Star Wars: Riptide [Mass Market Paperback]

I have a little advice for you, run don't walk to your local bookseller and pick up Star Wars: Riptide on Tuesday, October 25th. The third Star Wars novel by author Paul S. Kemp is a page turning tale that has the pacing of an episode of '24'. Does that make Jaden Korr the Star Wars equivalent of Jack Bauer with a lightsaber?

Publisher's Synopsis:

"Anyone can escape danger. No one can escape the truth.

When a ship full of Sith warriors arrived in Galactic Alliance space, the fight to destroy it accidentally uncovered a hidden menace: a long-hidden group of clones, secretly created as insidious weapons capable of wielding the Force and heedless of the differences between light side and dark side. Now the clones have escaped--and evidence suggests that they are flawed by genetic disease and violent madness.

Jedi Knight Jaden Korr pursues the clones, hoping to heal them but prepared to destroy them. What he doesn't know is that Sith agents are hot on his heels, determined not only to recover the clones for their Master but to capture Jaden for their own dark-side purposes. In a life-or-death battle, Jaden will confront a shocking reality that will rock him to his core and bring him face-to-face with the question of what makes a man . . . and a Jedi."

Riptide picks up immediately after the events of Crosscurrent as The Three Junkerteers, Jaden, Marr, and Khedryn, are chasing down a group of crazy Force-using clones.

Kemp sets the stage in chapter one with the use of descriptions and details that lets you know this is going to be a story with some dark overtones and some violent action. One of the thing I enjoy most about Kemp's writing is that it is a melting pot of horror, fantasy, hard science fiction, space opera, and philosophy that creates a Star Wars novel that is both entertaining and thought provoking. This book will trigger some arguments and debates, which is always a good thing among EU fans.

The inclusion of dark horror elements into a Star Wars story has been tried most notably in Deathtroopers and Red Harvest, but to a lessor extent those same elements are ever present in both Crosscurrent and Riptide. In Riptide, Kemp uses midi-chlorians in a way that I would never have imagined and could serve as a metaphor for how some fans feel about their introduction into the Star Wars saga. There are other elements in the story that have a Lovecraftian feel and also had me wondering about how it might relate to a certain villain in the Fate of the Jedi series.

Kemp marches over to the Star Wars fiefdom that Timothy Zahn has carved out in his numerous novels and short stories and firmly plants the Kempland flag onto the territory of Grand Admiral Thrawn's cloning program. Cloning played a central role in both the Thrawn Trilogy and the Hand of Thrawn Duology, and Kemp resurrects the idea of Thrawn's cloning program for Crosscurrent and Riptide. The clones introduce the age old debate about what shapes a person, is it their biology or their life experiences?

Riptide sees the return to the novel universe of the One Sith, the order of Sith created by Darth Krayt (A'Sharad Hett) in the Dark Horse Comic series, Legacy which takes place roughly 90 years after the events of Riptide. By including the One Sith it helps integrate the two major EU licensees' and opens up some intriguing story telling possibilities to span the gap between the Fate of the Jedi novel series and the Legacy comic series.

Kemp also ventures into the ancient EU history and the land of PC games to bring the Rakata and their Dark Side infused technology into play. This is a very interesting move, but it is necessary for certain story telling purposes and also is a solid step in exploring a civilization that I would love to learn more about.

There is an inclusion of a species in this book that makes me wonder about potential continuity issues down the road. Debuting on the same week we have Riptide and Star Wars: The Clone Wars four part Umbara arc. The use of Umbarans and the imputing of them with certain abilities has me wondering whether or not it is unique to the character(s) that Kemp created or if it is a general trait of the mysterious Umbaran species.

In the Harry Potter universe there is the concept of wandlore, an ancient branch of magic that governs just about everything surrounding the construction and use of magic wands. In Riptide, Kemp gives us lots and lots of Lightsaberlore. The last novel that really went this in depth with lightsabers, is Mike Stackpole's I, Jedi in a series of scenes we get two different lightsaber contruction techniques (normal and fast/emergency construction), a special meditation designed to fuse the components of the lightsaber and the Jedi together, and a run down of all the components necessary to construct the blade. In Riptide, we get a tremendous amount of detail of lightsaberlore that is different take then what I have read before and is beyond to create some message board and Facebook discussions regarding the Force, Jedi, and lightsabers.

Lightsaberlore isn't the only Jedi related issue that Kemp delves into. In the expanded Universe we have seen that Jedi all perceive the Force in different ways, in Riptide are presented a curious scientific way of approaching the mystical energy field.

There are two types of endings that I hate to see in a novel, when the author either ties up all the loose ends and leaves very little room for future storytelling, and on the other extreme when the author leaves the ending so open ended that you are reliant on a subsequent story to feel any sense of closure to the characters and their story arcs. Riptide strikes that delicate balance where you get resolution to the this particular tale, but a new story telling possibility is opened up and sets up the potential for another story to be told either now or later on in the timeline.

At 278 pages Riptide is a very quick read, but unlike some shorter novels I have read it feels like a complete story. As a result of the setting of the story and the pacing, there isn't a lot of plot fat and dead pages to wade through. I predict that Jaden Korr will quickly become an EU fan favorite much like Corran Horn became after his starring role in the novel I, Jedi. I can heartily endorse Riptide for any Star Wars fan.

Check back to Lightsaber Rattling after Riptide is released as I have some spoiler filled thoughts on what ripples it could send out into the larger Expanded Universe.

Star Wars: Riptide by Paul S. Kemp is available in paperback and ebook formats for $7.99. To read excerpts of the book you can visit Suvudu.com and Paulskemp.com.

