bariss book more than anything. Overall not bad but a little meandering.
March 7, 2023
I'm glad that's over. Total borefest
Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews