Scott's Rating:   3.5 out of 4

This is the third book in the Star Wars Episode I Adventures series. It is a game created by Scholastic in which the reader follows the story, then plays the RPG game that supplements it. It is only available in one of three ways: by ordering it from the Scholastic school book fair or school order form, through the form stuck within Jedi Apprentice #3 or #6, or by picking it up on the secondary market (eBay, used book stores, etc.). In any case, it is not easy to find at all. Darth Sidious discovers that a group of Bartokk assassins have stolen 25 of his special droid starfighters. They are equipped with hyperdrives and are to be used in the Trade Federation invasion. However, the theft of the ships hampers his plan. He sends Darth Maul to kill the Bartokks, recover the ships, and find out who put them up to it. Darth Maul takes his ship and droid and heads out. His droid is C-3PX, a protocol droid exactly like C-3PO, but packed to the gills with hidden weapons and featuring homicidal tendencies. You may remember this character from the Dark Horse Droids comics which Ryder Windham also wrote. Maul finds the planet they are hiding on and realizes they are located within an old fortress. Maul allows himself to be captured so he can learn more about them. However, once he learns enough, the killing begins. Maul wipes them all out and recovers the droid starfighters, but he loses C-3PX in the process.

Scott:

    This was just what I was looking for...a good solo Maul adventure. We get to see him in a bit of action here. As much as I am enjoying the Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan adventures, it is a nice change of pace. The Sith Infiltrator and Sith Speeder see a bit more action here, too.

I was happy to see C-3PX from the comics too. A great cameo and fun history to add to the character.

Darth Maul has one really memorable line. He's captured and about to be interrogated by a torture droid.

"Before I terminate you, do you wish to make a statement?"

"Yes," Darth Maul hissed through clenched teeth. "This entire fortress is going to burn."

Scott:

    I'll bypass complaining about how difficult this book was to obtain. By now you realize that. This time I'll gripe about how it arrived. Scholastic packs these books in nothing but a plastic bag. It arrived jammed into the mailbox and folded into a strange form of origami. As Amy told me, maybe it should be retitled "The Fury of Darth Mail"? As a collector, I wish it had been packed better.

As for the story, my only gripe was that Darth Maul wasn't as tough as you might expect him to be. Then again, if he was unstoppable, it wouldn't make for a very interesting story, eh?

Scott:

    Darth Maul cuts loose on multiple alien baddies. Lightsabers, however elegant and civilized, don't leave pretty results.