Star Wars: Imperial Commando: 501st

"That's how tyranny succeeds. When folks think it won't affect them. Until it eventually does."
This book was selected in my Star Wars book of the month club! Plus, a good friend of mine gave me the book, which meant I absolutely had to read it!
The Clone Wars has ended, and the Republic is now the Empire. Darman and Niner are stuck in Vader's 501st, Vader's Fist. Darman struggles with the events of the last book, and both long to be home on Kyrimorout with Kal Skirata, Atin, Fi, and the other rag-tags that have assembled there as a haven.
Please note, spoilers from Order 66 (Star Wars: Republic Commando) may follow.

I Liked:
To keep myself streamlined, I will split this up into three categories: writing, characters and plot.
Writing.
1.Karen Traviss' novels don't beat around the bush. They deal with big, universal themes, which this time are bigotry/prejudice, complacency, and fear.
a)Prejudice permeates most of the Mandalorian characters (and the Jedi, of course). Skirata can't accept Kina Ha for being a Kaminoan and Uthan for being a scientist trying to kill his clones. The Kaminoan clones ridicule the Spaarti clones for being inferior. The rising bias against the Jedi in the Empire, the rivalry between Mandalore and the rest of the galaxy...all are potraits of prejudice and intolerance. Ny, one of the least intolerant of the group, puts it this way to the Null clones when they ridicule the Spaarti clones (page 198): "How can you dismiss them all like that when you're the first to say you're more than your genes?" We also see, in her eyes, how ironic it is for Skirata to hate the Jedi, when he happens to adopt many of the practices he criticizes in them (see page 301 for a good quote).
b)Complacency is what keeps the people from revolting. Under the Empire, the galaxy has grown to not care about her galactic brothers and sisters...those on Kashyyyk, Gibad, Camaas...and many others. The quote for the review, said by Uthan on page 139, says this perfectly.
c)Fear: a quote by Jusik best relays this (page 290): "Fear kept beings in line. Fear...made you mistrust and suspect everyone...and divided people didn't form up into groups to rebel."
2.Once her novel starts to roll along (particularly with the Niner and Darman scenes), you thirst for more. How are Niner and Darman going to survive in the 501st? Will anyone find out about the chip Niner has? What about the new Spaarti clone in their squad? How will the Corellian trained Ennen cope with the death of his squadmate? It was hard to put down the book in these sections.
3.Traviss again provides other Expanded Universe references, such as Jax Pavan and the Whiplash movement and Callista and the Altis' sect.
Plot:
1.The story of Niner and Darman in the 501st, Vader's Fist, is definitely the highlight of the book. You get inside Vader's Fist, to see the differences between the Imperial and Republic management, the inclusion of the Spaarti clones, the distrust, and the underlying fear. Plus, they get to do a whole lot more missions, a whole lot more Jedi hunting, which means more of what made Hard Contact so amazing and what has been lacking from most of the Republic Commando books and less sitting around and bad-mouthing the Jedi.
2.Darman's personal battle of the death of Etain is particularly poignant. I feel Traviss did a good job conveying his detached self and his grieving self and I adored how Niner looked out for him.
3.This novel is set in the Imperial era, which is so undiscovered and unexplored. It's nice to see the forays out into it.
4.The fear and suspicion, mentioned in passing in the Jedi Twilight (Star Wars: Coruscant Nights I), is actually at work in Coruscant in this novel. In 501st, clone commandos can feel the growing fear, see how the Empire is coaxing people to tell on their neighbors (all I can think of is the movie, Brazil!), and basically keeping one eye open.
Characters:
1.My favorite characters now include Walon Vau, Niner (who gets a point of view!! YAY!), Ny (sometimes), Commander Roly Melusar, and Maze. I've mentioned why I've liked Walon Vau before (quintessential Mando, cold, hard, calculating) and Maze too (follows orders, perfect ARC), but I will detail on the others.
2.Niner is a particularly fascinating clone. He didn't want to desert like all the others. He felt it was his duty to stay in, to fight the good fight. Only when his other brothers were going to leave, leaving him alone, did he change his mind. Through his reasonable, cautious eyes, we see the growing hatred and distrust of Jedi, his care for his brother, Darman, and how he is growing to want a life outside, yet still fearing it.
3.Nyreen is one of the few female characters Traviss has written that I actually like. Although there are still parts of her that I am not fond of (like how quickly she wants to become Mando and such), I like how she was married before, around Kal's age, independent, not so vehemently against the Jedi, and just overall being different and unique ("a voice of reason"). Through her eyes and her eyes alone, we get a balance from the Mando-heavy prejudice from the book and see how much Jedi Kal is like, how what he does really isn't much different from them.
4.Lastly, my brand-new all-time favorite is Commander Roly Melusar. Man, I can't say enough how much I like him! Here we finally get an Imperial not out for power, prestige, money, whatever, but out there to get rid of Force-users and dissenters for a reason...because he believes in the ideals of the Empire.

