Before I even had this novel in my hands, I already had some preconceived notions. First, Sean Williams is the author, and I was not a big fan of his previous video game adaptation, The Force Unleashed novelization. Secondly, the last MMO novel, Galaxies: Ruins of Dantooine was, in my opinion, the worst book in all of the Expanded Universe. So with that said, I was very skeptical about this one as soon as I heard the first announcement for the book. To see if it was as bad as I was expecting, read on after the break.

Being the first novel written in the Old Republic era, Sean Williams had his work cut out for him. One area where he definitely succeeded was in the creation of the characters. Williams did a great job of introducing a full cast of all new multi-dimensional characters with interesting, fleshed out backgrounds. Throughout the novel, many of the characters in the dramatis personae list are given enough focus for them to be considered the protagonist. This is where the book really stands out to me. Williams made each of the characters likeable enough so that when reading their portion of the story arc, I was still intrigued and wanted to keep reading. At the end of the story, I was left wondering what the future held for each of these characters. I want to know what happens to each of them after the events of the story, and I’m curious if there will be any continuation in another novel, or within the video game itself.

Williams also did a great job of intertwining the introduction of the characters and plot. Towards the beginning, the plot occasionally comes in a little slowly because elements of the plot are repeated with the introduction of each new character. Once all the characters have been properly introduced to the reader, the plot really takes off. The blurb that had been released really only mentions one part of what is a six part story. As each part is wrapped up, some new twist is brought in that will always keep the reader guessing. The plot is filled with mystery and intrigue, and is rarely predictable.

When I started reading this book, I had no intentions to play the video game. The further I got into the book, the more I wanted to experience both the political and physical landscapes described. I was left wondering if the surviving characters in the novel would make an appearance in the game, and hopefully some continuation of their individual storylines. Of course, Satele Shan, the Jedi Grand Master, will be in the game, but the other characters have not made any other appearances in other material at this point. I am still not completely sold on purchasing and playing the game when it comes out, but I am much closer after having read this novel.

Overall, I would say this is a great start to the Old Republic novel campaign. While I won’t say it is my favorite novel, I will say that Williams definitely redeemed himself for The Force Unleashed in my eyes. I would strongly recommend this novel to any fan of Star Wars, and would say it is a must read for anyone who is planning on playing the game or otherwise immersing themselves in the exciting era that is just beginning to be explored.