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| Order 66 (Star Wars: Republic Commando, Book 4) | 
 enlarge | Author: Karen Traviss
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $27.00
Buy New: $16.09
You Save: $10.91 (40%)
New (39) Used (11) from $15.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 2115
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.6
ISBN: 0345506189
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN: 9780345506184
ASIN: 0345506189
Publication Date: September 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: R20081202004544H
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Product Description
After the fierce combat of Hard Contact, Triple Zero, and True Colors comes the spectacular culmination of New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss’s gripping Republic Commando series. As a battle-scarred era nears its end, a shattering power play is about to stun the entire galaxy . . . and set in motion events that will alter destinies and resound throughout history.
Even as the Clone Wars are about to reach an explosive climax, no one knows if victory will favor the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) or the Separatists. But no matter who wins, the stakes are highest for elite Special Ops clones like the Republic Commandos in Omega and Delta squads–and the notorious renegade Advance Recon Commando troopers known as Null ARCs.
With Republic forces stretched to the max and casualties mounting, the last thing these beleaguered warriors need to hear is that Chancellor Palpatine is keeping vast armies of secret clone troops in reserve. Sergeant Skirata, a mentor to the clone commandos, has no intention of standing idly by while Palpatine sends them into battle like lambs to the slaughter. Skirata begins to plan the clones’ escape from the GAR, but his heroic effort will be in vain unless he can reverse the clones’ accelerated aging process.
Caught in the treacherous dealings of their leaders, and locked in the battles of their lives, the disillusioned Null ARCs and Commandos nonetheless fight with everything they’ve got, determined to wrest victory from the Seps and save the galaxy.
But even the deadliest weapons may not be powerful enough to defeat the real menace. And nothing will stop the apocalyptic horror unleashed when Palpatine utters the chilling words The time has come. Execute Order 66. Translation: The Jedi have tried to stage a coup, and all must be shot on sight.
With their faith in the Republic and their loyalty to their Jedi allies put to the ultimate test, how will the men of Omega and Delta squads react to the most infamous command in galactic history? All the breathtaking action, suspense, and intrigue of Karen Traviss’s Republic Commando series comes alive in Star Wars: Order 66.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
 Kandosii!! If you like the RC series, you'll LOVE this: Recommended wholeheartedly!! September 21, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I've been an avid reader of this series, and have been waiting eagerly for Order 66 since finishing True Colo(u)rs. It lived up admirably to my expectations! Your favourite characters are back, and be warned: there are some heart-rending moments....now, go buy the book :)
For me, the Star Wars universe has gotten much more interesting with the addition of the now four-volume Republic Commando series. The ethical questions that my mind raised with the Attack of the Clones movie are addressed and play a large part in shaping events in the series (principally, how the Jedi could preach compassion while using cloned soldiers to fight a war). Karen Traviss's military savvy makes each novel extremely readable, and sci-fi jargon aside, the clones could be the squaddies in any army, in any era: the pawns who bleed and die thanklessly in other peoples's wars. From Hard Contact all the way through to Order 66 and hopefully beyond, we get a clone's eye view of the war, and it's not pretty.
Vor entye, Karen!
JM
Thoroughly Engrossing Chapter in the Star Wars Legacy! September 24, 2008
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
WOW! What a fantastic story! I have to admit that although I own the three previous Republic Commando novels; Hard Contact (Star Wars: Republic Commando), Triple Zero (Star Wars: Republic Commando), True Colors (Star Wars: Republic Commando), I have yet to read them as I just recently finished the Legacy of the Force series when this one came out, which by the way if you haven't read I highly recommend.
The author does a remarkable job with the characters and settings and, at least for me anyhow, has a very captivating writing style that really sucks you into the story. Now I am not one to give away a lot of the plot lines in the story as I feel cheated when I know too much about the story that I am about to read. I prefer to find out things for myself, rather than having all the highlights put into a review. So with that in mind, here is a real brief overview of the story.
The story takes place shortly before the infamous "Order 66" command is given by Palpatine and concerns a Mandalorian warrior who had been hired years previously to train some of the clone commandos that had been created on Kamino for the Republic. After months and years of soul searching, this Mandalorian warrior realizes that the clones are being treated horribly and worse than the lowest life-forms simply because they are clones. He along with his adopted clone sons and assorted confederates, begin initiating plans and schemes to "slip away undetected" when the time is right in order to live their lives as free men, and not just clones in service to the Republic with no voice about their own futures.
