Siege: Star Wars Legends (Clone Wars Gambit)

By Karen Miller

On the Outer Rim, the planet Lanteeb has no strategic value, no political power, and one enormous problem: It has been invaded by an emboldened Separatist Alliance. To find out why, Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have snuck onto Lanteeb--and now look oblivion in the eye. . . .

Hiding their lightsabers beneath their dusty disguises, Anakin and Obi-Wan draw on their Jedi skills to stay one step ahead of Lok Durd's droid army on Lanteeb. The Jedi know that a captive scientist has given Durd the keys to a terrifying bioweapon. Durd knows that the Jedi are on his planet. With Yoda calling on the powers of the Jedi Council, with a new Separatist technology jamming the Guardians' communications, and with a traitor at the heart of the Republic's government, the wheels of war are turning. But the Separatists have blockaded Lanteeb. The finishing touches are being put on a weapon to destroy whole worlds. And it will be up to the two Jedi Knights and their most trusted comrades to liberate Lanteeb or forever suffer the consequences. 

Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 28, 2011
• ISBN: 9780307795984

Karen Miller

Karen Miller, who has over 25 years experience in the early childhood field, is well known as a keynote speaker and consultant. She has worked as a teacher for Head Start, as national education director for Children's World Inc. and as a national training director for Min-Skools Ltd.

Reviews for Siege

[jenneth_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is much better than Karen Miller and Traviss's previous books: Wild Space, and No Prisoners. Although the plot did start off not as quickly as I would have liked, it didn't lag too much. The only thing I was greatly sadened in was the lack of Anakin's super awesome Padawan. Ahsoka teamed up with Obi-Wan in the first few chapters (which irked me, since she's not his apprentice) and got herself three nicely cracked ribs and shipped off the the Shoals. She was in it throughout the book, but never with Anakin except through holo transmissions. At the beginning of the book, you get the hint--actually more than a hint--that Ahsoka's afraid for Anakin's life. She thinks it's her duty as a Padawan to protect him. Which is fine by me. That's good material to use, however, Miller didn't use it in this book. Anakin and Obi-Wan went on a top secret mission without her, unable to explain where they were going, and Ahsoka was left at the Shoals. She could've worried a bit more if she worried so much in the first chapter.Another thing I disliked was the ample amount of thinking Miller did. She just thought so much, particularly in the first chapter. For example: Ahsoka's on the bridge, standing a bit away from Anakin and Obi-Wan. She senses the whirring ships and all it's parts working perfectly in sync. Miller describes this in great detail for a couple of pages. Then Ahsoka thinks about how she wished she had a realationship with Anakin like he and Obi-Wan had: equal friendship. Would she ever be equal with him? Would it ever be more than Master/Padawan and just equal friends? Then she thought about never being able to get herself to call him by his first name since it felt so dissrespectful--which it is--and how even "Skyguy" was better than simply "Anakin". She thought about how he was the Chosen One and how she promised herself she would not be the one to get him killed. Then she wondered what he was thinking at the moment, and she began to stretch out with her feelings, but immediately got sidetracked in thinking about how heated his emotions could get and how he had so many wounds from lost clones and a hard life. Then she tried sensing again...you get the picture.I really didn't like how Miller used so many in-galaxy terms in nearly every sentence like she expects us to know just as much as she does about Star Wars. Some of it was interesting, like the terms duresteel and transparasteel, but when this converter goes with this other sprocket and this power cord plugs into this one...then it gets anoying. Impressive, but annoying.Thankfully, Miller killed the "awe, poor enslaved clones. We're so evil. The Republic is so corrupt" thing. At least most of it. There was a bit still left, but a lot less.I highly disliked the "Oh, Padme, I can't live without you. I want to leave the Jedi Ordrer just so I can be with you." Bla bla bla. Again, there was a lot less of that than in Wild Space, but there was still too much for my liking.Finally, I got really tired of the in-galaxy curse words such as "kirffing" and "stang", and the overused insult "barve". There were sooo many more things Miller could've put there. I'm sure no one in this world goes around saying the same exclamation ever other minute.Something I really did like though: Anakin was MUCH nicer to his Padawan in this book, for what little time they had together. He was still that "General Skywalker" person, but he was much nicer to her. He was proud of her when she succeeded in a battle, and Miller even brought up the fleeting thought of hugging her at one point, although he pushed it away. "Hugging her was out of the question..." It wasn't just because she had three cracked ribs, but he didn't want to appear soft around the clones, which is fine. That moment wasn't really a hugging moment, but he did do something appropriate for it instead.I loved the whole idea of going under cover as poor farmers to get some info on a bio bomb. Anakin and Obi-Wan went behind enemy lines and entered a new side to war that I'd love to see in a TV episode. :) I liked the effect it had on Anakin to see the newly-made slaves on the captured planet too. (actually, now with season 4 coming up, chances are, that we WILL see some of it!)I thought bringing back Lok Durd was an interesting thing to put in a book and I liked to see another side of him I've never seen before.It was neat to see how hard it was for Anakin and Obi-Wan to push onward. Although it was a little much, it was neat to see how they were pushed to their physical limits--which I'd also love to see in an episode.The captured scientist had to be nearly my favorite part though. As soon as I met her, I felt bad for her just as Anakin did. Unlike Obi-Wan, he understood what it was like to be at the mercy of someone much higher and mor powerful than you, and he showed it by trying to comfort her and help her, not to mention giving her his full trust. Obi-Wan was more skeptical because he thought her weak. Durd had threatened her family and promised their death if she didn't cooperate, and he thought "better than a few lives that the entire galaxy" sort of thing. Which is right, but you can't really blame someone for not being able to admit that. What I liked about Anakin was that he made it his priority that NO ONE had to die: family OR galaxy. You got to really trust the scientist like Anakin did...The drastic turning point at the end of the book captivated me as well. I won't spoil it, but I felt like I was right with the Jedi in this particular area...I felt mostly the way Anakin had felt, which was awesome. Obi-Wan: I didn't agree with him from the start of this area.And of course she had to end it without a single thing resolved. I didn't think she could roll it all up in one book at the pace she was going. So I'll have to get the next one, because in the situation of the captured scientist, it's not predictable.

[jklugman_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Of Miller's three Star Wars novels, this is better than Wild Space and is tied with Clone Wars Gambit #1. it follows the basic outline of Wild Space: Jedi in an isolate world, finding themselves at loggerheads with non-Jedi. There is too much rehashing of the same arguments but it is not as bad as Wild Space. I somewhat liked Clone Wars Gambit #1 because of the interesting character of Bant'ena Fhernan--the scientist who develops a horrible bioweapon to save her family--who takes a backseat in this outing. The novel drags as it centers on Anakin and Obi-Wan holing up in some bumblefuck village, but at least it did not have the absolute dreadful first act of Clone Wars Gambit #1. I am glad to be done with Miller's Star Wars novels, but this was not as much of a chore to get through as I feared.

[jrashk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Continuation to Stealth. A great description of what being caught in a siege feels like.

[salimbol · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very readable sequel to Stealth, in which we see more of the war's effect on civilian populations as well as on the Jedi. However, though it keeps its (very pleasing) feel for the characters, it becomes noticeably repetitive at points, and I do think that the two books could probably have been just one, with a much tighter plot.