u/AdmirableTrainer2451

What a frustrating read this was. Its ambition outweighs its execution.

Shatterpoint has such a cool premise: Mace's former padawan loses herself mentally and spiritually in the jungle, where there are no laws, and her master is sent in to save her while slowly having his own moral code put to the test. And the first 250 pages or so are philosophically interesting, insightful, and contemplative—and they introduce some clear and interesting conflicts.

I borderline LOVED the setup of this book and all the time it spent diving into the psychology and philosophy of its characters. I felt like Depa was always in the background of the story, this mysterious force of nature that kept me intrigued and looking forward to seeing what happens when we finally meet her and learn what she has turned into.

But once Mace actually finds his padawan, the interaction is so muted and disappointing, as if the writer lost his nerve or was told to do something else. And then it becomes about a bunch of ship battles on the jungle planet that don’t feel all that satisfying. And Stover turns into James Luceno and starts describing ships, weapons, and troop units, and I couldn't care less about any of that in my Star Wars books. LOL Nevermind that Depa's alliance seems to shift multiple times throughout the story and rarely feels earned.

This book has interesting things to say about war, Jedi philosophy, and human nature, but whether because of creative inertia, deadlines, or serving corporate masters and a fanbase who perhaps (the author or publisher incorrectly assumes) demands descriptions of ships, weapons, and soldier units, it stumbles in the final act.

I admire the attempt here, but I am so, so disappointed now that I’ve seen the whole picture. Kind of like Wandavision’s first 5-6 episodes being wonderful and then the show becoming something totally different. Perhaps a needless shot at Wandavision, but both pieces of media left me equally frustrated with how badly they fumbled near the end. Bummer.

Stover, you HAD it, dude. There’s a truly great novel hiding behind what you ended up writing. And that makes it incredibly frustrating.

3.25/5 for ambition and 250 really interesting pages out of 410. Stick to reading the book that clearly inspired it: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.

For the record, I’ll take an interesting and ambitious fumble over a safe and boring book any day of the week. But ambitious failures also hurt more because you can see the great work that the artist just wasn’t able (or allowed) to create.

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On another note, everywhere I go on YouTube, I see reviewers praising this book. Loving this book. Calling it "the Apocalypse Now of Star Wars." And sure, it has that premise, but the execution is utterly lacking and trips all over itself in the final act. I just don't get the praise at all unless you willfully ignore the last 100+ pages. To each their own, I guess.

What a frustrating read this was. Its ambition outweighs its execution.

Shatterpoint has such a cool premise: A Padawan loses themselves mentally and spiritually in the jungle, where there are no laws, and her master is sent in to save her while slowly having his own moral code put to the test. And the first 250 pages or so are philosophically interesting, insightful, and contemplative—and they introduce some clear and interesting conflicts.

I borderline LOVED the setup of this book and all the time it spent diving into the psychology and philosophy of its characters. I felt like Depa was always in the background of the story, this mysterious force of nature that kept me intrigued and looking forward to seeing what happens when we finally meet her and learn what she has turned into.

But once Mace actually finds his padawan, the interaction is so muted and disappointing, as if the writer lost his nerve or was told to do something else. And then it becomes about a bunch of ship battles on the jungle planet that don’t feel all that satisfying. And Stover turns into James Luceno and starts describing ships, weapons, and troop units, and I couldn't care less about any of that in my Star Wars books. LOL Nevermind that Depa's alliance seems to shift multiple times throughout the story and rarely feels earned.

This book has interesting things to say about war, Jedi philosophy, and human nature, but whether because of creative inertia, deadlines, or serving corporate masters and a fanbase who perhaps (the author or publisher incorrectly assumes) demands descriptions of ships, weapons, and soldier units, it stumbles in the final act.

I admire the attempt here, but I am so, so disappointed now that I’ve seen the whole picture. Kind of like Wandavision’s first 5-6 episodes being wonderful and then the show becoming something totally different. Perhaps a needless shot at Wandavision, but both pieces of media left me equally frustrated with how badly they fumbled near the end. Bummer.

Stover, you HAD it, dude. There’s a truly great novel hiding behind what you ended up writing. And that makes it incredibly frustrating.

3.25/5 for ambition and 250 really interesting pages out of 410. Stick to reading the book that clearly inspired it: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.

For the record, I’ll take an interesting and ambitious fumble over a safe and boring book any day of the week. But ambitious failures also hurt more because you can see the great work that the artist just wasn’t able (or allowed) to create.

------
On another note, everywhere I go on YouTube, I see reviewers praising this book. Loving this book. Calling it "the Apocalypse Now of Star Wars." And sure, it has that premise, but the execution is utterly lacking and trips all over itself in the final act. I just don't get the praise at all unless you willfully ignore the last 100+ pages. To each their own, I guess.