There are so many interesting characters and a lot that are from the three previous novels that you may at times feel a bit overwhelmed trying to keep track of them all, but it fairly easily sorts itself out after a few chapters.
I really enjoyed the role of the Madalorians and I look forward to seeing a lot more written about them in future Star Wars novels. I highly recommend this novel, as if I really needed to recommend any Star Wars novel to a true fan in the first place, for its brilliant writing and informative look at another side story that helps fill in a lot of gaps and then some from the feature films.
Shawn Kovacich
Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.
The Star Wars universe for the over-30 set October 11, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have enjoyed this book and the whole series tremendously. It is far more mature than any of the recent Star Wars fare, less sci-fi and more character driven. This is a great series for those who are more concerned with good writing than with absolute video game and comic continuity. And it's an intriguing alternative perspective of the Jedi that adds further depth to Revenge of the Sith.
I was happy to hear that the series will continue as Imperial Commando, so we'll get to spend some more time with the gang.
 The first part of the commando saga comes to a close October 24, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Several years ago first-time Star Wars author Karen Traviss was tapped to pen a spinoff novel based on the videogame Republic Commando. Although there are an increasing number of games available featuring significantly strong storylines (Knights of the Old Republic comes to mind), Republic Commando was a fairly straightforward first-person shooter: a lot of fun to play, but not necessarily a deep source for a quality book. Defying my expectations, Traviss produced a gripping and distinctive tale with her book Hard Contact. By not adhering to the storyline of the game, she gave herself room to develop a compelling set of new characters, breathing life into the concept of clone soldiers.
Reactions to the first book, despite some fan concerns about its pro-Mandalorian, anti-Jedi overtones, were quite positive, and the sequel Triple Zero appeared not long thereafter. Triple Zero took its time in developing a richly detailed ensemble cast of mercenaries, soldiers, and disillusioned Jedi, and it became clear that Traviss was laying foundations for a bigger story. It turned out there were two more books coming, a third paperback named True Colors and the hardcover series finale, succinctly titled Order 66.
My anticipation for this climactic fourth novel was extremely high and overall I was not disappointed. As expected, Traviss takes all of the disparate threads and characters she has been developing and weaves together an action-packed portrait of the chaos surrounding Order 66 itself and the rise of the fledgling Empire. One element I did not expect is how much time is spent months earlier in the first half of the book. This makes sense, though: the war was three years long and there was a significant gap of roughly a year between the end of True Colors and Order 66.
I confess a bit of surprise on my part regarding the climactic events of Order 66. I had a picture in my head of the decisions Omega and Delta squads would be forced to make regarding their Jedi allies (primarily Etain Tur-Mukan and Bardan Jusik) but the actual story was quite different. I'm not going to spoil anything specific here, but I will say events weren't nearly as conclusive as I pictured, with the exception of one particular character's death (a very moving one). It has recently turned out that Traviss will be penning a sequel series, the aptly dubbed Imperial Commando, which sheds new light on her choice here to leave questions unanswered and even some new storylines barely addressed (such as the intriguing introduction of Callista, a Jedi character some readers may be familiar with from the Bantam novel era).
The viewpoint of this novel, much like the prior three but more amplified, has a very Mandalorian slant to it. The dialogue is liberally sprinkled with Mando terms, and the mercenaries are placed in heroic roles, those of noble warriors looking after their families and loved ones while doing what they "have to do" for a living. While I disagree with the vilification of the Jedi the book veers toward, I greatly appreciate the different point of view Traviss explores. Not everyone in the Star Wars galaxy should feel the same about things, and just looking briefly at any political discussion today ably depicts how completely differently people can view a particular subject or person. I've never seen clones the same way after reading this series, and it's interesting to examine the cues the new Clone Wars cartoon has picked up in humanizing the troops.
I'm reluctant to delve any further into the plot of this one. If you've read the first three books and enjoyed them, you'll certainly want to read this one, and if you haven't and you are interested, start with Hard Contact and see what you think. I highly recommend all four of these books for the fresh viewpoints and strong characterizations they present, and I look forward to reading Imperial Commando: 501st next.
excellent September 26, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
The bloody Clone Wars seem nearing the pivotal moment with the two enemies poised for victory as much as defeat. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. Skirata is the key to the plot as he puts a face to the war in this great entry.
Harriet Klausner
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