I Didn't Like:
You knew this was coming, didn't you?
1.Mandos good, Jedi bad. Highly toned down from the Republic Commando books with the balancing view off Ny (too bad she remains mostly silent on the matter to the Mandos), but still prevalent none-the-less. I could go on and on about this point, but I don't really think I need to say more. The Jedi are most certainly not perfect, but neither are the Mandalorians.
2.Good Mando wife. It sickens me to see all the women of these commando books be stripped of anything of their own, their own culture, desires, loves, hopes, and dreams and adopt without question or hesitation the Mando way. Besany was a tax auditor...and she goes to being good Mando housewife in less than 18.2 seconds. Laseema, same thing. Jilka follows the same path as Besany and Laseema by falling for yet another of our clone boys, Corr, in a gag-worthy romance. Uthan is slipping and falling for Mij Gilamar, and Nyreen appears to doing the same with Kal. Why can't Traviss create strong women who don't feel the need to drop their own personality for one their husbands can take better? Other than Parja, none of the married women have jobs outside the home (Uthan not being Mando nor married to Mij), and the one woman who didn't follow the Mando way (Kal's wife) is treated with scorn and disdain for wanting her husband to be home (I was a military kid, I could go on about this topic for a while, but I'll spare you). It's an unfair way to paint women, that they are only good if they are A) married to Mandos, B) a good, stay-at-home "Mando wife", and/or C) accept their husband's Mando ways without a qualm or thought about their own heritage and traditions.
3.Repetition. Yet again, Traviss has a few things she must make sure she says at least a dozen times in her novel. How the Nulls were saved by Skirata (as if the last three books didn't repeat that enough). How much Scout reminds Kal of Etain, how Kal hates Kaminoans and Jedi and Uthan, how Atin and Laseema can't have biological kids (which shouldn't really matter in an adoptive society like Mandalore), how hypocritical the Jedi were, how bad artuesii are, how so-and-so can't believe how "easy and quickly" she (most often she) is accepting the Mando culture, how so-and-so was surprised that she (again, most often she) wouldn't be shocked or upset if he (aka insert your Mando here) killed someone, etc., etc., etc. While I understand that new readers may be unfamiliar with the characters and history, the constant repetitions won't help them "catch up". This is not a book for the uninitiated. I figure you cut out half the extraneous repetitions, you lose about 150 pages.
4.Least Favorite characters.
a)Besany, who is mostly shoved into the background (Yay!). However, there is one scene where she appears, just recently wakened and yet is said to look "glamorous". You ever see a woman just wake up? Her hair is everywhere!
b)Skirata, whom I really have never liked since he appeared in Triple Zero (Star Wars: Republic Commando, Book 2). I know he loves his boys (I've heard it a billion times in between the pages), but he is overly emotional, always bawling or pouting or yelling or something-ing.
c)The Nulls. All perfect Gary Stus, who can do no wrong. Plus, there are 6 interchangeable men. Maybe if it were only Ordo, I could stand them, but having six indistinguishable, perfect men is too much for me to handle.
5.Other quibbles:
a)Darman's sudden change to want to return home felt out of left field.
b)Kad acts way off-kilter for a toddler, even a Force sensitive one.
c)Jusik having no attachment to his master? Maybe I got spoiled with the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan relationship from the Jedi Apprentice series.
d)Did you hear Palpatine is a Sith? Apparently everyone in this galaxy knows.
e)Too much time spent on Kyrimorout, aka "Walton's Mountain". In fact, in the beginning, I wanted to call the book "The Skiratas" after "The Waltons" because of all the time they spent at home doing homey things. Isn't this a Star Wars novel?
f)No Dramatis Personae. I've always had trouble figuring out who was what and this time it was even harder than usual.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Expect to confront the Mando curse word "fierfek". Other than that, not much.
Little to none. Other than perhaps Kad being the child of a liaison between Etain and Darman and that Altis' clan take lovers, not much is made in this regard.
People die in the novel, one by suicide (not to spoil too much, hopefully) and one when attacked by a Jedi. Niner and Darman see a lot of battle in this one.

