Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

A message from Count Dooku is delivered to Yoda -- Dooku wants to meet with his former master so the two can hash out a plan to end the Clone Wars. Of course Yoda knows it’s bullshit, but he’s willing to try.

The author handles Yoda well in this novel, giving equal time to the different aspects of his personality we’ve seen in the movies – the Imp, The Font of Wisdom, and The Cranky Old Man. Dooku is handled well too. One of my favorite parts involves a flashback in which he recalls a lesson Yoda taught him as a padawan. Dooku was so upset with Yoda’s “unfairness” in praising others in fighting competitions that he planned to break his own arm and blame Yoda. As soon as he stepped on the mat, Yoda declared that Dooku had lost. Yoda taught him that day that if you go into a fight planning to lose, you’ve already lost. Okay, that sounds obvious, but the point is, but it was a reality check for Dooku -- you have to remember what your real goal is.

Yoda is surrounded in the novel by a charming cast of characters. There’s a young male padawan, Whie (stupid name), who’s considered second only to Anakin in talent, but he’s dangerously introspective. He’s tentative because of a precognitive recurring dream in which he foresees that he will be killed by another Jedi. His interpretation of this is that he’s going to go over to the Dark Side. But we know it’s the opposite.

Whie is being “stalked” by a droid who, when it catches up with him, proclaims himself a "gentleman's gentlebeing," reveals that Whie comes from a noble family and his mother is being held as a servant in her own chateau by Count Dooku! Say it ain't so!

A second padawan, Scout, is a young female who has the unenviable distinction of having an incredibly weak connection to the Force. Every day in the Jedi Temple is a struggle for her as she literally fights to keep from getting kicked out and sent to the Agricultural Corps where all the washouts go. In order to stay in the Temple she has to win lightsaber competitions, and in order to do that she “scouts out” her opponents to find their weaknesses. She also toughens herself up by hitting herself with her own lightsaber on low settings to get used to the pain. In one of her matches she fakes out an opponent and puts her in a sleeper hold till she passes out.

Gangsta!

Naturally, this type of behavior pisses off a lot of other padawans, not to mention Jedi Masters. However, Yoda has her back. He admires heart over raw talent.

The two padawans are assigned to two masters, Jai Maruk (another gruff guy with a temper) and Maks Leem, a Gran who has the tendency to chew like a cow when she’s displeased about something. These four and Yoda go undercover to meet up with Dooku. Unfortunately, Yoda is really recognizable, so an actor -- author of the hit play Jedi! -- is hired to impersonate Yoda. Unfortunately, his portrayal of Yoda is too good and Dooku's minion Assaj Ventress comes after him.

Ventress is great in this book, alternately wicked, deadly and petty. I loved the part where she was pissed at the holonews coverage of her murder of a Jedi. They got her body count wrong and she raged, “You call yourselves journalists!!”

Lots of humor, good action, and a great handling of the characters. The best Clone Wars novel, hands down. I only wish the author, Sean Stewart, had written some other Clone Wars books.