Wild Space

Of the many Star Wars books I've read since I began directing a role-playing game set in that universe, the best one I've come across is the recently-published Wild Space by Karen Miller. Judging by the cover, I was expecting a limp, kids-oriented tie-in to the animated t.v. series with a heavy emphasis on the clones. Instead, I found an engrossing tale of how Senator Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi forge a unique bond during a mentally-grueling and physically-punishing mission to uncover a rumored planet possessing Sith artifacts. One of the most surprising things about this book is how little there is in the way of "action scenes"--there's hardly a blaster fired or a lightsaber ignited in the whole book. Yet, the dialogue, the personalities, and the plot are more than sufficient to keep the pages turning. If novels tied to the animated series continue to be of this quality, I might just manage to forgive the annoying continuity mess the show makes out of Anakin's having become a Jedi Knight just weeks after the battle of Geonosis.