Overall:
One hundred pages into it, I was going to throw in the towel. I just couldn't take the "At Home on Kyrimorout" any longer. This was a commando novel, where were the commandos doing something besides raising Star Wars chickens? Thankfully, the Niner and Darman story saved it and the Kyrimorout sections actually started to go somewhere besides to the barnyard.
Lots of good stuff happens in this book. We get an inside view of the Empire, see Jusik wonder about his Jedi heritage, see the prejudices of the characters through a mostly unbiased eye (Nyreen), and learn more of why the Empire lasted so long (fear and complacency). Plus, there are some good Jedi chases and fights.
But a lot of "filler" happens too. People talk endlessly about topics we've heard inside and out. More anti-Jedi bias. More silly Kyrimorout "happy family" scenes. And a LOT of characters (fortunately, most background).
Imperial Commando: 501st is a good novel, but I would not recommend reading it unless you have read the last four Republic Commando novels. I tried to start without reading Order 66 (Star Wars: Republic Commando), and it was confusing. And while it has its bumps, if you don't mind a highly Mando bias (I did), you should enjoy. I give it 4 stars (with a revised rating 3.5 star rating to Order 66).

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

I was surprised to discover this book - I thought the series was over after the last Republic Commando novel. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best one yet. Clan Skirata continues to thrive, and they haven't been found out (yet). Although I was extremely disappointed by the loss of Etain, at least Scout avoided the purge and I was genuinely pleased to see her alive and well. Niner did and awesome job as squad sergeant, especially when he stayed behind to support Darman (who was being a major dumba$$ at the time).

Some of the matchmaking was overkill, and I hope that Kal & Ny don't end up together because that would just be too convenient. The rest of the clones are doing fine, and it was nice to see Fi make a nearly full recovery. If Darman would have split when he had the chance, everything would be great. As it is, there is apparently more to tell and there is still the issue rapid aging to solve. That bit is wearing pretty thin at this point, so I hope it gets resolved soon - like before Imperial Intel gets wind of their activities and slags Kyrimorut.

Mando culture is fascinating. I would rather read about the Star Wars galaxy from the perspective of "fringe" characters such as these than any of the "primary" (Luke, Leia, Han, etc...) ones. Seriously. The state of galactic politics has little meaning for most beings. Let them battle it out for the illusion of dominance in the core where it belongs. Meanwhile, I prefer to hear about the lives of characters who are actually interesting while they go about trying to survive in a hostile and unforgiving universe.

As a reader who picked up the First Republic Commando book when I got my free copy with the game, I've been reading these novels continuesly with each release. With 501st I was waiting to enjoy the adventures of Clan Skirata yet again.

Unfortunetly Not much happens in this book. Karen Travis again proves she has a masterful handle on each characters individual voice, making it hard to remember most of these characters look next to identicle, But very little even happens in this book. Even one of the main goals which could easy have been reached in this tale is sidlined with a side story to solve a new problem.

Characters decide to stand still in the book moments from moving the story forward only to decide to move forward in the final pages.

Really I was very pleased with what I read, and finished the book faster than I have any previous entires, but after almost a year of waiting for this entry I feel like very little was added to the overall story, in fact people may be able to skip this book entirly and not be lost at all at the start of the next....

The epic conclusion to the Republic Commando series, this novel follows the members of Omega Squad as they are forced to choose between their loyalties to their orders and their loyalty to each other. A fitting ending that still leaves you wanting more.

I honestly thought there was more to the book when it ended. Never imagined a hole in a developing plot so large you could fit a star destroyer through it, but alas to use that analogy, it would need to be a black hole and as the captain of the ship was discussing whether they should go through the plot black hole, the story ended. Make sense? Neither did how this book ended.

What an awesome book. Hard to believe the Karen does not care about her characters and creation and that this is just a job like she said on her blog.

Great, great book. BUT, do not start the series by reading it. Do not read it 'solo'.

This book, to be appreciated, you will have to have read the rest of the series.

I love the characters and the take on the whole Empire vs. Jedi thing. Who is really controlling who? Is it okay to control other beings for the right cause? Sith-Libertarians-Republicans-Democrats-Nazis-Communism-Jedi, who is right? No wonder some Jedi-loving people did not like Karen, but I love her take, or the Mando's take I suppose.

I hope the next book will be just as good.

While I have never read any of the previous 'Commando' series book, I'm only a third into this book after two months, and I cannot bring myself to even pick it up and read it any more. I'll read almost anything science fiction or fantasy. This book, is that bad....

After 109 pages into this book, there's been only one action scene in which three of the newly formed 501st "Vader's Fist" commandos storm a building looking for their former Jedi General, who is now a dangerous wanted criminal. Outside of this short and poorly written fire fight scene, the remaining 105 pages focuses on the feelings and whining drivel of former Republic Commandos or troopers, and several of the newly formed, "Vader's Fist" 501st Legion. About a sum of ten pages was spent on a father, bemoaning his decision to leave behind his son on Mandolore while he stayed on with the Republic and the loss of his Jedi wife. That was an approximate sum of 10 pages, and I'm only 109 pages into the book, so almost 10% of the book so far is focused on this one constant -and annoying- theme!

The cover and title suggests that this book would be focused on action and combat, but instead, we get what really amounts to a bunch of grown men, sitting around a camp fire, beating on drums and sharing their feelings with each other. Beyond a few self-help books that I've flipped through for S&G's, I have never read more drivel about men whining and sharing their feelings, quite as much as I have in the first 109 pages in this book!

Ms. Karen Travis, SHAME ON YOU for releasing such garbage, and shame on me for giving my money to you for it! Your book is boring. It is a waste of trees, ink, our time, AND our money..

Do yourself a favor, keep this book in a galaxy, FAR FAR away from you!!

First, before reading this book I strongly recommend you read the Republic Commando series. Having said that, this was slightly less exciting than the commando books, and at times I got kind of disinterested. It is, however, a different type of story than the commando story that preceeds them, and I was basing my interest on those books. It was a good book don't get me wrong, but in my opinion it lacks the all encompassing action & suspense that the commmando books had. I also thought the plot wasn't as deep, and it seemed to focus alot on the emotions of the characters, especially Dar & Kal. Overall 4/5 good book.

I was kinda disappointed by this novel. Every other one in this series has been excellent. To me it just seemed like a place holder for the next novel. Very little action, and a whole lot of "Where do my loyalties lie?" type of philosophy that we read about in Order 66 and True Colors. A bit of a disappointment, hopefully the next novel is better. (And the last, I'd hate to see another "New Jedi Order" type of monstrosity)

Probably if you're following the storyline already established by previous books this is much easier to read. However, this book is very difficult to pick up and read from scratch, even if you're a fan of the Star Wars movies and an occasional watcher of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The writing is extremely good and you really do want to like the characters... but this, in my opinion, is not a "stand-alone" book. I might try to read it again if I hit some of the other books in the series first.

Liked.
- Its a star wars book
- At times someone fires a gun (almost never).

Didn't like

Skirata and his mandalorians are the most sensitive,chatty, whiny, emotional men I have ever come across.
This book could never be made into a film as people would not believe that men talk about their feelings for much.
Ordinary men don't share their feelings this much unless they're wasted, much less hardened killers.

Almost.......nothing.........happens
Is Rise of dark vader we get the invasion of Kashyyyk.
In Coruscant nights we face Darth Vader.
Here we have a 434 page book about almost nothing, a small scholastic book has more action then this.

Everyone is the same
Everyone on mandalore acts that same, all the clones are the same,
Even the names are so short and alike its hard to remember whos who.
The woman also act so alike they may as well be clones.

The constant dialog where nothing much is discussed and nothing much is resolved is very annoying.
In fact they cover the same ground so much its painful to read.

