As the Clone Wars rage, Jedi Master Yoda must once again face one of his greatest adversaries — Count Dooku. The Clone Wars have forced the Republic to the edge of collapse. During the height of battle, one Jedi Knight escapes the carnage to deliver a message to Yoda on Coruscant. It appears that Dooku wants peace and demands a rendezvous. Chances are slim that the treacherous Count is sincere, but with a million lives a stake, Yoda has no choice. The meeting will take place on Vjun, a planet steeped in evil. The challenge could not be more difficult. Can Yoda win back his once promising pupil from the dark side, or will Count Dooku unleash his sinister forces against his former mentor?

6th Clone Wars novel
Era: Republic, 19.5 years Before the Battle of Yavin/30 months After the Battle of Geonosis
Author: Sean Stewart
ISBN: 0-345-46309-9 (Del Rey)
Finished: 3 July 2006

One of the better SW novels, especially among those set in the prequel era. The author captured Yoda perfectly. Yes, Yoda is wise. Yes, Yoda is a skilled warrior. And yes, Yoda is an impish teacher who can lose his composure just as easily as a regular being. He makes mistakes, too.The silly moments in the novel are a joy. The Bard had comic relief in his Tragedies, and even the Original Trilogy had it’s funny moments. Two plot devices that stand out: “Jedi!”, the play and the actor who preforms Yoda, and Yoda disguised as an R2 unit. Yoda has always been a favorite, and so has R2. To have Yoda pretend to be one is one of the best moments in the Expanded Universe.

I thought Whie and Scout were believable, particularly Scout. While most Jedi are shown to be competent, one has to assume that there are students like her who do not have a deep connection to the Force and must struggle and compensate for her short-comings. There is sadness knowing that, regardless if they survive the story, their time is short. Whie’s visions have not shown him a older version of himself: he will die at the hands of Anakin when he invades the Temple in ROTS.

Some nitpicks/musings: Shouldn’t we be privy to Padme’s thoughts concerning her condition? She should be quite a bit along by this point. The title of “Grand Master of the Jedi” has never been used before and I’m not sure I really like it. Speaking of Yoda . . . once again, the author doesn’t get a handle on his syntax.

Favorite Quotes
“Grand Master of the Jedi Order am I! Won this job in a raffle I did, think you?”
— Yoda to Scout

“Another game?”
“I think not.”
”Are you sure? We could make it best nine hundred sixty-seven thousand four hundred and thirteen games out of one point nine million thirty-four thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.”
”I don’t feel like it.”
— Fidelis, Solis, regarding dejarik

“Regulations, ma’am. The Trade Federation is spreading madware through our droids. We start letting them skip the cleaners, one day you’ll wake up in your very own home and find it conquered by the Smartvac and the laundry droid.”
— Spaceport security to Scout, regarding the Yoda-R2

“What a horrible planet. I’d hate to be the minister of tourism here.”
— Obi-Wan Kenobi to Anakin, regarding Vjun.

“Don’t worry, Your Lordship — I’ll get a broom and knock it on the head.”
”Master Yoda may be small and old and shriveled up like an evil green potato, but he is my guest, and I would prefer you not hit him with a broom unless I particularly desire it.”
— Whirry,Count Dooku