Entertainment Earth
[TF.N Main] [Contact Us]
[Books - Main]
[Books -  More]
[Star Wars Book Reviews]

[Star Wars Book Release Schedule]

[Foreign Covers]

[EU Roundtable]


Latest Releases...
[Lost Tribe of the Sith: Secrets]

Lost Tribe of the Sith: Secrets [EB]

[Episode I: The Phantom Menace]

Episode I: The Phantom Menace [PB]

[Millennium Falcon Owner's Workshop Manual]

Millennium Falcon Owner's Workshop Manual [HC]

[Darth Plagueis]

Darth Plagueis [HC]

[The Wrath of Darth Maul]

The Wrath of Darth Maul [YR]

[Shadow Hunter]

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter [PB]

[Shadow Games]

Shadow Games [PB]

[The Old Republic: Revan]

The Old Republic: Revan [HC]

[Riptide]

Riptide [PB]

[The Complete Vader]

The Complete Vader [HC]

[Star Wars Art: Comics]

Star Wars Art: Comics [HC]

[Heir to the Empire]

Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition [HC]

[Fate of the Jedi: Ascension]

Fate of the Jedi: Ascension [HC]

[Popular Stories]
CEII: Jabba's Palace Reunion - Massive Guest Announcements

Star Wars Night With The Tampa Bay Storm Reminder

Stephen Hayford Star Wars Weekends Exclusive Art

ForceCast #251: To Spoil or Not to Spoil

New Timothy Zahn Audio Books Coming

Star Wars Celebration VII In Orlando?

May The FETT Be With You

Mimoco: New Mimobot Coming May 4th

[Jedi Council Forums]
Troy Denning's Dark Nest trilogy (spoilers allowed)

The Official Alpha, the ARC Troopers and the Commandos Thread

The EU and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith- Spoilers Allowed

Secrets of the Jedi

Most powerful person in the galaxy

The Ages of EU Characters
[Poll]
There are no polls
currently operating
in this sector.
Please check
back soon.

View Poll Archives


Secret Missions #2: Curse of the Black Hole Pirates
by Ryder Windham

Published by Grosset & Dunlap


Adrick's Rating:   3 out of 4


Book two in a series of exciting new Clone Wars adventures.

Jedi Padawan Nuru Kungurama and the clone troopers of Breakout Squad?Breaker, Knuckles, Sharp, and Chatterbox?are sent on a diplomatic mission to the Unknown Regions by Chancellor Palpatine. Travelling with renegade cargo pilot Lalo Gunn in the Hasty Harpy, the young Jedi and his clone escorts are in for an unexpected surprise as they encounter the infamous Black Hole Pirates.



Adrick:

    Curse of the Black Hole Pirates is a well spun tale of swashbuckling, mystery, humor and adventure?Windham has really hit all the high notes here. And plus, pirates. And an awesome cover! (I got a poster version from the official Fan Club, which is pretty awesome.) I mean, what more could you ask for?

In this installment, Kungurama finally comes face-to-face with a member of his own race for the first time. Kungurama is a Chiss; the same race that Grand Admiral Thrawn belongs to, and his scenes with the Chiss ambassador Veeren are the best in the book. Kungurama?s rabid curiosity is brushed aside by Veeren, who is a spot-on Chiss; completely hostile and secretive.

The adventure picks up when the Separatists strike at a Chiss space station, forcing Kungurama and Breakout Squad to take Veeren along during their escape. They end up in orbit around a mysterious black hole?and encounter the gang of pirates who have taken their name from their stellar prison. The only hope of escape lies in a Kwa Star Temple?but I?d hate to give too much away.

Fans of the Expanded Universe minutiae will undoubtedly find a lot to like about Black Hole Pirates; the titular pirates were first mentioned in one of the early Marvel comic books, and the Kwa Star Temples first appeared in one of the few issues of Dark Horse?s Republic series that has yet to be reprinted.

But it?s not just all the preexisting EU lore that has been folded into the story that makes this installment compelling. The clone characters are beginning to be fleshed out; and I really enjoyed their banter. Windham has also introduced a very mysterious conspiracy involving most of the villains of the Clone Wars: Cad Bane, Ventress, Dooku, and Palpatine all make appearances here, hinting at some larger plot behind the events of this and the previous book. It?s that mystery that has me waiting impatiently for the next Secret Missions.



Adrick:

    The few things I didn?t like about Curse of the Black Hole Pirates (I really love typing that title!) are mostly minor nitpicks: the Black Hole Gang here is a little tame; particularly given the tough reputation they had in other sources, and the parallels between Lalo Gunn and Han Solo are a little too overt.

My only big disappointment was that it doesn?t seem likely that Veeren will be returning any time soon. The conflict between her innate distrust of outsiders and Nuru?s intense curiosity about his own race was really engaging?they make an interesting team.



Adrick:

    Cad Bane watching a pirated copy of The Bounty Hunters? Guild?s Greatest Hits: Volume VII. Way to set a bad example for the younglings, Bane.


Entertainment Earth
[All Posters]
Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
AllPosters.com
Search For Posters, Cardboard Stand-Ups & T-Shirts!
Upcoming Birthdays
(next 10 days)
3/30 - Matt Doran
3/31 - Ewan McGregor
4/5 - Phil Brown
[Rebelscum.com - Star Wars Collecting]
[TheForce.Net - FanFilms]
[TheForce.Net - FanForce] [TheForce.Net - Fan Art]
TheForce.Net - Your Daily Dose of Star Wars Entertainment Earth
THEFORCE.NET IS NOT ENDORSED BY LUCASFILM, LTD. PLEASE READ OUR DISCLAIMER. © 2024 COPYRIGHT TF.N, LLC
The Galaxy is Listening
Entertainment Earth
[TF.N Main] [TF.N FAQ] [Contact Us]