Darman is a complete idiot, his decision to stay on Coruscant was painful to read.

Constant mandalorian language takes you totally out of the book.
Are we really supposed to believe that clones in the imperial army are allowed to speak some
weird language of killers and subversives and no-one minds.

To summarise these mandos and clones can take on anything.......except their feelings.

The Emperor wants to hunt down and kill any remaining Jedi. But is there a sympathizer in the 501st? The remaining Jedi trickle in. There are safe places for them --or is there? Kal Skirata still searches for a cure for the rapidly aging Jedi, but there are obstacles in his way.

Another excellent book in the Star Wars universe by Karen Travis. It continues the story of clone soldiers and their Mandalore trainers from the Republic Commando series. She does an excellent job of giving each clone a unique personality that allows the reader to empathize with them. In this book she adds an interesting enigma in the character of Commander Melusar, the Imperial officer out in charge of the 501st. It is hard to tell if he is a true follower of the Emperor or is loyal to his soldiers first. The question is, Where is the sequel???? It has been two years and we were left hanging about what Dar intends to do. Please don't tell me she has moved on to bigger plans and is going to leave us in limbo.

I believe that, while possibilities for new books should be explored and places left open, if there aren't going to be any continuations to the series, there should not be cliffhangers. There are still loose end such as if the Empire firebombs Clan Skirata into oblivion, if Darman the Dumb@$$ and Niner make it out of Imperial City and to Mandalore alive, and what happens to with Dr. Uthan. Other than that it was a very good book and I wil be glad to see another sometime soon.

Another character driven book by Karen Traviss. I have to say that I expected more action based on her past books and the prospect of Vader's 501st Legion hunting down fugitive jedi and rogue clones. On the other hand I appreciate the authors willingness to develop a stong cast of characters. Perhaps in the next installment we will see more action. I think this series holds incredible promise. I like the references to plots from other books, it gives the story depth and credibility. Generally this book was slow but well worth the read. oya

I found this book to be completely opposite of its billing. When I first bought it I thought it was going to be about the exploits of the 501st with Darth Vader in the lead. Instead the book focused on two main themes: the fact that several clones wanted to escape from the army and return to Mandalore, and the structure and events pertaining to the clone families and friends on Mandalore. I have to say, I didn't finish this book so maybe I missed a terrific ending. But I own over 100 Star Wars books, so the fact that I couldn't finish this book and donated it to the local library says something. Only people who are extremely interested in Mandalorian language and daily life should read this. Anybody looking for the adventures of the 501st shouldn't waste their time.

This book is mostly about loss, the clones have lost focus with no clear defined enemy and the realizaton that life after the war has changed little for them.
Ninner fears Dahrman may be going mad with grief as they attempt mesh with the new order and new replacements.
On Mandalor Kal finds himself copeing with guilt and grief over those lost or left behind, also he and his adopted clone sons a allies can't seem to agree about how to cope not only with deserters from the Imperial Army but also Jedi futurtives that wind up on the doorstep.
The book is good just not great and i'll give you my 2 cents as to why. I think KT tried to cram too much into one novel so all the familiar chaacters were like shadows of themselves.
That said you'll meet some great new people like the IC commander, called Holy Roly by the commandos for his zeal in hunting Jedi, and a supprise appearance by someone thought to be dead! So if you enjoyed KT's Republic Commando novel this will be a must read.

If you've read and enjoyed the Republic Commando novels, you should enjoy this book as it continues the stories of most of our favorite characters. You should also know that Alpha Squad (from the Republic Commando games) plays almost no role in this novel at all. That's not really a big deal to me since they never had a large role in this series anyway.

If you have not read the Republic Commando novels, just skip this book. There is very little action and you will be lost trying to figure out who all the characters are.