~Pete (LightsaberRattling.com)

Riptide is an entertaining adventure that picks at the deeper channels of the reader's mind. Like all Star Wars books, it has action and adventure. Jedi Jaden Korr travels with his spacer companions as they hunt down a batch of renegade clones. Lightsabers, blasters, and vibroblades draw blood on all sides as the game of cat-and-mouse leads to its climax. Kemp spices it up by throwing in a third party, much like the Anzati in Crosscurrent. Yet he doesn't stop there. Throughout the book, Kemp provokes the reader with tantalizing intellectual threads that add a whole new layer of depth to the novel.

At the center of the story is Jaden Korr. In Crosscurrent, Jaden dealt with time traveling Jedi, Sith, and a moon inhabited by crazed Force-sensitive clones. Now he's training the Cerean spacer Marr to be a Jedi, and cleaning up the mess that eluded him on the frozen moon. While the clones have a head start, Jaden finds the help he needs with his new companions.

Marr and Khedryn play significant roles in the story. As Jaden's apprentice, Marr trains in the ways of the Force and learns new responsibilities that weigh heavily upon him. Meanwhile Khedryn is left feeling like a fifth wheel in the group. Not having any Force abilities, he has only his natural talents and strength of character to rely upon. He also finds himself in a dangerous playing field. Jaden is already a powerful Jedi. Now that Marr is learning to use his own Force abilities, Khedryn has to keep up or stay behind. A good chunk of the story is dedicated to the characters finding their place in the ever changing galaxy.

On the other side of the fence, Kemp creates some very creative villains to keep everyone busy. Among the insane clones is one that stands apart; the Prime. There is also the third angle in the plot played by the One Sith. In Crosscurrent they sent an Anzati. This time they send a pair of Umbarans who, like the Prime, stand apart from their peers. The instability of the clones creates a shifting unity between them. With the One Sith and Jaden's bunch added in, it makes for a chaotic recipe. In the end the Umbarans and the Prime have to find their place, just like Khedyrn.

One of the central, underlying themes in the book is that people are not equations. Kemp attacks the argument from various angles with all of the characters. The matter of biology is represented by the clones. Bred by cold, impassionate Imperial scientists to be weapons, they seem destined to be agents of chaos and evil. The dark side has been engineered into them. On the side of choice, there is Jaden. He chose the light even when tempted by the allure of the dark. The Umbarans are also agents of choice, though they chose the dark. The clones, however, were not given choice, and it is only in their new found freedom that the real equation of life is put to the test. Is the sum of all beings merely the combination of their biology and the choices they've made?

From start to finish, Riptide is an engaging journey that will suck you in and leave you spinning. If you liked Crosscurrent, you'll love Riptide. The pacing and focus of the tale surpasses it's predecessor. The story weaves characters and action, emotions and curiosity, to create a thoroughly enjoying book. On top of that, Riptide presents a lot of topics begging for discussion. One of Kemp's final plays in the novel is enough to haunt readers into the wee hours of the night.

This is basically the same review as my one for Crosscurrent.

Let me just start by saying that Paul S. Kemp is hereby inducted into the Star Wars Novel manly-man author Hall of Fame. He's right there with John Jackson Miller and Troy Denning. Taren Traviss would be on this list too because she is the Mandalorian authority and this reviewer loves anything Boba/Jango - but she not a boy.

I also want to say taht I am a Jaden Korr fanboy. I've played Jedi Academy a million times, and have passed the obsession on to my sons. When I read about these novels and him being the main character, I had already given them 5 stars.

Crosscurrent and now Riptide has made Jaden more human. I love the knockout-drag out brawling struggles where he barely wins and at times he needs to rely on regular people rather than his force giftings to be victorious. The Luke-centered novels rely on Luke's force prowess and his established heroic optimism. Jaden is the anti-Grand Master, conflicted, dark and light but mostly human and very much the anti-hero type for our generation.

And the villains! Lord have mercy! The creepy Anzati assassin was more like a perverted serial killer stalking our hero. The Graphic Novels don't do them justice. These are the folks that trained Aura Sing but this guy is extra evil. The Umbaran was totally original and very sinister. Even the One Sith people get nervous around him. I really thought Mother was going to turn out to be Abeloth, trapped in the Maw. I was thinking that Jaden and the clones were going to throw down with her and accidentally destroy Sinkhlole Station, which was found later to be destroyed by Luke and the Lost-tribers in FOTJ Allies. Oh well. Me and my completest mindset ... what's another all-powerful ancient Dark Side entity for the mix. However, i will try and read up now on the whole Rakatan civilization.

SPOIL-O-RAMA: I really enjoyed the character development here with Khedryn going from a self-centered Junker/spacer to a self-sacrificing grown-up. he previously commented that Jedi are "all-in", in Riptide, he acts very "all-in" and risks it all several times to save and protect other people. Marr initially seems to be a clinical, mathematical intellectual, but by the end, his power to defeat the enemy lies in his friendship/emotional ties to his master. Jaden's transformation reminds me of the Pixar movie UP. He starts off as a loner on a mission, and then realizes that people, even ones we have nothing in common with become our most important assets in our adventures, and they are, in the end, what makes life worth living.

The great thing about this and many other novels is that they tie into the rest of the SW timeline. Crosscurrent is a parallel story to The Lost Tribe of the Sith which is generally during the Great Hyperspace War. The meat of the book lands in the Legacy of the Force/Fate of the Jedi eras where Jaden is unemployed and in need of adventure. The plots for these Kemp novels take their history from The Thrawn-era stroies, and the Vong war and also foreshadow the One Sith Legacy era in the future.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 19 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars