Death on Naboo Review

THE LAST OF THE JEDI
1. THE DESPERATE MISSION
    **** Jun/14
2. DARK WARNING
    *** Jul/14
3. UNDERWORLD
    *** Mar/15
4. DEATH ON NABOO
    **** Mar/15
5. A TANGLED WEB
    *** Oct/15
6. RETURN OF THE DARK SIDE
    ***+ Oct/15
7. SECRET WEAPON
    **** Oct/15
8. AGAINST THE EMPIRE
    *** Feb/16
9. MASTER OF DECEPTION
    ***+ Feb/16
10. RECKONING
    *** May/16

ALL TIMELINES

PREQUEL ERA

BEFORE STAR WARS
-5000 YEARS
TALES OF THE JEDI
1. GOLDEN AGE OF THE SITH
2. FALL OF THE SITH EMPIRE
LOST TRIBE OF THE SITH
1. PRECIPICE
2. SKYBORN
3. PARAGON
4. SAVIOR

-4000 YEARS
TALES OF THE JEDI
3. KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
LOST TRIBE OF THE SITH
5. PURGATORY
6. SENTINEL

-3998 YEARS
TALES OF THE JEDI
4. FREEDON NADD UPRISING
5. DARK LORDS OF THE SITH
6. THE SITH WAR

-3986 YEARS
TALES OF THE JEDI
7. REDEMPTION

-3840 YEARS
THE OLD REPUBLIC
1. REVAN

-3520 YEARS
KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
2. DECEIVED
3. FATAL ALLIANCE
4. ANNIHILATION
PLAGUE
RED HARVEST

-3000 YEARS
LOST TRIBE OF THE SITH
7. PANTHEON
8. SECRETS

-1032 YEARS
KERRA HOLT
1. KNIGHT ERRANT

-1000 YEARS
DARTH BANE
1. PATH OF DESTRUCTION
JEDI VS. SITH
2. RULE OF TWO
3. DYNASTY OF EVIL

-67 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
VOW OF JUSTICE

-44 YEARS
JEDI APPRENTICE
1. THE RISING FORCE
2. THE DARK RIVAL
3. THE HIDDEN PAST
4. MARK OF THE CROWN
5. DEFENDERS OF THE DEAD
6. THE UNCERTAIN PATH
7. THE CAPTIVE TEMPLE
8. THE DAY OF RECKONING

-43 YEARS
JEDI APPRENTICE
9. THE FIGHT FOR TRUTH
10. THE SHATTERED PEACE
11. THE DEADLY HUNTER
12. THE EVIL EXPERIMENT
13. DANGEROUS RESCUE

-42 YEARS
JEDI APPRENTICE
SE1 DECEPTIONS
14. THE TIES THAT BIND
15. THE DEATH OF HOPE
16. CALL TO VENGEANCE
17. THE ONLY WITNESS
18. THE THREAT WITHIN
SE2 THE FOLLOWERS

-34 YEARS
JEDI COUNCIL
ACTS OF WAR

-33 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
PRELUDE TO REBELLION
DARTH MAUL
SABOTEUR
PRE-EPISODE I NOVEL
CLOAK OF DECEPTION
DARTH MAUL
COMICS
SHADOW HUNTER

-32 YEARS
EPISODE I
THE PHANTOM MENACE
EARLY REPUBLIC
OUTLANDER
EMISSARIES TO MALASTARE
JANGO FETT
OPEN SEASONS

-31 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
TWILIGHT
INFINITY'S END
BOUNTY HUNTERS
AURRA SING

-30 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
STARCRASH
HUNT FOR AURRA SING
DARKNESS
STARK HYPERSPACE WAR
THE DEVARONIAN VERSION