Karen Traviss is at it again, back into Fandalorian land with Clan Skirata, Mando'ade, the clones, and what is supposedly a book about "Imperial commandos". I've been critical of Karen Traviss for sometime now, first for the utter disappointment that was TRIPLE ZERO, followed by the messy disaster of TRUE COLORS, and her inappropriate Mandalorian-fetish-ridden entries into one of the strongest pieces of Star Wars literature, the Legacy of the Force novel series. Here we have Ms. Traviss return to what she enjoys: her favorite band of trusty Mandalorians who can do anything and everything, and boo Jedi. Yeah, sounds childish, but that's about the sum of the logic. Throughout this novel series, from TRIPLE ZERO, through TRUE COLORS and ORDER 66, and now 501ST, we have Ms. Traviss use the backdrop of commandos and the military to advance her own fan-propaganda against the Jedi and in favor of her version of Mandalorians. This isn't to say her take on the Mandos isn't interesting and ultimately enriching to the Star Wars universe, it just messes with...well, everything, but continuity in particular. Being a self-proclaimed fan and supporter of the retcon, rather than taking the existing "history" and working with it or around it, Ms. Traviss simply chooses to ignore this and rewrites it to fit her own vision. We saw the first inklings of this in REVELATION when she hinted at rewriting Spar's history as Mandalore, only to have it reveal itself fully in ORDER 66, leaving Fenn Shysa's history and recollections a bigger and more tangled mess than what Lucas did with ATTACK OF THE CLONES. So, fine, Ms. Traviss delights in using the retcon - she certainly isn't the first (e.g. Lucas himself) - but what gets at me is the *way* she uses it. It's not about clearing up some points here or there, helping ease confusion over events or people, or out of necessity for a plot point; no, it's none of these things. It's done to blatantly advance her own point of view of what Mandalorians ought to be - no other reason, not to mention her view on the Jedi and Force-users in general. To this end she employs the character Kal Skirata, the huggable Mandalorian warrior who somehow isn't scared by his past and war, coming out without a scratch and very little PTSD to become the universe's number one father, with all of his hatred, anger, bitterness, and bigotry. What we have then is a character who epitomizes Traviss' view on the topic, reflecting every dislike about this or that, all justified because, hey, he's Kal'buir *AND* he's a Mando...so it's cool he hates people for who they are while all the while saying that Mandos don't judge people...despite the fact their word for "traitor" is the same for anyone who isn't a Mandalorian...

Without going into more gritty details about the nuisances the Mandalorians - once the epitome of warriors, now family men and women who live strange contradictory lives - this book is really divided into two parts. The first is just the wrapping up phase and legacy of TRIPLE ZERO and TRUE COLORS, as well as the more Fandalorian parts from ORDER 66: the Adventures of Kal Skirata & the Household of Misfits. This is clearly the part Ms. Traviss relishes, splurging over page after page of this Mando cultural tidbit or that bit of history - all quite interesting, but utterly useless. It truly drags the first half of the book done, making the forays into the Imperial Army and the 501st's Imperial commandos all the greater a relief, and this is the part Ms. Traviss ought to have worked on more, for therein lies the second phase of the book. This phase concentrates on Niner and Darman, trapped "behind enemy lines" within the new Special Operations Unit of the 501st Legion on Coruscant, doing their old jobs for the same people, just under a different name: Imperial commandos. Alas, Ms. Traviss doesn't take us back to that action-backed drama that was HARD CONTACT (her first foray into the Star Wars universe), with barley two moments of action and little to no character development. Here, like the Legacy novels, we see that one obsession has hurt her characters, so that the only character with any development is Darman, and that only comes near the conclusion of the novel. Niner is left in the role of babysitter, though with a bit of strength from previous roles, while anyone else they cross paths with come across us uncomplicated. Even the poor commando Ennen is left in the dust so that when his untimely end comes, it's not really a sad moment so much as a passing occurrence. Perhaps this was done purpose to emphasize the way Niner and Darman refused to connect with him the way they had with the rest of Omega Squad, but given Ms. Traviss' track record for sacrificing valuable page-time for Fandalorianland, it's hard to see that. In many ways, at the end we are left with characters who have only proceeded two literary steps in the span of an entire novel - hardly a great achievement considering all that can happen in a single novel (reference Troy Denning's TATOOINE GHOST for a great example of this).

