The Force Unleashed

By: Sean Williams

The Force Unleashed is a novel set in the Star Wars universe that takes place during the Rise of the Empire era, and is the First of two books in The Force Unleashed duology.

Plot: The Empire rules with an iron fist.  The Jedi are all but wiped out.  Emperor Palpatine tasks Darth Vader with finding and exterminating the remaining Jedi scattered across the galaxy.  In turn, Vader unleashes his secret apprentice, a boy taken from Kashyyyk when he was a child, trained to be a force wrecking ball for the empire.

His mission is simple: follow Vader's orders, kill Jedi, and eventually take his place at Vader's Side after they destroy Darth Sidious.

Starkiller's journey will take him to robotic junk worlds, jungle planets, Imperial shipyards, and even to a new moon sized space station in the Horuz system.  Along the way, the apprentice collects a crew comprising of a old Clone Wars general, an Imperial pilot, and his faithful droid Proxy, who tries to kill him from time to time.  Together, they will start a rebellion, rescue both Organas, all the while secretly revealing the last of the emperor's enemies.  When push comes to shove, the apprentice will have to choose whether he wants to be Vader's puppet, or the rebellion's greatest hope.

Review:  This novel captivates the reader with non-stop action, a mesmerizing intrigue by answering the question: "How did the rebellion begin?"  Starkiller could have had a little more character development, but the great story the intertwines into the Star Wars timeline more than makes up for it.  Like most Star Wars the novels, the question of right or wrong will come into play.  Well worth the read for any Star Wars fan, or any person who has played the video game.