-29 YEARS
EPISODE I BRIDGE
ROGUE PLANET

-28 YEARS
EARLY REPUBLIC
RITE OF PASSAGE
JEDI QUEST
0. THE PATH TO TRUTH

-27 YEARS
PREQUEL-ERA NOVEL
OUTBOUND FLIGHT
JEDI QUEST
1. WAY OF THE APPRENTICE
2. TRAIL OF THE JEDI
3. THE DANGEROUS GAMES
BOUNTY HUNTERS
1. JANGO FETT
2. ZAM WESELL

-26 YEARS
JEDI QUEST
4. MASTER OF DISGUISE

-25 YEARS
JEDI QUEST
5. SCHOOL OF FEAR
6. THE SHADOW TRAP

-24 YEARS
JEDI QUEST
7. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
8. CHANGING OF THE GUARD
EARLY REPUBLIC
HONOR AND DUTY

-23 YEARS
JEDI QUEST
9. THE FALSE PEACE
10. THE FINAL SHOWDOWN
EPISODE I BRIDGE
THE APPROACHING STORM

-22 YEARS
EPISODE II
ATTACK OF THE CLONES
REPUBLIC COMMANDO
1. HARD CONTACT
BOBA FETT
1. THE FIGHT TO SURVIVE
2. CROSSFIRE
3. MAZE OF DECEPTION
REPUBLIC
1. THE DEFENSE OF KAMINO
BOBA FETT
4. HUNTED
REPUBLIC
2. VICTORIES AND SACRIFICES

-21 YEARS
CLONE WARS
SHORT STORY COLLECTION
LEGACY OF THE JEDI
1. SHATTERPOINT
2. THE CESTUS DECEPTION
THE HIVE
REPUBLIC COMMANDO
2. TRIPLE ZERO
REPUBLIC
3. LAST STAND ON JABIIM
4. LIGHT AND DARK
5. THE BEST BLADES

-20 YEARS
THE CLONE WARS
1. THE CLONE WARS
2. WILD SPACE
3. NO PRISONERS
REPUBLIC COMMANDO
3. TRUE COLORS
CLONE WARS
SECRETS OF THE JEDI
MEDSTAR
1. BATTLE SURGEONS
2. JEDI HEALER
CLONE WARS
3. JEDI TRIAL
REPUBLIC
6. ON THE FIELDS OF BATTLE
CLONE WARS
4. DARK RENDEZVOUS
REPUBLIC
7. WHEN THEY WERE BROTHERS
8. THE LAST SIEGE, THE FINAL TRUTH
BOBA FETT
5. A NEW THREAT
6. PURSUIT
EPISODE III BRIDGES
GENERAL GRIEVOUS
LABYRINTH OF EVIL

-19 YEARS
EPISODE III
REVENGE OF THE SITH
REPUBLIC COMMANDO
4. ORDER 66
DARK LORD
THE RISE OF DARTH VADER
REPUBLIC
9. ENDGAME
IMPERIAL COMMANDO
501ST
THE LAST OF THE JEDI
1. THE DESPERATE MISSION
2. DARK WARNING
3. UNDERWORLD
4. DEATH ON NABOO
5. A TANGLED WEB
6. RETURN OF THE DARK SIDE
7. SECRET WEAPON
8. AGAINST THE EMPIRE
9. MASTER OF DECEPTION
10. RECKONING

ALL TIMELINES


		DEATH ON NABOO A novel by Jude Watson (2006, Scholastic Paperbacks) The Last of the Jedi, Book 4 19 years before and Star Wars: A New Hope An Imperial agent searches for clues to Padme's true cause of death, while Ferus wonders how he will stop the man when he is stuck on a prison world.

