I've been an avid reader of this series, and have been waiting eagerly for Order 66 since finishing True Colo(u)rs. Skirata is the key to the plot as he puts a face to the war in this great entry. Obviously the Clone Wars is the prime player, which means for newcomers it would help to read the previous Republic Commando events (see HARD CONTACT, TRIPLE ZERO AND TRUE COLOURS) that has led to ORDER 66: Star Wars Republic Commando. Karen Traviss shows why she is so popular amongst Star War fans as readers know the future yet are hooked by a terrific story line filled with action that ties together the threads from the previous Traviss tales and a great moralistic character. At the same time the Jedi have deployed Order 66 putting the loyal Omega and Delta commando units caught between loyalty to the Chancellor and their admiration of the Jedi.

Outraged Sergeant Mandalorian Kal Skirata, who trained many clone commandos, plans to rescue them from the Chancellor's nefarious expendable plan although he knows to truly save their lives he must slow down their incredible aging process. However, the Republic's elite unit Advance Recon Commando (Null ARCs) fighting against overwhelming odds is stunned when rumors spread that Palpatine has held back clone units that he plans to sacrifice for his cause. Still, neither Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) nor the Separatists have gained a major advantage in the hostilities, but Chancellor Palpatine's forces are overextended and in seemingly deeper trouble than the Seps. The bloody Clone Wars seem nearing the pivotal moment with the two enemies poised for victory as much as defeat. Not only is it more than a video game tie-in, it's worth every penny. Nevertheless, buy the book, eat it up, eat it again. Had she not been committed to that assignment, I'm sure she would have left a few less threads hanging in the wind. My only gripe is the clear setup to Traviss' upcoming 'Imperial Commando' series. Most surprising to me was the inclusion of a few story tidbits from the 'Republic Commando' video game that I had thought long since forgotten and added enjoyably to the cohesiveness of the collected Expanded Universe. Although having read the previous three 'Republic Commando' novel adds significantly to the payoff here, it is not a necessity, and the story serves almost as well as a standalone novel. A captivating adventure that kept me going all day, 'Order 66' is the story of conflicted Clone Commandos treading the blurred line between right and wrong and forced to come to terms with their own mortality. Not only is this one of my favorite Star Wars novels to date(Star By Star takes the cake in my book), but it provides an excellent overview to the Clone Wars and the later events that tie nicely into Episode III.

Star war republic commando order 66