Book Analysis

By: Matthew barton

Date: 7/10/2015

Ever since Alan Dean Fosters Splinter of the Minds Eye, published in 1978, Star Wars
fans have been captivated by the literature of the Expanded Universe, and Fatal
Alliance is no exception. Its setting, millennia before the events of the movies, provides
ample room for creative license, which author Sean Williams exploits exceptionally well.
In direct opposition the high-octane, high-tech action so essential in Star Warss
schema, Fatal Alliance is a largely plot driven, with a satisfying whodunit twist to the
story.

Virtually every major character in the book gets a few chapters in their POV, as the book
has no clear protagonist, or even a clear antagonist (at least until the end). However,
most of the characters have their own character arcs, which often overlap with each
other. Jedi Padawan Shigar Konshi is miffed because of the Jedi Councils decree that
he is not ready for the Jedi Trials. His master, Grand Master Satele Shan, sends him to
Hutta with Larin Moxla, a washed out Republic Spec Ops commando, as a test. Along
the way, he proves himself worthy of being a Jedi Knight by saving his master and
dueling Sith Lord Darth Chratis.

Moxla, Shigars partner during their investigation, must redeem herself in the face of
tattling one of her superiors, resulting in her being blacklisted and discharged. Her aid in
the mission towards recovering the mystifying auction prize, a well as the events that
followed got her back in the good graces of the Republic Military. She also struggles
with tense romantic feelings toward Shigar later in the book.

The characters under the Imperial banner have their fair share of development as well.
Envoy Vii, an Imperial agent infiltrating the Republic, slowly begins to question his
allegiance the Empire, and begins a close friendship with Moxla, with whom he is
enamored. Eldon Ax, a Sith apprentice, eventually gathers the courage to kill her hated
master and even becomes an apprentice to Darth Howl, one of the twelve members of
the Dark Council.

Through an adroit hybridization of sci-fi, thriller and mystery elements, Williams

manages to create an atmosphere ripe with suspense and tension as well as a riveting
plot that will keep readers on the edge of their seat.