All that aside, it appears the seeds of darkness Ms. Traviss planted in ORDER 66 are finally beginning to bear fruit, and it doesn't come without some internal conflict. Finally we see clones (smart, reliable clones) with personalities in conflict with Skirata's band, such as Maze the ARC trooper or Ennen and Bry, the Correlian-trained duo. Sadly, as mentioned before, they get little page-time aside from their necessary moments, in the same manner Spar and Sull were both shunned in the previous book. Dissenters in the ranks are clearly unwelcome in Fandalorianland, but maybe their appearance and ebbing importance is a sign of maturation in the writing and the author's vision. We might even venture to say that Ms. Traviss has got her fill of browbeating everyone with her logic ("Mandalorian good. Jedi bad.") and begun to recognize the contradictions and conflicts inherent in this sort of black-and-white world her characters live in, all the way acknowledging that a gray exists (even if they don't understand it). This comes in the character of Ny, Skirata's sudden romantic interest, who is thankfully not a repeat of Besany Warren or even Jilka, whose romances with the clones are written roughshod and without much logic, turning every female character into a barefoot housewife who, despite having been fiercely independent and capable in a past life, somehow doesn't object to being a homemaker, a mother-figure, and a wife, all at the same time. Rather than blindly giving in to the "charms" of Clan Skirata, Ny hesitates, though it's sadly not because of this dangerous and clearly topsy-turvy world they live in, but because of extraneous, mostly insignificant issues. In time, she develops as something of a counterweight to Kal Skirata's self-righteousness, though only with a great deal of hesitation and only in thought and behavior, not in voice or action. Still, the dissension in the ranks was a nice touch, even spreading to golden boy Ordo. Whether this will last is another matter entirely as the great juggernaut that is the Fandalorian world somehow draws increasing numbers of people into its orbit, even if its forced and not always (if ever) logical. Other counterweights exist, though, in the form of a Bardan Jusik who, as the novel progresses, comes to terms with a Jedi past despite his obsession with being a Mandalorian. We also have the character of Scout, the lost padawan, and Kina Ha who, despite playing a nearly insignificant role, puts into question all of Kal and Clan Skirata's preconceived notions, i.e. blatant and excused bigotry. Despite all this, it all suffers from the aforementioned Fandalorianland escapades so that in the end, even the "bad Mandalorians" don't come across as "bad" so much as misguided, and we can't help but feel a smug grin coming from the author throughout.

One final gripe comes from Ms. Traviss' decision to bring in last-minute major plot drivers OUT OF NOWHERE. Usually this happens with randomly-appearing characters, like Besany and Obrim in the earlier novels, Ko Sai and Mij Gilamar, the Nulls, or just about every single extraneous character who has, at this point in the series, become part of the background scenery (didn't see much of Corr, Yayax Squad, Rav Bralor, Levet, or even Fi and, even more so, Atin). So what now, the return of the Death Watch? Okay, so other bits of canon establish that they held out after the Mandalorian Civil War, but one just can't help see this as another ploy. Just one more thing to add to the list of matters Ms. Traviss has picked as being somehow "incomplete" or even "incorrect" in Star Wars continuity and thus is part of her great crusade to save it from the "others" - the aruetiise, if you will - in the franchise. Maybe this will pan out to be something useful, and maybe it won't, like most of the aforementioned (and unmentioned) characters and plot points. They don't create plot holes, but they do leave readers wondering, "Just what happened that [blank]?" Reference the way many people felt after TRIPLE ZERO after the coup performed by Kal'buir and his spoiled Null boys over Omega Squad. All I remember thinking and hearing echoed by other fans was, "What the hell happened to Niner? Bring Niner back!"

In end, though, I'll keep reading these books. If Karen Traviss is one thing, she's good at holding the reader's attention, painful as it at times (or all the time) may be. Her writing and characters having certainly matured since TRIPLE ZERO, giving one the impression that HARD CONTACT was much more a foray job into Star Wars than a devoted work. The characters surrounding Omega Squad are finally coming along, becoming characters unto themselves rather than [insert clone name here]. It's too bad that she doesn't make better use of the Omega Squad characters or of the IMPERIAL COMMANDO title to give us some insight into the workings of a military, but I suppose that this point, to ask for that would be to belabor the point. The series is almost over; in fact, 501ST is Ms. Traviss' second-to-last novel in the Star Wars universe, the final one being the follow-up to this one due out next November (that's 2010 for those of you reading this - HA! - in the later future). What will come from that? Who knows? I won't go so far as to say "Who cares?" like I would have (and did) after TRUE COLORS, but I won't say I'm as excited as I was while awaiting the release of TRIPLE ZERO. This is certainly the second-best novel in the series and I hope the next will usurp the title, but with all its flaws (i.e. the first phase/half of the book), it still only merits this book three, maybe three-and-a-half stars, a little above equal with ORDER 66, but nowhere near the full five stars for HARD CONTACT.