		Read March 20th to 23rd, 2015, in hardcover
		This was another intense outing, even darker than what came before it, and dealt with some tough issues like living in prison, death of a community, and murder. Spoiler review: As with the previous book, this novel was kept pretty simple, and as such, it allowed the characters to drive it. We get three points of view, as Ferus is on a prison planet, thinking of escape, Trever is involved in helping survivors of Solace’s group escape, and Malorum heads to Naboo to find out what secret Padmé took to her grave. The look into the Empire’s new prison world, which is presumably making components for the Death Star, was interesting, and made me wonder if such prisons would have existed in the old Republic, unbeknownst to the general public. Here, the people work until they die. There is a bit of a contradiction here, though, as the guards are said to be super-strict and watchful, yet it’s obvious that they don’t listen in on the conversations that take place in the sparse cells between roommates, or even when performing mining operations. They don’t interrupt when Prisoner 67 steals Ferus’ food and barely so when Ferus takes it back. They can’t figure out that one of the prisoners had stolen a data card, or where the data card is thrown from when it saves Ferus’ life, knocking Prisoner 67 out. Although Ferus greets Clive Flax as somebody he’s known for a while, I was trying to figure out if he ever appeared in the young reader novels before. Unlike Dexter Jetster, apparently he is not an old friend revisiting the series. He is very resourceful, and after Ferus’s roommate pretends to get sick, because he thinks Ferus will get both of them killed, Clive maneuvers his way to be the new roommate. They discuss plans for escape, as Clive knows a supply shuttle will conveniently be arriving the next day. In the morning, Clive pretends that Ferus is trying to kill him, so the Jedi is taken to be disposed of, but of course Ferus uses the Force to escape and meet Clive at the shuttle, which they commandeer and escape in, pursued by perimeter ships… Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Trever and Solace have returned to her lair, only to find that Malorum’s forces arrived ahead of them, and are massacring the group of Erased. Most of the survivors are from Dexter’s group, but Solace leads them to a hidden ship (another one), capable of going to hyperspace. I find it a little too contrived that she would have two ships, one that eats through permacrete that can get them into the Jedi Temple silently, and another that can go to another solar system. It seems very easy for them to figure out where the latest prison world has been created, so that they can go there, and arrive at exactly the same moment that Ferus and Clive are escaping. Solace destroys the pursuers, and they all go to a secret refueling point to figure out what to do next. Of course, based on the title of the book, we know at some point they need to get to Naboo. Malorum gets there first, and questions everybody about Padmé’s burial. It is obvious where this is going, unfortunately, but that doesn’t detract too much from the actual story. There is a strong Imperial presence on Naboo now, but it seems to be limited to a single base –and of course, every stormtrooper and commander must be inside that base when it blows up (a little sarcasm, here). The actual Naboo, including all minor officials, give him the runaround on what they know, always being polite about it, until he forces somebody to give up a little bit of information that he didn’t know –that Padmé's grandmother prepared her body for burial. He goes to visit her in the lake country. I didn’t like the fact that Malorum knew Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker, though it should be obvious that somebody would have figured it out (not including Xizor of the dreadful Bounty Hunter Wars). But it struck me as wrong, anyway. Similarly, I didn’t think Obi-Wan had given Ferus any details on where he was isolating himself, but Ferus knows that he is on Tattooine. With that kind of information, it seems likely that someone else would be able to get it from him. One of Solace’s team found out about Malorum’s trip to Naboo, so Ferus and the gang follow him there, arriving only after Malorum kills the grandmother, seeing through the Force that she suspected the babies hadn’t died with Padme, and that Anakin was the father. It would be stunning information if Malorum was able to give it to the Emperor before Vader found out, which is why Ferus asked the Queen for a communications blackout. Ferus is unable to stop Malorum from escaping, but he gets back to Theed quickly with the help of the Gungans -the Clone Wars TV series made it seem like Boss Nass wasn't in power anymore, but that could be oversimplifying things. Ferus devises a plan that would destroy the Imperial garrison by making it look like an accident, and he fights Malorum in the same halls where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon fought Darth Maul. Eventually, Malorum falls through the same shaft –I just hope he isn’t resurrected the way Maul was in the Clone Wars TV series. Ferus’ mission to Coruscant is now complete, as Malorum is dead, and Solace agrees to join him in starting a Rebellion. I guess the next part is to turn it into something substantial.