Adrick's Rating:   3 out of 4

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

After leaving Chiss space, Jedi Nuru Kungurama and the clone troopers of Breakout Squad receive orders from Chancellor Palpatine to escort the representatives of new Republic allies to Coruscant. But the mission turns deadly with the arrival of an armored warrior with ties to the Separatist Alliance. Will Nuru and Breakout Squad defeat this villainous foe, or will they meet their ends at Shattered Rock?

Adrick:

    The plot thickens in the third volume of Ryder Windham?s Clone Wars series. Revelations are made, lives are lost, and onetime allies are pitted against each other?although the reasons for it all remain unknown.

Duel at Shattered Rock stirs things up more than it resolves the ongoing storylines, but it?s still an entertaining ride. The characters are taken in some fun directions, and the adventure factor is high?we get swoop chases, starfighter battles, and some intense Chiss Jedi vs. Mandalorian warrior action.

Windham continues to make good use of plot elements from the television show while staying away from direct contact with Anakin and Ahsoka. The new villain in this book is a Death Watch member clandestinely recruited by Count Dooku to assassinate the planetary representative Nuru is charged with protecting. I liked the cover art illustrating their battle enough to bump the book?s rating up a full point. The Fan Club sent out posters of the other two covers?where?s this one? We also see more of Cad Bane, which is a plus since he?s been gone from the television show for so long. A certain swoop rider who will be familiar to readers of the Shadows of the Empire comics makes an appearance as well.

Duel at Shattered Rock may not contain any huge revelations, but it is an entertaining installment in a series I?ve enjoyed following.

Adrick:

    This installment didn?t have quite the level of swashbuckling and continuity connections the previous volume did, which was a little disappointing. As this is the second-to-last book, I?m not sure how all the storylines will be satisfactorily wrapped up in the last book?we?ll have to wait and see. It?s too bad that this is such a short series; I was really enjoying these characters. Still, they will be appearing in a couple of comics, so perhaps they will have a life beyond Secret Missions.

Adrick:

    Duros steaks. Not something I?ll be ordering at Outback anytime soon?