As a final note, if there is a single regret I have about seeing Ms. Traviss go (and there is only one), it's the fact she never had a chance to explore the Mandalorians she loves so much in a dedicated book series rather than in the midst of something else (as she did with the Legacy novels). I suppose that in the end, this series will be her legacy of Mandalorian and Fandalorian -ism, and though its title(s) are deceiving, they are nonetheless that series she seems to have always wanted to write. This far in, with any luck the next and final installment won't require all the history and back story and fan-propaganda that plagued most of the pages of this series and instead serve as a nice and pleasant good-bye.

Fans of a more realistically-portrayed Star Wars universe have learned to depend on solid, character-driven plotlines from Karen Traviss, and IC:501st delivers as expected. This book, like the Republic Commando series, is gritty, bloody and moving. However, the action scenes work to punctuate the raw emotion underlying the bulk of the novel, rather than serving as the main reason for the story as seems to be the case in too many Star Wars novels. It's a very rare reading experience to have a real, almost tangible sense of dread while reading certain chapters, but such is the payoff in stories that revolve more around the hopes and dreams of the men and women in the novel than how many space battles and lightsaber duels the writer can cram into it. Someone once said the best writers create people, not characters, and Traviss has accomplished that.

Traviss also has a refreshing, paradigm-changing view of jedi and clone troops that is not always appreciated by some of the more zealous fanboys.

Four out of five stars. Four and a half stars would be more accurate, as the half star is lost because I'm still a little angry that the series is being cut short due to asinine retcon issues raised by the otherwise excellent Clone Wars TV series. I would also liked to have seen a little bit more Vader in the story, as Traviss has shown a deep insight into Vader's psyche with her previous short stories about him. I am looking forward to seeing Skirata and Altis work together in the second, and hopefully last, Imperial Commando novel, at least with regard to Skirata and this particular group of clones, because the only thing worse than Traviss leaving the SW books would be having someone else finishing the storyline about Skirata and his sons.

All in all, an outstanding job.

This book is pure enjoyment! A gripping page-turner with hundreds of twists and turns. The characters all receive greater depth to their convictions and motivations. A darn shame no more are being written due to contract disputes with Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)

I was truly impressed with this entire series. It was a refreshing break from the normal Jedi/Sith drama and battle for the galaxy stuff. As an Army Vet I was impressed with the insight into the life of the clone troopers, as well as the ever present strain between politicians and the soldiers whose lives are effected by policy from those who never see combat and have no idea of it's nuances. I also really enjoyed learning more about Mandalorian culture. The KOTOR video games do a real smear campaign on this militaristic warrior culture that I always expected as biased. It was nice to see Mandalorian characters draw the comparisons between themselves and the Jedi, as well as in the end walking very Jedi like paths. I put the entire series at the top of my all time favorites list.

The only down side is that the series was never finished. It is sad when corporate politics gets in the way of our entertainment, but that is the way of business all too often. I talked with the author, Karen Traviss, via email and she was a pleasant and honest conversationalist. A mixture of contract/pay issues as well as a reboot of official Star Wars canon and timeline led to the final book after "501st-Imperial Commando" never even being written. Alas this is not the first time that the Dark Lord George Lucas has forced his will and dominion over us loyal Fanboys. Unfortunately we have grown used to his meddlesome ways. At least we have the majority of this wonderful body of work and I certainly recommend this series to any Star Wars fan, as well as fans of miltary fiction in general. I promise you will not be disappointed. Karen Traviss, missioned accomlished (but not completed).

The final published book in the Republic Commando series is great and continues the story of Omega Squad and Delta Squad along with the rest of the characters established by the author, and how they must continue their lives after Order 66 was enacted.

A great read if you are a fan of the series or the author, but be aware that this is the final published book in the series and you are left on a cliffhanger with no resolutions. The final book was cancelled. However the author did post on her blog an outline of how she planned to end the series, so there is some resolution there.